LAPD finds body inside impounded Tesla that's registered to singer D4vd
LAPD finds body inside impounded Tesla that's registered to singer D4vd
The Los Angeles Police Department is investigating the gruesome discovery of a body inside an impounded Tesla at a tow yard in Hollywood, and Eyewitness News has learned the vehicle is registered to singer D4vd. Officers responded to the 1000 block of N. Mansfield Avenue shortly before 12:30 p.m. Monday to a report of a foul odor coming from an impounded vehicle, according to LAPD. Police say the impounded car had been at the property for a couple of days, and that the body had been placed inside a bag. There's no immediate information about the identity of the person found inside the Tesla. D4vd is scheduled to perform in Minneapolis on Tuesday as part of his "Withered" world tour that began last month. The tour stops in Los Angeles on Sept. 20. Authorities say the human remains were found in the front trunk of the Tesla. Eyewitness News has learned that the 2023 Tesla is registered in Hempstead, Texas to D4vd, whose real name is David Anthony Burke.
Person dead after being hit by Metro train in Leimert Park
A person who was walking on the train track in Leimert Park is dead after being hit by the Metro on Monday night, police say. The Los Angeles Police Department said they received calls shortly before midnight about a crash involving a person and a Metro train near Exposition Boulevard and Seventh Avenue. LA Metro released a statement and said a southbound Metro E Line train struck a "trespasser walking on the track" between the Expo/Crenshaw and Expo/Western Station. The person was pronounced dead at the scene by first responders. "Metro extends its heartfelt condolences to the deceased's family and friends," the agency said. "Metro encourages the public to observe rail safety guidance and reminds pedestrians that they should only cross tracks at marked street crossings with signals to help ensure their safe passage." The LAPD said there were passengers on the train when the crash took place, but no other injuries were reported.
DEA’s ‘operational surge’ leads to over 600 arrests, seizure of 10K kilograms of drugs
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) announced on Monday that a five-day operation across the U.S. and parts of the world targeting the Sinaloa Cartel led to more than 600 arrests, thousands of kilograms of drugs being seized, and millions in currency and assets being recovered. DEA officials revealed details of the “operational surge” that took place between Aug. 25 and Aug. 29. According to a news release, the operation was aimed at “dismantling” the Sinaloa Cartel. “[The Sinaloa Cartel] is one of the world’s most violent and powerful drug cartels, responsible for flooding the United States with fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine and heroin,” the news release reads. The Sinaloa Cartel was designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the Trump administration on Feb. 20, as were seven other groups, including other Mexico-based cartels such as the Gulf Cartel, Cartel de Jalisco Nuevo Generacion and La Nueva Familia Michoacana. Other groups labeled Foreign Terrorist Organizations on the same day are MS-13 and Tren de Aragua of El Salvador and Venezuela, respectively. Despite the massive crackdown on the illicit activity, the DEA still says that the Sinaloa Cartel remains “one of the most significant threats to public safety, public health and our national security.”
Video shows unconscious driver being pried from her car on Lake Balboa sidewalk
A woman was hospitalized after she was found passed out in her car — which was parked on a sidewalk in Lake Balboa early Saturday morning. Witnesses at the scene told KTLA that the Los Angeles Police Department responded to a crash involving city property at the intersection of Roscoe and Balboa Boulevards around 2 a.m. LAPD officers arrived to find a silver Toyota Camry that, according to the stringer service Key News Network, was still in drive. Footage obtained by KTLA did not show any obvious damage to the vehicle, and authorities did not initially confirm a crash. KNN said the woman slumped behind the wheel, whose identity was not immediately revealed, had driven onto the sidewalk. It was not clear whether she had already passed out when she veered from the road. The stringer service also said multiple BuzzBallz and an empty bottle of Patrón were found in the passenger seat, though this information has not been confirmed. The woman was unconscious when crews arrived, and it took a heavy effort to try to wake her. Video from the scene shows L.A. Fire Department and LAPD crews banging on her windows, flashing lights, activating their sirens and using the PA system to yell at her to wake up.
Backup UCLA quarterback suspected of sideswiping ex-girlfriend's car, LAPD sources say
A 21-year-old UCLA redshirt sophomore quarterback was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and suspended from the Bruins football team, pending an investigation, according to school official and law enforcement authorities. Pierce Clarkson was arrested Friday by officers from the Los Angeles Police Department's Southwest Division in the Florence area. LAPD sources told NBC4 Investigates that officers were called just before noon Friday about a driver in a car attempting to strike another car in the South Los Angeles neighborhood. The sources said Clarkson was in some type of argument with his former girlfriend and chased her car with his car. At some point, Clarkson sideswiped the other car, the LAPD sources said. Clarkson was arrested near the site of the altercation. He is scheduled to appear in court Oct. 3. Bail was set at $30,000, and he was released after posting bond later that night, according to county jail records. Clarkson was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon, a felony, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. Details about what led to the arrest were not immediately available.
Swing for the Officer Needs Help Fund!
Join us for the 43rd Annual Chief Daryl F. Gates Golf Tournament on October 6, 2025 at the beautiful Porter Valley Country Club. This is your chance to tee off for a cause. Every swing helps support the Officer Needs Help Fund. Enjoy a day of friendly competition, scenic fairways, and great company while aiming for exciting prizes and bragging rights. Whether you’re a scratch golfer or just out for the fun, you’ll be part of something truly meaningful. Sponsorship opportunities are available, giving you a chance to showcase your support for our law enforcement family. Don’t miss your shot! Register today and help us drive change, one hole at a time!
Former Los Angeles U.S. Postal Service letter carrier sentenced to 5 years in prison for mail theft
A former Los Angeles United States Postal Service letter carrier was sentenced on Monday to five-and-a-half years in federal prison for stealing millions in Treasury and other checks from the mail over four years. Rashad Deon Stolden, 34, of Huntington Beach, pleaded guilty earlier this year to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud. In sentencing arguments, prosecutors said Stolden used some of the stolen funds for luxury vacation accommodations, and noted to one co-conspirator that he was "trying to retire." From 2020 through August 2024, Stolden stole more than $10 million through mail theft, obtaining large-value checks, as well as debit cards from the California Employment Development Department (EDD), which manages the state's unemployment insurance program, according to his plea agreement and court documents. Stolden worked at the Bicentennial Post Office in the Fairfax district, and another letter carrier, Charlie Green, 37, of the Wellington Heights area of East Los Angeles, conspired with him. Green is scheduled for sentencing on September 14.
LA County DA charges Inglewood man with dating app murder cases
An Inglewood man faces seven criminal charges after he allegedly killed two men and tried to kill another he met through a dating app. The Los Angeles District Attorney's Office charged 34-year-old Rockim Prowell with two counts of murder, one count of attempted murder, two counts of carjacking, two counts of burglary and one count of assault with a deadly weapon. If convicted as charged, Prowell faces death or life in prison without the possibility of parole. Prowell is currently on probation after he was convicted of a series of burglaries in LA County between 2019 and 2021. "Imagine the terror and horror these victims felt after being duped into believing they were meeting for one reason, only to face inexplicable violence," LA County DA Nathan J. Hochman said. "These were predatory acts that showed a total disregard of life." Prosecutors said Prowell allegedly shot and killed Miguel Angel King, 51, in July 2021 after the two men met on a dating app. Prowell allegedly stole King's car, which investigators found more than a week later, several miles away from Prowell's home. Prosecutors said forensic evidence inside the vehicle tied Prowell to King's death.
Porn magnate in California sentenced to 27 years for sex trafficking by force
A 42-year-old Southern California man, founder and operator of two internet porn sites – GirlsDoPorn and GirlsDoToys – that earned him millions of dollars was sentenced to 27 years in federal prison Monday, officials with the U.S. Department of Justice announced. Michael James Pratt made it onto the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Top 10 Most Wanted List in 2019 when he liquidated his assets and fled the country just months before he was charged in the Southern District of California with sex trafficking crimes, the DOJ said in a news release. The 42-year-old lived as an international fugitive until his Dec. 2022 arrest in Spain and his extradition to San Diego in March 2024. Federal prosecutors said that Pratt, along with four co-conspirators, orchestrated a scheme “that deceived and exploited hundreds of women and left a trail of broken lives.” He and some of his employees, at his direction, posted misleading ads about modeling opportunities to lure in young women, usually between the ages of 18 and 21, from all over the U.S. and Canada before flying them to San Diego and putting them up in short-term rentals or cheap hotel rooms where they were forced into having sex on camera.
Video: Fleeing driver swerves toward Tenn. officer deploying spike strips
The Trousdale County Sheriff’s Department released dash camera footage showing an incident where a fleeing driver swerved toward a deputy who was deploying spike strips, WSMV reported. The Sept. 3 incident began after the Smith County Sheriff’s Office reported it was pursuing a black Mustang with Kentucky license plates traveling along Highway 25 East, according to the report. Trousdale County deputies responded and positioned themselves to intercept the vehicle. Dashcam video released by TCSD shows a deputy preparing to deploy spike strips as the Mustang approaches. Instead of slowing down, the driver is seen accelerating and swerving toward the deputy, narrowly missing him. A short time later, another deputy successfully ended the pursuit with a PIT maneuver, forcing the vehicle to a stop. The dashcam video then shows a deputy pulling the driver out of the car through the open window by his collar before taking him into custody.
