Law Enforcement News

LAPD Saves Christmas For Family Who Lost Presents In Car Fire
LAPD is credited with saving Christmas for a family who lost their presents in a car fire.
FOX 11 Video

L.A. Feds Seize Enough Fentanyl Doses To Kill Everyone In 7 California Counties
Federal drug agents in Los Angeles have seized 38 million deadly doses of fentanyl this year — enough to kill every resident in L.A., Orange, Ventura, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties, officials estimated. Agents with the Drug Enforcement Agency field office have confiscated 7 million fentanyl pills and more than 1,000 pounds of fentanyl powder in 2022 — accounting for 10% of the drug seized across the country, according to the agency. “As people prepare to celebrate the holidays and gather with friends and family, let us be mindful of the fentanyl threat that is destroying families across the nation and leaving empty seats at the dinner table this year,” said DEA Los Angeles Special Agent in Charge Bill Bodner. “Los Angeles is a major transshipment hub for fentanyl and other drugs and we continue to see massive amounts of addictive drugs flooding our neighborhoods. These seizures represent our tenacious efforts to make our communities safer and our ongoing commitment to save lives.”
LA Times

Body Found On Pacific Palisades Hiking Trail
A person was found dead on a hiking trail in Pacific Palisades Thursday afternoon. The body was discovered around 3 p.m. in the 17900 block of Surfview Lane, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. A hiker encountered the deceased person on the trail and alerted authorities. It was unknown how the person died or how long they had been there. No further details about the discovery have been released.
KTLA 5

Grieving Mother Warns Parents About Dangers Of Fentanyl With Billboard
After losing her 19-year-old son to a fentanyl overdose four years ago, Juli Shamash is trying to prevent parents from making the same mistake of not openly talking with their children about the dangers of illicit street drugs. "So many kids are dying everyday and it doesn’t seem to be letting up. It’s getting worse and somehow the message isn’t getting across," said Shamash who founded the Drug Awareness Foundation after her son Tyler died in 2018. Through donations and fundraising she was able to put up a billboard and several street posters warning other parents about the deadly consequences of taking the synthetic opioid. A billboard at the corner of Western and Lexington Avenues in East Hollywood shows a picture of her son’s tombstone and the message: "Talk to your kids about fentanyl, we wish we had." "As parents there are some things you don’t want to talk about with your kids, but you need to. I wish I knew more about fentanyl, because I had barely heard of it," said Shamash.
FOX 11

FBI Arrests Suspect After An Hours-Long Standoff In Sherman Oaks
The FBI and the Los Angeles Police Department shut down some roads in Sherman Oaks as agents engaged in an hours-long standoff. According to authorities, federal agents attempted to serve an arrest warrant for a resident in the 14000 block of Burbank Boulevard at about 6 a.m. Thursday morning. The suspect refused to surrender which precipitated the standoff. Several SWAT officers with the FBI were seen setting up a perimeter outside and above the suspect's building. Authorities said that crisis negotiators were en route to the scene. The LAPD assisted their federal partners in securing the area. The FBI apprehended the suspect at about 12:30 p.m. Officials have not revealed what the suspect was wanted for at this time. There are no reported injuries nor any indication that shots were fired in this incident.
CBS 2

1 Dead In Griffith Park Crash
One person was killed in a two-car crash in the Griffith Park area Thursday afternoon. The crash was reported around 12:50 p.m. in the 6300 block of Forest Lawn Drive, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. The site is near Forest Lawn Memorial Park. One victim needed to be rescued from one of the involved vehicles, but that person was declared dead at the scene, officials said. Another person was being evaluated before being transported to a hospital. No further details about the crash have been released. Several fire trucks were at the scene, along with a mangled vehicle that was on the side of the road, aerial video from Sky5 showed.
KTLA 5

LAPD Chases Armed Suspect Through LA Streets
A wild and dangerous police through West Los Angeles came to an end under a Studio City underpass. LAPD units picked up the pursuit just after noon Thursday after getting disturbance calls about a man with a gun. AIR7 HD was above the scene when the driver was weaving in and out of traffic through the streets of Hollywood and Koreatown, at times driving on the wrong side of the road.Police eventually arrested the driver after the vehicle stopped under a freeway overpass.
ABC 7

Copper Thieves Cut Internet Access To Hundreds Of Valley Glen Residents
Hundreds of residents in Valley Glen had their internet, phone and cable shut off after thieves cut through overhead wires lined with copper. "I noticed our internet, phone and television were gone," said Rhys, one of the many AT&T customers who had their services abruptly stopped. "I first found they cut wires that were over here, dangling down.” The burglars have pulled off this brazen theft on Burbank Boulevard and Buffalo Avenue twice in two weeks. "We don't have phone service so that's not good," said teacher Donna Saidon. A repairman believed that the copper thieves might have used a nearby tree to scale up the pole to cut off and saw through a chunk of cable with more than 1000 wires inside. Cutting through these overhead lines are extremely dangerous. "Whoever is coming is very sophisticated," said Rhys. "This is not just some random vandals because they have to have the right tools to make these cuts. They made it so clean." The Los Angeles Police Department also said thieves also stole wires from Lankershim Boulevard and Vose Street. AT&T said is trying to restore service after repeated copper thefts.
CBS 2

‘Suspicious Unattended Bag' Investigation Slows Holiday Traffic At LAX
Holiday traffic at LAX was slowed Thursday when an unattended bag was left at a terminal, leading to a police investigation. The bag was found on the lower level near Terminal 6. Traffic was being routed around the area during the investigation. The location was on the arrivals level, where many drivers were picking up visitors for the holidays. "Traffic on the lower/arrivals level is extremely heavy due to the police investigation," the airport tweeted. "Please use the upper level." Less than an hour later, the scene was cleared. Details about the contents of the bag were not immediately available. LAX is expecting 200,000 passengers to pass through each day during the holiday travel season from Dec. 16 through Jan. 3. The five peak travel days are expected to be Dec. 16, 18, 19, 23 and Jan. 2, according to airport officials. The heaviest projected travel volume was projected to occur on Dec. 18, with more than 214,500 passengers expected.
NBC 4

Los Angeles Man In Fatal Palm Springs Crash Pleads Guilty To Murder
A Los Angeles man who caused a fatal Palm Springs crash in July while driving under the influence of alcohol pleaded guilty Thursday to a murder charge. In addition to murder, Kevin Atteberry, 57, pleaded guilty to driving under the influence of alcohol causing bodily injury and DUI of alcohol with 0.08% or more causing bodily injury, as well as one misdemeanor count of driving with a suspended or revoked license, according to court records. He additionally faces sentence-enhancing allegations of causing great bodily injury. He is set to be sentenced Feb. 16, 2023, at the Larson Justice Center in Indio. At around 9:30 p.m. July 30, Atteberry was traveling south on Sunrise Way when his vehicle rear-ended another vehicle stopped at the intersection of East Palm Canyon Drive, according to the Palm Springs Police Department. The driver of the rear-ended vehicle, Burbank resident Erik Verdian, died at the scene.
MyNewsLA

CHP Announces Christmas Weekend Traffic Enforcement Operation
Authorities Thursday announced a Christmas weekend enforcement effort in Los Angeles County and statewide targeting motorists driving drunk or violating other traffic laws. The 54-hour “maximum enforcement period” will begin at 6:01 p.m. Friday and continue through 11:59 p.m. Sunday, the California Highway Patrol announced. During that period, all available officers will be assigned patrol duties, the CHP reported. “With anticipated high volumes of traffic and impending winter storms, the CHP wants you to slow down, buckle up and never drive impaired,” said CHP Commissioner Amanda Ray. “Give yourself some extra time to get to your destinations, make sure your vehicles are fueled up and properly equipped for your travels and most of all, always designate a sober driver,” Ray said.
MyNewsLA

Nebraska Troopers Get ‘Historic' 22% Raise As Agency Grapples With Officer Shortage
The state troopers union and Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen have reached an agreement that will provide a 22% raise for troopers in the coming year. The raises, according to the Nebraska Examiner, couldn’t have come at a more opportune time as the department continues to face a shortage of about 60 troopers. “The highest calling of the government is to protect its citizens,” Pillen said in a press release. “This new contract is part of my commitment to ensure law enforcement has the necessary tools, funding and manpower needed to protect our communities.” Union members were pleased with Pillen’s efforts, noting that the "historic pay raise" will put troopers' wages in the top five paid in the state, allowing the department to roll out the “welcome mat” for recruits and remedy their officer shortage. “It was clear from the beginning that Governor Pillen agreed and has made it a priority to fix it,” Dan Fiala, president of the State Law Enforcement Bargaining Council and the State Troopers Association of Nebraska, told the Examiner.
PoliceOne

Public Safety News

South LA Crash Involving Metro Train Leaves 2 Injured, Car Split In Half, LAFD Says
Two people were injured and an SUV was split in half following a horrific crash involving a Metro Blue Line train in South Los Angeles Thursday afternoon, according to authorities. L.A. Fire Department officials say the crash was reported just before 3:45 p.m. in the 1600 block of E. Vernon Avenue, near Vernon Station. Footage from the scene showed the vehicle severely damaged and squeezed between the train and a small fence. Preliminary information indicates the driver made a left turn in front of the train, resulting in the collision. Firefighters extricated a woman from the vehicle and transported her to a hospital in unknown condition. Dozens of passengers were on board the train at the time of the crash, but none were apparently hurt. A pedestrian, who was not hit by the train, suffered a minor injury and was also transported to a hospital.
ABC 7

Fire Damages Sober Living Facility In Arleta, 1 Injured
A man was hospitalized Thursday after fire raced through a home in the San Fernando Valley. The home, reported to the Los Angeles Fire Department as a sober-living facility in the 14200 block of West Judd Street, sustained damage to the second story and attic, the LAFD said in an alert. Aerial footage from Sky5 showed visible damage to the home’s roof with smoke billowing from multiple openings on and near the top of the structure. It took 42 firefighters 39 minutes to extinguish the fire. Of the home’s 11 occupants, a 41-year-old man, was transported to a local hospital in serious condition with burn and respiratory injuries, officials said.
KTLA 5

Weekly L.A. County COVID Deaths Top Summer Surge. ‘There’s A Whole Lot Of Winter Left’
Weekly COVID-19 deaths in Los Angeles County are higher than at any point during the summer surge, illustrating the persistent toll the pandemic continues to exact amid concerns that cases could surge again this winter. Over the weeklong period ending Thursday, the nation’s most populous county recorded 150 deaths — up 34% from the prior week’s tally of 112. Since Oct. 2, there have been 900 COVID-19 deaths reported countywide. L.A. County’s COVID death toll number in the last week is nearly as high as that for all of California from flu in the past two and a half months. Since Oct. 2, 160 flu-related deaths have been reported statewide, including 31 in L.A. County. The latest COVID-19 fatalities exceed all weekly counts from the summer Omicron surge, which peaked at 122 deaths for the seven-day period ending Aug. 6. It also was the deadliest week since late March, when the county was emerging from the initial winter Omicron wave. During last winter’s peak, the week ending Feb. 9, L.A. County recorded 513 COVID-19 fatalities.
LA Times

Local Government News

Bass Wants To Bring Homeless People Indoors. Can She Secure Enough Beds?
Seated on the hard sidewalk along Cahuenga Boulevard, Rue Ryan arranged a batch of red roses she had plucked from the trash into a memorial for her “street mom,” Hyper, who died two years ago. The work was an escape from the activity around her, as friends and fellow encampment residents hurriedly prepared to move into nearby hotel rooms, choosing what to keep or toss. Outreach workers had counted about 25 people living under a 101 Freeway overpass in Hollywood, and on Tuesday, 11 of them went to one of three nearby hotels. A hot shower, a good night’s rest — these are luxuries housed people take for granted, Ryan said, and would help her find a job, some security and a permanent place to live. “It’s dangerous out here. People are getting trafficked. People are getting killed,” said Ryan, a 32-year-old Alabama native. “You can’t sleep if you’re staying on the streets. So you’re exhausted. You’re not going to work. You look filthy and smell. Nobody wants to deal with you. How can you move forward in life? That’s why people get stuck out here so long.”
LA Times