Law Enforcement News

LAPD Officers Honored At Awards Ceremony For Acts Of Heroism And Sacrifice
Authorities gathered Thursday to honor 14 Los Angeles Police Department officers, one of them posthumously, for acts of heroism and sacrifice. LAPD Chief Michel Moore presided over the “Above & Beyond Awards” ceremony and luncheon at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel in downtown Los Angeles. The ceremony was hosted by the Los Angeles Police Foundation, an independent, not-for-profit organization that provides resources and support to the LAPD. Officer Jose Anzora, 31, was injured while on duty on the evening of Jan. 31, 2021, and died later at a hospital. Anzora and other officers from Newton Division were assisting with traffic control near a traffic accident on a dark street and were using the police car’s amber lights in addition to their flashlights to direct and slow down traffic. “Most motorists followed the officers’ direction and slowed as they passed the car crash,” police said. “However one driver failed to slow down, swerved at a high rate of speed and struck one of the officers causing critical injuries. After a valiant fight for his life, Officer Jose Anzora, died from his injuries and will posthumously receive the distinguished Purple Heart Award,” police said.
MyNewsLA

$50k Reward Offered In Murder Of 81-Year-Old Woodland Hills Woman
A $50,000 reward was announced Thursday for help in solving the killing of an 81-year-old woman who was found dead after being set on fire in her Woodland Hills home. Ok Ja Kim was discovered in a bedroom at her residence in the 20800 block of Martha Street at about 8 p.m. on Aug. 2 by family members who were concerned after she failed to show up at a family function, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. "The victim was brutally killed and set on fire during what appeared to be a home invasion robbery at her residence," police said in a statement. "Detectives are continuing to investigate the crime but have not been able to identify any leads." According to the Los Angeles County coroner's office, Kim died of "sharp and blunt force injuries with ligature strangulation." "We are going to be grappling with the circumstances of her death for a very long time," said Clara Kim, the victim's daughter.
CBS 2

Woman Sentenced In Deadly 1993 Arson Fire In Westlake Area
A woman who was initially charged along with two others with murder in the deaths of 10 people, including two pregnant women, in a 1993 arson fire at an apartment building in the Westlake area of Los Angeles was sentenced Thursday to 18 years in state prison. Johanna Lopez — who pleaded guilty Thursday to three counts of voluntary manslaughter — was given credit for time she has already served behind bars since her January 2011 arrest by Los Angeles police. But Deputy District Attorney Victor Avila warned the 57-year-old defendant that she is facing deportation from the country because U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has issued a hold on her. “I apologize, your honor,” Lopez told Superior Court Judge Curtis B. Rappe, adding that “nothing like this in my life will ever happen again.” Lopez and co-defendants Ramiro Valerio, 49, and Joseph Alberto Monge, 47, were charged in 2017 with 12 counts of murder in connection with the May 3, 1993, blaze at the 69-unit complex in the 300 block of West Burlington Avenue.
MyNewsLA

Los Angeles High School Coach Arrested On Suspicion Of Sexual Assault Of A Minor
A Los Angeles high school basketball coach was arrested this week on suspicion of sexually assaulting a minor, and police are seeking more potential victims in the case, authorities said. Paul Anthony Davis, 33, was arrested Wednesday on a count of continuous sexual abuse of a minor, Los Angeles police said in a news release. Police did not identify the school where Davis was a coach. Davis is being held on $35,000 bail. The investigation began Friday, when the the police department’s Juvenile Division received a report of a sexual assault that occurred in the 5700 block of Centinela Avenue and the 17000 block of West Sunset Boulevard, police said. The case will be referred to the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office. Police have urged anyone who may have been a victim of the suspect or has more information about the case to contact the juvenile division detectives at (424) 259-7094. Calls should be directed to (877) 527-3247 during non-business hours. Anonymous calls should be made to the L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-TIPS ([800] 222-8477).
LA Times

Students Walk Out At Marshall High Demanding Better School Security After Campus Stabbing
About 500 students walked out during a break at John Marshall High School in Los Feliz Thursday, demanding improved security measures after the on-campus stabbing a day earlier of two students. Several Marshall students who walked out said school administrators need to do a better job protecting them. They suggested a range of safety measures that could be taken, including more accessible mental health counseling, a stronger security presence and possibly even random searches for weapons and drugs — although they said such actions are not supported by all on campus. The students said the stabbings came after another on-campus student assault in a classroom on Monday, raising their fears about campus safety. School district officials would not respond to queries about the Monday incident but said that security measures have been increased at the school and a mental health team had been dispatched to the campus.
Yahoo! News

Lana Del Rey Victim Of LA Smash-and-Grab, Says Thief Stole Laptop Containing New Music
"Obviously I won't ever leave anything in the car again." That's what singer Lana Del Rey said in a now-deleted Instagram Live video Wednesday, sharing with her followers that she was a victim of a smash-and-grab in Los Angeles. Among the stolen possessions was her backpack containing her laptop, multiple hard drives, and a camcorder, Del Rey said. She did not disclose the date of the smash-and-grab. "A few months ago, I parked my car on Melrose Place — actually Melrose Ave. in Los Angeles — and I stepped away for a minute," she said. "And the one time I left my backpack inside my car, someone broke all the windows and took it." The singer was in the midst of writing a book for publishing company Simon & Schuster. The 200-page draft she was working on was on her computer, and not saved. Her camcorder contained family home videos, she added. "I had to remotely wipe the computer that had my 200-page book for Simon and Schuster—which I didn’t have backed up on the cloud," she said.
FOX 11

Suspect Arrested After Standoff With Authorities Near LAX Following Pursuit
A motorist who led authorities on a chase from the San Diego area to Los Angeles today was arrested following a standoff with law enforcement personnel on a street overcrossing near Los Angeles International Airport. The incident began shortly before noon, when authorities in San Diego County began chasing the suspect, apparently for a traffic violation, according to the California Highway Patrol and broadcast reports. The chase led into Los Angeles County, and to the area of World Way and Century Boulevard, where the vehicle stopped and the man got out on an overcrossing. Shortly after 1 p.m., Los Angeles Fire Department personnel were sent to the 6200 block of West Century Boulevard on a report of a “man threatening to jump after (a) CHP pursuit. Possibly armed with knife.''
Westside Current

Man Found Fatally Shot In Huntington Park
Authorities are investigating a fatal shooting that occurred in the early morning Thursday in Huntington Park. Police were dispatched to the scene located in the 3400 block of East Gage Avenue at around 1:40 a.m. after learning that a shooting had occurred. When they arrived, they found one man suffering from at least one gunshot wound. He was rushed to a nearby hospital where he was later pronounced dead. His identity was withheld pending notification of next of kin. There was no suspect information immediately available. Huntington Park Police Department officers are being assisted in the investigation by detectives from Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. Anyone with information about this shooting was asked to contact the Sheriff's Homicide Bureau at (323) 890-5500.
CBS 2

Torrance Woman Details Horrifying Rape By Suspect Released From Jail Hours Before Attack
A Torrance woman is detailing the harrowing details of her rape at the hands of a suspect who was released from jail just hours before assaulting her in hopes of raising awareness and reminding women to be alert. Marissa Young was walking her dogs after work on July 31, at around 1 a.m. on Emerald Street in Torrance, when she was brutally attacked. "I certainly wasn't looking at my phone, inebriated, I didn't have any headphones in or anything when he came up behind me. He was just that quiet," she said. She was violently beaten and raped by Darrell Dean Waters, a 46-year-old homeless man, who was arrested days earlier on a misdemeanor charge of unlawful possession of a dagger. He was released on his own recognizance about 12 hours before the attack. The attack, which lasted for nearly 30 minutes, left Young with missing teeth and a broken nose, eye socket and jaw. Somehow, she was able to fight him off long enough that he ran from the area.
CBS 2

Former UCLA Gynecologist Found Guilty On 5 Sex-Related Counts, Acquitted On 7 Others
Jurors on Thursday found former UCLA campus gynecologist James Heaps guilty of five sex-related counts, while acquitting him on seven. Heaps was facing trial on 21-sex-related counts involving seven patients. The jury could not reach verdicts on the remaining nine counts and a mistrial was declared for those items. After the verdicts were declared, Heaps was ordered into custody, over the objection of his defense attorney who sought to have him remain free on bail. Sentencing is set for Nov. 17 and a prosecutor said the guilty verdicts could lead to up to 21 years in state prison. Heaps, 65, was on trial for sexual battery by fraud and penetration of an unconscious person by fraudulent representation, along with sexual exploitation of a patient involving alleged crimes between 2009 and 2018. The counts he was found guilty of were three counts of sexual battery by fraud and two counts of sexual penetration of an unconscious person.
ABC 7

Man Who Ran SoCal-to-Canada Drug Ring Sentenced To Federal Prison
A 43-year-old man was sentenced Thursday to 14 1/2 years in federal prison for running a drug-trafficking organization that intended to export hundreds of pounds of cocaine and heroin from Southern California into Canada, and imported MDMA into the United States using big rigs and encrypted telephones to work the scheme. Vincent Yen Tek Chiu of Vancouver, Canada, was found guilty in March in Los Angeles of one federal count each of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, conspiracy to export controlled substances, distribution of cocaine, distribution of heroin and distribution of MDMA — known as ecstasy, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Evidence presented at his seven-day trial showed that Chiu and other members of the organization obtained multi-pound quantities of cocaine, and less frequently, heroin from Los Angeles and passed the drugs to couriers who intended to transport them to Canada for further distribution.
MyNewsLA

EBT Fraud Sees Nearly 4,000% Increase In 2022
California state officials are warning the public to be wary of a rampant increase in Electronic Benefits Transfer scams ravaging people's bank accounts. A growing number of cyber criminals have taken to targeting the EBT system, intended to serve some of California's poorest families. Since 2021, the frequency of benefits reported stolen has increased by nearly 4,000%. For some people like Leticia Monroe, EBT is the only way they can survive. "It's the only way I can take care of my bills, my rent, medical, medicine any other things I need to take care of me and my son," said Monroe, who as a disabled single mother, relies solely on public assistance, which she receives on an EBT card. She was targeted by scammers last month, when she had nearly $700 stolen from her card the day funds were deposited, leaving her with just $6.51 for all of her bills.
CBS 2

Public Safety News

LA County Seeing Lower Level Of COVID Transmission
Los Angeles County is reporting a continued reduction in coronavirus transmission, logging its eighth consecutive week in the “low” community transmission level, officials said. Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said Thursday the county could move from the “substantial” to “moderate” transmission levels in the coming days. The county logged a daily average of just under 920 cases of COVID-19 last week, a slight decrease over the average of about 950 the previous week. Ferrer also said the number of new outbreaks in K-12 classrooms fell from 11 last week to seven this week, and continues to be of low concern. The number of new outbreaks at skilled nursing facilities rose from seven last week to 13 and is now at medium concern level, but Ferrer noted that one positive case among a resident at a SNF is considered an outbreak.
MyNewsLA

LA Needs To Be Ready For ‘The Big One': Here's Earthquake Preparedness Checklist
It’s not an if. It’s a when. Southern California already experiences about 30 earthquakes everyday. While most of them are too small to be felt, the U.S. Geological Survey estimates Los Angeles has a 31% chance of being struck with a magnitude 7.5 earthquake in the next couple of decades. Marking International ShakeOut Day, Chief Sam DiGiovanna of the Verdugo Fire Academy offers tips on how to prepare before, during and after strong earthquakes.
NBC 4