Law Enforcement News

Video Shows Man Point Weapon At LAPD Officers In Arleta Before They Open Fire
The LAPD has released new footage in connection with an officer-involved shooting in Arleta showing a man pointing a gun at officers shortly before they opened fire. The footage shows the man, who was being sought for questioning in connection with a stolen-vehicle, run down the street, turn and raise his hands, and point what appears to be a gun at officers. One officer fired a weapon at him. Neither the officers nor the suspect were struck by gunfire. Eventually the suspect in the video and two other individuals were arrested. The incident happened just after 3 a.m. Saturday in the area of Hoyt Street and Canterbury Avenue. Officers were investigating a stolen-vehicle report in the area and tried to question two men and a woman they saw walking on Hoyt. The LAPD says one of the men, later identified as David Morales, 32, turned and ran westbound on Hoyt. At one point, he turned and lifted his arms, pointing what appeared to be a weapon in their direction.
ABC 7

Beverly Hills Man Indicted In Deaths Of LA Model, Friend Who Were Drugged, Dumped At Hospital
A Beverly Hills man pleaded not guilty Tuesday to a grand jury indictment charging him with murder in connection with the overdose deaths of a model and her friend, who were dumped outside Southland hospitals just over a year ago. The indictment, unsealed Tuesday, charges David Brian Pearce, 40, with the November 2021 deaths of Christy Giles, a 24-year-old model and aspiring actress, and her friend, Hilda Marcela Cabrales-Arzola, 26. Pearce is also charged with a series of unrelated alleged sexual assaults involving seven women between 2007 and 2020, and a pair of felony counts of sale/transportation/offer to sell a controlled substance -- fentanyl. In addition, the indictment charges a second man, Brandt Walter Osborn, 43, with two counts of being an accessory after the fact. He has also pleaded not guilty. Pearce and Osborn had been awaiting a hearing to determine whether there was sufficient evidence to require them to stand trial, but that case was dismissed Tuesday as a result of the superseding indictment.
FOX 11

Anthony Avalos: 4 Years After Boy’s Death, Trial Set to Begin for Two Charged With Murder, Torture
Trial is set to begin Wednesday for a Lancaster woman and her boyfriend, who are charged with murder and torture involving her 10-year-old son’s death. Superior Court Judge Sam Ohta was chosen to hear the case after both sides waived their right to a jury trial for Heather Maxine Barron, 33, and Kareem Ernesto Leiva, 37, who are charged in Anthony Avalos’ June 2018 death. Barron and Leiva — who are jailed without bail — were charged in June 2018 with the boy’s killing and were subsequently indicted by a Los Angeles County grand jury in October 2018. The murder charge involves the special circumstance allegation of murder involving the infliction of torture. Over the objection of Deputy District Attorney Jonathan Hatami, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office dropped its bid for the death penalty against the two after the election of District Attorney George Gascón, who issued a directive that “a sentence of death is never an appropriate resolution in any case.” The two could now face a maximum of life in prison without the possibility of parole if they are convicted as charged.
MyNewsLA

Man Arrested In South LA Dump Truck Rampage That Damaged Houses And Cars
A 60-year-old man sought was arrested Monday in connection with a destructive rampage in a dump truck that damaged cars and at least two homes in a South Los Angeles neighborhood. Ronald Lee Dunn was arrested Monday afternoon to Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputies in Lennox and being held on $100,000 bond. City News Service reported that Dunn turned himself in to authorities. An initial court date was scheduled for Wednesday. It was not immediately clear whether Dunn has an attorney. Three cars and at least two homes were damaged Jan. 15 when Dunn, behind the wheel of a dump truck, allegedly crashed into cars and at least two houses in Westmont. Video from the scene near 107th Street and Normandie Avenue showed the dump truck repeatedly ram into the home of a woman who neighbors described as Dunn's estranged wife. Neighbors who watched in disbelief told NBCLA the man was upset over the couple's divorce.
NBC 4

Woman, 35, Reported Missing After Last Being Seen In South Los Angeles
Police Tuesday circulated a photo of a missing 35-year-old woman last seen in South Los Angeles. Tamika Newsome was last seen on Jan. 5, about 10:30 a.m., near 111th Street and Broadway, the Los Angeles Police Department reported. Newsome was described as a 5-foot, 2-inch tall Black woman weighing 130 pounds with black hair and black eyes. She was known to have long braids and a tattoo of a butterfly on her left shoulder. She may be wearing glasses. The Los Angeles Police Department’s Missing Persons Unit urged anyone with any information regarding Newsome’s whereabouts to call it at 213-996-1800 or 877-527-3257 or Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477. Smartphone users can download the “P3 Tips” mobile app on Google play or the Apple App Store or submit tips at lacrimestoppers.org.
MyNewsLA

Traffic Crash Leads To Shooting In Santa Monica
A crash involving a pair of SUVs in Santa Monica escalated into a shooting today, with one motorist suffering a gunshot wound to a shoulder and the other taken into custody. Santa Monica - At about 3:42 p.m., officers were flagged down by an individual near Sixth Street and Broadway, where a crash had occurred involving two SUVs, said Lt. Rudy Flores of the Santa Monica Police Department. According to witnesses, the driver of one of the SUVs involved in the collision “exited the vehicle and shot at the other'' vehicle, police said. “The victim was transported to a local hospital with a non-life threatening wound" to a shoulder, police said. A suspect was taken into custody and a gun was recovered, Flores said,adding that “this remains an active investigation." While it's unclear what led to the crash and shooting, police said “it appears both individuals involved are known to each other.''
WestSide Current

Police Arrest Suspect Connected To Fatal Shooting In Pasadena In May 2022
Police on Tuesday announced that they had arrested a person wanted in connection with a fatal shooting that occurred in Pasadena back in May of 2022. The initial incident took place on May 2, when a man was found suffering from multiple gunshot wounds in the 1700 block of North Fair Oaks Avenue, according to Pasadena Police Department. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities have identified the victim as Pasadena-resident Eric Lynn Thomas, 28. During the course of their investigation, detectives were able to trace their evidence to "a suspect connected to a local criminal street gang." On Jan. 19, officers with the United States Marshals Service arrested 34-year-old Covina resident Avery Lavon Bennett outside of his home. "At the time of his arrest, Bennett was found to be in possession of two loaded firearms," Pasadena Police Department said in a statement. Benett is being held on $3,050,00 bail on one felony count of homicide.
CBS 2

Woman And Unborn Child Killed By Suspected Drunk Driver In Southern California
A woman and her unborn child were killed after a suspected drunk driver crashed into their vehicle head-on in Hesperia on Saturday. The suspect, Eddie Escobedo, 43, was arrested on charges of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, said the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department. The victims were identified as Andrew Ruddy, 36, Nicole Ruddy, 33 and her unborn child, all from Orange. The crash happened along Highway 395, just north of Poplar Street around 11:40 p.m., authorities said. The victims were driving northbound when deputies say Escobedo drove his SUV into oncoming traffic, crashing head-on with the victims’ sedan. The pregnant victim, Nicole, was sitting in the front passenger seat during the crash, deputies said. When authorities arrived at the scene, Nicole and her unborn child were transported to a local trauma center. Despite lifesaving measures, she was pronounced dead.
KTLA 5

San Diego Man Sentenced To 13 Years In Teen’s Fentanyl Overdose Death
A man who sold fentanyl-laced pills that killed a 15-year-old San Diego County boy was sentenced Tuesday to 13 years in federal prison. Kaylar Junior Tawan Beltranlap, 21, of San Diego, was sentenced for distributing fentanyl in the form of counterfeit oxycodone pills. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is 50 times more potent than heroin, and even a tiny amount can be deadly. It is sold in various forms, including blue pills designed to look like oxycodone, a powerful painkiller. Beltranlap pleaded guilty in July, acknowledging that he used his Instagram account to work out a drug transaction with Clark Jackson Salveron, a sophomore at Coronado High School, the San Diego County district attorney’s office said. In his plea agreement, Beltranlap said he had warned Clark to take just half of a pill because it was “strong as hell,” the DA’s office said in a statement. The deal was made May 12, 2021. The next morning, Clark was found dead in his bedroom in his Coronado home, prosecutors said.
LA Times

3 Kansas Deputies Shot, Wounded In Shootout; Suspect Dead
A wanted man was killed and three deputies were wounded Monday morning in an exchange of gunfire in western Kansas, authorities say. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation said in a news release that it started around 9 a.m. when the sheriff's office in Clark County attempted to stop the suspect. Clark County sits along the state's border with Oklahoma. The release said the suspect fled and that deputies pursued him one county to the north. The Ford County Sheriff's Office and Kansas Highway Patrol joined the pursuit. The KBI said that gunfire erupted once the vehicle came to a stop in an area of Dodge City that includes a John Deere dealership and a gas station. The release said the suspect was fatally shot and that a woman in the vehicle was critically wounded. Neither of their names was released. Two deputies from Ford County and one from Clark County also were wounded and were rushed to a Wichita hospital with injuries described as serious. The condition of the third deputy was described as good. A highway patrol trooper was bit by a police dog during the melee but wasn't hurt badly.
Associated Press

Video: Florida Officers Pull 11-Month-Old From Hot Car That Was Reported Stolen
Police in Florida released bodycam video related to a carjacking that left an 11-month-old’s life in the balance. According to WFLA News, Tampa police officers responded to an apartment complex after a woman reported her car had been stolen with her 11-month-old daughter inside. Bodycam footage shows officers hopping a chain link fence half an hour later to reach the vehicle, which was turned off and sitting in the sun. Police found the baby lethargic and overheated. They rushed her to a patrol car, providing her with a cold compress and water to cool her down. Once paramedics arrived, the girl was transported to a hospital and reunited with her mother. Medical staff said that officers reached the baby just in time, as she clung to life in the hot vehicle. She made a full recovery from the incident. The Tampa Police Department recognized officers Steven Zawacki, Martin Pollak, Anthony Hardesty and Landon Harsin with a lifesaving award during the department’s inaugural first quarter awards ceremony on January 19.
PoliceOne

Public Safety News

16-Year-Old Boy Injured During House Fire In Sunland-Tujunga Area, 1 Other Person Sent To Hospital
A 16-year-old boy was injured Tuesday night during a house fire in the Sunland-Tujunga area, authorities said. The fire was reported at around 9:16 p.m. at the home on Sherman Grove Avenue. When firefighters arrived, the fire was coming from the garage, exposing neighboring homes to flames. Firefighters found the boy outside with burns and injuries, the Los Angeles Fire Department said. An additional person, whose identity was not released, was rushed to the hospital in "fair condition," the fire department said. Firefighters were also alerted of reports stating propane tanks may have been inside the home, but it's unclear if anything was found. The majority of the fire damage to the home was to the attached garage and its attic. AIR7 HD captured smoke billowing from the building as firefighters worked to extinguish the flames. It is unclear what sparked the blaze.
ABC 7

Earthquake: 4.2-Magnitude Quake Hits 10 Miles Off Malibu Coast
A 4.2-magnitude earthquake struck about 10 miles south of the Malibu coastline at 2 a.m. Wednesday, followed by three significant aftershocks. There were no reports of damages, injuries or tsunamis. That quake was followed by three additional aftershocks, according to the U.S. Geological Survey: a 3.5-magnitude aftershock three minutes after the earthquake; then a 2.8; then a 2.6 that happened at about 2:38 a.m. A few more aftershocks could be expected throughout the day, according to USGS geophysicist Robert Sanders, but there was little likelihood of a similar-sized earthquake. Initial reports indicated people felt the temblor as far north as Oxnard and as far south as Long Beach, and as far east as El Monte and Fullerton. The Los Angeles Fire Dept. had not received any reports of damage or injuries Wednesday morning.
CBS 2