Police in Los Angeles have arrested a 35-year-old woman on suspicion of attempted murder after opening fire at the Beverly Hills home of pop star Rihanna while she was reportedly inside the property.
Authorities identified the suspect as Ivanna Lisette Ortiz of Orlando, Florida. She is being held with bail set at $10.2 million, according to The Los Angeles Times. Police said the motive for the alleged attack remains unclear.
Investigators said evidence at the scene indicated the use of a high-powered firearm. According to the BBC, citing a police official, assault rifle casings were recovered outside the property.
The Los Angeles Times reported the suspect allegedly fired toward the residence from a vehicle while armed with an AR-15-style weapon.
The incident occurred Sunday afternoon, when officers responded to reports of gunfire at about 1:15 local time. A law enforcement source told the Times that Rihanna was inside the mansion at the time, but no one was injured.
Some residents in the surrounding area reported hearing a loud shot echo through the neighborhood.
"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."
Police later located a white Tesla believed to be linked to the suspect roughly eight miles away at the Sherman Oaks Galleria shopping center.
According to radio communications reviewed by the Times, officers in a helicopter spotted the vehicle and followed it to the parking lot.
Ortiz was arrested there about 30 minutes after the 911 call reporting gunfire.
Public records reviewed by the Times show Ortiz has had previous encounters with law enforcement in Florida.
She was involved in a bankruptcy case in 2013 at age 23. In 2021, she was arrested on suspicion of careless driving, and in 2023 she was arrested again on suspicion of domestic violence and battery.
Ortiz had also posted a series of erratic messages and videos on social media in the weeks before the shooting that referenced several celebrities, particularly Rihanna.
In a Facebook post dated Feb. 23, Ortiz shared a photo of herself while tagging the singer directly.
"@badgalriri — Are you there?" she wrote. "'Cause I was waiting for your AIDS 5-head self to say something to me directly instead of sneaking around like you're talking to me where I'm not at."
Another post from Feb. 17 included an image of rapper Drake with the caption: "When Drake found out Rihanna has AIDS," followed by the hashtag "#champagnepapi."
The investigation is ongoing.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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