Police Chief Takes Aim at Rumor Mill

Persistent rumors about burglaries and a public shooting have vexed police, Chief Jim Hunt said this week.

Hunt addressed the City Council Tuesday and said that police have had trouble quashing rumors spreading among residents who believe that a . Residents have also spread rumors about a on Saturday that weren't true, he said.

"There have been a number of rumors that have spread through the community that have caused fear for some residents," Hunt said.

Technology has aided in spreading the rumors, particularly when a man shot himself in the middle of Old Town Saturday, Hunt said.

"In this case a number of individuals came up quickly and took pictures (of) what occurred and had a number of misinformation as to what occurred," Hunt said.

Police put out a statement last month in an effort to discredit rumors that a gang of burglars has been robbing homes in northern Monrovia. Hunt said there hasn't been an unusual amount of burglaries, noting that the total number of the crimes is down overall compared to this point last year.

"Like any community, we experience burglaries on a regular basis," Hunt said. "It's one of the most regular crimes in Los Angeles County."

Hunt said it takes time for police to get information out and asked for residents to be patient when a crime occurs, he said.

"One of the things I wanted to get out there was please give us time to get information out to the community," Hunt said. "I just wanted to stress to the citizens that it takes time for us to deal with situations like this."