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Law Enforcement News
LAPPL Statement on Attacks on Officers at Protests
LAPD officers are sick and tired of being violently targeted by criminals using the First Amendment as a shield for them to purposefully attack police officers. Our officers are sick and tired of the silence and inaction from our elected and Department leaders when they are attacked.
LAPPL Statement
Man Accused Of Attacking Los Angeles Officer With Torch During Abortion Rights Protests
A man who allegedly attacked a police officer with a “makeshift flamethrower” during Friday night’s abortion rights demonstration in downtown Los Angeles has been arrested and is facing possible charges for attempted murder. The Los Angeles Police Department said 30-year-old Michael Ortiz attacked an officer with a torch, sending the officer to the hospital with burn injuries. The attack happened during protests staged in downtown Los Angeles following the United States Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark abortion protection ruling. While most demonstrations were peaceful, a sentiment echoed by both organizers and the LAPD, a small group of protesters did clash with police in downtown. Bottles, rocks and fireworks were seen thrown at officers during a later portion of the protest. Ortiz was booked into jail where he awaits charges for attempted murder of a police officer, LAPD said. He remains in custody as of Saturday night with bail set at $1 million, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department inmate roster. LAPD Chief Michel Moore said that, although he supports protesters exercising their First Amendment rights, those who commit crime will be arrested and the department will “vigorously pursue prosecution.” “I condemn the violence against officers that occurred last night and into today. Individuals participating in such criminal activity are not exercising their 1st Amendment rights in protest of the Supreme Court decision, rather, they are acting as criminals,” Moore said in a news release.
The Hill
More protests against Supreme Court abortion ruling expected in downtown Los Angeles Monday
A fourth day of demonstrations was scheduled Monday in downtown Los Angeles against the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to overturn federal abortion protections provided under Roe v. Wade. Friday's protests were not as peaceful, however, as a 30-year-old man was arrested for allegedly attacking a police officer with a "makeshift flamethrower" and could face charges of attempted murder. The Police Protective League also issued a lengthy statement Saturday condemning the actions of some in the crowd at Friday's protest. "LAPD officers are sick and tired of being violently targeted by criminals using the First Amendment as a shield for them to purposefully attack police officers."
ABC 7
Police Remain Vigilant Amid Protests Over Roe v. Wade Reversal, LAPD Chief Moore Says
On Friday, Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore released a statement regarding protests against the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. According to the release, law enforcement has been made aware of an extremist groups calling for a "Night of Rage" starting Friday at 8 p.m. aimed at reproductive and family advocacy groups, federal courthouses, faith-based organizations and houses of worship. "The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) is working closely with our Federal, State and local partners to assess and identify any potential threats related to this group and any other groups that may attempt to harm the public," the release stated. Saturday, protesters took over downtown Los Angeles, walking on the freeway and leading LAPD to warn of traffic congestion in the area. Two large demonstrations happened in the area, one beginning at 10 a.m. in Grand Park that drew at least a couple hundred people before noon, and another at 1 p.m. outside the federal courthouse on First Street. The release also stated that officials have so far not identified any specific or credible threats to any specific organizations in the city. "The LAPD will remain vigilant to ensure the safety of all faith-based institutions and those who worship within them are protected. We will continue our outreach and information sharing on this sensitive issue with our faith-based stakeholders and we ask that you remain alert to any suspicious activity occurring at your churches and report it to your local enforcement partners immediately," the statement said.
CBS 2
Man Shot To Death In Woodland Hills Ralphs Parking Lot
A 34-year-old man was found fatally wounded at the entrance to a Ralphs supermarket in Woodland Hills, authorities said Sunday. Officers responded shortly before midnight Saturday to a radio call of a shooting in the parking lot of the store at 21909 Ventura Blvd. They found the victim lying on the ground at the store's entrance, just outside his vehicle, the Los Angeles Police Department's Media Relations Division reported. "When they (officers) arrived, he was conscious and barely breathing," LAPD spokeswoman Norma Eisenman said. Paramedics rushed the West Hollywood resident to a hospital, where he died from his injuries, Eisenman said. His car was described as a black Mercedez-Benz, CBS2 reported. Detectives later learned that a single gunshot was heard in the parking lot of the supermarket and the victim drove his vehicle to the entrance, where he then collapsed, Eisenman said. Witnesses in the area saw a white vehicle leave the scene after the shot was fired, according to media reports. The victim's name will be released pending notification of next of kin, according to the Los Angeles County coroner's office. Anyone with information regarding the shooting was urged to call the LAPD's Topanga station at 818-756-4800.
FOX 11
Man Arrested For Allegedly Shooting Man After Dispute In Hollywood
A man was in custody Friday for allegedly shooting another man to death in Hollywood earlier this week. The shooting occurred about 7 p.m. Wednesday at Argyle and Selma avenues, the Los Angeles Police Department reported. Officers learned that a man in his 30s was shot by another man during an argument, and the wounded man got into a vehicle and tried to drive away but crashed into several nearby parked cars, the LAPD reported. The man was taken to a hospital, where he died. His name was withheld, pending notification of his relatives. "West Bureau homicide detectives identified the suspect and a warrant was issued for the arrest of 27-year-old Mario David Ramirez, a resident of La Puente,'' the LAPD said in a statement. On Thursday at about 8 p.m., LAPD Fugitive Task Force personnel arrested Ramirez in La Puente, and he was booked on a no-bail murder warrant, police said. Detectives plan to present the case for filing consideration to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office on Monday. Anyone with information on the crime was urged to call detectives at 213-382-9470 or 877-LAPD-247.
NBC 4
Man Wounded In Boyle Heights Shooting
A man inside a Boyle Heights apartment shot and wounded another man who was entering the residence, authorities said Sunday. The shooting was reported at 9:40 p.m. Saturday on the 200 block of South Boyle Avenue, according to the Los Angeles Police Department’s Operations Center. The wounded man was taken to a hospital by paramedics and had stable vital signs, police said. The shooter fled the scene on foot.
MyNewsLA.com
Takeovers Hit Streets Of Compton Overnight
A growing trend continued to plague the streets of Compton overnight, as hundreds of spectators and dozens of vehicles flooded intersections for illegal street takeovers. According to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's Compton station, there were several takeovers in multiple locations, including at Central Avenue and Caldwell Street. Footage from the scene showed much of the same -- dangerous driving that included doughnuts and burnouts with spectators standing in the middle of the intersection, fireworks and laser pointers and blocked traffic. Authorities also disclosed that despite initial reports of a beating, which left one man lying unconscious in the street, they did not learn of any such incident or any injuries resulting from the incidents. They continued to note that deputies and Los Angeles Police Department officers were able to break up several takeovers before they were able to begin. No arrests were made at any of the locations.
CBS 2
Suspected Drug Dealer Charged With Having ‘Enough Fentanyl To Kill 12 Million People’
A suspected drug dealer from Fullerton was charged for possessing enough fentanyl to kill 12 million people — nearly four times the population of Orange County, prosecutors said Friday. Alfonso Gomez-Santana, 60, was charged with one felony count of sale or transport of a controlled substance and two felony counts of possession of sale with intent to sell, the O.C. District Attorney’s Office said in a news release. California Highway Patrol officers discovered four kilos of the deadly drug inside the man’s vehicle during a traffic stop in Fullerton, the DA’s office said. A search of his home revealed 20 more kilos of fentanyl, $250,000 in fentanyl pills and 122 grams of methamphetamine, they added. A lethal dose of fentanyl is as little as 2 milligrams, the news release states. Gomez-Santana was arrested Wednesday. He faces a maximum sentence of 6 years and 8 months in the Orange County Jail if convicted on all counts. “It is unconscionable that someone who has the ability to kill 12 million people is facing just a handful of years in jail,” O.C. District Attorney Todd Spitzer said in a written statement. “Fentanyl is a national epidemic that killed more than 100,000 Americans last year and it’s not going to stop unless we have the tools as prosecutors to hold these drug dealers and drug manufacturers accountable for peddling death.”
KTLA 5
Infamous Alcatraz Prison Escapees Shown In New Age-Progressed Photos
The U.S. Marshals Service’s Northern District of California has released new age-progressed photos of the trio of men who became infamous for apparently escaping the Alcatraz prison in 1962. It was one of the most famous and elaborate prison breaks in U.S. history. Brothers John and Clarence Anglin, along with Frank Morris, were serving sentences for bank robbery when they pulled off the escape with stolen spoons, dummy heads and a raincoat raft. The three climbed the plumbing pipes to the roof and climbed through fences to reach the rocky western shore of the island. Using a how-to article in Popular Mechanics magazine, they assembled a raft, using an accordion-like musical instrument to inflate the craft. Pieces of the raft were recovered later, some miles away. Their bodies were never found but their exploits were turned into the 1979 movie "Escape from Alcatraz," starring Clint Eastwood as Morris. The newly-released photos suggest how each of the men would look today in their 80s, pictured with gray hair and wrinkles.In 2018, FBI authorities unveiled 3D-printed copies of the decoys that inmates constructed with soap, plaster and human hair. Morris and the Anglin brothers placed the decoys in their beds in order to escape.
FOX 11
Suspect In Killing Of South Carolina Deputy Took Officer’s Gun, TASER, Sheriff Says
The suspect in the death of a Spartanburg County sheriff’s deputy took the officer’s gun, taser and car keys after shooting him and then fled, Sheriff Chuck Wright said in a news conference Friday. Other officers chased him. He acted like he was going to surrender, but fled again. Officers fired, striking him twice, then caused him to wreck his vehicle. He ran into the woods and was found lying on the ground, gun beside him, the sheriff said. “Our men and women had every opportunity to fix this problem in the woods but we’re no better than him if we did,” Wright said. Responding to people on social media who said if the suspect was black he’d have been shot to death on the spot instead of hospitalized, Wright said, “I don’t want to hear your crap.” He said a suspect’s behavior is what prompts a deadly response. In this case, the suspect did not resist arrest. Duane Leslie Heard, 63, has been charged with murder. He remains hospitalized. His condition has not been released. The sheriff said Deputy Austin Aldridge’s visit to Heard’s home began with Heard’s wife, Kimberly Heard going to the sheriff’s office to report an altercation at their home.
The State
Mississippi K-9 Shot, Killed By Fleeing Suspect, Police Say
A K9 officer was killed in the line of duty, Pascagoula Police Department announced on Facebook. The dog named Exo and his handler were tracking a suspect on Thursday in a wooded area in the Helena community of Jackson County when a man fired shots at the officer and hit the dog twice in the chest, Sheriff Mike Ezell said in a press release. According to the Jackson County Sheriff's Department, the officer returned fire, wounding the suspect identified as 33-year-old Mitchell Wayne Robinson. Robinson is charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and aggravated assault. He is currently in intensive care at Singing River Hospital. Robinson allegedly shot a man at about 3:30 p.m. in Helena before shooting Exo, the release says. That victim is currently at USA Medical Center in Mobile. Exo was rushed to an emergency vet, where he died from his injuries. "We ask for prayers for his handler, Officer Prisock, his family and our department as we mourn the loss of our fallen hero, K9 Officer Exo," reads the post.
The Sun Herald
Public Safety News
Man Dies After Falling Into Construction Trench In Sun Valley
A man was killed Friday after falling into a construction trench in Sun Valley, the Los Angeles Fire Department said. The incident was reported just before 12:20 p.m. in the 8400 block of North Glenoaks Boulevard, officials said. The Fire Department responded to the scene and located a man who had fallen into a construction trench and was reportedly buried up to his chest in debris, officials said. The man, who was not immediately identified, was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the Fire Department. The man did not appear to be a city employee and the site was for a “private business construction operation,” the department said. Cal/OSHA was called to the scene to investigate the incident.
LA Times
LA County Sees Rise In COVID Hospitalizations
The number of people hospitalized with a coronavirus infection in Los Angeles County has increased by 21 people to 762, according to the latest state data. Of those patients hospitalized as of Saturday, 76 were being treated in intensive care, up nine from Friday. Some COVID-positive patients likely entered the hospital for other reasons before testing positive for the virus, but health officials don't provide exact breakdowns. The latest numbers come two days after Dr. Paul Simon, chief science officer at the county Department of Public Health, said the rate of increase in COVID-positive patients has begun to diminish, pushing back the estimate of when an indoor mask-wearing mandate might be re-imposed. The current seven-day average of new hospital admissions of people with the virus was 84 per day, Simon said Thursday, only a small bump from 83 the previous week. The rate of hospital admissions for the past week was 7.3 per 100,000 residents. That was the same rate as the previous week, ending a steady trend of increases that has raised the possibility of a new universal indoor mask mandate in the county.
ABC 7
L.A. County Public Health Officials Confirm Communal Transmission Of Monkeypox
The Los Angeles County Public Health Department confirmed Friday the existence of monkeypox cases that were transmitted within the community. Public health officials said several of the 22 cases reported in Los Angeles County have no history of international or out-of-state travel, meaning the cases likely originated in the county. The disease does not spread easily between people and can be spread from contact with bodily fluids or open sores. Monkeypox can be spread to anyone, officials say, but many of the cases have been identified among gay, bisexual men and other men who have had sex in large gatherings. The public health department is continuously working to notify organizers of such events when an attendee has been exposed to the viral disease. Vaccines for the disease exist but are limited, so they are currently only being given to individuals who are considered to be at high risk of exposure. Higher risk individuals include people who have close contact with someone diagnosed with monkeypox or people who have attended events where skin-to-skin contact was taking place between people who later tested positive for the disease.
KTLA 5
