Law Enforcement News

Police Searching For Hit-and-Run Driver Who Killed 29-Year-Old Man In Arleta
Authorities are searching for a hit-and-run driver who fatally struck a pedestrian in Arleta on Wednesday. According to Los Angeles Police Department, the victim, who has been identified as 29-year-old Arleta resident Richard Mendez, was crossing Terra Bella Street at around 10:20 p.m. when he was struck by a driver behind the wheel of a Mercedes-Benz S-Class sedan. Mendez died at the scene. Officers said that the vehicle was traveling at a high rate of speed at the time of the collision. A standing reward of up to $50,000 is offered by the city of Los Angeles for information that helps solve a fatal hit-and-run. Anyone with information on the case was urged to call detectives at (818) 644-8032 or (818) 644-8028.
CBS 2

Woman, 3 Children Injured After Being Struck By Driver In North Hollywood
A woman and three children were struck by a vehicle and injured Friday in North Hollywood, authorities said. The crash occurred just before 6 p.m. near Oxnard Street and Vineland Avenue. All four people were taken to a hospital for treatment of their injuries. A 5-year-old boy was listed in critical condition. The woman and the two other children suffered moderate injuries and were also taken to a hospital, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. There's no word as to whether the injured were in a crosswalk. The condition of the driver was unknown. The crash was being investigated by Los Angeles police.
ABC 7

At Least Five Arrested After Pursuit Ends In Crash In Lincoln Heights
At least five people were taken into custody after a pursuit ended in a crash in Lincoln Heights Saturday night. The pursuit driver and passengers were sought by police over an alleged armed robbery. The vehicle drove through residential areas in El Sereno and Lincoln Heights. At one point through a narrow street, the pursuit driver almost collided with another vehicle at the intersection of Navarro Street and Linda Vista Terrace. Both vehicles stopped just in time and the pursuit continued. While traveling down Thomas Street, the driver then collided with a white vehicle at the intersection of Thomas Street and North Broadway. The pursuit driver crashed into a pole and the passengers were seen fleeing the scene. At least four men were taken into custody. A woman who was believed to be the driver was taken into custody several minutes later.
NBC 4

LASD Task Force Predicts Fentanyl Will Be “Number One Cause" Of Overdose Deaths In Coming Years
A task force devoted to preventing overdose deaths in Los Angeles County has made a harrowing prediction as the amount of fentanyl-related incidents continues to skyrocket nationwide. "Very shortly here, fentanyl is going to be the new number one cause of overdose deaths as far as controlled substances are concerned," said Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Captain Brandon Dean, who works with the departments Overdose Response Task Force. Formed in July, the task force consists of investigators from a number of different bureaus, working to prevent drug overdose deaths from the source. "If we're able to link that person that sold that controlled substance that caused the death, our goal is not to arrest you for sales of narcotics," Dean said. "Our goal is to arrest you for either second degree murder on the state side or distribution that led to a death on the federal side." The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, the amount of deaths from controlled substances has spiked more than 200% from 2018 to 2021. In those numbers, the largest jump was fentanyl-related deaths, with 1,204 reported in 2018 and 2,741 in 2021.
CBS 2

Man Killed During Road Rage Incident In LA County
A suspect was arrested after allegedly killing a man during a road rage incident in Maywood, the LA County Sheriff's department said. Deputies responded to the intersection of E. 58th Street and Atlantic Boulevard Friday around 8:18 p.m. regarding a traffic collision involving a pedestrian. When officers arrived on scene, they located the victim suffering from multiple injuries to his upper body. He was taken to the hospital where he later died. Investigators believe the victim was struck by a vehicle during a road rage incident. A suspect was arrested. The identity of the victim and suspect have not been released. Anyone with information is urged to contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's Homicide Bureau at (323) 890-5500. You can remain anonymous by calling Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-TIPS (8477), or visiting lacrimestoppers.org.
FOX 11

Authorities Search For At-Risk Woman Who Disappeared In Los Angeles County
Authorities are searching for an at-risk woman who disappeared in Los Angeles County on Wednesday. The missing woman, Mynna Carmen Tabuloc, 20, was last seen on the 25700 block of Emerson Lane in Stevenson Ranch around 12:12 p.m., according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. Officials say Tabuloc suffers from schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and depression. She is described as a Hispanic female standing 5 feet tall and weighing 105 pounds. She was last seen wearing a white hooded sweater and blue jeans. The woman’s family has not heard from her since she disappeared are concerned for her safety and well-being. Anyone who may recognize her or knows of her whereabouts is asked to call LASD’s Missing Persons Unit at 323-890-5500.
KTLA 5

Ex-TSA Officer Gets Nearly 6 Years In LAX Drug Case
A former Transportation Security Administration officer was sentenced Friday, Dec. 9, to five years, 10 months in federal prison for smuggling what he believed was methamphetamine through Los Angeles International Airport in exchange for $8,000. Michael Williams, 39, of Hawthorne pleaded guilty in June to one federal count of attempting to distribute methamphetamine. Williams was arrested in 2020 after authorities conducted undercover operations involving Williams, who they suspected of helping smuggle narcotics past security checkpoints at LAX. During the investigation, Williams met with a drug source to exchange methamphetamine in the days prior leading up to his shifts at LAX, court papers filed in L.A. federal court show. As a TSA employee with unscreened access to LAX, Williams twice agreed to deliver what he thought was methamphetamine in a backpack to the drug source’s accomplice in a men’s restroom on the secure side of the airport terminal, federal prosecutors said.
LA Daily News

Man Zip-Tied, Set On Fire By California Car Thieves After Stopping To Help Seemingly Stranded Woman
A California man who stopped to help a seemingly stranded woman on the side of a road in Northern California last week was allegedly zip-tied and set on fire by her and two men who then stole his car, police said, according to a report. The two men stepped out of the woman’s black SUV after she flagged the victim down just before 11 p.m. Wednesday, holding him at gunpoint before they restrained him and threw gasoline on him on a road about 40 miles north of Sacramento, according to FOX 40. The incident happened southwest of Yuba City. The victim put out the fire by rolling on the ground and called 911 for help. His car was found a few miles away along with a replica gun. He was treated at the hospital for burns. There was no word on his condition. No arrests have been made. There is no suspect description, although the victim said he thought his attackers looked to be of Middle Eastern descent.
FOX 11

Man Who Killed 2 Georgia Deputies Pleads Guilty, Gets Life In Prison
The man who shot two Cobb County sheriff’s deputies pleaded guilty to murder and other charges Thursday morning, exactly three months after killing the law enforcement officers. Christopher Patrick Golden, 30, entered a negotiated guilty plea to the murders of deputies Jonathan Randall Koleski and Marshall Samual Ervin Jr., who were trying to serve an arrest warrant in a west Cobb neighborhood Sept. 8. The hearing was initially set to be an arraignment, but Golden agreed to a plea deal, Cobb Superior Court Judge Julie Adams Jacobs told a courtroom full of deputies and grieving relatives of the slain lawmen. Prosecutors had planned to seek the death penalty, but agreed to a deal in which Golden would serve life in prison without the possibility of parole. Golden wasn’t the man wanted that evening, but he lived at the home with Christopher Cook, who is his uncle and the person deputies were searching for on theft charges.
Atlanta Journal Constitution

Public Safety News

Fire Erupts At Downtown Los Angeles Pallet Yard
A pallet yard in downtown Los Angeles caught fire overnight, and it took dozens of firefighters to douse the blaze. The fire broke out at 2:51 a.m. in the 700 block of South Merchant Street, and 70 firefighters were able to tame the flames in 41 minutes, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. Firefighters worked to keep the blaze from spreading to nearby structures, and the cause of the fire remains under investigation.
KTLA 5

RSV, Flu Patients Continue To Fill Hospitals As LA County Sits In ‘High' COVID Level
As Los Angeles County sits in the "high" COVID-19 activity category, doctors are also treating patients with flu and other respiratory illnesses. The triple threat - or "tripledemic" - of influenza (flu), COVID-19 and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) have many of the same symptoms in common. Dr. Darrin Privett, who works for Henry Mayo's Santa Clarita Emergency Medical Group, told Eyewitness News he's treating all patients. "We have had patients who have tested positive for COVID, but it's primarily influenza or RSV, or a lot of other respiratory viruses sprinkled with COVID," he said. On Friday, L.A. County logged 3,756 new COVID infections, along with 17 more virus-related deaths. The county's "high" COVID-19 level move came when the county's average rate of new infections rose to 258 per 100,000 people -- well above the threshold of 200 per 100,000.
ABC 7

Local Government News

Karen Bass Sworn In As Los Angeles Mayor
Mayor-elect Karen Bass was sworn into office Sunday at the Microsoft Theater in downtown Los Angeles. by Vice President Kamala Harris. With the ceremony, Bass became the first woman to be inaugurated as mayor, and the second African American to hold the position. The ceremony was originally supposed to be held at Los Angeles City Hall but was moved inside due to rain. The theater seats more than 7,000 people. Bass was sworn in by special guest Vice President Kamala Harris, who endorsed her campaign earlier this year. The ceremony featured poems by Amanda Gorman, former National Youth Poet Laureate, and performances by Stevie Wonder, Mary Mary and the Hamilton High School chamber choir. During her inaugural address, Bass touched on the issue of homelessness, which she says is her No. 1 priority as mayor.
KTLA 5

Mayor Garcetti Signs Series Of Green Laws On Last Day
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti spent his final hours in office Saturday signing a series of new ordinances to phase out oil drilling, prohibit natural gas in new construction and ban Styrofoam and single-use plastics. “Today, we write a new chapter in building a more sustainable, equitable and just future for all Angelenos,” Garcetti said. “We are putting communities first and walking lighter on this land.” One new ordinance declares oil and gas extraction a non-conforming use in the Los Angeles municipal code and aims at phasing out oil drilling. Another ordinance will require all new buildings starting in April 2023 to be all-electric, with limited exceptions. That would include heaters and cooking appliances. Advocates say the all-electric residences and commercial buildings will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and cost less to build and operate. They say natural gas-burning buildings contain levels of pollution that exceed outdoor allowable standards.
NBC 4