Man In Critical Condition After Shooting In Vermont Square

A 50-year-old man is in critical condition Friday after he was shot in the Vermont Square neighborhood of South Los Angeles. Officers from the Los Angeles Police Department’s Southwest Division responded to a shots fired call at 12:15 a.m. at 1046 W. Martin Luther King Blvd., west of Vermont Boulevard, where they found the victim seated in a car with a gunshot wound to the head, an LAPD spokesman told City News Service. The victim’s car had struck two parked vehicles when officers found him, police said. Los Angeles Fire Department personnel took the victim to a hospital in critical condition. There was no suspect description.

MyNewsLA

3 Suspects In Custody After High-Speed Chase Ends In Violent Crash In Koreatown

Three people were taken into custody Thursday afternoon after a high-speed chase ended in a violent crash in Koreatown. Authorities started a pursuit of a black BMW sedan around 2 p.m. in Marina del Rey after sheriff's deputies spotted the car, which matched the description given in a robbery call. Los Angeles police officers then took over the chase. The BMW raced along streets in Koreatown before crashing into a white car at an intersection near 5th Street and Wilton Place. The white vehicle ended up slamming into an apartment building, and the BMW ended up on the sidewalk after hitting a parked car. Both cars were severely damaged. A woman driving the white vehicle was transported to a hospital for treatment. Police approached the black car with guns drawn and took a passenger into custody. A suspect who ran away after the crash was quickly captured. 

ABC 7

Suspects In Encino Spark Dumpster Fire With Explosive

Encino residents already dealing with a rash of burglaries need help tracking down a pair of suspects who started a dumpster fire in their neighborhood Thursday morning. The alleged arson happened at about 1 a.m. in the 5000 block of Rubio Avenue, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. Security camera video captured a dark pickup truck approaching the industrial dumpster sitting outside a home under construction. It parked next to it briefly before the suspect in the passenger seat lit an object, potentially a firework, and tossed it out the window. It lands in the trash and explodes as the truck drives away. A burst of light appears from the dumpster before the contents inside catch on fire. Firefighters arrived about 10 minutes later and extinguished the flames within a few minutes. The LAFD has not determined what kind of explosive started the fire. Neighbors believed it was a Molotov cocktail. The neighborhood, which has experienced a string of burglaries in the past month, expressed frustrations with the city and law enforcement. 

CBS 2

Family Searching For Missing Los Angeles Woman

Loved ones are searching for a woman who disappeared in South Los Angeles. Prisciliana Rose Douglas, 60, was last seen on July 23 near the intersection of 39th Street and Walton Avenue in Exposition Park, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Her family said the missing woman is “of sound mind” and did not note any underlying health conditions that would contribute to her disappearance. Loved ones are “deeply concerned for her safety and well-being,” police said. Douglas is described as 5 feet 4 inches tall and weighs around 140 pounds. She has black hair and brown eyes with a medium build. She also has visible moles under her left eye. Her family said they do not know what she was last seen wearing when she left her home near the 1100 West block of 39th Street. Anyone who may have spotted Douglas or knows of her whereabouts is urged to call LAPD Southwest Area at 213-485-2710. 

KTLA 5

Thief Leaves Apology Note After Robbing San Fernando Valley Business

Several businesses in the San Fernando Valley were targeted by burglars, but one of the locations was left with something different: an apology note. Surveillance video from one robbery showed the moment someone broke in through a wall and grabbed the money from the cash register. Police said at least 10 businesses were hit in the last couple of nights, including three burglaries. Six of those businesses were vandalized. In one of those burglaries, the thief left a note saying “Sorry, need $ for drugs, won’t come back.” It was not clear if the same person was behind all of the burglaries.

NBC 4

Southern California Double Murder Suspect Found, Arrested In Las Vegas

Authorities in Las Vegas found and arrested a man accused of the killing of two people in Southern California’s High Desert on Sunday, officials confirmed Friday. According to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, deputies responded to reports of a disturbance in Victorville’s 12400 block of San Jacinto Drive on Sunday at about 9:18 p.m. Deputies learned upon arrival that a verbal argument between family members had turned physical. During the family dispute, two people later identified as Cody McFann and Melissa Quintero arrived at the scene. Authorities say they engaged in a physical altercation with the suspect, Donnie Griffin, who eventually chased the pair with a gun. Griffin eventually shot and killed McFann, 35 of Hesperia, and Quintero, 39 of Victorville, according to the sheriff’s department. He then fled the scene. Investigations revealed that Griffin escaped to a residence in Las Vegas. After obtaining a warrant, the sheriff’s department, Las Vegas Police Department and U.S. Marshal’s Office arrested Griffin at the home on Wednesday. Griffin, 50 of Victorville, was booked into a Las Vegas jail and is currently awaiting extradition to California.

KTLA 5

California Mother Faces Charges After Her Baby Died Of A Possible Fentanyl Overdose

A Santa Cruz County mother is facing criminal neglect charges after her 18-month-old baby died of a possible fentanyl overdose. On July 28, the Santa Cruz Police Department responded to Dignity Health Dominican Hospital for a report of a deceased infant who was brought in by her mother, 38-year-old Korisa Woll, according to a news release. When officers arrived at the hospital they met with Woll and observed the deceased infant. The department’s investigators who were immediately called in learned the child passed away while in Woll’s care at their residence in the city of Santa Cruz. The county coroner took possession of the deceased child, and the results of a complete autopsy are pending. But according to the district attorney’s office, early autopsy results showed a “presumptive positive” for cocaine and fentanyl in her system. An official cause of death has not been completed. Woll was later booked into the Santa Cruz County Jail on two charges of felony child endangerment, one with enhancement for great bodily injury to a child younger than 5 years old, plus an additional misdemeanor for evidence destruction, the Mercury News reported.

Los Angeles Times

Video: Suspect Opens Fire At Milwaukee PD Officers In Gas Station, Leading To Standoff, OIS

Newly released body camera and surveillance footage shows a man exchanging gunfire with officers, leading to a standoff and an officer-involved shooting, WISN reported. Officers responded to the gas station on July 17 to apprehend a suspect wanted on suspicion of shooting two family members the previous day, according to the report. Surveillance video from inside the gas station shows the suspect standing at the counter before police arrive. As officers enter and instruct him to put his hands up, the suspect retreats to the back of the station. Gunfire erupts, with Milwaukee police stating the suspect shot first and an officer returned fire, according to the report. The body camera footage shows officers retreating outside the gas station, leading to a six-minute standoff with the suspect. Bystanders inside the station took cover during the exchange. The suspect then ran outside, shooting at police again, prompting officers to return fire and wound him. He was arrested in the parking lot. The suspect now faces seven charges, including three counts of attempted first-degree intentional homicide, according to the report.

PoliceOne

Body Found At The Base Of A Cliff In San Pedro

A body was discovered at the base of a cliff in San Pedro on Thursday, prompting an investigation from local authorities. Firefighters were sent to the area in the 2300 block of W. Paseo Del Mar near Royal Palms Park, at around 1 p.m., according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. They arrived to help lifeguards in recovering the body. Los Angeles Police Department investigators, who were contacted to assist in the investigation, have not yet disclosed how the person came to be at the bottom of the cliff. No information was provided on the victim's age or gender. 

CBS 2

Fire Warning! Heat Wave And Dry Thunder Approaching LA

Another heat wave will drive up temperatures across the Southland starting Thursday, accompanied by a chance of “dry thunderstorms” with the potential for fire-igniting lightning strikes. The National Weather Service issued a red flag warning of critical fire danger that will take effect at noon Thursday and remain in place until 8 p.m. Friday in the Santa Clarita Valley, Antelope Valley, San Gabriel Mountains, Antelope Valley foothills and the 5 and 14 Freeway corridors. Forecasters said the warning is primarily due to the “increasing risk of isolated dry thunderstorms, capable of lightning-induced ignitions with little to no precipitation.” Such storms could also produce “erratic” winds gusting from 45 to 60 mph that could rapidly spread any fires that do erupt. The conditions are exacerbated by “recently extended heat waves and rapidly drying fuels,” forecasters said. The risk of thunderstorms is expected to be highest Thursday afternoon through Friday, according to the NWS. The high pressure system bringing the heat to the area is expected to remain in place through much of next week, with temperatures slowly increasing daily. The increases could lead “to dangerous and significant heat risks across the interior by as early as Saturday or Sunday and lasting for several days,” according to the NWS.

MyNewsLA

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.