LAPD Seeks Suspect In South Los Angeles Killing

The Los Angeles Police Department Monday sought the public’s help in identifying the suspect in the killing of a 44-year-old man in South Los Angeles. Officers from the Southeast Division were called at approximately 1:36 p.m. to the 8800 block of South Hoover Street, near the Algin Sutton Recreation Center and Manchester Avenue, on Aug. 5 regarding a man down call. Where they arrived at the scene, officers found Los Angeles resident Chong Yun with injuries to his head and face, police said. Officers called Los Angeles County Fire Department paramedics, but Yun was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the LAPD. The motive for the assault remains under investigation and anyone with information about this crime was asked to call the LAPD’s South Bureau Homicide Division homicide detectives at 323-786-5100. During non-business hours or on weekends, calls should be made to 877-527-3247. Anonymous callers may call the L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477 or send tips to www.lacrimestoppers.org.

MyNewsLA

19-Year-Old Dies After Being Attacked In Koreatown

Detectives are investigating after a 19-year-old who was assaulted in Koreatown died from a head injury. The victim was identified as Joon Hee Han, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Family members said Han was attacked in late July in the 700 block of South Harvard Boulevard. He fell down and injured his head during the violent altercation. He remained hospitalized in a coma and earlier this week, police announced Han had died from his injuries. A motive remains unclear as investigators work to piece together the events leading up to the assault. “West Bureau Homicide detectives are actively pursuing additional evidence, witness statements, and other information pertaining to the incident that might help us to determine what occurred,” authorities said. No suspect description was released as the case remains under investigation. Anyone with information on the incident is asked to call LAPD’s West Bureau Homicide at 213-382-9470.

KTLA 5

Men Charged With Murder In Johnny Wactor’s Death Implicated Themselves In Jailhouse Talk, Sources Say

Prosecutors on Monday charged two men with known associations to a notorious South Los Angeles street gang with murder in the death of “General Hospital” actor Johnny Wactor after the suspects implicated themselves during jailhouse discussions, sources told The Times. Two other men were also charged with lesser crimes in connection with Wactor’s death, authorities said. Robert Barceleau, 18, is accused of shooting Wactor after the actor came upon him and two other members of the Florencia 13 gang on Hope Street near Pico Boulevard and confronted them because he thought they were trying to tow his car in the wee hours of May 25. Authorities say the men were jacking up Wactor’s car to steal its catalytic converter and he was shot after accosting them. Barceleau, who is also known as “Smallz,” is an identified member of the Florencia 13 gang, according to information from a search warrant filed in the Wactor investigation. His fingerprints, as well as those of Sergio Estrada and Leonel Gutierrez, matched those lifted from the floor jack left at Wactor’s car, according to the search warrant. Authorities say Estrada, a.k.a. “Prieto,” and Gutierrez, or “Tripps” — both also 18 — are affiliated with the gang. Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. George Gascón and interim LAPD Chief Dominic Choi said more than 50 search warrants were served in the case.

Los Angeles Times

Person Struck By Gunfire At Northridge Gas Station

A person has been hospitalized after they were struck by gunfire at a Northridge gas station. The shooting was reported at about 6:20 a.m. in the 19300 block of Parthenia Street, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. A person was hit at least once while at the gas station pump, though police did not detail if the shot was fired from the gas station as well. Brian Humphrey of the Los Angeles Fire Department confirmed that one person was taken by ambulance to a local hospital. That person’s condition has not been released, nor has any information about the suspected shooter.

KTLA 5

Violent Extortionist Targeting Koreatown Karaoke Bars Gets 22 Years In Jail

A 39-year-old Los Angeles man has been sentenced to nearly 23 years in federal prison for dozens of felonies that involved extorting Koreatown karaoke businesses using methods seemingly ripped from gangster films. Woodland Hills resident Daekun Cho, 39, was convicted in March on 57 charges: 55 counts of interference with commerce by extortion, one count of attempted interference with commerce by extortion and one count of carjacking. Prosecutors say that from 2018 until his arrest in March 2023, Cho “demanded ‘protection’ money from karaoke businesses in Koreatown, as well as from drivers of ‘doumis’ – or hostesses – employed by patrons of the karaoke establishments,” the U.S. Department of Justice said in news release. Using threats — and at least once, a baseball bat — Cho “physically attacked, threatened, and instilled fear in his victims to induce them to pay him” so-called “protection fees” that ranged between $100 and $1,000 per month either in person or via Venmo, prosecutors said. 

KTLA 5

Missing Boy In Stolen Pickup Truck Found Safe, LAPD Search For Suspect

The Los Angeles Police Department continue to search for a suspect who stole a pickup truck with a child inside after the boy was found safe. The car was stolen around 7 p.m. on Monday near the intersection of Bradley Avenue and Oswald Street in Sylmar after the owner left the vehicle running. The suspect allegedly hopped into the driver seat and drove off, unaware that there was a 10-year-old kid in the back seat. He ditched the car in the nearby city of San Fernando at the intersection of 1st and Jessie Streets. Police later found the 10-year-old sitting in the backseat, but the suspect is still on the loose. The child described the suspect as a man in his 30s who was wearing a straw hat. 

CBS 2

Sentencing Due For LA Man Who Participated In Stolen Checks Scam

A South Los Angeles man faces sentencing Monday for his role in a scheme that siphoned at least $2.7 million out of banks and credit unions by depositing checks stolen from the mail into bank accounts belonging to accomplices recruited through Instagram. Carlos Corona, 36, pleaded guilty in May in downtown Los Angeles to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. From October 2020 to last August, Corona and associates took part in the scheme that involved stealing checks from the mail, including some that were taken from collection boxes outside post offices. The thieves would then contact account holders through social media and solicit them to provide their debit cards and bank account information, promising them a cut of any stolen funds deposited into their accounts. Members of the scheme exchanged the bank account holders’ information, then deposited the stolen checks into the bank accounts. In most cases, the stolen checks were falsely endorsed in the original payee’s name, prosecutors said, but in some cases the checks were altered to make the payee name correspond to the bank account into which the checks were being deposited.

MyNewsLA

Tesla Driver Convicted Of Attacking People With A Pipe On Southern California Roads Eligible For Release

Despite serving less than one year of his five-year sentence, the Tesla driver who attacked other commuters throughout Los Angeles County in 2022 and 2023 is eligible for parole. In January 2023, the California Highway Patrol arrested Nathaniel Walter Radimak for attacking eight people between 2022 and 2023, including a road rage incident where he repeatedly hit another driver's car with a metal pipe on the 2 Freeway. Prosecutors charged him with four counts of assault by means of force likely to produce great bodily injury and criminal threats, plus one felony count of vandalism, two misdemeanor counts of vandalism and one misdemeanor count of elder abuse. While prosecuting the case, the District Attorney's Office advocated for a no-bail hold because Radimak's lengthy criminal history spanned nearly two decades, multiple states, and multiple jurisdictions. 

CBS 2

2 Killed, 2 Others Injured In Violent Multi-Vehicle Crash In Lake Los Angeles

Two people were killed and two others were injured in a multi-vehicle crash Monday in Lake Los Angeles. The crash was reported in the area of 152nd Street East and East Palmdale Boulevard at about 11:40 a.m., according to a traffic incident log. Two people died at the scene, the county fire department reported. At least one person suffered minor injuries and another was in critical condition, according to authorities. Three vehicles were involved in the crash, with two practically destroyed by the impact. A power pole was also knocked down. The cause of the crash is under investigation. No further details were immediately available.

ABC 7

Toddler Trapped In Locked Car Rescued By Southern California Firefighters

A toddler trapped inside his family’s locked vehicle amid the warm weather was rescued by firefighters Monday in Studio City. It’s unclear exactly what time crews with LAFD’s Engine 86 were called to the scene, but in a post to the department’s Instagram account, officials said a prompt 911 call allowed crews to unlock the vehicle and rescue the uninjured 2-year-old. Footage of the incident posted to the Citizen App shows the concerned mother on the driver’s side of the vehicle as firefighters work to unlock the passenger side of the vehicle and get to her child. According to LAFD, the toddler locked himself in the vehicle as his parents stood just outside the car. It is not known if the car was running at the time of the incident. 

KTLA 5

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.