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Law Enforcement News

LAPD Officers Shot At By Suspect In Alley
Two Los Angeles Police Department officers were shot at overnight while conducting an investigation in the department's Southeast Division. Southeast Division Gang Enforcement Detail officers were responding to a radio call of shots fired when they themselves were met with gunfire after encountering a suspect in an alley. The officers, who were not injured, returned fire towards the suspect, according to LAPD. It's the second time in just over a week that LAPD Southeast gang enforcement officers have been shot at by suspects, according to LAPD chief Michael Moore. A short pursuit ensued after both parties exchanged gun fire. Two suspects, including the gunman, were arrested after crashing their getaway vehicle. Both are facing attempted murder charges. The exact location of this incident is unclear at this moment.
CBS 2

2 Arrested In Wilmington Shooting That Killed 12-Year-Old Boy In SUV
Two men have been arrested in a December 2021 shooting near a Wilmington school that killed a 12-year-old boy and and critically injured a nine-year-old student and a 30-year-old woman, police announced on Friday, Sept. 30. Damian Ulysses Martinez, 21, and Gabriel Martinez, 19 are gang members and believed to be cousins, said LAPD Captain Adrian Gonzalez. They were arrested earlier this week on suspicion of murder and assault with a deadly weapon. The boy, Alexander Alvarado, was killed the afternoon of Dec. 6 near Wilmington Park Elementary School in the 1500 block of East Denni Street, when the suspects opened fire on a Dodge Durango he was seated in. Police said the bullets also struck the 30-year-old driver, and a 9-year-old girl who was on the playground at the nearby school was also hit. After the shooting, the woman in the SUV managed to drive a short distance away, stopping at North Eubank Avenue near East Anaheim Street, where she and the boy were found by authorities, police said. Alexander was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver was transported to a hospital in critical condition. The girl, on the school playground, was hit by a stray bullet that fractured bones in her lower back.
LA Daily News

Hackers Release Data After LAUSD Refuses To Pay Ransom
Hackers released data from the Los Angeles school district on Saturday, a day after Supt. Albert Carvalho said he would not negotiate with or pay a ransom to the criminal syndicate. Some screenshots from the hack were reviewed by The Times and appear to show some Social Security numbers. But the full extent of the release remains unclear. The release of data came two days earlier than the deadline set by the syndicate that calls itself Vice Society — and happened in apparent response to what it took as Carvalho’s final answer regarding whether the district would pay the hackers to prevent the release of private information and also to receive decryption keys to unlock some district computer systems. “What I can tell you is that the demand — any demand — would be absurd,” Carvalho told the Times on Friday. “But this level of demand was, quite frankly, insulting. And we’re not about to enter into negotiations with that type of entity.” In a statement released later that day, he added: “Paying ransom never guarantees the full recovery of data, and Los Angeles Unified believes public dollars are better spent on our students rather than capitulating to a nefarious and illicit crime syndicate.”
LA Times

Two Teenagers Arrested In Downtown LA Stabbing Death
A 17-year-old boy and a 17-year-old girl were in custody Sunday in the stabbing death of a 56-year-old man in downtown Los Angeles, authorities said. Officer Rosario Cervantes of the Los Angeles Police Department's Media Relations Section did not know what charges the duo might be facing, adding that the investigation was still ongoing. The victim was identified as Du Lee, according to the Los Angeles County coroner's office website. A representative from the office could not be reached to disclose Lee's city of residence. The stabbing was reported at 1:16 p.m. Saturday at Wall Street and Olympic Boulevard, according to Officer Matthew Cruz of the LAPD. Lee was found unconscious and not breathing by arriving officers, and was pronounced dead at the scene, Cruz said. An investigation at the scene revealed the victim was involved in a physical altercation with suspects described as a male and a female, the officer said. "The male suspect produced a knife and stabbed the victim multiple times," Cruz said. The two suspects fled the scene on foot but were eventually taken into custody, he said.
NBC 4

$50K Reward Offered For Information In Deadly South LA Hit-and-Run
A reward of up to $50,000 is being offered for information about a deadly hit-and-run crash in South Los Angeles that occurred late Thursday night, authorities said. Officials with the Los Angeles Police Department said a bicyclist was traveling northbound on Wall Street when they were struck by a white commercial van that was traveling westbound on 61st Street in South LA’s Florence neighborhood. When first responders arrived at the scene, the victim was declared dead by paramedics from the Los Angeles Fire Department. The name of the victim has not been released. Surveillance video captured the entire incident and the LAPD has released the video and images in hopes someone will come forward with information. LAPD investigators described the suspect’s vehicle as a white 1996 to 2022 GMC Savana or Chevrolet Express commercial panel van with a roof rack and a storage tube or box on the roof. The van will likely have damage on the front end. Anyone with information is asked to contact Officer Alex Guizar at 213-833-3713 or via email. Those who wish to remain anonymous can submit tips online.
FOX 11

Mother Of Five Stabbed To Death By Boyfriend In East LA Home
Detectives are searching for a man who stabbed a woman to death inside a home in East LA. Deputies responded to the 100 block of South Townsend Avenue just before 8 p.m. Sept. 30 after receiving a call of an assault with a deadly weapon. When deputies arrived at scene, they located a woman suffering from stab wounds; she was transported to the hospital where she later died. According to the LA County Sheriff's Department, the woman's boyfriend stabbed her multiple times before fleeing the scene. The family has identified the victim as Milagros Angelica Medina, 45. According to family, Medina was stabbed by her live-in-boyfriend, who the Sheriff's Department is not officially identifying at this time. Medina was stabbed repeatedly in front of her five children ages 3, 11, 13, 15 and 18, along with the 18-year-old's close friend. The friend spoke to FOX 11 about what she witnessed, and FOX 11 is shielding her identity for safety. "It was really gruesome," she said. "Her five children saw it, [along with] her three-year-old son. There was a lot of blood splattered everywhere. The blood went onto him [the 3-year-old], and that's what really broke me."
FOX 11

328,000 Fentanyl Pills Seized In Pasadena As Police Urge Parents To Remain Vigilant
Police in Pasadena seized 328,000 fentanyl pills as part of an ongoing narcotics investigation. The potentially deadly drugs were seized on Sept. 24, along with a ghost gun and about four pounds of cocaine, according to the Pasadena Police Department. The department says the candy-colored fentanyl appears to be a new method used by drug cartels to attract children and young people. So far this year, Pasadena police have seized approximately 708, 500 fentanyl pills, according to a press release. Meanwhile in Whittier, police seized eight pounds of pills laced with fentanyl. Officers discovered the three bags of drugs, along with some cash, during a traffic stop. Police are now urging parents to be especially careful with the candy their children bring home on Halloween. They're also being encouraged to talk with their kids about the fentanyl problem since just one pill can kill.
ABC 7

California Police: 5 Homicides Are ‘Related'
A string of five homicides in Stockton reported since the beginning of July are related, city police confirmed Friday, and a person of interest is being sought. The first killing was reported July 8, with homicides following on Aug. 11, Aug. 30, Sept. 21 and Tuesday, police said. All of the incidents were reported as shooting deaths, with all but the first victim being identified as Hispanic men ages 21 to 54. The first was identified as a 35-year-old white man. "It's just people caught by surprise," Stockton Police Chief Stanley McFadden said Friday at a news conference. "It wasn't a robbery, items aren't being stolen and they're not talking about any gang activity in the area or anything." The homicides all occurred in the evening or early morning hours, and each victim was alone at the time, police said. "By definition, you could probably very well call this a serial killer, right," McFadden said. "But at this time, we don't know if it's a person, two or three. We just don't know." When questioned further, he stopped short of labeling the suspect as a serial killer. "I think we need to focus on a series of killings that are connected, that are resulting in loss of lives," he said. "At the end of the day, it doesn't matter who the perpetrator is, someone's getting buried and that's a problem with me."
LA Times

New Law Allows Californians To Seal Arrests And Convictions From Their Records
A new law signed on Thursday will allow Californians to seal old arrests and convictions from their official records in an effort to give them a fresh start. The bill, SB 731, was introduced by State Senator María Elena Durazo (D-Los Angeles) in March 2021 and was signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Sept. 27. The law will automatically seal conviction and arrest records in California once a former offender has “fully completed their sentence and successfully gone four years without further contact with the justice system.” It also includes arrest records that did not result in a conviction. It does not, however, apply to registered sex offenses or serious felonies. All criminal histories will still be shared with law enforcement. The law will take effect beginning July 1, 2023. The new law will allow millions of people to gain employment, housing, education opportunities and more, proponents say. Officials estimate at least 225,000 Californians will have an old conviction automatically sealed and over one million will be eligible to petition a judge.
KTLA 5

Two Charged After Critically Wounding Detroit Officer
Two Detroit residents face charges in connection with the shooting of a Michigan State Police trooper who was conducting surveillance in the city with other members of a narcotics unit, a prosecutor said Thursday. The undercover trooper was critically wounded early Tuesday on Detroit’s west side when he and other members of the narcotics unit came under fire, state police said. The trooper initially was in critical condition at a hospital. His condition later stabilized and he probably will require surgery, state police Lt. Mike Shaw told reporters. A 28-year-old man has been charged with assault with intent to murder, possession with intent to deliver cocaine and two weapons charges, Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said. A 23-year-old woman was charged with accessory after the fact and lying to a peace officer, Worthy said. Both were arrested the day of the shooting, Worthy said. The 28-year-old allegedly used a laser sight with his gun to shoot the trooper three times from a second-story window of an apartment building, The Detroit News reported.
Associated Press

Public Safety News

Firefighters Knock Down Fire In Wilmington; At Least 5 Acres Burned
Firefighters knocked down a grass fire that broke out in Wilmington on Saturday. The fire was reported at 5:06 p.m. at 1198 W. Anaheim St., near the Ken Malloy Harbor Regional Park, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department's Margaret Stewart. "The smoke plume will be visible for an extended (time) because of the type of fuel burning and the difficulty in reaching the fires edge," Stewart said. A lack of fire hydrant access forced LAFD to assign additional fire trucks to shuttle water to the fire, she said. Firefighters were busy into the evening putting out the flames and hot spots. No structures were threatened and no injuries were reported, Stewart said.
CBS 2

Firefighters Knock Down Blaze At Tarzana Apartment Building
Firefighters knocked down a blaze at a two-story apartment building in Tarzana Sunday. Firefighters were dispatched to 18569 W. Burbank Blvd. at 9:55 a.m. and had the fire out within 30 minutes of their arrival, according to Margaret Stewart of the Los Angeles Fire Department. The fire was primarily in the common attic of the garden-style building, Stewart said. Truck companies created holes in the roof and used handlines to extinguish the bulk of the fire. No injuries were reported. The cause of the fire was under investigation.
MyNewsLA

Wastewater Testing Shows COVID Presence Leveling Off In LA County
Viral analysis of material in Los Angeles County wastewater systems appears to show a general plateauing of COVID-19 in the community, health officials said, noting the analysis helps counter the lack of comprehensive virus-testing results due to residents' increasing use of at-home tests. The county has been reporting downward trends in positive tests and virus transmission for weeks, while conceding that the infection numbers are incomplete due to the prevalence of at-home testing, the results of which are not generally reported to health authorities. To counter that shortcoming, the county has been monitoring concentrations of COVID-19 detected in four wastewater systems. The two largest systems have seen declines for most of September, although one reported a small increase in the past week. Two smaller systems have reported mostly stable viral concentrations, with slight increases in recent days. According to the county Department of Public Health, the plateauing COVID concentrations could mean transmission of the virus is no longer decreasing in the county. But health officials said all other monitoring efforts still indicate a low level of concern, and they "remain hopeful that transmission is not increasing at this time."
NBC 4

Local Government News

Caruso Cuts Into Bass’ Lead, Poll Finds, As L.A. Mayoral Race Heads Into Final Weeks
Rick Caruso has made significant progress in the race for mayor, closing a large part of the gap with Rep. Karen Bass since August, but the billionaire businessman still trails by double digits among the people who are likeliest to vote. Those findings from the latest UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll, sponsored by The Times, highlight key dynamics as the mayoral race heads into its final weeks: Bass, backed by most of the elected Democratic leadership in California, has a strong hold on her fellow partisans, who make up the bulk of the Los Angeles electorate. Caruso, backed by tens of millions of dollars from his personal fortune, has a path forward, but one that depends on getting potential supporters who are not frequent voters to show up for a mayoral election with few other major draws on the ballot. Still, Caruso, whose ubiquitous visage recently returned to the region’s airwaves, has gained ground from a month ago. Among all registered voters, he’s now behind by just 3 percentage points, 34%-31% — within the poll’s margin of error. That’s down from a 12-point gap in August.
LA Times