Law Enforcement News
2 L.A. Murders From 2011 Solved With Suspect's DNA Scraped From Street
With the defendant's no contest plea, Los Angeles authorities closed the case on the 2011 murders of a teenage girl and a young woman that once sparked fears of an Eastside serial killer. Geovanni Borjas, 37, pleaded no contest to murder and rape in the cases of Michelle Lozano, 17, who disappeared on April 24, 2011, and Bree’Anna Guzman, 22, who disappeared in late December that year. He also pleaded no contest to kidnapping Guzman. It was the second time in the Los Angeles Police Department history that familial DNA helped detectives zero in on a high-profile killer, then-Chief Charlie Beck said in announcing Borjas' arrest in 2017. The first was when investigators zeroed in on serial killer Lonnie Franklin Jr., known as the Grim Sleeper, in 2010. A search of familial DNA turned up a near-match for evidence collected from the Eastside victims' bodies, Beck said in 2017. The partial DNA belonged to Borjas' father, and detectives looking for an exact match zeroed in on Borjas, following him until they captured a sample when he spat on a sidewalk, police said.
NBC News
Woman Shot In Back During Argument At Hollywood Hills Halloween Party
A woman was shot in the back after an argument broke out at a Halloween party in the Hollywood Hills West neighborhood of Los Angeles Monday night. The shooting was reported at the private party located in the 1600 block of Viewmont Drive. Investigators believe the incident began as an argument between attendees of the party, which was being held outdoors. At some point gunfire broke out and a 25-year-old woman was shot in the back, police confirmed at the scene. The unidentified victim was in stable condition following the shooting. Four people, including two men and two women, were in custody but it was unclear if the shooter was male or female. A firearm was recovered at the scene, according to investigators.
KTLA 5
LAPD Offering Rewards For Tips Leading Them To ‘Ghost Gun’ Manufacturers
The Los Angeles Police Department soon will begin offering rewards for information helping investigators take down an increasing number of black-market gun dealers and manufacturers they fear are operating in the city, officials said Monday. The rewards could range in value from a few hundred to several thousand dollars, depending on the size of the operation the information leads to, said Chief Michel Moore from the department’s Downtown L.A. headquarters. “Ghost guns,” as law enforcement across the country have dubbed the weapons, are firearms manufactured without the federal serial numbers that in a legal purchase would allow them to be traced to those buying and selling them. The weapons can be built easily using parts and special tools found online. As a result, local police say enterprising dealers are making money from building the weapons, then selling them to people who would want a gun law enforcement can’t trace.
LA Daily News
Police Search For Suspect After 2 Men Stabbed In Hollywood
Two men were stabbed in Hollywood on Monday night, prompting a search for a suspect. Los Angeles police say the stabbing happened just after 10 p.m. near Hollywood Boulevard and Whitley Avenue on the Walk of Fame. Video from AIR7 HD showed several police vehicles responded to the stabbing as crime scene tape cordoned off the area. People nearby -- some dressed in Halloween costumes -- gathered on the sidewalk as the investigation continued. The two victims are believed to be in their early 20s. Their condition is unknown. Further details on what led to the stabbing were unavailable. No detailed suspect description was released.
ABC 7
1 Dead After Truck Split In Half In Collision With Pole In Chatsworth
A pickup truck driver died in an early-morning crash in Chatsworth on Tuesday, leading to an hourslong closure of Topanga Canyon Boulevard. The crash was reported at about 2:45 a.m., according to Los Angeles Police Department Officer Moore. The driver of a red pickup truck was declared dead at the scene after the vehicle struck what appears to be a light pole. Aerial footage from the scene showed the truck nearly split in half by the force of impact. No one else was injured. As police investigate the crash, streets in the area remained closed.
KTLA 5
Man Shot During Attempted Robbery In Van Nuys
A 40-year-old man was shot during an attempted robbery in Van Nuys overnight, authorities said. Officials with the Los Angeles Police Department said the shooting was reported in the 14900 block of Marlin Place, near Kester Avenue and Vanowen Street, just after 2 a.m. Tuesday. Investigators said the victim was standing outside when he was approached by three men who pulled out a gun and demanded his property. The victim was shot twice, and the suspects left the scene. The victim was taken to the hospital by ambulance and there was no information on his condition. The LAPD said he is not cooperating with investigators. The investigation is ongoing.
FOX 11
Police Chase Suspect Arrested After Traveling Wrong Way Trying To Evade Officers In LA County
A driver is in handcuffs after leading authorities on a police chase across Los Angeles County – but not before putting other drivers at risk by speeding and traveling the wrong way on certain streets. The suspect, who was wanted for possibly stealing the pickup truck they were driving, led the Los Angeles Police Department and the California Highway Patrol officers on a chase across parts of Los Angeles, Eagle Rock, Burbank and Pasadena. At certain points of the chase, the suspect was seen driving the wrong way and driving at high rates of speed. CHP made a PIT maneuver on the suspect a little after 7:30 p.m., prompting the suspect to pull over and ditch the car seconds after the maneuver. After a short foot chase, CHP officers were able to stop the suspect and place them in custody. Officials did not say where the car may have been stolen from.
FOX 11
Man Fatally Shot In Hawaiian Gardens
A man was shot and killed in Hawaiian Gardens Monday evening. The shooting was reported about 7:40 p.m. in the 21900 block of Arline Avenue, near Carson Street and the San Gabriel River (605) Freeway, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. The man was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics. His name was withheld pending notification of his next of kin. No suspect description was immediately available. Anyone with information on the shooting was asked to called the Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500. Anonymous tips can be called in to Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477 or submitted online at lacrimestoppers.org.
MyNewsLA
Man Fatally Shot In Compton; Investigation Underway
Authorities are investigating a fatal shooting that occurred in Compton on Sunday. According to Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, the shooting happened at around 7:50 p.m. in the 14400 block of South Clymer Avenue. When deputies arrived, they found the man suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene. His identity has been withheld due to the ongoing nature of the investigation. No additional information was available. Anyone with information for detectives was asked to call homicide detectives at (323) 890-5500
CBS 2
CHP Receives Federal Grant To Support Efforts To Stop Street Takeovers
The California Highway Patrol has received a federal grant to help curb the rampant amount of street takeovers plaguing streets all over the state. On top of the $5.5 million allocated in the state's 2022-23 budget for the CHP to implement the Campaign to Eliminate Street Racing and Sideshows, an additional $1.5 million has been granted in order to form the Sideshow, Takeover, Racing, Education and Enforcement Taskforce (STREET). They hope the new taskforce will help decrease the number of crashes that stem from sideshows and street races. According to CHP, speed was determined a factor in almost 40% of all crashes that involved a fatality or injury in 2019-20, a number which increased by 21% in 2020-21. "Reckless driving behaviors are a significant threat to all who use California's roadways," said CHP Commissioner Amanda Ray in a statement. "The STREET grant will provide for a focused education and enforcement campaign, targeting aggressive driving behaviors, street racing and sideshow activities."
CBS 2
New Orleans Murders Surpass 2021 Total With Two Months Left In The Year
Dr. Luke LeBas is an emergency medicine physician in the New Orleans area and a self-described gun nut. He knows the caliber of a bullet based on the wound channel it leaves. He can deduce, based on these wounds, what kind of firepower is on the streets. He doesn't know why so many more patients are showing up with deadly head and chest wounds. Are the killers better shots, firing at closer range or are they spraying so many more bullets that they increase their odds of a fatal strike? Of one thing, he's certain: the level of trauma he and his peers see reminds him of "the bad old '90s." Two months remain in the year, and the number of murders in New Orleans has already surpassed the 2021 total — a figure which in itself marked a 17-year high. The city has averaged 23 murders per month in 2022, a trend that Mike Glasser, president of the Police Association of New Orleans, believes will continue. Neighborhoods with murders in the double digits include Little Woods, Central City, the 7th Ward, Venetian Isles, Behrman and West Lake Forest, data show.
New Orleans Advocate
Law Enforcement News
Man Critically Injured By Metro Train In South Los Angeles
A 35-year-old pedestrian was struck by a Metro A (Blue) Line train in South Los Angeles Monday evening and suffered life-threatening injuries. The collision was reported about 9:10 p.m. on the Metro track in 1200 block of East Washington Boulevard, near Central Avenue, according to Brian Humphrey of the Los Angeles Fire Department. The man was taken to a hospital in critical condition. No other injuries were reported in the collision. The cause of the collision was under investigation.
MyNewsLA
4 Workers At LAX Sickened By Carbon Dioxide Fumes Near Terminal 8
Four workers were sickened Monday -- one critically -- by carbon dioxide fumes emanating from a utility room about 200 feet from Terminal 8 at Los Angeles International Airport, prompting an evacuation of the terminal and impacting some inbound flights. Firefighters responded to the leak about 7 a.m., according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. Airport officials said Terminal 8 was evacuated due to the situation. Some United Airlines flights bound for Los Angeles were being held at their origin airports while the investigation was conducted, resulting in some flight delays. LAX officials noted that Terminal 8 was the only terminal impacted, affecting only some United flights, and all other airport operations were continuing normally. According to airport officials, LAX-bound United flights that were already in the air were continuing to land as scheduled, but all others were being held on the ground until after 10 a.m.
WestSide Current
LA County Reports 27 New COVID-19 Deaths, 2,500+ Cases
Los Angeles County logged 27 more COVID-19 deaths over a three-day period ending Monday, along with more than 2,500 new cases in its latest data. County Department of Public Health figures reported 10 deaths each on Saturday and Sunday, along with seven on Monday. The county no longer releases COVID figures on weekends. The new fatalities gave the county an overall death toll from throughout the pandemic of 33,975. Another 2,540 COVID infections were also reported over the three-day period — 1,171 from Saturday, 776 on Sunday and 593 Monday. The new cases gave the county a cumulative total of 3,488,288. The daily number of new cases is believed to represent an undercount of actual COVID activity in the county, since many people now rely on at-home tests without reporting the results to the county.
MyNewsLA
New Omicron Subvariants BQ.1 And BQ.1.1 Make Gains As BA.5 Fades
The rise of new coronavirus subvariants is continuing to erode the grip the Omicron strain BA.5 has held for months, worrying health officials that a winter resurgence of COVID-19 may be ahead. Eating into BA.5’s long-running dominance are a pair of its own descendants: BQ.1 and BQ.1.1. Like BA.5, the two are subvariants of the original Omicron coronavirus strain that walloped the world last fall and winter. According to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, BA.5 has long accounted for the vast majority of new coronavirus cases nationwide. That these two other strains are increasing in their respective share of cases, however, could indicate they enjoy an additional growth advantage. But what that ultimately means for this fall and winter — a period when many health experts have already predicted some degree of COVID-19 resurgence — remains to be seen. Los Angeles County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer noted recently that “emerging variants and subvariants of the virus have played a large role in driving past surges.”
LA Times
Local Government News
The Corrupt Musical Chairs Of Los Angeles Politics
Last week, Los Angeles police Chief Michel Moore announced the department’s Major Crimes Division has opened an investigation into allegations of “eavesdropping” to find whoever recorded and leaked a secret meeting at the L.A. County Federation of Labor last October that revealed ugly racism within the ranks of L.A.’s elites. In a city that tolerates homelessness, vandalism, arson, theft and political corruption, exposing the truth about our elected officials is the one crime that must not go unpunished. California has a two-party consent law requiring all participants in a recorded conversation to agree in advance, so it’s likely whoever did the taping is guilty of violating the law. Chief Moore said the case came about at the request of former councilmember Nury Martinez, and councilmembers Gil Cedillo and Kevin de Leon. Yet a spokesperson for de Leon said the councilman did not ask for an investigation.
OC Register
LA Council Set To Meet Tuesday After Protesters Were Kept Out Of Chamber
The Los Angeles City Council is set to meet Tuesday for the first time this week, one meeting after protesters who showed up demanding the resignations of Councilmen Kevin de León and Gil Cedillo were instead kept waiting outside City Hall due to what officials claimed was the chamber reaching capacity. Hugh Esten, a spokesman for Council President Paul Krekorian, told City News Service the capacity was reduced to around 100 people when the council chamber reopened to the public in April, a reduction from the capacity of 234 people listed on a sign outside the chamber. Esten cited recommendations by the county's health department under COVID-19 guidelines. Workers from the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power arrived at least an hour before the Friday meeting began and took up most of the rows in the chamber, keeping protesters who had interrupted meetings earlier in the week with chants and shouts from entering. There were several items on the agenda related to LADWP contracts.
FOX 11
