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Law Enforcement News

Shooting Investigation Underway After Man Found Dead In Pico-Union
Authorities are investigating a fatal shooting that occurred in the Pico-Union area late Friday afternoon. According to Los Angeles Police Department, the incident was first reported a little before 3:30 p.m. near the intersection of Union Avenue and Venice Boulevard. When officers arrived, they found one man dead on the street. Police detailed that they are searching for two male suspects, though did not provide any further information.
CBS 2

Shooting suspects lead officers on pursuit from downtown LA to Compton
At least two suspects were in custody after a shooting led to a police chase from downtown Los Angeles to Compton overnight. The first incident began near the intersection of West Olympic Boulevard and South Broadway in downtown LA where patrol officers with the Los Angeles Police Department drove by and observed a shooting in progress. One of the stray bullets hit an innocent valet parking attendant who was struck in the leg. He was taken to the hospital and is expected to make a full recovery, officials said.
FOX 11

Body Found In Burned Sun Valley Travel Trailer
A man’s body was found early Saturday morning in a burned travel trailer in a driveway area between two homes in Sun Valley. Firefighters dispatched at 4:34 a.m. to the 8200 block of Vantage Avenue had the blaze out at 4:51 a.m., according to Brian Humphrey of the Los Angeles Fire Department. “Firefighters held flames to the trailer, with heat damage to the eaves of both adjacent homes,” Humphrey said. “The remains of an adult male were subsequently discovered within the charred remnants of the recreational vehicle.” The cause of the fire was under investigation.
LA Daily News

Los Angeles police officers shoot man holding realistic-looking airsoft rifle
Los Angeles police officers on Saturday shot and killed a man who was seen brandishing what was later determined to be a realistic-looking airsoft rifle.At least one officer opened fire, striking the man, who died at the scene, police said. Investigators later determined the man was holding a realistic-looking airsoft rifle without the usual safety orange barrel for fake guns.
Two officers responded to a home at Grand Avenue and 102nd Street around 1:20 p.m. following a domestic violence call, police said. The area was about nine miles south of Downtown Los Angeles.
FOX News

Suspect Who Set Fire To Man In Pasadena Linked To Deadly Koreatown Hit-and-Run: Police
The Pasadena Police Department says a 2021 homicide case has been solved after investigators connected the suspect to a man also accused in a deadly hit-and-run crash that happened in April. On News Year’s Day 2021, Pasadena police responded to the 700 block of Rockwood Road for a report of a man who was on the ground bleeding and suffering from severe burns. Officers found 30-year-old Ulises Nieto-Cabrera, a Los Angeles resident and Salvadoran citizen, suffering from serious injuries consistent with being set on fire. He was taken to the hospital in “grave condition,” but later died from his wounds. The Pasadena Police Department began investigating the case and determined that the victim was targeted and intentionally set on fire. Over the next several months, homicide detectives worked “hundreds of hours” in their efforts to find Nieto-Cabrera’s killer. During their investigation, detectives discovered an undisclosed link between the murder and a deadly hit-and-run whose details match a collision in Koreatown on April 26, 2022, more than a year after Nieto-Cabrera was brutally killed.
KTLA 5

Dave Chappelle Attack Suspect Allegedly Stabbed Roommate With Knife Taken Onstage
Onlookers were shocked when comedian Dave Chappelle was tackled during a Los Angeles performance in May. The attacker, identified by authorities as Isaiah Lee, carried a replica handgun with a hidden blade inside. On Friday, a former roommate testified that Lee had used the knife before — to stab him in the abdomen. Dijon Washington said at a hearing for the stabbing that Lee grew increasingly erratic in the months before the comic was tackled, according to Rolling Stone. He said Lee wrote strange notes in their transitional living facility, bragged about his marijuana use and insulted Washington’s dead brother. “He was saying, ‘I’m smoking on your brother,’ bragging about how much money he’s making – whatever he was doing – how much weed he was smoking,” Washington testified. “It didn’t make sense to me,” the roommate added. “He knew my brother had passed away few months before that. It was disrespectful.” Things came to a head on Dec. 2 when Washington laughed at Lee’s odd notes. Lee asked, “What the fuck are you looking at?” and rushed Washington, according to the roommate. “We started tussling, and I got stabbed” Washington testified, adding that his roommate evaded police by fleeing their home.
Huffington Post

Another Night Of Takeovers On South L.A. Streets
Street takeovers hit two South Los Angeles intersections overnight Saturday. Around midnight, a large gathering of people shut down the intersection of Century Boulevard and Figueroa Street in Vermont Vista. Several people blocked off the intersection while drivers did doughnuts and car stunts, sometimes with their passengers hanging out of the window. The dangerous antics continued after the group then moved to the corner of Hooper and Gage avenues in Florence-Firestone. There have so far been no reports of any injuries or arrests made, but the Los Angeles Police Department does say they are stepping up their efforts to address the illegal street takeovers. A dedicated task force is increasing enforcement and authorities say anyone who is caught participating in one of these takeovers will have their car towed away.
KTLA 5

Judge Orders Sheriff To Stop Searching Seized MTA Computers
A Superior Court judge has weighed in on the first of several eyebrow-raising raids that the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department conducted this week against outspoken opponents of its leader, Sheriff Alex Villanueva, ordering the department to cease its search of computers seized from the MTA’s Office of Inspector General, ABC7 reports. Attorneys for Supervisor Sheila Kuehl and Sheriff Civilian Oversight Commission member Patti Giggans, whose homes were also raided, are likely to request the same intervention. On Wednesday, LASD investigators raided these and three other locations as part of what a warrant signed by Superior Court Judge Craig Richman described as an ongoing probe into the non-profit Peace Over Violence for alleged corruption. Peace Over Violence is run by Giggans, who is also a member of the Sheriff Civilian Oversight Commission and a close friend to Kuehl. Both Kuehl and Giggans have previously called for Sheriff Alex Villanueva’s resignation. L.A. Councilman Mike Bonin was among those who made counter-accusations against Villanueva following the raids, pointing to the sheriff’s pattern of vindictive investigations of his perceived enemies.
LA Magazine

19 Arrested In LA County For Soliciting Prostitution
Police arrested 19 people for soliciting prostitution during an undercover operation in Claremont this past August and September. The two-day sting operation took place on Aug. 26 and Sept. 15 and targeted the Indian Hill area and the 10 Freeway. Claremont Police says these areas have received “multiple complaints” from residents, local business owners and passersby regarding heightened prostitution activity. Undercover officers posed as prostitutes during the operation. Over the course of two days, 19 people were taken into custody for allegedly soliciting prostitution and sex acts. Police say one arrested suspect was a registered sex offender who was currently on parole while wearing a GPS-monitored ankle bracelet. He was booked at the West Valley Detention Center and is being held pending a future court appearance. The other 18 suspects were booked at the Claremont Police Department Jail, where they were later released on citations.
KTLA 5

'It's Happening Everywhere': How Social Media Contributed To A Spike In Kia, Hyundai Thefts
E.J. Christensen, of Colorado, left his car in well-lit area of a Broomfield parking lot, near Denver, for several days in late July while he left town for a work trip. When he returned, his 2018 Kia Sportage was gone. “The only thing left of my car was a couple of pieces of the door handle and the door lock,” Christensen, 64, said. After realizing his car had been stolen, Christensen reported the theft to the police, and authorities found the car a few days later in Denver. Officers pulled someone over driving his silver Kia and found the steering wheel lock Christensen had placed for protection cut in half on the car floor. Police, Christensen said, determined the car had been too contaminated with fentanyl for anyone to use it again. The car was totaled. “The was probably a hundred other cars in that parking lot, but the thieves singled out my car,” Christensen said. Christensen isn’t alone, as authorities across the country have reported an increase in Kia and Hyundai thefts. And a slew class actions against the manufacturers claim a failure to install an electronic security device known as an engine immobilizer makes the cars easy to steal.
USA Today

Agave Plants Becoming Popular Target For Thieves
Agave plants have become a popular target for thieves as these drought-tolerant plants become more popular, not only because of the dry weather but also due to the increasing popularity of tequila. Residents across Southern California are saying their blue agave plants are being stolen right out of their yards. While there are more than 300 agave species that are used to make another alcoholic drink, mezcal, only the blue agave plant is used to make tequila.The plants typically weigh about 100 pounds and are sold to distilleries to get in on an emerging market as well as the black market.
HEad Topics

Public Safety News

17 Cats Killed After Massive Fire Tears Through Pet Hotel At Palms Strip Mall, LAFD Says
Seventeen cats were killed and a firefighter was transported to a hospital Saturday morning after a massive fire engulfed a strip mall in Palms that included an overnight boarding facility for pets, the Los Angeles Fire Department said. Firefighters knocked down a the "major emergency structure fire" at a row of commercial buildings in the 9000 block of West Venice Boulevard, the LAFD said. "Heavy smoke impacted at least half-dozen businesses, including a feline overnight boarding facility where several cats were rescued, but others sadly perished," said Brian Humphrey, a Fire Department spokesman. Two cats were receiving medical care after being rescued. Firefighters responded to the scene at 5:44 a.m. and had the blaze extinguished within 73 minutes of their arrival, Humphrey said. Although thick smoke charred the majority of the large building that featured a common attic, the bulk of fire damage was limited to three businesses, the LAFD said. "One firefighter took ill during the intense firefight, and has been taken to an area hospital in fair condition for observation," Humphrey said.
ABC 7

L.A. County Could Soon Drop This Key COVID Mask Rule. Here’s Why
Los Angeles County’s requirement that riders wear masks aboard public transit or in transportation hubs such as airports could end this month if coronavirus case rates decline further. And the county Department of Public Health also is moving toward ending its recommendation for universal masking in indoor public settings and businesses. Instead, health officials say doing so would be a matter of personal preference. Officials would still strongly recommend that certain individuals — including older or unvaccinated residents, and those with underlying health conditions or who live in high-poverty areas — mask up in higher-risk settings. Such spaces include those with poor air flow, are crowded or involve close contact with others. The changes in mask rules and recommendations would occur once L.A. County falls below a threshold of fewer than 100 cases a week for every 100,000 residents. That’s equivalent to roughly 1,400 cases a day. For the seven-day period that ended Friday, L.A. County reported about 1,700 coronavirus cases a day. On a per capita basis, that’s 116 cases a week for every 100,000 residents.
LA Times

Local Government News

Boyle Heights Street Named After Vicente Fernández
On this Mexican Independence Day a street east of Mariachi Plaza in Boyle Heights was renamed after Mexican musician Vicente “Chente” Fernández, who sold more than 50 million albums worldwide and won three Grammy Awards and nine Latin Grammys. “The legacy of Vicente Fernández continues to resonate and inspire people worldwide, making us proud to call ourselves Latino,'' Councilman Kevin de León said Aug. 30 after the City Council approved his motion to rename Bailey Street between First Street and Pennsylvania Avenue Vicente Fernández Street.“Through his music, he has etched his place in history on the hearts of fans who will forever cherish him.” Fernández's other honors include a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and 14 Lo Nuestro Awards. He retired from the stage in 2016. He died Dec. 12 in Guadalajara, Mexico, where he was also born. His death at age 81 followed months of health issues and an August 2021 injury at his ranch in Guadalajara. De Leon's proposal to rename the street for Fernández was opposed by David Silvas, the Boyle Heights Neighborhood Council's vice president and chair of its Planning and Land Use Committee.
NBC 4