PnB Rock Murder Trial: Man Denies Ordering Teen Son To Kill Rapper At South LA Restaurant

Called to testify at his trial, a man vehemently denied Monday that he sent his 17-year-old son into a South Los Angeles restaurant to rob and kill hip-hop star PnB Rock. "I understand you’re trying to put together your story," Freddie Trone told a prosecutor during cross-examination in a Compton courtroom. "I never had nothing to do with it. I wasn’t there. I didn’t tell nobody to do nothing. I didn’t hand nobody no gun." Trone had not been asked directly about his guilt, but had grown increasingly frustrated with questioning from Deputy District Attorney Timothy Richardson and heatedly volunteered the denial. The 42-year-old defendant, who took the stand Friday and continued his testimony Monday, is charged with one count of murder, two counts of second-degree robbery and one count of conspiracy to commit robbery. Richardson’s questions brought long pauses and bursts of anger as he asked Trone about the minutiae of his movements after the shooting and asked him to name the people who were with him, which he mostly refused to do. "How is this relevant to trying to tie me to something?" Trone asked the prosecutor at one point. He later shouted, "for the fifth time!" after being asked where he drove his car and encountered his son.

FOX 11

Cyclist Killed In Hyde Park Hit-and-Run Crash; Police Searching For Suspect

Police are searching for the driver involved in a hit-and-run crash that left a cyclist dead Friday in Hyde Park. The crash happened just before noon on W. 63rd Street near Overhill Drive. When officers arrived, they found a man in his 40s dead at the scene. As of Saturday, the driver involved has not been found. Anyone with information is urged to contact police. 

ABC 7

Tom Hanks And Rita Wilson's LA Home Burglarized In SoCal String Of Break-Ins

Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson were the victims of ongoing home burglaries in Southern California, law enforcement sources told ABC News. The couple's Los Angeles home was hit a few weeks ago by suspects believed to be part of the ongoing crews that have been burglarizing high-end neighborhoods. Sources say that a guest house on Hank's property was burglarized but the suspects did not enter the main house. Nobody was home at the time and investigators don't believe the burglars knew it was the actor's home. It's unknown what was taken from the property. So far no arrests have been made. ABC News has reached out to Hanks' representatives for a comment but has not heard back. There have been more than a dozen home break-ins reported in the San Fernando Valley in the past few weeks.

ABC 7

Man Allegedly Points Gun At Employee, Triggering USC Safety Alerts And Metro Delays

A man allegedly pointed a gun at a business employee near the USC campus in South Los Angeles, leading to safety alerts from the university and the shutdown of a nearby Metro train line. Officers received a call at 9:45 a.m. about a man pointing a gun at the victim and barricading himself inside the business located in the 3000 block of Flower Street, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Just after 2 p.m., LAPD said SWAT officers had forced their way into a barber shop where they thought the suspect was. But he was already gone. No shots were fired, police said. The location is just half a mile from the Jefferson/USC station. LA Metro said around noon that there will be no E Line trains running from that station to the LATTC/ Ortho Institute station due to "police activity" in the area and mechanical issues. Riders were told to consider the J Line as an alternate. Metro also said there would be 20-minute delays for the A Line and parts of the E Line. USC warned students about police activity in the area of 30th Street and Flower Street, which is right next to the 3000 block of Flower. Members of the university were told to avoid the area but that the incident is not USC-related.

CBS 2

13 Burglaries Reported In Encino-Sherman Oaks Area In July; Residents On Edge

More homes in the San Fernando Valley have been burglarized, leaving residents on edge. "I don't know why there's so many robberies because I hear every morning on the news, I hear, 'Robberies, robberies, robberies,'" said Encino resident Larisa Vinnitskay. Burglars targeted yet another multimillion dollar home late Thursday night, the latest in a series of break-ins targeting large residences in the area. Officials said the residents left their home near the intersection of Ventura Boulevard and Lindley Avenue, and when they returned, they found shattered glass and the home ransacked. One neighbor who spoke with Eyewitness News but did not want to be identified said the area has been targeted before. "There was a group of three guys who were hitting this neighborhood, and they eventually caught him," said the neighbor. "We put up some spikes on our fence and yeah, it definitely makes you a little more worried."

ABC 7

‘No Remorse’: Woman Charged With Murder In Deadly Ambush Of Florida Deputy

Insisting they were inspired by God, the matriarch of the family that killed a Lake County deputy first sought to lure neighbors she claimed were pedophiles into her Eustis home to kill them. She was arrested and taken away. But when deputies entered the woman’s home last Friday night, her husband and daughters ambushed them, then killed themselves after a bloody shootout authorities are still trying to untangle. The latest details of what happened before and during the shootout that killed 28-year-old Deputy Bradley Michael Link and injured two other deputies were delivered Monday afternoon by a tearful Lake County Sheriff Peyton Grinnell, as he also announced the arrest of Julie Ann Sulpizio, 48, for first-degree murder. The shootings came at the hands of Julie Ann Sulpizio’s husband Michael Sulpizio, 49, and her daughters Cheyenne, 23, and Savannah, 22. Grinnell said much of the incident was captured on Link’s body-worn camera. The footage has not been released. A neighbor first called deputies around 7:45 p.m. Friday, saying Julie Ann Sulpizio, 48, was roaming the neighborhood and accosting people. “Michael, Gabriel, Timothy: it’s time now to protect my children,” Julie Ann Sulpizio said as she was handcuffed outside her home, according to Grinnell, in an apparent reference to guardian angels. She was later admitted into the hospital under the Baker Act. Later, Lake County deputies entered the Sulpizios’ home where they had found two dead dogs in the front yard. As they went through the door, the trio ambushed them, shooting Link multiple times and trapping him in the house. Other deputies retreated, and awaited backup.

Orlando Sentinel

BWC: Inmate Who Allegedly Faked Injury To Escape From Hospital Tracked Down By Florida K-9

An inmate who “faked” an injury to escape from a hospital ended up suffering a real injury when a police K-9 bit his arm and refused to let go, body camera footage shows. The 29-year-old suspect was screaming for help when deputies arrested him Saturday, July 27, the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office reported in a news release. “After a fall in the jail, he was transported to Advent Health (hospital) for treatment,” the sheriff’s office said. “Detectives determined that (he) had faked an injury in hopes that he could escape and return to Ohio, where he is originally from.” Past addresses in Ohio for the suspect include Westerville and Columbus, officials said. He was wearing green scrubs when he slipped past the deputy guarding him and fled on foot, officials said. It took seven hours to track him down in the brush pile along Interstate 95 near Palm Coast, video shows. Palm Coast is about an 80-mile drive northeast from Orlando. Video released by the sheriff’s office shows the suspect was practically invisible when the K-9 sniffed him out, bit down on his forearm and dragged him into the open.

Charlotte Observer

Firefighters Discover Dead Body After Extinguishing A Blaze At Studio City Apartment

Los Angeles arson investigators drove to a Studio City apartment complex after firefighters discovered human remains inside one of the units. The fire started at about 9:40 p.m. at a two-story garden-style complex in the 4200 block of Colfax Avenue. It took 36 firefighters about 17 minutes to extinguish the flames inside a single unit on the first floor. With the fire out, the crews searched the home for any residents and found the human remains. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner will determine the identity and cause of death for the person. Firefighters did not release any other details.

CBS 2

Lost Hiker Rescued In Pacific Palisades

The Los Angeles Fire Department was conducting a “capture” operation Sunday after a man got lost while hiking in Pacific Palisades. After a 911 call was placed around 10 a.m., helicopters were dispatched for the rescue operation at 20825 Entrada Road, near Topanga State Park, according to the LAFD. The hiker was uninjured. The fire department said first responders would transport him to a helispot to meet ground-based firefighters, who would assist in returning him to his transport.

MyNewsLA

Child Deaths From Hot Cars Are Most Common In These US States

A recent study has revealed the U.S. states with the highest rate of child heatstroke deaths in cars. The study by the Parrish Law Firm looked at data from research company No Heat Stroke regarding child heatstroke deaths in cars from 1998 to July 19, 2024. The data from the study, analyzed by KTLA sister station KFOR, focused on the number of hot car deaths in each state compared with the population aged 14 and under. States were then ranked from highest to lowest based on the number of deaths. As you might have guessed, the highest-ranking states in the country were found mostly in the hotter southern part of the U.S., with Louisiana landing at No. 1. Not far behind is Mississippi, followed by Oklahoma, then Arkansas. Here’s how the rest of the country finished on a per capita basis. According to the Parrish Law Firm, Alaska, Vermont and New Hampshire are the only states with no recorded child heatstroke deaths in cars between 1998 and July 2024. 

KTLA 5

LA City Council Committee To Consider $400M For LAX Automated People Mover

A Los Angeles City Council committee Tuesday will consider increasing the total cost of LAX's significantly delayed Automated People Mover from $2.9 billion to $3.34 billion in a bid to settle legal claims and finalize the project's completion date. On Tuesday's agenda, the five-member Trade, Ravel and Tourism Committee will consider an additional $400 million for the project. The L.A. World Airports Commissioners previously approved the funding on July 18, which they said is needed to address claims filed by the contractor, LAX Integrated Express Solutions, also known as LINXS, over issues related to compensation and production. At the time, LAWA CEO John Ackerman said the project is a top priority for airport leadership. The settlement agreement largely covers already completed extra work by LINXS dating back to August 2018, and a longer than anticipated construction timeline. "It is an honor to continue our partnership with LAWA and deliver a transportation system that will offer an elevated experience for travelers and Los Angeles residents alike. Our team has worked on large and complex transit projects around the globe, and the transformation provided by the LAX People Mover is poised to truly set the bar," Shawn West, LINXS Constructors board member, said in a statement issued July 18.

Westside Current

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.