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Law Enforcement News

Man Killed, Woman Wounded In Moving Car In Pacoima Shooting
Gunfire struck two people inside a Honda Civic as it was traveling through Pacoima on Tuesday evening, Aug. 16, leaving one man dead and a woman wounded. The shooting occurred in the 10800 block of Sutter Avenue at about 6:40 p.m., police said, adding there had been no arrests. Whoever shot them apparently had “emerged from parked vehicles,” LAPD officials said. A man sitting in the front-passenger seat was hit in the torso and died, police said, while a woman in the rear-driver-side seat was hit in her lower abdomen by two bullets that fragmented in her chest. She was listed in critical condition on Wednesday but expected to survive. The Civic’s driver drove for a bit along Sutter before parking in the middle of the street and running away. Police asked anyone with information about the shooting to call them at 818-834-3105. Tips can be left anonymously with LA Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477 or at lacrimestoppers.org.
LA Daily News

Man Armed With Machete Shot By Officers In Lake Balboa, Police Say
A man was shot by police in Lake Balboa Wednesday morning after officers from the Los Angeles Police Department responded to a report of a man riding a bike and carrying a machete. Police arrived to the 17400 block of Sherman Way in Lake Balboa around 7:30 a.m., after receiving a 911 call about the man with the machete. "The suspect refused to comply with Officers orders to drop the machete," the LAPD said in a statement. "The suspect advanced toward an officer armed with the machete, resulting in an officer involved shooting." According to the LAPD, shots were fired and an ambulance was requested shortly after. The victim, a man estimated by police to be around 20 years old, was transported to a hospital with gunshot wounds. His condition is not yet known. No officers were injured.
NBC 4

Woman Tied Up, Pistol-Whipped As Armed Robber Steals High-End Jewelry From Fairfax Village Home
A 71-year-old woman was tied up and pistol-whipped in her Fairfax Village home as a robber in a ski mask stole a large amount of high-end jewelry, police say. The robbery was reported around 2:15 p.m. in the area of 5th Street near San Vicente Boulevard. One suspect broke into the home, tied up and pistol-whipped the woman inside, police say. The suspect got away with a large amount of high-value jewelry, though police wouldn't specify what type or how much it was valued. An ambulance was requested to assist the woman but she declined transport to the hospital. Neighbors are shocked. "It's just awful," said neighbor Jason Anish. "Obviously things have changed over the past couple of years. Crime is rampant in this city. Something needs to happen. Especially when people are being tied up in their homes and they're being held up for valuables. Something's gotta change. It can't continue down this path." A detailed description was not immediately available.
ABC 7

With School Back In Session, Authorities Remind Drivers To Drive Slow Near Crosswalks
Police were called to a Mid City neighborhood when a suspected burglar smashed the back window of a Rolls-Royce SUV that was parked in front of a home overnight. The incident took place in the 1800 block of Stearns Drive around 2 a.m. Thursday. Video showed the back window of the Rolls-Royce Cullinan had been shattered in the incident. A resident apparently went outside and confronted the suspect after hearing the vehicle’s alarm go off and dogs barking. The resident said the thief took off toward La Cienega Boulevard. It was unclear what items may have been taken from the SUV. About 12 hours earlier, a violent home invasion robbery occurred a little more than 2 miles away in Beverly Grove. The intruder in that incident pistol-whipped a 71-year-old woman before fleeing with high-end jewelry.
KTLA 5

Suspected Burglar Smashes Window Of Rolls-Royce In Front Of Mid City Home
The leading cause of death for children aged 5 to 14 in Los Angeles County is car accidents. CBSLA Reporter Jasmine Viel hit the streets with a LAPD officer to better understanding how school zones pose the most risk and how parents make make better choices.
Yahoo! News Video

VIDEO: Man Uses Axe To Destroy Street Vendor's Fruit Stand In Woodland Hills
A popular fruit vendor in Woodland Hills was attacked and his cart destroyed- and it was all caught on camera. Neighbors say the man, who has not been identified, is a bully and a nuisance. Friends of the fruit vendor held a rally to support him, but the man showed up there, too. Neighbors say this is typical of the man, being aggressive with everyone, calling people insulting names, using racist slurs, and threatening violence. Mike, a community advocate, said this attack was not the first incident. The man lives in the neighborhood, according to residents, but he has not been formally identified by police. "This is the same guy that's been attacking people for quite a while now. He attacks street vendors, and he's basically destroying their carts, destroying their fruits, all their merchandise, whatever he can. He's very destructive with his behavior. He's very belligerent. Everything he says is nonsense," said Mike. Mike said advocates have confronted the man several times to ask about his actions, and they don't receive a response from the man, but he continues to harass the vendors.
FOX 11

ASAP Rocky Pleads Not Guilty To Firearm Assault Charges In Los Angeles
Rapper ASAP Rocky has pleaded not guilty to charges of felony assault with a firearm stemming from a 2021 confrontation in Hollywood. He is accused of drawing a gun and firing it twice in the direction of a former friend during an argument in November. He pleaded not guilty Wednesday to two counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm and was ordered to return to court Nov. 2. Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Victoria B. Wilson ordered the rapper, whose legal name is Rakim Athelaston Mayers, to stay away from the former friend. Mayers and two other men fled after he fired the gun, police said. He was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport on April 20 and was released on bail the same day. Mayers was returning from Barbados, authorities said, where he was vacationing with singer Rihanna. The couple had a son in May. ASAP Rocky, a member of the Harlem hip-hop collective ASAP Mob, first made his mark in music with the single “Peso” in 2011. His 2013 debut album, “Long. Live. ASAP,” went to No. 1 on the Billboard 200, as did its 2015 follow-up, “At. Long. Last. ASAP.” He has been nominated for two Grammy Awards.
LA Times

Street Takeovers Crackdown: Compton Installs City's First Set Of Botts' Dotts
Botts' Dotts have arrived in Compton. The small yellow dots were recently installed at several intersections including Santa Fe Avenue and Compton Boulevard as well as Wilmington Avenue and Caldwell Street. "Before y’all get on the posts asking/demanding we put them in your suggested intersections…we have already identified the intersections MOST used," Compton councilmember Andre Spicer posted on Instagram. "IF they are as effective as we hope they are, THEN we will explore placing them in other intersections." Botts' Dotts were most recently installed on the Sixth Street Bridge to deter street takeovers that had plagued the bridge since its grand opening. The $588 million bridge, which opened to the public on July 10 and connects Boyle Heights and the downtown Arts District, was closed for several nights over what the Los Angeles Police Department characterized as "illegal activity."
FOX 11

L.A. County Authorities Search For Woman, 23, Missing Since July
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department is asking for help in locating a woman who has been missing since mid-July. Jai Rmanii Hicks, 23, was last seen the afternoon of July 16 in the 200 block of West Woodbury Road in Altadena. Hicks’ family is concerned about her well-being and is asking the public to help, the sheriff’s office said in a news release Wednesday. Hicks, who goes by Rmanii, is 5 feet, 10 inches tall, weighs about 185 pounds, has shoulder-length red hair styled in dreadlocks and brown eyes. Authorities say she has a symbol of an ankh tattoo on her back, a picture of a girl tattooed on her right thigh, and a tribal symbol tattoo below her chest. Anyone with information about this incident is encouraged to contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Missing Persons Unit at (323) 890-5500.
KTLA 5

FBI Finds Dozens Of Possible Human-Trafficking Victims In California
Dozens of possible victims of human trafficking, including some children, were found in California during a two-week, nationwide FBI operation, the agency said. Operation Cross Country XII was held over the first two weeks of August and found more than 200 possible victims, the FBI said in a news release. The operation included the participation of local law enforcement and state agencies. “The Justice Department is committed to doing everything in our power to combat the insidious crimes of human trafficking that devastate survivors and their families,” U.S. Atty. Gen. Merrick Garland in the release. The FBI’s Los Angeles Division reported that nine potential human-trafficking victims, including five children, were found, while the San Francisco Division found three adult victims and arrested three trafficking suspects. The San Diego Division found 17 victims, the agency said. The Sacramento Division did not provide totals. Nationwide, 141 adult victims and 84 minor victims were found, and more than 80 trafficking suspects were identified or arrested. Additionally, 37 other children who had been reported missing were found during the course of the operation, though they were not believed to be victims of human trafficking.
LA Times

Prosecutors Seek Death Penalty In Indiana Officer's Slaying
Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for a man accused of fatally shooting a young Indiana police officer last month during an early morning traffic stop, officials announced Wednesday. Madison County Prosecutor Rodney Cummings said his office consulted with relatives of slain Elwood police Officer Noah Shahnavaz, the Indiana attorney general's office and prosecutors experienced in handling death penalty cases. Cummings said “the unanimous decision" was to pursue the death penalty against Carl Roy Webb Boards II, the Anderson man charged with murder, resisting law enforcement and unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon in the slaying of Shahnavaz. “The death sentence is the law in the state of Indiana and if it was going to be pursued this is the kind of case where it needs to be pursued,” Cummings said during a news conference in Anderson with police officials, other prosecutors and the late officer's relatives. Cummings recently requested an additional $50,000 for his 2023 budget in anticipation of filing a death penalty request in the case.
AP

Miami Officer, 29, Shot Pursuing Robbery Suspect Dies Days Later
A 29-year-old police officer who was shot in the head while trying to stop a robbery suspect in Miami has died, officials said. Det. Cesar Echaverry was shot Monday night as he and other officers closed in a suspect wanted for an earlier robbery in nearby Broward County, police said. His family had remained by his side at Miami’s Jackson Memorial Hospital. “Officer Echaverry died in the line of duty while serving & protecting our community,” Miami-Dade Police Director Alfredo Ramirez tweeted Wednesday evening. “Our law enforcement family will continue to stand beside & support the Echaverry family through this difficult time.” Police said Echavarry and other officers began pursuing a white vehicle involved in an earlier armed robbery when its driver tried to flee, ramming into police vehicles and a civilian vehicle whose three occupants were hospitalized in stable condition. He then tried to escape on foot, but a confrontation and gunfire ensued. The driver, identified as Jeremy Horton, 32, of Acworth, Georgia, was shot and died at the scene. Horton had been stopped in South Florida on Aug. 8 and cited for having no proof of insurance and driving with an expired tag and a suspended Georgia driver's license, according to Golden Beach Police Chief Rudy Herbello.
Associated Press

Public Safety News

Fire Erupts Again In Vacant South LA Building
A vacant building that had previously burned caught fire again Wednesday morning in South LA. The fire was first spotted at about 7:40 a.m. in the 100 block of East Washington Boulevard, at Main Street. It's not known yet if there were any injuries. The building had already burned before, and charred remains in the rear of the building were visible from Sky 2. The new fire appears to be burning in the front portion of the building. Firefighters had much of the fire under control by about 8:50 a.m. However, an official "knockdown" was not declared. "The condition of the building created significant safety hazards, therefore it is requiring a longer time to ensure all personnel remain safe while reaching the remaining pockets of fire," according to LAFD spokeswoman Margaret Stewart. Despite the large plume of black smoke visible from across Los Angeles, crews were able to keep the flames from spreading to neighboring structures.
CBS 2

15 More COVID-Related Deaths In LA County; Hospitalizations Fall Again
COVID-related hospitalizations have dropped again in Los Angeles County, with the number of patients on pace to fall below the 1,000 mark this week, but another 15 deaths and 4,829 new cases were reported by the county in its latest data. According to state figures, there were 1,009 COVID-19-positive patients in county hospitals as of Wednesday, down from 1,022 on Tuesday and continuing a steady downward trend. Of those patients, 123 were being treated in intensive care, up from 117 a day earlier. County officials have said that roughly 43% of the COVID-positive patients were actually admitted for virus-related illness, while the others were admitted for other reasons, with some only learning they were infected when they were tested at the hospital. The 15 new virus-related deaths gave the county an overall death toll of 32,975. With 4,829 new cases confirmed, the county’s cumulative total from throughout the pandemic rose to 3,368,366. The number of new COVID infections reported each day by the county is believed to be an undercount of actual virus activity, since many people use at-home tests, the results of which are not always reported to the county.
MyNewsLA

Second Dose Of Monkeypox Vaccine Now Available In L.A., Though Supplies Still Limited
With a new shipment of monkeypox vaccines expected Wednesday, Los Angeles County public health officials will begin administering second doses for the first time and again open registration for first shots to those considered high risk. L.A. County Department of Public Health officials said in a statement that the latest shipment will allow them to increase vaccine distribution, but the 5,600 new Jynneos vaccines fall short of what federal officials had promised — and still well below the amount needed to inoculate everyone considered high risk. The county also increased vaccine eligibility to some children after federal officials last week authorized, under emergency use, the shots for those under 18. The 5,600 vaccine vials — about a third of what L.A. officials had expected to receive this week — could be used to vaccinate about 28,000 people, following the Food and Drug Administration’s recommendation to use only one-fifth of a full dose in order to expand supplies.
LA Times