Man Found Shot To Death Near Hiking Trail In Upscale Community In Tarzana, LAPD Says

An unidentified man was found dead overnight near a hiking trail in a gated Tarzana community after being shot multiple times, prompting a police investigation. Officers responded about 12:30 a.m. Friday to a report of a "man down" near the intersection of Reseda Boulevard and Winford Drive, south of the Braemar Country Club, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles Police Department said. The officers arrived to find the 30-year-old victim suffering from multiple gunshot wounds, the LAPD said. He was pronounced deceased at the scene. Investigators believe the man was shot at the location where his body was discovered, police said. The area is just north of a parking lot often used by hikers. No one was in custody in connection with the shooting, and a description of a suspect was not available.

ABC 7

Hollywood Producer Of ‘Blue Bloods’ Charged With Drugging, Sexually Assaulting Man He Mentored

A well-known producer on such TV shows as “Six Feet Under,” “Blue Bloods” and “How to Get Away With Murder” is facing sexual assault charges after being accused of drugging a man unconscious before performing the sexual acts. Laurence Andries, 66, has been charged with six felony counts, including sodomy on a victim prevented from resisting by a controlled substance, oral copulation of an intoxicated victim, and penetration of an intoxicated person, authorities said. The assault, authorities alleged, occurred in Los Angeles on June 30, 2022. Andries, who pleaded not guilty to the charges, is free on $150,000 bond and has yet to undergo his preliminary hearing. He was arrested by Los Angeles police last August after the Los Angeles County district attorney filed six felony charges against him. The producer could not be reached for comment. The man who says he was sexually assaulted, identified in court papers only as John Doe, told ABC7 he is a military veteran and aspiring writer who was being mentored by Andries when he was drugged and assaulted. “I believe that he drugged one of my drinks, took me to his place and then... I can’t say the word. I’m sorry, I can’t say it,” said the man, whom ABC did not identify. The man told the station that he met Andries at a writers’ program and they became friends. In June 2022, they went out for drinks, he told the station, although he said he “always made it very clear, like, I’m heterosexual.”

Los Angeles Times

Shots Fired Near Chatsworth High School Prompts Lockdown

Chatsworth High School was briefly placed on lockdown after gunshots were reported near campus Thursday morning. Officers responded around 9 a.m. in 10000 block of Lurline Avenue after getting reports of an argument happening in the area, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Authorities said a gun was fired during the fight, but no one was hit. One man was injured during the fight and the other was taken into custody. Both men are in their 20s and there was no indication the incident was related with the school. The campus was briefly placed on lockdown during the incident and was lifted around 10 a.m.

CBS 2

Man Assaults Security Guard At Venice Grocery Store, Flees Before Police Arrive

A man assaulted security at a Ralph’s grocery store in Venice Thursday afternoon, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Just before 3 p.m. Thursday, police received a call regarding a potential battery offense at 910 Lincoln Boulevard, according to the LAPD. The suspect, only identified as a white man who was wearing a black hat and black glasses, fled the scene before authorities arrived, according to the department. It was unclear what led to the altercation, and no security guards were taken to a hospital for treatment, according to authorities.

Westside Current

Photography Program For East L.A. Youth Burglarized; $65,000 Worth Of Equipment Stolen

Las Fotos Project, a nonprofit in East Los Angeles that offers free photography classes to underprivileged female-identifying and nonbinary students, lost $65,000 worth of camera and other tech equipment when their space was recently burglarized. Now the organization is asking for support to help quickly reopen its doors to the community. The crime was discovered when a maintenance staff member arrived to clean up the space on Cesar Chavez Avenue early Tuesday before Las Fotos Project opened around 9 a.m., said Executive Director Lucia Torres. Right away the staff member noticed everything “was turned upside down and he immediately called 911,” Torres said. Los Angeles Police Department officials took a burglary report that morning. The incident is still under investigation. When Torres and the rest of her team arrived, she said they noticed that the back doors were pried open, cabinets were broken and their office spaces were ransacked. She believes the perpetrator or perpetrators were able to access the rear entrance of the facility by cutting the backyard fence around 1 a.m. They believe the break-in occurred around that time because a missing credit card was charged shortly after 1 a.m.

Los Angeles Times

Police Snag West LA Auto Burglar, Return Stolen Goods To Victims

A 55-year-old man was arrested following an auto burglary spree in West Los Angeles, according to authorities. Thomas Gardner, 55, was arrested on Feb. 20 in North Hollywood and charged with auto burglary, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. His bail was set at $1,650,000. Gardner, a resident of L.A., had 16 felony counts filed against him by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, including: 14 counts of burglary, 1 count of identity theft and 1 count of second-degree burglary, according to the LAPD. Police say from July 1 of last year to Feb. 20, Gardner targeted and burglarized numerous vehicles parked in underground parking garages around the West LA area. The suspect was renting self-storage units in different parts of L.A. while reselling the stolen goods, which included golf clubs, sunglasses and electronics, according to the LAPD. Police say the goods discovered in the storage units have been returned to the victims. Anyone with additional information about this crime or similar incidents is asked to call the West LA’s auto detectives at 310-444-1504. 

Westside Current

Mid-City Man Sentenced To Federal Prison On Gun Charges

A Mid-City man was sentenced to almost three years in federal prison on Thursday for a variety of gun-related offenses. Ellourth Eladio Simon, 33, pleaded guilty in May to a count of dealing firearms without a license and a count of possessing a machine gun, the U.S. Department of Justice said. Simon sold more than two dozen guns, some of which lacked serial numbers — often referred to as “ghost guns” because of their untraceable nature — and others that had been converted into automatic weapons using a device known as a “switch.” Authorities said Simon admitted to at least eight gun sales, including a Nov. 10, 2021 “sale for $8,400 in which Simon sold an ATF undercover agent four handguns and a ‘ghost gun’ AR-type rifle.” The person who sold Simon the weapons, 41-year-old William Nirion Peña of Koreatown, was sentenced to 40 months in federal prison in this case. “Peña provided approximately 16 firearms and a substantial amount of ammunition that were sold by Simon to an undercover agent,” the DOJ said. “The firearms included two silencers without serial numbers and a Glock switch. The government asserted that Simon also had other sources of the firearms that he sold to the undercover federal agent in the eight purchases.”

KTLA 5

Mail Carrier Attacked In Gardena; Neighbors Rally Around Victim

Shocking video shows the unprovoked assault on a mail carrier in Gardena. Surveillance video shared with FOX 11 shows the mail carrier being approached by a stranger on a home's driveway. The man, later identified as Bruce, is then seen being punched in the head repeatedly and body slammed to the ground by the suspect. Bruce, the mail carrier, is seen trying to fight back as he continues to be assaulted. FOX 11's Matthew Seedorff spoke with Bruce as he recovers from the horrific incident. "I did fear for my life," Bruce said. "After that, I pretty much defended myself as much as I could." Out of fear of getting punished at work, Bruce didn’t show his face on camera Thursday speaking with FOX 11 and didn’t want to share his last name. As of Thursday afternoon, the U.S. Postal Service hadn’t pressed federal charges on the attacker. "I don’t feel like I’m being protected," said Bruce. "[I want them to] hold him to the fullest extent of the law on federal charges."

FOX 11

Man Kidnaps Louisiana Deputy During Traffic Stop Before OIS

A deputy was being kidnapped when he pulled his gun and shot the driver on Interstate 10 in southwest Louisiana, according to investigators. The deputy and suspect survived the resulting car crash, but both were hospitalized, the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office reported in a news release. It happened around 10 a.m. on Thursday, March 7, during a traffic stop near Lake Charles, about a 205-mile drive west from New Orleans. Investigators say the trouble started when a search of the vehicle revealed “illegal narcotics.” “While the deputy was still inside the vehicle, the suspect entered the driver’s side and drove off, fleeing the scene with the deputy still inside, kidnapping the deputy,” officials said. “The deputy made verbal commands for the suspect to stop, and he did not comply, at which time the deputy fired his weapon, hitting the suspect. The vehicle crashed.” Identities of the driver and deputy, and details of their injuries have not been released as of March 8.

Charlotte Observer

2 People And 3 Pets Rescued From Burning Home In Sun Valley

Two people and three pets were rescued from a burning home in Sun Valley Thursday, authorities said. It happened just before 11:30 a.m. at a single-story home on N Coldwater Canyon Avenue. When firefighters arrived, there was "heavy fire showing" and the people were trapped inside. The Los Angeles Fire Department says a man was rushed to the hospital in critical condition and a woman suffered only minor injuries. AIR7 HD captured video of the man being taken away on a gurney. Firefighters also rescued three pets - two dogs and a cat. The dogs are doing well, according to investigators, but the cat is in critical condition. LAFD says it took 41 firefighters 21 minutes to access, confine and extinguish the flames and rescue the victims. No firefighters were injured. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

ABC 7

Meet Ethan Weaver, Challenger For Nithya Raman’s LA City Council Seat

Ethan Weaver will face off against progressive L.A. City Councilwoman Nithya Raman in November, based on results of the March 5 elections. On the most recent ballot count, Raman held a lead with 45.75 percent of the votes, compared to Weaver’s 42.09 percent. Raman represents the 4th City Council district, which runs from Koreatown through the Hollywood Hills into North Hollywood. She was elected in 2020, after unseating incumbent David Ryu who had served on the council for five years. The competitive nature of this district race highlights brewing pushback against Raman’s progressive policies and approach to homelessness, renters’ rights and environmental regulations, including criticism from the real estate industry. Weaver, who lives in a studio apartment in Los Feliz with his fiancé, positioned himself as the realist candidate versus Raman’s more idealistic philosophy and approach to the city’s challenges. He currently works as a deputy city attorney in Los Angeles. “Problems were ignored if they didn’t advance activists’ ideology,” he told the Los Angeles Daily News’ editorial board that endorsed his candidacy, describing a change in relationship with City Hall after Raman assumed the job. “Running a city is not an ideological job. I don’t have room for ideology, only reality.”

The Real Deal

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.