Los Angeles police accidentally release photos of undercover officers to watchdog website

In a still-unfolding drama that has reached its top ranks, the Los Angeles Police Department accidentally released the names and photos of numerous undercover officers to a watchdog group that posted them on its website. Department leaders said over the weekend that the release of pictures of officers working in an undercover capacity was inadvertent, and they have launched an internal investigation to determine how the mistake occurred.

Los Angeles Times

Bailed out, arrested again: These charities boomed after the murder of George Floyd. They’re under fire for bailing out violent offenders

In late August of 2021, Minneapolis police responded to a shooting along I-94, where they found a BMW sedan that had crashed into a freeway median. Slumped behind the steering wheel was 38-year-old Luis Damian Martinez Ortiz, who’d suffered a fatal gunshot wound to the chest. After reviewing surveillance footage, police arrested George Howard, then 47, who’d gotten into an alleged road-rage altercation with Ortiz on a freeway onramp, according to court documents. Howard, whose trial is slated for April, stands accused of second-degree murder

Police Investigating Triple-Shooting In South Los Angeles

Police are investigating a shooting that left three people wounded in South Los Angeles on Monday. According to Los Angeles Police Department, officers were dispatched to the area near 76th Street and S. Main Street at around 5:30 p.m., after learning of a shooting in the area. Upon arrival, they found at least three people suffering from gunshot wounds. Police said that the shooting occurred when a group of suspects walked up to the victims and allegedly opened fire. It was unknown if the shooting was gang-related. Two of the victims, both males, are said to be conscious and breathing. There was no information available on the third. 

CBS 2

Police In L.A., N.Y. And Beyond Brace For Protests If Trump Indicted

The New York and Los Angeles police departments and other law enforcement agencies nationwide are taking steps to prepare for possible protests and disruptions if former President Trump is indicted. Outside the Manhattan courthouse where Trump would appear if he is indicted by a grand jury for a hush money payment to a porn star, the NYPD on Monday morning put in a place a steel crowd control fence, and a heightened law enforcement presence since the weekend has been seen at Trump Tower. In Los Angeles, the LAPD and federal authorities are preparing for a protest Tuesday evening by various groups supporting the former president outside the federal building in Westwood. Behind closed doors, an array of New York, federal and other law enforcement officials began preparing over the weekend for what would be an unprecedented indictment. Mayor Eric Adams and the police chief planned a briefing of city leaders as to preparations. “We are monitoring comments on social media, and the NYPD is doing their normal role of making sure that there’s no inappropriate actions in the city,” Adams told reporters, according to the New York Daily News. “We are confident we are going to be able to do that.”

Los Angeles Times

Couple Ambushed By Armed Robber In Koreatown: Video

Surveillance video captured the moments a couple out on a date in Koreatown last week were robbed by a man with a semi-automatic handgun, and police believe the suspect may have committed at least one other armed robbery in the area. The incident happened around 10 p.m. on Mar. 15 outside Jaragua, a Salvadoran restaurant in the 4400 block of Beverly Boulevard. Video shows the couple complying and dropping to the ground, while the armed suspect takes their money, debit cards, cellphones and a designer handbag. “Obviously they were scared, traumatized, can’t walk in the neighborhood,” the owner of Jaragua told KTLA. The restaurant owner did not want to appear on camera out of concern for his safety. “I tried to get the word out to the employees because that’s why I’m here. I’m going to walk them out when they get into their car. And this morning, they’re kind of scared to walk by themselves, even in the parking lot,” he said.  

KTLA 5

Los Angeles Man Busted With 4 Pounds Of Meth, Over A Pound Of Fentanyl, Counterfeit Oxycodone And Cash

A 57-year-old Los Angeles man was arrested after a lengthy investigation revealed that he was a supplier of fentanyl and methamphetamine to residents of Ventura and L.A. counties, authorities announced last week. The investigation, according to a news release from the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office, found that the suspect, identified as Kevin Mulvihill, was operating the illicit drug supplying business out of various motels and short-term rental properties in Los Angeles. The Ventura County Superior Court granted detectives a search warrant for the 57-year-old’s vehicle and a motel room he had been renting. Mulvihill was detained by VCSO narcotics detectives and authorities with the Culver City Crime Impact Team on Feb. 9, while he was in his vehicle in the 4700 block of Inglewood Boulevard in Culver City. A short time later, authorities executed the search warrant at the suspect’s hotel room, located in the 10800 block of Santa Monica Boulevard in L.A.  

KTLA 5

Santa Monica Police Department Looking For Additional Victims In Major Theft

In the early morning hours of March 18, 2023, the above-pictured subjects were arrested for identity theft, possession of stolen property, and grand theft said the Santa Monica Police Department on Monday afternoon. The suspects are, from left to right: Michael Leonard Pico-Quintero, Tatiana Yuli Arango-Chaves and Sindy Milena Peralta-Porras. The suspects were found in possession of more than twenty cellphones in a Faraday bag, several stolen credit cards and a black Louis Vuitton purse containing a stolen identification card. Victims who tracked their phones to the location reported they had last seen their phones in The Victorian and Jameson’s Pub both located near one another on Main Street near Ocean Park. SMPD also said that if you believe you might have been a victim of these theft suspects and need to file a stolen property report, please call the non-emergency line at 310-458-8491.

Westside Current

Family Desperately Searching For Carson Teen Missing Since New Year's Day

Friends and relatives of a 16-year-old girl who disappeared from her family's Carson home on New Year's Day made a plea to the public Friday for information on her whereabouts, saying they fear she is a victim of human trafficking. According to her family, Alinka Angeline Castaneda was last seen outside the home in the 23000 block of South Caroldale Avenue around 5 a.m. Jan. 1. At a news conference Friday, the family and investigator Moses Castillo -- a former police detective helping with the search -- released footage from a Ring camera showing an unknown male approaching Alinka that morning just before she disappeared. "Maybe she came out to wish somebody a happy new year, give them a happy new year hug, and then something went sideways from there," Castillo said. "I don't know." The teen hasn't been seen since. The family says she disappeared without her cell phone or any other possessions. "All of her belongings are here, clothes, wallet, backpack, cellphone. So I guess that's why it's a little alarming because it seemed like she wasn't planning on leaving," said her brother Alan Torino. According to the family, the teen called two weeks later and spoke to her younger sister -- a call that authorities traced to the Venice area. "The sister said Alinka sounded scared in her voice, and that she didn't know where she was, but said that they (won't) let her go," Castillo said.

FOX 11

Man Wanted For Allegedly Robbing Armored Truck In El Segundo

Federal authorities are searching for a suspect who allegedly robbed an armored truck at gunpoint in El Segundo. On Feb. 21, an armored truck driver was robbed while at a Bank of America located at 835 N. Pacific Coast Highway, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. After robbing the driver, the suspect entered the passenger seat of a maroon-colored Ford Taurus sedan and fled the area. Surveillance images from the bank captured the suspect’s image. He is described as a white man around 40 years old. He stands 5 feet 11 inches tall, weighs around 180 pounds and has a thin build. He has moles or skin tags behind his right ear. He was last seen wearing an orange reflective vest, blue cloth mask, black hooded sweatshirt, blue jeans, and black shoes. Anyone with information about the suspect should contact the Los Angeles FBI office at 310-477-6565 or the nearest American Embassy or Consulate. Online tips can be submitted at tips.fbi.gov.

KTLA 5

Theft Ring Targeting Elderly At Grocery Stores, Markets: LASD

Authorities said an organized criminal ring from South America may be responsible for a recent string of thefts at grocery stores and retailers across Southern California. And these thefts recently hit close to home after the mother of FOX 11's Christina Pascucci was one of their victims. Christel Pascucci was shopping at a Westlake Village Costco around 6 p.m. on Wednesday, March 15, when she said thieves lifted her wallet from her purse. "I put my purse in the cart," said Christel Pascucci. "I looked at some cosmetics in the one aisle, and all of a sudden I was bumped. So I kind of turned around towards that and when I did I see somebody behind me run with their head down. They ran away. They were so fast." Investigators said the pair then went straight to a nearby Target, which is seconds away by car. After a drive that took roughly 30 seconds, they were captured once again on surveillance walking into the Target store off Russel Ranch Road minutes later, immediately grabbing gift cards and trying to charge $1,000 to Christel Pascucci's stolen credit cards four separate times. The cards were declined, and the criminals walked out empty-handed. 

FOX 11

Border Patrol Arrests 2 Men Smuggling Nearly $1M Of Cocaine In SoCal

U.S. Border Patrol agents arrested two men who had nearly $1 million of cocaine in their vehicle near Murrieta. this week. The two men, a 31-year-old and 42-year-old, were caught trying to smuggle in cocaine Wednesday morning near Murrieta, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in a press release. Two agents were patrolling Interstate 15 when they decided to conduct a vehicle stop on a dark-colored 2011 Jeep Liberty. As they questioned both men, an agency K-9 alerted them that something was wrong. The agents began to search the vehicle and found that both men were carrying 30 wrapped packages of cocaine that weighed 73 pounds, inside a duffle bag, according to the CBP. The drugs are estimated to be worth $991,500. The men were arrested on the spot and the drugs were given to Inland Crackdown Allied Taskforce (INCA) for further investigation. “Criminal organizations go to great lengths to conceal and smuggle dangerous narcotics in order to make millions of dollars. This is done without regard to the health and safety of our communities. I am proud of our Border Patrol agents’ vigilant efforts to keep this poison off our streets,” Chief Patrol Agent Aron M. Heitke said in a written statement. 

NBC 4

Video: Suspect Rams California Patrol Vehicles, Nearly Striking Deputy

Newly released body-worn camera video shows a sheriff's deputy shooting a man the department said used a stolen pickup to ram into patrol vehicles in El Cajon last week and nearly hit the deputy before driving off, investigators said. San Diego County sheriff's Deputy Carlos Ramirez-Ochoa shot Brenten Kinzenbaw, 25, through both legs March 10 during a confrontation on Oro Street near Sumner Avenue, sheriff's officials said in a news release. The incident started around 10:30 p.m. when Ramirez-Ochoa spotted a Toyota truck parked on Oro Street. It had been reported stolen out of Alpine earlier that day. Ramirez-Ochoa called for assistance. Deputy Jason Balinger , who is with the Sheriff's Department's canine unit, showed up to the scene with his dog, investigators said. The deputies waited for 90 minutes before they decided to recover the vehicle. Ramirez-Ochoa believed the truck was empty and was not recording with his body-worn camera, Sheriff's officials said. The footage from Balinger's camera shows him approaching the parked vehicle. He turns his flashlight on and finds a man standing by the side of the truck and another sitting in the driver's seat.

San Diego Union Tribune

Washington Deputy Critically Wounded In Shooting While Serving Eviction Notice

A King County sheriff's deputy was shot and critically wounded Monday while serving an eviction notice at a Ballard apartment where a person was later found dead. The deputy is in critical condition at Seattle's Harborview Medical Center, where he was taken for surgery after the exchange of gunfire in the 800 block of Northwest 54th Street. The 29-year-old found dead had barricaded themselves in the apartment, and the cause of death wasn't immediately clear. Neither that person nor the deputy has been publicly identified, though authorities said the deputy was a 25-year veteran of the Sheriff's Office. He and two other deputies were serving a final eviction notice and had made contact with the person in the apartment when shots were fired, according to the King County Independent Force Investigation Team. The person retreated into the apartment and was later found dead. The two other deputies fired shots, said Meeghan Black, a spokesperson for the investigative team. The deputy who was wounded did not. It's standard procedure to have two or three deputies at proceedings such as the servicing of eviction notices.

Seattle Times

5 Hospitalized In Panorama City Apartment Fire

A fire that damaged a Panorama City apartment complex Monday morning left five people hospitalized and displaced more than a dozen residents. The fire at the four-story building was reported early Monday in the 9000 block of North Tobias Avenue in the San Fernando Valley community. About 100 firefighters responded to the scene, where smoke was billowing from apartment windows and balconies. Five people were hospitalized. One person was in serious condition. A dog was found dead at the scene. Neighbors pitched in to help extinguish the blaze, grabbing the fire hoses in their hallways and dragging them outside to douse the flames. "They had hoses and they were saying, 'Get out, get out," said Peter Ramirez, who lives in the floor above where the fire started. The fire was knocked down at about 8:15 a.m. At least 10 units in the 200-unit complex were destroyed, leaving 16 people displaced.

NBC 4

Firefighters Rescue Man From Los Angeles River After He Fell From Sixth Street Bridge

Firefighters rescued a man who reportedly fell from the Sixth Street Bridge into the Los Angeles River on Sunday. They rushed to the scene after learning of the fall, which occurred just before 10 a.m. "The man traveled over three-quarters of a mile southbound in the water, passed under the Santa Monica (10) Freeway and managed to escape the water flow, before getting to the Olympic Bridge," said a statement from LAFD. He was waiting for rescue crews on the bank of the river, where he was treated before being rushed to a nearby hospital. "LAFD Air Ops hoisted the patient and transported him to a nearby trauma center," the statement said. The man's condition was not yet known. It was also unclear how the man fell off of the bridge. 

CBS 2

About the LAPPL: Formed in 1923, the Los Angeles Police Protective League (LAPPL) represents more than 9,200 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.