Family Of Man Who Died After LAPD Taser Incident Files $100 Million Lawsuit Against City

The family of a man who died after he was hit by a Taser multiple times during a struggle with Los Angeles police officers has filed a new lawsuit against the city. Keenan Anderson was one of three men who died in confrontations with the LAPD during the first three days of the year. Police said Anderson was arrested in January for felony hit-and-run after causing a traffic accident then trying to get into another person's car. Body worn camera video showed Anderson running through traffic after the accident. He was seen acting erratic with an LAPD officer and was hit by a Taser multiple times as officers tried to restrain him as he ran through traffic. The Los Angeles Police Protective League, the union that represents LAPD officers, issued a statement earlier saying Anderson escalated the confrontation with his behavior, which included running away from officers into traffic. "Minor auto accidents are usually handled with an exchange of information between the drivers and a call to one's insurance carrier,'' according to the LAPPL. "On the other hand, when an individual who is high on cocaine is in an accident, tries to open the car door of an innocent driver, and then flees the scene by running into traffic, police officers must act.''

ABC 7

Tiny Dog Kicked Into Construction Equipment In Venice Suffers Severe Injuries

A small dog named Bart is being treated at an animal hospital for severe injuries suffered when he was brutally kicked on a Venice sidewalk. The attack Wednesday sent the Yorkshire terrier flying into the metal claw of a front-end loader on the street. The man who kicked Bart also is accused of hitting someone over the head with a glass bottle Wednesday. Details about that victim's injuries were not immediately available, but he was able to identify his attacker, police said. Witnesses chased the man and detained him until police arrived to take him into custody, police said. The 39-year-old man was booked on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon. Officers tracked down video of the dog being kicked, police said. It showed Bart on the sidewalk in the path of a man who kicked him, then continued walking. A former firefighter on vacation with her son helped revive the dog, according to Laura Valdivia, who set up a fundraising account to help her neighbor with veterinary bills for Bart. The fundraiser collected more than $21,300 as of Monday morning. "On the way (to the vet), Bart regained consciousness but kept moaning and seizing," Valdivia said. "It was truly one of the most heartbreaking things I've ever heard. The emergency room got him stable, but said he suffered a traumatic brain injury.

NBC 4

Suspect Arrested In Fatal Stabbing Of A Woman In El Sereno Home, Police Said

A suspect was arrested in connection with the fatal stabbing of a woman inside an El Sereno home Saturday night, Los Angeles police said. Officers responded to an emergency call in the 5000 block of Cavanagh Road shortly before midnight, according to Officer Norma Eisenman, a police department spokeswoman. Inside, they found a woman who had been stabbed, she said. The unidentified 35-year-old victim was pronounced dead at the scene. The 33-year-old suspect, who was not immediately identified, was arrested inside the home in connection with the woman’s death, Eisenman said. The relationship between the victim and suspect was unclear, she said.

Los Angeles Times

Baby Taken By Gang Member Found Safe; Search For Suspect Continues

Authorities have safely located a baby who was taken from his mother's care by her boyfriend early Saturday. According to California Highway Patrol officers, who issued an alert for the child who is considered to be at risk, Jeremiah Montgomery, an 11-month-old baby, was taken at around 10 a.m. in the city of Los Angeles from his mother. "On June 17, 2023, around 8:00 a.m., Childress and the victim engaged in a verbal dispute that turned physical," said a statement from Los Angeles Police Department. "The physical altercation resulted in the victim being choked, punched in the face, multiple fractures to her nose, and loss of consciousness." After the suspect, 30-year-old Adonis Childress, dropped the mother off at West Hills Hospital in the 7300 block of Medical Center Drive, he fled from the area with the baby and the victim's cell phone, police said. "The victim and her family repeatedly called the victim's phone and asked Childress to return the child, but he refused," LAPD said. "The victim's phone has since been turned off." Just before 8 p.m., authorities reported that baby Jeremiah had been located and returned to family in "good health." 

CBS 2

Man Believed To Be Homeless Killed In Hit-and-Run Crash In Valley Glen Area; Driver Sought

A man was killed in a hit-and-run crash Monday morning in the Valley Glen area and police are now searching for the driver involved. It happened just after 1 a.m. on Sherman Way and Coldwater Canyon Avenue. It's unclear how the crash occurred but witnesses told Los Angeles police they saw the suspect drive into a shopping center then drive off. Investigators said the suspect was driving a white van or SUV but details regarding an exact make and model weren't immediately available. Police said the victim was between 30 and 40 years old and may have been homeless. He apparently wasn't in the crosswalk at the time of the crash, police said. Anyone with information is urged to contact LAPD.

ABC 7

Gun, Motorized Bikes Used In North Hills Robberies; 2 In Custody: LAPD

Police are investigating at least three armed robberies that occurred in North Hills early Monday and two juveniles are in custody. It is unclear, however, if the incidents are related. Around 5:40 a.m., Los Angeles police officers responded to an incident at Noble Avenue and Chase Street. Three males allegedly stole a wallet and $1,800 in cash while at least one was armed with a semiautomatic handgun. They got away on motorized bikes, police said. Another incident occurred at 5:53 a.m. in the 9300 block of Moonbeam Avenue. Three males allegedly brandished a semi automatic weapon and got away on motorized bikes during the attempted robbery, police said. Then, around 5:56 a.m., three males hit a person with a gun at Burnet Avenue and Roscoe Boulevard. They were last seen heading south on Burnet. Los Angeles firefighters responded to the scene to treat a man in his 50s suffering from a head injury, police said.

KTLA 5

600 Pounds Of Magic Mushrooms Confiscated By LAPD

Los Angeles police have confiscated 600 pounds of magic mushrooms in a recent drug bust. "We have to do our best to keep harmful drugs off of our streets," Commander German Hurtado said in an Instagram post. Psychedelic mushrooms are still illegal in California. LAPD said the hundreds of pounds of psychedelic mushrooms, enough to fill a couple of dozen garbage bags, would go for over $1.5 million. Possession of hallucinogenic mushrooms, psilocybin, can be classified as a misdemeanor or felony and can carry a maximum of a year in prison. A state senate bill decriminalizing psilocybin is working its way through the California Legislature. SB 58, introduced by State Senator Scott Weiner, would decriminalize a number of hallucinogenic — allowing people 21 years or older to consume them in California. The bill would still prohibit psychedelics from school campuses. 

CBS 2

Culver City Police Seeking Bicyclist Caught On Video Firing Gunshots Into The Air

Police in Culver City are trying to track down a bicyclist who was caught on video firing a gun into the air. The incident happened around 5 p.m. Wednesday in the Lindberg Park area, according to the Culver City Police Department. Officers recovered several shell casings, but no injuries were reported. The man in the video was wearing a red sweatshirt and shorts while riding a black bike. Police have not been able to identify him, but they say he had tattoos on his hand. Anyone with information is urged to contact police at (310) 253-6316 or (310) 253-6202. 

ABC 7

Virginia Officer Fatally Shot During Struggle With Assault Suspect In Woods

A police officer was fatally shot during a struggle with an assault suspect in the woods in a Virginia mountain town, authorities said Saturday. Wintergreen Police Department Officer Mark Christopher Wagner II was killed Friday night, Chief Dennis Russell said in a Facebook post. Wintergreen police received a call about a man assaulting two other men at a home, Virginia State Police said in a news release. The two injured men had run away from the home by the time police arrived, and they were treated at a hospital for unspecified injuries that were not life-threatening, state police said. Wagner found the assault suspect in nearby woods, and they got into a struggle. Wagner was shot during the confrontation and he died there, state police said. The suspect was taken into custody and was treated at a hospital for unspecified injuries that were not life-threatening, state police said. He was not immediately identified. It was not immediately clear what charges he faces. Russell, the Wintergreen police chief, said Wagner, 31, had been with the force since August 2020. He previously served seven years with the Massanutten Police Department, Russell said.

Associated Press

Michigan Trooper, K-9 Locate Missing 3-Year-Old In Remote Swamp

A missing toddler was found safe in a secluded swamp in Michigan, the Roscommon County Sheriff's Office said. The ordeal began when a woman in Roscommon Township — a rural town about 200 miles northwest of Detroit — was unable to locate her 3-year-old son on June 12, according to a news release from the sheriff's office. After a complaint was made, deputies responded to the woman’s home, located in a “very remote area of the county, mostly wooded and swamp.” An aviation unit with the Michigan State Police and K-9 units were then dispatched to help search, while nearby neighbors assisted as well. A trooper and his K-9 partner, Loki, began tracking the child and traveled over three miles before making a discovery. The pair found the missing child barefoot in a swamp about half a mile from his home. He had managed to make it past two marshes and was unharmed, police said.

Charlotte Observer

Mass Shootings And Violence Leave Dead And Injured Across The U.S. This Weekend

Mass shootings and violence killed and wounded people across the United States this weekend, including at least 60 shot in the Chicago area alone. Four people were found shot to death in a small Idaho town, a Pennsylvania state trooper was killed in an ambush, and bullets struck 11 teenagers, killing one, at a party in Missouri. The shootings happened in cities and rural areas alike, following a surge in homicides and other violence over the past several years that accelerated during the coronavirus pandemic. Officers responded to mass shootings in Washington state, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Southern California and Baltimore. “There’s no question there’s been a spike in violence,” said Daniel Nagin, a professor of public policy and statistics at Carnegie Mellon University. “Some of these cases seem to be just disputes, often among adolescents, and those disputes are played out with firearms, not with fists.” Researchers disagree over the cause. Theories include the possibility that violence is driven by the prevalence of guns in America, or by less aggressive police tactics or a decline in prosecutions for misdemeanor weapon offenses, Nagin said.

KTLA 5

Could Fourth Of July Trigger A Summer COVID-19 Surge? What L.A. County Data Show

Summer has been a fraught and cautious time in the pandemic era, with travel and gatherings for holidays and vacation fueling COVID-19 spikes each of the last three years. Could the fourth time be the charm? This year marks the first summer of the post-emergency phase of the pandemic — a distinct new chapter marked not by breathless warnings from public health officials about a looming threat, but gentle reminders of well-worn safety tips. Assessing the wide COVID landscape has never been more challenging, given the dearth of data. But at least in Los Angeles County, there are hopeful signs this summer will be a trend-breaker. “Like many people, I am looking forward to the summer months and plans with family and friends. More than anything, I hope that our numbers remain low and that we start to see a new pattern of COVID-19, with more predictability and fewer surges,” county Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said in a recent statement. In 2022, coronavirus case rates in L.A. County climbed in April and May and swelled further before peaking in late July. As the summer solstice arrives this year, however, there is no sign of a similar increase thus far.

Los Angeles Times

LA City Council To Consider Election Of New President Pro Tempore

The Los Angeles City Council Tuesday will consider a motion calling for the election of a new president pro tempore to replace Curren Price, who stepped down from the position and faces suspension from the council after being charged with embezzlement, perjury and conflict of interest. The motion introduced by Council President Paul Krekorian calls for the council to hold an election at the next available council meeting for the position of president pro tempore, and further moves to tap Councilman Marqueece Harris-Dawson for the position. After being charged last week, Price announced his decision to step down as council president pro tem, and surrendered all of his committee assignments.“While I navigate through the judicial system to defend my name against unwarranted charges filed against me, the last thing I want to do is be a distraction to the people’s business,” Price wrote in a letter to Krekorian. 

MyNewsLA

Early Voting Begins In LA City Council District 6 Special Runoff Election

Early voting began Saturday for the June 27 special runoff election to fill the City Council's District 6 seat vacated when former Council President Nury Martinez resigned. The Sixth District consists of Van Nuys, Arleta, Lake Balboa, Panorama City, Sun Valley and the eastern portions of North Hills and North Hollywood. All registered voters in the Sixth District received a vote-by-mail ballot late May, according to Los Angeles City Clerk Holly Wolcott. Voters can cast ballots at three vote centers that opened Saturday, at a ballot drop-box, or by mail. The deadline to submit a ballot is June 27. The locations of the vote centers or ballot drop-boxes is available here. The vote centers are open daily from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. for accessible in-person voting, or to return a completed vote-by-mail ballot.

CBS 2

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.