CALIFORNIA—On Monday, August 11, 2025, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced that felony charges were filed against a former Los Angeles police officer and three other men in connection with a violent home invasion and kidnapping for ransom in Koreatown last December.
Former Los Angeles Police Department Officer Eric Halem, 37, of Porter Ranch was charged in case 25CJCF02967 with kidnapping for ransom, first-degree residential robbery, and home invasion robbery in concert. He is being held on no bail.
The LADA’s Office also charged Luis Banuelos, 28, of Jurupa Valley in Riverside County, Pierre Louis, 26, of Attleboro, Massachusettes and Mishael Mann, 20, of Los Angeles. Each co-defendant faces counts of kidnapping for ransom, first-degree residential robbery, and home invasion robbery in concert. Mann is being held on no bail, and Louis and Banuelos are each being held on $1.3 million bail.
Halem and Mann both pleaded not guilty during their arraignment. Banuelos and Louis pleaded not guilty during their arraignment on June 11. Preliminary hearing setting for all four defendants is scheduled for September 24, 2025, in Department 37 of the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center.
On December 28, 2024, at approximately 2:30 a.m., Halem and Mann allegedly entered an apartment in Koreatown, and handcuffed two victims, transferred money from the victims’ cryptocurrency account, and stole cash and jewelry before fleeing.
Banuelos and Louis are accused of serving as getaway drivers who waited outside the location. If convicted as charged, all four defendants face life in state prison.
