New LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell To Be Ceremonially Sworn In Thursday

The new chief of the Los Angeles Police Department will be sworn in during a Thursday morning ceremony attended by city and community dignitaries. Jim McDonnell received confirmation to fill the department's top seat by the Los Angeles City Council on Nov. 8, after Mayor Karen Bass had appointed him to be the 59th LAPD chief in October. The selection came eight months after former Chief of Police Michel Moore retired. Interim Police Chief Dominic Choi has been leading the department since March and is expected to step down and become one of three assistant chiefs under the new head. McDonnell is the first person to serve in senior executive leadership positions in three of the largest policing agencies in Los Angeles County: the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, the Los Angeles Police Department, and the Long Beach Police Department. He served with the LAPD for 29 years, holding several ranks before becoming assistant chief of police. He retired from the department to serve as chief of the Long Beach Police Department from 2010 to 2014, then moved on to be elected as Los Angeles County Sheriff from 2014 to 2018. According to the LAPD, his success early in his tenure with the department included playing an integral role in developing community policing strategies, that would transform the LAPD.

CBS 2

Woman Sitting In Car Shot Multiple Times By Man On Moped In DTLA

The Los Angeles Police Department is asking for the public's help in identifying the man who shot a woman multiple times as she sat in her car. The incident happened Wednesday, October 30, around 5:30 p.m. near the 300 block of North Figueroa in downtown LA. Police say the victim was sitting in her vehicle, waiting to pick up her brother from work, when a man riding a moped shot her several times. The suspect is described as a male Hispanic, 30-40 years-old, wearing a bright yellow vest, full face mask and gloves. The woman was taken to a local hospital and listed in stable condition. It is unclear if the victim and suspect knew each other. Anyone with information is urged to contact Central Division detective Alex Ramirez at (213) 996-1248 or email [email protected]. You can remain anonymous by calling L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (800-222-8477) or visit lacrimestoppers.org. 

FOX 11

LAPD Apprehends Homeless Man Suspected Of Raping Several Women

The Los Angeles Police Department announced Wednesday the arrest of a homeless man suspected of raping several women, prompting investigators to search for additional victims. Police officials said in a written statement that the suspect, identified as 37-year-old Kenneth Alan Woolfolk, has been linked to a total of at least four rape cases. His arrest comes more than a week after a woman reported to police that she had been raped by a man in a tent near the intersection of 1st and Judge John Aiso streets in Little Tokyo. Police said she described her attacker as an adult male, bald and with brown eyes, standing 5 feet 4 inches tall and weighing 160 lbs. As part of the investigation, the department said, detectives in the case returned to the area on Oct. 10 when they noticed a man fitting the description of the woman’s attacker. Detectives detained the man, later identified as Woolfolk, and placed him under arrest on suspicion of rape. During the investigation, detectives learned about three previous sexual assault investigations that had identified Woolfolk as a suspect. Police said they’re now looking for additional victims and anyone with information is being asked to call (800) 222-8477.

Los Angeles Times

Police Search For Man Accused Of Attempting To Carjack Three Women In One Day

The Los Angeles Police Department is seeking help finding a man suspected of three attempted carjackings in the Hollenbeck area. All three carjacking attempts took place in the daytime on Nov. 9 and all victims were female, according to the Hollenbeck Area Robbery Detectives. The first event happened around 10:40 a.m. at a gas station in the 3200 block of North Broadway. The suspect attempted to force his way into the victim's vehicle but was unsuccessful after a struggling effort where he was removed from the vehicle. The suspect then fled the area on foot. The second attempt was reported around 1:50 p.m. near the 2100 block of North Broadway. The suspect demanded the keys of the victim as she entered her parked car. The victim held on to the driver's side door to prevent him from entering before he smashed the window and fled on foot. A third unsuccessful attempt was made around 4:55 p.m. at a gas station in the 2900 block of East Cesar E. Chavez Avenue. The suspect pulled the victim out of her vehicle and allegedly assaulted her as she finished pumping gas. A bystander was able to pull the suspect off from the victim, who then fled on a silver bicycle. The suspect was identified by police as 49-year-old Maurice Latorre. Police ask the public to not approach Latorre as he is considered violent and dangerous. Anyone with information is urged to contact Hollenbeck Detective Jose Diaz-Ibarra at (323) 342-8981 or the Hollenbeck Area Detective Desk at (323) 342-8900.

NBC 4

L.A. County 18-Year-Old Pleads Guilty To Making 375 ‘Swatting’ Calls Throughout The U.S.

A Lancaster 18-year-old pleaded guilty Wednesday to phoning in hundreds of false threats of imminent bombings, mass shootings and violence targeting locations across the U.S., including places of worship and schools. Alan W. Filion pleaded guilty to four counts of making interstate threats to injure people, federal authorities said. From August 2022 to January 2024, Filion made more than 375 “swatting” and threatening hoax calls, including calls in which he threatened to detonate bombs or conduct mass shootings at targeted locations, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Swatting occurs when a false crime or emergency is reported at a specific location to provoke an aggressive law enforcement response, often by a SWAT team. According to federal officials, it was Filion’s intention to cause large-scale deployment of police and emergency services units at targeted locations. Filion, who was 16 when he made a majority of the calls, targeted religious institutions, high schools, colleges and universities, as well as government officials and numerous individuals across the nation. When he placed a swatting call at a targeted location, Filion would call emergency responders and provide them with false information about having placing dangerous explosives, telling authorities that he and others had firearms and explosives, and that he or other individuals had committed or intended to imminently commit violent crimes.

Los Angeles Times

64 Arrests Made, Illegal Guns Recovered In Southern California Law Enforcement ‘Surge’

A two-week law enforcement “surge” operation in San Bernardino County resulted in dozens of arrests and the recovery of several illegal guns and stolen vehicles, officials announced Wednesday. The surge operation, conducted by the California Highway Patrol, led to 64 arrests, the recovery of 11 stolen vehicles, and the seizure of five illegal firearms. Surge operations like this one in the city of San Bernardino are meant to curb crime with the help of local law enforcement and additional support from California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office. “In just two weeks, the CHP surge in San Bernardino has taken aggressive action to arrest over 60 criminal suspects and take illegal firearms off the streets,” said Newsom. “I am encouraged by the quick progress we’ve seen.” San Bernardino has one of the highest violent crime rates in the state, with its homicide rate over three times the statewide average, state officials said. The city also struggles with elevated rates of vehicle theft and traffic violations like street takeovers which endanger the public.

KTLA 5

Man Sentenced To Life Without Parole In 2023 Shooting Death Of New Mexico Officer

An armed driver who fled from a traffic stop in New Mexico was sentenced this week to life in prison without parole for using a sawed-off shotgun to fatally shoot a police officer during the chase. Dominic De La O, 27, was sentenced Monday, days after a jury found him guilty of first-degree murder and other charges in the July 2023 killing of Anthony Ferguson, an 11-year-veteran of the Alamogordo Police Department in southern New Mexico. New Mexico State Police, which investigated the shooting, announced De La O’s conviction and sentencing Wednesday. “The conviction and sentencing of the person responsible for this senseless murder brings some measure of justice, but it will never replace the loss of Officer Ferguson,” Police Chief Troy Weisler said in a news release. Ferguson was severely wounded on July 15, 2023, in the aftermath of the pre-dawn traffic stop. He died the next day. Authorities have said De La O was driving without lights when he was stopped, then led police on a chase before crashing into a light pole and running off with the shotgun. An account of the deadly confrontation by State Police says that De La O fired at Ferguson while fleeing. De La O was shot in the leg by police as he continued to flee to a nearby home, where he was arrested.

Associated Press

Georgia Officer Wounded, K-9 Killed When Suspect Opens Fire After Pursuit

A high-speed pursuit in Coweta County ended with a crash, a sheriff’s deputy injured and his police dog killed, according to authorities, who were still at the scene Thursday morning. The incident started with an attempted traffic stop of a Chrysler 300 on U.S. 29 near Tommy Lee Cook Road around 11 p.m. Wednesday. The driver did not stop, and a pursuit ensued that continued into Fulton County and reached speeds of 110 mph, the Coweta County Sheriff’s Office said. The pursuing deputy eventually performed a precision immobilization technique, known as a PIT maneuver, to end the pursuit by causing the driver to crash and then deployed K-9 officer Titan to help with apprehending the driver, officials said. That is when the driver opened fire at the deputy and the dog, striking Titan multiple times. The deputy returned fire, killing the suspect, whose name has not been released. K-9 Titan was declared dead at the scene. The deputy also was struck multiple times, but the injuries were graze wounds, according to the sheriff’s office. He was taken to a hospital and has since been released. “He should make a full recovery,” the sheriff’s office said. “K-9 Titan has served the Coweta County Sheriff’s Office for over five years. During his time, Titan has successfully located several missing persons, successfully identified illegal narcotics as well as assisted in the successful apprehension of multiple offenders.”

Atlanta Journal Constitution

Small Plane Crashes Upside Down In Sepulveda Basin; 2 People Rescued

A single-engine Cessna crashed upside down in the Sepulveda Basin early Thursday morning, authorities said. The aircraft crashed shortly after 7 a.m. in a field just off Burbank Boulevard, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. The two people onboard the aircraft, a man and a woman, were pulled out of the plane before fire crews got to the scene. The fire department said they didn't appear have life-threatening injuries. It's unclear what caused the plane to crash. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating.

ABC 7

Fire Crews Stop The Progress Of Brush Fire In Pacific Palisades

A brush fire was extinguished in Pacific Palisades Wednesday as wildfire concerns kept firefighters on edge across Southern California. The fire, which was first reported in the 1400 block of N. Palisades Drive, burned about 5 acres and was moving toward heavy vegetation near the Santa Ynez Reservoir before it was declared a knockdown. Over 60 firefighters worked to stop the progress of the fire, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. No structures were damaged, and no injury was reported. 

NBC 4

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.