Boy Shot to Death in North Hills

A 15-year-old boy was killed Monday morning in a shooting at an apartment in the North Hills area of Los Angeles. The shooting was reported just after 1:30 a.m. in an apartment at 15532 Nordhoff St., said Officer A. Delatorre of the Los Angeles Police Department’s Operations Center. The boy was pronounced dead at the scene from a gunshot wound to the head, Delatorre said. Suspect information was not immediately available, he said. It was not known whether the shooting was gang-related, Delatorre said.

MyNewsLA

3 wounded following shooting in Hyde Park

Three people were wounded in a shooting in Hyde Park on Saturday. The scene unfolded before 7:30 p.m. in the 3800 block of West 58th Place, according to Los Angeles Police Department. Two of the victims were taken to nearby hospitals by first responders, while the third victim self-transported, police said. Circumstances leading up to the incident remain unclear, including a motive behind the shooting and a suspect involved. There was no further information provided. 

CBS 2

2 wounded in South Central shooting

Two people were taken to the hospital by ambulance Friday evening after they were shot in South Central Los Angeles. The shooting happened around 5:20 p.m., near the intersection of Vermont Avenue and 83rd Street in the Vermont Knolls neighborhood. The Los Angeles Police Department responded to the scene and requested ambulances for the two victims, whose conditions were unclear. Police have not released any information about the moments leading up to the shooting or the motive. An arrest has not been made, but the suspect has been described as a Hispanic man in his early 20s who was last seen wearing a gray shirt and blue jeans. He was seen fleeing in an unknown direction, according to LAPD Media Relations. The shooting remains under investigation and anyone with information is urged to contact the LAPD’s 24-hour anonymous tip line at 1-877-527-3247.

KTLA 5

Police search for man who stole a wallet from an unconscious, elderly woman

Police are searching for a suspect who stole the wallet from an 86-year-old woman's purse as she lay unconscious after suffering a beating from another suspect, all captured by MTA bus surveillance footage. On Aug. 8, around 2:40 p.m., surveillance video from the bus shows the woman lying on the sidewalk in the area of 24th Street and Vermont Avenue, as a man casually walks off the bus, reaches into her purse and walks off with her wallet. A different suspect was taken into custody by Los Angeles Police Department officers for beating the woman, leaving her unconscious and incapacitated. The woman was taken to a hospital in critical condition and does not recall anything about the incident due to a head injury. Footage from MTA bus No. 1957, Line 204 shows multiple people witnessed the crime. The man police are searching for who stole the wallet was wearing a gray beanie with a "NY" jacket on, has a mustache or goatee, and is between 40 to 50 years old. Anyone with information can call (213) 359-3707.

CBS 2

Multiple kosher restaurants in Pico-Robertson area burglarized, police say

Police are investigating a series of burglaries in the Pico-Robertson neighborhood of Los Angeles in which thieves appeared to have targeted several kosher restaurants. The crimes happened early Saturday morning in the 9300 - 9400 block of W Pico Boulevard. According to the Los Angeles Police Department, five restaurants were burglarized, including one that was set to have its grand opening on Monday. Police said thieves smashed the restaurants' windows and some cash registers were taken. The restaurants that were targeted were Nagila Pizza, Fisherman's Bowl, Shanghai Diamond Garden, SushiKo, and Shalom Grill. The suspects were described only as men wearing dark clothing, but it's unclear how many were involved. No other details were immediately available. Anyone with information is urged to contact police.

ABC 7

Suspects arrested in Nike store heist in East L.A. — part of a rash of brazen robberies

A group of suspects was arrested this week in connection with the robbery of a Nike store in East Los Angeles — the latest in a string of brazen “flash mob” crimes over the past few weeks. Thieves were captured on video around 5:30 p.m. Aug. 13 making off with thousands of dollars worth of merchandise from the Nike store at 4585 Whittier Boulevard, according to KTLA. They fled the scene in a red SUV onto the 710 Freeway. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department stopped an SUV Wednesday and pulled the vehicle over, finding large bags containing Nike sneakers. Six people were arrested; their identities were not released. The case remains under investigation. The Nike heist was part of a spate of daylight burglaries that have occurred across Southern California over the past few weeks. On Thursday morning, authorities arrested Los Angeles resident Ivan Issac Ramirez, 23, the first suspect in the Yves Saint Laurent “flash mob” burglary at a Glendale shopping center, according to a Glendale Police Department news release. Ramirez was booked on organized retail theft, burglary, grand theft and conspiracy, authorities said.

Los Angeles Times

Woman kidnapped after parking lot shooting in Los Angeles County

Authorities in Whittier are launching an investigation into a shooting that led to the abduction of a woman. According to the Whittier Police Department, officers responded to the parking stalls of Penn Park shortly after midnight on Sunday after a man reported that an armed suspect approached his vehicle — occupied by him and a female passenger — and fired gunshots in their direction. “The male witness ran from the location and upon his return, discovered blood near his vehicle and [that] his female companion was missing,” Whittier PD said. The missing female was identified as 19-year-old Andrea Vasquez. According to police, she is 5 feet, 3 inches tall, weighs 103 pounds and has brownish-red hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a black long-sleeve crop top, khaki pants and black low-top Converse shoes. Vasquez has a tattoo of the name “Edlyn” on the back of her neck, the Aries constellation on top of her right hand and a belly button piercing. Police are urging anyone who was at Penn Park between 11 p.m. on Saturday to 1 a.m. on Sunday to contact the Whittier Police Department on-duty watch commander at 562-567-9255. 

KTLA 5

Video: Florida K-9 tracks down suspect who spiked date's drink with cockroach spray

In a rather bizarre case, a 29-year-old Florida woman poisoned a man's drinks with cockroach spray after inviting him home to drink with her. Veronica Cline was charged with poisoning food or drink, the Volusia Country Sheriff's Office said on Friday. Police authorities turned up a home in Deleon Springs early morning on August 18 to find a man who had taken violently ill. The man told the authorities that Cline had asked him to come back to her place and continue drinking with her. The sheriff's office said in a statement: "The victim told deputies he was vomiting for about 30 minutes before he was able to call for help. He became sick again while providing his statement to a deputy." The victim was so sick that he continued vomiting for 30 minutes before being able to call the police. When the deputies arrived, Cline wasn't in home. However, she was tracked down by a law enforcement K-9. Bodycam footage from Volusia Sheriff's Office shows a responding officer walking in a dark, wooded area with a dog from the K-9 unit. The officer can be heard in the video: "'Show me your f*****g hands. Walk towards me now, walk towards me, stop right there and get on your knees."

PoliceOne

Firefighters Battle Blaze at Wilmington Dismantling Yard

Flames charred semi trucks and a car at a Wilmington dismantling yard Monday morning. The fire was reported at 2:06 a.m. at 716 N. Sanford Ave., according to the Los Angeles Fire Department’s Nicholas Prange. The outdoor fire was out at 3:37 a.m., Prange said. The fire burned seven semi trucks and one car, he said. Firefighters protected nearby businesses. No injuries were reported, Prange said. The cause of the blaze was under investigation.

MyNewsLA

More than a dozen earthquakes rock Southern California amid Tropical Storm Hilary

A preliminary 5.1-magnitude earthquake was reported in Ventura County Sunday afternoon – and then followed by about a dozen shocks. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the earthquake happened around 2:41 p.m. with a magnitude of 5.1. The quake was reported about 4.3 miles southeast of Ojai with about 9 miles in depth. Seconds after the earthquake, at least 17 aftershocks were reported – all centered around Ojai. Its preliminary magnitudes were reported between 2.5 to 3.9. The series of shakes knocked over wine bottles at the Westridge Family Markets, a grocery store in Ojai. Thankfully, grocery store workers were able to clean up the mess shortly after the earthquakes hit the area. LA Fire Department Chief Kristin Crowley says there have been no reports of any injuries or severe damage due to the tropical storm. She says a number of reports have been made about power lines down, there have been two debris flows reported in Sherman Oaks and at least one large tree toppled over in Westwood. Tenants of an apartment building in Koreatown reported a partial roof collapse, she says. The city Department of Water and Power is reporting power outages for about 5,000 customers, with Boyle Heights and Hollywood the most impacted areas.

FOX 11

California homeowners use new technologies to help keep their homes safe from wildfires

Christopher Pitney’s home is tucked away in the Santa Monica mountains. It’s a beautiful place to live, but it can also be a risky one. “In this area, fire is so unpredictable,” he said. Pitney’s had to evacuate a few times, but his home has always been safe. But he’s not up for the gamble anymore. “If I could put a few more chips in my pocket before that happens, well, it’ll make playing the game a little more comfortable,” he said. Pitney hired Frontline Wildfire Defense to install a sprinkler system that’s attached to his roof and under his eaves. When a fire is nearby and embers are a threat, Pitney or Frontline can trigger the system. Its technology allows it to work even when the power goes out, according to Harry Statter, Frontline’s CEO. “All the combustibles on or around the home will be saturated to create an environment that’s simply too wet to burn,” said Statter. When a fire gets really close, the system releases foam. “This is the same biodegradable foam that firefighters carry on their trucks. You simply don’t need a firefighter there to apply it,” said Statter. If the water supply is shut off for firefighters' use only, Pitney’s pool is the system’s backup source. Frontline said the cost of this system is about $10 per square foot, so $20,000 for a 2,000 square foot home. 

NBC 4

Gov. Newsom declares state of emergency as Tropical Storm Hilary approaches

California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency for most of Southern California in order to enact emergency response and recovery efforts. Hilary, currently a Category 2 hurricane, is expected to bring “catastrophic and life-threatening flooding” to Baja California and the Southwestern U.S., Newsom said in the news release announcing the state of emergency. Forecasters are calling for the eye of Hilary to make landfall in Southern California Sunday evening as a weak Category 1 or a tropical storm with rainfall amounts ranging from 2 to 10 inches. No tropical storm has made landfall in Southern California since Sept. 25, 1939, according to the National Weather Service. Forty-five people were killed and property losses were estimated to be $2 million in that storm, NOAA said. Newsom signed Saturday’s emergency proclamation in San Diego while visiting with California National Guard troops. More than 7,500 “boots on the ground” have been deployed to help local communities, the news release stated.

KTLA 5

Despite concerns, L.A. council votes to buy a hotel for its fight against homelessness

The Los Angeles City Council voted Friday to purchase a 294-room boutique hotel and use it as a key asset in Mayor Karen Bass’ fight against homelessness, despite concerns from council members about safety, long-term costs and the plan for running the building. On a 12-2 vote, the council backed the mayor’s plan to acquire the Mayfair Hotel for $60 million and spend an additional $23 million on renovations and upgrades to the structure, which closed its doors last summer after serving as temporary homeless housing for two years of the pandemic. Bass said previously that the hotel, located in L.A.’s Westlake neighborhood, will help the city bring down the cost of the Inside Safe program, which currently has about 1,000 unhoused residents living in hotel and motels. By owning the building outright, she said, the city will have the ability to scale back the number of rooms that it rents out each night. Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez, who represents Westlake, voted in favor of the project, but only after reeling off a list of concerns about how it was pitched to the community, how it will be operated and who it will serve. Hernandez said Bass’ team showed “a real lack of community engagement” when they proposed the hotel purchase. And she pointed out that the city will, over the next two years, only provide rooms at the Mayfair to residents of Skid Row — not the scores of people who live immediately around the hotel, which is located in a part of the city with a high concentration of working-class, Spanish-speaking immigrants.

Los Angeles Times

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.