Feds, LAPD Arrest Members of 18th Street Gang
Law Enforcement News
Feds, LAPD Arrest Members of 18th Street Gang
FBI agents and other law enforcement officers conducted raids Thursday that resulted in the arrests of several 18th Street Gang members and their associates related to illegal activities in the area of MacArthur Park in the Westlake District. Agents and partners with the Los Angeles Police Department and several federal agencies served multiple search and arrest warrants Thursday morning, seizing a cache of weapons, drugs and money. First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli, Special Agent in Charge Robert Molvar of the Criminal Division at the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office, and Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell released details about the case at a Thursday morning news conference in which seized items were displayed.
Los Angeles police arrest man in deadly Las Vegas stabbing
Los Angeles police arrested a man in a deadly Las Vegas stabbing in December, according to Metro police. On Tuesday, March 2, officers from the Los Angeles Police Department’s Fugitive Task Force arrested 23-year-old Ethan Robinson in Los Angeles. On Dec. 21, 2025 around 3:15 a.m., Metro police responded to a report of a man who had been stabbed in the 300 block of East Silverado Ranch Boulevard near Bermuda Road. When officers arrived they found a man suffering from apparent stab wounds inside of an apartment. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Robinson was booked into the LAPD Metropolitan Detention Center and is awaiting extradition to Las Vegas for open murder with a deadly weapon.
2 people found shot to death inside Porter Ranch home
Two people were found shot to death inside a home in Porter Ranch on Monday night, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Officers were dispatched to a home in the 20000 block of Como Lane, north of the 118 Freeway and west of Mason Avenue, where a man and woman were found dead from gunshot wounds, LAPD officials told CBS LA. LAPD's Robbery Homicide Division detectives, who have assumed the investigation, said that they did not believe there were any outstanding suspects and that there was no threat to the public. Investigators later identified the two as a married couple and said that both "sustained apparent gunshot wounds" in what they were investigating as a murder-suicide. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner identified them as 55-year-old Melina Avanosian and 58-year-old Zaven Shahverdi. SkyCal flew over the neighborhood late Monday night, where officers had blocked off the street with police tape as they surveyed the scene.
LAPD’s relationship with Flock Safety under scrutiny from oversight body
The Los Angeles Police Commission on Tuesday said it wants to know more about how data captured by the controversial license plate reader company Flock Safety are stored and shared. Commissioner Jeff Skobin requested a report from the L.A. Police Department about its relationship with Flock, citing his conversations with city officials and residents, as well as news reporting detailing how federal authorities had repeatedly accessed Flock’s surveillance data as part of their nationwide deportation crackdown. Speaking during the civilian oversight panel’s meeting Tuesday, Skobin said that, for the sake of transparency, he wanted the department to explain how it was “so confident” that its data weren’t being accessed by federal authorities as part of their immigration roundups. “Good. We’ll put that together, commissioner,” LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell said.
Pursuit with grand theft auto suspect in Reseda ends in rollover crash
Los Angeles Police Department officers were in pursuit of a grand theft auto suspect in Reseda on Wednesday night when the driver crashed and rolled over. The chase began when the suspect allegedly pulled someone from their vehicle, a Kia Soul, and fled from the area. Police say that they were in pursuit of the suspect for no more than a minute when the crash happened near the intersection of Corbin Avenue and Friar Street at around 9:20 p.m. The suspect, who hasn't yet been identified, was arrested at the scene. Police called an ambulance for the suspect, who they said was complaining of pain from injuries suffered in the crash. No other vehicles were involved in the collision and no other injuries were reported by authorities. It's unclear exactly what caused the vehicle to crash and overturn.
Suspect in dangerous chase out of San Fernando Valley evades police
Officers with the California Highway Patrol were in pursuit of a suspect hitting speeds in excess of 130 miles per hour in a pickup truck with license plates that were not registered to the vehicle Wednesday night. The “cold plate” suspect, reportedly behind the wheel of a newer model Ford Raptor, was initially spotted in the San Fernando Valley and pursued by officers with the Los Angeles Police Department, who turned the ground chase over to CHP when the suspect hit high speeds on the southbound 605 Freeway. CHP patrol cruisers backed off the chase after the suspect hit a construction zone at dangerous speeds, putting Caltrans workers and other motorists in a high-risk situation. The suspect later exited the freeway onto surface streets, though there were no law enforcement units behind as the truck’s lights were blacked out, making it difficult for other motorists to see the vehicle. LAPD was still tracking the truck from the air as the suspect driver flew through residential areas in Monrovia at speeds of 90 miles an hour and drove on the wrong side of the road.
Public Safety News
Loved ones search for missing 24-year-old Southern California man with autism
Loved ones are searching for a missing Southern California man with autism. David Esquivel, 24, was reported missing on March 4, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Esquivel, who is considered critically missing, was last seen walking on the 900 block of North Wilmington Boulevard in the Wilmington neighborhood. He stands 5 feet 4 inches tall and weighs 160 pounds. He has brown eyes and black hair. He was last seen wearing an orange shirt, blue Christmas pajama pants and gray sandals. His family said Esquivel “has autism and the mental capacity of a 10-year-old.” It’s unclear where he may have been heading when he disappeared. They have not heard from him since and are very concerned for his well-being.
Security Beefed Up at LAX in Response to Iran War
Visibly enhanced security measures were in place Thursday at Los Angeles International Airport, a response to the widening U.S.-Israel attacks on Iran and the Islamic republic’s retaliatory missile and drone strikes that have killed U.S. soldiers at bases in the Middle East. “Due to ongoing developments across the Middle East, LAXPD has increased security measures throughout the airport,” according to a Facebook post by the Los Angeles Airport Police. The measures include additional patrols around the airport, as well as an “enhanced high-visibility presence inside the terminals, and random checkpoints at airport entry points.” The muscular security presence became visible on Sunday, a day after the U.S. opened its latest war with strikes against Iran.
K-9 Bailey helps Barstow police find 46 pounds of meth during traffic stop
A San Bernardino County police K-9 is being credited with helping officers uncover a massive stash of methamphetamine during a traffic stop on the 15 Freeway. The discovery was made on Feb. 28 after officers pulled over a vehicle on the northbound 15 near the Fort Irwin Road exit, the Barstow Police Department said in a Facebook post Tuesday. Narcotics Detection K-9 Bailey was deployed for a free-air sniff around the vehicle and quickly alerted to the presence of narcotics, prompting officers to search the car. “As a result of the search, officers located a large amount of suspected methamphetamine in the engine compartment of the vehicle,” police said. Officers also found a loaded handgun inside the car, which was collected along with the suspected drugs.
