New photos show bullet holes in LAPD officer’s vest, cruiser following violent gunfight
New photos show bullet holes in LAPD officer’s vest, cruiser following violent gunfight
Photos released by the Los Angeles Police Department detail just how close an officer was to being seriously injured or possibly killed during a gunfight with a fleeing suspect Tuesday, including bullet holes in the officer’s ballistic vest and patrol vehicle. The dramatic shootout happened at the end of a pursuit Tuesday afternoon in Boyle Heights involving a suspect driving a pickup truck that was reported to have been stolen, according to the LAPD. Sky5’s Gil Leyvas was over the scene at 1173 S. Marietta St. just before 2:30 p.m. when the driver crashed the truck and attempted to flee on foot, reportedly shooting at officers, who immediately returned fire. “One officer was struck in the chest at least once,” LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell told reporters at the scene. “Thankfully, he had a ballistic vest on, which saved his life.” Both the officer and suspect were hospitalized following the incident. Authorities said the officer was expected to survive, and the suspect, who was also struck by gunfire, was last reported to be in critical condition.
DEA announces at least 7 more arrests, illegal drug seizures at MacArthur Park
Federal authorities announced Wednesday at least seven more arrests and the seizure of thousands of illegal pills at MacArthur Park amid an ongoing effort to address drug use and sales in the area. The operation involving the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the Los Angeles Police Department started around 1:30 p.m., according to the DEA. The agency said three arrests were for felony narcotic sales and four were for warrants, while five people received misdemeanors for quality-of-life violations. More than $10,000 in cash was also seized, the DEA said. Wednesday's action was part of the ongoing "Operation MacArthur Park," which officials said last week was in its third phase. Last Thursday, 13 people were arrested, and six were cited in less than an hour. First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said the operation's first phase focused on dismantling the leadership of the 18th Street gang, while the second phase targeted drug dealers and suppliers around the park west of downtown Los Angeles. "Phase three will be a consistent law enforcement presence in the park to enforce state law, which prohibits people from being under the influence of narcotics and possessing drugs with the intent to use them," he said last Thursday.
Burglary suspects spooked after entering North Hollywood home, realizing people were inside
Two suspects ditched their plans to burglarize a home in North Hollywood when they realized there were people inside, police said. The incident unfolded around midnight on Blythe Street near Fulton Avenue, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. The would-be burglars allegedly broke a glass sliding door in the back of the home and made their way inside. They took off once they saw homeowners, police said. They left without taking anything. Police are now looking for a dark-colored Tesla that they were believed to be in.
L.A. County D.A. claims four in five cases in $4-billion sex abuse payout may be fraudulent
Los Angeles County’s district attorney says he believes four in five claims in the largest sex abuse settlement in U.S. history may be fake — a claim that dwarfs previous assumptions over the scale of fraud within the $4-billion payout. Dist. Atty. Nathan Hochman has asked the judge overseeing the bulk of the sex abuse cases to pause payments for six months while he continues his sprawling criminal investigation into the plaintiffs, lawyers, and therapists behind the claims. Distributing the money now, he argues, will hamper his investigation “by complicating witness cooperation [and] obscuring financial trails.” The county agreed in April 2025 to pay $4 billion to settle more than 11,000 claims of sexual abuse arising from county-run juvenile halls, foster homes and a notorious children’s shelter. The claims, many of which dated back decades, came after California changed the statute of limitations to give victims who were sexually abused as children a new window to sue. Seven months after the payout was announced, the D.A.’s office opened a probe, spurred by claims that some plaintiffs made up stories of abuse and were never in county custody. Times investigations found nine people who said they were paid small amounts of cash by recruiters to sue the county for sex abuse in juvenile halls. Four of them said they fabricated the claims.
Los Angeles federal criminal trial of man charged with starting Palisades Fire is underway
The man who is on trial for allegedly starting the deadly Palisades Fire appeared in federal court today as opening statements and testimony began, with prosecutors claiming he lit the wildfire with intention and malice. Jonathan Rinderknecht, dressed in a suit and tie, sat quietly as jurors listened, set to determine if he caused one of the most destructive wildfires in LA County History. Rinderknecht, who lived in the Pacific Palisades in the past, pleaded not guilty in Oct. 2025 to arson-related charges. Prosecutors say he intentionally lit the Lachman Fire, as he was depressed and angry because he had nowhere to go on New Year's Eve 2025, taking an Uber shift instead. The Lachman Fire was determined to be a holdover fire, six days before the Palisades Fire began. Evidence in the case includes geolocation data from his iPhone, security camera footage showing Rinderknecht's car location, and testimony from his Uber passengers on that New Year's Eve.
Marina del Rey Man Faces Sentencing for $3M COVID Loan Fraud
A Marina del Rey man is expected to be sentenced Thursday for submitting fraudulent loan applications to obtain nearly $3.2 million in COVID-19 loans for businesses that prosecutors say were shell companies. Mark Shehata, 73, pleaded guilty last year in downtown Los Angeles to single federal counts of wire fraud, transactional money laundering and making false statements to federal agents, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. According to court papers, Shehata organized and registered four limited liability companies that purportedly operated in Marina del Rey: Shirmak Group, Cynergy Group, Global Network Investments, and Alpha and Omega Group. From May 2020 to May 2021, he submitted at least seven phony loan applications under the Paycheck Protection Program, a financial aid plan Congress enacted to support businesses harmed by the pandemic’s economic impact. The PPP loans were to be used by recipients to pay only certain authorized business expenses, such as payroll, mortgage interest, lease and utilities.
California man sentenced to life in grisly torture killing of father
A 44-year-old Santa Barbara County man convicted in the gruesome torture and murder of his father was sentenced today to life in prison without the possibility of parole, authorities announced. On June 11, 2022, police responded to a Lompoc home in the 200 block of North D Street on reports of a domestic disturbance. Arriving officers peered through a window and saw Joseph Ashley Garcia arguing with his father, 68-year-old Joseph Michael Garcia.As police began forcing entry into the home after Garcia Jr. refused orders to cooperate, they heard the father screaming and a dog barking. Once inside, officers saw the father engulfed in flames. The dog, sitting on his lap, also suffered serious burns during the incident. Garcia Sr. was rushed to a Santa Barbara hospital, then later transported to a hospital in Los Angeles, where doctors said he had suffered second- and third-degree burns to 35% of his body, the Santa Maria Times reported. Ten days after the attack, he was undergoing skin graft surgery when he died from septic shock, prosecutors said.
BWC: San Francisco officer wounded after suspect opens fire following pursuit
The San Francisco Police Department released body camera footage showing a traffic stop incident that led to an officer being shot. The May 31 incident began when Real-Time Investigations Center officers alerted patrol officers to an ALPR hit on a vehicle connected with a robbery. Officers located the vehicle and initiated a traffic stop after requesting drone units. The driver fled the stop. Officers initiated a pursuit, which ended when the driver crashed into a concrete median. Body camera video shows officers arriving at the scene and issuing instructions for the suspects inside the vehicle to come out with their hands up. Video shows the driver emerging from the vehicle and immediately firing multiple shots at officers. One officer was struck and wounded by the suspect’s gunfire. The vehicle’s passenger was also wounded. Officers then rendered aid to the wounded officer and the suspect vehicle’s passenger. Both were transported to a hospital and are being treated for injuries. The suspect driver then fled on foot. After other officers arrived to establish a perimeter, dispatchers received a call reporting the suspect’s location. He was taken into custody without further incident.
Public Safety News
Man rescued from hole at construction site in North Hollywood
A man was rescued after falling into a hole at a construction site in North Hollywood early Thursday. Fire crews responded to the 11000 block of W. Hartsook St. at around 3 a.m. to help rescue the man who had fallen into an approximately 3 foot wide and 30 feet deep hole. According to the Los Angeles Fire Department, firefighters lowered an oxygen mask for the man due to the air quality inside of the hole. Firefighters used an aerial ladder truck to create a high point for a rope rescue and finally got the man out after about an hour, LAFD said. The man was transported to a local hospital. His condition was not known.
El Niño is here, and chances are it’ll be a doozy. What that means for California
El Niño has officially arrived, the National Weather Service declared Thursday, and the latest edition is shaping up to be particularly potent. The pattern developed over the past month and is expected to strengthen throughout the year, with the weather service’s Climate Prediction Center assessing a 63% chance of a “very strong” El Niño November through January that would rank among the most powerful on record going back to 1950. Stronger El Niños, which are characterized by warmer ocean waters in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean, “can more significantly tilt the odds in favor of expected outcomes,” the Climate Prediction Center said. For Southern California, that could mean rain — and lots of it. A typical El Niño is linked with higher-than-average precipitation, according to the National Weather Service. Of the three “very strong” El Niños over the last 75 years, two of them, 1982-83 and 1997-98, brought huge and destructive amounts of precipitation to the Golden State.
