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Law Enforcement News

Man Shot And Killed During Home Robbery In Encino
A man was fatally shot Monday morning during a robbery at a short-term rental home in Encino, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. The robbery happened around 6:30 a.m. in the 18000 block of Martha Street, near Burbank Boulevard and Lindley Avenue. A witness told police that two men robbed a man before the suspects ran away from the scene, said Officer Lizabeth Lomeli, an LAPD spokesperson. When officers arrived at the scene, they found evidence of a shooting but did not find a victim, Lomeli said. The man who was shot, a 32-year-old, was taken to the hospital by a friend and later died from his injuries, according to the LAPD. Police said the man was renting the house where the robbery took place. Police said they are searching for two male suspects. No further information was immediately available.
Los Angeles Times

Worker At Mission Community Hospital In Panorama City Stabbed; Police Search For Suspect
A hospital worker was stabbed in an apparently random attack in Panorama City Monday evening, prompting a lockdown of the facility, according to authorities. Officers with the Los Angeles Police Department's Mission Division were sent to Mission Community Hospital on Roscoe Boulevard shortly before 7 p.m. The suspect, described as a man in his 40s or 50s wearing all black clothing, was armed with a knife and stabbed the worker at the entrance of the hospital, police said. The employee was taken to Northridge Hospital in critical condition. A doctor at the Panorama City hospital told Eyewitness News that other doctors and nurses jumped into action to help the victim, who is in stable condition. "It's just scary and it's just a really sad thing that it's going to happen at a place where you're really trying to help people and save them," said Dr. James Higgins. "Instead, it's almost like the opposite is occurring right in front of the hospital." Police said the suspect was chased out of the hospital by good Samaritans but wasn't apprehended. He reportedly took off running along Willis Avenue, according to witnesses. He remains outstanding.
ABC 7

4 Arrested After Downtown LA Shooting Leaves Valet Parking Attendant Wounded
Four suspects were arrested after a suspected gang-related shooting led to a police chase from downtown Los Angeles to Compton overnight, officials said. The first incident began near the intersection of West Olympic Boulevard and South Broadway in downtown LA where patrol officers with the Los Angeles Police Department drove by and observed a shooting in progress. One of the stray bullets hit an innocent valet parking attendant who was struck in the leg. He was taken to the hospital and is expected to make a full recovery, officials said. The group of suspects was in a BMW SUV and when officers attempted to pull the SUV over, the suspects did not comply and a pursuit ensued. The suspects led officers to the 110 Freeway and continued for about 12 miles. They proceeded to exit off the freeway and to a residential area at West Piru Street and North Parmalee Avenue in Compton. The neighborhood was placed on lockdown after the suspects ditched the SUV and took off running. An LAPD helicopter and K9 units were deployed to assist with the search of the suspects.
FOX 11

Man Detained After Possible Marijuana Grow Operation In Chatsworth Garage Goes Up In Flames: LAFD
A man was taken into custody after a fire at a possible marijuana grow operation at a Chatsworth garage early Monday. The fire was reported around 12:20 a.m. in the 9400 block of North Megan Avenue. Los Angeles city firefighters ran into some difficulty getting into the building from an occupant and several aggressive dogs, Battalion Chief Brian Dameron said. The Los Angeles Police Department also responded and took the man into custody. He was eventually taken away in an ambulance, video from the scene showed. Firefighters were eventually able to get in and put the fire out, containing it to the garage. The garage appeared to be a possible illegal grow operation, but the cause of the fire is under investigation, Dameron said.
KTLA 5

TikTok ‘Trend' Leads To Nationwide Rise In Car Thefts
Local law enforcement officials are warning car owners about a spike in vehicle robberies that seems to be because of a TikTok trend. Brad Crihfield is one of the latest victims of a growing trend after he had his car stolen out of his Lakewood driveway while he was just feet away in his garage office. The entire robbery was caught on video. "I was probably five feet away from him and it was 11 in the morning," Crihfield said. "And my wife and kids [were] right there in the kitchen and all you have to do is look out the window to see it… But he was in and out in 60 seconds." The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and Los Angeles Police Department are warning car owners as thefts like this are increasing across the country. Thieves are using USB phone chargers to help jack specific models of cars. The models affected include Hyundais and Kias from model years 2010 to 2021. Those models were designed without engine immobilizers — electronic devices that make it harder to start cars without keys, but make it easier to steal in this case with the charger cables.
FOX 11

Arrest Made In Fatal Assault Of 27-Year-Old Father At Metro Blue Line Station In Willowbrook Area
A homicide suspect has been arrested in connection with the fatal assault and robbery of a 27-year-old father in March at the Metro Blue Line station in the Willowbrook area, authorities announced Friday. Details of the arrest were not immediately disclosed. Oscar Ayala, 28, was beaten about 6 p.m. March 13 by a fellow passenger who also got off the A Line, formerly Blue Line, train, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. On Sept. 9, authorities circulated a photo of the man wanted in the crime, and detectives and the victim's family members appealed for the public's help to find him. On Wednesday, the alleged killer was arrested, the sheriff's department reported. The suspect, whose name was not immediately released, was expected to appear in court some time Friday, the sheriff's department reported. Ayala died at a hospital three days after the attack, and his cause of death was listed as "blunt force head trauma," according to the Los Angeles County coroner's office. The wanted man had been described only as an Hispanic adult who was wearing a red "gaiter-style" mask, a long-sleeve white T-shirt, and a blue/gray jacket. Anyone with information on the case was urged to call the Sheriff's Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500, or Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS.
ABC 7

Homeless Man Arrested For Starting Fire At Victory Baptist Church
Authorities arrested a homeless man for starting a fire at Victory Baptist Church in South Los Angeles on Sept. 11, that burnt the historic building down and injured three firefighters. The fire was first reported just after 2:20 a.m. on 4802 S. McKinley Avenue, where the church has been located since the year after its founding in 1943. During the nearly week-long investigation, investigators at first determined that the fire did not appear to be intentionally set, but located surveillance footage that revealed the opposite. "LAFD Arson Investigators and the multi-agency House of Worship Arson Task Force initiated an investigation into the fire's cause," Los Angeles Fire Department officials said in a statement on Monday. On Sunday, they arrested Carlos Diaz, a 23-year-old unhoused individual who is being charged with arson of a structure, with potentially additional charges pending.
CBS 2

Heartbroken Mother Wants Drug Dealers Held Responsible After Son Dies At San Bernardino Music Festival
Marcellina Rodriguez is heartbroken after her 27-year-old son, Eli Rodriguez, died from a drug death at a San Bernardino music festival Saturday. Marcellina said her son, Eli, went with friends to the Nocturnal Wonderland festival, held at Glen Helen Regional Park. According to Marcellina, he either bought drugs or was given drugs at the event. The autopsy report is pending. "From what I was told, he (Eli) was saying that he wasn't feeling right, that it wasn't normal and he passed away within minutes after that. [The medics] gave him that shot. They did whatever they could beyond the shot. They gave him life support and nothing brought him back. He was pronounced dead at the property of the event." Marcellina describes her son as a loving man who was a "protector" of the people he cared for. "He was a joy to be around. I'm not saying that because he was my son, but he was tender to me. He loved me," she said. "He would look at me with those eyes like pureness. He was just a loving and tender person." Marcellina said because the autopsy has not been completed, she hasn't been able to see her son, and that breaks her heart.
FOX 11

California Man Given Two Life Sentences 1980s In Cold Case Rape-Murders
A man described as a "sexual predator" and convicted of raping and killing two women in the Los Angeles area in the 1980s was handed down Monday two life sentences after both cases went cold for decades. Jurors deliberated about three hours in August before convicting Horace Van Vaultz Jr., 67, of two counts of first-degree murder for the deaths of Selena Keough and Mary Duggan, Fox Los Angeles reported. They also found him guilty of special-circumstance allegations of multiple murders, murder during a rape involving both women and murder during sodomy involving Keough. Keough, a 21-year-old mother, was killed by strangulation on July 16, 1981, in San Bernardino County and dumped under brushes. Duggan was found dead of asphyxiation on July 9, 1986, in the trunk of a car in Burbank. "When you get past the shock of hearing your daughter is dead, you wonder who is out there that did this," Duggan's mother, Maureen, said in a statement read in court by Deputy District Attorney Beth Silverman at the sentencing, the news outlet reported. During his trial, Vaultz, a former Marine, testified on his own behalf and denied any wrongdoing. "My semen means I may have had sex with the person. It doesn't mean I killed them," he said.
FOX News

Indiana Officer Who Was Shot In The Head During Traffic Stop Has Died
An eastern Indiana police officer who was shot in the head during a traffic stop in August has died more than two weeks after she was removed from life support, authorities said. Richmond Police Department Officer Seara Burton died Sunday night at a Reid Health facility surrounded by her family, the department said in a statement posted to Facebook. “We would sincerely like to thank the Richmond community, and those who have supported Seara, her family, and the department from near and far," the statement from several officials said. Burton was critically wounded in the shooting Aug. 10. The 28-year-old officer was moved to hospice care, two days after she was removed from life support on Sept. 1 at a hospital in Dayton, Ohio. Burton's remains were to be escorted by Richmond police and other agencies from the Dayton area on Monday afternoon. Burton was a four-year veteran of the department in Richmond, about 65 miles (105 kilometers) east of Indianapolis.
Associated Press

Video: Police Officer Knocked To Ground After Drunk Driver Rams Patrol Vehicle
Two deputies are recovering from their injuries after a drunk driver plowed into their patrol vehicle last weekend. According to Channel 9 Eyewitness News and a news release from the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office, Deputy Stubblefield and his trainee Deputy Garcia were parked on the highway conducting a traffic stop when the suspect’s vehicle rammed them from behind. The impact sent one deputy flying into the dashboard and the other catapulted to the ground. The driver, 59-year-old Victor Arevalo, appeared to be under the influence of alcohol at the time, but refused to submit to a field sobriety test after the incident. He was later taken to the Volusia County Jail and charged with a DUI. Both deputies were taken to a local hospital and treated for minor injuries.
PoliceOne

Public Safety News

LA County Records 3,500 New COVID-19 Infections Over 3-Day Span
Los Angeles County recorded 3,502 more COVID-19 infections Monday from a three-day span beginning Saturday, while also announcing 36 new virus-related deaths. The county, which no longer releases COVID data on weekends, reported 1,705 new infections from Saturday, 1,072 from Sunday and 725 on Monday. Sunday and Monday figures tend to be low due to delays in reporting from the weekend. The case numbers officially reported by the county are also believed to be low due to the popularity of at-home tests, the results of which are generally not relayed to the county. The new cases gave the county an official overall total of 3,441,113 from throughout the pandemic. The 36 new deaths -- 16 reported Saturday, 11 Sunday and nine Monday -- lifted the county's overall death toll to 33,483. An update was not immediately available on the number of COVID- positive patients in county hospitals. As of Saturday, there were 674 virus-positive patients hospitalized in the county, with 89 of them being treated in intensive care.
NBC 4

COVID Is Still Killing Hundreds A Day, Even As Society Begins To Move On
Roshan Kalghatgi was shocked when his 73-year-old mother tested positive for the coronavirus in July, nearly 2½ years into the pandemic. “I thought it was a fluke,” the Redwood City resident said. “I made them do it again.” His mother, Manisha, had eluded the virus at a Pennsylvania assisted living facility as COVID-19 devastated group facilities for the elderly. She had avoided infection again when she flew across the country to join Roshan and his family in San Mateo County, where she would tickle her 4-year-old grandson and faithfully follow his repeated requests to show him her belly button. She had been vaccinated against COVID and received booster shots as well, Roshan said. By July, COVID wasn’t the top threat to Manisha on his mind: His mother had been struggling with kidney disease and Roshan fretted about how to keep her going to dialysis, which she had abandoned even as Roshan agonized about what it would mean for her health.
LA Times