After 18 Years In Prison, He Took Over His Old L.A. Gang. A String Of Murders Followed

Ezequiel Romo had been gone a long time. He went to prison in 1996. When he returned to Panorama City 18 years later, he didn’t like what he saw. He was going to “clean out house,” Romo told another veteran of his gang. He would rid the neighborhood of rivals, of informants, of drug addicts and the do-nothings he considered dead weight. Prosecutors said the 45-year-old made good on that promise: On Romo’s orders, members of his gang, Blythe Street, turned on and killed one another in a string of murders that left eight dead, according to evidence presented at a months-long trial that began in March in Los Angeles Superior Court. Romo used Blythe Street to raise his own standing within the Mexican Mafia, the prison-based syndicate whose ranks he hoped to join, witnesses testified. He put members of his gang to work selling the Mexican Mafia’s drugs, collecting their debts and eliminating their enemies. Anyone who didn’t go along, prosecutors said, was eliminated.

Los Angeles Times

Woman Killed In Possible Hit-and-Run In Koreatown

Authorities are searching for an alleged hit-and-run driver in Los Angeles' Koreatown neighborhood Tuesday. According to the Los Angeles Police Department, the driver struck a female pedestrian around 5:15 a.m. in the area near W. 1st Street and S. Westmoreland Avenue and possibly fled the scene. The woman was taken to the hospital where died from her injuries. A suspect or vehicle description was not released. No other information was immediately available. 

FOX 11

2 Students Stabbed During Dispute Near Los Angeles High School, Police Say

Two students have been hospitalized after they were stabbed during a fight Monday near Los Angeles High School, police said. Police said it happened near Rimpau and Olympic Boulevards "as a result of an on-campus dispute between students." Investigators believe everyone involved know each other. Both of the students, who were not identified, are in stable condition, police said. AIR7 HD was above the scene as the investigation was unfolding and captured a portion of a sidewalk blocked off. Extra officers will be added to the campus this week as a precaution along with counselors for mental health support. 

ABC 7

One Dead, Nine Injured In Santa Monica Crash

One person was killed and nine injured when two vehicles collided on Pacific Coast Highway in Santa Monica Saturday. The crash happened at 3:10 p.m. in the 1000 block of PCH, near the California Incline, Santa Monica police Lt. Erika Aklufi told City News Service. A Kia with six adults and two small children was northbound on PCH and attempting to turn left into Beach Lot Four North when it was T-boned by a southbound Toyota Camry with two adults, Aklufi said. The impact was on the Kia's passenger-side rear door. All 10 occupants of both vehicles were taken by paramedics to Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Westwood, she said. One passenger in the back of the Kia had suffered a major leg injury and died at the hospital, she said. The rest of the injuries were “mostly minor.” There was no description of the victim who died.

Westside Current

Authorities Searching For Man Who Stole Nearly $900 In Alcohol From Target In Westlake Village

Authorities are seeking public assistance in locating a man who stole nearly $900 worth of alcoholic beverages from the Target store located in Westlake Village in early-April. According to a release from Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, the theft occurred at the department store located on Russell Ranch Road back on April 13 at around 11:20 a.m., when surveillance footage captured a man taking off which multiple bottles of alcohol in a cart without paying. He was seen putting the stolen merchandise in the back of a silver sedan before driving away from the store. Anyone with additional information was asked to contact detectives at (818) 878-1808.

CBS 2

California Man Found Guilty Of Murdering Teens Who ‘Ding-Dong-Ditched’ His House

A Corona man was convicted of murder on Friday for the deaths of three teenage boys who played a doorbell ditch prank at his home in 2020. Anurag Chandra was convicted of three counts of first-degree murder and three counts of attempted murder after authorities said he intentionally rammed into a 2002 Toyota Prius filled with teenagers and forced it off the road. The jury deliberated for about three hours before announcing they had a verdict. “The murder of these young men was a horrendous and senseless tragedy for our community. I thank the jury for their verdict. This is an important step toward justice,” Riverside County Dist. Atty. Mike Hestrin said in a statement. Chandra’s attorney, David Wohl, called the conviction of first-degree murder “a complete overreach.” Wohl said he planned on filing a motion for a new trial.

Los Angeles Times

North Carolina Police Officer And Wife Found Shot Dead In Their Home

A police officer and his wife were found shot to death in their North Carolina home after the officer failed to show up for work Friday night, authorities said. State agents are investigating the deaths as a double homicide, Fayetteville Police Chief Kemberle Braden said at a late Friday news conference. Officer Domingo Tavarez-Rodriguez was supposed to start work at 6 p.m. Friday after several days off. When he didn't show up for his shift or answer his phone, supervisors went to his house and found the bodies, Braden said. The chief said Tavarez-Rodriguez and his wife, Yenitza Arroyo Torres, were both shot, but he did not say if their home appeared to be broken into or give any other details about their deaths. Domingo Tavarez-Rodriguez was retired from the military and had been a Fayetteville officer for almost two years, Braden said. Since Tavarez-Rodriguez was a police officer, the State Bureau of Investigation has taken over the investigation, Braden said.

Associated Press

'I'm Hit': Bodycam Video Captures Moment Texas Officer, K-9 Hit By Gunfire

The Dallas Police Department on Monday released video that was recorded by the body-worn camera on an officer who the department said shot to death a man when he fired on the officer and a K-9. Police had been searching for Brian Casillas for about four hours and 45 minutes when he was shot. Casillas, who was 20, was the suspect in the shootings of two people who had confronted him about loud music, police said. The victims survived. Casillas ran from the scene in the 2900 block of Cypress Avenue, according to police. A person reported to 911 on Friday about 12:30 a.m. that a man was knocking on a door in the 9400 block of Briggs Street. About 2 a.m., police found a shoe and a blood trail in the area of the 9300 block of Briggs Street. Senior Corporal Scott Jay and a K-9, Figor, walked through trees to a creek, where they found Casillas near a bridge, according to the police department. Casillas rolled into view. The sound of fired rounds is clear on the body-worn camera video, but the visuals are not crisp.

Fort Worth Star-Telegram

St. Louis Officer Shot, 2 More Injured During Mental Health Welfare Check

A St. Louis police officer was shot and wounded Friday afternoon during a welfare check for a man whose relatives were concerned about his mental health, law enforcement officials said. The 44-year-old officer suffered multiple gunshot wounds to his arm and shoulders but was conscious and alert, St. Louis Police Chief Robert Tracy said at a news conference Friday evening outside the hospital where the 15-year veteran was being treated. “These injuries could have been worse," Tracy said. “And thank God they weren’t.” The shooting unfolded around 4:30 p.m. at an apartment complex west of downtown. Officers were called there to check on a 71-year-old man who, according to relatives, wasn't taking his medications and was experiencing delusions, the police chief said. At some point during the welfare check the man pulled out a handgun hidden inside his clothing and opened fire, striking one of the officers, Tracy said. Other officers struggled with the man as they detained him, and at least one of them suffered a cut on the hand during the scuffle, he said.

Associated Press

Man's Burned Body Found After Firefighters Extinguish Tesla Fire In Valley Village

The burned body of a man was found after firefighters extinguished a fire involving a Tesla Monday night in Valley Village. It happened in the 12000 block of W Riverside Drive just before 9 p.m. According to the Los Angeles Fire Department, the Tesla was found engulfed in flames in the parking garage of a vacant two-story commercial building at Riverside Drive and Whitsett Avenue. Crews discovered the charred remains next to the car after they extinguished the fire. It's unclear what caused the fire and the man has not yet been identified. Anyone with information is urged to contact authorities.

ABC 7

LA's Ambulance Shortage Impacting City's Public Safety, Paramedic Says

Los Angeles city paramedics are once again speaking out against their management and department, exposing what they call a citywide problem that is public safety. They're talking about not having enough ambulances to cover your emergencies. They point to a critical emergency call made on April 21, 2023. Two 4-year-old brothers were in cardiac arrest after being found in the family pool in Porter Ranch. "What these children needed was to be taken to a hospital. This is not an issue that's fixed or recovered in the field. This is something that you need a hospital for," says an LAFD paramedic. Information provided by whistleblowers inside the LAFD shows the timeline of the incident. The call to 9-1-1 was made at 10:34 a.m. Engine 8 was dispatched at 10:35 a.m. and was on scene with a paramedic by 10:39 a.m. – an impressive 4-minute response. But there was a problem; Station 8 did not have a rescue ambulance.

FOX 11

L.A. Hospital Needs Help Identifying 2 Patients

Hospital officials in Los Angeles are asking for help identifying two patients whose conditions left them unable to communicate and who have no documentation – including a hit-and-run victim. On March 23, an unidentified Hispanic male was found near McArthur Park and taken to a hospital in downtown L.A., a public relations representative said. A photo released by the hospital shows the unconscious man connected to a breathing tube. He is believed to be 50-60 years old, 5 feet 6 inches tall, and weighs 170 lbs. The second patient, also a Hispanic man, was struck by a vehicle at 6th and Washington Boulevard on Tuesday, March 28, a spokesperson said. He was also taken to a hospital in downtown L.A. He is believed to be 30-40 years old, 5 feet 7 inches tall, and weighs 150 lbs. Anyone who knows these patients is urged to call 213-742-5511 or 213-507-5495.

KTLA 5

‘Pink Eye’ Among Symptoms Of New COVID-19 Strain, Health Officials Warn

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health is warning residents that the newest Omicron strain of COVID-19 may come with some new symptoms. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention predicts the new variant, a strain called XBB.1.16 and known as “Arcturus,” currently accounts for 8% of COVID-19 cases in California and 10% nationwide. Conjunctivitis, more commonly known as “pink eye,” is the newest possible symptom of this variant of the Coronavirus. So far, the L.A. County Health Department has confirmed three reported cases of the new strain. “Observational data suggests that people infected with XBB.1.16 may be more likely to experience conjunctivitis as a symptom of their COVID infection, along with more traditional COVID symptoms, such as fever, cough and shortness of breath,” the Health Department said in a statement. “Historically, conjunctivitis was reported in 1 to 3% of COVID-19 cases.” 

KTLA 5

LA County’s COVID-19 Numbers Declining Slightly

The number of coronavirus patients at Los Angeles County hospitals was holding steady at 268, up slightly from the previous day but down from the seven-day average of 328 the previous week, according to the latest state data out Saturday. Meanwhile, the statewide total has dropped below 1,300 for the first time since May of 2022, falling to 1,286. The latest numbers come two days after local health officials said the number of new COVID-19 infections reported in Los Angeles County over the past week fell slightly compared to the prior week, but a slight increase in the concentration of the virus in local wastewater was also detected. According to the county Department of Public Health, the small increase in wastewater concentrations of the virus could potentially indicate the beginning of a spread of a recently detected new strain of COVID-19, although the official number of local cases remains limited.

MyNewsLA

About the LAPPL: Formed in 1923, the Los Angeles Police Protective League (LAPPL) represents more than 9,200 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.