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Law Enforcement News
Effort To Recall George Gascon Meets Minimum Number Of Signatures
Recall Gascon Campaign spokesman Tim Lineberger on L.A. meeting the required number of signatures to head into a recall.
FOX News Video
Murder Charges Filed In Overdose Deaths Of LA Model, Friend Who Were Drugged, Dumped At Hospital
Two men are facing criminal charges for the overdose deaths of two Los Angeles women, who were drugged and dumped at two different hospitals in November 2021. David Pearce has been charged with two counts of murder, two counts of sale/transport/furnish a controlled substance, along with counts of sexual assault in the deaths of Christy Giles and Hilda Marcela Cabrales-Arzola, Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón announced Tuesday. Pearce was arrested in December but wasn't charged for their deaths. After his arrest, he was subsequently charged with sexually assaulting four women in alleged attacks dating back as far as 2010. The DA announced that Pearce sexually assaulted seven victims during a 13-year period. Brandt Walter Osborn was charged with two counts of accessory after the fact. Christy Giles, a 24-year-old model and aspiring actress, and her friend, Hilda Marcela Cabrales-Arzola, 26, were allegedly drugged during a night out in LA. According to police, the women were given drugs and overdosed after a party.
FOX 11
65-Year-Old Man Killed By Burglar In Lincoln Heights
Authorities were investigating a burglary turned homicide in the Lincoln Heights neighborhood late Monday evening. The incident occurred at an apartment complex in the 2000 block of Griffin Avenue at around 9:30 p.m. When Los Angeles Police Department officers arrived to the scene the victim, reportedly a 65-year-old man, had after suffering some sort of blunt force trauma. They were first called to the scene by another occupants of one of the complex's units, who said they believed a burglary was in progress. The assault occurred after the victim confronted the burglar, who was said to be wearing dark clothing and a mask that covered much of his face. “The working theory right now is this was a burglary gone bad," said LAPD Lieutenant Ryan Rabbett. "We don't know exactly. We are talking to witnesses, talking to a family member who was inside the apartment with the victim." The suspect fled the scene before officers arrived.
CBS 2
As MLB All-Star Game Nears, LAPD Officer Turns To Baseball To Unite Community
The LA Police Baseball Foundation is gearing up for the MLB All-Star Game with a clinic for kids and more.
FOX 11 Video
Street Vendor Attacked By Woman In Harvard Park
A woman attacked a street vendor and appeared to throw food and spit on items in a confrontation caught on camera in Harvard Park. A video caught a woman hitting a worker named at South Taco R&R. The woman struck the vendor after she wanted a burrito, but didn't have any money to pay for it. The tirade lasted about 15 minutes as she vandalized the stand and even spit in the food. People rallied Monday night behind the food stand to show support for the street vendor and buy some food.
NBC 4
Burglars Steal Hundreds Of Shoes From Nonprofit That Trains Students For LA Marathon
Thieves stole hundreds of shoes from a San Fernando Valley nonprofit that teaches students character development by training them for the Los Angeles Marathon. A storage unit maintained by Students Run LA was hit twice in a matter of days. The second time, the burglars came back with a truck and more tools to take some of the items they couldn't carry away the first time. "It's truly heartbreaking that someone broke in not just once but twice into our inventory of things that are not for us, but for students who actually earn them and deserve them," said student Andrea Jimenez. SRLA executive director Marsha Charney says the burglars got away with about 500 pairs of shoes. Students Run LA helps underserved students train for the LA Marathon. The shoes, transportation and coaches are all free to the students. The group says the training helps young people with setting goals, developing character and improving their health. "Coming from a low-income family who didn't really have the resources, I was really grateful they made me have all of these things," said Jimenez.
ABC 7
Man, 26, Reported Missing In West Hollywood
Authorities Tuesday sought the public’s help to locate a 26-year-old man with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder who was last seen in West Hollywood. Matthew Dignard, also known by the nicknames “Matticus” and “Matty,” was last seen in March in the area of 8700 block of Santa Monica Boulevard, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. Dignard is white, 6-feet-1 inch tall and weighs 145 pounds, with brown hair and green eyes. He also has tattoos of a star on each of his temples, a gray and black flower on his neck and multiple unspecified tattoos on his legs. Anyone with information on Dignard’s whereabouts was asked to contact the LASD Missing Persons Unit at 323-890-5500. Anonymous tips can be called in to Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477 or submitted online at lacrimestoppers.org.
MyNewsLA.com
79-Year-Old Woman Robbed At Gunpoint While Walking Dog In Culver City
Authorities are investigating after an elderly woman was robbed while walking her dog in Culver City over the weekend. It happened on Sunday around 1:20 a.m. in the area near Jefferson Boulevard and Indian Wood Road. According to police, the 79-year-old victim was sitting on a fire hydrant after walking her dog and was approached from behind by an armed man dressed in all black clothing. The suspect wrapped his arm around her neck and shoved her to the ground, forcefully removing her cell phone which was attached to a lanyard around her neck, police said The suspect then ripped the victim's fanny pack containing cash and keys from her waist and ran away from the scene. The victim was treated for non-life-threatening injuries at the scene. A suspect description was not immediately available. Anyone with information is asked to call the Culver City Police Department at 310-253-6202.
FOX 11
Man Shot And Killed In Athens Area; Shooter Still On The Loose
A man was fatally shot in the Athens area near the 1000 block of West Imperial Highway on Saturday. The shooter is still on the run and it's unclear at this moment if Los Angeles County Sheriffs deputies have an idea who the suspect is. Deputies originally received the report of the shooting at around 5:20 p.m., according to Deputy Veronica Fantom. The victim was unfortunately pronounced dead at the scene. His name or age has not been released. Sheriffs deputies are investigating what the motive may have been for the shooter.
CBS 2
LA Man Arrested, Accused Of Sexually Assaulting A Woman In An Irvine Elevator
Police arrested a 26-year-old man Sunday on suspicion of felony sexual battery after a woman reported she was assaulted in an elevator. Rafael Cortez of Los Angeles was arrested at his residence without incident and transferred to the Orange County jail, where he was booked on suspicion of felony sexual battery, assault and battery and false imprisonment. The alleged sexual assault happened on June 25 at an Extra Storage at 17 Shield, according to Irvine police. The victim told police she was waiting for the elevator and when the doors opened, two men walked out. However, one of the men reentered the elevator after she got in. The victim said Cortez allegedly reached out his arm to fondle her chest. She pushed him away and told him to stop, police said. He then allegedly became aggressive and tried to grab her chest and she fought him off. He then allegedly punched her multiple times. She finally managed to escape the elevator and get away from him on the first floor of the facility. The suspect then ran off and got into a moving truck, according to police. Cortez was employed by a moving company that was present at the facility on the day of the alleged assault. Anyone with information on the assault was asked to call Irvine police Detective Mudassar Mahmood at 949-724-7244.
LA Daily News
July 4 Weekend Highlighted With At Least 1 Fireworks-Related Death, Illegal Booms Across Southern California
This weekend, fireworks killed at least three people across the country. Here in Southern California, a 42-year-old man from Montebello died after holding a high-powered mortar device when it went off while celebrating the July 4 holiday. The Montebello man was rushed to the Beverly Community Hospital, where he was ultimately pronounced dead. The hospital's CEO Alice Cheng said they have been treating fireworks-related injuries all week, "with victims ranging from small children to adults. With injuries that can last a lifetime." In nearby Azusa, where just last week, authorities conducted a huge raid, taking tons of illegal firefights off the streets. In spite of the confiscation, authorities still had to deal with the fires started by pyrotechnics shot from people's homes. On Glenlyn Drive, one person was taken to the hospital with serious burns to his face. Even as we write this story from Montebello, people are setting off fireworks on the Fifth of July. Adding more work for law enforcement officers trying to catch people illegally lighting fireworks. Under California's Health and Safety Code Fireworks Penalties, Section 12700(B), a person "in possession of unaltered dangerous fireworks in violation of the State Fireworks Law is punishable as a misdemeanor or a public offense" with fines ranging from $500 to more than $50,000, depending on the type, amount and local municipality.
FOX 11
'Pure Hell': 3 LEOs Killed, 5 Hurt In Kentucky Shooting
Three law enforcement officers were killed and five wounded in eastern Kentucky when a man with a rifle opened fire on police attempting to serve a warrant, authorities said. Police took 49-year-old Lance Storz into custody late Thursday night after an hours-long standoff at a home in Allen, a small town in the hills of Appalachia. An emergency management official was also injured and a police dog was killed, according to the arrest citation. The responding officers encountered “pure hell” when they arrived on the scene, Floyd County Sheriff John Hunt told reporters Friday afternoon. “They had no chance,” he said. Hunt said four deputies initially responded, then called for backup when they were shot at. The sheriff said Storz surrendered after negotiations that included his family members. Hunt had told local media the deputies were serving a court-issued warrant Thursday evening related to a domestic violence situation. Hunt said one of his deputies, William Petry, and Prestonsburg Police Capt. Ralph Frasure were killed in the shooting. Frasure worked for 39 years in law enforcement in Floyd County. Another Prestonsburg officer, Jacob Chaffins, died after being hospitalized, the police department said in a social media post Friday night.
AP
Suspected Gunman In Highland Park Parade Shooting Charged With 7 Counts Of First-Degree Murder
The suspected gunman in the deadly shooting at a Fourth of July parade in Highland Park, Illinois, has been charged with seven counts of first-degree murder, officials announced Tuesday. "We anticipate dozens of more charges," Lake County State's Attorney Eric Rinehart said Tuesday night. Rinehart said he will ask that the suspect, 21-year-old Robert "Bobby" Crimo III, be held without bail. If convicted, he would face a mandatory life sentence without the possibility of parole, Rinehart said. Authorities said earlier Tuesday they believe the suspected gunman planned the attack several weeks in advance. Police said he wore women's clothing as a disguise and blended into the crowd after allegedly attacking paradegoers from a rooftop with a high-powered rifle, killing seven and wounding dozens more. Lake County Coroner Jennifer Banek on Tuesday identified six victims who died Monday as Katherine Goldstein, 64; Kevin McCarthy, 37; Irina McCarthy, 35; Jacquelyn Sundheim, 63; Stephen Straus, 88; and Nicolas Toledo-Zaragoza, 78. Officials on Tuesday also confirmed a seventh shooting victim had died.
CBS 2
LA County Reports 15,413 New COVID Cases Over Holiday Weekend
Los Angeles County health officials Monday reported 15,413 new cases of COVID-19 and 18 additional deaths linked to the virus over the three-day Fourth of July weekend. The county Department of Public Health reported 5,865 cases for Saturday, 6,020 cases for Sunday and 3,528 cases for Monday. Ten of the fatalities were reported for Saturday, five for Sunday and three for Monday. The latest figures bring the county's cumulative totals to 3,140,615 cases and 32,361 deaths since the pandemic began. A majority of the deaths occurred in people with at least one underlying health condition, mainly hypertension, diabetes and heart disease. The county's daily test positivity rate, on a seven-day average, was 13.7% as of Monday, up from 12.2% last Tuesday. The latest hospitalization numbers were unavailable due to delays in reports from the state health department, but as of Saturday there were 810 COVID-positive patients in county hospitals, with 91 being treated in intensive care. Amid the rising transmission and elevated hospitalization numbers, Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer had urged caution against the spread of COVID-19 during the Fourth of July, when many people are likely to attend parties or large gatherings.
FOX 11
Public Safety News
Ultra-Contagious BA.4, BA.5 Subvariants Fuel Coronavirus Spread Across Much Of California
In a sign of how the new coronavirus wave continues to spread across California, two-thirds of the state’s counties are now in the high COVID-19 community level, in which the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends universal masking in indoor public spaces. This comes as health officials are warning of concerning weeks ahead as two new ultra-contagious Omicron subvariants — BA.4 and BA.5 — spread. Experts believe the subvariants, which are not only especially contagious but also capable of reinfecting those who have survived earlier Omicron infection, are a major factor behind the continued persistence of coronavirus transmission across California. So far, Los Angeles County health officials have not imposed new masking rules. But they have warned that might be necessary, perhaps later in July, if new coronavirus-positive hospitalizations continue to rise. Though experts are concerned, there is still uncertainty about how serious a summer wave will get. “With the continued increase in cases, and now as you’re seeing the corresponding increase in hospitalizations … we’re really worried,” L.A. County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said Thursday.
LA Times
