New Initiative Seeks To Crack Down On Violent Gun Crime In Southern California

In a bid to impose heavier penalties on repeat criminal offenders, top Southern California law enforcement officials announced a new initiative Wednesday to target and try more suspects under federal guidelines. The initiative, dubbed Operation Safe Cities, was born out of frustration with violent criminals carrying out brazen robberies with firearms — and seeks to build on existing partnerships to secure additional resources and more readily flag relevant offenses for federal authorities who have access to stricter sentencing statutes. “This effort is to ensure the most violent people out there on the streets are prosecuted and spend the time in jail that they need to,” interim Los Angeles Police Department Chief Dominic Choi said during a press conference in downtown Los Angeles. The goal, officials said, is to train local police detectives to prepare cases that could be elevated to the federal level. Representatives from the LAPD, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and Ventura County Sheriff’s Office will review potential cases with their counterparts in the FBI and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, according to U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada. “We see individuals using guns to commit extortion, and individuals using guns to commit kidnappings and assaults,” Estrada said during the news conference. “This increase in violent gun crime is unacceptable.”

Los Angeles Times

19-Year-Old Arrested For Fatal Hit-and-Run In Arleta In Aug. 2023

A 19-year-old man was arrested in connection with a deadly hit-and-run crash in Arleta back in August of 2023. The crash happened on Aug. 12 at around 10:50 p.m., according to Los Angeles Police Department officers. They say that the driver of a black Infiniti sedan, heading westbound on Van Nuys Boulevard at a high rate of speed, veered to the right to pass another car when they hit a bicyclist heading in the same direction. "The force of the collision caused the bicyclist to be thrown in a northwest direction, colliding with a parked car before coming to rest on the sidewalk," the LAPD statement said. The victim, identified as 44-year-old Los Angeles man David Rodriguez, was pronounced dead at the scene. After months of investigation, LAPD detectives were able to identify Daniel Antonio Garcia of Panorama City as the alleged driver behind the wheel of the Infiniti. He was arrested on Monday and booked on suspicion of felony hit-and-run causing death. Anyone with further information was asked to contact LAPD at (818) 644-8036.

CBS 2

Shooting Involving LAPD Officers Occurs In Reseda

A shooting involving the Los Angeles Police Department has occurred near the 7900 block of Reseda Boulevard in Reseda, according to the LAPD. The shooting was reported around 5:10 a.m. Thursday. The call initially started as a call for service around 3:30 a.m., officers said. The scene as of 7:31 a.m. was still active. 

CBS 2

Teen Girl Dies After Alleged Fight With Bullies At South L.A. High School

A 16-year-old girl has died after her mother said she suffered severe injuries from a school fight. She claims school officials failed to stop the bullies from targeting the girl. Cell phone video captured a violent altercation between two teen girls in a bathroom at Manual Arts High School in South Los Angeles. The victim, Shaylee Mejia, is seen hitting her head against a stall as she falls down at one point. The girl’s mother, Maria Juarez, is devastated and believes her daughter died as a result of that bathroom fight. Mejia enrolled at Manual Arts High about eight months ago after Juarez, a single mother of two, moved the family into a new apartment. After several months at the school, she said Mejia began coming home with bruises all over her body, presumably from fights. She took photos of the injuries and reportedly complained to school officials and campus police but said nothing was done to address the issue.

KTLA 5

Hijacked Metro Bus Collides With Cars And Crashes Into Ritz-Carlton Hotel In Downtown LA

A Metro bus that was hijacked by an armed man collided with cars and slammed into a hotel in a chaotic scene late Wednesday in downtown Los Angeles. The crash at The Ritz-Carton Hotel was reported at about 11:40 p.m. in the area of Georgia Street and Olympic Boulevard near the GRAMMY Museum at L.A. Live. Officers were told a man on the bus pulled out a gun -- later determined to be a BB gun -- and ordered the bus driver to drive to several locations, according to Metro. Dashcam and security camera video showed the bus colliding with cars before swerving into the side of the hotel. The man sought in the hijacking was arrested in the area about an hour after the crash. Details about a possible motive were not immediately available. The bus driver and a woman in a car struck by the bus were injured. Details about their conditions were not immediately available. There were no passengers on the heavily damaged bus, which remained at the scene early Thursday morning. The weapon was recovered at the scene.

NBC 4

LAPD Bodycam: Suspect Bitten By K-9 After Stolen Car Chase, Crash

Los Angeles police have released video of an incident in which a suspect fled from officers in a stolen car, crashed into a vehicle, and kept attempting to flee even after he was bitten by a police K-9. The incident happened Feb. 17 near the area of San Vicente Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue, when the automatic license plate reader in an LAPD cruiser alerted officers to a reported stolen Lexus sedan. Officers started following the vehicle and requested backup when it quickly took off thorough residential streets. They chased after the vehicle but turned a corner to find it had smashed into another car. Video shows the suspect, later identified as Ian Jimenez, 21, of Los Angeles, run away into the nearby neighborhood. You can see him hop over several fences. Officers chased after him and soon tracked him to a backyard on Masselin Avenue. They warned him about the K-9 through a loudspeaker. "Put down all weapons, come out with your hands raised, and follow directions," an officer is heard saying. "If you do not, a police dog will be used to find you. When the police dog finds you, do not move or you may be bitten."

ABC 7

Silver Alert Issued For 90-Year-Old Woman Last Seen In Reseda

A Silver Alert was issued for a 90-year-old woman who was last seen in Reseda, authorities said Thursday. Margaret Tasmin was last seen at 2 p.m. Wednesday near Welby Way and Sylvia Avenue, said the California Highway Patrol, which issued the alert on behalf of the Los Angeles Police Department. Tasmin is white, 5 feet, 5 inches tall, weighs 130 pounds, has gray hair and blue eyes. She was last seen wearing a green sweatshirt, green pants and black shoes. Authorities believe Tasmin may be on foot. Anyone who has seen Tasmin or knows of her whereabouts was asked to call 911. The Silver Alert program was established by the CHP to issue and coordinate alerts involving the suspicious or disappearance of elderly, developmentally disabled or cognitively impaired individuals.

MyNewsLA

3 Idaho Corrections Officers Shot As Suspect Breaks Inmate Out Of Hospital

Authorities are searching for an Idaho prison inmate and an accomplice who fled after the accomplice shot and wounded corrections officers as they were transporting the inmate from a Boise hospital, according to police. Police said Nicholas Umphenour is suspected of shooting two corrections officers during Wednesday’s ambush in the ambulance bay at Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center. A warrant with a $2 million bond has been issued for his arrest on two charges of aggravated battery against law enforcement and one charge of aiding and abetting an escape, police said. He and inmate Skylar Meade drove off early Wednesday after the shooting in a gray 2020 Honda Civic with Idaho plates. It’s not known where they are or where they are headed, police said Wednesday evening. Three corrections officers were shot and wounded during the attack — two allegedly by Umphenour and one by responding police. Officials described Meade, 31, as a white supremacist gang member. Meade was sentenced to 20 years in 2017 for shooting at a sheriff’s sergeant during a high-speed chase. The attack occurred at 2:15 a.m. as Idaho Department of Correction officers prepared to bring Meade back to prison. Department Director Josh Tewalt said during a news conference Wednesday afternoon that Meade was taken to the hospital at 9:35 p.m. Tuesday after he engaged in “self-injurious behavior” and medical staff determined he needed emergency care.

Associated Press

Firefighters Battle Blaze At Home In Winnetka

Firefighters battled a large fire that broke out at a one-story home in Winnetka on Wednesday. They were called to the home, located in the 20000 block of W. Londelius Street at around 6 p.m. after learning of the blaze, according to a statement from the Los Angeles Fire Department. When they arrived, there was heavy fire showing from the garage of the home, prompting them to attack the flames and stop them from entering the living area. "Firefighters discovered the garage fire spread into the attic, and put fire attack on pause to perform salvage operations inside," LAFD's statement said. Salvage operations include gathering valuables and belongings for the residents, as well as trying to cover other valuables that are not easily transported. They then opened the roof of the home to access the burning attic. It took more than 30 firefighters just under half an hour to contain the fire. 

CBS 2

LA Council Votes To Reform Police Accountability

The City Council voted Wednesday to advance reform options for police accountability, in what council members hope will be a major step in the latest effort to improve the Los Angeles Police Department’s discipline practices. Council members voted 14-0 to request that the city attorney prepare an ordinance that would repeal provisions under the City Charter’s Section 1070 that outline procedures to discipline a sworn officer. Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez was absent during the vote. City leaders instructed the chief legislative analyst, LAPD and other relative departments to report back on recommendations to give the chief of police the power to terminate officers, plans to update the Board of Rights’ structure, and incorporate binding arbitration as a component of the discipline process in termination cases. Any changes to the City Charter would require the approval of voters. Councilman Hugo Soto-Martinez said he hopes this can be done in time for the November election.

MyNewsLA

Kevin de León, Ysabel Jurado Head To November Runoff For LA's 14th District

In the race for LA's 14th District seat, tenants rights attorney Ysabel Jurado and incumbent City Councilman Kevin de León will head for a runoff in the November general election. The latest tally from the March 5 primary election shows Juardo with 8,607 votes, or 24.52%, compared to 8,209 votes, or 23.39% for de León, according to figures released Tuesday by the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk. Jurado entered Tuesday's resumption of the ballot count with a 398-vote lead, upping her margin some 80 votes from last week's update. Assemblyman Miguel Santiago, D-Los Angeles, remained in third, trailing behind de León, with 7,460 votes, 21.26%. According to the Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk, there are still 3,400 ballots left to process countywide -- approximately 2,000 vote-by-mail ballots and 1,400 conditional voter registration ballots. The vote-by-mail ballots are pending signature verification from voters whose signature on the return envelope were either missing or did not match their registration records. It was unknown how many of the remaining ballots were from the 14th District.

FOX 11

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.