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Arraignment postponed for California youth soccer coach accused of killing 13-year-old boy
Arraignment was postponed Wednesday for the youth soccer coach charged with murdering a 13-year-old boy whose body was discovered in Ventura County earlier this month. Mario Edgardo Garcia-Aquino, 43, is facing a murder charge for the death of Oscar "Omar" Hernandez, whose body was found in Oxnard. Authorities found Hernandez's body on April 2, about five days after Garcia-Aquino allegedly murdered the teen. The news of Garcia-Aquino's arrest came on April 7. Garcia-Aquino is also charged in a separate case with a felony count of assault with the intent to commit a lewd act involving a 16-year-old boy in Palmdale on Feb. 22, 2024, Hochman said. He could face up to six years in state prison if convicted on that case. He also faces one felony count each of assault with the intent to commit a sexual offense and lewd act upon a child 14 or 15 years old. On Dec. 10, 2022, Garcia-Aquino allegedly sexually assaulted a teenager at his then-home in Sylmar. Sources told Fox News on Tuesday that Garcia-Aquino is an illegal immigrant from El Salvador. Details of his immigration status are currently not known. It's unclear when Garcia-Aquino first arrived in the US.
FOX 11
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Police looking for suspect who killed a man in Van Nuys
Authorities Wednesday sought the public's help in tracking down a person responsible for the death of a 53-year-old who was found dead inside his Van Nuys resident. The deadly incident happened last Saturday in the 12600 block of Riverside Drive. Patrol officers who did a welfare check on the resident found the man unresponsive inside his apartment. Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics responded to the location, where they pronounced the man dead at the scene. The deceased was identified Wednesday by the Los Angeles County medical examiner's office as Menashe Hidra. Police stated that the suspect had unlawfully entered the victim's apartment, prompting a physical dispute which resulted in the victim's death. The suspect was described as a 5-foot-6-inch tall Hispanic man between 30 and 40 years old, weighing between 180 and 200 pounds, with black hair. He was last seen wearing a dark-colored jacket, a white shirt and blue jeans. Anyone with information regarding the case was urged to contact the Operation Valley Bureau at 818-374-9550. Calls during non-business hours should be directed to 877-527-3247.
NBC 4
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LAPD to lose 409 civilian jobs under Mayor Bass' budget proposal
City leaders pushed back against Mayor Karen Bass' proposal to cut more than 400 civilian positions at the Los Angeles Police Department, raising concerns that it could worsen the budget crisis and impact public safety. Amid a $800 million budgetary shortfall, Bass presented her proposal for the 2025-2026 fiscal year, outlining 1,647 layoffs and removing 1,074 vacant positions. While sworn officers would not be impacted, the budget called for the elimination of 409 civilian positions. Councilmember Traci Park said officers may have to be taken off the street to fill the highly technical jobs, such as criminalists who handle DNA, gun and DUI evidence. She added that the potential overtime could worsen the city's dire financial situation. "We are looking at doubling or tripling the cost," Park said. "This is not a budget solution. It is compounding the budget crisis." During Wednesday's Budget and Finance Committee meeting, Chief Jim McDonnell said that the potential layoffs would impact the department's ability to fulfill the 24-hour mandate to input sex and arson offenders into the LA County database. "Which could result in the premature release of inmates," McDonnell said.
CBS 2
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LAPD Arrest Armed Suspect After DTLA Barricade Standoff
An armed suspect who barricaded himself in a residence in downtown Los Angeles was taken into custody early Wednesday morning by Los Angeles Police Department officers after a nearly five-hour stand off. LAPD Central Division officers were called at 10:48 p.m. Tuesday to Seventh and San Julian streets near Skid Row where the suspect — who was wanted for assault with a deadly weapon — had barricaded himself in a nearby residence, an LAPD spokesman told City News Service. The suspect, who police said was approximately 35 years old, was armed with a knife and using flash bang devices, officers were able to coax the suspect into surrendering at around 3:50 a.m. No one was injured during the standoff, police said.
MyNewsLA
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Student allegedly discharges ‘possible firearm’ in Marina del Rey classroom
A student allegedly discharged “a possible firearm” inside a classroom Wednesday morning at Westside Global Awareness Magnet in Marina del Rey, school district officials confirmed. There are no reports of injury. The campus briefly went into lockdown. Law enforcement sources reported that the student was a 13-year-old boy and that the gun went off accidentally, possibly from inside a backpack, between 8 and 8:30 am. A Los Angeles Unified message to parents did not specify the age or gender of the student or the precise time of the incident: “Today, a student allegedly discharged a possible firearm inside of a classroom and thereafter fled the campus,” according to a message that went out at 10:40 a.m. “No students or staff were injured. The campus has been swept by law enforcement and the lockdown has been lifted.” In the message, officials said they “took immediate action, including notifying the Los Angeles School Police Department and Region West Operations for further investigation.” The parents of the “impacted students” have been notified, according to the district message.
Los Angeles Times
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Police investigating shooting in North Hollywood
Law enforcement was investigating reports of a man shot in North Hollywood on Wednesday. Officers responded to a call of an assault with a deadly weapon around 5 p.m. in the 12000 block of Sherman Way, according to the LAPD. The reporting party informed police that he had been shot in the leg. The victim's condition wasn't immediately available. The shooter is believed to have fled in a gray sedan, police said.
NBC 4
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Liquid meth worth $1.8 million found in dog shampoo bottles at LAX
Officers at Los Angeles International Airport uncovered more than 17 pounds of liquid methamphetamine concealed in plastic bottles labeled as dog shampoo this month. Officials said the estimated street value of the recovered drugs, which were headed to Australia, is more than $1.8 million, according to a news release Wednesday. On April 1, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at LAX inspected an outbound air cargo shipment declared as “Assorted Dog Shampoos,” which contained the 12 brightly colored bottles. When the officers from the airport’s Outbound Enforcement Team opened the bottles, they saw a “crystallized white substance” that tested positive for methamphetamine. Additional details about the intended destination or the party attempting to send the drugs were not released. From October 2023 through September 2024, Customs and Border Protection officers seized more than 174,000 pounds of meth coming into the country or being sent abroad, according to the release. Since last October, 64,000 pounds of meth have been intercepted.
Los Angeles Times
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Lost your gun in the Palisades Fire? Here’s how to get it back
It’s been a “painstaking” process, but authorities are now ready to ask individuals who may have lost a firearm in the Palisades Fire to come forward. According to Los Angeles Police Department Chief of Detectives Alan Hamilton, since the fire broke out on Jan. 7, officers recovered approximately 500 guns. “LAPD officers have been working through the painstaking process of recovering and rendering approximately 500 firearms safe,” he said in an LAPD news release. “We recognize that these firearms may hold significant sentimental value to their owners, whether as family heirlooms, historical pieces or personal mementos, and we are doing our best to reunite them with their owners.” Many of the guns found during the debris removal process have sustained “severe” fire damage, making them difficult to identify; however, the department is focused on getting belongings back to people who have already gone through so much. “Despite the condition of these recovered weapons, the department remains committed to ensuring that these items are properly processed, identified and when appropriate, returned to their rightful owners,” the LAPD media release states.
KTLA 5
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FBI still seeking 4 men wanted for bank fraud, aggravated identity theft last seen in Southern California
The FBI is still searching for four men wanted for allegedly stealing more than $200,000 in EBT (electronic benefit transfer) funds from over 300 victims. Each of the four men was last seen in Southern California, the FBI says, although where in SoCal and when is not known. Federal authorities detailed the group’s method of installing skimmers on point of sale terminals on each of their wanted pages: “[The four men] are being sought for their alleged roles in a scheme to defraud the recipients of a federal benefits program by installing skimming devices on various points of sale terminals in California in order to unlawfully access the funds in the victims’ EBT card. The subjects allegedly made and installed skimming devices, often small in size, with the capability to record, store or transmit data. Some of these devices could be installed inside standalone point of sale terminals — a gas station pump or ATM, for example — out of view of customers, and were designed to intercept data from access devices that were swiped. A very small camera was also attached to point sale terminals to record customers entering their PIN numbers. The information recovered from or transmitted by a skimming device then could be used alone or in conjunction with another access device to incur charges or withdraw funds from a victim’s account without the victim’s consent, knowledge, or authorization.”
KTLA 5
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BWC: Indiana officer struck by fleeing driver while deploying stop sticks
Newly released body camera footage captures the harrowing moment a Mooresville police officer was struck by a fleeing vehicle during a high-speed pursuit, FOX 59 reported. The April 27 incident began when Morgan County sheriff’s deputies initiated a pursuit of a black Dodge Challenger. Officer Chase Pitcock of the Mooresville Police Department was standing on an intersecting road and preparing to deploy stop sticks when the suspect abruptly swerved onto the intersection in an attempt to avoid the tire deflation device. The bodycam video shows Pitcock diving out of the way as the car clipped him and sped off. He suffered a broken thumb and leg injuries but avoided more serious harm. “It’s very chilling to see that,” said Mooresville Police Chief Kerry Buckner. “Everybody I’ve showed is like, that could have been really bad.” The pursuit, which reached speeds up to 130 miles per hour, began after the driver was involved in an illegal street takeover in Monroe County before being spotted again in Morgan County, according to the report. The vehicle had fake paper plates, and the pursuit was ultimately terminated near Camby due to safety concerns. Chief Buckner emphasized the inherent risks of police pursuits, noting the 2023 death of Indiana State Trooper Aaron Smith, who was killed while deploying stop sticks during a separate pursuit.
PoliceOne
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Video: Connecticut cruiser damaged, windshield broken with officers inside during street takeover
Attendees of a street takeover jumped on an officer’s cruiser and pelted it with objects early Saturday morning, police said. Ansonia police said the department received reports of the takeover at around 12:25 a.m. at the intersection of Wakelee Avenue and Franklin Street. On arrival, an officer saw 50 to 100 people in attendance and cars driving erratically, police said. A group then surrounded the cruiser and one person jumped onto the cruiser’s hood, police said. Police said the officer then struck a parked car while trying to back away from the group. Police said the group then started throwing things at the cruiser. The crowd dispersed once other officers arrived to the scene, police said. Nobody was injured during the takeover, police said, and an investigation is underway to identify those in attendance.
The Hour, Norwalk, Conn.
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On Duty Firefighter Attacked in Historic South-Central, Hospitalized
A firefighter on duty was assaulted Wednesday in the Historic South-Central neighborhood, and the suspect was at large. The battery assault took place around 6 a.m. Wednesday, in the 300 block of West 28th Street, by the Harbor (110) Freeway, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. The firefighter was responding to a “rubbish fire” during the attack, authorities say. The suspect left the scene before responding officers arrived, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. A description of the suspect was not immediately available. The firefighter was taken to a hospital but there was no update on the condition.
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. | | | | |
