Dozens Arrested In Raids Targeting Gang Linked To LAPD Officer’s Killing While He Was House Hunting

FBI agents and Los Angeles County deputies fanned out across the city early Tuesday, raiding 30 homes linked to the South L.A. gang Florencia 13, which was responsible for the 2022 killing of a Los Angeles police officer. Hours after the arrest of dozens of Los Angeles gang members, prosecutors unsealed indictments charging 37 people associated with Florencia 13 alleging a series of crimes, including fentanyl trafficking, extortion and three slayings — including that of a man beaten to death outside a bar in the gang’s “territory.” The gang, which dates back some 70 years in South L.A., gained notoriety following the shooting death of LAPD Officer Fernando Arroyos, who was off-duty and house-hunting with his girlfriend when they were targeted in an armed robbery on Jan. 10, 2022. Three Florencia 13 gang members — Jesse Contreras, Luis Alfredo de la Rosa Rios and Ernesto Cisneros — pleaded guilty in 2023 to federal racketeering charges for their roles in the robbery and fatal shooting of Arroyos. The men were sentenced to long terms in federal prison— 50 years each for Cisneros and Rios and 35 for Contreras. In their pleas, they admitted killing Arroyos as part of gang activity perpetrated by Florencia 13. Tuesday’s takedown included the arrest of 23 members and associates of Florencia 13 who are expected to be arraigned on 11 indictments in U.S. District Court in downtown Los Angeles. Six of the defendants were already in state or federal custody, and authorities are searching for eight others, including several believed to be fugitives in Mexico. As part of the investigation, law enforcement seized approximately 21 pounds of methamphetamine, nine pounds of fentanyl and 6.5 pounds of heroin. Authorities also seized 25 firearms and about $70,000 in cash.

Harford Courant

Gunshot Pierces Apartment Wall, Killing Neighbor In North Hollywood

A fired bullet went completely through an apartment wall in Valley Village and struck a next-door neighbor dead, according to a police report. On Monday around 9:30 p.m, patrol officers in the North Hollywood area responded to a radio call of “shots fired” in the 5600 block of Laurel Canyon Boulevard, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. When they arrived, they found one person inside an apartment suffering from a gunshot wound. Paramedics later pronounced the person dead at the scene. LAPD homicide detectives were called in and discovered that a bullet fired from the apartment next door had pierced the wall and struck the victim. No additional information about the shooting has been released, and authorities are withholding the victim’s identity until their next of kin has been notified. Anyone with information about this shooting is urged to call LAPD’s Valley Bureau Homicide Division at (818) 374-9550. Those wishing to remain anonymous should call L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-8477, or send information via the website.

Los Angeles Times

Police Investigating Hot Prowl Burglary At Music Producer’s Upscale Encino Home

Yet another house in the San Fernando Valley was the target of a hot prowl burglary early Tuesday morning, the latest incident in an alarming string of burglaries that seemingly occur on a nightly basis. Tuesday morning’s attempted home invasion was reported just after 3 a.m. at a home in the 16000 block of Mooncrest Drive, according to preliminary information. The Los Angeles Police Department later confirmed to KTLA 5’s Erin Myers that at least one person was home at the time and that they reported hearing someone rummaging below them. However, by the time officers got to the scene, the suspect or suspects had already fled. Video from the scene obtained by KTLA shows a helicopter circling the area as Los Angeles Police Department officers arrived at the home, which lies behind a gate and is equipped with security cameras. Public records indicate the home that was targeted is owned by a well-known hip-hop producer. No injuries were reported in Tuesday morning’s incident, and the LAPD remained at the scene past 9:30 a.m. Tuesday continuing their investigation. 

Yahoo! News

Woman, 31, Severely Injured During Hit-and-Run Crash In Southern California

Investigators are asking for the public’s help in identifying a driver involved in a non-contact hit-and-run crash in Koreatown late last month that left a 31-year-old woman with severe injuries. The crash occurred on July 20 just before 2 a.m., according to a news release from the Los Angeles Police Department. Investigators say 35-year-old L.A. resident Luis Sanches-Galicia was driving a Nissan Frontier pickup truck southbound while in the northbound lanes of Normandie Avenue, north of 1st Street when a driver of a newer model blue Chevrolet Camero swerved into the lane the truck was in, causing him to crash into several vehicles parked alongside the roadway. Medical personnel with the Los Angeles Fire Department responded to the crash site and rushed the 31-year-old passenger in the Nissan to the hospital for medical treatment. “The driver of the blue Chevrolet Camaro failed to stop, identify themselves and or render aid to the injured person and fled the scene southbound on Normandie Avenue,” the release noted. Sanches-Galicia, who was driving the wrong way in the northbound lanes of Normandie Avenue, was arrested on a felony charge of driving under the influence.  

KTLA 5

Editorial: L.A.'s Next Police Chief Must Be Able To Recognize — And Squash — Crime Trends Quickly

Crime trends in Los Angeles tend to begin quickly and spin out of control before being eclipsed by the next criminal phenomenon. In recent years the city has been beset by waves of catalytic converter thefts from parked cars, smash-and-grab robberies at high-end stores, shoplifting at big-box and mom-and-pop retail outlets, “burglary tourism” heists allegedly committed by visitors from South America, and stripping of streetlights for copper wire, among other crimes. The city needs a police department that is nimble enough to rapidly identify and snuff out these trends. It must have sufficient investigative resources, an ear to the ground in the criminal underworld, and a well-established line of communication with other cities and agencies to stop crimes from becoming trends in the first place. And crucially, it needs a leader with the vision, skill and persuasive power to redirect officers who too often are focused on fighting crime trends with decades-old approaches and by rolling back hard-won reforms — for example misdemeanor status for drug possession and elimination of money bail for most misdemeanor arrests in Los Angeles County. That’s something Mayor Karen Bass and the Board of Police Commissioners should keep top of mind as they move toward selecting a new chief for the Los Angeles Police Department later this year. Chief Dominic Choi is serving in an interim capacity between the departure earlier this year of Chief Michel Moore and the selection and installation of a new chief to a five-year term. Though others are involved in vetting applicants, ultimately the choice is the mayor’s, and she is appropriately steering the process. Improving and redirecting the police department is her most important job, along with the related priority of reducing homelessness. Bass is well-suited for this task; she has devoted much of her career as an organizer and as an elected official to reforming police.

Yahoo! News

Encino High-End Shoe Store Struck By Burglars For 3rd Time

A burglary crew struck again in Encino overnight and hit a high-end shoe store along Ventura Boulevard. Investigators said the same store was hit just eight months ago. Around 3 a.m. Wednesday, officers with the Los Angeles Police Department spotted masked men leaving the Equvalence sports collectible store and as the suspects ran, they dropped money all over the street. Not only did the suspects leave behind a trail of cash, but they also left shattered glass behind them at the store. Officers attempted to stop them, but the crew of at least six jumped into three getaway vehicles, described as two Camaros and a Corvette. Officers initiated a pursuit but eventually lost the suspects on the 101 Freeway. The owners said it’s been challenging for small business owners to stay afloat amid the crime wave. Investigators said this is officially the third time the store has been burglarized. The LAPD remains on high alert following a string of residential burglaries in the San Fernando Valley neighborhood. 

FOX 11

Video Captures Arsonists Igniting Massive Fire At South Los Angeles Tire Shop

Surveillance video captured the moment arsonists ignited a massive fire at a tire shop in South Los Angeles. On Aug. 2 at around 5 a.m., the suspects were seen arriving at Vermont Tires, a family-owned shop located in the 6900 block of Vermont Avenue. Security video captured two men on bicycles throwing an object through a gate and onto a pile of tires. Flames suddenly exploded and continued growing as the suspects quickly fled the area. “I’m imagining it might have been a gasoline-soaked rag,” said Misael Guevara, an employee at Vermont Tires, of the mystery object thrown by the arsonists. “I’m not too sure. I’ve never seen anything like that happen before.” More than 100 tires, several parked cars and costly equipment were torched as the massive flames continued moving toward the walls of the tire shop. The flames eventually spread to an auto shop next door, Brothers Auto Repair. Los Angeles Fire Department crews arrived at the scene and extinguished the flames before the main structure was destroyed.

KTLA 5

Former Substitute Teacher Sexually Abused At Least 2 Boys In Los Angeles, Gascon Said

Los Angeles authorities sought sexual assault victims Tuesday after they charged a South Gate man with allegedly abusing two boys for nearly a decade. Andrew Sandoval, who has worked as a substitute teacher and teacher’s aide at dozens of schools and child care facilities across Los Angeles County, is being held on $7 million bail after the 27-year-old was arrested on suspicion of child molestation and other related charges in July. “What makes this tragedy even more heinous is that the perpetrator was a substitute teacher, an individual entrusted with the caring education of our children,” LA County District Attorney George Gascon said Tuesday while announcing the charges. “This betrayal of trust is reprehensible in our community's rightfully outraged.” Gascon added officers with the Los Angeles Police Department executed a search warrant at Sandoval’s house after receiving a cyber tip about child pornography. “Officers discovered a cell phone and a laptop inside the home. Officers found videos in the defendant's phone of him performing sexual acts on what appeared to be an 8-year-old boy,” Gascon said. Investigators believe Sandoval abused another boy who was between age 4 and 9.

NBC 4

Magnitude-5.2 Earthquake Felt In Los Angeles County

A magnitude-5.2 earthquake centered about 18.5 miles southwest of Bakersfield was felt across parts of the Southland Tuesday evening, prompting the Los Angeles Fire Department to activate its "Earthquake Mode." The quake struck at 9:09 p.m. Tuesday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The epicenter is about 89 miles north of downtown LA. The initial quake, which had a depth of 11 kilometers, was followed by a series of aftershocks in rapid succession. The first measured at 4.5 less than a minute later, followed by a magnitude-3.0 aftershock at 9:14 p.m., a magnitude-4.0 at 9:17 p.m. and a magnitude-3.8 a few second later. More than two dozen additional small aftershocks occurred over the ensuing hour, and were continuing to occur late Tuesday. There were no reports of damage in Southern California. The LAFD said that "pursuant to protocol, the LAFD is now in earthquake mode, as personnel from all 106 neighborhood fire stations conduct a strategic survey by land, air and sea of their districts, examining critical infrastructure and areas of local concern across our 470 square mile city of Los Angeles jurisdiction."

Westside Current

Los Angeles Gives $200,000 To Heavy Metal Task Force After Major Crackdown

The Los Angeles City Council gave $200,000 to a specialized task force on Tuesday after the team announced the recovery of 2,000 pounds of stolen copper wire. "This additional funding will enhance our ability to combat these destructive crimes and ensure that our neighborhoods can be safe and secure," Councilman Kevin de León said. De León spearheaded the creation of the Heavy Metal Task Force after several of the communities he represented were "literally left in the dark" after thieves ripped the precious metals from the ground. "The success of the Heavy Metal Task Force sends a decisive message to criminals that Los Angeles will no longer allow you to use our city assets as your ATM," de León said. "This ATM is closed. While we have had success with the results of the task force, we still have much more to do." The task force consists of officers from three divisions of the Los Angeles Police Department: Central, Newton and Hollenbeck. It started cracking down on the theft at the beginning of 2024. Through the first seven months of the year, the task force arrested 82 people, resulting in 60 felony charges while also seizing nine firearms. 

CBS 2

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.