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Law Enforcement News

Los Angeles Flash Mob Loots, Vandalizes 7-Eleven Following Street Takeover, Police Say
A giant flash mob ransacked and looted a 7-Eleven in Los Angeles following a street takeover at an intersection earlier this week, leaving the store in disarray, authorities said. A large group entered the convenience store early Monday near Figueroa Street and El Segundo Boulevard. Surveillance video from the store shows looters fanning out across the store and grabbing various items, including drinks, cigarettes, lottery tickets and other merchandise. The suspects also looted the shelves and threw merchandise at a store employee, the Los Angeles Police Department said. Authorities estimate about 100 people were involved. During the encounter, a store employee feared for his life, LAPD Det. Ryan Moreno told reporters Thursday. One of the suspects seen on video was a man wearing a Colorado Rockies hat who was throwing food at the store employee, he said. "There was no resistance. No fight put up," he said. Afterward, they left the store and fled before police could arrive. Footage of the incident appears to show someone going over a store counter and throwing what appears to be packs of cigarettes toward the unruly crowd. "We really want to prevent this from becoming a new trend," Moreno said.
FOX News

Olympian Kim Glass Blasts Liberal DA Gascon Amid ‘Grueling' Fight For Justice: 'We're Tired Of It'
Former U.S. Olympian Kim Glass railed against liberal policies that allow repeat offenders to remain on the streets after she was attacked in early July by a homeless man who had two previous felony assault convictions. On "America’s Newsroom" Thursday, Glass said the process of getting justice as a victim is frustrating and slow-moving, and she said she’s disappointed in the failure of the recall effort against liberal Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon. "I had to tell myself that this process of being a victim is grueling, but it's not anything I can't handle," she told hosts Bill Hemmer and Dana Perino after learning the preliminary hearing for her attacker was pushed back to October. Glass suffered a bruised eye and a gash on her nose when the attacker, Semeon Tesfamariam, threw a 10-inch metal bolt at her face. Glass said she lives as a victim every day, with strangers recognizing her and wanting to talk about the incident. "This is what victims have to go through," she said. Glass said morale is low in Los Angeles following the failed attempt to oust DA Gascon, saying it’s a "scary situation" when residents can’t trust the people in charge to do their jobs. The former volleyball star said she believes people are losing faith in the criminal justice system to keep them safe.
FOX News

2 Killed After Driver Flees From Traffic Stop In Florence
Two people are dead after a vehicle fled from a traffic stop in the Florence neighborhood of Los Angeles Friday morning, police said. The fleeing driver collided with multiple vehicles, including a big rig, near the intersection of West Manchester Boulevard and South Broadway a short time later. Police responded to the collision around 4 a.m., a Los Angeles Police Department spokesperson said. At least one person was pronounced dead at the scene. Police later confirmed that a second person also died as a result of the crash. The two victims were not in the vehicle that fled from the traffic stop, authorities at the scene said. The victims, identified only as a man and a woman, have not been identified. Aerial video from Sky5 showed one vehicle partially covered by a police canopy at the scene. A big rig and two other damaged vehicles were also visible. The intersection was closed during the investigation.
KTLA 5

New Video Released In Deadly Mission Hills Hit-and-Run; Driver Sought
Los Angeles police released new surveillance video as part of an effort to identify the hit-and-run driver who fled the scene of a Mission Hills crash that left a motorcyclist dead.
Yahoo! News Video

Investigative Genetic Genealogy Leads To Man's Conviction In 2 LA County Cold Case Murders
A man described by a prosecutor as a sexually motivated serial killer was convicted Thursday of murdering two women in the 1980s, including one in Burbank. A downtown Los Angeles jury deliberated for about three hours before convicting 67-year-old Horace Van Vaultz Jr. of first-degree murder for the July 16, 1981, strangulation of Selena Keough, a 21-year-old mother who was killed in San Bernardino County and dumped under bushes in Montclair, and the June 9, 1986, asphyxiation of Mary Duggan, a 22-year-old Reseda resident whose body was found in the trunk of her car in an empty parking lot in Burbank. The nine-man, three-woman panel also found true the special- circumstance allegations of multiple murders, murder during a rape involving both women and murder during sodomy involving Keough. Vaultz testified in his own defense and denied any involvement in the killings. The case marked the first criminal prosecution in Los Angeles County involving investigative genetic genealogy, in which detectives access commercial DNA databases, load DNA material from the crime and find a relative's match that can point toward a suspect and collect their DNA, then- Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey said at the time.
ABC 7

One Arrested In Beating Of Woman, 71, In Beverly Grove Home Invasion Robbery
One person was taken into custody in connection with the beating of a 71-year-old woman who was pistol-whipped and robbed Wednesday afternoon in her Beverly Grove home. The incident has left nearby neighbors shaken, and wondering just how safe they are in the area near the 6600 block of West 5th Street. Los Angeles police planned to provide more details Thursday about the arrest. "It makes us think twice about whether or not this is a place for us to be living," said neighbor Jessica Lieber. "It makes me think about -- you know, my babysitter today left the door unlocked. And I immediately ran and was like, "Make sure the door is locked."" Detectives are still determining how the man got into the home. After gaining entry and physically striking the woman, that man gained access to a safe inside the woman's home. She told the LAPD, according to NBC4 sources, that he got away with 500 watches, including several Rolexes. The LAPD said in its release about the incident that "a large amount of expensive jewelry" was taken, though they have not yet determined a dollar value for the items or specified what kind of jewelry it was.
NBC 4\

Unsafe Speeds And Reckless Driving: Deadly Windsor Hills Wreck ‘Is The Tip Of The Iceberg’
Phaedra Battle was just a 19-year-old college student, heading out to watch a new Eddie Murphy movie, when a car slammed into hers at Slauson and La Brea avenues. More than three decades later, her mother, Francine Battle, 83, watched with a rush of emotion footage of the gruesome Windsor Hills crash that left five people, including a pregnant woman, dead. The tragedy happened in the same spot where her daughter was fatally injured in 1987. “They say time heals. It doesn’t,” Battle said. “It is constantly with you, it never leaves you. It might not be as intense, but you never get over the loss.” The losses are piling up at an alarming rate. With the pandemic came a surge of motor vehicle deaths, abetted by an upswing in reckless behavior. Nearly 43,000 people died in crashes in 2021 — a 10.5% increase from the year before. And the trend doesn’t show signs of letting up. An estimated 9,560 people died in crashes in the first three months of this year in the U.S., according to preliminary data released this week by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. That’s equivalent to a death every 13 minutes.
LA Times\

Feds Arrest 28 Suspects In South Los Angeles Gang Takedown
Authorities arrested 28 people linked to a South Los Angeles street gang Thursday on suspicion of federal racketeering, narcotics, extortion and firearms offenses. Ten suspects remain at large. Members and associates of the gang, called the Eastside Playboys, were arrested as part of six grand jury indictments that stemmed from a four-year investigation called Operation Down the Rabbit Hole, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Los Angeles. The Eastside Playboys allegedly have ties to the Mexican Mafia prison gang and prosecutors say they have wreaked havoc in South LA for 50 years. “Members and associates of this gang have built a criminal enterprise by trafficking in guns and deadly drugs, by extorting business owners, and by terrorizing victims with violent assaults and robberies,” said Amir Ehsaei, the acting assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles field office, in a news release. Investigators seized nearly 50 guns, $140,000 in cash, 283 kilograms (624 pounds) of marijuana and almost 200 kilograms (440 pounds) of methamphetamine, as well as various amounts of fentanyl, cocaine and heroin. Prosecutors also allege the gang operated two unlicensed marijuana dispensaries. “Organized street gangs prey upon our communities with violence, intimidation and fear," Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore said in the release. "Their tradecraft is furthered by the trafficking of dangerous firearms and narcotics."
Chron\

Sexual Predator Moved Into Venice Neighborhood
When a sexual predator moved into the Ramada Inn on Washington Boulevard in Venice in early 2022, neighbors were told that nothing could be done. The site, now a transitional homeless shelter, is near three school/preschools and abuts a residential neighborhood. PATH Ventures (People Assisting the Homeless), a nonprofit, had signed an agreement with the City that said there would be no prerequisites for the homeless occupying rooms, such as employment or sobriety. That meant the sexual predator had to be given a room – as long as he was not on probation, parole or in violation of his parole. The Venice Ramada was sold to L.A. City in December 2020 for transitional housing for the homeless. Nearby residents, schools and businesses were not notified of the sale or its change of use. L.A. City Council had authorized funds to purchase the 33-room Ramada Inn for $10,200,207. “It took many of us by surprise,” one neighbor said during a two-hour public meeting about the proposed conversion. “There was no outreach, and letters to notify us of the project weren’t sent. Many of us found out by word of mouth after a notice was taped to the [Ramada Inn] building,” another neighbor said during the same meeting. “We felt blindsided.”
WestSide Current\

Naked Man Exits Car, Calmly Walks Away After Crash
A driver involved in a car accident in Los Angeles gave rubberneckers something to gawk at when he got out of his vehicle naked at the scene, video shows. The two-vehicle crash occurred shortly before 12:30 p.m. Friday at the intersection of Victory Boulevard and Lester Avenue in Van Nuys, police said. The right front end of a blue truck collided with the curb, resulting in a small pileup. A bystander’s footage, which made the rounds on Twitter, shows a naked man then exiting the blue truck via the passenger door. He does not appear to be injured and is holding some clothing in one hand. The man, who has not been identified, calmly walks up the street and drops the clothing. According to the Los Angeles Police Department, no one involved in the accident was seriously hurt.
New York Post\

Video: Woman Escapes Handcuffs In Cruiser, Shoots Deputy With AR-15
A woman, who was detained in a cruiser at the time, was somehow able to get her wrists free from her handcuffs and grab an AR-15 in the police vehicle, shooting off 10 rounds at deputies and a bystander. Both a deputy and another man were grazed by the bullet fragments, according to Local 12, and the entire incident was caught on video. Rachel Zion Clay was being detained at the time for erratic behavior. “When we detain somebody, they actually go in handcuffs, [and] they place you in the back seat of the patrol car,” Grady County Undersheriff Gary Boggess said. “While in the back seat of a patrol car, she was able to get her wrist free from the handcuffs, and the handcuffs were put on properly. She was able to reach up on our consoles. There's several switches, one is a gun switch to unlock the gun lock, and she found it, unlocked the gun lock and was able to retrieve an AR-15 rifle. Then she was able to figure out how to put a round in it, put it on fire and she fired approximately 10 rounds at our deputies and a civilian."
PoliceOne\

Man Charged With Murder In Killing Of North Carolina Deputy
A man charged with murder in the killing of Wake County Deputy Ned Byrd will make his first court appearance in the case Monday afternoon. Arturo Marin-Sotelo, 29, of Apex is charged with murder in the death of Byrd, according to an arrest warrant issued Wednesday. Byrd was found dead with multiple gunshot wounds outside his unmarked Sheriff’s Office SUV around 1 a.m. Friday, Aug. 12, near a gas station on Auburn Knightdale and Battle Bridge roads in southeastern Wake County. Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Eric Curry said Byrd had responded to a domestic incident in that area around 11 p.m. Thursday. After calls, deputies typically pull off to the side in a safe location and enter their notes from the incident, which Byrd did, Curry said. At some point dispatch tried to check in, and Byrd, a K-9 officer and former detention officer who had worked for the Sheriff’s Office for 13 years, didn’t respond, Curry said. After a couple of attempts, another deputy was sent to the location where the vehicle was tracked and found Byrd’s body around 1 a.m., Curry said, Byrd’s canine partner, Sasha, was still in the SUV.
The Charlotte Observer\

US Warns Travelers Of Kidnapping Risk In Areas Of Mexico
Americans are being warned not to travel to several states in Mexico because of the increased risk of crime and kidnapping. The U.S. State Department reissued a travel advisory on Wednesday, recommending that U.S. citizens do not travel to six Mexican states: Colima, Guerrero, Michoacán, Sinaloa, Tamaulipas, and Zacatecas. The last state was added this year in the annual advisory. The State Department advised travelers to reconsider plans to go to seven other states, including Baja California, home to Tijuana. U.S. workers there were told to shelter in place last week following a string of violence in which vehicles were set on fire. U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar said in a statement the travel advisory underscores the binational work needed to improve security in Mexico. “Without security, there is no prosperity,” Salazar said. “It is important to reaffirm our commitment to citizen safety by providing training and resources to Mexican justice and security institutions and deepening our cooperation. The United States will continue to work with our partners, friends and neighbors as we build a peaceful future together.”
KTLA 5\

Law Enforcement News

Burnt Body Found On Street In South Los Angeles
Firefighters and police are investigating a death in South Los Angeles, after they located a burnt body on the street. The fire was first reported at around 4:05 a.m. in the 300 block of W. 88th Street in the Vermont Knolls neighborhood. When Los Angeles Fire Department crews arrived to the scene, the flames had already been extinguished, though they did locate a body. According to a press released, the "body had been on fire" before it was found. The gender and age of the victim were not immediately known.
CBS 2\

COVID Hospitalizations Drop Below 1,000 In LA County
COVID-related hospitalizations fell below the 1,000 mark in Los Angeles County Friday, reflecting continued drops in infection numbers, although the public health director warned that transmission of the infectious BA.5 variant of the virus remains high, necessitating personal precautions. “We’re cognizant that the case rate is still high, well above 200 weekly cases per 100,000 people, indicating that there’s still a lot of virus circulating,” Barbara Ferrer told reporters during an online briefing. “The work that we do together to minimize spread and exposure makes a difference, particularly for those at elevated risk of poor outcomes should they become infected.” She noted that the BA.5 variant of the virus now represents about 88% of all specially sequenced COVID-19 cases in the county, so it remains the dominant strain of the illness. She said officials are closely watching the development of new strains around the world, but so far, there do not appear to be any new variants locally threatening to spark a new surge.
MyNewsLA\

Monkeypox Vaccine Eligibility In LA County Expands To People Under 18 Who Are At High Risk
Los Angeles County announced Thursday an expansion of monkeypox vaccine eligibility to include those under age 18 who are considered at high risk of infection. L.A. County Health Officer Dr. Muntu Davis said Thursday the county was expanding eligibility to those under age 18 "who are determined to be a high risk of monkeypox infection." All minors must have consent from a parent or guardian to be vaccinated. Those aged 16 or 17 should be accompanied at a vaccination site by a parent or guardian, if possible, or they can simply present a signed consent form. Those under age 16 must have a parent or guardian present to get vaccinated, in addition to a signed consent form, Davis said. Minors under age 18 are not eligible for the intradermal injection, so they must receive the full subcutaneous dosage, under the terms of the emergency use authorization for the shots approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Health officials are ramping up efforts in Southern California and across the nation as the monkeypox crisis grows. In L.A. County, the number of cases have doubled in the past two weeks.
ABC 7\