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Law Enforcement News

LA Homicides In 1st Half Of Year Reach 15-Year High: Report
In the first half of the year, there were 181 homicides in the city of Los Angeles, the highest number in the past 15 years, according to data released Monday by a nonprofit news organization. According to Crosstown at USC, a nonprofit news organization based at the USC Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism, there were 178 homicides in the city during the first six months of 2021. By the end of last year, 397 homicides occurred in the city, the highest number since 2007, according to Los Angeles Police Department data complied by Crosstown. The 181 homicides in the first six months of 2022 is the highest total since 2007, according to Crosstown. But whether it means the city this year will surpass the soaring number from 2021 remains to be seen. Crosstown's report noted that killings tend to spike in the summer, with 48 homicides recorded in July of last year. According to Crosstown, 42 homicide victims in the first half of the year, or 23.2%, were categorized by the LAPD as unhoused, up from 37 in the same period last year. In the first six months of 2019, prior to the pandemic, 23 homicide victims were categorized as unhoused. More than 75% of the homicides so far this year involved some type of firearm, according to Crosstown. Of the homicide victims in the first half of the year, 158 were male, while just 12.7% of victims were female. Crosstown's data indicated that arrests were made in 43% of the killings in the first half of the year. The report noted that the data only reflects crimes that were reported to the LAPD, not how many crimes actually occurred.
FOX 11

Child Rescued After Police Chase In Los Angeles
An intense police chase across Los Angeles took a wild turn after SkyFOX was over a moment where LAPD rescued a child from the back of the suspect's car.
FOX 11 Video

Homeless Man Shot To Death In North Hills
A homeless man, approximately 30 to 40 years old, was shot dead in North Hills, authorities said Sunday. The shooting occurred at about 10 p.m. Saturday in the 16100 block of Parthenia Street, the Los Angeles Police Department reported. Paramedics arriving at the location pronounced the man dead at the scene. Detectives said the shooting was not gang-related. No further information was immediately released.
MyNewsLA.com

Motorcyclist Dead After Crash In East Hollywood: LAPD
A motorcyclist was killed in a collision with a vehicle in East Hollywood Saturday afternoon. The crash was reported at about 5 p.m. near the intersection of Virgil Avenue and Santa Monica Boulevard. When Los Angeles police arrived on scene, they found that a motorcyclist had been ejected onto the roadway. The unidentified motorcyclist was pronounced dead at the scene. No information was provided as to what led to the crash, what type of vehicle was involved or if the other driver stayed at the scene to render aid. The deadly collision remains under investigation.
KTLA 5

Authorities Searching For Man Who Attacked Driver In Tujunga
The Los Angeles Police Department is looking for a man wanted for battery after he threatened to kill a fellow driver in a road rage altercation and sprayed bear repellent on the victim. The incident took place at the intersection of Pali Avenue and Day Street in Tujunga on July 6. The victim, Gary Anadolian, told CBSLA Reporter Laurie Perez that he rolled through his stop sign at a three-way stop. But he says the other driver overreacted and should be found before he loses it again. "It was a terrible burning sensation for three days, nonstop for three days," Anadolian said. In video obtained by CBSLA, the suspect can be seen getting out of his white Toyota Matrix and spraying a man sitting in his white Honda Odyssey. "He drove right at me yelling and cursing and sayin, 'I'm gonna kill you. You're trying to endanger my three-year old daughter in the car,' which I didn't see nobody by the way, and then incidentally he pulled over in front of me and blocked me," Anadolian said. A passing driver's dash cam caught what happened next.
CBS 2

LAPD: Street Vendor Robberies Have Doubled In 2022
Thousands of street vendors work the streets of Los Angeles county, and you may have some in your neighborhood. But are they less safe than they've ever been? According to new numbers, the answer is yes. Eliu Ramirez, Long Beach street vendor, goes through his daily routine as he prepares to head out for business. Cooking the corn, shaving the ice and assorting the bags of chips. He is one of ten thousand vendors working in LA county. Most are Latino, older, working alone and often carrying cash. It's what makes them vulnerable to these sorts of attacks. People cursing, hitting, destroying their property and ruining their businesses. Eliu told our sister station, Telemundo, about two recent attacks he endured. The first happened in May of 2021 where three people toppled his cart in broad daylight. Since they're juveniles, aged 16, 17 and 8, he says he doesn't even know if they faced any kind of felony charges at all. Rodriguez has started an online petition, calling for a change in state laws. He says local police and prosecutors are not doing enough to protect the vendors and he's personally interviewed more than 500 of them.“They end up going to court and nothing happens to the victim for the victim,” Rodriguez said. The goal is to produce some kind of "hate crime" law to protect them. He says the enhancements will give further protection to people who often have little recourse to recover their destroyed property or assist them with serious injuries.
NBC 4

Police Clear Away Suspicious Item At LAX Ride Pickup Lot
A suspicious item found in the taxi and ride-hail pickup lot at Los Angeles International Airport on Monday night was cleared away after about an hour, authorities said. The item was first reported around 10:15 p.m., said Heath Montgomery, an airport spokesperson. The Los Angeles Police Department bomb squad was called to the scene, and the object was cleared by about 11:30 p.m., airport officials tweeted. Sky Way and the portion of Century Boulevard west of Sepulveda Boulevard near the pickup lot were closed for the investigation, according to a tweet at 10:40 p.m. from airport officials. The roads were set to reopen shortly after the item was cleared away.
Yahoo! News

NFL Left Tackle Duane Brown Arrested On Gun Charge At LAX
Former All-Pro NFL player Duane Brown is due in court on Aug. 3 following his arrest on a misdemeanor weapons charge. Brown, 36, was arrested Saturday at Los Angeles International Airport when he was discovered with a concealed firearm at a security screening station. Authorities discovered Brown’s gun about 2 p.m. at the security station for Terminal 6 departures, said LAX police Lt. Karla Rodriguez. “Subject was taken into custody and transported to LAPD Pacific Jail for booking,” Rodriguez said. Brown was booked for suspicion of possession of a concealed firearm. He was held for more than nine hours in lieu of $10,000 bail before being released on bond just after 11:30 p.m. Saturday. Brown was a first-round draft pick out of Virginia Tech in 2008 and has started more than 200 games in the NFL since then, earning numerous awards along the way as a member of both the Houston Texans and Seattle Seahawks. The 6-foot-4-inch, 315-pound left tackle is currently a free agent, according to pro-football-reference.com. It was unclear whether Brown was in Los Angeles to meet with one of the two local teams, the Rams and/or the Chargers.
LA Daily News

Malibu Pickaxe Vandal Arrested: LASD
A man caught on camera armed with a pickaxe and accused of several vandalism incidents in Malibu has been arrested. According to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, the suspect - identified as Thomas Aaron Brothers - was arrested Friday in Santa Monica after authorities received a tip from a victim regarding his whereabouts. Brothers is suspected of using a pickaxe to damage numerous vehicles, residential front doors, and cameras in Malibu over a 72-hour period. No other information was immediately available.
FOX 11

29 Alleged Gang Members Plead Guilty In $1-Million Fraud Scheme
More than two dozen people associated with criminal street gangs face a combined 86 years in prison after pleading guilty in a $1-million fraud scheme, California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta announced Friday. Toni Coffman, the leader of the scheme, received 13 years and 8 months in prison and was ordered to pay a $861,000 restitution. Coffman and 28 others conspired to defraud victims throughout the state by hacking the credit card terminals and merchant accounts of dozens of medical and dental businesses, officials said. “Criminal activity targeting merchants and consumers not only takes a financial toll on communities, but it endangers public safety,” Bonta said in a statement. “This sentencing should send a powerful message: Criminal activity will not be tolerated in our state and we will hold those participating in illegal activities accountable.” The prosecutions come after a multiyear investigation of a series of burglaries tied to a credit card fraud scheme in 13 cities in Northern California, including Walnut Creek, Antioch, San Rafael and Napa, according to state Department of Justice officials.
LA Times

Authorities Seize Record-Breaking 5,000 Pounds Of Meth Crossing From Mexico To California
San Diego County reported one of the biggest methamphetamine busts in its history all thanks to the help of K9 Milo. According to the San Diego Sheriff, four suspects were charged with federal drug trafficking offenses Friday after authorities seized more than 5,000 pounds of meth discovered inside two trucks in National City. The suspects were seen unloading dozens of cardboard boxes from the box truck and loading them into a Dodge van before they were arrested. They have since been identified as Rafael Alzua, 37, Mario Contreras, 41, Ethgar Velazquez, 44, and Galdrino Contreras, 41. All four suspects are from Tijuana and face a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison.
FOX 11

Public Safety News

LA County To Expand Distribution Of Monkeypox Vaccine
Los Angeles County health officials will expand access to monkeypox vaccines on Monday, but the limited supply of doses means they will only be provided to high-risk residents who are specifically contacted by the Department of Public Health. As of Friday, there were a total of 54 confirmed monkeypox cases in the county, nearly double the amount from a week ago. But public health officials insisted during an online briefing Friday that the risk of infection in the general population remains extremely low. But news of additional cases has prompted some calls for expanded access to the JYNNEOS monkeypox vaccine, which remains in limited supply. The county had already administered its supply of roughly 1,000 doses of the vaccine, which is actually a two-dose regimen. Andrea Kim, director of Vaccine-Preventable Disease Control and the county Department of Public Health, said the county has received another 6,000 doses, allowing a slight expansion of eligibility. That will occur Monday, but the shots will still only be offered to people deemed at high risk by the county.
FOX 11

With Ultra-Contagious BA.5 Rising, How Close Is L.A. To An Indoor COVID Mask Mandate?
Continued increases in coronavirus cases fueled by the ultra-contagious BA.5 subvariant as well as a rise in hospitalizations have pushed Los Angeles County even closer to reinstating a universal indoor mask mandate. The measure, which officials have long warned was on the table, could go into effect as soon as late July. “We can’t predict with certainty what the future hospitalization trend will look like. However, it is looking more likely, as cases and admissions have continued to increase, that we’ll enter the high community level designation later this month,” L.A. County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said Thursday. Here is what you need to know: When could L.A. County issue a new mask mandate? Officials have said a public indoor masking requirement would be reinstated should L.A. County reach the high COVID-19 community level, defined by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and remain there for two consecutive weeks. L.A. County has not yet entered that level — the worst on the CDC’s three-tier scale. But it is the closest it has been since exiting from it in early March. The category indicates not only that a region is experiencing significant coronavirus spread but that transmission is starting to exert stress on hospitals.
LA Times