Drones join LAPD helicopters in city skies for standoffs, chases — and surveillance
Law Enforcement News
Drones join LAPD helicopters in city skies for standoffs, chases — and surveillance
The LAPD’s black-and-white helicopters have long been a fixture of local skies, allowing the police to track suspects and patrol the city from above. Now, the air traffic is growing more crowded with the expansion of the department’s drone fleet. The Los Angeles Police Department has increasingly come to rely on small, unmanned aerial vehicles since launching a “drone as a first responder” pilot program in July. In a report, LAPD officials said drones were deployed more than 3,000 times last year, mostly in response to emergency calls or officer requests for assistance. In recent months, the devices have been deployed to incidents including home break-ins and calls about armed suspects. An online dashboard of LAPD flight activity showed they were used at least 39 times on April 15 alone. The LAPD drones are propelled by four sets of rotors. Each drone is about 3 feet wide and equipped with cameras and infrared night vision. Department officials say the drones take off from launchpads that are strategically placed around the city. Once airborne, they can cover two miles in roughly two minutes, allowing police to more quickly get eyes on crime scenes and determine the level of appropriate response.
Boy's death ruled homicide after his body was found inside dumpster in Panorama City
Nearly eight months after a young boy was found dead inside a dumpster in Panorama City, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's Office determined the boy was murdered, caused by blunt force trauma to his body. The autopsy report was released Tuesday, revealing the brutality of the boy's murder: 5-year-old Elyjah Anthony Hearn had contusions, fractures and abrasions on his head, torso and arms. He also had cuts to his forehead and lips. The boy may have been endured violence before his death: In addition to the existing injuries, he had bruises "in various stages of healing" in the front and back parts of his body, according to the autopsy. In all, the autopsy noted dozens of signs of traumatic injury. The Medical Examiner's Office also said the 5-year-old was "discovered naked and partially wrapped in a fleece throw blanket" inside the dumpster. Police arrested a man shortly after Elyjah's body was found. The suspect, identified as 20-year-old Brycson Malik Gaddis, was taken into custody in connection with the boy's death. A second person was arrested on unrelated charges, the LAPD said. Elyjah's grandfather, Troy Hearn Sr., had told NBC Los Angeles that the suspect is his daughter's estranged boyfriend. He's not the biological father of the boy.
65-year-old killed in hit-and-run crash in South LA
Los Angeles police are searching for the driver who killed a 65-year-old man in a hit-and-run crash on Monday morning. The collision happened at about 3:10 a.m. on the northbound side of Figueroa Street near 75th Street, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Officers said the suspect ran over the victim and drove off. The Los Angeles Fire Department declared the victim, Chicago resident Jose Melesio, dead at the scene. Investigators said the suspect was driving a silver four-door sedan. LAPD urged anyone with information on the case to contact Officer Hurd of the South Traffic Division Detectives at (213) 321-9681 or 1 (877) 527-3247. Anyone wishing to remain anonymous can contact the LA Crime Stoppers at 1(800) 222-8477 or through their website: lacrimestoppers.org.
D4vd, Nick Reiner to return to court in high-profile LA murder cases
Two high-profile murder cases will go back before judges in Los Angeles on Wednesday. Singer D4vd, who is accused of sexually abusing and murdering teenager Celeste Rivas Hernandez, has a status hearing. Meanwhile, Nick Reiner has a pretrial hearing scheduled in the deaths of his parents, director Rob Reiner and Michelle Reiner. D4vd, whose real name is David Burke, is scheduled for a preliminary hearing status conference after his arrest earlier this month in the death of Rivas Hernandez. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him. The check-in, scheduled for Wednesday afternoon, will determine whether the case against him will advance. A preliminary hearing could happen on May 1. "During the preliminary hearing, I expect law enforcement witnesses to testify and summarize the evidence. The typical rules of evidence don't apply at a prelim. So LAPD officers and detectives can talk about what other witnesses said. Expect to hear a lot of that," said former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani.
Woman with knife sparks emergency room evacuation at L.A. hospital
An emergency room at a Los Angeles hospital was evacuated early Wednesday after a woman armed with a knife allegedly assaulted a security officer and barricaded herself inside a bathroom. Police received a 911 call around 1:15 a.m. reporting that a woman with a pocket knife had attacked the officer at Mission Community Hospital on Roscoe Boulevard in Panorama City. After the assault, the suspect locked herself inside a women’s restroom, prompting hospital officials to relocate emergency room patients and staff to another floor, a Los Angeles Police Department spokesperson confirmed. Officers said the woman refused to comply with commands as she remained barricaded inside the bathroom. Video from the scene showed armored SWAT vehicles arriving at the hospital as the standoff continued for several hours. Around 5 a.m., officers breached the restroom and took the woman into custody. She was later seen being taken from the hospital in a wheelchair.
Police activity shuts down 101 Freeway in downtown Los Angeles
Police activity in downtown Los Angeles forced the closure of both sides of the 101 Freeway for nearly five hours on Tuesday afternoon. The operation started at about 5:15 p.m. near N. Los Angeles Street, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. Officers closed all lanes of traffic so firefighters could deploy air cushions on both sides of the overpass after someone climbed onto it. Units from the Los Angeles Police Department, including its SWAT Team, and the California Highway Patrol assisted the LAFD during the hours-long operation until officers detained the person at about 10:00 p.m. Firefighters said the person's medical condition is still being evaluated, but authorities have cleared the scene and reopened the freeway.
One of the world’s most prolific cocaine traffickers is captured in San Diego, federal officials say
A man accused of leading one of the world’s most prolific cocaine trafficking organizations has been arrested in San Diego, according to federal prosecutors. Eugenio Dario Molina-Lopez, 61, also known as Dan Dario or Molis, is alleged to be the leader of Los Huistas, a drug-trafficking organization based in northwest Guatemala near the Mexican border, prosecutors said. He made his initial court appearance Thursday and pleaded not guilty. The arrest is tied to Operation Guerrilla Unit, a multi-year investigation led by the Department of Homeland Security Investigations, federal prosecutors in San Diego and law enforcement partners in Guatemala and Mexico. The investigation targeted Molina-Lopez, the organization, and a network of high-level cocaine suppliers operating across several countries, authorities said. “Cartel leaders don’t get to write the end of their stories,” said Adam Gordon, the top federal prosecutor for the Southern District of California.
Suspect in fatal shooting of Chicago officer allegedly pulled gun from hospital blanket during treatment
A robbery suspect who allegedly pulled a handgun from under a blanket at a Chicago hospital and shot the two officers who brought him there for treatment will remain jailed on charges of murder and attempted murder, a judge ordered Monday. A handcuffed Alphanso Talley, 26, was escorted into a Cook County courtroom packed with Chicago police officers and politicians for his first appearance, and did not speak during the hearing, not even when Circuit Court Judge Luciano Panici Jr. twice asked him his name. Officer John Bartholomew, 38, a 10-year veteran, was fatally shot Saturday inside at Endeavor Health Swedish Hospital. A second officer — 57 years old with 21 years of service — was critically wounded and is “still fighting for his life,” Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling said in a statement Monday. “This shooting was a stark and heartbreaking reminder of the dangers our officers face all too often on this job,” the superintendent said.
Ex-con sentenced to 115 years to life for killing NYPD officer
The ex-con who shot NYPD Officer Jonathan Diller to death during a chaotic Queens car stop was hit Monday with the maximum sentence of 115 years to life behind bars. The sentence, handed down Monday by Queens Supreme Court Justice Michael Aloise, came after a dramatic three-week trial which ended with a jury acquitting Guy Rivera, 35, of first-degree murder, but convicting him of aggravated manslaughter, attempted murder and gun charges. “Your sentence to me was determined the second you pulled that trigger,” Aloise told Rivera as he handed down the lengthy sentence. “It took me five minutes to calculate the numbers. It’s going to take you a lifetime to calculate the damage you did and the grief you caused.” The 31-year-old slain cop’s widow, Stephanie Diller, testified in court moments before the sentence was handed down about the agony she has endured. “In a single moment, everything that was my life was gone,” she said. “I wanted a lifetime with him.”
Public Safety News
Fire breaks out in Koreatown apartment, displacing nearly 20 people
A fire broke out in the attic of an apartment building in Koreatown, forcing tenants out of their homes on Tuesday, the Los Angeles Fire Department said. The blaze was reported at around 7:20 a.m. on James M Wood Boulevard near Irolo Street. When firefighters arrived at the location, heavy smoke was coming from the two-story, garden-style apartment. After nearly 90 firefighters aggressively attacked the flames, the fire was extinguished within an hour. The building's roof became partially collapsed in the fire, the fire department said. No injuries were reported, but at least 18 people were displaced from their homes. City officials have notified Red Cross to provide the displaced with support. The cause of the fire was under investigation. No firefighters were injured during the incident.
Local Government News
L.A. considers expanding Airbnb-style short-term vacation rentals
Owners of second homes — and Airbnb — stand to reap a windfall under an initiative in Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass’ new city budget proposal. Tucked away in the more than 500 pages of city budget expenditures, the mayor calls for creating a new revenue stream by allowing people who own a second home to rent it out on a short-term basis, something that is currently prohibited. The mayor’s office says the measure would provide additional tax revenue for the city and extra beds for visitors during the 2028 Summer Olympics, with the measure expiring at the end of that year. To take effect, the City Council would need to approve a vacation rental ordinance. Expanding the short-term rental market out of the city’s existing housing stock is fiercely opposed by the hotel workers union and hotel companies, as well as by affordable housing advocates who say it will further deplete the city’s limited housing stock. City Council members voiced some of those same concerns at a meeting of the Budget and Finance Committee on Tuesday.
