Law Enforcement News

Man Accused In PnB Rock's Murder Is Booked In LA After Being Arrested In Las Vegas
The man accused in PnB Rock's slaying on Sept. 13 as the rapper ate at Roscoe's House of Chicken 'N Waffles in LA has been transported from Las Vegas to Los Angeles, where he faces murder charges. On Tuesday, Freddie Lee Trone was officially arrested on suspicion of murder in Los Angeles with bail set at $3 million, the LAPD said. Trone was one of three suspects including a teen who were arrested and charged in connection with the shooting. Trone and his 17-year-old son each face charges of murder and conspiracy to commit robbery. The father is also facing two counts of second-degree murder. The stepmom, Shauntel Trone, 38, was charged with being an accessory after the fact. The teen and stepmother were previously jailed in LA while the father was extradited to Los Angeles. Trone was arrested Thursday afternoon in Las Vegas by an FBI fugitive task force. Philly rapper PnB Rock was eating at Roscoe's House of Chicken 'N Waffles with his girlfriend Stephanie Sibounheuang Sept. 13 when he was shot after a struggle over his jewerly, authorities said.
NBC 4

Gang Member's Conviction Upheld For Venice Boardwalk Killing
A state appeals court panel today upheld a gang member's conviction for the August 2015 Venice boardwalk shooting death of a young man hoping to break into the music business. The three-justice panel from California's 2nd District Court of Appeal found that the evidence presented to the jury of Francisco C. Guzman's guilt was “overwhelming.'' The panel noted in its 30-page ruling that the eyewitness testimony at Guzman's trial showed that he fired his gun on the boardwalk, killing 26- year-old Jascent Warren and wounding another man -- neither of whom were armed. The appellate court justices added that “Guzman clearly and unmistakably connected the shootings with his gang membership and his intent to promote the gang.'' Guzman was convicted in March 2019 of one count each of first-degree murder, attempted murder and possession of a firearm by a felon. Jurors also found true gang and gun allegations. Video surveillance from two cameras at a nearby cafe captured the shooting.
WestSide Current

San Pedro Man Found Guilty In 1996 Murder Of Kristin Smart; His Father Acquitted
The last man seen with Kristin Smart was convicted Tuesday, Oct. 18, of killing the college freshman who vanished from a California campus more than 25 years ago, while his father was acquitted of helping him conceal the crime. Jurors unanimously found Paul Flores of San Pedro guilty of first-degree murder. A jury in a separate trial found his father, Ruben Flores, not guilty of charges of being an accessory to murder after the fact. The verdicts were read moments apart in the same courtroom. Smart disappeared from California Polytechnic State University on the scenic central coast over Memorial Day weekend in 1996. Her remains have never been found. The father and son weren’t arrested until 2021. Prosecutors maintained the younger Flores, now 45, killed the 19-year-old during an attempted rape on May 25, 1996, in his dorm room at Cal Poly, where both were first-year students. He was the last person seen with Smart as he walked her home from an off-campus party where she became intoxicated.
Los Angeles Daily News

Woman, Dog Stabbed By Man With Sword In Mid-Wilshire Neighborhood
A woman and her dog were stabbed in a seemingly random attack in the MId-Wilshire neighborhood of Los Angeles Tuesday night. The incident was reported just before midnight in the 1200 block of South Victoria Avenue. Officers arrived to find a 23-year-old man with a weapon that appeared to be a sword or a machete, Los Angeles Police Department Officer Lomeli said. A 43-year-old woman with stab wounds and was transported to a local hospital, Lomeli said. There was no immediate word on the condition of the victim. The victim’s dog was apparently stabbed and killed in the seemingly random attack, according to witnesses at the scene. The 23-year-old suspect was taken into custody and booked on suspicion of attempted murder, Lomeli said.
KTLA 5

1 Killed, 3 Injured In Crash On 101 Freeway In Woodland Hills
Investigators with the California Highway Patrol were investigating a deadly crash that prompted the closure of all lanes on the northbound side of the 101 Freeway in Woodland Hills early Wednesday morning. CHP officers were called to the crash just before 12:30 a.m. at the Shoup Avenue off-ramp where they found an SUV had driven off the freeway and crashed down an embankment. Three people were trapped underneath the mangled vehicle and fire crews were called in to free the victims from the wreckage. One of the victims was declared dead at the scene by authorities and the two others were taken to the hospital with serious injuries. Officials said the early stages of the investigation reveal the SUV was traveling between 80 and 90 mph when it struck the center divider and landed in the embankment. The SUV also collided with a big rig and the driver suffered minor injuries in the crash. The lane closures were expected to be in effect from Topanga Canyon Boulevard through Woodland Hills for several hours for the investigation. No further information was immediately available.
FOX 11

Colorado Man Arrested For Rapes Across Ventura, LA Counties
A Colorado man is facing multiple sexual assault charges in Los Angeles and Ventura counties after matching his DNA to several sexual assault test kits, according to the Ventura County District Attorney's Office. Charles Edward Gaines III was arrested in August of this year in Aurora, Colorado, for an extortion case being handled by the Los Angeles Police Department. When Gaines was arrested, the department obtained a DNA profile of him. That profile matched him to multiple two rapes and one attempted rape in LA County as well as a rape in Simi Valley between 2019 and 2020. Gaines is facing five charges in LA County, including oral copulation by force, sodomy by force, sexual battery by restraint, rape, and attempted rape. In Ventura County, Gaines is facing two charges: human trafficking of a minor and rape of a minor. According to Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko, investigators were able to make the alleged link between Gaines and the rapes thanks to federal funding from the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative, a grant Ventura County received from the Department of Justice.
FOX 11

Rapper-Actor Kaalan Walker Gets 50 Years For Rape Sentence
Actor and rapper Kaalan Walker has been sentenced to 50 years to life in prison for his conviction for raping aspiring models he met online, authorities said. Walker, 27, was sentenced Monday in Superior Court in Los Angeles following his April conviction on three counts of forcible rape, one count of assault to commit oral copulation, two counts of statutory rape and two counts of rape by intoxication. His lawyer, Andrew Flier, said the trial was unfair. Walker, whose rapper name is KR, played a gang member in the 2018 remake of the movie "Superfly" and also appeared in the 2017 film "Kings," starring Halle Berry and Daniel Craig. He was arrested in 2018 and charged with a series of assaults dating back to 2016 involving four women and three teenage girls. Prosecutors said Walker used social media to contact aspiring models and offer them phony professional opportunities so they would meet him, then assaulted them.
CBS 2

Man Suspected Of Being The Stockton Serial Killer Is Charged With Three Murders
Stockton serial homicide suspect Wesley Brownlee was charged Tuesday with three counts of murder, three days after he was arrested while allegedly stalking a potential victim near a city park. Brownlee, 43, was charged with the murders of Jonathan Hernandez Rodriguez on Aug. 30, Juan Cruz on Sept. 21, and Lawrence Lopez Sr. on Sept. 27, according to San Joaquin County Superior Court records. He faces potential firearm sentencing enhancements and special circumstances of committing multiple murders. He was also charged with possession of a firearm by a felon and possession of ammunition by a felon. All of the shootings appeared to have been unprovoked and occurred in the late night or early morning hours, authorities said. Brownlee has not been charged with the fatal shootings of Paul Alexander Yaw on July 8 or Salvador Debudey Jr. on Aug. 11, although the Stockton Police Department has alleged that those cases, and the fatal shooting of an Oakland man and the non-fatal shooting of a Stockton woman in 2021, were linked to the other deaths.
LA Times

Video: Suspect Stabs K9 During Getaway Attempt In Florida
Dramatic video released by the Manatee County Sheriff's Office recorded the moments before and after a Florida man stabbed a police K9 while attempting to elude authorities. CBS 12 reported 36-year-old Christopher Darlington was identified driving a stolen vehicle in the parking lot of a local Walmart. Once Darlington saw deputies, he used the car as a weapon to ram a patrol vehicle before driving over a shopping cart in a desperate attempt to escape officers. Using a helicopter, authorities were able to track down the suspect as he crashed into a fence. Darlington scrambled out of the wreckage and broke into an unoccupied home nearby, where deputies then set up a perimeter. After the suspect refused to surrender, deputies and a K9 named Loki entered the home and found Darlington with two large knives in a corner. Body cam footage shows the suspect swiping at the K9 with the knives, cutting his nose and face. The suspect was apprehended after the attack, and the K9 was taken to a local veterinarian hospital for treatment. According to CBS, Loki received 12 stitches to his nose and head, but is expected to make a full recovery.
PoliceOne

Michigan Deputy Awarded For Saving Suspect From Car Engulfed In Flames
A Michigan deputy was presented with two awards after diving into a creek to save a fleeing suspect from a burning vehicle. Deputy Bill Warner received both a Life Saving Award and Medal of Honor by the Lenawee County Sheriff’s Office for his bravery. According to Lenconnect.com, the incident began when Warner pulled over two men in an SUV and discovered both occupants had outstanding felony warrants. One of the suspects immediately jumped from the vehicle and fled the area on foot, while the other hopped into the driver’s seat and drove off. Shortly after, the suspect’s SUV struck another vehicle, before flipping and crashing into a creek embankment. Bodycam footage released by the sheriff’s department shows Warner exiting his patrol vehicle and running toward the suspect’s overturned car. Shortly after the deputy reached the SUV, it became engulfed in flames with the suspect’s legs partially trapped inside.
PoliceOne

Public Safety News

Sherman Oaks Apartment Fire Kills 1 Person, Dog
One person and a dog died Wednesday in an apartment fire in Sherman Oaks. It happened around 4:23 a.m. on Sepulveda Boulevard near Weddington Street in Sherman Oaks. According to the Los Angeles Fire Department, crews arrived at the three-story, garden-style apartment building to find the fire in one unit. 29 firefighters were able to knockdown the blaze in 15 minutes. Firefighters discovered the person dead inside with a dog. The name of the victim has not yet been released. There were no other injuries. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
CBS 2

L.A. County Libraries Could Soon Supply Naloxone For Reversing Overdoses
Los Angeles County libraries could supply the overdose reversal drug naloxone and teach librarians how to administer the lifesaving medication under a proposal unanimously approved Tuesday by the Board of Supervisors. Along with supplying and administering doses of naloxone, often sold as a nasal spray under the brand name Narcan, the motion also directs county health officials to explore making public libraries distribution sites where residents can pick up doses of the medication to keep on hand. “Opioid deaths and fentanyl poisonings are on the rise, and we should make sure Narcan is at our county libraries where so many young people spend time after school,” Supervisor Janice Hahn, who introduced the motion, said in a statement. “Parents are scared and want to know where they can get Narcan to keep in case of an emergency, so I want to explore making our libraries Narcan kit distribution sites.”
LA Times

How LA County Fire Department's Helicopter Fleet Helps Fight Wildfires
Fighting fires from the air is crucial in battling flames when a fire breaks out. All the Los Angeles County Fire Department's aircraft are stored at airports in the North San Fernando Valley. In Pacoima, the Fire Department Air Operations unit maintains a fleet of helicopters year-round at Whiteman Airport. Within minutes of a call, the helicopters are off the ground, ready to respond to a fire. "As we move further into fire season and our field moisture begins to drop to a critical level, it's important for us to be able to have a fleet of aircraft that can operate in various types of terrain and conditions," said L.A. County Fire Batt. Chief Robert Gaylor. Fire officials say the peak times they see the most fires are in the dry summer months. During this time, they temporarily bring in two additional types of aircraft to Van Nuys Airport. "July 1 is when we brought on Helitanker 55, the CH-47 and that's a six-month contract. And then Sept. 1, we started a 90-day contract with the government of Quebec with the CL-415 Super Scoopers," Gaylor said.
ABC 7

Updated COVID Boosters Are Now Available For Kids. Here’s How To Get Them
Updated COVID-19 boosters are now available for children as young as 5, giving parents an option to amplify their kids’ protection heading into the pivotal winter months. The latest shots, which are formulated specifically to target both the original strain of the coronavirus and the BA.5 Omicron subvariant that has dominated the U.S. for months, are being offered at hundreds of sites statewide. “As is true of the other COVID-19 vaccine and booster doses, the updated boosters were designed to protect individuals from the worst outcomes of COVID-19, including hospitalization and death,” state Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly and Dr. Tomás Aragón, California’s public health director and state health officer, said in a joint statement. “With the authorization of the updated booster to individuals as young as 5, we’re even closer to ensuring the whole family is protected as we head into the fall and winter, when the spread of respiratory viruses is at its peak.”
LA Times

Local Government News

Paul Krekorian Elected New L.A. City Council President Amid Racism Scandal
Paul Krekorian was elected the new president of the Los Angeles City Council on Tuesday as officials reel from a racism scandal involving three members. Ten members present during the virtual meeting voted unanimously for the councilman, who represents the 2nd District, the Los Angeles Times reported. Councilman Mitch O’Farrell, who was serving as acting president amid the scandal, indicated in a statement that Krekorian is the first Armenian American to serve as president of the council. “As I hand the baton to Council President Krekorian, I have full faith and confidence that he will help guide our city with the experience, steady hand, and unifying voice that these challenging times require,” O’Farrell said. “I know the Council President will help ensure we directly address the very issue that has caused such devastation and harm. I am eager to work with Council President Krekorian and all of my colleagues to expeditiously move this imperative forward.”
KTLA 5