Deputies from the West Hollywood Sheriff’s Station made arrests at The Abbey Food and Bar during the operation in the Rainbow District. (photo by Edwin Folven )

An Oct. 17 raid by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department in Rainbow District raised alarm and confusion among bar patrons. West Hollywood Sheriff’s Station Capt. Fanny Lapkin spoke to the City Council on Oct. 20 and clarified details about the law enforcement operation, which many people mistook for an Immigration and Customs Enforcement raid.

The operation was conducted by personnel from the sheriff’s department and did not involve any federal agents, Lapkin said. Plainclothes deputies were targeting illegal drugs and pickpocketing at bars and nightclubs in the Rainbow District. Multiple people were arrested, including several at The Abbey Food and Bar, for possession of a controlled substance. Authorities did not provide the total number of arrests, but West Hollywood Sheriff’s Station booking records show 16 people were taken into custody for drug possession and drug possession with intent to sell on Oct. 17 and early Oct. 18.

“The operation was a pre-planned operation … from concerns from our businesses and our community in regards to the pickpocketing, to the narcotics and also to the illegal vending and some of the criminal activity during illegal vending,” Lapkin said. “We had several arrests from a specific location, without mentioning any names, but it was not a target-specific operation. It’s not the first time we’ve had those operations. It’s not going to be the last time we have those operations. Because when we have concerns of pickpocketing, and we know that’s been a concern, and we have concerns of illegal drug use, we’re going to address those.”

The operation struck fear in the community after people saw unmarked sheriff’s department vehicles and plainclothes deputies, and assumed ICE was targeting people in the area. Social media posts stated it was an ICE raid, further compounding the misunderstanding. West Hollywood City Manager David Wilson reiterated that the operation was conducted by local law enforcement and not federal agents. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department does not target people for immigration violations and city leaders have denounced the ICE raids occurring throughout the Los Angeles area since June.

“Some of the social media posts indicated that it was ICE. There was no ICE involvement in this. It was all sheriff’s department,” Wilson said.

West Hollywood City Councilman John Erickson said he fielded a lot of questions from members of the West Hollywood community in the aftermath of the law enforcement operation and expressed concern about preventing misinformation from being spread in the future. He also sought clarity on whether authorities needed warrants to arrest people during an undercover operation.

“They don’t need a warrant for that,” Lapkin added.

The captain said authorities are also targeting street vendors in the Rainbow District who illegally sell alcohol and drugs. Lapkin did not respond to requests for further comment by press time.