Law Enforcement News

Memorial Service To Honor Riverside County Deputy Shot During Traffic Stop
Mourners will gather Friday to honor a 32-year-old Riverside County Sheriff's deputy who had just achieved a significant law enforcement career goal months before he was shot and killed during a traffic stop. Deputy Isaiah Cordero had just become a motorcycle deputy in September, a major accomplishment in what was already developing into a distinguished law enforcement career. Last month, Cordero was shot and killed by the driver of a pickup he pulled over in the Riverside County community of Jurupa Valley. As Cordero approached the truck, the driver opened fire, the sheriff's department said. The tragedy cut short the promising law enforcement career of a deputy whose colleagues considered their little brother, Sheriff Chad Bianco said. Members of the department and other law enforcement agencies will attend the funeral and memorial service for Cordero Friday in Riverside. Services will begin at 11 a.m. at Harvest Christian Fellowship Church. Refresh this page for live coverage.
NBC 4

LAPD Arrests Driver Wanted For Hit-and-Run That Killed Mother On Christmas Eve
The Los Angeles Police Department arrested a suspect who they say struck and killed a mother on Christmas Eve in South Los Angeles. Trina Newman-Townsend, 62, had dropped off toys to a local shelter on Broadway and 88th Street with her children. Her four kids were in the car and as soon as Newman-Townsend was about to enter her car, another vehicle drove by and struck her… killing her on the scene. The Los Angeles Police Department arrested a suspect who they say struck and killed a mother on Christmas Eve in South Los Angeles. Trina Newman-Townsend, 62, had dropped off toys to a local shelter on Broadway and 88th Street with her children. Her four kids were in the car and as soon as Newman-Townsend was about to enter her car, another vehicle drove by and struck her… killing her on the scene.
FOX 11

Man Wounded In Possible Gang-Related Shooting In South Los Angeles
Police are investigating a shooting that left one man wounded in South Los Angeles. According to Los Angeles Police Department, the shooting occurred a little before 5:30 p.. in the 10400 block of South Main Street, four blocks from Century Boulevard. Investigators are working to determine if the shooting was gang-related, as they believe an unknown number of gang members fled from the area in a vehicle following the incident. The victim, a man in his 20s, was hospitalized after suffering a gunshot wound. His condition was not immediately known. Police did not offer additional information due to the ongoing nature of the investigation.
CBS 2

LAPD Swarms Billie Eilish's Family Home In LA, Takes Suspected Burglar Into Custody
A man was arrested after apparently trying to break into Billie Eilish's childhood home in the Los Angeles area Thursday night, according to police. Los Angeles police say officers responded to a home in Highland Park around 9:15 p.m. after a report of man in dark clothing hopping over a fence. It's unclear if anything was taken or if anyone was home at the time, but police say a suspect was taken into custody. Footage from AIR7 HD showed police in the home looking for evidence. No injuries were reported, but the break-in left neighbors concerned. "Well, my aunt actually came running to me telling me that Billie Eilish's house was getting burglarized and we quickly ran over here because we live down the street so we're pretty worried about what was happening," said Jaslyn Portillo.
ABC 7

SWAT Team Finds Guns And Thousands Of Rounds Of Ammo At Studio City Barricade
Two men were arrested following a barricade at a residence in Studio City where authorities found items including assault weapons, handguns and thousands of rounds of ammunition, police said on Thursday, Jan. 5. The standoff began about 2:15 a.m. Wednesday, when police went to the 4000 block of Sunswept Drive to serve a search warrant in connection with an assault with a deadly weapon investigation that began on Dec. 29, the Los Angeles Police Department reported. A SWAT team was sent to the scene, and a barricade ensued until late Wednesday morning, when the men were taken into custody, police said. Deavonte Kimble, 30, was booked on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon with a firearm, and bail was set at $310,000 police said. However, bail was revoked “due to the suspect’s parole status,” police said.
LA Daily News

Authorities Seek Help In Locating 50-Year-Old Man
Authorities Wednesday sought the public’s help in locating a missing 50-year-old man. Khoi Zan Ybarra last spoke with his family on Nov. 20, 2022, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. Ybarra was described as being six-feet-four inches tall and weighing 250 pounds. He has black shoulder-length hair, brown eyes and a beard. Ybarra has tattoos of a navy anchor on his left outer triceps and a spider web on his right elbow; and he has full-sleeve tattoos of the American flag, a compass, a shield with a red cross in the middle and a sword surrounded by flames with ”XV-XIII” written on it, according to the LASD. Authorities believe Ybarra may be driving a 2018 white Land Rover Discovery SUV with California license plate 8RGM026 and that he may have a possible destination in Bakersfield.
MyNewsLA

Homicide Investigation Underway In South Gate Following Fatal Shooting
Authorities are investigating a fatal shooting that occurred in South Gate Thursday evening. According to Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, the incident took place at around 7 p.m. in the 10000 block of Pinehurst Avenue, just west of Atlantic Avenue. The victim, thus far unidentified, was pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators are working to determine a motive in the shooting and search for a suspect. They're hoping to gather witness statements and evidence from the scene. Anyone with additional information was asked to contact investigators at (323) 890-5500.
CBS 2

Reward For Information In Killing Of Los Angeles County Woman In 2021 Grows To $100,000
West Covina police are still searching for answers in the gang killing of a 29-year-old woman, who investigators said was wrongly targeted, hoping a larger reward in the case will bring witnesses forward more than two years later. Gabriela De Haro Perez was fatally shot Jan. 2, 2021, near the intersection of Azusa Avenue and Amar Road in what West Covina Police called an instance of “misidentification” during gang violence. Police say Perez was not involved in any gang activity. There is now an $100,000 reward for information leading to the conviction of the person or people responsible for the killing, according to West Covina Police. In April 2021, a reward in the case was set at $30,000, but this week, West Covina officials announced the higher reward. Detectives continue to actively investigate Perez’s killing, according to police. They declined to release details of the shooting or the suspect vehicle, but said they “believe there are people that know who committed this horrific crime.”
LA Times

Colorado Recruit Inspired By Heroism Of Fallen Officer Graduates From Police Academy
Sam Dunbar, the young man that decided to pursue a career in law enforcement after a 2021 mass shooting in Colorado, recently graduated from the police academy. Ten people were killed, including police officer Eric Talley, during the King Soopers mass shooting when 21-year-old Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa entered the grocery store and opened fire. The incident motivated then-19-year-old Dunbar to veer from a real estate career to pursue becoming a police officer. Now 21, Dunbar sat down with FOX 31 News to discuss what it means to graduate from the police academy and how finding purpose in law enforcement is still a surreal experience for him. “I don’t think it’s set in yet,” Dunbar told FOX 31. “I mean, I’m in this uniform and I’m getting a badge. Maybe it’ll hit then.” Dunbar will be a police officer with the Woodland Park Police Department. “When this shooting happened and Officer Eric Talley was killed, for me at least, this made sense. All of this made sense,” Dunbar said.
PoliceOne

DNA, Genetic Genealogy Helped Lead Police To Idaho Slayings Suspect
The nationwide search for a suspect in the quadruple murder of University of Idaho students came to an end last week when 28-year-old Washington State University doctoral student Bryan Kohberger was arrested at his parents’ home. University of Idaho students Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin were found murdered on Nov. 13. But what led authorities to Kohberger? DNA and genealogical evidence played a key role in the investigation, according to the New York Post. Police first zeroed in on Kohberger through DNA left at the scene of the murders, running it through a public database, then using genetic genealogy techniques to connect the DNA to Kohberger through his family members, CNN reported. As officers searched for Kohberger, they eventually discovered he took a cross-country road trip with his father, who authorities say was unaware of his son’s part in the murders. Authorities began trailing him for four days during the road trip as they worked to obtain an arrest warrant, eventually taking him into custody during a pre-dawn raid at his parent’s home in Pennsylvania.
PoliceOne

Watch: Troopers Remove Their Own Clothing, Gear To Save Man Suffering From Hypothermia
New Jersey State Police Sussex Station troopers saved the life of a missing person in the Stokes State Forest after his UTV became immovable due to fallen boulders and logs. The New Jersey State Police shared details about the incident through their Instagram, recounting the great lengths they took to ensure the missing man was returned home safely. According to the post, troopers initially responded to a report of a person that had not been seen in 24 hours. Troopers were told the man left his residence in a UTV and did not return, so they set up a search perimeter and discovered UTV tracks leading deep into the Stokes State Forest. Troopers eventually located a disabled UTV, but the man was nowhere to be found. The officers used nearby footprints in the snow as a tracking tool and discovered the man had become separated from his walking stick and right boot. As they dug a bit deeper, they found the man a short distance from the shoe, lying on his back and struggling to breathe. He was clinging to life, suffering from hypothermia.
PoliceOne

Public Safety News

2 Students Hospitalized After Medical Call At Middle School Near Koreatown
Two students were taken to a hospital Thursday after a medical incident at a middle school near Koreatown, officials said. The incident was reported around 11:30 a.m. at Virgil Middle School at 152 N. Vermont Ave., according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. The students were taken to a hospital with “minor complaints,” and while fire officials did not say the incident was an overdose call, they indicated it was not fentanyl-related. Two other students were not taken to a hospital, officials said. The Los Angeles Police Department also responded to the school.
KTLA 5

Firefighters Battle Fire At Two-Story Home In Bel Air
Los Angeles Fire Department crews were engaged with a fire at a two-story home in Bel Air Thursday evening. According to the department, the fire was first reported at around 7:25 p.m., at a home in the 2300 block of N. Earls Court. Firefighters engaged the blaze via an offensive attack, attempting to open the roof on the second floor to allow the flames and smoke to escape. The fire was reported extinguished at around 8:30 p.m. No one was home when the fire began, according to firefighters. A cause of the blaze remains under investigation.
CBS 2