Motel murder case a setback in Anaheim’s ‘Rebuild Beach’ initiative?
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Cheers erupted from onlookers in late May when an excavator tore into the sides of the Rainbow Inn, a seedy motel on Beach Boulevard that Anaheim bulldozed to make way for affordable housing.
But a recent murder at a nearby motel shows that progress along Anaheim’s 1.5 mile stretch of the highway still has a long road ahead.
On June 14, Anaheim police responded to reports of a shooting at the Villa Inn around 6:15 p.m.
Officers encountered Steven Hawkins, 66, suffering from at least one gunshot wound. Paramedics treated the victim at the scene before transporting him to a local hospital. Hawkins died about an hour after sustaining his injuries.
Construction crews toppled the site of the former Rainbow Inn, the fourth motel demolition in Anaheim since 2021, as part of its Rebuild Beach Initiative.
Police arrested Amir Karkehabadi, 59, at the Villa Inn without incident and recovered a handgun at the scene. He was booked at the Anaheim Police Department on suspicion of murder.
Homicide detectives are investigating what led to the fatal shooting. Authorities are not disclosing any relationship Karkehabadi, an Anaheim resident, may have had with the victim.
Karkehabadi pleaded not guilty on murder charges when arraigned on Tuesday. He is due back at the North Justice Center in Fullerton for a pretrail hearing on June 26.
“It is another tragic event on Beach Boulevard,” said Mike Lyster, an Anaheim spokesperson. “We certainly remain in a transition period.”
Two weeks before the murder, the Rainbow Inn’s demolition represented another step toward realizing the city’s decades-long crusade to rebuild along the highway that has otherwise fallen into blight with an oversupply of motels serving as a magnet for crime.
So far, the city has spent $35 million in acquiring and demolishing motels on the strip.
As part of its “Rebuild Beach” initiative, Anaheim rolled out damning crime statistics when the City Council authorized eminent domain powers to take the Rainbow before buying the property for $6.9 million last September.
The Rainbow Inn accounted for 120 arrests through 2021, including a non-fatal shooting that year that left a man at the motel critically injured.
By contrast, police and city officials claim that, despite the Villa Inn murder, the motel isn’t a major magnet of crime.
Sgt. Matt Sutter, an Anaheim Police Department spokesperson, stated that there have been just 16 calls for service from the Villa Inn so far this year. He added the calls have ranged from traffic stops to medical assistance. In rare cases, serious crimes have been reported.
Having been an Anaheim policeman for 25 years, Sutter didn’t characterize the establishment as a problem motel.
“I’ve responded to the Villa Inn only a handful of times,” he said. “Compared to other locations in the area, it has not historically generated a high volume of police activity.”
Anaheim’s revamp of Highway 39 includes more housing, motel demolitions and three popular food and beverage chains coming to the city’s west side.
Thirteen motels remain along Anaheim’s strip of the highway. Lyster notes that not all of them pose public safety challenges, and well-managed motels remain part of future plans for the area.
Still, Anaheim Police carried out 477 arrests on Beach Boulevard last year.
“Despite the best efforts of operators, there’s a bit of shuffling going on,” Lyster said. “As we go in and close motels, the problems can go to other motels.”
The city is hopeful that building new housing opportunities will be a key step. Construction crews are transforming the site of demolished motels into affordable housing and townhomes near Beach Boulevard and Lincoln Avenue.
Demolishing the Rainbow Inn also gave Anaheim a continuous 2.7-acre plot to consider 120 apartment units and 15 market-rate townhomes in the future. A trio of popular chains, including Dutch Bros, have signed up to be new tenants in the area.
The city expects that new businesses and residents will become partners in retiring the highway’s sullied reputation for crime.
“We have to keep going in our effort to rebuild Beach,” Lyster said. “The only long-term answer is redevelopment on the boulevard.”
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