It was just after 1 p.m. Sunday when the gunfire rang out at the home of pop star Rihanna.
Neighbors said the shots echoed through the canyon near Beverly Hills, leaving them on edge.
Authorities allege a Florida woman inside a Tesla opened fire on the front gate and a nearby RV at the music legend’s mansion. The woman, identified by police as Ivanna Ortiz, was arrested soon after in Sherman Oaks.
She has not entered a plea and could not be reached for comment.
The shooting
The LAPD radio dispatch for the incident said that at least 10 shots had been fired at the residence from a vehicle across the street from the property’s gate. The vehicle, a white Tesla, then fled south on Coldwater Canyon Drive, according to the police dispatch audio.
Rihanna was home at the time but was not hurt.
Several neighbors said they heard the gunshots.
“I was a little shocked. We don’t hear that kind of thing in this neighborhood. It’s pretty quiet,” one neighbor told KTLA. “I just heard one shot. It was really loud. Everything in this valley echoes. Even when someone has a party, when there’s music.”
Officers in a helicopter soon caught sight of the suspect’s vehicle and followed it to a shopping center parking lot in Sherman Oaks, where they arrested her about 30 minutes after the 911 call came in, according to radio communication reviewed by The Times.
The suspect
Law enforcement sources said the suspect was armed with an AR-15 style weapon. It’s unclear how she obtained it.
Ortiz, 35, of Orlando, had several prior arrests in Florida, according to public records reviewed by The Times. She was involved in a bankruptcy case in 2013 at age 23, was arrested on suspicion of careless driving in 2021 and was arrested again in 2023 on suspicion of domestic violence and battery.
She was a licensed speech pathologist.
In recent weeks, Oritz’s Facebook account had referenced Rihanna. In one post, she said: “Say something to me directly instead of sneaking around like you talking to me where I’m not at.”
It’s unclear how long she had been in Los Angeles or if she had any connection to the singer.
Police have not offered a motive for the attack.
