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Apartment manager oblivious tenant was harboring accused killer

Posted at 3:58 PM, Mar 01, 2013
and last updated 2015-10-09 19:22:40-04

The manager of an apartment complex in Studio City, California had no idea one of his tenants was providing a hideout for Ammar Harris.

Harris was arrested Thursday at about noon at the Archview Luxury Apartments. He's accused of killing three people on the Las Vegas Strip last week.

Police say Harris had been hiding out at the apartment complex with a female friend, most likely since the weekend.

The manager at Archview, Terry Cano, spoke with Action News about the arrest.

"People, when they commit crimes, they're going to go hang out with friends or acquaintances as far away from the crime scene as they can where they have a safe place to go," Cano said. "He probably thought that this was it."

Cano said he thinks police were onto Harris staying at the apartment complex, combing the area for a few days before making an arrest.

The arrest happened so quietly that most neighbors didn't even realize it was going on.

FBI Agents and LAPD were both involved in making the arrest. Las Vegas Metro Police detectives arrived on scene later on Thursday, searching the apartment for additional evidence.

Police say the female friend Harris was staying with lived in the unit. Cano said she's been renting the apartment for a few months.

"When people come in and fill out an application, we run their credit and a background check," said Cano. "Her background check came up fine, her credit came up fine and we verified her employment -- which was a legitimate job."

Although Harris is a self-proclaimed pimp, the relationship between him and the woman living at the apartment is not clear.

Police said the woman was not arrested, but that doesn't mean an arrest couldn't come later as they continue to investigate the case.

Harris will be in a Los Angeles courtroom on Monday for an extradition hearing.