Boy’s Body Bore The Imprint Of Mercedes Front Grille, Medical Examiner Says At Grossman Trial

A diamond-shaped pattern on the back and right thigh of an 11-year-old boy killed in a Westlake crosswalk matched the design of the front grille of a Mercedes SUV driven by Rebecca Grossman, according to testimony at the Hidden Hills woman’s murder trial. A medical examiner took the stand Tuesday and outlined harrowing details in the Sept. 29, 2020, deaths of Mark Iskander and his 8-year-old brother, Jacob, drawing the intense focus of jurors as images of the boys’ injuries appeared on a large courtroom monitor. “The pattern of the injuries is essentially a match to the pattern of the grille,” said Dr. Matthew Miller, a pathologist with the San Bernardino medical examiner. At the time of the boys’ deaths, Miller was a deputy L.A. County medical examiner. “It is a kind of shape force abrasion,” he said. “A tire isn’t going to leave a mark like this.” Under cross-examination, Miller conceded that another Mercedes with a similar grille could have inflicted such injuries. It is a black Mercedes SUV, driven by former Dodgers pitcher Scott Erickson — Grossman’s then-lover — that defense attorneys maintain hit Mark, sending him high into the air and into the path of Grossman’s SUV as she drove behind Erickson into the crosswalk.

Los Angeles Times

Man Believed To Be Prominent Street Takeover Organizer Arrested In Paramount

A 20-year-old man believed to be one of the most prominent street takeover organizers in Southern California was taken into custody, but later released, police said. According to the Los Angeles Police Department, investigators with the Street Racing Task Force, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Paramount Station, and California Highway Patrol assisted with executing a search warrant around 5 a.m. Wednesday in Paramount and arrested Erick Romero Quintana. He was booked on suspicion of conspiracy, but was cited and released. Police said he could potentially face multiple felony counts related to organized street takeover events. "With over 70,000 followers on social media, this organizer has coordinated events throughout Southern California that have not only resulted in large-scale takeovers but also smash-and-grab robberies, vehicle thefts, and other violent crimes, including murder," according to an LAPD statement. "This arrest is significant not only for the city of Los Angeles but also for the Southern California region."

ABC 7

Family, Police Seek Help Locating Missing 32-Year-Old Woman

Authorities with the Los Angeles Police Department, along with the family of a missing 32-year-old woman, are asking for the public’s help in locating her, officials announced Thursday evening. Asia Alvarado was last seen at around 10 a.m. Thursday near Oxnard Street and Farralone Avenue in Woodland Hills. The 32-year-old is described as a Black adult female with black hair and brown eyes, standing 5 feet 1 inch tall and weighing approximately 135 pounds. She was last seen wearing black clothing and burgundy shoes. Alvarado was possibly walking northbound on Topanga Boulevard from Oxnard Avenue where she is not familiar with the area, LAPD stated in the missing person’s bulletin. “Her mental condition is described as poor,” authorities added. Anyone with information about her whereabouts or who may have seen her is asked to contact LAPD’s Topanga Division at 818-756-4800. Anonymous tips can be made through L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477 or submitted online at L.A. Crime Stoppers. 

KTLA 5

41 Arrested In Los Angeles County Retail Theft Bust

Amid an increase in smash-and-grab thefts targeting Southern California retailers, a bust operation led to the arrests of 41 suspects. Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies conducted retail theft patrols at various stores including Target, Walmart, Macy’s Ulta Beauty and Ross Dress For Less. During the operations, 41 suspects were arrested and over $10,000 worth of stolen merchandise was recovered. Photos of the busts released by authorities show the thieves being cornered by deputies, some of whom were still holding the stolen merchandise as they attempted to leave the store. “Since the inception of our task force, we have arrested 438 suspects to retail theft and 309 cases have been successfully filed,” said Rob Peacock, Caption of LASD’s Major Crimes Bureau. The retail theft task force was created in August 2023 to stop the rising number of “flash mob” style thefts targeting retailers across SoCal. The task force involves the L.A. Police Department, L.A. County Sheriff’s Department, California Highway Patrol, police in Glendale, Beverly Hills, Burbank, Santa Monica, agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and U.S. Marshals Service, city and county prosecutors, and the state Attorney General’s office.

KTLA 5

Watch: 2 Pennsylvania Officers Dragged To Safety After Being Shot At Home That Later Erupted In Flames

Authorities were searching the charred remains of a suburban Philadelphia home Thursday morning, a day after a shootout and fire left two police officers wounded and at least six people unaccounted for. Firefighters were also still on the scene and wisps of smoke were still visible from the charred remains of the house. Heavy machinery moved into the neighborhood as investigators prepared to search the home for the six missing people following a police shootout that wounded two officers. An excavator was being used to tear down the walls left standing after the fire gutted the building. Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer had said Wednesday “multiple people” inside the home may not have survived. “We are hopeful that that is not true,” he said. Officers responded to the house in East Lansdowne around 3:45 p.m. after a 911 call reporting that an 11-year-old girl had been shot, Stollsteimer said. They immediately came under fire. One officer was shot in the arm and the other in the leg, officials said. They were both described by Stollsteimer as male, veteran officers. One works for the East Lansdowne department, and the other for neighboring Lansdowne. Officers from Upper Darby saved their lives by dragging them out of danger, he said.

Associated Press

Michigan K-9 Repeatedly Stabbed In Neck By Suspect While Protecting Officers

A police dog was stabbed several times in the throat while protecting police and bystanders from a man armed with a box cutter, Michigan cops said. The 4-year-old Dutch shepherd named Sledge was immediately taken to an animal hospital and ultimately survived the injuries, police said. He lost about 40% of his blood in the process. Sledge was later able to walk out of the hospital “on his own four legs” and reunite with his K-9 handler, Kalamazoo Public Safety said in a Feb. 7 Facebook post. Officers arrived at the scene the evening of Feb. 6 to find a 49-year-old man armed with a knife threatening to stab people, authorities said. Police say the man on a porch threatened to kill the officers and refused to drop the box cutter. When Sledge and his handler arrived, the man advanced toward the two, police said. Sledge was released to contain the man. “K9 Sledge was deployed to protect the lives of officers on scene and the citizens that were just assaulted,” Kalamazoo Public Safety said. He survived the stab to the jugular vein and blood loss, and he is expected to make a full recovery, police said. The man was taken to Kern County jail after he was treated for injuries to his arm caused by Sledge, Michigan cops said. He faces “numerous felonies related to the initial attack, and the attack on the police K9,” police said.

Charlotte Observer

Video: Texas Officer Saves Woman Choking On Gum While Driving On Freeway

Dash camera footage captured a Mansfield Police Department officer’s rescue of a woman who started choking while on the road, FOX 4 reported. The Jan. 13 incident began when Officer Chad Stevens saw a car with its hazard lights on driving erratically, according to the report. When Stevens drove beside the car, the woman motioned to him that she was in trouble. Dash camera video shows Stevens pull the car over. A woman can be seen stumbling out of the car while grabbing at her throat. Stevens begins to perform the Heimlich maneuver on the woman, quickly clearing her airway. Stevens’ body camera video shows the woman recovering on the ground as he radios for EMS. The woman told FOX 4 that she had gum stuck in her airway for about 15 minutes, struggling to breathe through it. Stevens said he had never performed the Heimlich on the job before, but that his training kicked in. “I’m glad that I was at the right place at the right time. Like I said, that’s what we’re here to do,” Stevens said. “It’s different every day. It keeps you on your toes.”

PoliceOne

Worker Suffers Serious Injuries After Stairwell Collapses At DTLA High-Rise Construction Site

A worker suffered serious injuries Thursday morning when a stairwell collapsed at a construction site in downtown Los Angeles. Firefighters responded to a high-rise building in the 200 block of West Olympic Boulevard just after 11:30 a.m. The worker was quickly freed from the debris when firefighters arrived, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. The worker was taken to a hospital with serious injuries. AIR7 HD was above the scene as the man was being taken out of the building on a stretcher. No other injuries were reported. The incident remains under investigation.

ABC 7

Nearly 1200 Reports Of Potholes Called In To LA Public Works Since Yesterday

Following a series of powerful storms in Los Angeles, officials took thousands of calls Thursday for potholes and other repairs that need to be made around the county. Since 8 a.m. Thursday, the bureaus with the Department of Public Works responded to calls for service regarding 1,180 reports of potholes and 1,511 catch basins and stormwater conveyance systems cleared. "If you see a pothole try to slow way down," said Doug Shupe of AAA. "Of course if you can safely maneuver around it, you should." During that time, there were also 553 calls for fallen trees and branches and 592 calls for mudslides, officials added. City officials continued to advise residents to avoid driving on canyon roads. Department of Transportation traffic officers have been deployed to multiple closures and continue to direct drivers away from impacted areas. Officials said 16 buildings were red-tagged and 33 buildings were yellow-tagged, meaning no-entry, and that residents could return to collect their possessions, respectively.

CBS 2

Locked Gates In Historic L.A. Neighborhood Spark Debate In City Council Election

Gang crime spurred residents living near Mid-City in the 1980s to erect gates to separate their tree-lined Los Angeles neighborhood from a stretch of Pico Boulevard. Today, the gates act as a barrier between Pico’s auto shops, beauty salons and low-rise apartment buildings and Country Club Park, a neighborhood to the north that’s known for its Craftsman and Tudor Revival homes and expansive lawns. Country Club Park residents say the gates create a pleasant, park-like area that draws dog-walkers and strollers from across the city. At Christmas, carolers take to the sidewalks. Now the gates are an issue in the March 5 election for a Los Angeles City Council seat, sparking a debate about public space and crime. Some candidates running for District 10, which stretches from Crenshaw to Koreatown, support partly opening the gates so pedestrians can enter from Pico. Mobility groups also criticize the gates, which remain locked at all hours of the day. A representative for Streets for All, an advocacy group for bus and bike lanes, said blocking access from Pico creates an “undue burden and equity issue on transit riders and pedestrians” living to the south. 

Los Angeles Times

LA Considers Motion To Make Downtown LA High-Rise Owners Clean Up Graffiti

The Los Angeles City Council is expected to vote on a motion Friday that would force the owners of the Oceanwide Plaza in Downtown LA to clean up the graffiti that is now covering three towers top-to-bottom. The motion, if passed, would require the developers from China to remove or cover the graffiti, fortify the property with stronger fencing and hire private security, or face a lien being put on the property by the city. “It says to the developers of this failed property, Oceanwide, you got two weeks, you have 14 days to clean up the mess,” said Kevin De Leon, councilman of the 14th district, who introduced the motion. “All the graffiti that you see and each and every floor has to be cleaned, has to be painted over. You have to set up a strong abatement fence that's fortified, not this flimsy fence that anyone can break through or climb over.” The billion-dollar development has sat vacant since 2019, when the Beijing-based developers ran out of money for the project. It was intended to become condos, a shopping mall and a luxury hotel. In recent weeks, the towers have been vandalized by graffiti artists descending upon Los Angeles from all over the country to leave their mark on the buildings. At least four people have been arrested and face charges of vandalism and trespassing.

NBC 4

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.