Since Photos’ Release, LAPD Has Been Quietly Scrubbing Police Rosters From Portal

As the hand-wringing at Los Angeles Police Department headquarters continues over the release of police officers’ pictures, the city has been quietly scrubbing the names and ranks of cops from its public records website. Earlier this month, hawk-eyed LAPD watchers began noticing the disappearance from the city’s records portal of LAPD personnel rosters that had previously been released through a public records request. As with all city departments, the LAPD maintains a roster with the names of its employees, both sworn and civilian, along with other basic details, such as rank, assignments and years of employment. Members of the public regularly request the information, which is subsequently published to the department’s records portal. A review of the portal shows that in several cases, even though the records request itself is still visible, the rosters have been removed. The rosters began vanishing shortly after the city filed a lawsuit against journalist Ben Camacho and the abolitionist group Stop LAPD Spying Coalition. The legal action sought to claw back thousands of officer headshots, in a move that was roundly condemned as baseless by 1st Amendment and media rights experts.

Los Angeles Times

Homeless Man Fatally Stabbed Near Metro Station In North Hollywood

A 34-year-old homeless man was fatally stabbed near a Metro Station in North Hollywood, authorities said. Police were called at approximately 8:09 p.m. Friday to Chandler Boulevard and Tujunga Avenue, west of the light rail station, where they learned the victim was walking on Chandler when he encountered another man and an argument ensued, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles Police Department said. The suspect stabbed the victim with a knife, then ran from the scene, police said. The victim was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Los Angeles Daily News

Two People Shot At 7-Eleven Store In Hollywood

A man and a woman are expected to survive after suffering gunshot wounds during a shooting at a 7-Eleven store in Hollywood, authorities said. Officers who were on patrol in the area around the Hollywood Walk of Fame heard shots fired shortly after midnight and found the man at a convenience store, according to Officer Norma Eisenman of the Los Angeles Police Department. Officers also located the woman who was inside the store, she was also suffering from gunshot wounds. "One of them (shooting victims) stated that six suspects in a vehicle exited the vehicle in front of the location and an unknown suspect in the group fired multiple shots, striking the victims,'' she said. Both victims were taken to a hospital for their injuries and are listed in stable condition. The cause of the shooting remains unknown as police are continuing to investigate the incident. The identity of the victims who were shot also remains unknown.

NBC 4

Granada Hills High School Coach Accused Of Lewd Acts With A Minor

A basketball coach at a Granada Hills school is accused of engaging in lewd acts with a minor, and authorities want to know if there are additional students. Authorities say Gabriel Chavez, 36, of Chatsworth, was a basketball coach at a high school in the 10500 block of Zelzah Avenue. Granada Hills Charter High School is located in that block. While coaching at the school, Chavez allegedly engaged in an inappropriate relationship with a minor, the Los Angeles Police Department said. He has been charged with multiple counts of lewd acts on a minor and is currently being held on $310,000 bail. Chavez’s employment with the school ended in January 2023. He has a history of employment and volunteer work at various youth programs throughout the city. The LAPD’s Devonshire Detective Division is launching a joint investigation with personnel from the school in hopes of identifying and speaking with additional persons who may have been victimized by Chavez or may have witnessed him engage in inappropriate behavior. 

KTLA 5

Shooting At Hollywood Nightclub Hospitalizes Man

A shooting outside a popular nightclub in Hollywood sent at least one person to the hospital early Saturday morning. Police confirmed they received reports of gunshots heard outside the Next Door Lounge at Highland and Lexington avenues around 12:45 a.m. Officers were able to clear the establishment and found no victims, but they did say that one person arrived at a nearby hospital with at least one gunshot wound. That victim, a 30-year-old man, is in stable condition, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. No one else was shot. The man has so far been uncooperative with investigators, and it remains to be seen if the attack was gang-related. Witnesses recall hearing at least 20 gunshots, which caused the crowd around the club to panic. 

KTLA 5

‘Child’s Play’ Actor Ed Gale Admits Soliciting For Child Sex In Sting Operation

“Child’s Play” actor Ed Gale admitted to Creep Catchers Unit that he was trying to meet a teenage boy for sex and he had engaged in sexually explicit online conversations with who he thought was a boy. The 59-year-old actor, who starred in the 1988 horror film “Child’s Play” and several follow-ups, was confronted last Friday by the San Diego-based child advocacy group, which ran a sting operation at Gale’s Hollywood apartment and released video from the encounter. The founder of the CC Unit, who goes by the name Ghost, met with Gale under the pretense that he was the 14-year-old boy Gale believed he had been conversing with. Upon meeting at Gale’s apartment, Ghost presented Gale with printouts of the online conversations the actor allegedly had through one of CC Units’ decoy accounts and asked Gale whether he had tried to solicit child pornography. “I tried to get him … a naked picture from him, yes,” Gale said, later describing the explicit conversations as “a whole hook-up in the making.” The “Howard the Duck” and “Spaceballs” actor also said that he thinks he had spoken with 10 other possible victims.

Los Angeles Times

VIDEO: Thieves Burglarize Hollywood Hills Home In Broad Daylight

A neighborhood in the Hollywood Hills is on high alert after a brazen robbery occurred in broad daylight Friday afternoon. Officials with the Los Angeles Police Department said around 1:15 p.m. a group of suspects broke into a home located in the 2020 block of North Curson Avenue, took an estimated $100,0000 worth of designer purses and jewelry, and walked out within minutes. The thieves gained access by shattering a glass door in the back of the home, which set off an alarm. Still, the burglars continued. The entire incident was caught on security cameras and neighbors’ cameras caught a black Infinity, which is what investigators said was the suspects' getaway vehicle, leaving the scene. A detailed description of the suspects was not available. Anyone with information is asked to contact the LAPD. 

FOX 11

LASD Looking For 13-Year-Old Critically Missing, Seeking Public's Help In Locating Her

Deputies are asking the public's help in finding a 13-year-old girl who is considered a critically missing juvenile. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department says Melanie Jean Garcia, a resident of Los Angeles County, was last seen at the 1600 block of East 126th Street in Los Angeles at around 9:15 p.m. Friday night. Garcia is diagnosed with anxiety, depression and post traumatic stress disorder. Her family is concerned for her well-being and is asking for the public's help in finding her. She is 4 feet 9 inches, 110 pounds, Hispanic, with black hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a black shirt, gold necklace and silver rosary. Anyone with information about this incident is encouraged to contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Century Station at (323) 568-4800, or if you prefer to provide information anonymously, you may call "Crime Stoppers" by dialing (800) 222-TIPS (8477) or on their website.

ABC 7

Man Arrested Day After Alleged Fatal Beating In Huntington Park

The suspect in a deadly beating in Huntington Park has been arrested just over a day after the killing, authorities said. Miguel Angel Zavaleta, 29, was taken into custody by the Huntington Police Department at about 3 a.m. Saturday in the 2500 block of Clarendon Avenue in Huntington Park, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said in a news release. Zavaleta allegedly beat a man in his 60s outside of outside Pacific Plaza in the 5600 block of Pacific Boulevard a few minutes before 2 a.m. Friday morning. When officers arrived at the scene, they found the unidentified victim suffering from blunt-force trauma to his upper chest, and he was pronounced dead at the scene. “Investigators learned the victim was standing outside of a convenience store when he was confronted by the suspect who began to attack him and push him down to the ground,” the LASD said in the release. “During the attack, the victim appeared to be kicked and punched by the suspect.”

KTLA 5

3-Year-Old Dies, Twin Brother Clinging To Life After Being Pulled From Porter Ranch Pool

A 3-year-old boy is dead, and his twin brother is clinging to life after they were pulled from a pool in the backyard of their family’s home in Porter Ranch Friday, fire authorities said. Officials with the Los Angeles Fire Department said they received a call just after 10:30 a.m. when family members found the twin boys unresponsive at their home on Des Moines Avenue, located near the intersection of Tampa Avenue and Chatsworth Street. Dispatchers provided CPR guidance over the phone as firefighters quickly made their way to the scene. The twins were rushed to a pediatric trauma center where one was later pronounced dead and the other still on life support. The young boy who died was identified by the coroner as Kai Bernabe. His twin brother, identified by family members as Liam, remains in critical condition and "continues to fight for his life." Police say there was no evidence of wrongdoing and described the situation as "a tragic accident." Kai was just shy of turning 4-years-old in July. 

FOX 11

LA County’s COVID-19 Numbers Holding Steady

The number of coronavirus patients at Los Angeles County hospitals was holding steady at 305, up from 285 a day earlier but down from 321 a week ago, according to the latest state data. Of those patients, 25 were being treated in intensive care, the same total as last weekend. The statewide total of COVID-positive patients was 1,413 as of Saturday, down slightly from last weekend’s total and down considerably from more than 4,600 at the end of last year. Some of the hospitalized patients were admitted for other reasons and learned they had COVID after a mandated test. County health officials reported another 3,114 cases of COVID-19 and 44 additional deaths associated with the virus in their latest weekly report on Wednesday. Those totals were in line with previous week’s report of 3,023 cases and 59 deaths.

MyNewsLA

Pilot Program Offers Mental Health Services At Los Angeles Central Library

The public library is intended to be a quiet, peaceful place for everyone to read, study or do research. But that open door policy can create uncomfortable encounters. Especially in a downtown environment with a large homeless population. "As a city we're dealing with this on a giant level, so this is not something that's surprising anyone," said Karen Pickard-Four, director of the Los Angeles Public Library Experience Office. The Los Angeles City Council recently approved three new contracts for public libraries, with the goal of increasing professional help available while reducing calls to police. The pilot project through "The Library Experience Office" is similar to what has been tried at libraries in San Francisco and Denver, intended to help library staff who often encounter people in a mental health crisis but aren't trained in that field.

ABC 7

About the LAPPL: Formed in 1923, the Los Angeles Police Protective League (LAPPL) represents more than 9,200 dedicated and professional sworn members of the Los Angeles Police Department. The LAPPL serves to advance the interests of LAPD officers through legislative and legal advocacy, political action and education.