By Brian Villalba
After four months, $300 that was dropped in the P4 parking structure and turned into the East Los Angeles College Sheriff Station has yet to be claimed.
The money was dropped in the structure on May 30.
The low-resolution ELAC campus security footage showed two unidentified females with items falling out of one of their bags. It isn’t exactly clear what was dropped. A few minutes after the females drop the money, Senior Computer and Network Support Specialist Michael Iwashita came across money on the floor of the P4 parking structure.
“I thought I saw $20, but then I realized it was a stack of $20 bills,” Iwashita said.
Student Bum Lay also saw the money and went to pick it up.
As Iwashita was picking up the money, which was spread over the immediate area, he directed Lay to help pick up the money and turn it into the sheriff station in two envelopes, one with $140, the other with $160.
“Michael Iwashita reported the lost money on May 30,” Deputy Erric Roman said.
“It was found at 11:35 a.m.–a few minutes after it was dropped.”
The sheriffs investigated and were not able to identify the women.
According to the security footage, the two women spoke to a man in the video who the sheriff deputies identified as instructor Ray Zhang.
Sheriff deputies questioned Zhang, but he was not able to recall the names of either of the females. Zhang did not offer any information to help in the investigation, in spite of the fact that he stopped to speak to the females just moments before they dropped the money.
“We thought (Zhang) may have been their professor,” Roman said.
Deputies asked around campus, but no one has been able to identify the two females.
According to Frank Velasco, the policy for cash found would be to hold it for 90 days.
Roberto Garcia is the detective on this case.
“In this case where we have video of the owners of the cash, after we have exhausted every lead, it will be up to the discretion of the detective,” Velasco said.
Contact the Sheriff station if you have any information on the girls in the photo, or contact Detective Roberto Garciar7garcia@lasd.org.