Law Enforcement News
Lancaster Man Killed In Winnetka Shooting
A 30-year-old man was found shot to death in North Hollywood and an investigation into his death was underway Saturday, according to authorities. The victim was identified as Julian Bynum of Chicago, Illinois, the Los Angeles Police Department reported. Officers were patrolling the area when they received a shots fired call at approximately 11:50 p.m. Friday at 6810 Simpson Ave. west of Vanowen Street, an LAPD spokeswoman told City News Service. Bynum was found on the sidewalk suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The LAPD's Valley Homicide Bureau urged anyone with information regarding the shooting to call them at 818-374-9550 or Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477. Online tips may be placed at www.LAPDOnline.org.
NBC 4
Man Struck, Killed By Hit-and-Run Driver In South Los Angeles
A 29-year-old man is dead after he was struck by a hit-and-run driver in the Florence area of South Los Angeles Friday afternoon. Though the Los Angeles Police Department initially indicated the collision occurred just after 6 p.m., police later said the man was crossing the street near East 76th Street and Avalon Boulevard at 4:05 p.m. when he was hit by a dark-colored SUV traveling south on Avalon. The driver did not stop, instead continuing south “at a high rate of speed and possibly had the lights turned off,” police said in a news release. The pedestrian was declared dead at the scene, and he will not be publicly identified until his family has been notified. Anyone with information is asked to contact Detectives Geitheim or Flannery at 213-713-9579. During non-business hours, or on weekends, calls should be directed to 1-877-LAPD-24-7 (877-527-3247). Anyone wishing to remain anonymous should call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or go directly to lacrimestoppers.org.
KTLA 5
15-Year-Old Girl Hospitalized After Being Shot In Leimert Park
A teenage girl has been hospitalized shot in Leimert Park late Friday night. According to Los Angeles Police Department, officers were dispatched to the 1600 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard for calls of shots fired at around 11:25 p.m. When they arrived, they the found the 15-year-old girl suffering from a gunshot wound she received while she and another teenager, a male, were "playing with a handgun," police said. The girl was hospitalized, but her wounds are not considered to be life-threatening. It's unclear at this moment if the boy who pulled the trigger is in police custody.
CBS 2
One Dead, One Injured In Solo-Vehicle Crash In Reseda
A driver died and her passenger was left with minor injuries as the result of a solo-car crash in Reseda Sunday. The crash was reported about 4:50 p.m. near the intersection of Wilbur Avenue and Saticoy Street. The trapped driver — described as a girl — was pronounced dead at the scene and the boy in her car suffered minor injuries, and was taken to a hospital by paramedics, according to a videographer at the scene. Det. Lisset Fuentes of the Los Angeles Police Department’s Valley Traffic Division told reporters at the scene the Toyota Camry was moving at a high rate of speed when the driver apparently lost control, veered to the right and became airborne before crashing into a pole.
MyNewsLA
Six Juveniles Arrested For Series Of Carjackings, Robberies In South Los Angeles
Police arrested six juvenile suspects on Thursday, all of whom are connected to a series of robberies allegedly made through a social media application. According to Los Angeles Police Department, officers were dispatched to reports of a carjacking at around 6 p.m. Thursday evening. They eventually located the stolen vehicle, a green Honda Civic, at around 9 p.m. and attempted to perform a traffic stop. The suspects instead fled from officers, prompting a pursuit that continued until the Honda crashed into a vehicle parked on 88th Street and Menlo Avenue in South Los Angeles. Officers detained six suspects at the scene and recovered a handgun from inside of the vehicle. Four of those suspects were taken into custody; one was arrested for felony evading and another for receiving stolen property. Authorities have not released the names of the suspects due to their ages.
CBS 2
LAPD Investigating Disappearance Of Megan Thee Stallion's Former Bodyguard
Los Angeles police are investigating the disappearance of rapper Megan Thee Stallion's former bodyguard, who has reportedly gone missing ahead of his scheduled appearance in court in the trial of Canadian rapper Tory Lanez. Megan's attorney Alex Spiro issued a statement to ABC News saying he and his team have recently learned Justin Edison went missing. "The LAPD is currently looking into his disappearance, and welcome any information about his whereabouts," read the statement. Edison was slated to testify in Lanez's trial, who's accused of shooting Megan in the feet after leaving a party at Kylie Jenner's house in 2020. Lanez has pleaded not guilty to discharging a firearm with gross negligence, assault with a semiautomatic firearm and carrying a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle. Further details surrounding the disappearance of Edison were not immediately disclosed.
ABC7
Woman Struck By Multiple Gunshots On 101 Freeway In Tarzana
Authorities are seeking the public’s help in identifying the assailant who shot a 26-year-old woman while she was in her car on the 101 Freeway in Tarzana, leaving her in critical condition at a hospital. The California Highway Patrol received several calls around 5:15 p.m. Saturday of a crash involving a black Audi on the northbound freeway at White Oak Avenue. CHP officers located the car on the right shoulder of the freeway, and found that the woman had been struck by multiple gunshots. Additional information was not immediately available. The CHP’s Southern Division Major Crimes Unit urged anyone with information about the shooting to call them at 323-644-9550 or the CHP’s Los Angeles Communication Center at 323-259-3410.
La Daily News
TSA Confiscates Record Number Of Firearms At Security Checkpoints
Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers intercepted a record number of firearms brought by passengers to airport security checkpoints in 2022. As of December 16, TSA has stopped 6,301 firearms; more than 88% were loaded. This number surpasses the previous record of 5,972 firearms detected in 2021. TSA anticipates it will prevent about 6,600 firearms in carry-on bags from entering the secure area of airports by the end of 2022, a nearly 10% increase over 2021's record level. At LAX, TSA confiscated 75 firearms in 2022, as of Dec. 15. In 2021, security seized 89 firearms. Firearm possession laws vary by state and local government, but firearms are never allowed in carry-on bags at any TSA security checkpoint, even if a passenger has a concealed weapon permit. In order to reduce the threat of firearms at checkpoints, TSA has increased the maximum civil penalty for a firearms violation to $14,950.
CBS 2
Police: Fatally Shot Mississippi Officer Killed Shooter In Final Moments
A Mississippi police officer shot and killed a woman even as the woman was fatally shooting the officer and his partner in the parking lot of a Gulf Coast motel on Wednesday, authorities now say. Mississippi Public Safety Commissioner Sean Tindell said in a statement and interviews that body camera footage, autopsies and other forensic tests have helped to clarify what happened during the encounter. Tindell said Amy Anderson, a 43-year-old Ocean Springs veterinarian, had checked into a motel in Bay St. Louis before dawn on Wednesday with her 8-year-old daughter and then asked the motel manager to call police. “She thought someone was following her,” Tindell told the Sun Herald of Biloxi. “It appears she had a mental break.” Bay St. Louis officers Branden Estorffe, 23, and Sgt. Steven Robin, 34, arrived and spent 40 minutes talking to Anderson, who officials say told officers that she believed someone was following her in a white pickup truck and was threatening her life.
AP
Police: Fatally Shot Mississippi Officer Killed Shooter In Final Moments
A Mississippi police officer shot and killed a woman even as the woman was fatally shooting the officer and his partner in the parking lot of a Gulf Coast motel on Wednesday, authorities now say. Mississippi Public Safety Commissioner Sean Tindell said in a statement and interviews that body camera footage, autopsies and other forensic tests have helped to clarify what happened during the encounter. Tindell said Amy Anderson, a 43-year-old Ocean Springs veterinarian, had checked into a motel in Bay St. Louis before dawn on Wednesday with her 8-year-old daughter and then asked the motel manager to call police. “She thought someone was following her,” Tindell told the Sun Herald of Biloxi. “It appears she had a mental break.” Bay St. Louis officers Branden Estorffe, 23, and Sgt. Steven Robin, 34, arrived and spent 40 minutes talking to Anderson, who officials say told officers that she believed someone was following her in a white pickup truck and was threatening her life.
AP
Man Fatally Wounded After Trying To Shoot Officer Inside Michigan Police Station
A 33-year-old Dearborn man with a history of mental illness is dead after he walked into the city's Police Department, pointed a handgun at an officer behind the front desk and attempted to shoot the officer, police said. The officer fired multiple shots at the man, who was transported to a nearby hospital and pronounced dead. The ordeal unfolded at about 3:30 p.m. Sunday when the man walked into the north entrance of the police station and removed a concealed 9 mm pistol from his person, police said. No one other than the gunman was harmed, police said. The Michigan State Police is overseeing the investigation. Detectives are reviewing video surveillance and interviewing witnesses. The weapon was recovered at the scene, police said. "The motive of the suspect is unclear at this point," MSP said in a statement on its Twitter page. "There is a history of mental illness."
News Herald
Public Safety News
Firefighter Injured During Garage Fire In Studio City
A firefighter was injured while battling a garage fire in Studio City late Friday evening. According to Los Angeles Fire Department, crews were dispatched to the 3800 block of North Eureka Drive at around 11:50 p.m. after learning of a fire inside of the garage of a one-story building. Upon arrival, firefighters found a vehicle and other items inside of the garage burning. It took 30 firefighters around 25 minutes to extinguish the flames. The injured firefighter was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. The injuries are not believed to be life-threatening. The cause of the fire was not immediately known.
CBS 2
Hiker Stranded In Icy Conditions Airlifted Out Of Angeles Forest
A hiker was airlifted to safety after getting stranded Sunday in the Angeles National Forest, officials with the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department said. The hiker was stranded on an icy trail east of Islip Saddle. Tactical medics with LASD’s Special Enforcement Bureau were lowered to the trapped hiker from the department’s Air Rescue 5 helicopter. Footage of the incident, tweeted by LASD, showed icy, snowy conditions in the area as the hiker was being hoisted up to the chopper. It is unclear if the hiker suffered any injuries. No other details were provided.
KTLA 5
L.A. County Coronavirus Threat Eases For Now, But A Second Wave After Christmas Possible
Coronavirus cases in Los Angeles County have stabilized, pushing off the prospect of a new indoor mask mandate shortly after New Year’s Day, but a second wave associated with Christmas and other gatherings remains possible. L.A. County reported 2,911 coronavirus cases a day for the week that ended Friday, a 20% decline from the prior week. That’s a per capita case rate of 202 cases a week for every 100,000 residents. A rate of 100 or more is considered high. Hospitalization rates have also stopped their relentless increase. Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said she considers the case and hospitalization rates for L.A. County plateauing, rather than representing a sustained decline. On Thursday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said L.A. County hospitals were admitting about 14 coronavirus-positive patients per week for every 100,000 residents, down 4% from the prior week.
LA Times
Local Government News
Council President Paul Krekorian Says Forceful Action May Be Necessary To Stop Protestors From Disrupting Meetings
In an ongoing effort to control protestors who have disrupted Los Angeles City Council meetings in recent weeks, Council President Paul Krekorian on Sunday said that he might consider taking more forceful action. Spurred by a racially-charged scandal that involved then-President Nury Martinez and current councilmen Kevin de León and Gil Cedillo, outraged protestors have filled City Hall chambers for weeks, constantly calling for the resignation of those involved, despite failure to do so from De León and Cedillo. Krekorian was elected as council president in early December, taking over for Martinez after she resigned in the wake of the audio leak where she made several racist comments while speaking with councilmembers in 2021.
CBS 2
Teams To Begin Moving Homeless From Encampments Into Hotels, Motels Under Mayor Karen Bass' New Plan
Mayor Karen Bass is preparing to launch a new program to address homelessness in Los Angeles where teams will be moving homeless people from tent encampments into hotels and motels. The new program, called "Inside Safe," is set to launch Tuesday. The plan, which Bass said will cost under $100 million, will be to use master leasing with motels to place the homeless. She said her office has been in touch with motel owners near encampments. "If you build affordable housing under my executive directive, the city will complete the approval process within 60 days. Then, when construction starts, the permit utility and certificate of occupancy process will be completed in just five days," Bass said. "That's five days for 100% affordable housing projects and in no more than two days for temporary housing. That is the urgency we need at City Hall and that is what we are delivering."
ABC 7
