Law Enforcement News

LAPD Offers $50K Reward For 2020 Hyde Park Murder
Detectives with the Los Angeles Police Department are searching for information about the people who killed a man in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Los Angeles back in 2020. According to LAPD, 26-year-old Tyrell Williams and his friends were in the alley west of Crenshaw Boulevard and 58th Place just after 7 p.m. on Dec. 14, 2020. He and his friends were paying their respects at the Nipsey Hussle memorial there. While they were there, police said Williams was shot by multiple people, who fled south on Crenshaw Boulevard. Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics tried to help Williams on the scene, but were unsuccessful. Now, the LAPD is offering a $50,000 for information on Williams' killers. Police did not provide any information on potential suspects. Anyone with information was asked to call the detectives 323-786-5113 or 1-877-LAPD-24-7 (1-877-527-3247). Anyone wishing to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (800-222-8477) or submit tips online at lacrimestoppers.org.
FOX 11

Suspected DUI Driver Arrested In Fiery Crash In Woodland Hills That Left 2 Dead
A man suspected of driving under the influence was arrested after a fiery crash on Mulholland Drive in Woodland Hills that left two people dead. The crash was reported around 9 p.m. Tuesday in the 23100 block of W. Mulholland, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. A fire broke out after the collision involving two cars. Two men in a Mustang were pronounced dead at the scene, while the driver of a Camry was arrested for felony DUI. That driver, who has not been identified, suffered minor injuries and was taken into custody. No further details were immediately available.
ABC 7

Man Sought In East Hollywood Attempted Sexual Assaults
A man is being sought in connection with multiple attempted sexual assaults in the East Hollywood area, police said. The assailant frequents the area of Western Avenue and Santa Monica Boulevard where he is believed to approach victims and lure them into his vehicle, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. The man then drives to remote areas and has on multiple occasions brandished a gun and demanded “sexual acts be performed on him,” police detailed in a news release. “The suspect has acted out in violence in these incidents and physically assaulted his victims,” police added. The man may go by the name of “Mainer,” “Maynor” or “Mainor” and has tattoos on both arms. He has worn hairstyles with an “M” shaved on the side of his head, but police say he may have recently changed his hairstyle. Authorities released a composite sketch of the man, and described him as being between 25 and 35 years old, with black hair and brown eyes. He is about 5 feet 8 inches tall.
KTLA 5

LAPD Arrest Man Accused Of Impersonating A Cop While Victimizing Spanish-Speaking Residents
A man is in jail accused of posing as a Los Angeles police officer while victimizing Spanish-speaking people. Investigators said Alejandro Martin targeted handymen and construction workers who placed advertisements in a popular Spanish-language classified marketplace. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said that Martin swindled as much as $100,000 from at least eight victims. "The victims would go to the suspect's home... in some victims' incidents he did flash a badge," said LASD Detective Cesar Gallegos. Some of the crimes involved the sale of vehicles where he would take the victims' money and not deliver the cars. In the past, police arrested Martin twice and he is also accused of grand theft and impersonating a police officer, however, the impersonation charges were dropped both times. Authorities are urging more victims to come forward.
CBS 2

Man, 18, Reported Missing In Sawtelle Area Of Los Angeles
Police sought the public’s help Tuesday to find an 18-year-old man who was last seen in the Sawtelle area of Los Angeles. Andrew Jason Wright was last seen about 6 p.m. Sunday in the 1700 block of Federal Avenue, near Santa Monica Boulevard, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Wright is Asian, 5 feet 11 inches tall and weighs about 190 pounds. He was last seen wearing a black coat, maroon vest, gray pants and black leather shoes. Anyone with information on Wright’s whereabouts was asked to contact the LAPD Missing Persons Unit at 213-996-1800. Calls made during non-business hours or on weekends can be directed to 877-527-3247. Anonymous tips can be called in to Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477 or submitted online at lacrimestoppers.org.
MyNewsLA

Man Sentenced For Raping, Murdering And Setting 13-Year-Old On Fire After Meeting Her Online
A Southern California man was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole after admitting that he raped and killed a 13-year-old girl he met online, then set her body on fire. Armando Cruz, of Inglewood, accepted an agreement to plead guilty to murder, rape, kidnapping and other charges in exchange for a life sentence, KBAK-TV reported Tuesday. Cruz met Patricia Alatorre of Bakersfield on social media in 2020 and the pair exchanged photos and later met up, Kern County prosecutors said. The second time they met, the girl didn’t want to go with him but he drove her away from their meeting place and raped her then killed her before dousing her body in lighter fluid and setting her on fire, prosecutors said. Patricia’s mother, Clara Alvarez, wrote in a letter that Alvarez was a “monster" who deserves to spend the rest of his days behind bars, KGET-TV reported. “This child murderer is a cruel and ugly sick-minded person who should never see the light of day ever again,” she wrote.
NBC 4

California Launches Site To Track Results Of Rape Kits After Police Backlogs
California on Tuesday launched a website that allows victims of sexual assault to track the status of the results of their medical exams — an effort to address widespread complaints about wait times due to backlogged cases at local police departments. The online portal, hosted by the California Department of Justice, allows victims to search for results of rape kits completed after 2018. Sexual assault forensic exams are completed in hospitals and sent to local law enforcement departments, which are tasked with linking DNA to perpetrators. But in California and nationwide, the evidence has sat on shelves at police and sheriff’s departments, in some cases going untested for years. Nearly 14,000 sexual assault exam kits remained untested in California as of 2020, according to a report by the state attorney general. Just last month, a lawyer for a woman who accused three former San Diego State football players of gang-raping her at a party last year sued the city, demanding more information, including DNA results, from police nearly a year after her rape exam had been conducted.
LA Times

Chicago Mass Shooting Injures 14, Including Three Children
Fourteen people – including three children – were shot during a mass shooting Monday night on the city's West Side. The shooting occurred around 9:30 p.m. at California Avenue and Polk Street in Lawndale, Police Supt. David Brown said. Fourteen people were shot, and were in various conditions ranging from non-life-threatening to critical. A person was also struck by a car at the scene, Brown said. A 3-year-old boy, an 11-year-old girl, and a 13-year-old boy were among those shot, police said. The others were adults ranging in age from 31 to 51, including seven women and four men. Six victims went to Mount Sinai Hospital, four went to Stroger Hospital of Cook County, two went to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, and two went to Loyola University Medical Center. As of Wednesday morning, 10 of the 15 victims remain in the hospital. Police are expected to provide an update an 10 a.m.
CBS 2

Gunman Who Shot 2 New Jersey Police Officers Identified, Massive Manhunt Ongoing
A massive search was underway Wednesday for a gunman believed to be armed and dangerous who shot and injured two Newark police officers at an apartment building in the city’s South Ward on Tuesday afternoon. Both officers were in stable condition late Tuesday at University Hospital in Newark — one was shot in the leg and the other’s neck was grazed before a bullet was lodged in his shoulder, officials said. The alleged shooter — identified by police as Kendall Howard, 30, of East Orange — escaped after the officers returned fire. He was still on the loose following an extensive search by local, state and federal authorities that partially shut down part of the state’s largest city Tuesday, officials said. Howard is considered armed and dangerous and anyone who sees him should call 911 immediately, authorities said. He is about 6-foot-3, 190 pounds with brown eyes and tattoo on his neck that read “FEATHER,” officials said. Howard is charged with two counts of attempted murder and two weapons offenses, the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office said.
PoliceOne

St. Louis School Shooter Had Kill List, Aimed To Become ‘Deadliest Shooter In History’
The teen who carried out the fatal shootings Monday at a St. Louis high school had a list of names of people he planned to target, wanted to be the deadliest school shooter in U.S. history and had planned his assault for weeks, he wrote in a notebook that police found in his car after the attack. Orlando Harris, 19, wrote in the notebook that he knew he had mental health problems but felt that none of the medical professionals he worked with was taking his concerns seriously. Harris killed two people and injured seven others in the attack at Central Visual and Performing Arts High School and Collegiate School of Medicine and Bioscience. He began his assault about 9:10 a.m. Monday, armed with an AR-15-style rifle and about 600 rounds of ammunition. Less than 20 minutes after he entered the campus, he was killed by police. Physical education teacher Jean Kuczka, 61, and sophomore Alexzandria Bell were killed in the attack.
St. Louis Post-Dispatch

‘You’ve Got Your Whole Life Ahead Of You’: Watch As These Officers Talk Man From Jumping Off Bridge
Just as a man was about to jump from an Ohio bridge railing, Dayton Police officers were able to coax him to safety through quick thinking, prior training and a little patience. WDTN News reported the officers, who were initially called to the scene by witnesses, arrived to find a man standing on the outside of a bridge threatening to jump. According to the news platform, one of the officers calmly initiated a conversation with the man by saying, “I’d like to talk to you, figure out what’s going on.” The officer continued to speak with the man as seconds and minutes ticked by, attempting to coax him from the ledge. Another officer even offered the man his coat for warmth and the opportunity to speak with his family members on the phone. “More than an hour – closer to 90 minutes – to talk to somebody, talk to them into not harming themselves, that is extraordinary,” Lt. David Matthews told WDTN News. “It’s a testament to the training that we did.”
PoliceOne

Public Safety News

RSV Is On The Rise. How To Recognize It And Treat The Symptoms
As people confront the cold and flu season, what’s top of mind for many Californians this year is the unseasonably early activity of respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, which causes a respiratory illness that can be dangerous for babies and older adults. The record number of daily emergency room visits and pediatric hospitalizations caused by the virus prompted the Orange County Health Care Agency to issue a Declaration of Health Emergency on Oct. 31, just two days after strongly encouraging residents to follow preventive measures against RSV. In October, The Times reported some children’s hospitals in the state were straining or stretching resources because of the influx of patients sickened by RSV. For many Californians, though, the scourge seemingly came out of nowhere. To help you prepare for this latest threat, here’s an explanation from health experts on what RSV is, which populations are at risk, what symptoms to look out for and which preventive measures to take against the virus.
LA Times

Local Government News

LA Council Votes To Adopt Working Definition Of Antisemitism
The Los Angeles City Council voted 11-0 today to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's working definition of antisemitism, following a recent rise in antisemitic incidents and comments. The definition, which was recently adopted by the cities of Beverly Hills and West Hollywood, states that: “Anti-Semitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.'' The definition is not legally binding. “Our society generally accepts that each community gets to define its own definition of antisemitism,'' said Councilman Paul Koretz, who introduced the motion. "Our society generally accepts that each community gets to define its own oppression. One gender doesn't get to tell the other what is sexist.''
Westside Current

LA City Council Rolls Out Discrimination Enforcement Unit
With the Los Angeles City Council racism scandal still simmering, the city on Tuesday unveiled its new discrimination enforcement division, promising to crack down on civil and human rights violations in private sector commerce, education, employment and housing. "Angelenos who've experienced discrimination, whether that's at work, in housing, at school, can finally find justice," said Mayor Eric Garcetti. "I'm very proud of the work that this city has done. I'm always ashamed of the work that we still have to do, but we're not powerless to move that ball forward." Last month, discrimination took center stage in L.A. when a year-old recording of three city councilmembers was released. In that recording, the discussion shifted from redistricting to racist rants. Former Council President Nury Martinez resigned in the wake of the scandal, but councilmembers Kevin de Leon and Gil Cedillo have refused to step aside despite widespread protests.
ABC 7