Driver Released After Arrest In Northridge Crash That Killed Off-Duty LAPD Officer, Passenger

A 20-year-old man was released from custody Tuesday evening after he was arrested for a crash that killed an off-duty Los Angeles police officer and one of his passengers. Jail records show that Brian David Olivarez was released at 6:44 p.m. and that his initial arrest Saturday has been deemed a detention. The records cite Olivarez was released under California penal code 849(B)(1), which authorizes police to release arrestees due to insufficient grounds to file a complaint. The Los Angeles County District Attorney's office said in a statement to Eyewitness News that the case was "referred back to law enforcement for further investigation." Officer Darrell Cunningham and another person riding with Cunningham were killed after police say Olivarez, driving at more than 100 miles per hour, failed to stop at a red light and struck the car, LAPD Chief Michel Moore said at a press conference over the weekend. An off-duty San Bernardino County deputy sheriff, another passenger in the car with Cunningham, was injured in the crash. A preliminary investigation indicated that Olivarez "was under the influence of alcohol at the time of this collision," Moore said, adding that he would be booked for gross vehicular manslaughter "and additional charges as further evidence is gathered."

ABC 7

Council Passes Councilmembers Park And Hutt's Motion To Ban Early-Morning RV Parking On Some Streets

The City Council voted Tuesday to prohibit parking of recreational vehicles between 2 and 6 a.m. along several streets in West and South Los Angeles. The Council voted 11-2 to support two separate but related resolutions to enact a city law, which regulates parking of oversize vehicles. Council members Hugo Soto-Martinez and Eunisses Hernandez voted against the move, and council members Bob Blumenfield and Katy Yaroslavsky were absent during the vote. The resolutions were introduced by Councilwomen Traci Park and Heather Hutt, who represent the 11th and 10th districts, respectively. There is an "increased problem" where large vehicles, such as RVs, are often "parked overnight and constrict travel lanes, thereby creating dangerous situations," the resolutions state. 

Westside Current

4 Current, Former LASD Employees Dead By Suicide In Last Two Days

One retired employee and three current members of Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department were found dead by suicide within a 24-hour period starting Monday. The first death was reported at around 10:30 a.m. on Monday in Valencia, according to a statement from the department. Just over two hours later, a little after 12:50 p.m., detectives were called to a second death in Lancaster. At 5:40 p.m., they were again called, this time to a home in Stevenson Ranch. At around 7:30 a.m. Tuesday morning, homicide detectives were sent to a hospital in Pomona, where a current employee was declared dead. "Out of respect for their grieving families we will not be disclosing the names of the employees at this time," a statement said. "Homicide detectives and the County of Los Angeles Medical Examiner will continue to investigate each incident independently." Details surrounding the deaths remain unclear. Investigators have not noted if they believe the incidents to be connected. Sheriff Robert Luna issued a statement on the deaths, which read: "Our LASD family has experienced a significant amount of loss and tragedies this year. We are stunned to learn of these deaths, and it has sent shockwaves of emotions throughout the department as we try and cope with the loss of not just one, but four beloved active and retired members of our department family. During trying times like these it's important for personnel regardless of rank or position to check on the well-being of other colleagues and friends. I have the deepest concern for our employee's well-being, and we are urgently exploring avenues to reduce work stress factors to support our employees work and personal lives."  

CBS 2

Suspect Wanted For Man’s Murder Outside North Hills Strip Club

Police are searching for a man wanted in connection with a deadly shooting at a North Hills strip club. The suspect, Savin Seng, 38, was identified as the man accused of murdering Gabriel Isiguzo, 20, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. The shooting happened on March 7, 2022 outside the Synn Gentlemen’s Club on the 8300 block of North Sepulveda Boulevard around 2 a.m. Isiguzo was picking up his girlfriend who worked at the club when he reportedly got into a dispute with Seng in the parking lot. Seng allegedly shot him and fled the scene, police said. Isiguzo was transported to the hospital by paramedics but later died from his injuries. In April 2023, Isiguzo’s family and friends gathered at the All Saints Anglican Church in Hawthorne on the one-year anniversary of his death. Anyone with information can contact Detective Gutierrez at 818-374 -9550. The public can also call 1-877-527-3247. Anonymous tips can be submitted to the LA Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or go online at lacrimestoppers.org.

KTLA 5

English Bulldog Stolen At Gunpoint From Man Walking In West Hollywood

Authorities are seeking the public’s help to find the men who stole an English bulldog at gunpoint from its owner in West Hollywood. The theft occurred about 11:40 p.m. Monday in the 1100 block of Olive Drive, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. “Two suspects exited a newer model black Jeep Compass, pointed a firearm at the victim, and robbed him of his English bulldog,” according to a Sheriff’s Department statement. “The two male adult suspects then entered the black Jeep Compass and fled the location at a high rate of speed,” the statement said. “The vehicle was last seen driving northbound on Olive Drive towards Fountain Avenue.” No description was released of the suspects. The dog’s owner, Justin Garcia, told KTLA-TV he was walking his bulldog named Capone, and while he went to retrieve belongings from his car, the suspects got out of their vehicle and confronted him at gunpoint. While one thief took Capone to the back of the Jeep, another jumped into Garcia’s car and ransacked it, Garcia said.

Los Angeles Times

Armed Man Taken Into Custody After Barricading Himself On Metro Bus In Hollywood

A busy part of Hollywood was temporarily shut down Wednesday morning after an armed suspect barricaded himself on a Metro bus, officials said. Officials with the Los Angeles Police Department said just before 4:40 a.m., they received a call about a person with a gun on an MTA bus at the intersection of Melrose and Western avenues. The LAPD set up a large perimeter around the area. A robot dog was reportedly deployed and was able to retrieve a gun from the suspect. The suspect was taken into custody by 6:30 a.m. The LAPD clarified this was not a hostage situation and no injuries were reported. Authorities have not released the name of the suspect. 

FOX 11

Restaurant Burglaries In Los Angeles Have Increased, But For Thieves There Are Few Consequences

It was a familiar scene at the popular La Boheme restaurant in West Hollywood last month, when a gang of masked thieves broke open the door at 2:20 a.m., smashed their way into the office, and carted off the safe with $20,000 inside. "Our employees are afraid to come to work," general manager Lucian Tudor said. His West Hollywood restaurant has been hit by criminals 10 times in the last two years. "Customers are not feeling safe anymore to walk the streets of West Hollywood," Tudor told the NBC4 I-Team. As the I-Team revealed in a September report, restaurant burglaries are up 103% in Los Angeles from 2019 to 2023. "It's the wild, wild west," said Suzanne Tracht, owner of Jar restaurant on Beverly Boulevard, which was hit by masked burglars in August, who stole a safe holding $2,000. "Even if they get caught, they don't go to jail, they get out the next day,” Tracht told NBC4. The I-Team examined police and court data from recent restaurant burglary cases in LA. Of 717 restaurant burglaries reported in 2023, there have only been 13 arrests. Of those arrested, some have been immediately released, and court and jail records show some have gone on to commit additional crimes.

NBC 4

2 SoCal Men Charged With Using Darknet To Sell Drugs In All 50 States

Two men who allegedly supplied fentanyl-laced pills and methamphetamine for a drug trafficking organization that used the darknet and encrypted messaging to sell narcotics to people in all 50 states are facing federal charges, officials announced Tuesday. The two-count indictment charges Omar Navia, 38, of South Los Angeles, and Adan Ruiz, 27, of Garden Grove, with one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with the intent to distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine. Ruiz is also charged with one count of distribution of fentanyl, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Navia and Ruiz were arrested Thursday and arraigned that same day in Los Angeles federal court. Both defendants pleaded not guilty, and a Dec. 26 trial date was scheduled. Navia and Ruiz were ordered jailed without bond. According to the indictment, the men conspired with Rajiv Srinivasan, 38, of Houston, and Michael Ta, 25, of Westminster, who were indicted last year and pleaded guilty this year to similar charges. Srinivasan also pleaded guilty to distribution of fentanyl resulting in death.

FOX 11

'100% Disgusted': 2 North Carolina Deputies Shot, 1 Run Over By Accused Murderer Out On Bond

Two sheriff's deputies from a southeastern North Carolina county and a man who was the subject of a warrant were seriously wounded Tuesday during exchanges of gunfire, the local sheriff said. Robeson County Sheriff Burnis Wilkins said at a news conference the three men were shot around 9:30 a.m. in a community outside of Maxton, which is about 120 miles (190 kilometers) southeast of Raleigh, close to the South Carolina border. The suspect and one of the deputies were in critical condition at hospitals, while the other deputy was in serious condition, the sheriff said. The suspect fled the area by getting into one of the wounded deputies' cruisers and backing up, running over one of the deputies and breaking his leg. The suspect was ultimately captured by other deputies, according to the sheriff. Wilkins and the sheriff's office identified the shooting suspect as Shawn Tobin Locklear Jr., 20, who last December was accused of murder and was released on bond in May. The sheriff said Locklear had been sought by deputies for violating the conditions of his pretrial release because the monitoring bracelet around his ankle had been removed, a sheriff's news release said.

Associated Press

'Absolutely Unacceptable': Man Rams Indianapolis Police Cruisers For The Second Time This Year

A man was arrested for ramming Indianapolis Metro Police Department cruisers a second time this year, WTHR reported. George Leachman, 43, was arrested on Nov. 3 for ramming a cruiser that was pursuing him. Police said they tried to stop Leachman after they saw him driving a stolen truck with a license plate that expired in 2015. After initially stopping for the officer, Leachman used the truck to ram into the cruiser multiple times before fleeing the scene, according to the report. The officer was able to pursue Leachman despite damage to his cruiser. When the officer caught up to Leachman, the truck backed up to ram the cruiser one more time before it came to a stop. Leachman was arrested for battery of a law enforcement officer and resisting arrest, according to the report, but has been released on bond because of a clerical error. "Leachman has proven time and time again that he has no regard for the law, and should not have the ability to put our officers or the general public in any more danger,” Chief Randal Taylor said. “The fact that this individual has allegedly rammed multiple police cars, placing officers at risk of serious bodily harm or death, on separate incidents is absolutely unacceptable.”

PoliceOne

It’s Been 5 Years Since California’s Deadliest Wildfire. Can We Stop It From Happening Again?

Five years ago today, around 6:15 a.m., a Pacific Gas & Electric Co. transmission line in the Sierra Nevada foothills malfunctioned. There was a spark, and soon the spark was a fire. Flames gnawed through Butte County’s Feather River Canyon, where menacing winds shot through the slot and sent embers aloft, turning the blaze into a fast-moving firestorm. Within an hour, structures were burning in Concow, three miles away. By noon, the fire was going strong in the neighboring town of Paradise. By nightfall, the entire town would be gone. The Camp fire went on to burn 153,000 acres and kill 85 people — the deadliest wildfire in California history. The inferno shocked the state and the nation, not only for its speed and ferocity, but for the vulnerabilities it revealed about forest management, electrical equipment, city planning and evacuations. Now, on its fifth anniversary, experts say California has made strides against some of those shortcomings — but not enough to guarantee such a tragedy will never occur again.

Los Angeles Times

LA City Council Calls For Law Requiring Hotels To Replace Lost Housing

The Los Angeles City Council Tuesday called for an ordinance that would require developers of new hotel properties to replace any permanent housing lost in the process. After listening to more than an hour of public comment both pro and con, council members voted 14-0 to instruct the city attorney to review the proposed law, work with city departments to finalize it and present it to the council for approval. Councilman Bob Blumenfield was absent during the vote. "This is really an important step forward for our city and for our tourism industry," Council President Paul Krekorian said prior to the vote. "This motion that's before you submits a draft ordinance to the city attorney, so that the city attorney can report back to us with an ordinance that we will then be able to vote on." He added, "This ordinance would ... require developers to replace housing lost to hotel construction. It would empower community input for consideration of new hotel development and expansion, and its impact on communities."

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.