Cops Blast ‘Click-Bait Study’ Naming California Best Place For Police

Law enforcement unions in California are criticizing a recent report calling the Golden State one of the best places to be a police officer in the United States. The report, released by the personal finance website WalletHub, based its findings largely on compensation and training, though it also included metrics like police deaths per 1,000 officers and state and local spending on law enforcement agencies. “Unfortunately, the authors of this study didn’t survey rank-and-file police officers or sheriff deputies about the realities of law enforcement in California prior to releasing this click-bait headlined study,” a news release representing several state police unions stated. President of the Los Angeles Police Protective League Craig Lally pointed to low police staffing levels in L.A., San Francisco and San Jose that he says have created slow emergency response times, dangerous safety conditions for officers and mandatory overtime that wreaks havoc on department morale. “We don’t see any of these metrics in this ‘study’ but that is the reality law enforcement officers face in California,” he added. The unions also took issue with the report’s findings on officer compensation, saying WalletHub failed to consider the high cost of living in the state, especially where housing is concerned.  

KTLA 5

Los Angeles bus driver fights back after female suspect attacks her over alleged fare dispute

A Los Angeles bus driver was seen on video fighting back against a woman who attacked her on Sunday. The incident unfolded around 1 p.m. near South Central Avenue and Jefferson Boulevard in South Los Angeles. The suspect was boarding a DASH bus, which offers free service, and tried to pay a dollar to the driver, the Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT) told KABC-TV. When the driver declined to take the woman’s money, the suspect began attacking the driver.

Fox News

Off-Duty LAPD Officer Hit By Stray Bullet In Southern California Gas Station Shooting

An off-duty reserve officer with the Los Angeles Police Department was hit by a bullet during a shooting at a gas station in Bellflower. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department says the incident occurred around 5:15 p.m. in the 9300 block of Somerset Boulevard. When deputies arrived, they found the off-duty officer suffering from a gunshot wound. Authorities say the victim was not the intended target and the initial investigation reveals that this appeared to be a gang-related shooting where the LAPD member was caught in the crossfire. The off-duty officer was taken to a nearby medical center, accompanied by a police escort, with non-threatening injuries. Delia Preciado works at a nearby business and heard the commotion while inside the store. “I heard like eight shots,” she said to stringer news service OnScene.TV. “Those things don’t happen here. It’s kind of quiet. It’s scary.” Video obtained by KTLA shows several deputies on the scene following the shooting. A dark-colored van is seen parked next to a gas pump with the trunk open and what appears to personal items on the ground. It appears the suspect, or suspects in the shooting fled the area before authorities arrived.

Yahoo! News

L.A. Police, Possibly FBI To Help Investigate Violent Attack On UCLA Encampment

Nearly a week after violence erupted on the campus of UCLA, Chancellor Gene Block announced Monday that the school is working with the Los Angeles Police Department and has reached out to the Federal Bureau of Investigation to hold those responsible for the melee accountable. Hostilities outside the pro-Palestinian solidarity encampment had been simmering since demonstrators took over Royce Quad on April 25, setting up dozens of tents and surrounding themselves with metal fences and wood pallets. On April 30, just hours after Chancellor Block labeled the encampment as “unauthorized,” pro-Israeli counter-protestors, many dressed in all black with white masks over their faces and flags draped across their shoulders, lobbed fireworks at the encampment and attempted to dismantle the barricades. For at least two hours, campus police stood by as both factions traded punches, hurled items at each other, and dispersed pepper spray and fire extinguishers in a chaotic scene that wasn’t contained until around 2 a.m. when LAPD officers arrived. The president of the University of California system, Michael Drake, said 15 people were injured, one of whom required hospitalization. Despite the widespread violence, no arrests were reported, though Chancellor Block vowed a “thorough investigation.”  

KTLA 5

Bus Driver Punched In Confrontation Caught On Video In South LA Area

A DASH bus driver was punched in an altercation caught on video Sunday afternoon in the South Los Angeles area. The confrontation was reported at about 1 p.m. near Central Avenue and Jefferson Boulevard. Video showed the woman swinging at the driver at the bus entrance and on the sidewalk. At one point, the bus driver appeared to turn her back on the woman. She was then struck from behind when she bent over to pick something up. Officers arrested the woman on suspicion of battery. Details about her identity were not immediately available. NBCLA has reached out to DASH for details. The driver was treated and released at the scene. It was not immediately clear what led up to the portion of the altercation that was captured on video. Bus operators have been targeted in several recent attacks in Los Angeles. A Hawthorne man who allegedly stabbed a Metro bus operator in the chest in the unincorporated Willowbrook area on April 13 pleaded not guilty on April 29 to an attempted murder charge. The Metro bus operator was driving his bus route "when the suspect started yelling at him," according to a statement released by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

NBC 4

Lowrider Cinco de Mayo Event Forced To Pasadena After LAPD Shuts It Down Citing Lack Of Permits

Lowriders ended up in Pasadena Sunday after they said their annual Cinco de Mayo event got shut down by law enforcement in Elysian Park. The Los Angeles Police Department said they didn't have the permits and would cause more traffic for the Dodgers game. This came even after it was agreed by both sides to hold the event. An email from the LAPD Northeast Division Community Police Advisory Board showed that the event was agreed upon from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. "When we get to Elysian Park this morning, that was not the case. So they didn't honor what was agreed upon," said Cesar Monreal, of the High Class Car Club. "We wanted to show our grandchildren the culture being that it's Cinco de Mayo, you know, showing them that you can turn around and have nice things like lowriders bikes trucks, and just cruise and have a good time," said eventgoer Monica Ramos. Temporary "No Parking" signs lined the park, forcing the lowriders to shift gears to the Rose Bowl. "It's kind of disappointing because it's something that we do. We don't we don't come out here to cause problems or anything. It's just for anybody show off their rides and have a good time," Ramos said.

ABC 7

Woman Stabbed Multiple Times In Parking Lot Of Southern California Store

A woman was rushed to the hospital after being stabbed by a 38-year-old man in a store parking lot Sunday in Culver City, authorities announced. Officers with the Culver City Police Department responded to the 6100 block Slauson Avenue at around 2:45 p.m. after receiving multiple calls about an altercation. At the scene, police discovered a female victim who had been stabbed numerous times and was losing a lot of blood. She was rushed to the hospital where she is currently listed in stable condition, according to a CCPD news release. Police immediately began searching for the suspect, setting up a perimeter in the area where the man had last been seen fleeing on foot. The 38-year-old, who has yet to be identified, was found hiding in the bushes of Cougar Park, near Hannum and Slauson avenues and was taken into custody, police said. Authorities say the preliminary investigation revealed that the suspect, whose city of residence is unknown, approached the victim in the parking lot and stabbed her several times before running away. “The knife believed to have been used in the attack was recovered at the scene,” the release noted.  

KTLA 5

BREAKING: Dog Sitter Vanishes With Santa Monica Dogs: Owner's Desperate Search After Vacation

Jamielynn Storie's vacation to Las Vegas ended in anguish when she returned to discover that her dogs, a 6-year-old Maltipoo named Josie and a 7-month-old Aussie-Cavalier mix named Snoop, were missing under suspicious circumstances. While she was away, the dog sitter she had hired through the Rover app, Jessica T., suddenly ceased communication. Upon her return on Saturday, Storie was directed by Jessica to pick up her pets at a UCLA location, but she arrived to find only a parking lot, with no sign of the sitter or her dogs. Storie shared with The Westside Current a lengthy exchange with Rover, which suggested she "take a rest" when she reported that her sitter was not at the agreed location and was unresponsive—a response she found unacceptable given the urgency of the situation. Despite repeated calls to Rover and being put on hold for extended periods, sometimes up to 45 minutes, she was told that nothing could be done during "quiet hours" and that action would be taken the following morning—well after her dogs were due to be returned.

Westside Current

LA County Man Sentenced For Hiring Hitman, Burning Down Apartment Complex To Push Out Low-Income Tenant

A man from La Cañada Flintridge will spend the next 20 years in federal prison after a jury convicted him of a murder-for-hire scheme and burning down an apartment complex to push out low-income residents. A federal judge also ordered 55-year-old Arthur Raffy Aslanian to pay $15,371 in restitution and fined him an additional $200,000. In 2023, a jury found Aslanian guilty of: one count of use of interstate commerce facilities in the commission of murder-for-hire; one count of conspiracy to commit arson; one count of attempted arson; and one count of arson of a building used in interstate commerce. “This defendant thought he could get away with murder by financing a murder plot against two of his rivals," United States Attorney Martin Estrada said. "He will now serve a well-deserved lengthy prison sentence. This case should serve as a cautionary tale to those who would resort to violence to settle their disputes: You will be caught and the consequences will be severe." The Department of Justice said Aslanian worked with 41-year-old Sesar Rivera to hire a hitman to kill his former lawyer and a long-time litigation opponent. The lawyer, only identified as "M.Y," represented Aslanian during a bankruptcy proceeding. Despite winning the case, Aslanian refused to pay the lawyer and the firm $261,000 in legal fees and expenses.

CBS 2

Man Wanted By FBI For Deadly Los Angeles County Shooting

The FBI is searching for a man wanted in connection with a deadly shooting in Los Angeles County. The suspect was identified as Cesar Villarreal, 46, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. He is known by aliases including “Moreno,” “Rat,” “Black Boy,” “Little Black Boy,” Cesar Garcia and Cesar Moreno. He is a “convicted felon and known gang member,” authorities said. On May 21, 2010, Villarreal was at a store with his two young daughters when he began arguing with two men. During the confrontation, Villarreal allegedly pointed his gun at the men who eventually left the store. Shortly after as Villarreal was driving his pickup truck without his daughters, he spotted the men a short distance from the store. That’s when he allegedly shot the pair, leaving one man dead and the other injured, authorities said. Villarreal fled the scene and has remained on the run since. He is believed to be living in Mexico, according to detectives. He has previously lived in Baldwin Park and may have ties to Oregon.

KTLA 5

Video: 2 Minnesota Officers Earn Medal Of Valor For Water Rescue Of 4-Year-Old Boy

The radio squawked signaling a priority one call and Minneapolis police Sgt. Jeremy Depies raced toward Bryn Mawr Meadows Park, where a 4-year-old boy had fallen through the ice. He and two colleagues frantically scanned the reservoir searching for signs of the child. Suddenly, they spotted his navy snowpants bobbing above the surface. Without hesitation, Officer Ashley Bergersen threw off her jacket and crashed through the frozen pond alongside Depies, wading in chest-deep water to reach little Eli Steinbach. She carried his limp body out to her partner, who helped perform chest compressions for several minutes until paramedics arrived. “It was instinct‚" Bergersen said of the rescue last November. “I just thought that if it was my son, I sure hope somebody would go in and save them.” Their heroic actions earned both Fourth Precinct officers a Medal of Valor, the department’s highest honor, during its annual award ceremony at the Ukrainian Cultural Center on Tuesday night. Relatives beamed as Chief Brian O’Hara placed the awards around their necks, two among several dozen recognized for going above and beyond the call of duty. Body camera footage of the incident — released with permission from Eli’s mother — offers a rare glimpse into one of the most traumatic calls officers can receive: an unresponsive child.

Star Tribune

Nebraska Sheriff’s Office Seizes 200 Pounds Of Meth In Traffic Stop

The Seward County Sheriff’s Office said it seized hundreds of pounds of methamphetamine last week with an estimated value of more than $7 million. On Thursday, Sergio Jaimezazueta, 44, of California, was arrested after a traffic stop turned up the drugs, the sheriff’s office said in a news release. The traffic stop occurred on Interstate 80 near mile marker 382 at about 12:30 p.m. During the stop, a deputy became suspicious that Jaimezazueta was involved in criminal activity and called for a K9 unit to search for drugs. Deputies with the Interdiction Task Force discovered a trash bag along with three totes that contained 200 pounds of meth, the news release said. The Sheriff’s Office estimated the value of the drugs at $7.2 million. A representative of the Seward County Sheriff’s Office said it’s likely one of the biggest meth busts in the state’s history. Jamiezazueta was turned over to federal authorities.

Lincoln Journal Star

Here's Why LA County Is Combating Mosquitoes With More Mosquitoes

As mosquito season approaches, Los Angeles County is looking to combat the invasive mosquito population with more mosquitoes. According to the Greater Los Angeles County Vector Control District, it is releasing sterilized male mosquitoes in target areas - such as two Sunland-Tujunga neighborhoods - as part of a pilot program to address the problem. The agency said while residents may notice more mosquitoes, there should be a "noticeable decrease in biting activity. "Invasive Aedes mosquitoes have significantly altered the outdoor experience for millions of Los Angeles residents," the agency said. "These aggressive daytime biters not only disrupt outdoor activities but also raise concerns about the transmission of diseases such as dengue, chikungunya, and Zika." The agency said it is using the "sterile insect technique" (SIT)- sterilizing male mosquitoes via X-ray then releasing them - in hopes that when the sterile males mate with the females, there will be no offspring, leading to a decline in the mosquito population. 

FOX 11

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.