Statewide Web Of Guns, Drugs Uncovered In Crackdown On Harbor Area Gangs

A law enforcement crackdown on Harbor area gangs exposed a vast criminal web stretching well beyond Los Angeles, with illegal drugs and guns being trafficked statewide, authorities announced Monday. The four-month, multi-agency effort dubbed Operation Safe Harbor zeroed in on an organized crime group based in Los Angeles’ gateway cities. It culminated in 27 arrests, the seizure of 14 firearms, including two privately made firearms — better known as ghost guns without serial numbers — and thousands of fentanyl pills and other illegal drugs, according to the California Department of Justice. Authorities also tracked the far-reaching arms of the alleged criminal enterprise, resulting in additional arrests and probes in Tulare and Kern counties, officials said. “Today we’ve taken dangerous drugs and weapons off our streets and protected the people of Los Angeles from the ongoing threats that this group caused,” California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta said at a news conference Monday. “Families in Los Angeles can go to bed knowing they’re that much safer. ... We’re committed to ending the fentanyl crisis [and] to preventing gun violence.” Bonta declined to share the name of the group or gang, saying he did not want to give them additional notoriety.

Los Angeles Times

LAPD Investigating Homicide Of Man Found Shot To Death On Street In Valley Glen

A murder investigation is underway in Valley Glen, after a man was found on the street shot to death. The victim was discovered Saturday morning on the grassy median dividing Oxnard Street near Greenbush Avenue with a bullet hole in his chest. Some neighbors say they first spotted the man last night, but assumed he was just sleeping. Investigators say the victim was not homeless, but they have yet to locate any suspects in the shooting. 

ABC 7

Male Killed In Panorama City Shooting

A person was shot to death Saturday afternoon in the Panorama City area of Los Angeles. The shooting was reported at 2:24 p.m. at Woodman Avenue and Branford Street, according to Los Angeles Police Department Officer Melissa Podany. The male victim, whose name and age were unavailable, was found unconscious and not breathing, and paramedics took him to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead, she said. Witnesses reported up to three suspects were involved in the shooting, Podany said.

MyNewsLA

Residents Of LA’s Notorious Skid Row Talk About Survival Amid ODs, Gangs And Dead Rats In The Walls

Los Angeles’ notorious 54-block downtown Skid Row area is a no-go zone for most people. Just blocks from the city’s financial district, luxury apartments and five-star hotels, it is a dangerous place where street gangs process and sell drugs and over half of its 4,600 residents are unhoused — the largest such population in the US. While a majority of those in Skid Row live in tent encampments, cars or various homeless shelters, around 2,500 people are being transitioned into 29 residences operated by the Skid Row Housing Trust. Accompanied by a police escort, The Post was able to get a rare glimpse into everyday life in one of the most impoverished corners of the US and was confronted with block after block of drug users, largely untreated mentally ill people and lawless behavior. Residents opened their homes and told us how fentanyl, the deadly synthetic opioid, is ruining lives and how drug overdoses have become an everyday occurrence. Cory Patterson lives in one of the single-room occupancy (SRO) buildings in Skid Row. He’s sober but said he’s had to get used to drug deals and crimes in his building, which have only gotten worse since the COVID-19 pandemic. “[The dealers] mix fentanyl with rat poison, roach sprays and whatever else and then they sit there, laughing and watching to see what happens to people [when they take it],” Patterson told The Post. “It’s intense and malicious. They mix these bad things on purpose and give it to some transgender women who are willing to take any drug. They are literally using them as guinea pigs.” Some formerly homeless like Patterson live in nearly 200-square-foot rooms in one of the SRO buildings and share bathrooms with other residents.

NY Post

Woman Killed By Speeding Sedan In Arlington Heights

A woman walking in a marked crosswalk was struck and killed by a speeding sedan in the Arlington Heights community of South Los Angeles, authorities said Saturday. A four-door white sedan going westbound on Venice Boulevard, approaching the intersection at Seventh Avenue, struck the woman at about 9:55 p.m. Friday, the Los Angeles Police Department reported. The car failed to stop and sped away westbound on Venice. Arriving paramedics pronounced the woman dead at the scene. The LAPD’s West Traffic Division urged anyone with information about the vehicle to call them at 818-644-8114 or 877-527-3247. Tipsters who prefer to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477.

MyNewsLA

Reward Up To $50k Offered For Information On Deadly South LA Hit-and-Run

A reward of up to $50,000 is being offered for information that will lead to the arrest of a hit-and-run driver who killed a woman in South Los Angeles. The crash was reported shortly after midnight Saturday near the intersection of Normandie Avenue and 83rd Street. There, a woman was found lying on the road and was later determined to have been hit by a car. Despite paramedics’ best efforts, the woman died at the scene. Although law enforcement is withholding the victim’s name pending notification to her family, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) described her as a 40-to-50-year-old woman. A description of the vehicle involved in the fatality was not immediately available. Anyone with information on the case is urged to contact LAPD’s South Traffic Division at 323-421-2500. Anonymous tips can be made by contacting Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.

NBC 4

Woman In U-Haul Hits Pedestrian On Purpose In California Target Parking Lot, Police Say

A woman was arrested in San Pedro after intentionally hitting a pedestrian in a Target parking lot, then leading police on a pursuit that ended with a crash near Point Fermin Park on Sunday night, Oct. 1, according to authorities. The vehicle was a U-Haul pickup truck. After hitting the pedestrian, the woman drove toward a Los Angeles police officer, prompting the officer to fire at least one shot but no one was hit, said Officer Melissa Podany, a Los Angeles police spokeswoman. The events began in the area of North Gaffey Street and West Capitol Drive in the parking lot at about 9:20 p.m., Podany said. Police responded to a report of a child-custody dispute and arrived to find everyone involved, Podany said. At one point, the woman entered the pickup and “intentionally struck a pedestrian and left the scene,” she said. Officers pursued her until the woman hit a tree near the park, Podany said. She was arrested without further incident.

Mercury News

Search Underway For Driver In Inglewood Hit-and-Run Crash That Killed 28-Year-Old Woman

Police in Inglewood are seeking the public's help in identifying the driver who struck and killed a 28-year-old woman. The hit-and-run crash happened the morning of Sept. 22 near Century Boulevard and Maple Avenue, according to the Inglewood Police Department. Police say the pedestrian, Jennifer Castro, was hit by a gray Dodge Challenger with tinted windows. The driver of that car fled the scene. It is believed that the car has front-end damage as a result of the impact. Castro's two sisters are heartbroken and hope the person who hit their sister comes forward. "I just hope they have a conscience and turn themselves in. We haven't even been able to hold our sister or anything because they haven't released her body to us. We don't even know when the funeral is going to be. So we're just saying our prayers and hopefully they find whoever did this," said Catherine Morales. The family has set up a GoFundMe account to help pay for funeral expenses. Anyone with information is urged to contact detectives at (310) 412-5134 or (888) 412-7463.

ABC 7

Authorities Seek Two Brothers, 86 And 78, Who Are Missing After Being Seen In Glendale

Law enforcement authorities late Saturday were looking for an 86-year-old man and his 78-year-old brother who were missing after last being seen in Glendale. Minas Khacheryan was last seen Friday morning in the 1000 block of East Chevy Chase Drive, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said. He was with his brother Grigor Khacheryan, 78, who is also missing. They were last seen when they left to go fishing in the Lancaster area. Minas is described 5 feet, 4 inches tall, 180 pounds, with gray hair and balding. He has blue eyes and a goatee, authorities said. His brother is described as 5 feet, 4 inches tall, 140 pounds with brown eyes, gray hair and balding. Anyone with information is asked to call the Sheriff’s Department’s Missing Persons Unit at (323) 890-5500.

Los Angeles Times

Investigators Seeking Additional Victims Of Glendale Man Accused Of Luring, Sexually Battering Women

Authorities are seeking additional victims of a Glendale man accused of luring and sexually battering his female victims. Marcello Tagliente has been under investigation since 2020, according to Glendale Police Department, after they received multiple reports of sexual battery occurring at his business. Investigators say that Tagliente owned MGT Insurance, which trained students for insurance licensing. He allegedly lured his victims under the guise of assisting with their exam preparation. "Once alone, he is reported to have sexually battered these students, including several young women in their twenties," said a statement from Glendale police. Tagliente was arrested in 2020 for the initial reports. "Since his initial arrest, GPD has received three additional reports, all alleging incidents of sexual battery involving Tagliente," police said. He was formally charged with sexually battery this week, but has been released from custody on bond. As they continue their investigation, detectives believe there are more victims. They urge anyone with more information to come forward and contact them at (818) 548-4840.

CBS 2

Pennsylvania K-9 Officer Battles Cancer For The Second Time, Stays On Duty

He first felt the lumps around Zoltan's collar line. Lancaster city K-9 Unit police Officer Jay Hatfield, handler of 8-year-old purebred German shepherd Zoltan, thought the lumps on his partner's neck were hotspots — irritated areas where harnesses and collars frequently rub. But the reality was much more serious. Zoltan, usually spry, alert and on a hair trigger for Hatfield's commands, had been uncharacteristically sluggish, and a trip to the vet yielded a diagnosis of b-cell lymphoma: cancer. Lymphoma is a common cancer in German shepherds, beagles, Rottweilers, Saint Bernards and poodles, and it attacks their immune system. Dogs diagnosed with lymphoma typically have lumps around their neck, chest, armpits and groin. Untreated, the dogs will live about four to six weeks, but with chemotherapy, there is a good chance the cancer will go into remission. Zoltan, a seven-year veteran, is the senior member of the city bureau's four-dog K-9 Unit and has been with Hatfield since 2016. Hatfield, a 19-year veteran, said Zoltan loves his work and being in the field with him, but with cancer on the table, Hatfield was unsure of what to do. He asked the vet what would be best for Zoltan.

PoliceOne

Body Found Burned In Brush Fire Near 1-5 Freeway In Lincoln Heights

A body was discovered early Saturday morning, Sept. 30, when the Los Angeles Fire Department responded to a brush fire near the I-5 Freeway at North Broadway in Lincoln Heights. The brush fire was reported at 1:40 a.m. near the right shoulder of the southbound I-5 freeway and the 110 Parkway, according to California Highway Patrol. When LAFD arrived and quickly put out the fire, firefighters said they discovered the burned body. According to CHP, a representative from the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's Office was dispatched to the location just before 8 a.m. The gender of the deceased is unknown, and the circumstances surrounding the death are still under investigation, according to authorities. No further information regarding the incident was provided at this time. 

FOX 11

About the LAPPL: Formed in 1923, the Los Angeles Police Protective League (LAPPL) represents more than 8,900 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.