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Law Enforcement News

Accused Killer Wants Plea Deal Before Gascón Recall Election
A day after San Franciscans recalled their district attorney, supporters of recalling LA County DA George Gascón are hoping a new audio recording will help in their push to meet the July deadline for gathering signatures. On the recording, murder suspect Willie Wilkerson can be heard telling his mother that his lawyer is scrambling to work out a plea deal. "I told you last time that he wanna hurry up and try to get something done before they re-elect somebody else besides Gascón and bring back that bull---- life without parole and death penalty," Wilkerson can be heard saying. "It's very promising to LA County," said Denise Andrade who is encouraged by the recall of Chesa Boudin in San Francisco. She joined the recall effort after Gascón dropped enhancements, which could have gotten her son's killers life without parole. "I decided this is going to be my fight, I'm going to fight this because this isn't right," she said. "If I were Gascón I'd be worried," said Sara Sadhwani an assistant professor of politics at Pomona College. She says that Boudin's recall could be a referendum on justice reform in California College, but also points out that although the two DA's have championed similar policies, recalls in general have had greater success in San Francisco. She says San Franciscans have also recalled school board members, while here in LA County similar recalls have failed.
FOX 11

Growing Effort To Recall Los Angeles DA George Gascon As Crime Runs Rampant
Emma Rivas and Cortlyn Bridges, whose children were murdered, joined 'Fox & Friends First' to discuss the growing effort to recall Gascon as crime continues to soar.
FOX News Video

California Teen Who Rammed Car Into Mother And Infant Child Was On Probation At Time Of Incident
The 17-year-old who pleaded guilty to driving a car into a woman walking her child in a stroller in Venice, California has a criminal background and was on probation at the time of the incident, Fox News has learned. The teenager was previously convicted of felony poisoning after spiking a teenage girl's drink in 2019 at Palmdale High School, which sent her to the hospital. The 17-year-old was charged with two felony charges of assault by means of force likely to produce great bodily injury and one felony count of hit-and-run and pleaded guilty, but was sentenced to five to seven months in a juvenile probation camp. Prosecutors describe the camp as "less than a military school and a little bit tougher than a summer camp." The hit-and-run took place on Aug. 6, 2021 and the driver was 16 at the time. The Los Angeles County District Attorney's office declined to charge the teenager with assault with a deadly weapon or attempted murder, and sources tell Fox News that the decision was made in accordance with George Gascón's policies.
FOX 11

A Violent Gang, An FBI Informant And The Truth Behind One Of L.A.'s Deadliest Fires
The middle-aged man took the witness stand and was asked to recall an afternoon 29 years ago. “I do remember that day,” he said. He had been eating with his friends at a burger stand in Westlake when firetrucks and ambulances screamed by, he said. They followed the lights and sirens and saw the fire. A three-story apartment building was belching smoke; people were jumping out of balconies. He said he helped carry victims across the street and laid them on the pavement. It was, he said, a “horrible incident.” But Ramiro Valerio wasn’t testifying as a witness. He was on trial for the deaths of the seven children and three women who perished on that day in 1993 in one of L.A.'s deadliest fires. Now 49, Valerio’s hair has turned gray and he carries the beginnings of a paunch. Dressed in collared shirt and wearing a pair of thick glasses, he could have been mistaken for a librarian. But three decades ago, he belonged to 18th Street, a gang that controlled one of the most lucrative marketplaces in Los Angeles for heroin and crack cocaine. It was the drugs — the need to sell them without interruption and keep money flowing to the gang’s imprisoned boss — that led Valerio to order the fire be set, prosecutors said.
FOX 11

Baby Rushed To Hospital After Being Shot In Compton
The middle-aged man took the witness stand and was asked to recall an afternoon 29 years ago. “I do remember that day,” he said. He had been eating with his friends at a burger stand in Westlake when firetrucks and ambulances screamed by, he said. They followed the lights and sirens and saw the fire. A three-story apartment building was belching smoke; people were jumping out of balconies. He said he helped carry victims across the street and laid them on the pavement. It was, he said, a “horrible incident.” But Ramiro Valerio wasn’t testifying as a witness. He was on trial for the deaths of the seven children and three women who perished on that day in 1993 in one of L.A.'s deadliest fires. Now 49, Valerio’s hair has turned gray and he carries the beginnings of a paunch. Dressed in collared shirt and wearing a pair of thick glasses, he could have been mistaken for a librarian. But three decades ago, he belonged to 18th Street, a gang that controlled one of the most lucrative marketplaces in Los Angeles for heroin and crack cocaine. It was the drugs — the need to sell them without interruption and keep money flowing to the gang’s imprisoned boss — that led Valerio to order the fire be set, prosecutors said.
ABC 7

Man Found Shot To Death Along San Gabriel River
A man was found fatally shot along the San Gabriel River bed in Norwalk early Wednesday, officials said. Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department officials responded to the river bed between Imperial Highway and Foster Road just before 1 a.m. The victim was found “laying unresponsive on the riverbed’s concrete,” and it was later determined he sustained gunshot wounds, officials said in a news release. The victim was only described as being in his 30s. Authorities have no suspect or suspect vehicle description, nor have they found any weapon. It is unclear where the man was fatally shot. Anyone with additional information about the shooting is asked to call the Sheriff’s Department’s homicide bureau at 323-890-5500.
KTLA 5

Green Gaiter Bandit Gets 46 Months In Prison
The Green Gaiter Bandit was sentenced to nearly four years in federal prison Wednesday for robbing three Orange County banks. Christopher Paul Daniels, 55, of Torrance, pleaded guilty in April to robbing the U.S. Bank branch in Mission Viejo on Jan. 7, Chase branch in Fullerton on Jan. 21, and the Bank of the West branch in Fullerton on Jan. 27, according to court records. U.S. District Judge David O. Carter sentenced Daniels to 46 months in prison, which prosecutors recommended. Carter ordered Daniels to pay $15,362 in restitution. Daniels wore a green camouflage gaiter as a mask during some of his robberies, according to the FBI.
MyNewsLA.com

Man Arrested Near Kavanaugh's Home Charged With Attempting To Murder Supreme Court Justice
A California man who was allegedly armed with a gun, knife and various tools when he was arrested in the early morning near Justice Brett Kavanaugh's house in Maryland has been charged with attempted murder, federal officials said in court papers filed Wednesday. The man was detained around 1:50 a.m. after making threats against Kavanaugh, according to an FBI affidavit filed in federal court in Maryland. The suspect was transported to Montgomery County Police 2nd District in Bethesda, Maryland, Supreme Court spokeswoman Patricia McCabe said. The affidavit identified the man as Nicholas John Roske, a 26-year-old from Simi Valley, California. He is charged with attempt to murder a Supreme Court justice. If convicted, Roske faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison. Roske appeared before Magistrate Judge Timothy Sullivan on Wednesday afternoon, where he consented to remain in custody. He was assigned a court appointed attorney, and a preliminary hearing was scheduled for June 22. U.S. Deputy Marshals reported seeing a person dressed in black clothing and carrying a backpack and suitcase get out of a taxi that stopped in front of a current justice's house at roughly 1:05 a.m., according to the affidavit. The person looked at the two marshals and turned to walk down the street, the FBI agent wrote.
CBS 2

Fear Over Crime And Homelessness In California Paid Off In Some Primaries. Will It Carry Over To November?
Less than three years after earning a major win for a national movement seeking to elect progressive prosecutors, San Francisco Dist. Atty. Chesa Boudin was recalled from office Tuesday night. In Orange County, Republican Dist. Atty. Todd Spitzer trounced his progressive challenger by a more than 3-1 margin and will avoid a November runoff despite multiple scandals, including the release of a video in which he used a racial slur. And in a Los Angeles mayoral contest where U.S. Rep. Karen Bass once seemed dominant, it was billionaire developer Rick Caruso who wound up leading the primary field after a campaign focused heavily on public safety and policing. Tuesday’s primary results are by no means a death knell for California politicians focused on criminal justice reform. But outcomes in some of the most-watched races underscored how Democrats — particularly those on the party’s left flank — are scrambling to balance their goals of a reimagined justice system with rising voter anxiety about crime and homelessness. “What voters are looking for is an acknowledgment of the concerns they face, whether it’s crime, public safety or the cost of living,” said David Binder, a pollster who has worked on Bass’ campaign and with other Democrats nationwide. “We have to acknowledge voters are scared, unhappy, feeling there is chaos in the streets and society that needs to be addressed.”
Los Angeles Times

Florida Officer Killed In Crash With Fleeing Suspect
A Tallahassee police officer died Wednesday after their patrol car collided with a fleeing suspect, according to the Tallahassee Democrat. The officer’s identity was not immediately released. The incident began around 12:30 a.m. when Tyrone Cleveland, 37, shot and wounded three family members, according to the report. Deputies responded to the call and began a pursuit. “The suspect then turned his vehicle around and began traveling toward oncoming traffic, colliding with the [Tallahasee] officer's vehicle,” said Jason Laursen, Deputy Chief of the Tallahassee Police Department, to the Tallahassee Democrat. Two of the suspect’s shooting victims suffered non-life-threatening injuries and the third is stable, the report said. Cleveland suffered minor injuries in the crash and is now facing numerous related charges. The incident remains under investigation.
PoliceOne

Public Safety News

LA County Confirms 2nd Presumptive Case Of Monkeypox; Resident Recently Traveled, Officials Say
Los Angeles County health officials on Wednesday announced the county's second presumptive case of monkeypox almost a week after announcing its first. According to a statement issued by the county Department of Public Health, the patient is "an adult resident" who recently traveled. "They are symptomatic but doing well and isolating away from others," read the statement. Health officials said contact tracing is being performed to identify anyone who was in close proximity to the patient, and "post-exposure prevention'' efforts have been enacted for close contacts. The first presumed case in L.A. County was announced on June 2. Monkeypox is known to spread when there is close physical contact with an infected person, their clothing or bedsheets. Most monkeypox patients experience only fever, body aches, chills and fatigue. People with more serious illness may develop a rash and lesions on the face and hands that can spread to other parts of the body. No deaths have been reported in the current outbreak beyond Africa.
ABC 7

West Nile Virus Detected In Los Angeles County
West Nile Virus has been detected in Los Angeles County for the first time this year, authorities said. Three dead crows in the North Hills neighborhood tested positive for West Nile virus on May 26, according to the Greater Los Angeles County Vector Control District. So far this year, there haven’t been any mosquito samples that have tested positive for the virus in the county or surrounding areas. But surveilling dead birds serves as an early warning detection tool that helps authorities identify when the virus is actively being transmitted between birds in the area. “American crows can fly up to 40 miles each day from overnight roosting sites, so while there has not yet been virus activity detected in mosquito populations in Los Angeles County, this confirmation serves as an alert that mosquitoes may soon become infected and residents should take precautions,” said Steve Vetrone of the Vector Control District. West Nile virus is endemic to L.A. County, and it’s usually detected in the region during summer.
KTLA 5

COVID-Related Hospitalizations Rise To 557 In LA County
The school year may be coming to an end, but Los Angeles County health officials reported more increases in COVID-19 cases among students and staff Wednesday, noting that the highest infection rate in the county is among teens aged 12 to 17. With a new infection rate of 762 per 100,000, the 12-to-17 age group has seen a doubling in its rate of contracting the virus over the past month. The rate among children aged 5-11 has jumped by 96% over that same time period. Health officials noted that most children will experience only mild illness from a COVID infection, but insisted unvaccinated kids are at increased risk of becoming seriously sick or developing Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children, or MIS-C, which can have long-term health impacts. “It is misleading to dismiss the danger of this virus for children,” county Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said in a statement.
MyNewsLA.com

List: 13 California Counties Enter CDC's ‘High' Transmission COVID Category
More than a dozen cities in California are now classified as "high" transmission risk areas as COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations continue to rise statewide, according to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC categorizes each city into one of three levels for community spread - low, medium, and high. Here are the counties in the "high" category, all of which are in Northern and Central California: Del Norte, El Dorado, Marin, Mendocino, Monterey, Napa, Placer, Sacramento, San Benito, Santa Clara, Solano, Sonoma, and Yolo. There are no Southern California counties in the "high" category as of Monday afternoon. Here are the statuses of counties in Southern California: Los Angeles: Medium, Orange: Medium, Riverside: Low, San Bernardino: Low, Ventura: Medium, San Luis Obispo: Medium, San Diego: Medium, Imperial Valley: Low. The CDC classifies each city into one of the three community levels based on the number of new cases, new hospital admissions, and number of hospital beds filled with COVID patients.
FOX 11