Law Enforcement News

Child Rescued By LAPD After Carjacking In The San Fernando Valley
Los Angeles police arrested a man suspected of carjacking a vehicle in Van Nuys with a 1-year-old boy still inside, but the child was safely rescued and reunited with family. LAPD officers responded to the carjacking incident around 2 p.m. at a Starbucks in the area of Sherman Way and Woodman Avenue. The child and the stolen Ford Escape were found a few blocks away near Woodman and Saticoy Street. A suspect was taken into custody after he abandoned the vehicle and tried to run away, police said. Footage from AIR7 HD showed police with the child moments after the rescue, safe in the arms of an officer. LAPD officers then reunited the child with family. The child's father arrived at the scene and confronted the suspect before multiple officers led him away. The father, Gustavo Flores, said he was so furious he tried to punch the suspected carjacker.
ABC 7

LAPD Vehicle Involved In Crash In Westlake Area
A Los Angeles Police Department vehicle was involved in a crash with two other vehicles in the Westlake area Wednesday. The collision was reported about 7:35 a.m. at Beverly Boulevard and Alvarado Street, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. One person was injured in the crash, police said. The circumstances of the collision were under investigation.
MyNewsLA

LAPD Honors SWAT Officer For Black History Month
In recognition of Black History Month, the Los Angeles Police Department Tuesday honored the late Officer Randal Simmons, the agency’s first SWAT officer to die in the line of duty. Simmons, a 27-year LAPD veteran, was fatally shot Feb. 7, 2008, as officers stormed a Winnetka home at the end of a 10-hour standoff with a triple murder suspect, who was himself killed by police. Simmons was 51 at the time of his death. “Randy was a man of faith, a husband, a father and a mentor,” the LAPD tweeted Tuesday in Simmons’ honor. “15 years after his death, we vow to #NeverForget.” Simmons graduated from the police academy on Jan. 26, 1981, and began his first police assignment on May 17, 1981, in Pacific Area, according to the LAPD. He served at the 77th Street Division, South Bureau, Southeast Division and eventually the Metropolitan Division. He was selected for the SWAT team in January 1991 and became assistant squad leader in December 1994.
MyNewsLA

1 Dead, 2 Critically Injured In San Fernando Valley Crash
One person is dead and two more are in critical condition after a two-car crash in the San Fernando Valley early Wednesday morning. The crash at about 3:45 a.m. in the 6400 block of North Balboa Boulevard left two of the three victims trapped in the wreckage, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. Police said a white Corvette was speeding and ran through a red light before crashing into a gray Honda, which killed the Honda driver. Two people who were in the Corvette were transported to a regional trauma center in critical condition, while the Honda driver was declared dead at the scene. The ages, genders and names of those involved has not yet been released.
KTLA 5

1 Person Hospitalized After Shooting In Van Nuys
One person was taken to the hospital after a shooting in Van Nuys Tuesday. The Los Angeles Police Department responded to a call near the intersection of Victory Boulevard and Tyrone Avenue. LAPD said the shooting involved an officer but the department didn't specify if it was police or someone else that fired the shot. Officials did not give the conditions of the person shot. As of Tuesday night, no arrests have been announced in the shooting. It is unknown what caused the shooting to happen in the first place.
FOX 11

Authorities Search For Woman Who Disappeared In Los Angeles County
Authorities are searching for an at-risk woman who disappeared in Los Angeles County on Tuesday. The woman was identified as Addie Mae Larson, 35, by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office. She was last seen on the 25000 block of Parkwood Lane in Santa Clarita around 10 a.m., authorities said. Larson is 5 feet 3 inches tall and weighs 115 pounds. She has blue eyes and blonde shoulder-length hair. She was last seen wearing a grey sweater, grey sweatpants and a gray sports bra. Larson is diagnosed with depression and her family is concerned for her well-being. She may be headed to Moonlight State Beach near the 400 block of B Street in Encinitas, authorities said. Anyone who may know of Larson’s whereabouts is asked to call the LASD’s Missing Persons Unit at 323-890-5500.
KTLA 5

Chief: Suspect Who Wounded California Cop, Shot At Others Was ‘On Quest To Kill' Police
A man suspected of shooting and wounding a San Jose police officer over this past weekend, hours after he opened fire at other officers who had stopped his car, was apparently following police officers in the hours prior to those confrontations, authorities said Tuesday. San Jose Police Chief Anthony Mata said that while the suspect’s motives remain under investigation, he characterized the actions as part of a scheme to “ambush” officers Friday night. “I am eternally grateful we did not lose any officers in these senseless attacks,” Mata said at a Tuesday news conference at police headquarters. Noe Orlando Mendoza, 37, was arrested early Saturday at his home on Sinbad Avenue in East San Jose after shooting a SWAT officer who was part of a team tasked with taking him into custody. Mendoza reportedly surrendered soon after his final volley of gunshots. According to a San Jose police review of surveillance footage from Friday night, Mendoza and his car appeared to have been seen parked near police headquarters. Later, he reportedly was seen parked near an SJPD substation at Mineta San Jose International Airport, but drove away as officers there tried to contact him.
Bay Area News Group

Milwaukee Police Officer Fatally Shot During Struggle With Robbery Suspect
A Milwaukee police officer chased down a robbery suspect and was fatally shot in an exchange of gunfire early Tuesday. The suspect also died from a gunshot wound, police said. Milwaukee Police Chief Jeffrey Norman said officers located the 19-year-old suspect when they arrived at the robbery scene about 1:15 a.m. on the city's south side. The man ignored their commands and fled on foot. Norman said one officer caught up with the suspect and a struggle ensued. Both men fired their weapons. The wounded officer, a 37-year-old man with more than four years with the Milwaukee Police Department, died at a hospital, he said. The suspect, a 19-year-old Milwaukee man, died at the scene. The chief said it was not immediately clear if the suspect died from the shot fired by the officer or a self-inflicted gunshot wound. “Milwaukee, our hearts are heavy. Milwaukee Police Department hearts are heavy. My heart is heavy," Norman told a news conference. “The violence needs to stop!"
Associated Press

Public Safety News

Mar Vista Fire: 2 Adults, Cat Found Dead In House
Two people and a cat were found dead in a house after a fire in Mar Vista early Wednesday morning. Los Angeles firefighters responded to a 1,096-square-foot residence on the 3500 block of South May Street at 2:22 a.m. that was fully engulfed in flames, a department spokesman said. Firefighters extinguished the blaze in 22 minutes, and during a search of the property afterward, they found a man, woman and cat, all deceased. Officials said the man and woman were between 60 and 70 years old. The fire may have started in the kitchen, according to the L.A. Fire Dept., then burned into the living room. No other injuries or damages were reported.
CBS 2

Watch: LAFD Firefighter Saves Dog Found Unresponsive At Burning Home
A little dog in Florence has a new best friend. The dog was at the center of a heartwarming scene captured on camera Monday when it was resuscitated by Los Angeles firefighters during a house fire. Firefighters responded at about midnight to reports of a fire at the single-story residence in the 200 block of West 73rd Street. Flames that started in one room had spread to the rest of the house, generating heavy smoke. The dog was found unresponsive near the home's front door. A firefighter-paramedic placed the motionless dog on its side on the grass and provided oxygen through a mask. Soon, the dog's chest began moving up and down. A firefighter was seen petting the dog as he handed it to the homeowner's smiling neighbor. No other injuries were reported. Details about how the fire started were not immediately available.
NBC 4

LA County Logs 1,103 New COVID-19 Cases
Los Angeles County health officials reported 1,103 new COVID-19 infections along with 14 more virus-related deaths in its latest data. The new cases gave the county a cumulative total from throughout the pandemic of 3,683,859. The daily case numbers released by the county’s Department of Public Health are undercounts of actual virus activity, due to people who use at-home tests and don’t report the results, and others who don’t test at all. With 14 more fatalities, the county’s overall virus-related death toll rose to 35,369. The majority of those who die with COVID-19 are elderly or have underlying health conditions such as diabetes, hearts disease or hypertension.
MyNewsLA

Local Government News

LA Council Approves Ordinance Requiring Landlords Pay Relocation Assistance Following Rent Increase
The City Council adopted an ordinance Tuesday requiring landlords to pay relocation assistance to tenants in Los Angeles who move out following certain rent increases. The ordinance -- which the council preliminarily approved last week -- is the final part of a package of tenant protections the council sought to implement after it voted to end the local state of emergency due to COVID-19 at the end of January. The ordinance contains an urgency clause, but will not move forward immediately because two council members -- John Lee and Traci Park -- dissented in the 10-2 vote. "This is the last of six votes that we've taken on a package of renter protections that I think will be transformative for Los Angeles moving forward," said Councilwoman Nithya Raman, who was among the council members pushing for the protections. Last month, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors extended through March its tenant protections against eviction for those impacted by COVID-19, which would cover city residents.
FOX 11

LA Council Members Seek More Equitable Distribution Of Beautification Programs
Two City Council members introduced a motion Tuesday seeking to more equitably distribute beautification programs in Los Angeles. Council members Tim McOsker and Monica Rodriguez wrote in their motion that the city’s beautification programs are spread out under various departments, and have different sources of funding. They want the city to look at “disparately impacted” areas, requesting a report from the Board of Public Works and Bureau of Sanitation analyzing all beautification and cleaning programs funded by the city, specifically identifying potential overlaps in programs. The motion, citing a budget memorandum by the Board of Public Works from last year’s budget deliberations, notes that some beautification and cleaning programs were similar in nature. There are also cleaning efforts from other organizations such as Clean LA, Clean and Green, Conservation Corps, Angelenos Corps, Los Angeles Bureau of Sanitation and separate efforts by individual council districts.
MyNewsLA