Law Enforcement News

Gunman Opens Fire On 2 In Valley Glen Hookah Lounge, Killing 1
Police are searching for a gunman who walked into the Sky Hookah Lounge and shot two men early Tuesday morning in the Valley Glen neighborhood of Los Angeles. The shooting was reported around 12:11 a.m. at the business located in the 13000 block of Victory Boulevard, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles Police Department said. Investigators believe the two male victims were sitting inside the lounge when a man in his 60s approached and exchanged words with one them. A short time later the man opened fire on the first victim. The second male that was sitting in the lounge tried to intervene and was also shot, Officer Madison said. Both unidentified victims were taken to a local hospital with gunshot wounds. Madison said one of the victims was pronounced dead at the hospital. The condition of the second victim was unknown. The gunman fled the scene after the shooting and is still outstanding, Madison said.
KTLA 5

LAPD Seeks Public's Help With Identifying Echo Park Sexual Assault Suspect
Investigators with the Los Angeles Police Department sought the public’s help with identifying a man suspected of a sexual assault that occurred in Echo Park. LAPD officials said the victim walked her dog at Echo Park Lake around 7:15 p.m. on Oct. 9 and returned to her apartment complex by 8 p.m. When she returned to her unit, a man approached her outside her front door and made a comment about her dog. The victim then opened the door, let her dog inside and as she closed the door, the suspect pushed the door open and entered the victim’s apartment without her consent. The suspect proceeded to push the victim to the ground, got on top of her and groped her genital area, according to the LAPD. When the victim screamed for help, she was slapped by the suspect multiple times, and he then covered her mouth to stop her from screaming. She tried to stand up but fell to the ground, so she crawled to the door while screaming for help. The suspect then left her unit and walked toward Glendale Boulevard and Montana Street. The suspect is described as a Hispanic man with dark hair and brown eyes with a mustache, standing at 5 feet 8 inches tall, and weighs between 180 and 200 pounds. He was last seen wearing a dark gray sweater, jeans, and dark tennis shoes.
FOX 11

Driver Booked For Murder, Bail Set At $4 Million After Porter Ranch Crash That Killed 2 Teenagers
Bail has been set at $4.01 million for a hospitalized motorist who allegedly triggered a three-vehicle crash in Porter Ranch that killed two teenagers inside his vehicle and injured eight other people, authorities said Tuesday. The Los Angeles Police Department announced Tuesday that 20-year-old Alexander Ceballos was arrested on suspicion of murder at 9:35 p.m. Saturday, the night of the fatal collision. Ceballos remained hospitalized with unspecified injuries sustained in the crash as of Tuesday afternoon. The crash was reported at 5:35 p.m. Saturday at 11001 N. Reseda Blvd., according to the Los Angeles Fire Department's Brian Humphrey. A speeding black 2007 Honda CRV allegedly driven by Ceballos going south on Reseda veered into northbound lanes and struck a black 2012 Toyota Venza and a black 2015 Volkswagen Jetta, police said.
ABC 7

LAPD Investigating If City Council Racist Recording Taped Illegally
Los Angeles detectives are investigating whether a recording last year that captured city councilmembers' racist remarks was made illegally, the police chief said Tuesday. Disclosure of the recording earlier this month unleashed a citywide scandal just weeks before Election Day. The council president, Nury Martinez, resigned in disgrace, while two other councilmembers have resisted widespread calls for their ousters. The uproar began with the release nearly two weeks ago of a previously unknown recording of a 2021 private meeting involving Martinez, Councilmen Kevin de León and Gil Cedillo, as well as powerful labor leader Ron Hererra, head of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor. "The department has initiated a criminal investigation into an allegation of eavesdropping," Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore said Tuesday during a media availability in response to a question from The Associated Press.
CBS 2

Gardena Gang Member Sentenced To Prison In Racketeering Case
One of three members of a Gardena street gang linked to the death of a 29-year-old man who was gunned down in front of his home was sentenced Tuesday to just over nine years in federal prison for gun possession. Jesus “Rowdy” Hernandez, 29, was sentenced to 110 months behind bars followed by three years of supervised release, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Hernandez pleaded guilty in May to being a felon in possession of three guns fired at the crime scene. Along with Hernandez, the defendants are Antonio “Tank” Yanez, 24, and Justin “Hitta” Arteaga, 22. All three are from Gardena. Yanez previously pleaded guilty to the charge of violent crime in aid of racketeering, which carries a sentence of the death penalty or life in federal prison because the victim — Evan Campbell — was murdered. Yanez is set to be sentenced on Nov. 18 in Los Angeles federal court.
MyNewsLA

America's Crime Epidemic Keeps Growing Thanks To Radical Leftist Prosecutors And Their Social Experiments
The United States has a crime epidemic, and it is being further fueled by certain prosecutors who are more interested in radical leftist ideologies than in enforcing the law. These prosecutors are becoming disturbingly more common in many states and communities, and they have no reservations about sacrificing the safety and security of their residents to perform their deeply misguided and ridiculously dangerous social experiments. In many jurisdictions around the United States, an increasing number of violent criminals are being released from custody as they await their trials – or given mere slaps on the wrists in plea deals that do nothing to rehabilitate them or to protect the community. This is a recipe for disaster and anarchy, and cities across the country are paying a catastrophic price as a result. For example, a Seattle journalist recently highlighted that "both violent and property crimes really are up markedly – to the highest levels citywide in Seattle in more than two decades." The New York Times recently wrote that "Philadelphia is one of the few major American cities where it truly is as bad as (gun violence) has ever been." ABC Los Angeles reported that "in the first half of (2022), homicides recorded by the Los Angeles Police Department hit the highest level in over a decade." A headline from the New York Post read, "Summer 2022 crime surged in nearly every major category, NYPD stats reveal."
FOX News

TV Producer Pleads Not Guilty To Sex Assault Charges, Held Without Bail
A television writer/producer was ordered to be taken into custody without bail Tuesday after pleading not guilty to charges involving multiple women who allege they were sexually assaulted by him after being lured to his Los Feliz home for photo shoots. Eric Weinberg — whose credits include “Scrubs,” “Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher,” “Californication” and “American Dad” — was charged Sept. 28 with 18 criminal counts, including rape, sexual battery, assault, oral copulation, false imprisonment and forcible penetration by a foreign object. Weinberg, 62, was initially arrested July 14 by the Los Angeles Police Department and released the next day on a $3.2 million bond, then re-arrested Oct. 4 and freed after a $5 million bond was posted. He was ordered to remain behind bars while awaiting his next appearance in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom Nov. 15, when a date is scheduled to be set for a hearing to determine if there is sufficient evidence to allow the case against him to proceed to trial, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
MyNewsLA

VIDEO: Woman With Pickaxe Smashes In Windows Of Pasadena Home
A woman was arrested after home surveillance video she was caught on video allegedly using a pickaxe to bash in the windows of a Pasadena home. Pasadena Police said they were called to a vandalism call in the 1700 block of Asbury Drive. When officers arrived they found that the woman had already fled the scene. But a camera on the front porch caught the attack on video. In the video, a woman seen wearing a black top and blue-green skirt is seen wielding a black and yellow pickaxe. The woman then walks down the porch, methodically smashing all the windows along the porch. The damage was more than $20,000, according to police. After the woman fled the Asbury Drive home, police said another person reported the same woman had entered a home in the 1600 block of Casa Grande Street. Officers then identified the woman in the video as Beverly Baker. Baker was taken into custody at her home. No other information was immediately available.
FOX 11

Police: Missouri School Gunman Had AR-15-Style Rifle, 600 Rounds Of Ammo
The 19-year-old gunman who killed a teacher and a 15-year-old girl at a St. Louis high school was armed with an AR-15-style rifle and what appeared to be more than 600 rounds of ammunition, Police Commissioner Michael Sack said Tuesday. Orlando Harris also left behind a hand-written note offering his explanation for the shooting Monday at Central Visual and Performing Arts High School. Tenth-grader Alexandria Bell and 61-year-old physical education teacher Jean Kuczka died and seven students were wounded. Police killed Harris in an exchange of gunfire. Sack read Harris' note in which the young man lamented that he had no friends, no family, no girlfriend and a life of isolation. In the note, he called it the “perfect storm for a mass shooter.” Sack said Harris had some ammo strapped to his chest, some in a bag, and other magazines were found dumped in stairwells.
Associated Press

Robot Dog Helps Florida SWAT Officers Capture Barricaded Kidnapping Suspect
A man fled a domestic dispute with a 3-year-old late Monday, leading to an hours-long standoff with the St. Petersburg Police Department under an Interstate 275 overpass. Matthew Perkins, 32, is facing numerous charges after he crashed underneath the I-275 overpass on Gandy Boulevard and barricaded himself with a 3-year-old child. The standoff ended after four hours with Perkins’ arrest and no injuries, according to a St. Petersburg police news release. The situation began with a domestic dispute at a home in the 1900 block of Norfolk Street N when Perkins took a 3-year-old boy and fled in a pickup truck, St. Petersburg Police said in the news release. Using a Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office helicopter, police located Perkins on Gandy Boulevard. Perkins then crashed the truck and became lodged under the Interstate 275 overpass on Gandy, police said. For four hours, Perkins would not negotiate, police said. The SWAT team deployed SPOT, a robotic dog, in an attempt to reach Perkins. About 4:30 a.m. police grew concerned about the child’s condition and moved in to get the child and Perkins, police said.
Tamp Bay Times

Law Enforcement News

Venice Beach Home Destroyed In Fire—No Injuries
A Venice home is destroyed in a fire around 1:20 p.m. Tuesday on the 800 block of Brooks Avenue. Six fire trucks and an ambulance were on the scene, along with the homeowner and her adult son. Upon arrival, the bulk of the fire was burning in the attic. Firefighters extinguished the flames in 22 minutes, without injury. Neighbors told Westside Current that the owner, an elderly woman, and her son had lived at the property for over a decade. The cause is under investigation.
Westside Current

LA County’s COVID Hospitalizations Falling Gradually
The number of coronavirus patients in Los Angeles County hospitals has fallen to 375, down by 28 over the previous day’s total, according to the latest state data released Tuesday. Of those patients, 43 were being treated in intensive care, down from 49 the previous day. The county reported 980 new cases of COVID-19 and nine additional deaths linked to the virus Tuesday, bringing its cumulative totals to 3,482,181 cases and 33,924 fatalities since the pandemic began. Health officials have said that the majority of COVID-related deaths occur in people who are elderly or have underlying medical conditions such as diabetes, hypertension or heart disease. The county’s daily test positivity rate was 4.1% Tuesday, up from 3.8% Monday, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.
MyNewsLA

Southern California Braces For Difficult Flu Season As Cases Rise After COVID Lull
Flu is being detected at increased levels for this time of year in Southern California, a trend that officials say could foreshadow a difficult season following a pandemic-induced lull. At this point, overall influenza activity in California remains low, according to the state Department of Public Health. But given that the flu typically begins ramping up nationally in late November or December, above-normal levels now could lead to further challenges later. The current levels of flu activity are “much higher” compared to pre-pandemic years, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health said in a bulletin to healthcare providers. “In previous years, an early start to the season was associated with a season with substantially higher influenza activity.” County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer put it bluntly: “Flu is definitely circulating here in L.A. County.” “I think, as a matter of fact, we have a higher percentage of specimens testing positive for flu at this point in the year than we usually have in a normal influenza season,” she said Thursday.
LA Times

Local Government News

LA City Council To Hold Special Election For Nury Martinez's District 6 Replacement
The Los Angeles City Council will hold a special election to replace former President and District 6 Councilwoman Nury Martinez following her resignation. She resigned two weeks ago, after she was heard hurling several racist comments around during a conversation in Oct. 2021, which also involved Councilmen Kevin de León and Gil Cedillo, as well as LA Federation of Labor President Ron Herrera. While both she and Herrera have stepped down, Cedillo and de León have yet to do so, sparking outrage amongst constituents and much of Los Angeles. Martinez's term was originally set to end in 2024. During their first in person meeting since the week the news broke, councilmembers voted unanimously to move forward with their plan to hold the special election on April 4, 2023. According to the City Clerk's Office, the election will cost the city up to $7.65 million, with a runoff - if necessary - on June 27.
CBS 2

Curren Price Elected LA City Council's New President Pro Tempore
Councilman Curren Price will serve as the next president pro tempore of the Los Angeles City Council, after his colleagues voted 11-0 Tuesday to appoint him to the post. The president pro tempore is second in command of the City Council. Price was interested in seeking the council presidency after Nury Martinez resigned two weeks ago for her involvement in the City Hall racism scandal, but the council voted 10-0 for Paul Krekorian last week. Krekorian and Councilman Mitch O'Farrell, the former president pro tempore, subsequently introduced a motion nominating Price. Price delivered his opening remarks as president pro tempore over chants of "shame on you'' from protesters at Tuesday's council meeting. They shouted and slapped benches for the entire meeting calling for Councilmen Kevin de León and Gil Cedillo to resign for their role in the scandal, unhappy that the council was meeting at all without those resignations.
NBC 4

City Council President Paul Krekorian Will Not Excuse Kevin de León’s Council Absences
Los Angeles City Council President Paul Krekorian had harsh words Monday for his colleague Kevin de León, telling the embattled council member in a letter that his continued presence on the legislative body was “causing actual ongoing harm” to the practical operation of the council. Krekorian said he would not grant De León’s request to be temporarily excused from council meetings. De León’s office did not respond when asked Monday afternoon about Krekorian’s letter. The letter comes five days after De León vowed not to resign in the wake of an incendiary leaked audio recording in which city leaders made racist and derogatory comments about a number of groups. Former Council President Nury Martinez and former Los Angeles County Federation of Labor President Ron Herrera resigned from their posts in the days after The Times first reported on the leak this month. But De León and Councilmember Gil Cedillo, who also participated, remain on the council, despite President Biden, Gov. Gavin Newsom and virtually all of the local political establishment calling for them to go.
LA Times