Two shootings under investigation in Westmont
Two shootings under investigation in Westmont
A man is dead after being shot by officers with the Los Angeles Police Department early Friday, just half a mile away from another crime scene in the area that police believe are connected. According to the LAPD, around 1 a.m., officers encountered an armed man at the intersection of West 115th Street and South Vermont Avenue who was believed to be involved in a shooting in the area. A police shooting occurred and the man, believed to be in his 40s, was struck by gunfire and later pronounced dead at the scene. No officers were injured in the shooting. Shortly before the police shooting, LAPD officers found a man with gunshot wounds at a gas station near 115th Street and Vermont Avenue around 12:30 a.m. The victim, believed to be in his 40s, was transported to a hospital. Officers were not able to access surveillance camera footage. It was not clear what led up to the shooting. According to LAPD, they believe the incident of the man involved in the shooting with officers was connected to the shooting of the man found at the gas station, LAPD said.
88-year-old pedestrian killed in South L.A. hit-and-run; driver sought
Authorities are searching for a suspect driver after an 88-year-old man was struck and killed in a hit-and-run crash while walking in a marked crosswalk in South Los Angeles Wednesday evening. The collision happened around 7:35 p.m. on April 1 at Avalon Boulevard and East 49th Street, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Investigators said a vehicle described as a possible black sedan was traveling northbound on Avalon Boulevard when it hit the elderly pedestrian, who was crossing eastbound on the north side of East 49th Street. The driver fled the scene without stopping to provide aid or identify themselves, as required by law. Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics responded and transported the victim to a local hospital, where he later died from his injuries. Officials are reminding drivers to stop and remain at the scene if they are involved in a crash, notify emergency services and provide identification. Pedestrians are urged to obey traffic signals and cross within marked crosswalks. A reward of up to $50,000 is available through the city’s Hit-and-Run Reward Program Trust Fund for information leading to the suspect’s identification, apprehension and conviction or civil resolution.
Minor arrested in death of 12-year-old L.A. student hit by water bottle
A juvenile has been arrested in the case of a 12-year-old Reseda girl who died after she was hit in the head with a metal water bottle during an alleged bullying incident at Reseda Charter High School, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. The suspect, whose age and gender have not been disclosed, was arrested on suspicion of the murder of Khimberly Zavaleta Chuquipa, according to a department spokesperson. Khimberly was injured on campus by another 12-year-old student when she tried to intervene and defend her older sister, Sharon, from bullies on Feb. 17, according to her family. In the ensuing fight, she was struck on the head with a metal water bottle, causing severe injuries. Khimberly was taken to Valley Presbyterian Hospital in Van Nuys immediately after the incident, evaluated and then sent home. Three days later, she suffered a “catastrophic medical emergency” and underwent brain surgery at UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital, family members said. She was placed in a medically induced coma and died on Feb. 25. The LAPD is investigating the incident as a homicide.
4 hospitalized after 3 armed suspects open fire in South Los Angeles
Four people were hospitalized after three armed suspects opened fire in a busy South Los Angeles neighborhood Thursday. Los Angeles Police Department officers responded to a shooting on the 4700 block of South Broadway at 5:30 p.m. Witnesses said three armed suspects were seen chasing a man and, when they couldn’t catch him, opened fire at the scene. The gunfire struck three other victims who were standing outside a nearby liquor store. The gunmen fled the scene before police arrived. Officers found four male victims suffering from gunshot wounds. Paramedics transported them to a local hospital where they remain in stable condition. LAPD detectives only described the armed suspects as three Black males. No further details, including a motive or the victims’ identities, were released as the shooting remains under investigation. Anyone with information on the incident is urged to call Detective Meneses or Officer Tenorio with LAPD Newton’s Violent Crime Section at 323-846-6566.
L.A. police arrest man accused in violent Hollywood road-rage incident
Police have made an arrest in a Hollywood road-rage attack that left two reality TV personalities shaken and was caught on camera. The March 29 incident, according to Pol’ Atteu and his husband, Patrik Simpson, hosts of the Amazon Prime reality show “Gown and Out in Beverly Hills,” as well as a popular fashion podcast, happened just before 9:30 a.m. Sunday at the intersection of Melrose Avenue and Vine Street. Footage captured by the couple shows a man in a Toyota 4Runner blocking them at the intersection, getting out of his vehicle and then kicking and punching their Mercedes. “Terrifying road rage in the middle of L.A. at 9:20 in the morning,” Atteu told KTLA’s Carlos Saucedo. “He hit the window so hard.” In the video, Simpson can be heard telling his husband to lock their car as the man approached. “I’m telling him, ‘Lock the car, lock the car,’ because we couldn’t move,” he explained. The couple said they did nothing to provoke the driver and have no idea what set him off.
$1 million in stolen merchandise, including ALO and SKIMS items, found in Van Nuys warehouse
Two people were arrested after $1 million in stolen merchandise - including items from ALO and SKIMS - were seized in massive retail theft bust in Van Nuys. Hannah Noto, 25, and Jude Bigay, 26, were arrested Wednesday after search warrants were served in North Hills, West Los Angeles, Sunland and Van Nuys. According to the Los Angeles Police Department, the two suspects admitted to their involvement in defrauding multiple clothing companies through an e-commerce scheme then selling items on the popular livestream shopping platform Whatnot. Police said 55 pallets of stolen commercial and train cargo were found at a warehouse in the 16700 block of Stagg Street in Van Nuys, which including items from the brands Edikted, ALO, SKIMS, Ariat, Milwaukee, Ninja, Dyson, Duracell, and more. Noto and Bigay booked in the Van Nuys Jail for receiving stolen property.
Justice Department announces federal charges in Southern California health care, hospice fraud investigation
The U.S. Department of Justice announced that eight people have been arrested and federally charged in connection with a health care and hospice fraud investigation. At a news conference on Thursday morning, Acting U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said that the eight defendants, including three nurses, a chiropractor and a psychologist, are charged with defrauding the health care system out of more than $50 million. Essayli said the individuals are accused of running fraudulent hospice care facilities that billed Medicare by using people without terminal illnesses as beneficiaries. CBS News has been investigating hospice fraud across Los Angeles County. According to CBS News analysis, over 700 of the roughly 1,800 hospices in LA County trigger multiple red flags for fraud as defined by the state. The crackdown on fraud across the country has grown significantly. Vice President JD Vance was recently named the head of an anti-fraud initiative.
Man convicted of killing Chicago officer sentenced to 55 years
Chicago police Officer Aréanah Preston was supposed to graduate from Loyola University Chicago with a master’s degree before she was killed in a violent crime spree that was undertaken simply to get some money for a barbecue, her family said. Now, nearly three years later, the fallen police officer’s graduation cap and gown still hang in her bedroom in the same place she left it before her work shift that ended in tragedy on May 6, 2023. “I no longer have my child,” Preston’s mother, Dionne Mhoon, cried in court on Thursday. “Do you hear me? I no longer have my child.” Joseph Brooks, 22, pleaded guilty to murder and was sentenced to 55 years in prison, the first of four defendants charged to have his case resolved. Trevell Breeland, Jakwon Buchanan and Jaylan Frazier are still facing pending charges in the slaying of the officer, killed just as she arrived home from work in the early-morning hours. Brooks will serve 100% of his sentence. “That means you will serve every day of that 55 years,” Judge Adrienne Davis said, advising him of his rights. “Do you understand that?” Police officers packed the courtroom at the Leighton Criminal Courthouse, while family members gave tearful remarks, remembering Preston as a brilliant and helpful officer. In fact, her mother told Brooks, Preston probably would have helped him if he had only asked.
New DNA testing confirms serial killer Ted Bundy killed a Utah teen in 1974
The late Ted Bundy, one of the most famous and prolific serial killers in U.S. history, has claimed another victim. New DNA testing confirmed Bundy was responsible for the 1974 killing of a 17-year-old Utah girl who disappeared after leaving a party alone on Halloween night, the local sheriff’s office said Wednesday. Laura Ann Aime was found dead on the side of a highway in American Fork Canyon about a month after her abduction. She was bound, beaten and without clothing. Investigators long suspected that Bundy killed her — police said he confessed without providing any details before his execution in Florida in 1989 — but the case remained open until they could be certain. “It’s really quite amazing that people are even still interested in Laura’s case,” her sister, Michelle Impala, said at a news conference Wednesday. “Know I speak for my family when I thank you, and thank you media, too, for even caring.” Bundy was linked to the deaths of at least 30 women and girls across several states in the 1970s. His murders — which occurred in sorority houses, parks and elsewhere — set the nation on edge. Bundy’s arrest drew widespread fascination, in part because many considered him to be charming and handsome.
Public Safety News
Typhus from fleas hits record level in L.A.: Where the hot spots are and how to protect yourself
Attention pet parents: Los Angeles County is reporting a record number of flea-borne typhus cases. Public health officials are warning pet owners to take precautions for themselves and their four-legged family members. Fret not: There are several simple precautions you can take to prevent a flea-borne typhus infection. The Los Angeles County Public Health Department identified 220 cases of flea-borne typhus last year, a stark increase over the 187 cases in 2024. Of the total number of cases in 2025, nearly 9 out of 10 people infected with typhus required hospitalization, according to public health officials. Flea-borne typhus is caused by the bacterium Rickettsia typhi. Fleas become infected when they bite infected animals such as rats, stray cats or opossums, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Once infected, the flea spreads the disease to humans when flea feces is rubbed into cuts or scrapes on the skin or the eyes.
