El Monte Police, Federal Investigators Conduct Gang Takedown Tied To Killing Of 2 Officers

Several alleged gang members were taken into custody Wednesday morning in a multi-agency law enforcement operation tied to the killing of two El Monte police officers, authorities said. The gang takedown was conducted by the city's police department, Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies, the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, according to a news release. The agencies served more than a dozen search warrants in the San Gabriel Valley and one in Kansas. Of the 15 wanted individuals, 11 are now in custody, and four remain on the run. "The indictments, arrests and search warrants executed today - as far away as the state of Kansas - send a message to those directly involved to all those operating criminal enterprises: 'Federal and local police agencies will continue to join and work collaboratively in pursuit of you,'" said El Monte Police Department Chief Jake Fisher. In a statement, the office of the U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California said the investigation began after a member of the Quiet Village gang murdered El Monte Police Officers Michael Paredes and Joseph Santana on June 14, 2022.

ABC 7

LAPD: 139 Arrests Made In Operation Targeting Online Crimes Against Children

Authorities on Wednesday announced that 139 people had been arrested in connection to an expansive list of internet crimes committed against children across Southern California. "The goal of operation was to identify and arrest predators who are using the internet to facilitate the sexual abuse of children and to rescue children from predators," Los Angeles Police Department said in a statement. The multi-agency task force, which included units from 102 different agencies in Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties, conducted "Operation Online Guardian" in early July to conduct the arrests, according to LAPD. "Child exploitation is one of the most horrendous crimes affecting our most vulnerable members of the community," said Joseph McNally, the first assistant U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California. "Through these crimes, predators target those who can't protect themselves."

CBS 2

Suspected Serial Sexual Predator Captured In Mexico After At Least 8 L.A.-Area Attacks

A 21-year-old man wanted in connection with an attempted murder and a series of violent sexual assaults in East L.A. and other parts of Los Angeles was behind bars Wednesday. Sergio Andrew Garcia was apprehended in Mexico and returned to the United States to face a slew of criminal charges. Garcia is a suspect in at least eight violent attacks and sexual assaults in the last month. He has been charged with attempted murder, robbery, assault with intent to commit rape, and penetration with a foreign object in connection with three attacks in recent weeks. Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said Garcia fled to Mexico and was found in Tijuana by the Pacific Southwest Regional Fugitive Task Force on Tuesday at about 4:30 p.m. Garcia was arrested without incident, returned to the United States and booked at the East Los Angeles sheriff’s station, whose detectives had worked the investigation. “I am amazed and impressed with the work that was done to capture this individual, because he needed to be off the streets,” said Sheriff Robert Luna. Luna said the search for Garcia began after he allegedly assaulted a 67-year-old woman at around 6:15 a.m. July 15 in the yard of her East Los Angeles home. Investigators working with colleagues from the Los Angeles Police Department determined it was one in a string of attacks on women in the L.A. area.

Los Angeles Times

Armed Robbery Suspects Busted In Downtown L.A.

Three men have been arrested and are facing charges of robbery after entering a business in downtown Los Angeles armed with a shotgun and handguns, authorities announced Wednesday. Officers with the Los Angeles Police Department’s Central Division responded to calls of a robbery in progress in the 300 block of South Wall Street on July 25, at around 5:15 p.m., according to an LAPD news release. The three suspects, identified by police as 41-year-old Louis Peralta, 25-year-old Jacob Alarcon and 44-year-old Damian Morales, parked their vehicle near the entrance of the business and entered the location with guns drawn. Inside, the suspects headed to the cash register and the back room of the establishment. The owner of the business was watching the robbery on closed-circuit television and called 911, police said. At the scene, police arrived as the three men were fleeing the business on foot. A perimeter was established, and all three suspects were eventually taken into custody. “Three handguns along with the victim’s stolen property were recovered,” the release noted. During the robbery, Morales was injured when a private security guard used a stun gun on him prior to police arresting him. He was treated for his injuries at a local hospital and was released for booking. His bail was set at $1.2 million.  

KTLA 5

46-Year-Old Man Arrested In Connection With Mid-Wilshire Robbery Attempt

A 46-year-old man was arrested for allegedly trying to rob a person at gunpoint at automatic teller machine in the Mid-Wilshire area, police said Wednesday. Javier Araiza Jr. was arrested Tuesday in connection with the attempted armed robbery, which occurred around 8:15 a.m. Friday in the 2900 block of Olympic Boulevard, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Police said Araiza allegedly approached an “elderly” victim at an ATM and placed a gun in the victim’s back while demanding money. He then allegedly tried to reach into the victim’s pockets, prompting a struggle during which the suspect assumed a “shooting stance” and pointed a handgun at the victim, police said. “The victim retreated for fear of being shot, and the suspect entered a vehicle and fled from the location,” police said. Video of the attempted robbery led detectives to Araiza, who was arrested on suspicion of attempted robbery police said. He was being held in lieu of $175,000 bail, according to jail records. Investigators determined that Araiza may have been involved in additional crimes, and they asked anyone who may have been victimized to come forward.

MyNewsLA

Police Seeks Public Help Finding 77-Year-Old Man With Dementia

Police were seeking the public’s help Wednesday in finding a missing 77-year-old man diagnosed with dementia and post-traumatic stress disorder who was last seen Friday. Larry Brady was last seen in the 1900 block of West 78th Street at around 5:30 p.m. July 21, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Detectives described him as a 6-foot-3-inch Black man weighing 165 pounds with gray hair and hazel eyes. He was last seen wearing a gray shirt, blue jeans, and brown loafers. According to police, Brady’s family is concerned about his well-being and whereabouts because of his medical conditions and is seeking public assistance in finding him. Anyone with information regarding Brady’s whereabouts was urged to contact the LAPD Missing Person Unit at 213-996-1800. Tipsters who prefer to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477. During non-business hours and weekends, calls should be directed to 877-527-3247.

MyNewsLA

Driver Arrested After Leading LAPD On Pursuit In West LA

A man was taken into custody after leading police through a pursuit in West Los Angeles Wednesday evening. The driver of a silver vehicle was believed to be an armed robbery suspect, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. The driver sped through freeways and surface streets when he became stuck in some traffic. He placed his arms out of the driver window and was taken into custody shortly after.

NBC 4

Gang Members Arrested In Killings At Scenic Overlooks In Rancho Palos Verdes, Pasadena

Six gang members believed to have been responsible for a weekend killing in Pasadena and a double murder in Rancho Palos Verdes have been arrested, authorities announced Wednesday. The group was arrested Tuesday in Los Angeles for the July 22 killing of 32-year-old Jessie Munoz, who was found shot in a vehicle he was driving that crashed on Angeles Crest Highway near mile marker 28.36 after an apparent robbery, Pasadena Police Department Lt. Keith Gomez said at a Wednesday afternoon press conference. Gomez added that his agency believes the same group is connected to the Rancho Palos Verdes killing, as well as several robberies in Los Angeles County. However, he would not elaborate on the connection. Detectives Monday identified two suspects and a suspect vehicle in Munoz’s killing. On Tuesday night, the group of five men and one woman was arrested in the vehicle during a police operation, Gomez said. In the vehicle, police found two handguns and two rifles. Gomez called the group “ruthless, violent,” and said it appears they had a planned mode of attack. The gang members apparently targeted victims in scenic turnouts or areas that were “somewhat desolate” with poor cellphone signal, in most cases the victims were distracted when assaulted, Gomez said. The victims in the Rancho Palos Verdes murders were identified as Jorge Ramos, 36, and Taylor Raven Whittaker, 26.

NBC 4

Oregon Deputy Critically Wounded After Being Shot Multiple Times During Eviction

A sheriff’s deputy is in critical condition after being shot Wednesday morning in Tualatin while serving an eviction notice at an apartment complex, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office said. The suspect is dead, according to authorities. The sheriff’s office has not publicly identified the wounded deputy, but Sheriff Pat Garrett called him “an incredible person” and a “complete professional” who is resilient and compassionate. The deputy, shot multiple times, was undergoing surgery Wednesday afternoon, sheriff’s officials said. He was shot about 10:20 a.m., according to a broadcast of Washington County Sheriff’s Office radio communications. A sheriff’s SWAT team located the suspect dead inside an apartment around 12:50 p.m., Washington County Sheriff’s Detective Anel Ceric said. Authorities have not said how the suspect died and have not released his name. Deputies were serving a civil eviction at The Timbers apartments next to the Nyberg Woods shopping center when the suspect fired on them and hit one of the deputies, the sheriff’s office said. The deputies had forced open the door and the shooter fired at them through the door, according to the radio broadcast.

PoliceOne

Mayor: Mental Health ‘Critical' For LEOs After Florida Top Cop's Self-Inflicted Gunshot Wound

With the county’s police director gravely wounded in a hospital from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava on Wednesday emphasized the mental health hazards of law enforcement. “This incident is also a tragic reminder of the critical role that mental health plays in our law enforcement officers,” Levine Cava said at a morning press conference, flanked uniformed county police administrators and commanders. “The reality is that these jobs are very demanding, they’re stressful and they’re emotionally taxing.” Levine Cava declined to say what Alfredo (Freddy) Ramirez, the county’s police director since 2020, told her in an anguished phone call the two had hours before he shot himself on a highway outside Tampa. He and his wife, Jody, left a convention hotel in the city following a reported altercation that drew the attention of police. “He was very remorseful,” Levine Cava said of what she described as a brief conversation by phone as Ramirez was driving away from Tampa around 8:30 p.m. “I reassured him we would talk.” Details remain sparse as to what happened that prompted Ramirez to leave a law enforcement convention Sunday.

Miami Herald

New Details And Video Emerge On Crash At National Blvd Offramp In Palms

Five people were hospitalized - three in serious condition - after a Tesla Model Y that they were traveling in went over an embankment and landed in a homeless encampment in Palms on Wednesday. Firefighters from the Los Angeles Fire Department were called at 2:20 a.m. to an area near the National Boulevard off ramp of the westbound Santa Monica (10) Freeway where they found the victims trapped inside the vehicle, said LAFD spokeswoman Margaret Stewart. Three of the victims were freed by firefighters from the wreckage and taken to a hospital in serious condition. Two others were taken to a hospital in fair condition. The ages and genders of the victims were not immediately known. A video posted to YouTube channel called PMTV included an interview with one of the passengers, an unidentified female, who said she was in the back seat and that the group was on their way to the nearby home of her "best friend." The woman went on to say that the driver was "completely sober" but added "her gear...her car was a little messed up."

Westside Current

Owens Fire Burns About 50 Acres In Topanga Canyon

Firefighters protected buildings Wednesday from a brush fire that burned about 50 acres on a hillside in Southern California's Topanga Canyon area. The fire started at about 2:30 p.m. in the area of Topanga Canyon Boulevard and Santa Maria Road in the hills south of Woodland Hills and Tarzana. County and city firefighters had the fire about 20 percent contained by late Wednesday after water and retardant drops. Topanga Canyon Boulevard was closed between Pacific Coast Highway and Mulholland Drive, except to local residents. The road reopened by late afternoon. Details about a cause were not immediately available. There were not reports of damage to homes or injuries. The fire was one of at least three brush fires that broke out during one of the warmest stretches of summer in Southern California. 

NBC 4

Firefighters Knock Down Residential Fire In Hollywood

Fire crews extinguished a fire Wednesday at a triplex in the Hollywood area where one of the units went up in flames. The Los Angeles Fire Department responded to the 5600 block of West Lexington Avenue, near North Wilton Place, at around 2:55 p.m. to a report of a residential fire. It took 30 firefighters 15 minutes to extinguish the flames, according to the LAFD’s Margaret Stewart. No injuries were reported. Firefighters fully contained the fire to its room of origin to prevent the flames from extending into the attic or other adjacent units. Stewart said the residence is a triplex with two units on the first floor and one on the second floor. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

MyNewsLA

About the LAPPL: Formed in 1923, the Los Angeles Police Protective League (LAPPL) represents more than 9,200 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.