Female Stabbed To Death In Hyde Park Neighborhood

A female was fatally stabbed in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Los Angeles Tuesday night. Investigators believe the stabbing occurred around 8:20 p.m. in the 5700 block of 7th Avenue. Responding officers discovered a female had been stabbed multiple times inside a home, Los Angeles Police Department spokesperson confirmed. The unidentified victrim was pronounced dead at the scene. A 55-year-old man was taken into custody following the incident. No motive for the stabbing was given and the relationship between the killer and the victim is unknown.

KTLA 5

Street Racers Risk Death, Injury For Social Media Fame

The street races and intersection takeovers bedeviling Los Angeles police and residents recently are mostly the result of people seeking internet fame through death-defying stunts and dangerous driving. That was the conclusion of LAPD commanders who took a look at the department’s data on street racing activity in the city from 2020 to 2022, officials said in Tuesday’s Police Commission meeting. Deputy Chief Donald Graham, who commands LAPD’s traffic divisions, said the street racing and “sideshows” police have tracked look different across L.A.’s neighborhoods. On the Westside and central L.A., caravans of racers roam from place to place, searching for an iconic backdrop — a beach, the Hollywood sign, etc. — to film themselves in front of. In the San Fernando Valley, where the streets are wide, long, and largely follow a grid, racers tend to seek out the best boulevards for pop-up racetracks. But they all end up showing off for the same reason: Social media fame and money. “My honest belief…is the popularity of (street takeovers) is that the monetization for social media,” Graham told the police commissioners Tuesday. “Every piece of footage that you look at … these people are not hanging out of the cars whooping and hollering. They’re hanging out of the cars and they’re filming themselves live. “The more reckless, the more dangerous the footage can be, the more they increase their following on social media.”

Los Angeles Daily News

Tory Lanez’s Sentencing Postponed For 2nd Time In Megan Thee Stallion Shooting

At the request of his defense team, sentencing was delayed Tuesday for rapper Tory Lanez, who was convicted of shooting hip-hop star Megan Thee Stalli in the feet in the Hollywood Hills nearly three years ago. Superior Court Judge David Herriford reset sentencing for Aug. 7 for the 30-year-old Canadian rap star, whose real name is Daystar Peterson. Prosecutors are asking that the rapper be sentenced to 13 years in prison. Defense attorneys asked for the postponement to give them additional time to file a sentencing memorandum. During a contentious hearing last month, the judge rejected the defense's bid for a new trial. One of the rapper's new attorneys, Jose Baez, called Lanez's defense during the trial a "jumbled, bungled mess" and said Lanez's trial attorney, George Mgdesyan, did not have enough time to prepare for trial and ultimately "failed" his client. "The court finds no error, prosecutorial misconduct or newly discovered evidence," Herriford said. "Motion denied."

FOX 11

New York Man Found Guilty Of Kidnapping Elderly Woman With Dementia In West L.A.

A man from New York, is facing the possibility of life in prison after he was found guilty on federal criminal charges in connection with the kidnapping of woman with dementia outside of a West Los Angeles medical center, authorities announced Tuesday. The kidnapping occurred at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center located at 11301 Wilshire Blvd. on the morning of July 19, 2021, according to a news release from the United States Attorney’s Office. The 68-year-old female victim and a friend were approaching their car outside the VA facility when Johnny Ray Gasca, 53, unexpectedly appeared and pushed the victim toward his pickup, which was parked nearby. “Gasca then picked [the victim] up and threw her into the rear portion of the truck’s passenger compartment,” the release stated. Gasca man then fled the scene with the victim. The victim’s friend, who witnessed the kidnapping, told agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation that Gasca may have been in a relationship with the 68-year-old woman and that she suspected him of stealing money out of the woman’s bank and retirement accounts. This was in addition to Venmo, PayPal and MoneyGram transactions that the friend did not believe the victim had the “knowledge or wherewithal” to conduct on her own, the release added.  

KTLA 5

Arson Suspected As Boat And Pickup Go Up In Flames In Panorama City

Residents in Panorama City were alarmed to find their street was on fire after a suspected arsonist lit a boat, a pickup truck and trash cans ablaze. The incident happened along Chase Street around 11:30 p.m. Monday when a witness walking by noticed the fires and immediately called 911. Victor Valencia was upset to find that his boat, which was parked outside his house, was also set on fire. “I don't understand why someone would do this. It is just sad,” said Valencia, who was planning on taking the now-charred boat out this weekend. Los Angeles Police Department officers detained four people, but they were later released. The incident is still under investigation as officials look to find more details on the perpetrator. For now, neighbors in the area are on edge. 

NBC 4

Orphan Hit By Alleged Drunk Driver In Santa Monica, Loses One Leg And May Lose The Other

Doctors are trying their best to save an 18-year-old's last remaining leg after he was hit by an alleged drunk driver earlier this month. Gelvy Ortiz, a West Adams High School student was waiting at a bus stop near Wilshire Boulevard and 26th Street on June 2. According to the Santa Monica Police Department, he was sitting on a bench when drunk driving suspect John Edward Alevizos, 35, jumped the curb and crashed into the Ortiz. Alevizos was charged with felony driving while under the influence. Doctors were forced to amputate the 18-year-old's left leg. Gelvy and his two brothers are all orphans from Guatemala. They all came to the United States with the hope of achieving the American Dream. Gelvy's oldest brother, David, said he can't work right now since he spends every day in the hospital caring for his little brother. Without work, their rent, bills and medical costs have stacked up. In dire need of help, the brothers set up a GoFundMe for Gelvy. 

CBS 2

Man Charged After Getting Hold Of Washington Officer's Gun In Struggle, Shooting Him In Leg

Franklin County prosecutors have charged a Hermiston, Oregon man with shooting a Pasco officer in the leg during a struggle at home in December. Devontea Wright, 28, is charged with first-degree assault, disarming a police officer, unlawful possession of a gun and resisting arrest in connection with the incident outside Riverview Drive. Wright has been in the Benton County jail for nearly six months on two unrelated assault cases, both of which have since been dismissed. A $500,000 warrant issued in Franklin County has kept him jailed. A U.S. Marshals task force was looking for Wright in December on a $100,000 arrest warrant in connection to one of the cases that was dropped. He had been accused of pointing a gun at a woman inside the 3 City Sports Bar in Kennewick. Pasco Officer Jeremy Jones and Kennewick Detective Randy McCalmant were two of the officers waiting outside 1927 Riverview Drive when Wright showed up as a passenger in a pickup, according to court documents. Jones told investigators that other officers surrounded the pickup when he spotted and recognized Wright. He opened the passenger door and "took a hold" of Wright.

Tri-City Herald

'Hurry Up! Go, Go, Go!': Utah Officers Jump Into Action To Rescue Girl Trapped In Submerged Car

Officers with the Tooele Police Department jumped into action to rescue a 12-year-old girl who was trapped in a sinking car in a reservoir. Body-worn camera video shows the intense moment when bystanders waved down the responding officers and showed them the area where the car went underwater in the Settlement Canyon Reservoir, KSL-TV reports. It was immediately clear how urgent the situation was. The officers exited their cruisers and ran down to the edge of the water where the mother was screaming for help. The video shows the car was already underwater. "Is it underwater?" an officer is heard asking a bystander. "Yes," the person said. The officers radioed for more help. As the officers prepped to go into the water, the body camera fell onto the grass, but the dash cam video shows officers jumping into the reservoir. Within five minutes, officers find the car and attempt to break the window. "Give me goggles. Anybody got goggles? Hurry up! Go, go, go!" one officer can be heard saying. "Get me a pry bar; get me something to open the door!" another officer says. As the officers are searching for something to break the windows, they decided they needed any type of object to break a window. 

PoliceOne

Greater Alarm Fire In Highland Park Extinguished

Firefighters contained and extinguished a greater alarm fire at a homeless encampment in Highland Park Wednesday. Fire crews were called at 2:09 a.m. to 6029 N. Figueroa St. and West 60th Street where they found the flames had extended into a business in a 150-foot-by-25-foot, one-story strip mall, said Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Brian Humphrey. It took 75 LAFD firefighters 40 minutes to put out the fire. Humphrey said no injuries were reported.

MyNewsLA

Wildfire Burn Areas In California Are Growing Ever Larger Due To Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Although California may be enjoying a lull in this year’s wildfire season — courtesy of a wet winter and a cool spring — scientists say humanity’s relentless burning of fossil fuels has ensured that wildland fires will scorch ever larger portions of the state, perhaps as much as 52% more by midcentury. While residents here have been spared the hardship of massive wildfires burning across the Canadian wilderness and the noxious smoke that has blanketed the eastern U.S., new research suggests California has yet to experience its worst fire season. In a study published recently in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers used model simulations to isolate the role of greenhouse gas emissions on California’s worsening conflagrations, as well as their future effects. Study authors determined that California wildfires consumed five times more area between 1996 and 2021 than in the 25 years prior — an increase chiefly attributed to climate change. Researchers also determined that the 50-year period as a whole saw a 172% increase in burn area.

Los Angeles Times

L.A. City Councilmember Curren Price Charged With Embezzlement And Perjury

Los Angeles City Councilmember Curren Price was charged with 10 counts of embezzlement, perjury and conflict of interest on Tuesday, becoming the latest in a years-long parade of elected city officials to face public corruption allegations from state or federal prosecutors. Price, a 10-year veteran of the City Council, is accused of having a financial interest in development projects that he voted on, and receiving tens of thousands of dollars in medical benefits from the city for his now wife while he was still married to another woman, according to a statement issued by the L.A. County district attorney’s office. He was charged with five counts of grand theft by embezzlement, three counts of perjury and two counts of conflict of interest, according to a criminal complaint made public Tuesday. The district attorney’s office alleges that Price’s wife, Del Richardson Price — founder of the consulting company Del Richardson & Associates — received “payments totaling more than $150,000 between 2019 and 2021 from developers before he voted to approve projects.” The perjury charges stem from accusations that Price failed to list income Richardson Price received on government financial disclosure forms, according to the release.

Los Angeles Times

LA City Council Seeks Report To Introduce `Democracy Vouchers’

The Los Angeles City Council approved a motion Tuesday to study the feasibility of establishing a Democracy Vouchers program to give residents the ability to donate to candidates of their choosing, with the aim of increasing engagement between Angelenos and the city’s political process. The motion introduced by council members Nithya Raman, Hugo Soto-Martinez and Marqueece Harris-Dawson instructed the city’s chief legislative analyst and relevant departments to provide a “demographic and neighborhood-by-neighborhood” analysis of donors in city elections; an analysis of the effectiveness of a Democracy Vouchers program in other cities; and recommendations to establish a program in the city of Los Angeles. City Council in a 11-0 vote supported the motion and requested the report within 90 days. Council President Paul Krekorian and council members John Lee and Kevin de Leon were absent during the vote. According to the motion, the 2020 city election in Los Angeles was one of the most expensive in the city’s history.

MyNewsLA

LA Considers Mandatory Air Conditioning In Rental Units To Combat Rising Heat

Facing the oncoming heat of summer, Los Angeles officials are moving forward with a plan to explore making air conditioning mandatory in all LA rental units. Earlier this month, the Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously to pass a motion to direct city staff to study the costs and feasibility of installing AC units in all rental units citywide. Council member Eunisses Hernandez, who proposed the motion, hopes that “requiring cooling apparati for all residential rental units could be a life-saving measure for countless Angelenos during extreme heat events.” The motion comes a year after California was hit by a 10-day heat wave that broke temperature records across the state and pushed the California energy grid to its limits. Emergency crews saw an alarming increase in heat-related emergency calls as residents struggled with the extremely high temperatures. Rising temperatures and heat are a growing concern in Southern California as a recent prediction from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported that this summer will likely be hotter than normal. This could pose health and safety concerns for many residents of the city living without air conditioning, especially the elderly and people with disabilities.

NBC 4

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.