Law Enforcement News
Security Guard Hospitalized After Being Shot In Westchester Parking Lot Near LAX
Authorities are investigating a shooting in Westchester that left at least one person wounded Saturday evening. Officers were dispatched to the intersection near S. Sepulveda Boulevard and Westchester Parkway at around 10:30 p.m. after receiving reports of a shooting in the area, according to Los Angeles Police Department. Upon arrival, officers found a male security guard suffering from a gunshot wound. It was not immediately clear where he was employed. He was taken to a nearby hospital in unspecified condition. Officers say that the victim was unable to provide a suspect description.
CBS 2
Husband Of L.A. Bishop’s Housekeeper Arrested In Slaying Of Beloved Cleric
Authorities have arrested the husband of a woman who worked as a housekeeper for Bishop David G. O’Connell in connection with the slaying of the beloved Los Angeles cleric, officials said Monday. L.A. County Sheriff Robert Luna identified Carlos Medina, 65, as the suspect in the slaying. He did not cite a motive but said a tipster had told authorities that Medina was acting strangely after the killing and claimed that the bishop owed him money. Luna said detectives connected Medina to the crime from a video that showed a vehicle at the O'Connell home about the time of the killing. Weapons were found at Medina’s home, and Luna said ballistic tests are pending. O'Connell, 69, was killed Saturday afternoon in the Catholic archdiocese-owned home in Hacienda Heights where he lived alone, authorities said. Deputies answering a call for a medical emergency shortly before 1 p.m. Saturday found O'Connell. Paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene. A couple who live on the quiet tree-lined street said they heard no gunshot or other unusual noise before the arrival of firefighters and ambulance crews.
LA Times
Pedestrian Killed In South Los Angeles Hit-and-Run
Police are looking for the driver who struck and killed a pedestrian in South Los Angeles early Monday and then drove away. The collision occurred around 2:40 a.m. in the area of Century Boulevard and Figueroa Street in the city’s Vermont Vista neighborhood. Police said the victim, believed to be a homeless man, was walking in the middle of the street outside of a crosswalk when he was struck. First responders from the Los Angeles Fire Department pronounced him dead at the scene. Police described the suspect’s vehicle as a dark-colored sedan. No further details were available and the identity of the victim was not immediately released.
KTLA 5
Man Hospitalized After Being Stabbed In Boyle Heights
A man has been hospitalized after a stabbing in Boyle Heights early Saturday afternoon. According to Los Angeles Police Department, officers were dispatched to the intersection of 1st Street and S. Soto Street just before 5 p.m. after learning of an assault with a deadly weapon in the area. Upon arrival, they found a man suffering from what appeared to be stab wounds in his upper torso. He was taken to a nearby hospital in unknown condition. Officers were searching the area for a possible suspect. They were unable to confirm whether the incident occurred near or on a Metro bus, which was parked in the street near where the stabbing victim was located. With Sky-CAL over the scene, two people could be seen in handcuffs, though it was unclear why authorities had detained them or how they were related to the incident.
CBS 2
Man Robbed At Van Nuys Home While Trying To Sell High-End Watch To Online Buyer
A man was robbed while trying to sell an expensive watch to a buyer he met online, police say. According to the Los Angeles Police Department, the victim and the potential buyer met on a social media platform and agreed to meet at the victim's house in Van Nuys to buy the high-end wristwatch. The suspect then drove to the victim's house in a black BMW four-door sedan. As the victim showed the man the wristwatch, two additional men exited from the vehicle and approached the victim. Two of the men were armed and took the victim's watch and other personal items. All three suspects then fled in the vehicle. Officers were called to the scene and were able to locate the suspects within three hours. The suspect's vehicle was located at a nearby motel. Officers arrested one adult and two juvenile suspects in connection with the robbery. The victim’s watch and other items taken during the robbery were recovered at the motel. They also recovered the two loaded handguns.
FOX 11
Video: 2 Pickpocket Suspects Arrested In West Hollywood
A man and a woman were taken into custody after allegedly stealing a cellphone from an out-of-town visitor in West Hollywood over the weekend. The incident occurred early Sunday at popular nightclub Rocco’s, located at 8900 Santa Monica Blvd. A dancer at the club watched as two people appeared to be pickpocketing cellphones, club management explained on social media. The dancer jumped off the gogo box, followed the theives and motioned for guards to detain them, the post read. Multiple phones were recovered and returned. In video shared with the club, the suspects are seen being taken into custody outside the nightclub. “Stealing from our community. We will catch you and you will be arrested,” the person recording says. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has in the past warned residents and visitors to watch out for pickpockets and theft in general.
KTLA 5
1 Killed, Another Wounded In Shooting At Plaza Parking Lot In Carson
An investigation is underway after two people were shot, one fatally, at a plaza parking lot in Carson overnight. The incident happened around midnight. Deputies say they were flagged down by a security guard after several shots were fired and noticed a car crashed into a light pole outside the SouthBay Pavilion mall, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. Two people were found inside the vehicle with gunshot wounds to the torso. One man was pronounced dead at the scene and the other was taken to the hospital in stable condition. It's unclear what led up to the deadly shooting, but investigators say the incident may have started at the Denny's parking lot across the street. No arrests have been made. Authorities on Monday morning were still reviewing security footage from cameras in the area.
ABC 7
Los Angeles Deputies Held Free Etching Event Amid Rise In Catalytic Converter Thefts
Authorities are concerned over the troubling rise in catalytic converter thefts across Southern California. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department is working to prevent these thefts by providing free etching services in La Crescenta on Saturday. “Just this year alone, we’ve seen a huge increase,” said Detective Fletcher with the LASD in Crescenta Valley. “I’d say we have thefts on the daily. It’s an unfortunate thing that we’re trying to reduce.” Deputies are etching catalytic converters with vehicles’ VIN numbers in an effort to reduce the number of stolen converters. Even if the converters are stolen, the etched information will help with prosecution efforts. “Inside the catalytic converters, there are precious metals so these bad guys are taking the catalytic converters and reselling them for those precious metals for a couple hundred dollars each,” explained Fletcher. Thieves like to target converters because the theft process only takes a few moments, as well.
KTLA 5
1 Dead, 4 Wounded After Mardi Gras Shooting In New Orleans
One person has died and four are in stable condition after a shooting during a Mardi Gras parade in New Orleans, police said Monday. The New Orleans Police Department said one suspect was taken into custody shortly after the Sunday night shooting. The department said in a statement that the victims were “3 males, and 2 females. One of the victims is a juvenile. All were taken to the hospital by EMS where one male victim was later pronounced deceased.” The four other victims were hospitalized in stable condition. The shooting happened during the Krewe of Bacchus parade, WWL-TV reported. Two guns were recovered, Chief Deputy Superintendent Hans Ganthier said. The superkrewe of Bacchus was temporarily halted in the 1500 block of St. Charles Avenue after the shooting.
Associated Press
Over 200 Arrested, Record Number Victims Rescued In Florida Human Trafficking Operation
Central Florida deputies arrested 213 people in a human trafficking investigation named “Operation Traffic Stop.” Polk County’s Vice Unit started the operation on Feb. 6 and ended on Monday, according to a press release from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office. The Vice Unit partnered with law enforcement agents from Okeechobee, Auburndale, Winter Haven, Davenport and other departments. Social services organizations like One More Child, Heartland for Children and the Florida Department of Children and Families were also on-hand to help the victims. “Not only did we arrest more suspects during this single operation than we have ever arrested before, we identified 24 human trafficking victims - the highest number of victims we’ve ever rescued during one of these investigations,” said Sheriff Grady Judd. “The valuable relationships that we have with the social services organizations who join us in these operations make it possible for these women to get help and be emancipated from this way of life.”
Orlando Sentinel
Public Safety News
Man Found Dead In Burning Motor Home In Playa Del Rey
A man was found dead inside a burning motor home parked in Playa Del Rey on Saturday morning, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. Firefighters responded to 13799 West Jefferson Blvd., along the Bellona Wetlands Ecological Reserve, and found the motor home in flames about 11:23 a.m., the Fire Department said. While they were extinguishing the flames, they discovered the man’s body, the department said. The man, who was not identified, was declared dead at the scene. The cause of the fire remains under investigation, the department said. There were no other injuries reported. In a tweet, the Los Angeles Police Department said the incident was being “investigated as an accidental death.” The area is near the coast, between Marina Del Rey and Los Angeles International Airport, and has long attracted people living out of motor homes and RVs.
LA Times
LA County Firefighters Return From 14-Day Deployment To Turkey Following Earthquake
The Los Angeles County Fire Department's Urban Search and Rescue Team returned home Monday after a 14-day deployment to Turkey following the earthquake that rocked that country and Syria. The response team included more than 200 people, along with 12 canines. Interim LA County Fire Chief Anthony C. Marrone was there to greet the firefighters as they returned. LA County Public Works Director Mark Pestrella was also at the LaCo Fire Department Pacoima Facility to welcome the team home. The 7.8 magnitude earthquake, one of the largest in recent years, struck southern and central Turkey on Feb. 6, causing devastation across Turkey and Syria.
CBS 2
2 People In Critical Condition After Flames Rip Through South LA Home
Two people were critically injured when a fire ripped through a home in South Los Angeles Monday morning. The fire broke out just after 9 a.m. at the corner of Vermont Avenue and 43rd Place in South L.A. There were seven people inside the building at the time, firefighters say. Most managed to escape with only minor injuries, but officials and witnesses say a woman was found unconscious inside the home and had to be rescued from the flames. She and another person were rushed to a local hospital in critical condition. The fire completely gutted one unit of the duplex. Neighbors described seeing people jump out of windows to escape the flames. It took 20 minutes for 54 firefighters to knock the flames down.
ABC 7
Nearly 1,100 New COVID Cases Reported In LA County
Los Angeles County health officials have reported another 1,096 COVID-19 cases, along with 17 new virus-related deaths, while saying the currently available vaccine booster shot provides strong protection for older residents against severe illness from an infection. The new cases gave the county a cumulative total from throughout the pandemic of 3,694,317. 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. With 17 new virus-related fatalities, the county's COVID death toll rose to 35,545. According to state figures, there were 687 COVID-positive patients in Los Angeles County hospitals as of Friday, down from 699 on Thursday. Of those patients, 75 were being treated in intensive care units, down from 85 a day earlier. Touting the benefits of the latest COVID vaccine, county health officials said Friday that older residents inoculated with the bivalent booster shot are dramatically less likely to be hospitalized or die if they are infected with the virus.
NBC 4
Local Government News
LA Council President Krekorian Will Not Run For U.S. House In 2024
Los Angeles City Council President Paul Krekorian announced Saturday that he will not run for the congressional seat held by Burbank Democrat Adam Schiff, who is running for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by the retiring Dianne Feinstein in 2024. "Since Representative Adam Schiff declared his candidacy for the United States Senate, many friends and colleagues have urged me to run for the open seat in the U.S. House of Representatives," Krekorian wrote in a statement released Saturday. "I am honored by the suggestion that I follow my friend Adam in this office to represent a district that has been my home for much of my life and which I have represented as a school board member and as a State Assemblyman. This is the most important congressional district in the country to the Armenian American community, and as a leader in that community, my voice would be especially significant in Washington right now.
FOX 11
LA Council To Explore Purchase Of 260-Acre Bel-Air Parcel
The City Council voted on Friday to explore the purchase of Senderos Canyon, a 260-acre parcel of land in the Bel- Air neighborhood. The canyon, also called Hoag Canyon, is one of the "largest and last remaining undeveloped parcels'' and currently is up for auction, according to a motion filed earlier this month by Councilwoman Katy Yaroslavsky. The land opened for auction for $39 million on Jan. 24 with a close date of March 15 -- though it has been on the market for a decade without successfully finding a buyer, according to the motion. Senderos Canyon would be able to be used for wildlife and public access to open and recreational space. The land could also extend the Westridge-Canyonback Wilderness Park and the greater Santa Monica Mountains nature preserve.
WestSide Current
