Law Enforcement News

Gunman Shoots, Kills Woman In Historic Downtown Los Angeles Hotel Building
Police are searching for whoever fatally shot a woman at the historic Hayward Hotel building in downtown Los Angeles late Monday night. The incident was reported just before 11 p.m. in the 200 block of West 6th Street at the Hayward Hotel, which a Los Angeles Police Department lieutenant said is “now an apartment building … plagued by drugs and crime.” Investigators believe the victim, described as a 30 year-old woman and tenant, was shot on the 14th floor, but her body somehow ended up in the lobby of the building. First responders found the victim suffering from a gunshot wound and pronounced her dead at the scene, police said. “It’s an uncomfortable feeling that someone could walk in, do that, and then just leave the body there and leave,” said resident Carole B. The suspect, whom investigators said knew the victim, fled the scene and is still at large.
KTLA 5

Shooting In Woodland Hills Parking Garage Leaves 1 Hospitalized, Police Say
One person was hospitalized after being shot Sunday night in a Woodland Hills parking structure, authorities said. The shooting was reported shortly before 8 p.m. in the 22100 block of West Clarendon Street, near an apartment complex. Witnesses said the victim was shot multiple times on the second floor of the parking garage. The victim was transported to a hospital in unknown condition, according to a spokesperson for the Los Angeles Police Department. Officers responded to the scene and conducted an investigation, the LAPD said. No suspect was located, and a description of the shooter was unavailable. The motive for the shooting was unknown, police said.
ABC 7

More Teenagers Dying From Fentanyl. ‘It Has A Hold On Me, And I Don’t Know Why’
The summer before 14-year-old Alexander Neville would have entered high school, he sat both of his parents down at the kitchen table in their Aliso Viejo home and told them he’d been taking Oxycontin pills he bought on Snapchat. He had self-medicated with pot in the past, but this was different. “It has a hold on me, and I don’t know why,” he told them in 2020. Alexander’s mother, Amy Neville, said they called a treatment program the next day and were waiting to hear back on rehab facilities. Alexander got a haircut, went to lunch with his dad and said goodnight to his parents before going up to his bedroom at the end of the day. The following morning, Neville went to wake Alexander for his orthodontist appointment. She found him unresponsive. His skin was blue, and he wasn’t breathing. After his parents called 911, Alexander was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 9:59 a.m. on June 23. The drug treatment facility called the Nevilles four minutes later. Later that day, a narcotics task force arrived at the Neville family home and told them Alexander’s death could’ve resulted from fentanyl, not Oxycontin. “We didn’t understand — how did Alexander take so much Oxy that he died? It didn’t make sense,” Neville said. “The fact that he could die from a prescription pill was not on our radar, but these are counterfeits and fakes, and we had no idea.”
LA Times

Man Shot Dead In Koreatown: LAPD
An investigation is underway in Koreatown after a man was found shot to death early Monday, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. The victim was found dead around 3 a.m. at the corner of 8th and Normandy. Two men were seen leaving the scene, police said. No other details were immediately available.
FOX 11

LAPD Arrests 28-Year-Old Allegedly Connected To Several Overdoses In Granada Hills
Los Angeles police arrested a 28-year-old accused of providing drugs that led to the overdose of several people inside of a Granada Hills apartment building. According to the Los Angeles Police Department, officers responded to the 16900 block of Blackhawk Street and found five people: three women and two men, all between the ages of 20 and 40 years old, suffering from a drug overdose. "We had a total of five patients," LAFD Chief Jaime Moore said. "One of them was in full arrest so obviously also not breathing and we had two other individuals unconscious and the other two were disoriented. We found evidence of some type of extracurricular drug use. Not sure what it is and that's why the LAPD is on scene." Paramedics treated the victims and took them to local hospitals, all of whom are currently in stable condition. After an investigation, officers arrested 28-year-old Ludwin Henriquez from Granada Hills for "possession of controlled substance and possession of firearm." His bail was set to $50,000.
CBS 2

Pedestrian Injured In Koreatown; Police Seek Hit-and-Run Driver
A pedestrian was struck by a car and seriously injured in Koreatown before sunrise Monday and the driver fled the scene. The pedestrian was walking southbound across Third Street at Western Avenue just before 5:55 a.m. when the suspect vehicle traveling eastbound struck them, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. The suspect vehicle fled the scene following the collision, and the pedestrian was taken to a hospital for treatment of “serious injuries” sustained in the collision. The suspect vehicle was described as a white two-door BMW with collision damage on the front bumper and hood. A description of the driver was not available. Anyone with information on the collision was asked to call LAPD West Traffic Division detectives at 213-473-0234 or 213-473-0222. Calls made during non-business hours or on weekends can be directed to 877-527-3247.
MyNewsLA

Two French Bulldogs Stolen In Boyle Heights
Police on Monday sought the public's help to locate two French bulldogs that were stolen from their owners in an armed robbery on the Sixth Street Bridge between downtown and Boyle Heights. Los Angeles Police Department officers were called just after midnight on Saturday to the area of East Sixth Street and South Boyle Avenue, near Hollenbeck Park, on reports of a robbery and made contact with two victims who said they were walking their bulldogs on the Sixth Street Bridge when they were approached by two male suspects, one of which was armed with a handgun. The two suspects stole the dogs from the victims and fled the scene in a dark-colored 2010 to 2013 Nissan, according to the LAPD. A description of the suspects was not available. Further details on the stolen dogs could not be confirmed by police, but the owner of one of the animals -- a 4-year-old French bulldog named Rhino -- created an Instagram page seeking the public's help and offering a reward to locate the dog.
NBC 4

Man Fatally Shot In Compton
A man was shot and killed in Compton Monday. The shooting was reported just before 4:10 p.m. in the 400 block of West Fig Street, between Willowbrook and Wilmington avenues, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. The man was pronounced dead at the scene. His name was withheld pending notification of his next of kin. Authorities were investigating events leading up to the shooting, and no suspect description was immediately available. Anyone with information on the shooting was asked to call the Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500. Anonymous tips can be called in to Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477 or submitted online at lacrimestoppers.org.
MyNewsLA

Former Dodger Yasiel Puig To Plead Guilty For Lying During Illegal Gambling Investigation
Former Major League Baseball player Yasiel Puig is set to plead guilty to lying to federal investigators about bets on sporting events that he placed with an illegal gambling operation, according to court documents that were unsealed on Monday. Puig, 31, signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers organization in 2012 after defecting from Cuba. He remained with the team until 2018 when he was traded to the Cincinnati Reds. He was again traded the following year, ending up with the then-Cleveland Indians until he transitioned to international baseball. He currently played with the South Korean KBO League's Kiwoom Heroes. He has agreed to plead guilty to one count of making false statements and to pay a fine of at least $55,000. Puig is expected to appear in court on Tuesday in federal court in Los Angeles. He faces up to five years in prison. "Under our system of justice, no one is above the law," said Martin Estrada, United States Attorney for the Central District of California. "The integrity of our nation's criminal justice system depends on people telling the truth, and those who fail to abide by this simple principal must face consequences."
CBS 2

California Man Sentenced 9 Years For $6 Million Real Estate Scam
A California man was sentenced to nine years in federal prison for his involvement in a $6 million real estate scam where houses were listed without homeowners' consent and money was collected from prospective buyers. Adolfo Schoneke, 45, was sentenced on Oct. 24 after pleading guilty in May to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. His sister and a co-conspirator, 39-year-old Bianca Gonzalez, pleaded guilty to the same charge in April and is scheduled to be sentenced in May 2023. Schoneke, his sister and their co-conspirators operated real estate and escrow companies based in Cerritos, La Palma and Long Beach under several names, including MCR and West Coast Realty Services. They found properties to list for sale despite having no intention to sell and many of the properties were not for sale. The properties were listed on real estate websites and marketed as short-sale opportunities at below-market prices. Some homes were marketed through open houses arranged by tricking homeowners into allowing their homes to be used.
FOX 11

3 Dead, 2 Hurt In Shooting At University Of Virginia; Suspect In Custody
Police on Monday captured a University of Virginia student suspected of fatally shooting three members of the school’s football team as they returned to campus from a field trip. The violence that also wounded two students erupted near a parking garage and sent the campus into a lockdown that lasted overnight while police searched for the gunman. Officials got word during a midmorning news briefing that the suspect, Christopher Darnell Jones Jr., 22, had been arrested. “Just give me a moment to thank God, breathe a sigh of relief,” university Police Chief Timothy Longo Sr. said after learning Jones was in custody. The shooting happened just after 10:15 p.m. Sunday as a charter bus full of students returned from seeing a play in Washington. University President Jim Ryan said authorities did not have a “full understanding” of the motive or circumstances surrounding the shooting.
PoliceOne

Public Safety News

Firefighters Knock Down Fire At Commercial Building In Downtown Los Angeles
Firefighters extinguished a greater alarm fire at a smoke-filled, two-story commercial building in downtown Los Angeles in 34 minutes Monday evening. The 49 firefighters responded at 6:59 p.m. to 268 S. Los Angeles St., just west of Third Street, where they encountered dense storage conditions, security obstacles on the second floor and limited visibility due to heavy smoke before they put out the fire, said Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Nicholas Prange. No injuries were reported and the cause of the fire is under investigation.
MyNewsLA

Unarmed Professionals Respond To Nonviolent 911 Calls In LA As Part Of Expanding Pilot Program
A yearlong experiment that deploys mental health response teams to respond with nonviolent police calls involving the homeless is expanding in Los Angeles. Urban Alchemy is a group whose state mission is to help those living on the streets. The organization has put together teams that work with the city's through Crisis and Incident Response Community-Led Engagement program, or CIRCLE. When a 911 call comes in to deal with a non-violent homeless situation the CIRCLE team is sent. The teams are made up of a licensed mental health worker, an outreach worker. They call them a community ambassador. After deploying teams in Hollywood and Venice last year there are more teams going into East Los Angeles, parts of the San Fernando Valley and South Los Angeles. Dr. Lena Miller is with Urban Alchemy. She says "when people are just regulated out in the street, when they're in crisis-they can meet them in those moments with a sense of calm , with patients, with compassion and without judging."
ABC 7

CDC Map Shows ‘High’ Flu Activity In California
The 2022 flu season is off to an early and vicious start, according to tracking by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In California, flu activity is already “high,” according to the CDC. The latest data available from the state’s public health department showed flu cases ramping up in several Southern California counties the last week of October. Flu activity was highest in Orange, San Bernardino, San Diego, Riverside and Imperial counties, the California Department of Public Health said in a report. But things are even worse in Southern states. The CDC has seven states, plus Washington, D.C., in the highest category for flu activity, shown in purple on the map below. Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, Tennessee, South Carolina and Virginia are all categorized as “very high.” It’s not much better in Maryland and Texas, both of which are in the second-worst category (brown on the CDC map).
KTLA 5

California Reports First Death Of Child Under 5 Due To RSV
The California Department of Public Health on Monday reported the first death of a child under the age of five due to Respiratory Syncytial Virus of the year. Also referred to as RSV, the virus has been an issue in recent weeks throughout the nation, causing crowded emergency rooms as numbers continue to rise. CDPH declined to say where the death occurred. The combination of RSV, COVID-19 and the flu have caused excessive strain on healthcare facilities across California, something healthcare experts are have referred to as a "tripledemic." Local health officials began to raise awareness of the unusually high amount of cases being reported in late October, noting the irregularity that a large amount of the cases were pediatric.
CBS 2