Hidden cameras found in South Bay dance studio bathrooms used by children, parents
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Police are searching for the person who hid multiple cameras in a Hermosa Beach dance studio bathroom used by children, parents and employees.
A parent made the disturbing discovery Saturday morning at the dance studio in the 1100 block of Aviation Boulevard, the Hermosa Beach Police Department announced in a news release.
Police officers arrived at the studio around 9:30 a.m. and found that multiple cameras were hidden in bathrooms at the studio. The parent who found the cameras turned them over to staff who then contacted police, according to authorities.
The bathrooms, which are used by parents, students and employees, are unisex. Students who attend the dance studio range from 2 to 18 years old, police said.
“We understand the concern this incident may cause in our community — particularly among parents and families — and we want to assure residents that we are addressing this matter with the utmost seriousness,” the Hermosa Beach Police Department said in a statement.
Police said the cameras were hidden in wicker baskets in the bathrooms.
Campus officials warned students earlier this month that a man was spotted recording women in a school bathroom. The incident is similar to another incident under investigation last year.
The owner of School of Dance and Music, Liliana Somma, confirmed with news station ABC7 that the cameras were located at her business. She said that she has lost some customers due to the incident. Somma noted that she has been in business for 25 years and that the studio has more than a thousand students.
Somma told the news station that she has hired a company to inspect for other hidden devices at her business.
“Also, we bought these regular sweeping devices that we’re going to be doing throughout the day, which I think everyone should be doing,” Somma told the news station. “But that’s what we’re going to be doing. That’s newly purchased. We also added cameras in the hallway so we can see who is coming in and out of the studio itself.”
Anyone with information can contact detectives at the Hermosa Beach Police Department at (310) 318-0360.
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