It is about an hour and a half drive from Manhattan Beach to Valley Village. The Los Angeles neighborhood is where the brother of the Las Vegas mass shooter was recently arrested on suspicion of child porn possession, law enforcement officials said.
Bruce Paddock, 58, was taken into custody at an assisted living home on Laurel Canyon Boulevard, media outlets reported. He was apparently in a wheelchair when arrested and had to be lifted into a police van by officers.
Paddock is the brother of Stephen Paddock, who shot and killed 58 people from a Las Vegas hotel window as they attended a concert. He wounded hundreds of other concert-goers before killing himself.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office has charged Bruce Paddock with one felony (possession of child pornography) and 19 misdemeanors (sexual exploitation of a child).
Law enforcement sources told the Los Angeles Daily News that the investigation into Bruce Paddock began before the Las Vegas shootings and that he is not considered a suspect in that horrific event.
There’s no connection “that we know of” between the two events, said the LAPD chief.
The brother of the shooter is apparently considered a transient. The investigation began when police found him squatting inside a business property in Sun Valley. After he was evicted, investigators apparently searched his laptop and said they had found on it child porn.
There have been — understandably — many emotional responses to the news of the arrest, many of which are colored by the tragic events in Las Vegas. It’s important to remember that all of have a right to defend ourselves against accusations of wrongdoing and that we should not be held responsible for the acts of others.
If you face similar charges, you can speak with an attorney experienced in sex crimes defense.
