Police Officers Driven Out By Progressive Treatment Offer Next-Generation Law Enforcement A Blunt Warning

Police departments across the country are warning of a recruiting and retention crisis while morale among officers plummets and progressive prosecutors are repeatedly criticized for going after law enforcement more enthusiastically than they go after criminals. They're also struggling with early departures of young officers who are fed up with the stress, the scrutiny and what they see as a lack of support from their superiors. Meagan McCarthy was a San Bernardino County sheriff's deputy before a near-death encounter with a violent suspect forced her into retirement. She said she always wanted to work for the public's benefit and attended nursing school before she went on a police ride-along that changed her life. "The biggest takeaway that I honestly had from law enforcement … you really were the line between good and evil," she told Fox News Digital. "We responded to things that if the cops wouldn't have gotten there when they did, it would be horrible situations for people on top of already dangerous situations." She thrived – at first. Now she says she hopes her three children choose not to follow her and her husband's footsteps and choose another profession – like fighting fires. "I took a lot of pride in being a cop," she said. "I love serving the community, and I just wish that law enforcement was able to get that pendulum swinging back for them."

FOX News

Violent Crime Is Up And Drug Use, Trespassing And Thefts Are Down On LA Metro

Violent crimes rose nearly 16% on LA Metro’s transit system from March to April, while societal crimes such as passengers using drugs, carrying weapons or trespassing decreased by 34% and property crimes dropped 4%, according to a Metro safety report released Thursday, June 20. Assaults on bus and train operators rose slightly, from 10 in March to 12 in April. The three top assault methods were brandishing a knife, using a knife. or using hands to slap or punch. Operator assaults have dropped from a high in November 2023 of 20, Metro reported. The Metro monthly safety report was discussed during the meeting of the Operations, Safety and Customer Experience Committee on Thursday. It comes after the agency began a “surge” in late May of extra law enforcement officers at crime-prone sections of the vast system of trains and buses in response to 10 stabbings and two shootings in April through mid-May. Mirna Soza Arauz, 66, seen in a photo on the GoFundMe website, was heading home after boarding Metro B (Red) Line in North Hollywood early Monday, April 22, 2024, and was stabbed to death. A suspect identified as Elliott Tramel Nowden, 45, was arrested. LA Metro’s board voted on Thursday, May 23, 2024 to beef up patrols and other security measures on its system. Of those attacks, three were fatal, including the killing of a grandmother, Mirna Soza Arauz, heading to her home in the San Fernando Valley after boarding the train in North Hollywood on April 22. She was stabbed to death in an unprovoked attack. It was the only homicide on the Metro system in April. The report said incidents of aggravated assaults, battery, robbery and sex offenses all increased in April on the system. There were no rapes. In five of the nine non-violent crime categories, there was a decrease in incidents. Only vandalism increased slightly.

Los Angeles Daily News

16-Year-Old Boy Stabbed To Death After Fight At Carnival In Palms Neighborhood

A 16-year-old boy was stabbed to death at a pop-up carnival in the Palms neighborhood of Los Angeles, and a search was underway for the suspect Sunday. The incident happened around 10:30 p.m. Saturday near Keystone Avenue and Venice Boulevard, on the first day of the Palms Community Festival, an event promoted by the Los Angeles Police Department. Authorities say things escalated when a fight broke out between the victim and suspect. The suspect then stabbed the teen multiple times. The boy, who has not been identified, died at the scene. The suspect, who fled the scene and remains outstanding, was described as a man between 15 and 20 years old. Authorities believe the incident is gang-related, but additional details were not available. "Our entire community is shaken by the news of last night's horrific violence. My thoughts go out to the victim's family and friends, as they navigate this devastating loss," L.A. City Councilwoman Katy Yaroslavsky said in a statement. "My team and I are in regular communication with LAPD leadership, and have offered my office's full support as they investigate this heinous act and bring the individual responsible to justice."

ABC 7

Victim Of Metro Shooting In West Adams Was A Father Of 4; Gunman Remains On The Loose

A small memorial has been placed at a West Adams Metro station a day after a man was shot in the head and killed while on a train. Flowers and candles rest on the sidewalk outside the Metro E Line station, where on Friday, a group fatally shot a man on the train and then took off. The violence was reported just before 7:30 p.m. on the 5660 block of Jefferson Boulevard, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. The victim was identified by police as 38-year-old Juan Garcia, who was known by his friends as “Tony.” “The guy was a good guy. He had a good future ahead of him,” said Joel Padilla, the brother-in-law of the victim. “He had kids here on this planet and he was taken away from us too sudden.” According to Padilla, Garcia was a father of four who frequently traveled on the E Line. "The guy rode this daily and had no issues," Padilla said. "He had kids to go to every day and home and a wife to go to. He had a mom on the other side. He had no trouble." LAPD said the investigation revealed that an argument took place on the ground level of the station and that the individuals involved in the dispute then boarded a train that was waiting at the platform. That’s when the shooting occurred.

NBC 4

2 Shot, 1 Fatally, In South Los Angeles

Two men were shot, at least one of them fatally, in South Los Angeles Friday afternoon. The Los Angeles Police Department said officers responded to the 700 block of 77th Street just before 12:30 p.m. and found two men who had been shot. One was declared dead at the scene, while the other was taken to a local hospital in unknown condition. The suspected shooter was last seen wearing a gray shirt and khaki pants, police said.

KTLA 5

2 Wounded After Shooting In MacArthur Park

Two people were wounded during a shooting in MacArthur Park on Saturday. It happened at around 9:30 p.m. near 6th Street and Alvarado Street, according to Los Angeles Police Department officers. They arrived to find two people suffering from gunshot wounds. One, a man in his 30s, had a gunshot wound to the leg. The second, only described as a male, had a wound to the neck. They were both rushed to nearby hospitals in unknown conditions, police said. Investigators are searching for a suspect, who was last seen running through the park on Alvarado Street. They say that a black semi-automatic handgun was used. No information was provided on the motive behind the shooting. 

CBS 2

2 Dead, 1 Hurt After Cars Fly Off Exit Ramp And Into LAX Parking Lot 

Two people were killed and another hurt after two vehicles flew off an exit ramp and into a Los Angeles International Airport parking lot. According to updated information released by the Los Angeles Police Department, the crash occurred just before 3 a.m. Saturday at the Nash Street exit off the westbound span of the 105 Freeway. Both cars careened off the ramp, landed on their roofs and sustained severe damage; police at the scene told KTLA 5’s Jennifer McGraw that the two vehicles involved were a Lexus and a Ford Mustang. After hitting the off-ramp wall, the cars landed in an LAX parking lot for FedEx Air Freight employees, initial information indicates. One of them caught fire on impact, video from the scene shows. Of the three victims, two were pronounced dead at the scene, LAPD confirmed, adding that they were both in the same vehicle. It is not known if speed was a factor in the crash, but “it likely was” due to the off-ramp’s sharp curve, McGraw said.

FOX 8

California Man Recounts Stabbing Gay College Student During Trial For 2018 Killing

A California man charged with killing a gay University of Pennsylvania student testified that he repeatedly stabbed the college sophomore after trying to grab a cellphone he feared had been used to photograph him. The Orange County Register reports that Samuel Woodward gave the account Thursday during his fourth day testifying in his trial on a charge of murder with an enhancement for a hate crime in the death of Blaze Bernstein. Bernstein was home visiting family in California on winter break six years ago when he went out with Woodward and disappeared. His body was found days later buried in a park. The question during the trial has not been whether Woodward killed Bernstein but the reasons for the killing and circumstances under which it occurred. Prosecutors allege that Woodward singled out the gay, Jewish college sophomore after joining the violent, anti-gay, antisemitic group known as Atomwaffen Division. Woodward’s lawyer has said he didn’t plan to kill anyone, didn’t hate Bernstein, struggled to form personal relationships due to an autism spectrum disorder and was questioning his own sexuality while growing up in a conservative Catholic family. The two men attended the same high school in Orange County and connected months before the attack on a dating app, according to testimony from the monthslong trial. They met up one night in January 2018 and went to a park.

FOX 11

Ex-Gang Leader Facing Trial In Tupac Shakur Killing Seeking Release From Vegas Jail On $750K Bail

A former Los Angeles-area gang leader accused of killing hip-hop music legend Tupac Shakur in 1996 in Las Vegas will ask a judge next week to let him out of jail to prepare for his trial on a murder charge. Duane “Keffe D” Davis’ attorney filed documents Thursday and a judge scheduled a hearing Tuesday at which Davis will ask permission to post $750,000 bond to be freed to house arrest with electronic monitoring. Davis’ defense attorney, Carl Arnold, and a spokesperson did not immediately respond Friday to email and telephone messages about the court filing. Davis has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and has remained jailed at the Clark County Detention Center in Las Vegas since his arrest last Sept. 29. His trial is scheduled Nov. 4. If convicted, he could spend the rest of his life in prison. Prosecutors asked Clark County District Court Judge Carli Kierny to require a “source hearing” for Davis to demonstrate that any funds used to secure his release are obtained legally. Representatives at Crum & Forster Insurance and North River Insurance Co., the Morristown, New Jersey-based backer of the bond identified in the court filing, did not respond Friday to telephone messages. Davis is originally from Compton, California, but has lived in recent years with his wife and son in Henderson, a Las Vegas suburb.

Associated Press

Family, Elderly Dog Escape Koreatown House Fire

A family and their dog were able to escape a fire that heavily damaged a Koreatown home early Friday morning. Investigators say improperly disposed lithium batteries may be to blame for the fire. The fire broke out at the home in the 900 block of S. Kenmore Avenue just before 10 a.m. Aerial views from SkyFOX showed heavy smoke and fire coming from the structure. John Hwang said he woke up this morning to flames outside his bedroom in the home where he lives with his adult daughter and 15-year-old dog. Hwang's daughter was at work already when the fire started. Hwang told FOX 11 that he tried to use a hose to battle the flames, but they were just too big, so he ran inside the flaming building to try and recover the Maltese pup, named Marty McFly after the Back to the Future character. "We don't recommend people go back in burning structures once they are out" said Los Angeles Fire Department Capt. Adam VanGerpen. Hwang wasn't able to find Marty McFly, but VanGerpen told FOX 11 that the dog was able to get out of the home safely, uninjured. Hwang, however, was treated for smoke inhalation. One firefighter also suffered a cut to her hand.

FOX 11

Firefighters Investigating Suspicious Fire In Venice

Police are investigating a fire that they believe may have been ignited under suspicious circumstances in Venice early Saturday. The fire was reported at around 9:30 a.m. near the intersection of Washington Boulevard and Lincoln Boulevard, where they found a rubbish fire burning near a building, according to Los Angeles Fire Department officials. They were able to quickly extinguish the flames before they spread to any structures in the surrounding area. Firefighters were actively investigating reports from witnesses who claim that the fire was started by a person. Video from the scene shows a large plume of black smoke filling the sky behind an AT&T building. 

CBS 2

California Wildfires Have Already Burned 90,000 Acres, And Summer Is Just Beginning

California’s summer is off to a fiery start after an explosion of wildfire activity across the state this week, with blazes stretching firefighting resources thin, forcing evacuations and scorching several homes, businesses and bone-dry hillsides. Perilous weather conditions in the last days of spring before Thursday — strong winds, low humidity and high temperatures — fueled flames from Los Angeles County to Colusa County north of Sacramento, with more than 30 wildfires igniting, including two of the state’s largest this year that each surpassed 15,000 acres in a matter of hours, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. The early boom in wildfires is casting new concerns about what the rest of 2024 will bring, especially with the hottest months ahead and another heat dome forecast for interior California this weekend.“Dangerously hot conditions with temperatures up to 100 to 105 expected,” the National Weather Service said in an excessive-heat warning for much of Southern California’s inland communities between Santa Barbara and San Diego counties over the weekend.

Los Angeles Times

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.