Tenants Worried about Security in Apartment Complex after Unsolved Murder in the Building
On April 26, 2025, the body of Menash Manny” Hidra (53) was found inside his fifth-floor apartment unit at the Ashton Sherman Village Apartments, located on the 126000 block of Riverside Drive. Reportedly, three days before the discovery, a resident who lives nearby stated that he heard screams and yells for help at about 3am. He said he called apartment security and the police. Doorbell camera footage released by the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) showed a man, who is the suspect in the murder, roaming the halls of the apartment building shortly before 3am and attempting to get into units. Although the LAPD has not released much information, they stated that a “suspect unlawfully entered the victim’s apartment and a physical altercation ensued, which resulted in the victim’s death.”
According to tenants, they continue to see transients roaming the halls of the apartment building. Just four days after the victim’s body was found, footage showed a man carrying a trash bag over his shoulder inside the second apartment building. The most recent security footage shows a man with a bicycle who does not live in the building roaming the halls of the apartment complex’s second building; this footage is from the early morning of May 6. This video, captured at 3:41am, shows the man walking into one of the stairwell exits with his bike. Just a few minutes later, he is seen again roaming the halls on another resident’s camera.
Tenants remain on edge about building security. They continue to complain that apartment management has failed to address issues that have existed even before the murder. More specifically, they claim that management has done very little besides hiring what they call “courtesy patrols.” They have not fixed broken exterior doors or done anything to stop transients from getting on the roof. In addition, one resident claims that the scaffolding in front of one of the buildings actually facilitates access to the building for transients.
Unfortunately, many property owners and property managers fail to take action to ensure the safety of their premises, especially after repeated complaints and incidents (like the murder in the case above). When this happens, they can be sued by tenants.
The Downtown L.A. Law Group Can Help You – our personal injury lawyers have decades of experience and are more than ready to provide you with the guidance that you need to fight for your rights and recover the compensation that you are owed. If you or a loved one sustained injuries because a landlord failed to keep an apartment complex safe, you could have the right to file a lawsuit. Contact us today to explore the legal options available to you.
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Many homeless individuals will trespass onto private property, including apartment complexes, in an attempt to find a safe space to sleep. However, many transients trespass with the intention of stealing or even harming others. In areas with high transient populations, it is essential that exterior doors, gates, and windows remain functional. If something breaks, it must be fixed within a reasonable time. It is also important for property owners and management teams to have adequate security on the premises, even more so when there is a history of trespassing or incidents.
Understanding Property Owner’s Responsibility to Keep Property SafeIn general, property owners and their management teams have a duty to keep rental properties safe. When incidents occur in apartment complexes, the property owner/management could be liable based on negligent security. This is based on landlords’ duty to take reasonable steps to prevent foreseeable crimes from happening. This may include things like repairing broken locks on exterior doors, installing security gates, providing adequate lighting, hiring security to patrol the apartment complex, increasing surveillance, and more. If a landlord does not take any reasonable security measures and a crime occurs, resulting in injury or death to a tenant/resident, then the landlord could be held liable.
Can I file a lawsuit if there was a crime at my apartment complex that left me injured? Can I sue if a member of my family died due to a crime at the apartment complex? Yes, you could have the right to sue. Again, if the property owner failed to take action to prevent a foreseeable incident, then victims and their families could sue. To ensure that you have a thorough understanding of your right to file a lawsuit, contact us today.
Some of the different categories of compensation available for recovery could include the following:
- Medical expenses
- Lost income
- Pain and suffering
- Property damage
- Punitive damage
- Wrongful death benefits
- Legal fees
Here at our law firm, our experts are more than ready to fight for your right to recover the maximum payout available for your claim. Our lawyers are fully committed to fighting for your rights and securing the compensation that you are owed. Whether our team has to negotiate a settlement or take your claim to trial to reach a verdict, you can trust that our experts will do everything necessary to reach the best outcome possible. If you have any questions about the possible value of your claim and what you could be awarded to receive, contact us today.
Contact the Downtown L.A. Law Group TodayIf you or a member of your family sustained injuries in an attack resulting from a transient trespassing into an apartment complex, it is important that you reach out to a legal team as soon as possible. Here at the Downtown L.A. Law Group, our experts are more than ready to fight for your rights and help you recover the maximum payout available for your claim. To ensure that our firm remain accessible to you and others that may be in a similar situation, we offer free case evaluations. These include free consultations and free second opinions. During these free legal services, our team will be available to answer your questions, address your concerns, and provide you with the information that you need to begin or continue your lawsuit against the apartment complex owner. To schedule a free case review at your earliest convenience, contact us today.
Zero-Fee Guarantee: you will never be required to pay any upfront legal costs for any of our legal services. Our firm works on contingency, so you will actually not be required to pay anything at all if your lawsuit is not successful. If you do not win, you simply will not be responsible for paying anything.
Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you with your claim.
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