Law Enforcement News

Lancaster Man Killed In Winnetka Shooting
Los Angeles homicide detectives sought the public’s help with an investigation after a man was shot and killed in the San Fernando Valley over the weekend. Officers with the Los Angeles Police Department were called to a Winnetka home in the 20000 block of Sherman Way, located near the intersection of Winnetka Avenue at 3 p.m. Sunday. Once officers arrived, they discovered a man identified as Bilal Bin Abdullah of Lancaster, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He was then declared dead at the scene by paramedics. LAPD officials said the preliminary investigation reveals Abdullah was confronted in an upstairs bedroom after a man entered the home. Several shots were heard, and the suspect left the scene in a red or maroon sedan. No further information about the suspect was available. Anyone with information on the deadly shooting is asked to call LAPD Valley Bureau Homicide Detective Mark O’Donnell at 818-374-9550. Those who wish to remain anonymous can submit tips online.
FOX 11

Two Wounded In Reseda Parking Lot Shooting
Two men were hospitalized for treatment of wounds suffered in a Reseda shooting. The shooting occurred at 10:04 p.m. Sunday in front of 6727 Darby Ave., according to a dispatcher at the LAPD’s Operations Center. The 23- and 25-year-old victims were sitting in a parking lot eating when a vehicle with two males drove up, she said. Words were exchanged, and the suspects shot the victims. Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics took the victims to a hospital for treatment, and they had stable vital signs, the dispatcher said. The shooting was believed to have been gang related, she said.
LA Daily News

Rolex Watch Stolen Off Victim's Wrist In Robbery On Hancock Park Street Corner
Video captured two robbers stealing a man's Rolex watch off his wrist after they jumped out of a car on a Hancock Park street corner. The heist Saturday at the busy corner of La Brea Avenue and 6th Street led to a pursuit before two men, ages 19 and 20, were taken into custody. Police recovered the stolen Rolex watch and a handgun. During the chase, the driver collided with another vehicle, injuring a person in that car and one of the suspects. The second suspect ran and left the scene in another vehicle. After another short pursuit, the suspect ran from the vehicle. He was taken into custody after being located by K9 officers. The entire incident has shoppers and people who live in the area on alert. "They should be cautious no matter where they are, but during the holidays we tend to kind of relax and let up a little bit and then you never know who is watching," said Sneeze Brown, from Mid-Wilshire. "Always be on your ps and qs." People who are visiting from other cities are also taking note. "Put that stuff in the back of your mind and it makes you just look twice more than you would otherwise, that type of stuff," said John Moezzi, from Sherman Oaks.
NBC 4

Police Are Not The Problem In The Black Community, Criminals Are: Mac Donald
Senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute Heather Mac Donald tackles crime myths in the wake of police reform enacted by President Biden on 'Tucker Carlson Tonight.'
FOX News

California Lutheran University Cancels In-Person Classes Monday After Shooting Threat
A reported school shooting threat at California Lutheran University led to in-person events being cancelled and classes taking place virtually on Monday. School officials were notified Saturday about a handwritten note found at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum that threatened a school shooting at four universities throughout Southern California. One of the schools threatened was CLU, according to Chandrea Miller, a university spokesperson. The note said the shootings would take place at 6 a.m. Sunday, but nothing had materialized as of Monday morning. No details about the other three schools mentioned in the note were immediately available. "Our highest priority remains the safety and security of our campus community members, therefore, we have decided to hold today’s classes online out of an abundance of caution," Miller said in an email. Deputies with the Ventura County Sheriff's Office were notified by the Los Angeles Police Department of the threatening note and launched an investigation. "We vetted that and determined there's no credible threat," said sheriff's Capt. Trina Newman.
Yahoo! News

Man Shot To Death In His Car In Hawaiian Gardens
A man was shot to death in Hawaiian Gardens on Friday night in the 12200 block of Belshire Avenue. The adult male, believed to be in his 20s, was found suffering from a gunshot wound inside his vehicle when Lakewood Sheriffs deputies arrived, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. The shooting occurred just before 8 p.m. and paramedics treated the victim upon arrival but eventually pronounced him dead at the scene. The victim has not been identified at this moment. It's unclear what provoked this shooting and no details about the suspect have been released at this moment.
CBS 2

Baja California Trafficking Ring Moved Meth, Fentanyl, Cocaine Throughout U.S., Prosecutors Say
A San Diego mother of three was sentenced this week to nearly six years in federal prison for her role in a Baja California-based drug trafficking ring operated by her brother that a judge estimated has likely brought “thousands of pounds of drugs” into the United States. Her sentencing, and several other recent plea agreements and sentencings, stems from a 14-count indictment handed down by a federal grand jury in May that charges 17 people with conspiring to distribute cocaine, fentanyl, heroin and methamphetamine. The woman sentenced Monday, Angela Diana Guerrero, pleaded guilty to that charge and one count of money laundering, while several other members of the alleged conspiracy faced charges of importing drugs or possession of drugs with intent to distribute. As of Wednesday, the leader of the trafficking ring remained at large. Though his name remains sealed on the indictment, court records and courtroom testimony identified him as Israel Guerrero, the brother of the woman sentenced Monday. The name of another top defendant in the case also remains sealed, and that person remains at large.
LA Times

Florida Police Prevent Driver From Speeding Into Thousands Of 5K Racers On Thanksgiving
A Florida woman nearly was the cause of a Thanksgiving disaster when she weaved around cops to try to drive through a 5K race with thousands of runners. Officers’ quick actions stopped her and ended what could have been “tragic results,” police said. The St. Petersburg Thanksgiving Day 5K Turkey Trot was already underway Thursday with 3,000 runners on its secure racecourse closed to traffic around 8 a.m., when Ashlee Morgan, 38, sped toward the track, St. Petersburg Police said. WTVT reported she was driving at about 60 mph in her 2019 Range Rover Velar toward the race in St. Petersburg. Police say she was driving recklessly when three officers stopped her and asked to see her ID. She refused and hit the gas, speeding onto the 5K racecourse. “Our officers immediately identified the reckless driver as being a threat to the runners,” police said. Another officer tried to stop her, but she drove past two police cars.
Miami Herald

Oklahoma Hearse Driver Charged With First-Degree Murder Related To Road Rage Shooting
Police in Oklahoma City arrested a 25-year-old hearse driver who faces a charge of first-degree murder related to what appears to have been a road rage incident. Kasey Caleb McConville was arrested Friday after deputies responded to a shooting at Northwest 10th and Meridian Avenue around 2:30 p.m., according to police. When officers arrived at the scene, there was one man suffering from a gunshot wound after McConville shot him, police said. "[EMSA] transported the victim to the hospital where he died later in surgery at the hospital," said Lt. Jeff Flaggert of the Oklahoma City Police, according to local NBC affiliate KFOR. The victim has yet to be identified. Flaggert said the shooting stemed from a road rage incident involving a red pickup truck and a black hearse adorned with a Christmas wreath, which McConville was reportedly driving when he opened fire on the pickup truck driver. "When officers arrived, they found a red pickup parked in the middle of the intersection with a male victim lying next to the pickup that had one single gunshot wound," Flaggert said.
FOX News

Alabama Officers Called Heroes After Rescuing Person Trying To Jump Off Bridge
Three Gadsden police officers are being called heroes after they saved a person who was trying to jump off a bridge. “One week ago today, three members of our police department risked their own lives to save the life of someone they had never met before,” police department officials posted on Facebook Friday. “Sgt. Sergeant Danny Haas, Officer Alec Burgess and Officer Chris Phillips went above and beyond the call of duty by placing themselves in danger to save the life of a distraught individual.” The officers arrived on the scene at Railroad Bridge Friday, Nov. 18, within 90 seconds of being dispatched to find the person’s vehicle disabled/stuck on the bridge and that person already over the traffic lanes of Albert Rains Boulevard. The officers were able to catch up and grab the person before tragedy happened with traffic still moving below.
PoliceOne

Public Safety News

2 Structure Fires Burn Adjacent South LA Buildings Monday Morning
The Los Angeles Fire Dept. responded to two structure fires in South L.A. Monday morning near each other. No injuries were reported. The causes were under investigation. Fire burned a vacant building at 8224 S. Broadway St., collapsing its roof. Firefighters responded at about 5:43 a.m. No injuries were reported. The cause of the fire was under investigation. Hours earlier, at about 2 a.m., a fire at an abandoned church on the 200 block of W. 83rd Street burned the second story of the building. Cellphone video recorded part of that fire. The cause of that fire was also under investigation, and no injuries were reported. It was unclear if the two fires were connected. The buildings are located within a block of each other.
CBS 2

Los Angeles County Health Officials Looking To Identify Hospitalized Man
The Los Angeles County Department of Health Services is asking for the public’s help to identify a hospitalized man. The unidentified man has been in the hospital for three days and is apparently unable to identify himself. Officials at Los Angeles County + USC Medical Center say the man is believed to be about 60 years old. He’s described as a Black man with brown eyes and a shaved head. He’s 5 feet 5 inches tall and 196 pounds, officials said. Hospital staff say the man also has a “noticeable overbite.” The man’s condition and injuries were not disclosed, but images shared appeared to show him recovering from a head injury with a trail of staples visible. The Health Services Department hopes someone may recognize the man and can help them get in contact with his relatives.
KTLA 5

Man, His Dog Removed From Downtown Los Angeles Billboard By Firefighters
Aerial footage from Sky5 showed the moment crews with the Los Angeles Fire Department used a ladder truck to remove a man and his dog from a platform between two billboards downtown. Calls about the pair perched between the billboards, located near 1855 E. Washington Blvd., came in at around 5:53 p.m. Wednesday, according to Margaret Stewart with LAFD. The man can be seen using the dog’s leash to lower the animal to waiting firefighters, who then carried the dog down the ladder. After several moments, the man climbed down the platform’s ladder on his own and used the ladder truck to get to the ground. It is unclear why the man and his dog were up on the platform, but video shows police taking him into custody.
KTLA 5

LA Public Health Department Offers Tips To Avoid Spreading Viruses At Gatherings
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health is urging the public Thursday to take "sensible health safety measures'' to protect the most vulnerable people at Thanksgiving gatherings from COVID-19, flu and respiratory syncytial virus. The combination of being up-to-date on vaccines, testing, staying home when sick and increasing ventilation can help ensure a safe and happy holiday, according to the department. Los Angeles County is experiencing high levels of circulating respiratory viruses. To help reduce transmission the department is strongly recommending everyone wear a well-fitting respirator mask in indoor public spaces and when traveling, including when using public transit such as buses, ride shares, taxis and medical transport. The department is asking hosts of Thanksgiving gatherings to consider asking guests to take a home COVID-19 test before they visit. People going to a gathering who know there will be an older person there or others at high risk for severe illness from COVID-19 to test before arriving and to cancel plans and isolate at home away from others if testing positive, even if feeling well.
NBC 4

Can California Avoid A Third Devastating COVID-19 Winter Wave? Cautious Signs Of Hope
For the last two years, Thanksgiving served as a sobering reminder of the COVID-19 pandemic’s staying power. For each, the holiday essentially marked the turbocharged start of the severe fall-and-winter COVID-19 wave, which both resulted in the deadliest surges of the pandemic, killing thousands of Americans a day. But there’s some guarded optimism that this winter might be different — or at least not as bad as the 2020 and 2021 surges. “You never can definitively say what to expect,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci, President Biden’s outgoing chief medical advisor for the pandemic. “But you should really take some comfort in knowing that we have within our wherewithal to mitigate anything that comes up our way.” Some of the advantages we have this year is an updated COVID-19 booster shot that’s pretty well matched to the circulating strains of the coronavirus, ample supplies of at-home rapid tests, and general awareness of steps we can take to avoid illness, including masking up in indoor public settings, staying home when sick, and improving air flow by taking events outdoors, opening windows and turning up air filtration units.
LA Times