Police: Man Shoots 5 People In San Fernando, Fires At LAPD Helicopter

A 61-year-old man is behind bars Sunday after allegedly shooting several people at a residence in San Fernando and later firing at a police helicopter during a barricade. Officers were dispatched at about 11:20 p.m. Saturday to the 900 block of Orange Grove Avenue regarding reports of multiple shooting victims, according to Lt. Walter Dominguez of the San Fernando Police Department. They located the suspect, who initially barricaded himself inside his home, Dominguez added. Police discovered four gunshot victims at a residence, and a fifth victim who drove himself to a hospital was later located, Dominguez said. “During the standoff, the suspect is believed to have shot at the Los Angeles Police Department helicopter providing aerial support to officers on the ground,” he said. The suspect, identified as Martin Rodriguez of San Fernando, was eventually taken into custody with the assistance of officers and deputies from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department as well as the Burbank, Glendale, Pasadena and Los Angeles police departments. Rodriguez was booked on seven counts of attempted murder, one charge of criminal threats, one charge of shooting at an inhabited dwelling and one charge of shooting at an aircraft.

NBC 4

City Council to look into LAPD's response at UCLA and USC campus protests

The Los Angeles City Council’s Public Safety Committee is hearing a motion Tuesday filed by several councilmembers asking the Los Angeles Police Department to provide reports on how decisions were made about the size, timing and methodology of the LAPD’s deployment actions leading up to and during the recent protests at USC and UCLA.

"After a considerable delay, UCLA requested mutual aid and as one of the responding agencies to an incident at UCLA, (Culver City PD, LASD, and Beverly Hills PD being the others), the LAPD mobilized and responded to the growing level of campus violence. LAPD officers did an outstanding job responding to an unruly mob and conducted themselves appropriately. They and their law enforcement partners gave lawful orders to the protesters and whether one is a spoiled brat, professional agitator or student, a lawful order must be obeyed. Unfortunately, some at this protest chose otherwise."

Spectrum

Man Killed After Interrupting Suspected Catalytic Converter Thieves In Downtown L.A.

A man was shot and killed when he interrupted three people who were trying to remove a catalytic converter from a vehicle in downtown Los Angeles early Saturday, police said. The man encountered the suspects around 3:25 a.m. near Pico Boulevard and Hope Street, said Officer Jader Chaves, a spokesman for the Los Angeles Police Department. One of them shot him before all three fled in a vehicle, Chaves said. The victim, believed to be between 30 and 35, was taken to a local hospital and pronounced dead. No additional details were immediately available. The catalytic converter, an exhaust emission control device typically found in the undercarriage of a vehicle, contains precious metals like rhodium, palladium and platinum. Thieves can make hundreds of dollars selling them to auto parts suppliers or scrapyards, where they can be melted down and the highly valuable metals extracted. Thefts of catalytic converters skyrocketed in California during the COVID-19 pandemic, which some attributed to an increase in economic distress. The trend prompted new state laws that make it illegal for recyclers to buy the part from anyone other than the legal owner or a licensed dealer and increase penalties for buyers who fail to certify that a catalytic converter wasn’t stolen.

Los Angeles Times

Dashcam Video Shows LAPD Chasing Attempted Murder Suspect Riding Bicycle On 5 Freeway

Dashboard camera video recorded last month shows LAPD cruisers on the 5 Freeway chasing an attempted murder suspect who attempted to flee on a bicycle. The incident began about 11:45 a.m. on April 26, when officers responded to the 100 block of East Avenue 36, just north of the 110 Freeway in Cypress Park, for a shooting investigation, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. "When the officers arrived, they determined that the suspect, later identified as 24-year-old John Lopez, had shot a family member following a verbal dispute and was no longer at the scene," the LAPD said in a news release. The shooting victim was hospitalized with injuries that were not life-threatening, the statement said. Shortly after a crime broadcast was issued, police said, an air unit spotted Lopez riding a bicycle on the southbound 5 Freeway. LAPD patrol units conducted a traffic break on the freeway and, as seen in dashcam footage released on Sunday, followed Lopez as he traversed multiple lanes. Lopez eventually exited the freeway via the Mission Road off-ramp and continued riding in and out of traffic. After he turned north on Daly Street, an officer in a police SUV conducted a PIT maneuver of sorts by striking the bicycle at slow speed, causing the suspect to lose control of the bike and fall to the pavement. Lopez was then detained without further incident, and a small-caliber firearm was found as he was being taken into custody, the LAPD said. He complained of pain to his knees and was treated at a hospital before being booked for attempted murder.

ABC 7

Woman attacks, robs Metro bus driver

A Metro bus driver was attacked on the job Monday, adding to a string of recent violent assaults targeting transit operators. The latest assault happened about 9:50 a.m. on a bus traveling southbound on Spring Street just south of Temple Street, Metro officials confirmed.

ABC 7

Arsonist Sets Fire To Several Cars In Chinatown

Authorities are investigating a string of car fires that happened over the weekend in Chinatown, which they believe could be the work of a possible arsonist. Firefighters were sent to the 700 block of N. Bunker Avenue just before 5 a.m. on Sunday after learning of multiple car fires in the area, according to Los Angeles Fire Department officials. They arrived to find two cars that were still on fire, part of the five that were damaged by flames. Arson investigators were called to the scene because of the "multiple fire starting locations," firefighters said. No injuries were reported in the incident. 

CBS 2

Hollywood Special FX Makeup Artist Repeatedly Stabbed During Vicious Attack

A Hollywood makeup artist and special effects producer known for her work on feature films, including “Rebel Moon,” “Mean Girls” and “Babylon,” is slowly recovering after she was viciously stabbed more than 20 times in an attack earlier this month. After enduring three surgeries in the last three days, friends of 35-year-old Allie Shehorn tell KTLA’s Rachel Menitoff that the makeup artist is in good spirits and is pushing through after the incredibly harrowing attack. The violence unfolded on May 23rd when Shehorn’s ex-boyfriend, who she had just recently filed a restraining order against, allegedly broke into her Shadow Hills home, stabbed her repeatedly and fled. “This is not the kind of thing that should happen to anybody,” Christine White, the 35-year-old’s surrogate mother, said. “You don’t think this is ever going to happen to you.” White was staying with her surrogate the night of the attack. “I found her and I had to go into the bedroom where it happened,” she said. “That wasn’t a pretty sight.” Shehorn suffered multiple slashes to her neck, was cut up and down her arms and across her abdomen during the brutal assault.

Yahoo! News

Woman Shot And Killed While Sitting Inside Boyfriend's Car In Compton

Authorities are searching for a gunman who shot and killed a 59-year-old woman while she was sitting inside her boyfriend's car in Compton. The shooting happened around 10:57 p.m. on Monday in the 700 block of South Holly Avenue, according to the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department. Police said the victim, Beverly Wilkins, was sitting inside a parked car outside her mother's home when someone pulled up and fired multiple shots into the car. Wilkins was shot hit three times and was pronounced dead at the scene, officials said. Authorities are still searching for the suspect who drove off after the shooting. KCAL talked with the victim's mother, who said she is still in disbelief that her daughter is gone. "She was always willing to help people. She had her mischievous ways, but she still was a good girl," Rosie Wilkins, mother of victim. Anyone with information was asked to call homicide detectives at 323-890-5500 or Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477. 

CBS 2

15-Year-Old Arrested For Trying To Carjack Calif. Deputy’s Patrol Car At Street Takeover

San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department on Thursday arrested a 15-year-old boy suspected of trying to carjack a sheriff’s deputy as a mob of people at an illegal street takeover attacked his patrol car. The teen, who was not identified because he is a minor, was arrested at his home in Highland and was booked at the San Bernardino County Juvenile Hall on suspicion of attempted carjacking and vandalism, according to a statement from the department. The alleged incident occurred shortly after midnight May 11 during an illegal street takeover at Victoria and Highland avenues in the city of Highland. The department said a deputy was at a red light near the intersection when a large crowd swarmed his patrol car and began kicking and punching it. Some of the attackers, the department said, used unknown objects to cause damage to the vehicle, including its front windshield. During an investigation into the incident, detectives obtained video that captured images of a teenage boy opening the deputy’s driver side door and attempting to take control of it, the department said. Detectives later identified the boy and executed an arrest warrant at his home on Thursday.

Los Angeles Times

2 Dead Following Fiery Single-Car Crash In Wilmington

Two people are dead after the car they were in crashed and erupted in flames in Wilmington. The crash happened around 2 a.m. at the intersection of Alameda Street and Pacific Coast Highway, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. When firefighters arrived on scene, they found a single vehicle engulfed in flames. The fire was quickly extinguished but two bodies were found inside the car. Their identities were not immediately released. It's also unclear what exactly led up to the crash. 

ABC 7

Person Found Dead In Encino Pool

A person was found dead in the pool of a residence in Encino Monday afternoon. The Los Angeles Fire Department said it received a call at around 2:38 p.m. about a body in the pool on Haskell Avenue near Saticoy Street. A preliminary investigation showed the body may have been there for an unknown but extended amount of time. The deceased person’s gender and age was not revealed. While the cause of death was not confirmed, the drowning incident comes as the the Center for Disease Control and Prevention said drownings are on the rise across the country following decades of decline. Over 4,500 people died due to drowning each year from 2020 to 2022, 500 more than in 2019.

NBC 4

2 Elderly Women Hospitalized After Los Angeles Home Catches Fire

Two elderly women were hospitalized after a fire broke out at a home in the Valley Village neighborhood of Los Angeles Monday morning. The fire was reported around 9 a.m. on Harstook Street near Morella Avenue. Arriving crewmembers found the fire burning in the rear of a one-story single-family home, the Los Angeles Fire Department stated in a news alert. Two elderly females suffered smoke inhalation and were taken to the hospital, the Fire Department stated in a news release. No information regarding the victims’ identities has been released. Thirty-two firefighters were able to extinguish the blaze in just under 20 minutes. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

KTLA 5

City Council Advances Plan To Address Water Contaminants In LA

The Los Angeles City Council Friday took steps to ensure safe potable drinking water for the city after two water sources within the San Fernando Valley tested positive for contaminants. Council members voted 14-0 -- with Council President Paul Krekorian absent during the vote -- to instruct the Department of Water and Power to report back on the presence of these contaminants, known as PFAS, and provide information on testing and actions being undertaken. The Bureau of Sanitation will also be tasked with providing details on the water it has treated, including stormwater, rainwater capture systems, and how the ONE Water LA 2040 plan is affected by contaminants. The ONE Water plan is a roadmap for coordinating effective and sustainable long-term water planning solutions, including a distributed green infrastructure element aimed at improving stormwater management, according to LA Sanitation and Environment. In April, council members Bob Blumenfield, Katy Yaroslavsky, Monica Rodriguez, Imelda Padilla and Krekorian introduced the motion, prompted by their concerns around the two contaminated water wells.

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.