Suspect In Shooting Death Of 17-Year-Old Teen Remains At Large

Police continued their search Thursday for the gunman who fatally shot a 17-year-old boy during a failed robbery attempt in Koreatown. According to the Los Angeles Police Department, the teen was sitting in the passenger seat of a car at around 10:40 p.m. Tuesday on Seventh Street near Berendo Street when a man approached and tried to rob him and the car’s 16-year-old boy driver. The driver began to pull away, prompting the suspect to open fire, striking his passenger in the head, the LAPD reported. The victim was identified Wednesday by the Los Angeles County Coroner’s office as Dylan Ramirez of Los Angeles. The driver of the car came to a stop near Olympic Boulevard and Burlington Avenue in the Pico-Union district. The suspect was described as a heavyset man in his early 20s, between 5 feet, 8 inches and 5 feet, 10 inches tall. Anyone with information on the killing was urged to call 877-LAPD-247.

MyNewsLA

Woman's Remains Found In Hollywood Hills Sewer Drain; $50K Reward Offered For Info

A $50,000 reward is being offered by the City of Los Angeles for information regarding the death of a 28-year-old woman whose remains were found in a Hollywood Hills sewer drain last year. According to police, the skeletal remains of Mercy Martinez were discovered by LADWP maintenance workers on June 13, 2022. Evidence was recovered during that time leading investigators to believe her body was put there by someone else, officials said. Martinez was homeless and struggled with substance abuse, police said. She was last seen by her family in April 2021 and was last known to be alive when she was contacted by police on June 15, 2021. Anyone who was information on Martinez's whereabouts between June 2021 and June 2022 are asked to call (213) 382-9470. 

FOX 11

Standoff In Van Nuys Leads To Neighborhood Evacuation

A standoff in Van Nuys led police to evacuate a neighborhood late Tuesday. Around 9:15 p.m. Tuesday, police attempted to serve a warrant on a parolee at large. When they arrived the man armed with a gun barricaded himself inside a home. SWAT was called to the scene as the man refused to come out. Around 2 a.m. Wednesday, they started evacuating nearby residents. The number of residents evacuated is unknown. Vanowen Street is closed in both directions from Gloria Avenue to Woodley Avenue, according to the LAPD. The identity of the man barricaded was not immediately available.

NBC 4

Burglars Smash Truck Into T-Mobile Store In South L.A.

Police responded to a burglary at a T-Mobile store in South Los Angeles early Thursday morning, where they found the glass front entrance smashed in by a vehicle. Officers responded to a commercial burglary at a T-Mobile store at 830 East Washington Boulevard at Griffith Avenue at about 4:15 a.m. Thursday. The property manager at the location called police to report a break-in at the Metro by T-Mobile store. Three males were reportedly seen entering the store. It appeared as if a truck smashed through the front glass entrance of the business, according to the preliminary investigation. The green truck was towed from the scene for analysis. No suspect information was immediately released.

CBS 2

FBI Seeking Help Identifying Man Who Attempted To Rob Wells Fargo Bank In Compton

Federal investigators are seeking public assistance in identifying and locating a man who attempted to rob a bank in Compton on Monday. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the incident occurred at the Wells Fargo bank located in the Gateway Towne Center in the 1600 block of South Alameda Street. The man is said to have entered the bank and presented the bank teller with a note demanding money before fleeing from the area in a black SUV. They did not disclose how much, if any, money the suspect received before leaving. A photo of the suspect shows him wearing a black, hooded Lakers sweatshirt, a blue bandana, sunglasses and blue construction gloves. Anyone who has additional information was asked to contact FBI's Los Angeles office at (310) 477-6565.

CBS 2

Authorities Again Plea For Public Help Finding Girl Missing Since New Year

Los Angeles County sheriff’s officials issued another public plea Wednesday for help finding a 16-year-old girl who disappeared from the Carson area in January and hasn’t been seen since. Alinka Angeline Castaneda is described as Hispanic, 5 feet 5 inches tall, weighing 150 pounds, with short blonde hair and brown eyes, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. She was last seen around 5 a.m. Jan. 1 in the 23000 block of South Caroldale Avenue, wearing a black shirt, sweatpants, and a gold necklace. Sheriff’s officials released an updated photo of the girl Wednesday in hopes of generating leads in the search. A $100,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the teen. At a news conference last month, the teen’s relatives said she disappeared without her cell phone or any other possessions. According to the family, the teen called two weeks later and spoke to her younger sister — a call that authorities traced to the Venice area.

MyNewsLA

Oregon Trooper In Gunfight After Finding Driver Held At Gunpoint

An Oregon State Police trooper exchanged gunfire with a man who was holding the driver of a semitrailer at gunpoint Monday morning along Interstate 5 in Salem, leaving the suspect dead, authorities said. Trooper Andrew Tuttle stopped to help the driver of the disabled semitrailer at about 8:45 a.m. when he noticed the gunman, who immediately began shooting at the trooper, the Salem Police Department said in a news release. Tuttle returned fire and the gunman ran into tall grass along the interstate, where he was found with gunshot injuries, the statement said. He died at the scene despite unspecified medical assistance, police said. Police identified the man as Felipe Amezcua Manzo, 31. A vehicle connected with Manzo was found at the scene and searched after police got a warrant. Officials did not disclose if anything relevant to the shooting was found inside Manzo’s car.

Associated Press

Gang Member Arrested For Harlem Murders Was Out On Bail After Shooting At NYPD Officers

A man arrested for two weekend murders in Harlem — including a cold-blooded, execution-style killing at a smoke shop — was out on bail for allegedly shooting at cops less than two years ago, according to authorities. Messiah Nantwi, 21, was busted for fatally shooting 19-year-old Jaylen Duncan on Saturday and then blasting another victim from behind the following day, police said Tuesday. The suspect was out on bail of $300,000 for a February 2021 case in which he was charged with the attempted murder of a police officer after shooting at cops. Nantwi, identified as a member of the local OTN Goodfellas gang, was arrested while riding a Citi Bike on Lenox Ave., with the 9-mm. murder weapon found nearby, NYPD Chief of Detectives James Essig said Tuesday. Nantwi was accused of fatally shooting Duncan at Madison Ave. and E. 132nd St. around 4:45 p.m. on Saturday. The victim, who died at Harlem Hospital, lived about 15 blocks from the shooting scene, with Essig saying that he was specifically targeted. The chief did not elaborate.

New York Daily News

LA County Warns Of Potentially Worst Mosquito Season In Years

Los Angeles County residents are being warned about what may be the worst mosquito season in years. The recent heavy rains across the state have created ripe conditions and new places for mosquitos to lay their eggs and raise larva. With warm weather on its way in the next few months, those blood suckers could thrive. There are two types of mosquitos to worry about: the native culex breed and the so-called ankle-biters, which are an invasive species. “They’re annoying. They hurt. They itch,” Tarzana resident James Jimenez said. They can also be vectors of diseases like Zika and West Nile virus. Jimenez is taking precautionary measures against a possible mosquito nightmare. On Wednesday afternoon, a technician with the company Mosquito Squad sported “Ghostbusters”-style equipment to spray Jimenez’s home with chemicals that are harmless to humans but deadly to mosquitos. “Anywhere it’s shady, cool, dark – that’s what they love the most,” Joshua Hernandez, a Mosquito Squad worker, said.

NBC 4

Eight Takeaways From the Special Election to Replace Nury Martinez

Here are some of the important things to glean from the results, financial data and more. But perhaps the most impactful IE came from the Los Angeles Police Protective League: The pugilistic union, representing most rank-and-file officers, dropped $70,000 on mailers attacking Santana for opposing the city’s anti-camping ordinance. An argument can be made that this expenditure tilted the scales; Santana missed the runoff by less than 300 votes. Progressives and anti-police activists seethe at the LAPPL, but the union’s moves could pay off big by keeping a pro-police officeholder in District 6.

Los Angeles Magazine

L.A. County’s Eviction Moratorium Has Expired. What Does That Mean For Renters?

The last day of March marked the end of Los Angeles County’s pandemic-era eviction protections. Even before then, evictions had been on the rise. In the last year, eviction filings across the county have returned to pre-pandemic levels of more than 3,000 per month, according to Kyle Nelson, a postdoctoral researcher at UCLA. For landlords, the end of the pandemic-era rules comes as a relief, said Daniel Yukelson, executive director of the Apartment Assn. of Greater Los Angeles. “Owners are just glad to have this burden off their backs,” he said. “It’s been a very challenging three years — it’s been very tough to collect legally owed rent.” Tenant advocates, meanwhile, say they are already hearing from increasing numbers of renters receiving eviction notices. Often people who receive these notices are unsure how, or even whether, to respond. The rules around evictions and tenant protections are complicated and can be difficult for even lawyers to understand. “Every day I receive a call or someone comes to the office to tell me, ‘Lupita, I have received this letter. What does it say? What do I need to do?’” said Lupita Gonzalez, an organizer with the advocacy group ACCE Institute.

Los Angeles Times

Councilmembers Yaroslavksy And Price Present Motion That Might Question Efficacy Of 41.18 Enforcement

On Wednesday, the City Council approved a motion presented by council members Katy Yaroslavksy and Curren Price that directs various city departments to conduct a review of the effectiveness and financial cost of the city's anti-camping law. The law, known as section 41.18, bans sitting, sleeping, and storing property near an estimated 2,000 designated sites in the city. Yaroslavksy said the motion would "shine a light" on how the enforcement of 41.18 has been carried out by requesting a report on several key metrics of the law including, but not limited to, a breakdown of the total cost of enforcement with details on the staff cost, and the price of anti-camping signage, which she noted has cost the city several million dollars. "The reality is that we don't have a clearer picture as to how 41.18, specifically as it relates to individual sites determined through council motion, has been applied and whether or not its reducing homelessness.

Westside Current

LA Council Looks To Review Effectiveness Of Anti-Camping Law

The Los Angeles City Council directed various city departments Wednesday to conduct a review of the effectiveness and financial cost of the city’s anti-camping law aimed at restricting the location of homeless encampments. A motion presented by council members Katy Yaroslavsky and Curren Price and approved unanimously calls for a report on the application, enforcement and effectiveness of the law, known as section 41.18, which bans sitting, sleeping and storing property near an estimated 2,000 designated sites in the city. “I understand that this is a sensitive issue, and I respect that each one of us has different opinions on the use of 41.18 as a tool in our efforts to end homelessness,” Yaroslavsky said. “I’ve stated before that I agree there are certain locations such as school and daycare centers that should be covered by the law.

MyNewsLA

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.