Raman's 41.18 Policy Spurs Westside Parents' Fury Over PTSD from School Encampments in Bonin Era

In reaction to a fiery debate for the CD4 Council seat between Councilwoman Nithya Raman and opponent Ethan Weaver, Westside parents issued a stark warning: their children are grappling with PTSD due to the policies surrounding encampments near schools. Tom Williams continues to have safety concerns while walking his daughter to school in Council District 11, due to similar beliefs held by former Councilmember Mike Bonin, who also voted against the use of 41.18, "Raman says there's no difference if an encampment is 10 or 500 feet from a school. I mean, has she ever experienced having to walk her kids on the street and past [homeless encampments] like I do? I don’t want my kids to grow up around this."

Westside Current

Family Seeking Justice After Loving Father Gunned Down In San Pedro Bar Over Weekend

Family members are seeking justice after a beloved father and fiancé was gunned down at a bar in San Pedro over the weekend, with the shooter still on the run from police. Tyrone Tyars, 33, was shot and killed inside of the Machista Bar, located on S. Pacific Street, when he his fiancée called him to report that she felt unsafe and wanted to be picked up. "He only came here to pick up his kids' mother," said Tyars' mother, Ira McGrady. "How did my son get murdered?" Police say that the shooting was preceded by some sort of altercation inside of the bar, which quickly turned deadly when a woman in her 20s opened fire, killing Tyars and wounding two others. Among the other two struck by gunfire was Tyars' fiancêe, who still hasn't been identified by authorities. "Daughter-in-law got shot in the ankle, she got shot in the leg, in the hip, and also in the breast and she's still in the hospital," McGrady said. Though she's expected to survive, she's now left without the father of her two boys, aged six-years-old and 10-months old.

CBS 2

Driver Indicted In Wrong-Way Crash Into LA Sheriff's Recruits Jogging In South Whittier

A Diamond Bar man who crashed into a group of Los Angeles Sheriff's Department recruits on a training run in South Whittier has been indicted in the horrific November 2022 collision. Nicholas Joseph Gutierrez was arrested in the hours after the wrong-way crash that injured 25 recruits, but then released after authorities said more evidence was needed to file charges. He was re-arrested late last year. On Tuesday, LA County prosecutors announced that Gutierrez was charged in an 11-count indictment with killing Los Angeles County Sheriff’s recruit Alejandro Martinez-Inzunza, who died in July, and severely injuring nine other recruits. The indictment was unsealed Tuesday. Gutierrez pleaded not guilty to all charges at an arraignment in Los Angeles County Superior Court and posted bail in the amount of $500,000. If convicted as charged, he will face a maximum sentence of 12 years in state prison. He is scheduled to appear in court Feb. 9. “More than a year later, we are still grappling with the profound loss of a promising sheriff’s deputy recruit, Alejandro Martinez-Inzunza, and the other recruits who were seriously injured as a result of this tragic incident,” Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón said. “Today’s indictment is a significant step forward in the progress of this case. My office’s Crimes Against Peace Officers Division is working tirelessly to ensure that the victims and their families receive the justice they deserve.”

NBC 4

Officials Call For Action Against Ongoing Copper Thefts In LA

Los Angeles officials are sounding the alarm after countless copper thefts have left parts of the city in the dark. Thieves stole more than seven miles of copper from The Sixth Street Bridge in Boyle Heights from its light fixtures, only the latest in a string of copper thefts. According to officials, copper thefts are costing the city millions of dollars and causing safety concerns among residents. “We have good actors, and we have bad actors of the recycling centers and right now it’s about $3.80 a pound for copper wire,” LA City Councilmember Kevin de Leon said. “But that $3.80 a pound is costing the city of LA and taxpayers millions of dollars in repairs.” LA officials are calling on the city council to create a copper wire theft task force and put $400,000 toward cutting back on this type of crime. “The primary goal of this task force will be to identify and apprehend individuals who are involved in copper thefts, as well as dismantling the networks that enable this criminal activity to thrive,” LAPD Deputy Chief Michael Oreb said. In the last three months, Pasadena police say there have been more than 30 copper thefts reported, damaging 280 city lights. 

NBC 4

Compton Bakery Robbery: 5 Arrested, Including Alleged Driver Who Plowed Into Store

Multiple people have been arrested after a street takeover in Compton led to the ransacking of a neighborhood bakery, including the driver who allegedly drove a stolen car through the storefront. That same alleged driver was also arrested in connection with another recent viral robbery, where a Los Angeles County deputy walked into a Carson 7-Eleven. Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna announced the arrests of five suspects Tuesday evening. The street takeover happened in the early morning hours of Jan. 2. Around 3:30 a.m., a Kia Soul rammed into the front of Ruben's Bakery repeatedly, so that thieves could get inside. Security footage showed the crowd rushing into the store and looting the place. Deputies said there were about 100 people who rushed in. LASD estimated the robbery cost the bakery more than $40,000 in stolen items and damage. "It's very heartbreaking to see what my family has built over the years to just be destroyed in five, six minutes," said Ruben Ramierez Jr., whose parents own the bakery, shortly after the robbery. "It just angers you."

FOX 11

Video: Ohio Rookie Officer Saves Life Of Unresponsive 3-Year-Old Using CPR

Body camera footage captured an Ohio officer’s rescue of a young girl who had become unresponsive after hitting her head, ABC News reported. The incident occurred Jan. 8. Officer Soren Osicka, 23, along with several other officers, immediately began life-saving efforts on the 3-year-old after arriving on the scene, according to the report. “Without hesitation, Officer Osicka began CPR to provide the essential circulation and oxygen needed to sustain her life. Within seconds, the child began to breathe independently but abruptly stopped breathing again,” said the Ashland Police Division describing the incident. “Officer Osicka continued CPR until the girl began to breathe once more and respond. Officers cared for the child until EMS arrived for transport to a hospital.” The child has since recovered and returned home from the hospital, according to the report. Osicka had only been on the force for six months when the incident occurred, News 5 Cleveland reported. “Having experienced something like this less than six months on the force is definitely something I’m proud of, and again, I just thank God I was able to perform in the moment,” he told News 5 Cleveland. Following the incident, the police department stated officers will undergo refresher training for CPR.

PoliceOne

Video: N.J. PD Uses Drone With Thermal Camera To Rescue Missing Child Within 10 Minutes During Freezing Night

A child reported missing was found in less than ten minutes using drone and thermal camera technologies, WPVI reported. The child was reported missing on Jan. 17 in freezing weather conditions, according to the report. “I think it was around 20 degrees, snow-covered in the woods,” said Officer Michael Slininger with Robbinsville Police. The police department’s drone, which is equipped with thermal imaging cameras, was dispatched to the area. Drone video clearly shows the child’s position in relation to officers participating in the search. The whole incident unfolded in less than ten minutes, according to the report. “We did have another jurisdiction, West Windsor Township, actually sent their K-9 and they were there pretty quickly in just a few minutes,” Slininger said. “But by the time the K-9 arrived, I had already located the juvenile.” The child was unharmed, according to the report.

PoliceOne

Man Dead After Fire Rips Through Home In Mission Hills, LAFD Says

One person was found dead after a house fire in Mission Hills early Wednesday morning. According to the Los Angeles Fire Department, the fire was reported around 3 a.m. at the residential duplex on North Noble Avenue. After firefighters extinguished the intense flames that engulfed the building they discovered a man dead inside. Authorities say three other people who lived inside the two-unit home managed to escape the flames. LAFD spokesperson David Ortiz said they found indications that the fatal victim may have made it out of the house but went back inside to get stuff. They then apparently became trapped and died. The department says the 72-year-old structure was not equipped with smoke alarms, which is required by law. A cause of the fire has not been determined, but officials said it did not appear to be arson.

ABC 7

L.A. Officials Had Been Hoping To Fill Vacant City Jobs. The New Plan? Eliminate Them

For more than a year, Los Angeles’ political leaders have voiced alarm over the large number of vacant positions in city government, saying the situation has seriously hampered their ability to provide services to their constituents. At one point, with the labor shortage affecting about a fifth of the city’s positions, some on the City Council began exploring the idea of providing hiring bonuses to every new employee. Now, a looming budget shortfall, one fueled in large part by new raises for public employees, could force council members to do an abrupt U-turn, slowing down hiring at many city agencies. In a seven-page report issued last week, City Administrative Officer Matt Szabo also recommended that the city prepare a plan to eliminate all of the city’s unfilled “non-critical” positions. Szabo, the city’s top financial analyst, declined to say how many vacant positions would need to be cut from the budget. He said the city’s general fund budget, which pays for basic services, currently has more than 2,100 unfilled civilian positions — both critical and non-critical. In his report, Szabo attributed the ongoing budget woes, in part, to lower-than-expected tax revenues in the city’s general fund — $158 million less than projected for the current budget year. He also pointed to increased costs from two new salary agreements: one with rank-and-file LAPD officers, the other with civilian employees represented by the Coalition of L.A City Unions.

Los Angeles Times

LA Council Votes Tenants Can't Be Evicted For Unauthorized Pets Adopted During Pandemic

Tenants in the city of Los Angeles will be able to keep pets and not be evicted for unauthorized animals adopted during the pandemic following a Tuesday unanimous vote by the city council. The COVID-era pet protection policy was set to expire Jan. 31, so council members worked to pass the law before that time as the city's six animal shelters are already at full or near-full capacity. The underlying sentiment of the ruling was that pets helped people emotionally at the height of the pandemic, and tenants should not be evicted from their homes at a time when housing and homelessness are pressing issues. "The COVID-19 pandemic had a multitude of social, economic and health impacts on our communities, and countless families are recovering from the impacts," Councilwoman Eunisses Hernandez said. "Many people lost their loved ones and were dealing with isolation from the quarantine, which led many to get new additions to their families." Tenants who have not previously notified their landlord of their pets will need to do so within 30 days after the law goes into effect.

CBS 2

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.