Oakland: Suspected pimp held boy to shield himself from arresting officers, police say

OAKLAND — A Pacifica man has been arrested and charged with human trafficking — and police say he used his 4-year-old son as a shield when the cops came to get him.

Lavell Boyland, 36, was charged with felony counts of human trafficking and pimping, as well as misdemeanor counts of resisting police and child cruelty. The charging documents allege that Boyland used the boy as a “deterrent” when the cops came, ignoring both the child’s cries and the boy’s mother, who showed up as officers were attempting to arrest Boyland.

Two days after Boyland was arrested, the woman he allegedly trafficked told police she wanted to recant her statement and she didn’t want him to be charged, authorities said. Earlier, the woman had claimed Boyland bruised her eyes and had run her over with a vehicle, according to authorities.

On May 3, police received a tip that Boyland had been trafficking a woman, taking her to San Francisco, Salinas, Vallejo and Oakland for “dates” with men. He used threats and physically harmed her when she tried to resist and held her to a quota of $1,000 to $1,500 per night, according to police.

During the investigation, police say they recovered prostitution ads and text messages showing Boyland was trafficking the woman; she would reportedly text “got one” when she was heading to a hotel room with a man, and relay prices. The woman began thinking of a way to get out of the situation after Boyland shook her during an argument, authorities allege.

On May 4, police located Boyland in Oakland and attempted to arrest him. Police said in court records he refused to put down his son as police were handcuffing him, causing the boy to “cry profusely.” Boyland eventually surrendered, authorities said.

He is being held at Santa Rita Jail in Dublin, in lieu of $420,000 bail.

The criminal complaint alleges Boyland has multiple felony convictions, including a San Mateo case where he was convicted of attempted pandering in 2022.