Law Enforcement News

Two People Shot, One Fatally, At South L.A. Restaurant
Two people were shot at a restaurant in South Los Angeles on Wednesday afternoon, authorities said, and one later died from his injuries. A man and a woman, both in their 30s, were standing inside Louisiana Fried Chicken restaurant on the 4400 block of South Western Avenue when two male suspects walked inside and fired multiple rounds, striking the man and woman, Los Angeles Police Department spokesperson Matthew Cruz said. The man was taken by ambulance to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead, while the woman was treated and released at the scene, Cruz said. Both shooting suspects ran off and were at large, he said.
LA Times

Hit-and-Run Claims A Life In Playa
LAPD West Traffic Detectives are requesting the public’s assistance in identifying a driver involved in a fatal hit-and-run traffic collision. On February 14, 2023, at approximately 2:45 p.m., a fatal traffic collision occurred on private property near Lincoln Blvd. and Jefferson Blvd. A 2016 white Audi A4 was traveling westbound and collided with a tubular barrier gate. The collision between the Audi and the tubular barrier gate caused the gate to swing open and strike the victim. The Los Angeles Fire Department responded to the scene and provided immediate medical attention to the victim. The victim was transported to a local hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. The driver of the Audi failed to remain at scene, identify themselves and render aid to the victim. The investigation is ongoing and next of kin have been notified. Drivers are reminded that if they become involved in a collision, they should pull over and stop as soon as it is safe to do so, notify emergency services, and remain at the scene to identify themselves.
WestSide Current

Road Rage Incidents In LA Happening More Often, With Increasing Violence, Data Shows
Road rage incidents are higher than ever in Los Angeles. The Los Angeles Police Department reported there were nearly 870 incidents of road rage in 2022 - the highest count in the last seven years. According to a study from Crosstown L.A., the number of incidents from last year are the highest since 2010. And incidents are getting more violent, according to LAPD data. In 2021 and 2022, nearly a third of incidents (31%) involved a gun. In 2019, that number was 16%. So what's causing so much road rage? Crosstown L.A.'s study stated heavy traffic, and efforts to tame it, may be a factor. "It feels like Americans have become increasingly less patient with one another - that they are stressed in ways that are bringing out a lot of negative emotions," said Ryan Martin, a professor at the University of Wisconsin who researches and writes on expressions of anger and why people express road rage. Martin also said a perceived anonymity drivers get inside a car could cause them to act out angrily.
ABC 7

Northridge Pursuit Crash: Innocent Bystander Killed In 2-Car Collision
Authorities said an innocent driver was killed when a police chase ended in a horrific two-car collision in the San Fernando Valley overnight. Officers with the Los Angeles Police Department were attempting to stop a driver wanted for an armed robbery. The suspect failed to yield and the pursuit was initiated. A short time later, the suspect’s SUV collided with a sedan at 12:37 a.m. Thursday at the intersection of Roscoe Boulevard and Lindley Avenue in Northridge. The driver of the sedan was pronounced dead at the scene. Following the crash, two suspects got out of the vehicle and took off running. The LAPD then set up a large perimeter around the area in search of the suspects. LAPD officials confirmed by 5 a.m. the suspect who led the pursuit was taken into custody following a K9 and helicopter search, while the second suspect remains at large. Investigators said a loaded rifle was recovered from the SUV.
FOX 11

Deputies Respond To Report Of Shots Fired In East L.A.; Person Taken Into Custody
L.A. County sheriff's deputies surrounded a residence on the 1200 block of South Brannick Avenue in East Los Angeles following a report of shots fired at about 8:40 a.m. Wednesday. The incident was first reported as a burglary call. At least three shots were reported at the residence, according to the sheriff's department. A burglar was suspected to be barricaded inside the residence. People at the scene later told law enforcement a family member may be having a mental breakdown and acting in a hostile manner inside. A SWAT team was called to the scene to assist with the investigation. At around 2:50 p.m., authorities reported that a man at the location had been taken into custody, but did not provide any further information. A family at the residence was evacuated.
CBS 2

Authorities Search For Teen Who Disappeared In East Los Angeles
Authorities are searching for a critically missing teen who disappeared in East Los Angeles on Wednesday. The teenager was identified as Jeremiah Victor Velasquez, 14, by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. Velasquez was last seen on the 500 block of North Rowan Avenue around 6:15 p.m., authorities said. He is described as a Hispanic male standing 5 feet 2 inches tall and weighing 115 pounds. He has brown hair and brown eyes and was last seen wearing a gray hoodie and black pants. The teen’s family says he does not have a pattern of running away and they’re very concerned for his well-being. He may be headed to Hacienda Heights near the 900 block of S. 7th Avenue, officials said. Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the LASD’s Missing Persons Unit at 323-890-5500.
KTLA 5

LASD Search-and-Rescue Team Back From Turkey After Helping With Earthquake Recovery
Members of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department search-and-rescue team are back from a deployment in Turkey, where they used their skills to help survivors of the massive earthquake. The devastation they saw was more than expected. "Being on the ground seeing it is totally different," said Los Angeles County Sheriff's Deputy Brad Lyon. "The devastation is enormous. It was incredible. Everywhere. Not just the city we were in but all over that whole region. I think the scope and the enormity of the whole thing is what surprised us," Reserve Deputy Robert Sheedy adds "when you look at the total devastation you realize this is going to take years if not decades to rebuild it. The people were so resilient and so appreciative of us being there and helping them." This group of seven LA County sheriff's deputies are part of an 81-member team that also included medical personnel. As catastrophic as the devastation caused by the earthquakes is, the team says they were able to focus on their jobs. Their training simply kicked in.
ABC 7

San Fernando Valley Pharmacist Sentenced To 2 Years In Forged Prescription Case
A San Fernando Valley pharmacist who pleaded guilty to filling false narcotics prescriptions has been sentenced to 2 years in federal prison. Gevork Danielian, a 41-year-old Granada Hills resident, worked as the pharmacist-in-charge for A&G Care Pharmacy, which he owned and operated in Winnetka from December 2014 to July 2020. Prosecutors said from April 2018 to December 2018, Danielian conspired with others to illegally sell narcotics including hydrocodone, oxycodone, methamphetamine salts, and alprazolam, an anxiety medication sold under the brand name Xanax. He pleaded guilty in November 2022 to one count of conspiring to distribute controlled substances. A co-conspirator would obtain blank prescription papers, and Danielian would text the co-conspirator the names and birth dates of real patients, prosecutors said. The co-conspirator then brought the false prescriptions, along with the forged signature of physicians, to the pharmacist.
LA Daily News

Man Fatally Shot Near Hawthorne
A 25- to 30-year-old man was shot and killed in Hawthorne bordering the unincorporated area of Lennox, authorities said Thursday. Officers from the Hawthorne Police Department responded at 11:30 p.m. Wednesday to the 11500 block of Acacia Avenue near Hawthorne Boulevard regarding a report of gunshots, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Information Bureau said. After they arrived at the scene officers learned the victim had taken himself to a hospital with gunshot wounds to the upper torso. The victim was pronounced dead at the hospital, authorities said. Sheriff's homicide detectives are assisting the Hawthorne Police Department with the investigation of the shooting. Anyone with information about this shooting was asked to call the Sheriff's Missing Persons Unit at 323-890-5500. Anonymous calls can be made to Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8447 or sent to lacrimestoppers.org.
NBC 4

Sherman Oaks Man Found Guilty Of Participating In Investment Scheme
A jury has found a Sherman Oaks man guilty of being involved in a scheme to fraudulently obtain millions of dollars from dozens of investors through a sham investment company run with his brother out of their parents’ home, federal prosecutors announced Wednesday, Feb. 15. Sassi Mizrahi, 58, was found guilty Tuesday of five counts of wire fraud. He was found not guilty of one count of wire fraud. His brother, Motty Mizrahi, 51, of Encino, pleaded guilty on Jan. 6 to six counts of wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft. A U.S. Department of Justice investigation found that the Mizrahi brothers raised more than $6 million from investors through a fraudulent investment company they called “MBIG Company.” Motty portrayed himself as a reputable, licensed broker and accountant. From June 2012 to March 2019, the brothers promised investors “guaranteed” returns every month and told them that their money could be withdrawn later.
LA Daily News

Prosecutors Seek Death Penalty For Killer Of Las Vegas Officer
Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty against a man accused of shooting and killing Las Vegas police officer Truong Thai, according to court records. Tyson Hampton, 24, is facing charges of murder, battery, battery constituting domestic violence, four counts of attempted murder, two counts of assault and 19 counts of illegally discharging a weapon, court records show. Hampton is accused of shooting and killing Thai, who was responding to a report from Hampton’s wife that her husband was beating her, the Metropolitan Police Department has said. Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson previously said that he was considering pursuing the death penalty against Hampton. On Thursday, prosecutors filed a notice of intent to seek the death penalty, indicating that they are officially seeking capital punishment, court records show.
Las Vegas Review-Journal

Study: Suspects Released On $0 Bail Had 2x Felony Rearrests, 3x Violent Crime Rearrests
A new zero-dollar bail study in Yolo County, California, has gathered startling data surrounding the rearrest rates of suspects who were released without posting bail to those who had to post bail. The study, spearheaded by the Yolo County District Attorney’s office, found that suspects released on zero-dollar bail were twice as likely to be rearrested for new felonies, and three times as likely to be rearrested for violent crimes compared to those who posted bail. According to CBS News, the study was spurred after hundreds of suspects were released on zero-dollar bail during the COVID-19 pandemic and then rearrested in Yolo County. In fact, more than 70% of people released on zero bail over the 13 months the policy was in effect were rearrested, according to the Yolo County DA. The study compares “a random sample of 100 suspects released on zero-dollar bail between 2020 and 2021 … to 100 suspects who did have to post bail in 2018 and 2019,” Yolo County DA Jeff Reisig said. “The whole point of this study is not to debate the merits of some type of bail reform. It’s to look at the issue of zero bail where people are being automatically released,” Reisig said.
PoliceOne

Public Safety News

20 More COVID Deaths Reported In LA County
Los Angeles County health officials reported another 20 COVID-19-related deaths and 1,197 new infections in its latest data. The new fatalities gave the county a cumulative death toll of 35,509 from throughout the pandemic, according to the county Department of Public Health. With 1,197 new cases, the county’s overall total grew to 3,692,123. The daily case numbers released by the county are undercounts of actual virus activity in the county, due to people who use at-home tests and don’t report the results, and others who don’t test at all. According to state figures, there were 689 COVID-positive patients in Los Angeles County hospitals as of Wednesday, up slightly from 680 on Tuesday. Of those patients, 73 were being treated in intensive care, up from 67 one day prior. The seven-day average daily rate of people testing positive for the virus in the county was 6.8% as of Wednesday. The rate has been mostly steady for more than a week.
MyNewsLA

Local Government News

LA City Council Opposes State Legislation For Independent Redistricting
The Los Angeles City Council voted to oppose state legislation that would reform the city's redistricting process. Embattled Councilman Kevin de León took part in the discussion that turned into a tense back-and-forth with a colleague. De León's participation in a leaked, racist conversation in which he, two former council members and a top county labor official discussed how they could manipulate the 2021 redistricting process reignited calls for reform. The council voted 11-2, with de León and Monica Rodriguez dissenting, to oppose Senate Bill 52 and support the city council's own reform efforts. "It would be irresponsible to this body to say the state legislature should decide this,'' Council President Paul Krekorian said. "This is this body's responsibility. And whatever we do, we will be doing before the voters to be approved by the people of Los Angeles with a charter reform that cannot be changed by this City Council.'' De León, in his initial remarks, did not acknowledge his role in the leaked conversation but called for the council to work with the state legislature on redistricting reform.
NBC 4

LA City Council Votes To Impose More Anti-Camping Laws Near Parks, Recreation Centers
The Los Angeles City Council voted to impose its anti-camping law in the Westside Wednesday, banning sitting, sleeping and storing property within 500 feet of several parks, recreation centers and other facilities. The decision is a shift that came with the election of Traci Park as the new council member for the 11th District. Park's predecessor, Mike Bonin, refused to enforce the 41.18 ordinance, which was amended last year to expand to areas around schools and day-care centers. "We will not do enforcement until every individual living on the street has the opportunity to come inside," Park said. Park said her office "has the beds" for those who will be impacted by the law. "I am well aware of our legal obligation to lead with offers of services and housing," Park said. "It is also our moral obligation, and it is what we will do in my district."
CBS 2