2 officers, 1 firefighter injured in ambulance crash near LAX
Law Enforcement News
2 officers, 1 firefighter injured in ambulance crash near LAX
Four people, including Los Angeles police officers and a firefighter, were injured after an ambulance collided with another vehicle near LAX. The Los Angeles Fire Department said two LAPD officers were "escorting" the patient when the crash happened near the intersection of Manchester Avenue and Sepulveda Boulevard on Wednesday night. The two officers, the LAFD firefighter and a 23-year-old woman were taken to the hospital with minor injuries. LAFD said another ambulance was sent to the crash to take the original patient to the hospital.
Pacoima burglary suspect arrested after hours-long SWAT standoff
A burglary suspect who barricaded himself inside a Pacoima home Thursday morning is in custody after an hours-long standoff with police. According to the Los Angeles Police Department, the incident began at around 2:40 a.m. when officers responded to reports of a burglary in the 13200 block of Piney Street, located just north of Van Nuys Boulevard. Police said the suspect is a man in his 30s known to neighbors, accused of assaulting a woman on the same block and allegedly breaking into a home nearby where he is believed to be living. Authorities told FOX 11 a woman inside the home was able to escape unharmed. Because the suspect was refusing to leave the home, a SWAT team was called to the scene to contain the area. Evacuations were issued for surrounding homes. Around 7:45 a.m. officers were seen deploying tear gas inside the home in an apparent effort to get the suspect out. Shortly afterward, the house caught fire. SkyFOX over the scene showed firefighters putting out that fire while others were seen trying to gain access through the front door. Officers were able to go inside the home and take the suspect into custody.
Police seek help locating man accused of assaulting transgender woman in Westlake
Los Angeles police are seeking the public’s help in locating a man who brutally assaulted a transgender woman inside her Westlake store last year, the department said. The Los Angeles Police Department has identified 23-year-old Paul Alan Thomas as a suspect in the assault of 61-year-old Sabrina De La Pena, it said. Officials also released images of the suspect in hopes that the public can alert investigators of his whereabouts. According to LAPD, De La Pena was attacked by a group of men at least two times last year in a case that’s under investigation as a hate crime. The first attack happened on April 8, 2025, when a man entered the victim’s store in Westlake and began to flirt with her. After De La Pena rejected the man’s advances, he left the store and then returned to push her to the ground. Police said the man then sexually assaulted the victim and after discovering she is transgender, the attacker pulled away and threatened to kill her. Police said after the initial attack, the man returned with two other men, who joined him in assaulting De La Pena again. The victim was struck with a skateboard, pepper-sprayed and had an unknown liquid thrown at her, according to LAPD. Authorities said the group of men returned to De La Pena’s store on May 31, 2025, and assaulted her again, leaving the victim with serious injuries.
A look into the rampant prostitution along LA's Figueroa Corridor
Los Angeles is known around the world for being the home of Hollywood and having some of the world's best beaches, but it also has a much darker side. There's a notorious hub for human trafficking just south of Crypto.com Arena and the Los Angeles Convention Center. Criminal activity often happens in the shadows. Hidden so as not to draw the attention of passers-by, police or nosy neighbors. On a stretch of the Figueroa Corridor, however, very little is hidden from view. A four-mile section of Figueroa Street in South Los Angeles, from Gage Avenue to Imperial Highway, is well known for rampant prostitution. On nearly every corner, women in revealing outfits approach cars, day and night, out in the open, offering sex for a price. This area has become known as "the Blade." Law enforcement officers, nonprofit advocates and survivors say it's one of the most dangerous hubs for human trafficking in the state. It's fueled by a constant stream of customers and a lack of law enforcement resources to stop it. "It is a huge, huge issue, and everybody should be extremely concerned," said Liz Armendariz, an LAPD officer and vice investigator for LAPD's 77th Division. "I just think, man, that is somebody's kid, and it's heartbreaking."
Over $100,000 in high-end designer bags taken from Larchmont area home
An investigation is underway after over $100,000 in high-end designer bags were stolen from a home in the Larchmont area, northwest of downtown Los Angeles Wednesday evening. The Los Angeles Police Department tells NBC4 Investigates that the homeowner left his residents around 7 p.m. Wednesday, and when he returned he discovered his front door ajar and unlocked. Upon entering his home, the man discovered it had been ransacked. More than $100,000 worth of high-end designer bags were taken from the home. Officers responded to the scene and took a burglary report. No arrests have been made as of Thursday morning as the investigation continues.
L.A. man arrested after hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of marijuana stolen from grow operation
A Los Angeles man was arrested in connection with the burglary of a Central Coast cannabis grow operation where hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of marijuana was stolen, according to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office. On Jan. 17, deputies responded to a report of a burglary in the 4000 block of Foothill Road in Carpinteria, California. The suspects reportedly fled before deputies arrived. Following an investigation, detectives identified a suspect in the burglary as Dvaryae Bryant, a 22-year-old Los Angeles man who was already the subject of a parallel investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department. Bryant was arrested Feb. 18 on a warrant at his home in the 2300 block of South Victoria Avenue in Los Angeles. Detectives recovered a short-barrel assault rifle that Bryant had allegedly thrown from a window. Detectives and the LAPD served another search warrant in the 12000 block of Cranbrook Avenue in Hawthorne, where they reportedly recovered about 15 pounds of unprocessed cannabis, additional firearms and thousands of dollars in cash.
LA County mother who tried to sneak fentanyl into juvenile hall sentenced to prison
A Los Angeles County mother was sentenced to prison on Wednesday after she tried to sneak fentanyl into the Barry J. Nidorf Juvenile Hall in Sylmar in 2023. Jeny Morenoparra, 42, was was sentenced to 16 months in a state prison after she pleaded no contest to one felony count of bringing drugs or alcohol into a prison, jail or detention facility in January, according to a news release from the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office. Morenoparra, who is the mother of a juvenile housed at the facility, was contacted by a supervising deputy probation officer during a visit in 2023, when she was found to have nearly three dozen pills that tested positive for fentanyl, the release said. She was initially arrested in 2023 and released a short time later without charges being filed. When the case was reviewed in May 2025, prosecutors decided to file charges. Morenoparra was arrested on July 11, 2025 by the LA County Probation Department's Special Enforcement Operations Team, the DA's office said. She was again arrested on Wednesday after posting bond two days after her July arrest.
Capitol police arrest man who ran toward the U.S. Capitol building with shotgun
U.S. Capitol Police in Washington, D.C., arrested an 18-year-old man Tuesday after he ran from his vehicle toward the west side of the Capitol Building armed with a shotgun. Capital Police Chief Michael Sullivan said the man, identified as Carter Camacho of Smyrna, Georgia, was arrested after he parked a Mercedes SUV near the Capitol, got out and ran “several hundred yards” toward the building with a shotgun before officers intercepted him and ordered him to put down the firearm and get on the ground. Speaking at a press conference following the arrest, Sullivan said Camacho was wearing a tactical vest and gloves and had a Kevlar helmet and gas mask in the vehicle. The shotgun was loaded and he had additional rounds on him, the chief said. Sullivan said the motive was under investigation, including whether members of Congress were the target. Congress is not in session. Sullivan said the department has video footage, but he asked the public for any footage they might have of the incident.“Who knows what would have happened if we wouldn’t have officers standing here?” the chief said, adding that the department had run active shooter drills in almost the identical spot in recent months.
Public Safety News
Person Taking Apart Batteries Sparks Fire in Westlake Apartment
A fire sparked by a person disassembling lithium-ion batteries prompted a hazardous materials response Thursday morning at a Westlake apartment building. Crews responded to a “water flow” call at 6:09 a.m. at 252 S. Rampart Boulevard and upon arrival reported smoke coming from the third floor of the modern six-story building, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. Forty-five firefighters responded and within 30 minutes had extinguished the blaze, which was in a third-floor apartment, said LAFD spokeswoman Jennifer Middleton. “HazMat units are on scene mitigating any further issues with the smoldering batteries, as well as monitoring air quality for the residents’ ongoing safety,” Middleton said.
A series of deadly California storms continues to bring more rain, snow and danger
California’s week of soggy weather will continue Thursday, with forecasters up and down the state forecasting more rain and cold temperatures before a gradual dry out over the weekend. Showers moving into the region from the Central Coast should bring steady rain to Ventura and Los Angeles counties Thursday morning, with frosty temperatures pushing snow levels lower than normal, potentially impacting commuters along the Grapevine, according to the National Weather Service. “Steady precipitation will taper off to showers by late this afternoon and become confined to the mountains by late tonight,” the weather service posted in a Thursday morning forecast. There is also the potential for snow in mountain areas, at elevations around 3,500 feet, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Mike Wofford. “It’s not gonna be quite as windy as the last storm,” he said. “Rain amounts will be a little bit less but we still could have impacts with some trees down and the wind.” Since Monday, a series of storms has drenched much of California and dumped feet of snow in the Sierra. It’s led to a deadly avalanche in the Sierra and a person dying in San Bernardino County when they were swept away in fast moving waters.
