Alleged murderer in custody after police standoff in Canoga Park
Alleged murderer in custody after police standoff in Canoga Park
A man wanted for an alleged murder is in police custody after an hourslong standoff with police in Canoga Park. The standoff began at about 11:20 a.m. in the 8500 block of International Avenue, according to Officer Im of the Los Angeles Police Department. The man, 35, has refused to exit a residence in that area, and footage shared to the Citizen app shows a SWAT team is there. He was eventually taken into custody at about 2:50 p.m., police said. His identity hasn’t been released, and police couldn’t confirm if the man is wanted for a murder that occurred today or previously.
Pursuit suspect in custody after crashing into LAPD patrol SUV
A woman in a suspected stolen vehicle was taken into custody Friday morning after leading officers on a pursuit that ended in a crash with an LAPD patrol SUV in West Los Angeles. The female driver in a black BMW drove through Brentwood on surface streets as she was followed by multiple LAPD patrol vehicles. One of the officers executed a PIT maneuver which forced the suspect's car to turn around in the other direction, into oncoming traffic. That's when the suspect crashed head-on with an LAPD vehicle and drove off the road and onto the sidewalk before coming to a stop in the area of Montana and Bringham avenues. The barefoot driver got out of the BMW and was seen yelling at police officers before they approached her and took her into custody. No other information was immediately available.
Man charged with throwing cinderblocks at Border Patrol during Paramount protest faces 20 years
A Paramount man is facing up to 20 years in prison after being charged with assaulting immigration officers at an anti-ICE protest earlier this year. A federal grand jury indicted Jacob Terrazas for allegedly assaulting and injuring a Border Patrol agent at a protest in Paramount on June 7. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, during that protest, Terrazas threw several pieces of concrete at law enforcement. One of those pieces allegedly hit a Border Patrol agent in the shin and injured him. Officials said Terrazas and several others threw rocks and cinderblocks at agents for three hours. Acting U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli shared video of Terrazas' arrest on X. The video only showed several agents rushing Terrazas and slamming him into the ground. Bits of what appear to be cinderblocks appear to be on the ground in the area.
Masked robber put L.A. family in boarded-up closet. DNA revealed he was no stranger
Lara Starr had just walked in through the door when she saw a masked man holding a gun inside her Woodland Hills home. Starr assumed this was part of a game called Water Assassins that her son, a high school senior, played with his classmates. “It wasn’t totally unusual for kids to be creeping around our house with big squirt guns,” she said. Starr testified at a preliminary hearing Wednesday in a Van Nuys courtroom, where she described a bizarre and disturbing series of events that began the afternoon of March 3. She, her son and husband were held captive by a man who forced them into a closet and boarded up the doors with plywood. Starr and her spouse testified that the man said he intended to empty their retirement accounts. If they resisted, he promised to burn down the house with them trapped inside. The man eventually charged with kidnapping, robbing and threatening her family turned out to be no stranger to Starr. But when she first saw the person standing in her hallway dressed in a long sleeve white shirt, dark pants, balaclava and blue latex gloves, she had no idea who he was.
LAPD Organizes Figueroa Corridor Cleanup, Backpack Giveaway
The Figueroa Corridor between downtown and South Los Angeles will be the scene this weekend of a community cleanup event and backpack giveaway. The Los Angeles Police Department’s Operations-South Bureau, along with city council District 8 and the organization Forgotten Children Inc. will be conducting the cleanup, which aims to bring together “various community groups and local government officials.” Also in attendance will be Tera Hilliard, president and CEO of Forgotten Children Inc., which has been in operation for more than 10 years providing “adult survivors and victims of human trafficking with trauma-informed prevention, intervention and after-care support.” The event will begin at 7 a.m. Saturday at the LA Sports Activity Center at 7020 S. Figueroa St. “This event aims to strengthen bonds and foster stronger relationships with our neighbors,” according to an LAPD statement. “We hope to draw attention to this vital corridor in the city of Los Angeles and demonstrate that by building strong connections, we can create a safe and thriving environment for our families.”
Home burglary spike alarms San Fernando Valley
A Studio City homeowner’s quick call to 911 may have stopped a would-be burglar overnight, but it’s the latest in what police and residents say has become a near-daily threat across Los Angeles County. LAPD officials say a woman was inside her home late Thursday night when she heard someone trying to break in and immediately called 911. Officers responded quickly – even deploying an LAPD helicopter – but by the time they arrived, the suspect had already fled. The incident adds to a growing list of burglaries and attempted break-ins hitting neighborhoods across the region. Many of these crimes are occurring despite homeowners investing in security systems, surveillance cameras, and even private security patrols. Recent high-profile cases include an attempted burglary at the home of Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, a Hollywood Hills homeowner holding a suspect at gunpoint until police arrived, and the shocking killings of an “American Idol” executive and her husband in what authorities have described as a violent home invasion.
LA County prosecutor submits opposition to Menendez brothers' petition for new trial
LA County's top prosecutor is formally opposing an effort by the Menendez brothers to be granted a new trial. District Attorney Nathan Hochman, who has consistently opposed efforts by the convicted killers to be released from prison, submitted his office's response to Erik and Lyle Menendez's habeas petition for a new trial. The brothers has served about 35 years of a life prison sentence for the 1989 shotgun murders of their parents in the family's Beverly Hills mansion. One of the possible avenues to freedom is the 2023 petition by the brothers' attorneys, who pointed to two new pieces of evidence they contend corroborate the brothers' allegations of long-term sexual abuse at the hands of their father. The petition essentially asks the brothers be granted a new trial. In a statement released Thursday after the District Attorney's Office submitted a 132-page opposition to the petition, Hochman said the defense's filing "does not come close to meeting the factual or legal standard to warrant a new trial."
Southern California man stole over $6.9 million through COVID fraud scheme
A Southern California man was sentenced to prison for defrauding the government of over $6.9 million through a scheme that targeted small business loans during the COVID-19 pandemic. The man was identified as Abraham Park, 67, of La Mirada, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. His scheme defrauded the Small Business Administration (SBA) out of millions of dollars in loans through the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) Program, officials said. According to court documents, the crimes occurred from March 2020 through October 2022. Park was the owner of a financial services company that helped clients repair credit scores and obtain financing, including loans. When the pandemic began, Park told his clients to create fake corporate entities so that he could submit fraudulent EIDL loan applications to the SBA on their behalf. In return, his clients would pay him a portion of the loans received as a kickback, prosecutors said. Park also submitted false applications for himself and his family members.
Mississippi police sergeant killed off duty in suspected murder-suicide
An off-duty McComb police officer was killed in what investigators believe was a murder-suicide involving a domestic violence incident, WAPT reported. Deputies responded on Aug. 5 to a residence near Cole Thomas Road and Highway 44 East, according to the report. Upon arrival, they found Sgt. Jason Blake and a second man, Clay Paulk, dead from apparent gunshot wounds. A third individual, Nicki Wilson, sustained a gunshot wound and was transported to a hospital with injuries not believed to be life-threatening. According to a statement from the sheriff’s office, preliminary findings suggest that Paulk, who had a prior relationship with Wilson, forced entry into the home and used a shotgun to shoot both Blake and Wilson. Authorities believe Paulk then died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound with a handgun before deputies arrived. His vehicle was found nearby. Blake had served with the McComb Police Department for five years and had a total of 16 years of law enforcement experience, including time with the Pike County Sheriff’s Office. “He died doing what he loved,” said McComb Police Chief Earnest Perry. “He was well-loved in the community. It is just a sad day, and until we figure out the circumstances, just keep us in your prayers.”
Pennsylvania man fatally shoots neighbor, ambushes 2 state troopers
A 61-year-old man shot and killed his neighbor in rural Pennsylvania Thursday and then ambushed first responders, wounding two state troopers and causing an EMT to crash a vehicle while firing dozens of rounds from a semiautomatic weapon, police said. The attacker was later killed by police. The boyfriend of the woman who was killed, Lori Wasko, called 911 from their home near Thompson to report that shots had been fired, state police Col. Christopher Paris said. Police did not say why the suspect, identified as Carmine Faino, decided to kill 57-year-old Wasko outside her home and then open fire on the others. Police said after shooting troopers Joseph Perechinsky and William Jenkins, Faino shot a police drone from the sky while sitting next to a propane tank they feared could be used as a bomb. Perechinsky, with two chest wounds, commandeered a tractor-trailer that was driving by to block the roadway and prevent other motorists from driving into harm’s way. He ordered the driver to “pull his semi rig across the roadway so that more people would not drive down that roadway and potentially be subjected to the fire,” Paris said.
Public Safety News
Heat in Southern California continues following day of record temperatures in inland communities
The heat wave in Southern California is expected to continue after inland communities experienced record temperatures. The KCAL News Weather Alert will continue through Friday evening as conditions will remain especially away from the coast. KCAL Meteorologist Amber Lee said several areas broke records on Thursday during the hottest day of the heat wave. Temperatures in Indio and Palm Springs reached up to 119 degrees, temperatures in Thermal were 117 degrees and in Idyllwild were 96 degrees. A National Weather Service heat advisory will also remain in effect until 8 p.m. Friday for San Bernardino and Riverside County valleys and the Inland Empire. A high-pressure system over the New Mexico area is pushing the hot air into California. The hot temperatures are increasing the risk of fire danger and heat-related illness for vulnerable populations.
Canyon fire explodes to nearly 5,000 acres; thousands evacuated in L.A., Ventura counties
Firefighters Friday were trying to make progress after the Canyon fire exploded to nearly 5,000 acres, forcing residents in northern Los Angeles and Ventura counties to evacuate. “We’re trying to build a box around this fire and put it out before it gets into any of the potential communities that are currently under evacuation orders,” said Ventura County Fire Department spokesperson Andrew Dowd. The Canyon fire was the largest of several fires sparked by days of intense heat in Southern California. To the north in San Luis Opisbo County, the much larger Gifford fire has burned 100,000 acres. The Canyon Fire broke out amid 100-degree temperatures. A slight weakening of the high pressure system and an increase in onshore flow Friday and Saturday are expected to bring temperatures down 1 to 3 degrees. However, warmer valleys are still expected to reach 100 degrees. Current models predict that the weather will warm up again on Monday, probably hitting temperatures similar to Thursday’s.
