Easter Cash Heist: Burglars Steal Millions From Money Storage Facility In Sylmar

The FBI and the Los Angeles Police Department are investigating a multi-million-dollar heist that happened at a money storage facility in the San Fernando Valley on Easter Sunday. The burglary happened at the GardaWorld facility located on the 15000 block of Roxford Street in Sylmar. LAPD is calling it one of the largest heists in LA history. A source with the FBI confirmed to NBC4 that millions of dollars were taken. An employee at GardaWorld, who asked to remain anonymous, spoke to NBC4 about the security system at the San Fernando Valley facility.“The place is pretty secure, alarm system, they check that the alarm is set up, so, just to think that they were able to go through the security system and get away with all that money, it’s a shocker,” said the employee. Images from Newschopper4 showed a damaged wall on the backside of the GardaWorld building near the corner of San Fernando Road and Roxford Street. Investigators have not confirmed if the damage is related to Sunday’s theft. 

NBC 4

Rise in mass transit crime has LA officials searching for solutions

Los Angeles, like other major cities, has seen a surge in crime committed on buses, trains and stations' transit hubs, according to statistics compiled by ABC News, and now transit officials are working to find a solution. Crimes reported on Los Angeles MTA properties increased by 65% since 2020 and, between March 2023 and February 2024, average monthly violent crimes on MTA properties rose more than 15%, according to LAPD data compiled by ABC News.

ABC News

Tracking Tech Hidden Inside Stolen WSS Merchandise Helps LAPD Nab Suspects In North Hills

Police say several suspects grabbed merchandise from the WSS shoe store in North Hollywood before fleeing, but it wasn't long before police caught up with them. The Los Angeles Police Department says that it was thanks to tracking technology that they were able to locate the thieves and the stolen merchandise at a North Hills apartment complex Tuesday night. Police officers converged on the scene near the intersection of Chase Street and Columbus Avenue. They were geared up and had less lethal devices like bean bag rounds. They eventually took the suspects into custody. Details about the suspects were not immediately available. LAPD says it all started Tuesday at around 9 p.m. at the WSS store located near Vineland Avenue and Sherman Way in North Hollywood. That's around the time employees were closing the store, the thieves went inside, grabbed the merchandise and ran out, according to police. LAPD says that the five suspects were not armed. It's unknown how much merchandise was stolen and its value, but investigators are calling this a case of grand theft.

ABC 7

Pedestrian Killed In Hit-and-Run Crash Near Los Angeles

A pedestrian was fatally hit by a vehicle in Echo Park Wednesday morning and police are searching for the driver who drove away from the scene. Officers responded to Sunset Boulevard and Boylston Street around 1:45 a.m. where they found a 53-year-old man in the roadway, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. The pedestrian was taken to a hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. The eastbound lanes on Sunset Boulevard were shutdown while police investigated the scene. There was no description given of the suspect or the vehicle they were driving.

CBS 2

Man Suffering From Drug Overdose In Venice Threatens People With Knife

A 30-year-old man who may have been suffering from a drug overdose today in Venice threatened at least one person with a knife, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Around 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, officers were sent to the 9000 block of Venice Boulevard after a 911 caller reported a disturbance in the area, the LAPD said. The 30-year-old man, who was not further identified, reportedly entered multiple businesses on the block and refused to comply with employees and leave the locations. Police say the suspect was armed with a knife and made threatening remarks to employees and customers. An ambulance was called for the man, who was taken into custody with no injuries, due to the possibility of him suffering from a drug overdose, according to the LAPD.

Westside Current

LAPD: Woman Arrested In Series Of Vehicle Vandalisms In Southland Cities

A woman seen on a widely circulated video throwing a brick through a vehicle’s windshield — and who allegedly vandalized a number of other vehicles in Los Angeles Culver City, Burbank and Santa Monica — has been arrested, police said Thursday. Lisa Jones, 30, was taken into custody on Wednesday, and was booked on suspicion of felony vandalism, the Los Angeles Police Department reported. She was being held without bail. One of the crimes occurred on March 28 at about 5 p.m. in the 2000 block of Camden Avenue in the West Los Angeles area, the LAPD reported. “Jones exited her vehicle with a brick and threw it at a random vehicle’s windshield,” police said. “Jones picked up the brick from the ground and drove away. The incident was captured on video and garnered national news coverage.” Authorities were contacted by vandalism victims in the Venice, Mid-Wilshire, Woodland Hills, and Northeast neighborhoods of Los Angeles, as well as the cities of Culver City, Burbank, and Santa Monica, the LAPD reported. “Detectives from West LA Division, Pacific Division, South Traffic Division, and Santa Monica Police Department worked together to identify Jones,” police said.

MyNewsLA

L.A. Man Posed As Teen, Told Girls He Loved Them In Hopes Of Obtaining Nude Photos: DOJ

A man from the Los Angeles South Bay has been sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for attempting to get underage girls to send him nude images. Anthony Frank Scovotto, 58, of San Pedro, received his sentence on Monday after pleading guilty last May to one count of attempted production of child pornography. In 2017, Scovotto began contacting the underage victim, whom he believed was only 12 at the time, through audio calls and text messages, according to the United States Department of Justice. Posing as an 18-year-old boy, Scovotto repeatedly told the victim that he loved her and believed they were “meant for each other,” the DOJ said. Investigators say he instructed the victim to contact him in an online chatroom where he asked her to take off her clothes. Afterward, he asked the girl to send him nude photos of herself. According to court documents, this wasn’t the first time Scovotto had used these tactics to get underage girls to send him explicit images. As part of his plea agreement, he admitted to doing the same thing that same year with two separate underage girls whom he contacted online.

KTLA 5

‘I’m Gonna Kill Him On Live': Man Sentenced To Life In Prison After Livestreaming Attack On Florida Officer

A man arrested in 2021 for attacking Orlando police officers with a brick while streaming it on social media was sentenced to life in prison, the Orange-Osceola State Attorney’s Office announced Wednesday. William McClish, 29, was convicted of attempted murder and aggravated battery on law enforcement among other charges after a two-day trial that wrapped up Tuesday. A month before trial, McClish was allowed to represent himself after he was declared competent to proceed, court filings show. In September 2021, McClish readied his phone to livestream on Facebook his surprise attack on the officers, who were standing near the corner of North Magnolia Avenue and East Washington Street when he was captured on video striking one of them in the head with a brick, according to his arrest affidavit. During a struggle with the second officer and nearby witnesses, McClish gouged his eye and tried to take the first officer’s gun. Backup arrived shortly after and subdued him. Police later found a video McClish recorded before the attack in which he said, “I’m gonna kill him on live.” At trial, his opening remarks were, “I didn’t do it and the evidence was tampered with,” said a State Attorney’s Office press release. The jury returned a guilty verdict an hour after closing arguments.

Orlando Sentinel

Virginia K-9 Fatally Stabbed By Inmates While Protecting Corrections Officer

A K-9 assigned to a corrections office at the Sussex I State Prison died after being stabbed by multiple inmates, the Virginia Department of Corrections said. According to VADOC, on April 2, three inmates associated with the MS-13 gang attacked another inmate in one of the facility’s housing units. A fourth inmate seemed to be supervising the assault, VADOC said. Corrections Officer Kharmishia Phillip Fields and her assigned K-9, Rivan, were on duty near the area of the incident when the attack occurred. Phillip Fields and Rivan intervened to stop the attack, protect the inmates and restore order. During the effort to control the situation, Rivan was “violently and repeatedly stabbed and kicked by the inmates.” Despite attempts at lifesaving measures by VADOC staff, Rivan later died at the facility. Phillip Fields, who has four years of experience as a K-9 handler with the department, did not sustain any serious injuries, thanks in part to her training and Rivan’s intervention, VADOC said. The situation was stabilized through the efforts of Phillip Fields, other responding corrections officers and Rivan, VADOC said. The inmate who was attacked received medical treatment at a local hospital for his injuries before being returned to the facility. “The loss of Rivan is truly tragic, but it is important to remember he did not die in vain.” Director Chad Dotson said. “He lost his life while potentially saving the lives of two people, his assigned officer and an inmate. The VADOC will never forget Rivan’s sacrifice.”

PoliceOne

Los Angeles Secures $900 Million In Federal Funds To Improve Public Transit Ahead Of 2028 Olympics

Metro and elected officials on Wednesday celebrated nearly $900 million in federal funding for the Los Angeles region to support transportation and infrastructure projects ahead of the 2028 Summer Olympic Games. "On behalf of L.A. Metro, it is an honor to be here with leaders who have the key vision and strong focus to ensure that our region is prepared to welcome the world for the 2028 Olympics and Paralympic Games," Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins said during a Wednesday morning news conference at Exposition Park. The money comes from a congressional spending package signed into law by President Joe Biden, and from new federal grant funding. A large share of the money -- $709.9 million -- will go toward two L.A. Metro projects: the East San Fernando Valley Light Rail Transit Project and sections two and three of the D (Purple) Line Subway Extension Project. In addition to the $709.9 million secured through the U.S. Department of Transportation's New Starts and Expedited Project Delivery Pilot Programs, the region will also receive $160 million in new federal grant funding through the Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program and the Neighborhood Access and Equity Programs. Sen. Alex Padilla, D-California, noted the recently passed appropriation bills in September 2023 gave a "sneak preview" of investments coming to the L.A. area.

NBC 4

Person Found Dead At Bottom Of San Pedro Cliff

A person was found dead at the bottom of a cliff in San Pedro on Thursday morning, authorities confirmed. Firefighters with the Los Angeles Fire Department were alerted to a person in need of a rescue at the bottom of the Point Fermin cliffs around 7:41 a.m. Thursday. When firefighters arrived, they found the person deceased at the bottom. No identifying information regarding the victim was released as of Thursday morning. It wasn’t clear how they fell down the cliff. Crews were still on location Thursday as they investigated the scene and worked to secure the victim’s body near 3730 S. Roxbury St. in San Pedro.

KTLA 5

L.A. City Council Backs 520-Unit Apartment Complex At Sportsmen’s Lodge Site

The Los Angeles City Council on Wednesday backed a developer’s plans to replace the iconic Sportsmen’s Lodge in Studio City with a 520-unit residential mixed-used development. The council voted 13 to 1 to deny an appeal of the project, allowing Midwood Investment & Development to demolish the once-popular event center and hotel at Ventura Boulevard and Coldwater Canyon Avenue. In addition to 520 apartment units, 78 of which would be set aside for low-income tenants, the development will offer 46,000 square feet of commercial space. A bike and pedestrian path along the L.A. River is also planned. Grocery chain Erewhon, which operates a store on the site, the Studio City Residents Assn. and Unite Here Local 11, which represents hotel workers, sought to stop the project and filed appeals with the city. Some opponents argued that the hotel should be preserved. It was one of the first to unionize in the San Fernando Valley and one of the first union hotels in Los Angeles. Others were concerned about the project’s 97-foot height, the construction noise and the environmental impact.

Los Angeles Times

LA Council Committee Recommends Pay Hike For Bus Drivers

A Los Angeles City Council committee has approved a recommendation to increase wages for city bus drivers, mechanics and utility workers, and city officials with continue negotiations with union leaders Friday. The five-member Transportation Committee voted 4-0 Wednesday in favor of increasing those workers’ base wages up to $24.14 per hour starting this year — with plans to bump wages to $25.36 per hour in the 2024-25 fiscal year. Councilwoman Nithya Raman, who sits on the committee, was absent during the vote. The workers are hired and trained by contractors MV Transportation and MV Public Transportation, which will require the city to amend its contracts in order to facilitate the wage increase. The recommendation will be considered by the full City Council at a later date. MV Public Transportation did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday.

MyNewsLA

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.