City Sues Van Nuys Motel in Criminal Crackdown

Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer has filed a lawsuit against the owners of the Hyland Motel on Sepulveda Boulevard in Van Nuys seeking an injunction to curb alleged drug sales, prostitution and violent gang crime at the property, the city attorney’s office announced Thursday. The move is part of a larger crackdown by Feuer and local law enforcement on properties that are hotspots for criminal and gang activity. The suit names Hyland Motel owners Vimal Inc., Vimal Nanu Patel, Nanubhai M. Patel and Lalitaben N. Patel, alleging they have “enabled criminal activity at the property by failing to implement and maintain reasonable management practices.” The injunction seeks to force the owners of the 40-room hotel at 7041 Sepulveda Blvd. to introduce new security measures. They include round-the-clock security guards, a video monitoring system that is accessible by the Los Angeles Police Department as well as requiring the owners to live at the motel until the alleged gang, drug and prostitution activity is significantly reduced. Since 2015, the LAPD has made at least three dozen drug or gang-related arrests and at least a dozen prostitution-related arrests at the motel, according to Feuer’s office. As a part of its Citywide Nuisance Abatement Program, the city attorney’s office has obtained 137 injunctions requiring improvements to nuisance properties