2 LAPD Officers Hurt In Crash While Chasing Suspect In Westlake Area

Two police officers are recovering after being injured in a crash during a chase in the Westlake District of Los Angeles. The incident happened just after 3 a.m. Wednesday, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. The officers were in pursuit of a grand theft auto suspect when they crashed at 7th Street and Union Avenue. Video from the scene shows the officers being taken away in an ambulance. Both officers suffered minor injuries and are expected to be OK. The suspect was wanted for a car theft that occurred Monday on 5th Street, police said. That suspect got away in a grey Lexus with no license plates. 

ABC 7

Man’s Appeal Denied In Shooting Deaths Of Two 15-Year-Old Boys

A state appellate court panel Tuesday rejected an appeal filed on behalf of one of three people convicted in a Mother’s Day 2018 shooting in South Los Angeles that left two 15-year-old boys dead and two others wounded. The three-justice panel from California’s 2nd District Court of Appeal turned down Cristian Ivan Macias’ claim that substantial evidence does not support the jury’s finding that the now 25-year-old defendant personally used and intentionally discharged a firearm that caused death or great bodily injury. Macias and co-defendants Edwin Federico Loza, now 25, and Nancy De La Rocha, now 32, were convicted last year of first-degree murder for the May 13, 2018, shootings of La’Marrion Upchurch of Long Beach and Monyae Jackson of Los Angeles in the 300 block of West Manchester Avenue near the 110 Freeway. The panel also found true the special circumstance allegation of multiple murders, along with the allegation that Macias personally and intentionally discharged a firearm. Jurors also convicted the defendants of two counts each of attempted murder for the shootings of two other 15-year-old boys who were injured, along with one count each of conspiracy to commit murder. All three are serving life in prison without the possibility of parole.

MyNewsLA

Drive-By Shooter Opens Fire With BB Gun Outside Kosher Candy Store In Pico-Robertson, LAPD Says

A drive-by shooter armed with a BB gun opened fire Monday night outside a kosher candy store in Pico-Robertson, prompting police to investigate the shooting as a hate incident, authorities said. The shooting was reported about 9 p.m. outside Munchies in the 8900 block of Pico Boulevard, just west of Robertson Boulevard. According to a Los Angeles Police Department spokesperson, a caller said children and adults were standing in front of the building as the shooter drove past in a black Tesla. The suspect lowered the BB gun and fired in the direction of the adults, the witness told police. No one was struck by gunfire. The shooter fled the scene and remained at large. A description of that person was not available. The motive is unclear, but LAPD is investigating it as a hate incident, which different from a hate crime. According to the California Department of Justice, a hate crime is a crime against a person, group or property motivated by the victim's real or perceived protected social group.

ABC 7

LAPD Searching For Car Thief Who Stole 1958 Chevrolet Corvette From West LA Parking Structure

Police are seeking help from the public to locate a man who they believe stole a 1958 Chevrolet Corvette two-door from an underground parking structure in West Los Angeles in early-September. It happened at around 8:40 p.m. on Sept. 4 at a commercial building in the 12200 block of W. Olympic Boulevard, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Investigators say that the suspect entered the unlocked car and drove away from the structure. He is described as a man between 25 and 30 years old that stands around 6-foot-1. He was wearing a gray t-shirt, dark-colored shorts and gray and white shoes. He was also carrying a skateboard and wearing a black backpack. The car, a very distinct 1958 Chevy Corvette two-door that has the Rhode Island license plate: 1KJ358 is silver and has white wall tires. the car's VIN number is J58S108462. Anyone who may know more is urged to contact LAPD at (310) 444-1503.

CBS 2

Burglars Steal ATM After Ramming A Van Into Van Nuys Market

Police are looking for burglars who stole an ATM from a market in Van Nuys early Friday morning. It happened at the Balboa Market on Balboa Boulevard and Saticoy after 3 a.m. Security video showed the two suspected burglars first broke into the glass door then possibly used a vehicle to forcefully pull the bolted-down ATM from inside the store. The owner of the grocery said he believes a few thousand dollars were inside the ATM when it was stolen. "This is like a little community store. It's really sad because it's happening a lot to small businesses," Lidia Ramirez, a customer at the store, said. The owner also said the store had been burglarized a couple of years ago with someone breaking through the same glass doors and stealing more than $10,000 inside the store's safe. Two white vans were seen leaving the scene shortly after the burglary, the Los Angeles Police Department said.

NBC 4

Chinese Chemical Manufacturer Is Targeted By Federal Prosecutors Trying To Stop Flow Of Fentanyl

Before harmful and deadly drugs such as fentanyl and xylazine reach the streets of cities such as Los Angeles, they must first make their way into the country. An indictment unsealed last month in federal court in Los Angeles seeks to slow the flow of such drugs into the U.S. by targeting a Chinese company and its executives accused of manufacturing the chemicals used to make the drugs. Instead of focusing on street drug dealers, the indictment goes after Wuhan-based Hubei Aoks Bio-Tech Co. and four of its executives. “What’s important to see with this indictment is that we are really taking a comprehensive approach to fighting the fentanyl epidemic,” Martin Estrada, U.S. attorney for the Central District of California, said in an interview with The Times. “We’re not just going after mid-level sellers on dark web and going after cartels seizing large amounts of pills, we’re also going after these precursor companies.” The indictment targets the company’s owner, Xuening Gao, along with Guanzhou Gao, who handled the companies cryptocurrency wallets, as well as Yajing Li and an unnamed defendant, who were salespeople for the company. It hits the front end of the supply chain process, Estrada said. Chemical precursors are largely sourced from chemical companies in China that sell their products internationally.

Los Angeles Times

2 Arrested After 86,000 Fentanyl Pills Discovered In Southern California Traffic Stop

Two suspects were arrested after police discovered thousands of illegal fentanyl pills in San Bernardino County. On Tuesday morning, Barstow Police pulled over a vehicle near the 15 Freeway and Barstow Road for a vehicle code violation at around 3:42 a.m. Two male suspects were inside the car. While searching their vehicle, a police K9 alerted officers to the presence of illegal narcotics. Police eventually found around 86,000 fentanyl pills inside, which weighed approximately 20 pounds. Both suspects, identified as Jesus Casteneda, 27, and Daniel Quevodo, 21, were taken into custody. Both men are residents of Phoenix, Arizona. They were arrested for possession of a controlled substance for sales and transportation of a controlled substance for sales. They were booked at the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department Jail in Barstow. The case remains under investigation. Anyone with additional information can call Sergeant Matthew Helms at 760-256-2211 or email [email protected].

KTLA 5

Arrests Made In Grisly Cold Case Of California Woman Killed, Dismembered In Colorado

Two arrests have been made in Colorado in connection with a gruesome cold case killing and dismemberment of a woman born and raised in California, officials announced Tuesday. The victim, 51-year-old Kimberly Bell, was reported missing in August 2019 by her sister, Darren Weekly, sheriff of Douglas County in Colorado, said at a press conference Tuesday announcing the arrests. Bell, according to reporting from 9News in Colorado, had been living with her sister in Franktown and had stopped showing up for work by late July 2019. “Unfortunately, there was very little information or evidence in the investigation as to what actually happened to Kimberly,” Weekly said. “Detectives, however, did not give up and the case was turned over to our cold case team in 2021.” It’s unclear when Bell moved from California to Colorado, though in an email to KTLA, her sister said that she moved there “for a fresh start.” Detectives in Douglas County have now determined that on July 22, 2019, two suspects, 30-year-old Javier “Alex” Martell and 38-year-old Jennifer Bremer who were acquainted with Bell, were in her rental vehicle at a Denver public transportation parking structure. 

KTLA 5

‘Remember Their Sacrifice': 42 Fallen NYPD Officers’ Names Added To Memorial Wall

Mayor Eric Adams, NYPD Interim Commissioner Tom Donlon and other top officials gathered near ground zero Tuesday to honor dozens of police officers, many of whom died of 9/11-related illnesses, as their names were added to the Police Memorial Wall in Battery Park City. Adams praised the actions of the 42 NYPD officers, most who succumbed in recent years to illnesses related to the attacks and two dying due to complications after being shot. The city, Adams said, will never forget their heroism. “And although we lost them physically, spiritually still hover over this city, hover over the men and women of the law enforcement community in this city and across this entire nation,” Adams said. “We pray for their families… Every birthday, every holiday, every time you hear a name that’s similar, every time you see a police vehicle, you relive the pain and agony. But we want you to know the family still remembers them.” Many of the officers remembered Tuesday join a growing list of emergency responders who have contracted severe illnesses and died due to their time on the ground during and in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks in New York at the World Trade Center.

New York Daily News

LA Council Unanimously Votes To Better Regulate Evictions

Citing concerns that some landlords are not properly filing eviction notices with the city’s Housing Department, the Los Angeles City Council Tuesday called for a report to strengthen enforcement of its policies. The council voted 11-0 in favor of a motion introduced by members Nithya Raman, Eunisses Hernandez and Heather Hutt. The Housing Department and the City Attorney’s Office are expected to report on the efficacy of the city’s eviction filing requirements, and efforts to inform landlords and tenants about the rules. The council approved tenant protection legislation last year, which among other things required landlords to file eviction notices with the Housing Department within three business days. Additionally, the LAHD created a dashboard to show the total number of eviction filings in Los Angeles. “I do want to flag that these filing requirements have not been fully honored by landlords, and that LAHD currently lacks the resources to make sure that the eviction notices that are filed are filed under the letter of the law,” Raman said prior to Tuesday’s vote.

MyNewsLA

About the LAPPL: Formed in 1923, the Los Angeles Police Protective League (LAPPL) represents more than 8,900 dedicated and professional sworn members of the Los Angeles Police Department. The LAPPL serves to advance the interests of LAPD officers through legislative and legal advocacy, political action and education.