'Not even close': Hochman's lead over Gascón grows to 30% in new D.A.'s race poll

With less than a month remaining before the Nov. 5 election, challenger Nathan Hochman is 30 percentage points ahead of incumbent Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. George Gascón in a new poll. If the election were held today, according to the survey from the UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies, co-sponsored by The Times, 51% of likely L.A. County voters would choose Hochman, and 21% would cast a ballot for Gascón. That leaves 28% undecided.

LA Times

Woman Wounded In North Hills Shooting

A woman was in the hospital Tuesday recovering from a gunshot wound in the leg. Los Angeles Police Department officers from the department’s Mission Division were called at 11:09 p.m. Monday to Parthenia Street and Noble Avenue where they learned the victim was sitting in her car when two suspects approached her and shot at her at least six times, an LAPD spokesman told City News Service. Los Angeles Fire Department personnel took the victim to a hospital for treatment of her injury. The suspects ran away from the scene in an unknown direction.

MyNewsLA

Woman Is Stabbed At Northeast L.A. Bus Stop

A man stabbed a woman waiting at a bus stop at Marengo and State streets in northeast L.A. on Monday morning, authorities said. The incident took place around 8:10 a.m. when the woman was attacked with a 3-inch knife, said Officer David Cuellar, a Los Angeles Police Department spokesperson. The stabbing took place at a DASH bus stop, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority said. A Metro ambassador at the stop saw the victim and helped escort her to nearby Los Angeles General Medical Center (formerly L.A. County/USC Medical Center), according to Metro. Witnesses then helped LAPD officers track down the suspect, who was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, Cuellar said. Police did not release the names of the suspect or the victim, who was described simply as a woman about 50 years old. The suspect was described as a 30-year-old transient man.

Los Angeles Times

Man Breaks Into Apartment In Exposition Park Near USC

A man broke into an apartment in Exposition Park near USC early Tuesday, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Officers responded to the 2700 block of Menlo Avenue shortly after midnight. Two women were upstairs at the time and called the police. It was not clear if they were USC students. Police say a man believed to be in his 30s entered the apartment by breaking into the kitchen. It was unclear if the man was a transient. By the time officers arrived, the man had left the scene. The two women did not make contact with the man and no injuries were reported.

NBC 4

Investigation Underway After 2 UCLA Students Say They Were Drugged At Parties Near Campus

An investigation is underway after two UCLA students said they were drugged while attending several parties near campus, police announced. According to the UCLA Police Department, the incidents were reported over the weekend and a crime alert was issued Monday. "I was literally in the elevator and I was like, 'Hey, did you guys see this alert? Like, this is crazy,'" said UCLA student Lauren Wilbur about seeing the alert. According to police, on Thursday, the first student attended three parties at different locations on Gayley Avenue and "developed symptoms which they did not believe were from alcohol." Police said two days later, the second student attended a party in the 600 block of Gayley and, after being handed a drink, "developed symptoms they did not believe were from alcohol/marijuana." One of the victims had to be hospitalized.

ABC 7

Disgraced LA Councilman José Huizar Expected To Start Prison Sentence For Corruption Case

Ex-Los Angeles City Councilman José Huizar is expected to start his prison sentence following his conviction in pay-for-play scheme in 2023. In January 2024, a federal judge sentenced Huizar to 13 years in prison last year in a public corruption case involving at least $1.5 million in cash and benefits in exchange for help driving downtown real estate projects through the city's approval process and for cheating on his taxes. Prosecutors also recommended Huizar pay more than $400,000 in restitution. The 55-year-old politician from Boyle Heights pleaded guilty a year ago to federal counts of conspiracy to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act and tax evasion. In 2023, Huizar, who represented the downtown LA area for 15 years, pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act and one count of tax evasion. The Department of Justice said Huizar used his elected position to make himself and his friends richer. 

CBS 2

Ex-Deputy LA Mayor Sentenced To 12 Years In Federal Prison For Pay-to-Play Scheme

A federal judge sentenced a former Los Angeles Deputy Mayor to more than a decade in prison for his role in a pay-to-play scheme that involved disgraced City Councilman José Huizar. On March 27, a jury found Raymond She Wah Chan, 68, guilty of one count of conspiracy to violate the RICO Act, seven counts of honest services wire fraud, three counts of federal program bribery and one count of making false statements to a federal government agency. Months after his conviction, a judge ordered Chan to spend the next 144 months, or 12 years, in prison and pay the City of Los Angeles $752,457. "Chan abused his public office and sought to deepen the corruption of city politics for the benefit of his own business interests," said United States Attorney Martin Estrada. "Today's sentence sends a message to the public and City Hall alike that our government should not be for sale and those that undermine our democracy through pay-to-play schemes will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law." The Department of Justice said Chan played an integral role in the conspiracy, using his influential positions to enrich himself, Huizar and other public officials. At the time, he served as the General Manager of the LA Department of Building and Safety and later as the Deputy Mayor of Economic Development.

CBS 2

Tip From New Zealand Prompts Arrest Of California Man Accused Of Sexually Abusing, Filming 8-Year-Old

A tip from New Zealand led to the arrest of a Riverside County man suspected of filming pornographic videos of an 8-year-old boy, and authorities are now searching for more potential victims. John Edward Lario, 20, of Banning, was arrested in September on suspicion of child sexual abuse and is currently in custody in lieu of $1-million bail, according to the Riverside County district attorney’s office. Child exploitation investigators in New Zealand contacted Homeland Security Investigations on Sept. 2 after they discovered a link containing videos and images of child sexual abuse originating from Riverside, authorities said. A joint investigation between the Riverside County Child Exploitation Team and HSI officials led to the arrest of Lario, authorities said, and a search of his home revealed the identity of the alleged 8-year-old victim. Lario is charged with sexual penetration or oral copulation of a child under 10, lewd act with a child under 14, using a minor to engage in sexual conduct for purposes of producing data or images of the conduct and inflicting unjustifiable pain or mental suffering on a minor, authorities said.

Los Angeles Times

Video: Man Stabs Connecticut Trooper In Neck In Alleged ‘Attempted Assassination’

Connecticut State Police released video of a bloody attack on a trooper that resulted in him being hospitalized and a suspect arrested. Bodycam footage shot by Trooper Tim Wright shows the lawman attempting to arrest a 31-year-old Tyler Wilmot during a traffic stop that escalates quickly. After calling for backup, Wright gets out of his cruiser to confront Wilmot, who’s already exited his black truck and is warning “Don’t come near me.” The trooper says “What do you mean ‘don’t come near me’” and grabs the suspect’s arm. A scuffle immediately ensues as a woman in the background urges Wilmot not to engage Wright. Roughly 10 seconds after the conflict begins, Wright drops to his hands and knees and his body camera shows a considerable amount of blood on the street beneath him. His backup, Trooper John Covello, then appears as Wilmot tries to escape on foot. “I don’t know if he stabbed me or what he did,” a bleeding Wright tells Covello. Covello gives chase and brings down the suspect with a taser while Wright gets on his radio. Gurgling, spitting and bleeding, the injured officer requests help. “Send me an ambulance for me,” Wright tells dispatchers. Covello’s bodycam shows the suspect claiming he’s the victim as his hands are cuffed behind his back.

New York Daily News

BWC: Man Hides In Bushes, Shoots Arizona Deputy During Foot Pursuit

Body-cam video of a Pima County sheriff’s deputy who was shot and wounded during a foot chase in August southwest of Tucson has been released by the multi-agency team that investigates officer-involved shootings here. The footage shows the moment Gabriel Altamirano fired at Deputy Augustine Gonzalez as he is being chased across a desert field. Gonzalez, a 29-year veteran of the department, fires back several times but misses Altamirano, who runs away. As Altamirano evades authorities, Gonzalez’s partner can be seen applying a tourniquet to his partner’s leg, the video released by the Pima Regional Critical Incident Team shows. Gonzalez was hospitalized for an injury to his calf. No other deputies were wounded. The incident began about 10 a.m. Aug. 13. at a home in the 5000 block of West Jeffrey Road, southwest of Tucson near West Valencia and South Mark roads. Investigators say dispatchers received a call that Altamirano threatened to kill a former girlfriend during an argument. Her sibling later told the Star Altamirano got “rough,” waved the gun, made threats and tried to hit her with a car before fleeing prior to the deputies’ arrival.

Arizona Daily Star

Boy Killed In Uvalde School Shooting Posthumously Becomes An NYPD Officer

A 10-year-old boy who aspired to be a police officer before being killed in the Robb Elementary School massacre in Uvalde, Texas, was posthumously made an honorary NYPD officer in a special ceremony, the New York Post reported. The ceremony, held at 1 Police Plaza, honored Jose Flores Jr., who was among the 19 children killed in the May 24, 2022, shooting, according to the report. Interim Police Commissioner Thomas Donlon presented the Flores family with a badge of honor during the emotional event. “It feels good what they’re doing for my baby, honoring him,” said Jose Flores Sr., the boy’s father. “His dream was becoming an officer and now he is.” The Flores family, including Jose’s younger brothers Jayden, 8, and Jayce, 2, who were also given honorary badges, received an all-expenses-paid trip to New York City courtesy of Blue Lives Matter NYC. The organization learned about the family’s story from Texas law enforcement, according to the report. During the trip, the family visited St. Patrick’s Cathedral and Times Square before attending the ceremony. Donlon described the event as an “extremely important and emotional very happy day.”

PoliceOne

Firefighter Falls Through Floor While Battling Blaze In Abandoned Hollywood Apartment

A Los Angeles firefighter was injured when he fell through the floor of an abandoned apartment building that caught fire in Hollywood early Tuesday morning. The fire was reported just after 2 a.m. at the two-story boarded-up complex in the 7700 block of Hollywood Boulevard. Heavy fire was showing at the rear of the building, which had already been damaged in previous fires, Los Angeles Fire Department Capt. Cody Weireter said. Plywood on doors and windows made entry difficult for firefighters, who initially took a defensive posture but put out the blaze in a little over 30 minutes. One firefighter was injured after eventually making his way into the structure. “We had a firefighter fall through the floor that was conducting a primary search to see if we had any victims inside,” said Weireter, who described the injury as non-life threatening. No victims were located inside the structure but video from the scene showed a firefighter handing a blanket to a naked man standing in some bushes.

KTLA 5

Possible Third Human Case Of Bird Flu Identified In California

Health officials in California are investigating a possible third human case of bird flu, the California Department of Public Health announced Saturday. The case was identified as an individual who had contact with infected dairy cattle in the Central Valley. It's unknown if the person is linked or made contact with the other two cases confirmed Thursday. All three people were in contact with animals at three different farms. Samples of the possible third case have been sent to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention for further confirmation, according to California public health officials. The third possible case experienced symptoms similar mild symptoms to the other cases which include conjunctivitis. All three parties have not been hospitalized. Public health officials also assure that pasteurized milk and dairy products are safe to consume as pasteurization inactivates the bird flu virus. Risk remains low for the general public but those who work with farm animals are recommended they wear personal protective equipment or PPE, such as N95 masks, face shields, goggles and gloves, the public health department said. 

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.