$7.8M in stolen goods recovered in California crackdown

California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that a state retail theft task force has recovered more than $7.8 million worth of stolen merchandise and made over 1,000 arrests since the beginning of the year. Jamie McBride, a veteran Los Angeles Police Department detective and director of the Los Angeles Police Protective League, expressed skepticism about the effectiveness of these efforts without broader legal reforms. McBride pointed to Proposition 47, which he claims created the current situation by reducing penalties for certain thefts. He stressed the importance of successful prosecutions, not just arrests and recoveries. “It’s a great start, but there’s a lot more issues,” McBride said on NewsNation’s “Dan Abrams Live,” noting that a proposed measure, Proposition 36, could address some concerns by giving judges more discretion in drug-related cases.

Newsnation

Teen Gunned Down PnB Rock Inside South L.A. Roscoe’s. His Dad Just Got 31 Years To Life

A man who sent his 17-year-old son to rob and kill rapper PnB Rock was sentenced to 31 years to life in prison Monday. Freddie Trone, 42, was convicted Aug. 7 of murder, robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery in Los Angeles County Superior Court. He was the defense’s only witness, claiming he “never had nothing to do with it. I wasn’t there. I didn’t tell nobody to do nothing. I didn’t hand nobody no gun.” The defense plans to appeal, the Associated Press reported. PnB Rock — whose legal name was Rakim Allen — walked into Roscoe’s House of Chicken & Waffles in South Los Angeles in September 2022 wearing “several hundred thousand dollars” in jewelry. Possibly as the result of an Instagram post from his fiancee geotagging them at the restaurant, he was targeted by Trone and another defendant, Tremont Jones, prosecutors alleged. Trone sent his 17-year-old son into the restaurant with a gun and ski mask to steal Allen’s jewelry. When the rapper refused, the teenager shot him three times — once in the chest, then twice in the back — then threatened his fiancee. Trone’s son, who is now 19, was charged with murder as a juvenile. A judge found he was not competent to stand trial, AP reported.

Los Angeles Times

Three Stabbed In Westlake; No Arrests

Police Tuesday are looking for the suspect who stabbed three people in the Westlake neighborhood. The stabbing occurred around 12:06 a.m. Tuesday and Los Angeles Police Department officers responded to a 911 call at 120 S. Reno St. When they arrived, officers learned the victims had been stabbed by the suspect, who ran away from the scene, Fox 11 reported. The victims were taken to a hospital by Los Angeles Fire Department personnel in unknown conditions.

MyNewsLA

USC Student Arrested For Allegedly Hitting Professor In The Head With A Metal Water Bottle

A University of Southern California student was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon after allegedly hitting one of her professors in the head with a metal water bottle on Monday. Campus safety officials say that the incident happened at around 11 a.m. in the back of a campus classroom at Dauterive Hall. They say that the female student hit the unidentified female professor "in the side of the head with a fairly large metal water bottle." Both the school's Department of Public Safety and the Los Angeles Fire Department were called to the scene to assist with the incident. The student, still unidentified, was located in an adjacent building and taken into custody for assault with a deadly weapon, while the professor was rushed to a local hospital for treatment. 

CBS 2

Second Mansion Targeted By Vandals In Hollywood Hills

Vandals have struck another multi-million dollar mansion in Hollywood Hills, covering it with graffiti. The four-story home sits on Sunset Plaza Drive and has been abandoned for years, according to Jorgen Christiansson who lives nearby. “It’s just such a shame. It’s such a beautiful mansion and it’s just kind of being destroyed because it’s been empty,” Christiansson told KTLA. He said he and a neighbor first noticed the graffiti starting to appear on the home over the weekend and called police. “They picked up two guys who were in graffitiing it at the time,” Christiansson said. The home is apparently owned by John Middleton, whose father owns the Philadelphia Phillies baseball team. Another mansion owned by Middleton was covered in graffiti and destroyed by vandals on Mulholland Drive just last week.

KTLA 5

South Carolina K-9 Killed After Shootout With Suspect Wanted For Wounding Officer

A suspect has been killed following a confrontation with law enforcement that left one deputy wounded and a K-9 officer dead, WLTX reported. The suspect was wanted in connection with the shooting of a McBee police officer during a traffic stop in Chesterfield County on Sept. 19. He was spotted in Lee County the next day, where he again opened fire on law enforcement officers during a pursuit, according to the report. During the shootout, a deputy from the Lee County Sheriff’s Office was wounded, and K-9 officer Mikka was killed when the vehicle she was struck by bullets andcaught fire. According to Sheriff Simon, law enforcement was unable to reach Mikka because they were under heavy fire at the time. “We are greatly saddened by the loss of K-9 Mikka, who was as much a member of our team as my Chief Deputy who was injured,” said Sheriff Simon. He expressed gratitude to the community for their prayers and to neighboring agencies, including the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) and the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR), for their support, according to the report.

PoliceOne

Mass Shooting Kills 4 And Wounds 17 In Nightlife District In Birmingham, Alabama

Four people were killed and 17 others injured when multiple shooters opened fire Saturday in what police described as a targeted “hit” on one of the people killed at a popular nightlife spot in Birmingham, Alabama. The shooting happened shortly after 11 p.m. Saturday in Five Points South, a district filled with entertainment venues, restaurants and bars that is often crowded on weekend nights. The mass shooting, one of several this year in the city, unnerved residents and left city officials pleading for help to both solve the crime and address the broader problem of gun violence. “The priority is to find these shooters and get them off our streets,” Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin said at a Sunday press conference. The shooting occurred on the sidewalk and street outside Hush, a lounge in the entertainment district. Blood stains were visible on the sidewalk outside the venue on Sunday morning. Birmingham Police Chief Scott Thurmond said authorities believe the shooting targeted one of the people who was killed, possibly in a murder-for-hire. He said a vehicle pulled up and “multiple shooters” got out and began firing, then fled the scene.

KTLA 5

Firefight Continues As “Stubborn" Fire Burns At Vacant Building Near West LA

Firefighters continued their day-long battle against a "stubborn" fire burning at a vacant commercial building near West Los Angeles on Monday. The blaze, which broke out at a two-story building at a Sawtelle strip mall in the 2000 block of S. Bundy Drive, was first reported at around 6:15 a.m. and was still an issue as the sun began to set Monday evening, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. Crews began working in defensive mode to prevent the flames from spreading to surrounding businesses, which included an Ace hardware store and a Staples office supply store. "Well coordinated and methodical efforts continue to fully extinguish deeply entrenched pockets of stubborn flames throughout the vacant and boarded 53,500-square-foot two-story commercial building," LAFD said in a press release. They say that the building has previously been the site of fires and that Monday's flames added to the severe structural damage. In the past six months, they've reported to six different fires at the abandoned building.

CBS 2

LA County Sees Rise In Mpox Cases; Health Officials Urge Vaccinations

Los Angeles County has seen a sudden spike in local mpox infections, health officials said Monday as they urged people in high- risk groups to get vaccinated. According to the county Department of Public Health, 52 mpox cases were reported in the county over the past four weeks, more than double the 24 that were reported in the previous four-week period. Health officials said about 70% of the latest cases were in unvaccinated people. Health officials encouraged vaccinations for people at higher risk of infection: men or transgender people who have sex with men or transgender people; people of any gender or sexual orientation who have sex or intimate physical contact with others in association with a large public event or engage in commercial and/or transactional sex; people with HIV, especially those with uncontrolled or advanced HIV disease; and sexual partners of people in any of the above groups. The mpox vaccine is a two-dose series, available at pharmacies for people with insurance. Vaccines may also be available through health care providers. County health clinics offer free mpox vaccines without appointments. A list of clinics is available online at http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/chs/phcenters.htm.

ABC 7

Virus That Can Cause Paralysis In Children Is On The Rise In California: A Few Safeguards

A respiratory virus that in rare cases can cause polio-like paralysis in children is on the rise in California and across the nation, according to wastewater analyses. Enterovirus D68 was detected in 207 out of 268 samples taken from wastewater sites across the nation in the last 10 days, says the nonprofit WastewaterSCAN. In the same time period, EV-D68 was detected at a medium level at 17 wastewater sites in California, including facilities in Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Sacramento and San Jose. Because humans shed viruses in waste, wastewater sampling is used to measure the prevalence of infection in a community. Most people who contract EV-D68 will experience slight respiratory symptoms or none at all, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Nevertheless, its spread is troubling because the virus can lead to a rare and debilitating neurological condition called acute flaccid myelitis, or AFM. AFM attacks motor neurons in the spinal cord’s gray matter, which controls movement. This causes muscles and reflexes to weaken and, in severe cases, can lead to paralysis and death, according to the CDC. Around 90% of cases occur in children, and there is no known treatment.

Los Angeles Times

LA Council Considers Updating Tenant Anti-Harassment Ordinance

City Council Tuesday will consider updating its tenant anti-harassment ordinance with the goal of strengthening protections for renters and making regulations more consistent with state and federal statutes. Councilwoman Nithya Raman and Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson introduced a motion on June 12 to make several changes to what is known as the TAHO ordinance. The city of Los Angeles adopted TAHO in 2021 in response to widespread tenant concerns of harassment by landlords. The council members say the update is necessary due to continued reports of harassment, such as a reduction in services by the landlord and refusing to accept rental assistance from a third-party — two issues not covered under the ordinance. There’s also challenges related to the lack of enforcement, according to the motion. “One obstacle has been the high evidentiary bar of proving harassment, rendering enforcement actions challenging to bring,” the motion reads. “Another significant obstacle has been the lack of certain remedies, including mandatory attorneys’ fees and minimum civil penalties.”

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.