LAPD Releases Surveillance Video Of Deadly Gas Station Ambush-Style Shooting

Police released surveillance footage Wednesday showing the brutal murder of a man who was seated in his car at a Los Angeles gas station in December of last year. Marquette Scott, a 32-year-old Victorville resident, was seated in his parked vehicle next to a gas pump on the 8500 block of South Hoover Street when he was approached by an unknown gunman and shot to death, the Los Angeles Police Department stated in a news release. The video shows a suspect in a green hooded jacket and green pants getting out of the back seat of a white four-door SUV and then firing multiple rounds through the driver’s side window of Scott’s vehicle. A second suspect wearing all black is also seen exiting the SUV from the passenger side back seat and firing multiple shots at unknown targets off camera. After the shooting, both suspects get back into the SUV and it drives away. The entire incident occurred in less than 10 seconds. Scott died from his wounds after the shooting. There was no word on whether the shots fired by the second gunman injured anyone. The motive for the shooting remains unknown and police are still searching for the gunmen. A $50,000 reward was offered on April 3 of this year after detectives “Exhausted all investigative leads and resources,” the Police Department stated.

KTLA 5

Suspect Arrested In North Hollywood Hit-and-Run Crash That Killed Woman Training For Marathon

A Van Nuys man was arrested Tuesday night in a North Hollywood hit-and-run crash that killed a 29-year-old woman who was on a training run for a marathon. Oleg Bocharov, 50, was arrested on suspicion of felony hit-and-run causing death in the crash at about 7 p.m. Friday near Victory Boulevard and Beck Avenue. He was being held on $30,000 bond. The victim died at a hospital. Leyda Medina, 29, was less than a mile from her home when she was hit. Family members said the marathon and the training it required were part of a weight loss journey for Medina and her husband. Medina was struck by a Toyota Corolla traveling westbound on Victory Boulevard. The driver left the scene before abandoning the car with a shattered windshield a few blocks away. Neighbors, some of whom left candles and other items at a memorial near the crash site, told NBCLA drivers frequently exceed the speed limit in the area. A reward of up to $50,000 was offered to anyone who can provide information that will lead to an arrest in the case. It was not immediately clear what led investigators to Bocharov.

NBC 4

Brianna Kupfer Murder Trial: Jury Selection Begins For Hancock Park Furniture Store Stabbing Suspect

Jury selection was scheduled to begin Thursday for Shawn Laval Smith, the man accused of killing UCLA grad student, Brianna Kupfer, at a Hancock Park furniture store two years ago. Smith, a 34-year-old homeless man with a lengthy criminal record, was arrested several days after prosecutors said he allegedly stabbed Kupfer to death when she was working alone at the furniture store. An autopsy report revealed Kupfer suffered 46 sharp force injuries, consisting of 26 stab wounds and 20 incised wounds. She suffered 11 stabs to the chest, two in the abdomen, one to the pelvis, two on her right arm, five on her left arm, two on her right leg and three on her left leg. All the stab wounds were said to be about five inches deep. Her manner of death was ruled a homicide and her cause of death was sharp force injuries. Smith was charged with a single murder count and two special circumstances with allegations of lying in wait and using a knife. The indictment was filed on Nov. 15, 2022, and replaces earlier charges, bypassing the need for a preliminary hearing. He could face life in prison without parole. 

FOX 11

A Silver Lake Influencer Put Her Life On The Internet. She Became An ‘Easy Mark’ For Burglars

Victoria Paris was in Europe, and everybody who watched her videos on Instagram and TikTok knew it. The 25-year-old social media influencer, who posts about design and style as well as tidbits from her daily life, has more than 400,000 followers on Instagram and nearly 2 million on TikTok. On May 5, while she was away, her Silver Lake home was burglarized. Security cameras caught a man breaking in and leaving with designer purses and jewelry. He took a Louis Vuitton duffel bag, two Paco Rabanne bags, a Miu Miu bag, a laptop and all of Paris’ jewelry, she reported to police. What helped her earn her livelihood — sharing her life online — had also made her a target. She’d previously posted photos and videos in her backyard, with a clear view of her neighborhood. Her car in the driveway was recognizable. She showed off purchases from fancy designers. The day after the burglary, Paris saw via her security video that the same man was lurking around her home. She decided she had to move — and keep her whereabouts more private. “We’re not the biggest victims, but we put everything in our lives on the internet, which makes us the easiest targets,” Paris said in an interview with The Times. Although the Los Angeles Police Department does not track crimes against influencers, burglaries overall have ticked up in 2024. According to police statistics, burglaries are up about 3.3% citywide, with 305 more cases than during the same span last year.

Los Angeles Times

Armed Suspect Drops Off Three Passengers During LAPD Pursuit

A possible armed suspect led the Los Angeles Police Department on a pursuit Wednesday night. The police helicopter following the pursuit believed someone inside the car tossed a gun out of the window during the chase. After merging off the CA-118 Freeway, the suspect drove around a Pacoima neighborhood before allowing three passengers out. The driver eventually pulled into a parking lot at the Norris Avenue and Pierce Street intersection and surrendered to police. 

CBS 2

Thieves Use Truck As Battering Ram, Raid Chatsworth Smoke Shop

A group of thieves used a pickup truck as a battering ram Thursday, smashing their way into a Chatsworth smoke shop and ransacking the store. The brazen crime occurred around 1:30 a.m. in 21700 block of Devonshire Street, where the suspects backed a stolen white truck into the front of the store, Los Angeles Police Department Officer Drake Madison told City News Service. Surveillance video showed the truck smashing a metal security gate, after which several men wearing hoodies raid the store and grab merchandise before making a quick getaway in a white SUV parked outside the store. A smoke shop in North Hollywood also experience an attempted break-in early Thursday. The burglars targeting that store, which is located at Burbank Boulevard and Cartwright Avenue, used an allegedly stolen SUV but were unsuccessful and abandoned the SUV and fled, according to Fox11. Madison said the stolen vehicle was impounded and it was not immediately known what was taken. It was not immediately clear that the same burglars who robbed the Chatsworth also tried to rob the store in North Hollywood.

MyNewsLA

Man, 73, Suspected Of Killing 3 Southern California Women In 1977 Pleads Not Guilty

A 73-year-old suspected serial killer from Mississippi extradited to Ventura County earlier this month in connection with three strangulation murders nearly a half-century ago pled not guilty at his arraignment Wednesday, officials announced. In February 2023, the Ventura County Sheriff’s Cold Case Unit began re-examining the deaths of the three women – Kimberly Carol Fritz, Velvet Ann Sanchez and Lorraine Ann Rodriguez – each of whom was killed in 1977, the Ventura County DA’s Office said. While the exact circumstances surrounding the women’s deaths were not disclosed by the DA, an article published in 1978 in the Utah publication The Daily Herald stated that the three women were prostitutes who were strangled with their own underwear. Sanchez was 31 when she was found dead in an Oxnard motel on Sept. 9, 1977, the Daily Herald reported; the 18-year-old Fritz was found in a motel room on May 29 of that year and Rodriguez, then 22, was found dead near a highway in Oxnard on Dec. 27, but the Herald reported that investigators believed she was also killed at a motel and dumped there. After decades and decades of investigation, detectives were eventually able to identify the suspect as Warren Luther Alexander, a resident of Diamondhead, Mississippi. 

KTLA 5

Georgia Deputy In Critical Condition After Being Shot In The Head By Suspect

The wife of a Carroll County deputy shot in the line of duty says the family is overwhelmed by the love, prayers and well wishes that have poured in from the community. Investigator Taylor Bristow remained in critical condition Wednesday afternoon, a day after being shot while attempting to serve a warrant. Bristow was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital, where he underwent emergency surgery Tuesday. “We are fighting the good fight and APPRECIATE every little and big thing. It’s does not go without notice,” Lyssa Bristow said in a statement late Wednesday. Bristow’s statement was posted on the Carroll sheriff’s office Facebook page. “I love you all and my words will never be able to form a true statement of what I feel inside,” she said. “My heart is in a thousand pieces right now and I wish I had good news and a true update but we are not out of the woods yet and we need all the love, prayers and well wishes to continue! God is good and he is in control!” Taylor Bristow, 30, had been with the Carroll sheriff’s office nearly six years, according to spokesperson Ashley Hulsey. He previously served with the Ware County Sheriff’s Office and the Waycross police department. Bristow was shot three days after a Paulding County deputy was shot to death while responding to a call. Deputy Brandon Cunningham was fatally shot Saturday evening while responding to a domestic dispute in the Harmony Creek neighborhood off Virgie Ballentine Drive near Hiram. Shots were fired at the first two deputies who arrived at the home, officials said. Cunningham, 30, was struck and died at a hospital, Paulding County Sheriff Gary Gulledge said.

Atlanta Journal Constitution

New Mexico State Police Arrest Man Accused Of Firing Nearly 50 Rounds At Officer

An Aztec man is accused of firing about 50 rounds at a New Mexico State Police officer during a traffic stop Monday in Farmington. A state police vehicle was hit by at least one round, according to an arrest warrant affidavit, but the officer was not struck by gunfire. A statement from the agency said he was “OK” after the incident. Police named Fernando Leon Silva, 40, as the suspected shooter and announced Tuesday evening he had been arrested. Silva faces charges of attempted second-degree murder, aggravated assault on a police officer, shooting at or from a motor vehicle and two counts of aggravated fleeing from police, according to a criminal complaint filed Tuesday in San Juan County Magistrate Court. The state police officer had tried to pull over the driver of a black Chrysler 300 on the northwestern side of Farmington, investigators wrote in the affidavit, but after the car slowed, a man later identified as Silva got out wielding an AR-15-style rifle and began firing at the officer. Police wrote Silva’s gun had “a possible drum magazine or extended magazine,” and investigators recovered 49 .223 caliber casings and one .556 caliber casing at the scene. The officer’s vehicle was struck on the tailgate and on the front driver’s side tire, police wrote.

Santa Fe New Mexican

Brush Fire Burns 16 Acres In Angeles National Forest Near Sunland

A brush fire burned 16 acres Wednesday in the Angeles National Forest near Sunland. The fire was reported around 5:20 p.m. Wednesday near the 12500 block of North Big Tujunga Canyon Road, with flames burning uphill with light wind, according to Brian Humphrey of the Los Angeles Fire Department. The LAFD deployed four helicopters to the location. Firefighters from the Los Angeles County Fire Department and Angeles National Forest are also battling the blaze in what is considered a mutual threat zone. As of Wednesday night, the first was 50% contained. The cause of the fire was under investigation.

ABC 7

3 People Hospitalized After Firefighters Pull Them Out Of A Rolled-Over Car Near USC

The Los Angeles Fire Department took three people to the hospital after their car rolled over near USC Wednesday night. It happened at about 7:50 p.m. in the 1000 block of 36th Place, just outside the university's campus. The car was on its side when officers arrived at the scene. Paramedics took three people to the hospital, one of whom was freed after firefighters curt through the car's roof, in an unknown condition. 

CBS 2

About the LAPPL: Formed in 1923, the Los Angeles Police Protective League (LAPPL) represents more than 8,900 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.