With a helicopter circling overhead, police in armored vehicles rolled up to the Sunshine Motel in downtown San Bernardino and jumped out with assault rifles at the ready.
On Wednesday, they battered down doors and swept the modest, two-story structure beside the 215 Freeway with military precision. Startled young women, hands in the air, staggered out of darkened rooms.
The raid was the culmination of an “extensive investigation” into allegations of pimping and pandering at the hotel, according to posts on the San Bernardino Police Department’s X account.
The hotel’s manager was arrested on felony charges and the structure was “red tagged” by city officials due to unspecified health and safety violations, according to police.
The possibility that prostitution was occurring at the motel came as no surprise to locals, whose city routinely ranks among the poorest and most crime-ridden in California.
The neighborhood around the motel, in the 500 block of North H Street, is notorious for prostitution, Salvation Army worker Anthony Zavala told CBS LA.
“I think a lot more work needs to be done, but obviously it’s great to put away some people like that, that could do that to a young lady,” Zavala said.
Police posted a gritty, 50-second video of the raid on their social media.
With a sepia-toned filter and Bill Withers crooning “Ain’t No Sunshine” as the soundtrack, the clip shows police in full tactical gear breaking down doors and handcuffing people in the parking lot.
A pair of pink, sparkling high-heeled boots flashes across the screen, reminiscent of a classic montage from HBO’s “The Wire.”
“The San Bernardino Police Department will relentlessly pursue those who exploit and victimize others,” the X post said. Chief Darren Goodman added: “If you traffic in human lives or prey on our community, you will be identified, targeted, and held accountable.”
The post does not identify the manager arrested or specify the health violations cited to render the hotel unsafe for occupancy. Department officials did not respond to a request for comment on Saturday.
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