Arrest Made After Human Remains Found In Plastic Bag In Encino

Los Angeles authorities announced an arrest was made after a homeless man made a gruesome discovery when he found human remains stuffed in a plastic bag while searching through a trash bin in the Encino area. Officials with the Los Angeles Police Department said the remains, described as a woman's headless torso, were discovered around 6:15 a.m. Wednesday near the intersection of Ventura Boulevard and Rubio Avenue. During a news conference Wednesday, the LAPD said video evidence at the scene led investigators to the suspect’s home in Tarzana, located in the 4100 block of Coldstream Terrance. Bloody evidence was then found inside the suspect’s home, identified as 35-year-old Samuel Haskell. Haskell’s wife, her parents and the couple’s three children also live in the home where the disturbing evidence was found. The children were found safely at school. However, their mother and grandparents remain missing. The name of the victim has not been released. LAPD Detective Efren Gutierrez asked "if there are any persons out there missing family members, missing loved ones or coworkers, to reach out to the Los Angeles Police Department and report them missing." Haskell is being held at the Van Nuys Jail on a $2 million bail.

FOX 11

17-Year-Old Killed In Apparent Car-to-Car Shooting In South Los Angeles, Police Say

A 17-year-old was shot and killed in an apparent car-to-car shooting Wednesday morning in South Los Angeles, authorities said. The shooting was reported about 10:45 a.m. in the 300 block of 113th Street, just north of Imperial Highway, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. An unknown number of suspects drove up in a vehicle and opened fire before fleeing, an LAPD spokesperson said. Firefighter-paramedics responded to the scene, where the teenager was pronounced dead, authorities said. Police placed a privacy canopy over the victim's body as the investigation got underway. Video from AIR7 HD showed a white compact sedan on the sidewalk with several apparent bullet holes on the passenger side. The rear passenger-side window was shattered. Nearly two dozen yellow evidence markers were seen on the asphalt in the middle of the street, along with a small pile of shattered glass. No descriptions of the suspects or their vehicle were available.

ABC 7

Police Seeking Help Identifying Suspect Who Fatally Beat Man In Koreatown

Police are seeking help from the public in identifying a man who beat another man to death in Koreatown in late October. The attack happened back on October 30 at around 7:40 p.m., when the 59-year-old victim was attacked by an unidentified man near Wilshire Boulevard and Kingsley Drive, according to a statement from Los Angeles Police Department officials. During their preliminary investigation, police learned that the suspect continued to beat the man until bystanders intervened. He then took off on foot, heading northbound on Kingsley Drive. The injured man was rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment. He died on Monday, a week after the attack occurred. As they continue to investigate the incident, police have released a description of the suspect, a man between 30 and 30 years old who is 6 feet1 inch tall and weighs around 160 pounds. They say that he had tattoos on his chest, left shoulder and near his right eye. Anyone who has more information on the incident or the suspect's identity is urged to contact investigators at (213) 382-9470.

CBS 2

‘Rocky Turned Around And Shot Me’: Rapper’s Childhood Friend Testifies About Hollywood Shooting

Rakim Mayers and Terell Ephron, better known as A$AP Rocky and A$AP Relli, met in high school in New York. Both were members of A$AP, which Ephron described on the witness stand in Los Angeles Superior Court Wednesday as “a conglomerate of young men that have many different talents.” Even as Mayers became a famous rapper and fashion icon — and millionaire many times over — the two were like “brothers,” Ephron testified. But one November night in 2021, tensions erupted into a fight on a Hollywood sidewalk. Ephron testified that Mayers pulled a gun from his waistband and shot him, grazing his hand. Wednesday’s preliminary hearing marked the first time Ephron has publicly recounted the night he says Mayers shot him. Mayers, 35, has pleaded not guilty to two counts of assaulting Ephron with a firearm. Superior Court Judge M.L. Villar did not rule on whether Mayers should stand trial, continuing the hearing for further testimony on Nov. 20. The rapper, who walked into court wearing a black three-piece suit, sunglasses and a surgical mask, listened from about 20 feet away as his old friend explained their group’s rise in the music industry, the resentments that fractured it, and the tit-for-tat name calling that devolved into gunfire outside a Hollywood hotel.

Los Angeles Times

Woman Faces Hate Crime Charge For Ramming Synagogue Gate With Car, LAPD Says

A woman faces a hate crime charge after she allegedly crashed her car through the gate of a Tarzana synagogue. Tikvah Mottahdeh, 54, rammed her vehicle into the gates of ERETZ Synagogue & Cultural Center, located in the 6100 block of Wilbur Avenue, early Thursday morning, according to Los Angeles Police Department spokesperson Officer Moran. Mottahdeh was arrested at around 2:10 a.m. and faces a charge of hate crime vandalism at a house of worship, Moran said. Footage from the scene showed the broken gate lying in the synagogue’s driveway. It is unknown if the synagogue structure sustained any damage.

KTLA 5

‘Spending People’s Money’: Beverly Hills Luxury Watch Dealer Arrested By FBI In Alleged Ponzi Scheme

A Beverly Hills luxury watch dealer accused of stealing people’s pricey timepieces was arrested by the FBI following a report in The Times detailing the allegations of theft against the dealer. Anthony Farrer, 35, was charged with mail fraud and wire fraud over his alleged consignment scheme. The businessman, who ran a watch company called the Timepiece Gentleman, told potential clients that he would sell their watches and take a commission but often kept all the money, prosecutors announced Wednesday. “Rather than selling the watches and remitting the funds back to the watch owners, Farrer appears to instead sell the watches and keep the proceeds for himself,” wrote Justin Palmerton, an FBI agent, in an affidavit filed Monday in U.S. District Court in the Central District of California. If convicted, Farrer faces up to 20 years in prison and is currently being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles. His next court date is Dec. 14. Farrer stole about $3 million from at least 20 victims, according to Palmerton. Numerous victims of Farrer spoke with The Times for the October article, including one man who said he lost his life savings to Farrer.

Los Angeles Times

Alabama Deputy Who Was Beaten, Injured By Suspect Fears For Colleagues’ Safety Amid Staff Shortages

A deputy who was beaten by a suspect in September says he fears more attacks will come if understaffing persists, WIAT reported. Deputy Clint Bowden confronted a suspect after the department had received reports that someone had been throwing rocks at passing cars, according to the report. During the confrontation, the suspect tried to wrestle Bowden’s gun away from him and hit him repeatedly in the head, according to the report. When backup arrived, two deputies arrested the suspect, now identified as Vincent Kimbrough. Bowden was taken to the hospital. “I was bleeding,” Bowden said. “I couldn’t see. I thought I was going to die.” Bowden is currently being treated for a traumatic brain injury, PTSD, weakness on his left side, headaches and trouble sleeping, according to the report. Bowden told WIAT that he feared for other deputies’ safety as staffing numbers drop. “There should have been 12 to 17 [deputies] in the center point substation on that shift,” Clay City Manager Ronnie Dixon said. “In the substation that morning, there were three deputies … That was the morning of the attack.”

PoliceOne

Video Shows Suspect Point Gun At Idaho Officers Following High-Speed Pursuit

An Ada County judge sentenced a man shot by police officers earlier this year near Timberline High School to up to 10 years in prison on Tuesday morning. Gavin Donithorne, 23, admitted in court to sending threatening text messages to family members and said he wanted police to kill him. Donithorne pleaded guilty to two counts of felony aggravated assault on a police officer and one count of felony eluding, all relating to a March 15 incident. Fourth District Judge Jonathan Medema sentenced Donithorne to five years fixed and five years indeterminate, meaning he will serve at least five years before being eligible for parole. Authorities had been searching for Donithorne, who was driving from Oregon to Boise after sending “threatening messages” to family, the Idaho Statesman previously reported. Ada County Sheriff’s Office deputies located Donithorne in Star and attempted to pull him over, but the defendant “eluded law enforcement going upwards of 100 mph,” and deputies followed his vehicle in a pursuit, the Ada County Prosecutor’s Office said in a news release.

The Idaho Statesman

Topanga Brush Fire Burns Roughly 3 Acres In Windy Conditions, Destroying Structure

As Santa Ana winds whipped across Southern California, raging flames burned through a structure after a brush fire broke out overnight near Topanga Canyon. The fire sparked up in the windy conditions around 2 a.m. Thursday on Swenson Drive near Tuna Canyon Park, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department. Officials said forward progress was stopped after a few hours. The brush fire burned about roughly 3 acres and was 50% contained. Firefighters were seen battling the flames as they consumed a structure that officials initially described as a two-story commercial building. However, AIR7 HD surveyed the damaged and the charred structure appeared to be a home. No evacuations were ordered, but Southern California Edison said it shut off power in Las Flores Canyon in eastern Malibu. The cause of the fire has not been determined.

ABC 7

LA City Council Calls For More Regulations For Self-Driving Cars

A Los Angeles council member introduced a motion to establish regulations for self-driving cars operating within city limits Wednesday. "The last ten years have seen us evolve alongside the app-driven economy and its inherent complexities," said Councilwoman Traci Park, who introduced the motion. "Autonomous vehicles present a parallel trajectory, and we're poised to meet this challenge head-on, learning from past experiences." The motion instructed city staff to compile a report to outline state mandates that prevent the city from regulating autonomous vehicles and to find ways to leverage data collected by self-driving car companies. "Profit margins should never eclipse the safety of our constituents and workforce," Park said. "While Los Angeles stands as a beacon of progress, consistently adopting transformative technologies, we must be able to effectively address and have the tools to regulate this new technology.” The California Department of Motor Vehicles has received 671 autonomous vehicle collision reports throughout the state since 2014, 126 of which happened this year. 

CBS 2

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.