South L.A. Gang Associate To Plead Guilty In Fatal Shooting Of LAPD Officer

A street gang associate is expected to plead guilty Wednesday to her role in the robbery and killing of an off-duty Los Angeles Police Department officer who was gunned down in January 2022 while house-hunting. Haylee Marie Grisham, 20, has agreed to enter her plea to a federal statute for her role in the robbery and fatal shooting of Los Angeles Police Officer Fernando Arroyos, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The charge of violent crime in aid of racketeering carries a possible sentence of life in federal prison without the possibility of parole because the fatal shooting occurred during a robbery, prosecutors said. Three other defendants — all suspected gang members — face trial in July in Los Angeles federal court. On the night of Arroyos’ death, Grisham and her co-defendants were driving around looking for someone to rob when they decided to target the victim, who was wearing gold chains around his neck, according to her plea agreement. While committing the robbery, the three co-defendants — one of whom was Grisham’s boyfriend — killed Arroyos, the document states.

MyNewsLA

Officers Take Legal Action After LAPD Photo And ID Release

Private attorneys representing 321 unnamed LAPD officers have filed an initial legal action against the City of Los Angeles, claiming that a recent production of public record data on LAPD employees included the profiles of some officers working in undercover assignments, whose information is typically withheld from such disclosures. "This presents a significant threat to the citizens of Los Angeles," said attorney Matthew McNicholas, who's West LA law firm represents dozens of other officers in unrelated lawsuits against the City. "Several undercover operations have had to stop, and several undercover officers have been threatened, with direct threats, requiring their families to move," he said, adding that the officers had been identified and verbally threatened on the street. According to the claim, which is an initial step required before a lawsuit can be filed, the City produced a volume of information about LAPD officers in response to two public records requests, and in both cases, the claim alleges the City failed to fully remove the names, photos, and identifying information of some undercover officers. The LAPD routinely produces so-called roster data in response to records requests about its employees, including names, ranks, assignments, salaries, and employee identification or serial numbers.

NBC 4

7-Year-Old Missing From Mid-City, LAPD Begins Major Search Efforts As Family Hopes He Is Found Soon

The LAPD is asking for the public's help in finding 7-year-old Derek Clay, who was reported missing around 9 p.m. Tuesday after last being seen in the courtyard of an apartment complex in the Wilshire area. Clay's family says he was last seen around 4:30 p.m. Tuesday at around the 1100 block of Crenshaw Boulevard. Clay is 5 feet tall and weighs 130 pounds and was wearing a grey t-shirt, fark pants and blue shoes. The disappearance is not believed to be associated with a custody battle. Clay was reported missing by his grandfather, who he and his teenage brother live with. Clay's family and the LAPD hope to find the boy as soon as possible. If you have seen, or have any information regarding the whereabouts of Derek Clay, please contact the Wilshire Area Police Station, at 213-473-0476. During non-business hours or on weekends, please call 877-527-3247.

ABC 7

Managers At LA Senior Care Facility Plead Not Guilty In COVID-19 Deaths Of 14 People

Three managers at Silverado Senior Living Management Inc. pleaded not guilty Tuesday to charges stemming from the COVID-related deaths of a nurse and 13 people who lived at a residential care facility in Los Angeles. Loren Bernard Shook, the company's chief executive officer, Jason Michael Russo, a company administrator at the time, and Kimberly Cheryl Butrum, a vice president, were charged last month with 13 felony counts of elder endangerment and five felony counts of violation causing death, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office. The national chain, which specializes in caring for elderly residents with Alzheimer's disease and/or dementia, pleaded not guilty last month to the same charges. The investigation into Silverado Beverly Place was launched after the facility reported the April 20, 2020, death of a 32-year-old employee, Brittany Ringo, District Attorney George Gascón said.

FOX 11

Suspect Flees North Hollywood Metro Station Stabbing

Around 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, the Los Angeles Police Department responded to a stabbing at the North Hollywood Metro Station.on Lankershim Boulevard. An approximately 40-year-old man fled the scene after allegedly stabbing a 35-year-old man. The victim at first refused medical treatment but was ultimately transported by ambulance to a hospital. Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority launched its Metro Ambassador Pilot Program on March 6, deploying nearly 300 ambassadors throughout the Metro bus and rail system to help improve safety. 

CBS 2

Serial Arsonist Hits Mt. Washington, Silver Lake Neighborhoods; Residents On Edge

Authorities believe a serial arsonist is on the loose in the Mt. Washington and Silver Lake communities, and while the damage so far has been limited to dumpster fires and Cypress trees, residents in the area are concerned things could escalate. A cracking window is what alerted Walter Moguel to the fire right outside his home. The Mt. Washington resident told KTLA that he believes the fire was intentionally set. “It was only later when I was being interrogated by the police and firemen and I said, ‘Well, how do you guys think it started, somebody came by with a cigarette or something?’ He says, ‘No. It looks like you have an arsonist in the neighborhood,'” Moguel explained. Fortunately, firefighters were able to quickly respond to the blaze outside his home, and the flames didn’t spread, but the homeowner says he’s well aware that the outcome could have been very different. “I don’t know how many feet away it is from my home, but it freaked us out,” he said. “I thought I lost my home basically.” Neighbors in and around Mt. Washington, as well as those in adjacent Silver Lake, say they are unsettled after they counted anywhere from seven to 10 fires over just the last few weeks. Authorities with the fire department have warned residents that the fires could be the work of a serial arsonist.  

KTLA 5

UPDATE: Police Continue Search For Armed Carjacking Suspects

A night of street closures and helicopter surveillance appears to have ended after several hours. Police were searching for suspects, who were thought to have committed a shooting and carjacking in Santa Monica. KCAL reported that the incident started in a parking lot near Bicknell and Ocean Avenue (1 block south of Casa Del Mar), and also reported that two of the three suspects shot at the victim, hitting her car. The woman fled and walked to the Santa Monica Police Department to report the crime. Santa Monica Police Department officers initially responded at 8:45 p.m. to the 100 block of Main Street regarding reports of shots fired during a carjacking near one of the city's beach parking lots, according to SMPD Sgt. Frank Marnell. Police found several shell casings at the scene of the carjacking. The suspects fled south into nearby Venice crashing into another vehicle. Los Angeles Police Department officers from the Pacific Division station created a perimeter at Main Street and Rose Avenue and a search was underway for the suspects. The victim in that crash was taken to hospital for unknown injuries.

Westside Current

Man Run Over While Trying To Stop Catalytic Converter Theft In Lynwood

A man was injured Friday afternoon when he was run over by a pair of thieves attempting to steal a catalytic converter from under a vehicle in his neighborhood. Los Angeles County Fire Department crews were dispatched to the 10700 block of San Jose Avenue at around 5:30 p.m., after learning of a hit-and-run in the area. Deputies with Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department were also dispatched around the same time, learning that the victim was possibly targeted in a catalytic converter theft. They learned that he attempted to interrupt the theft, causing the suspects to flee from the area, at which point the collision occurred. The victim suffered a minor injury to his leg, after he was sideswiped by the suspects fleeing from the scene. He was treated at the scene by paramedics but did not require hospitalization. Thus far, no arrests have been made. 

CBS 2

$100,000 Reward Offered For Missing Carson Teen

The Carson City Council has approved a $100,000 reward for the safe return of a 16-year-old girl that went missing on New Year's Day. According to the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department, 16-year-old Alinka Angeline Castaneda went missing on Jan. 1, 2023, at 5 a.m. She was last seen on the 23000 blocks of S. Caroldale Avenue entering an unknown vehicle. Castaneda did not contact her family until nearly three weeks later, claiming she was unable to leave her location. She later said her family needed to pick her up at Union Station at 10 p.m. However, when her family arrived she was not there. They waited at the transportation hub for 6-8 hours, but Castaneda never appeared. Typically, the Carson City Council has only given rewards between the amounts of $20,000 to $25,000. They hope this $100,000 reward will entice someone to help. The reward also specifies that information should lead to the arrest and conviction of the people responsible for her disappearance if foul play was involved.

CBS 2

K-9 Helps Officers Seize 40+ Pounds Of Fentanyl In San Bernardino

A police K-9 helped officers in San Bernardino seize more than 40 pounds of fentanyl, officials announced Saturday. The San Bernardino Police Department shared news of the seizure on its Facebook page Saturday. According to the department it all started with a traffic stop. Officers pilled over a car for vehicle code violations and found the driver did not have a valid driver's license. During that traffic stop, the K-9 officer alerted officers. That's when they began to search the vehicle. Inside, they found 20 kilograms of fentanyl hid inside various compartments in the car. According to the SBPD, that much fentanyl is worth about $2 million. 

FOX 11

54 ‘Ghost Guns’ Seized In Unique California Program, Officials Say

California law enforcement took away 54 so-called ghost guns last year from people who can’t legally own firearms, a 38% jump in the number of the hard-to-trace weapons seized since 2021 under a unique state program, officials said Monday. The ghost guns, which are privately made firearms without a serial number, were part of nearly 1,500 guns taken statewide last year through an only-in-California program called the Armed and Prohibited Persons System, known as APPS. The California registry cross-matches databases to find people who legally purchased weapons but are now banned from ownership because they have been convicted of felonies or a violent misdemeanor, or have a history of domestic violence or mental illness. State and local authorities then can move to seize the weapons under the program, which began in 2006. Generally, firearms manufactured by licensed companies are required to have serial numbers that allow officials to trace the gun back to the manufacturer, the firearms dealer and original purchaser. That’s how the registry can find the people who are prohibited from having guns, as well as the weapons linked to them.

Los Angeles Times

Critically Wounded Alabama Officer Is Taken Off Ventilator As Condition Improves

One week after he was wounded in a shooting that killed a fellow officer, Huntsville police say Officer Albert Morin no longer requires a ventilator. Morin, 34, has been in critical condition at Huntsville Hospital since the shooting last Tuesday afternoon. Police released a photo of him last week. Morin, along with Officer Garrett Crumby, 36, and an unidentified woman, were shot Tuesday at an apartment complex on the 4600 block of Governors House Drive. Crumby and Morin answered a call after a woman had been reportedly shot. Crumby died from his wounds. His funeral was held yesterday. The woman’s injuries were not considered life-threatening, police said last week. Juan Robert Laws, 24, was booked into the Madison County Jail just before 11 p.m. Tuesday on a charge of capital murder of a law enforcement officer. He is expected to face additional charges. Both Crumby and Morin worked out of the department’s West Precinct. Morin has been a Huntsville police officer since 2017. Get-well cards can be sent to Morin in care of Huntsville Police Department, P.O. Box 2085 Huntsville, AL 35804.

PoliceOne

California COVID-19 Rules Ease As Emergency Declarations End. Here’s What’s Changed

The steady unwinding of COVID-19 emergency declarations has ushered in a slate of changes to Los Angeles County’s pandemic guidance, including when to mask, quarantine or isolate, as well as the reporting of new infections and outbreaks. The most significant — the easing of government-issued masking orders for patients and visitors in healthcare settings — took effect Monday in L.A. County. In other California counties, masking orders for doctors and nurses also have expired. The tweaks are the latest reflection of a broad new phase of the pandemic, one characterized more by individual risk assessment and targeted intervention than sweeping measures or restrictions. “With the rescinding of many emergency orders these past weeks, there are questions about which sensible protections remain important to consider,” said L.A. County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer. “Given the differing risks both by setting and by individual characteristics, the goals of reducing disruptions and taking care of those most vulnerable remain important.”

Los Angeles Times

In Race To Replace LA Councilmember Nury Martinez, Padilla Leads, 3 Others Vie For Second Spot

Initial returns show Imelda Padilla leads the field and three other candidates are vying for second place in the special election to replace former Los Angeles City Councilmember Nury Martinez in the San Fernando Valley. Because no candidate appears close to winning a majority of the votes in Tuesday's election for Council District 6, the top two finishers will likely meet in a June 27 runoff.

LAist

About the LAPPL: Formed in 1923, the Los Angeles Police Protective League (LAPPL) represents more than 9,200 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.