Convicted California Felon Out On Probation Allegedly Murders 3 In Shocking Shooting Spree

A convicted felon who was out on probation when he allegedly killed three people - including his girlfriend and ex-girlfriend - all on the same day, has been charged with multiple counts of murder following the violent shooting spree, according to the San Bernardino County District Attorney's Office. The suspect, 41-year-old Louis Peter Hernandez, allegedly shot and killed his girlfriend and another person at a Fontana home on Nov. 25. He then shot and killed his ex-girlfriend in Riverside County, officials allege. The terrifying spree also involved an altercation with a fourth surviving gunshot victim in Riverside County following an argument. That shooting remains under investigation and the victim is recovering. Hernandez, who is a known gang member with a history of violence, according to officials, was out on probation and post-release community supervision. He has been charged with three counts of murder and one count of assault with a firearm. Additional charges are pending regarding the fourth victim. Additionally, officials said special allegations for prior felonies and special circumstances have been filed, which makes it possible for this to become a capital murder case. 

FOX 11

Woman Charged In Michael Latt Killing Had Stalked, Threatened A Film Director, Records Show

When production wrapped on the film “A Thousand and One,” Jameelah Michl, an extra in the movie, made a kind gesture: She sent a gift box to the film’s director, A.V. Rockwell. More than a year later, when the film won the grand jury prize at the Sundance Film Festival, Michl sent an email to a producer about how brilliant Rockwell and the film were, according to court documents. But when Rockwell did not return Michl’s attentions, her emails took on a different tone. Michl became threatening, said she would kill herself and told Rockwell that she owned a gun and wasn’t afraid to use it. “My Glock is loaded as I write this,” said one handwritten letter, delivered in April. “One pull of the trigger and I’ll be free.” On Monday, Michl acted on her threat to use the weapon, police say. She didn’t turn the firearm on herself or the director, but on Michael Latt, a social justice advocate and friend of Rockwell’s, police say. Michl targeted Latt in his Mid-City home because he was “friends with a woman [Michl] had been stalking,” according to a news release from the district attorney’s office. Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. George Gascón did not name Rockwell as the stalking victim.

Los Angeles Times

DeSantis Slams L.A. County D.A. George Gascón In Debate With Newsom

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis lambasted L.A. County Dist. Atty. George Gascón during a Thursday night Fox News debate with Gov. Gavin Newsom. In a spat over crime in California and Florida, DeSantis repeatedly pointed to Gascón, who has sought to overhaul L.A. County’s criminal justice system since he entered office in 2020. “They are on an ideological joyride to let people out of prison,” DeSantis said. “Gavin’s buddy in Los Angeles, Gascón, he doesn’t even prosecute them,” he added, continuing that he had heard from people in California who were scared to go shopping for fear of getting mugged. “Gavin Newsom has not lifted a finger to rein in Gascón in L.A.,” DeSantis said, arguing that the county has “collapsed” because the district attorney “is not enforcing the law.” 

Los Angeles Times

LAPD Comes Face-to-Face With Homeless Man Walking Around With Hammer

A homeless man carrying a hatchet was shot by Los Angeles police Thursday in Sun Valley, but the man's condition was not immediately known. The details were not immediately available, although the Los Angeles Police Department confirmed there was a shooting involving at least one officer. SkyFOX was over the scene near the intersection of Laurel Canyon Boulevard and Saticoy Street where the Los Angeles Police Department was investigating the area. According to police, officers responded to the area of Laurel Canyon Boulevard and Saticoy Street Thursday afternoon in response to a suspect in an assault with a deadly weapon. In video obtained by FOX 11, a man can be seen carrying a small hatchet as he interacted with police and walked toward officers. The video shows officers appearing to fire less-than-lethal rounds at the man, to no avail, eventually leading to the shooting. It was unclear if any officers were injured.

FOX 11

58-Year-Old Man Arrested For Hit-and-Run Death Of South LA Woman

Police arrested a 58-year-old man for allegedly running over and killing a 63-year-old woman in South Los Angeles. The crash happened two weeks ago at the intersection of Manchester Boulevard and Cimarron Street. When officers arrived, they found Jamilah Leah De Roux lying on the ground. She died after a car traveling east on Manchester Boulevard ran her over. The Los Angeles Police Department believed that Kim Galloway left the crash site after hitting De Roux. Even without a description of the car initially, detectives tracked down Galloway nearly two weeks after the crash. Officers booked the man with vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence. 

CBS 2

$20,000 Reward Offered After Man Gunned Down In Compton

A $20,000 reward is being offered for information after a man was shot to death on a sidewalk in Compton. On Dec. 30, 2018, Cymundi Demetrius Bracken, 46, was standing on a sidewalk on the 2000 block of North Parmelee Avenue at around 1:37 a.m. Shots were fired by an unknown suspect, striking Bracken, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. He was transported to the hospital where he later died. The suspected shooter was seen fleeing the area in a dark-colored SUV. A surveillance image of the vehicle was released in hopes someone may recognize the suspects. It’s unclear how many people were inside the SUV at the time. A $20,000 reward is being offered by the L.A. County Board of Supervisors and the Compton City Council for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of the suspects involved. Anyone with information is asked to call the LASD’s Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500.  

KTLA 5

'It's Getting Kind Of Scary': California Sheriff Says Deputy Shortage Is Reaching Dangerous Levels

Merced County Sheriff Vern Warnke said "it's getting kind of scary" regarding the challenges that the sheriff's office is facing with the pressing need for more deputies. "Ringing the alarm," Warnke provided the update on staffing and operations during the Merced County Board of Supervisors meeting in Merced on Tuesday. The sheriff's office is currently 18 deputies short of being fully staffed, with 15 going through a background check phase as part of an application with other law enforcement agencies. But it's not just deputies, Warnke emphasized. The sheriff's office is experiencing staffing challenges affecting areas of the agency from patrol and dispatch to investigations and corrections, the sheriff said. "The state of the sheriff's office," Warnke said, "is dire." Warnke added that the sheriff's office is losing staff to agencies in neighboring counties that can offer law enforcement officers better pay as well as better benefits packages. "We've got people leaving who were absolutely dedicated to wear this brand, because they don't see a light at the end of our tunnel," Warnke said while addressing the board.

Merced Sun-Star

2 Nevada Troopers Hit, Killed On Las Vegas Interstate

Two Nevada State Police troopers were killed after being struck by a driver on an interstate, KSNV reports. The troopers were responding to a motorist who had appeared to be sleeping behind the wheel on the side of Interstate 15 early Thursday morning. Moments later, a vehicle struck the two troopers. One trooper died at the scene and another was taken to a hospital, where he died from his injuries. During a press conference, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said the collision was initially a hit-and-run. Officers were able to locate the vehicle unoccupied at an apartment complex. The suspect was later located and taken into custody. A procession was held as both troopers were transported to the coroner's office in Las Vegas. "I'm profoundly saddened by the deaths of two of our brave Nevada State troopers, who were killed early this morning in Las Vegas," Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo said in a statement. "This is a devastating loss for Nevada law enforcement, the city of Las Vegas and our entire state. As we mourn these troopers, we will never forget their bravery, courage and sacrifice."

PoliceOne

Colorado Officer Killed After Suspect Opens Fire During Traffic Stop

An officer and a suspect have both been killed after one suspect shot the officer during a traffic stop, KOAT reported. Sergeant Michael Moran stopped a vehicle on Nov. 28. Shots were fired from the vehicle, which then drove away. Moran was wounded and later succumbed to his injuries, according to the report. The two suspects inside the vehicle exchanged gunfire with other responding officers. One suspect was killed by officers, and the other was taken into custody. Sergeant Moran was a Marine Corps veteran and had served the Cortez Police Department for 11 years, according to the Officer Down Memorial Page. He is survived by his two daughters.

PoliceOne

Firefighters Fall From 2nd Floor Battling Blaze In Downtown Los Angeles Area

Two firefighters are OK after falling through the second floor of a two-story office building that erupted in flames in the Echo Park neighborhood of Los Angeles Friday morning. Crews responded to a fire burning outside the structure in the 1000 block of West Sunset Boulevard around 1 a.m. The flames eventually extended into the building, believed to house medical offices, and traveled to the second floor, the Los Angeles Fire Department stated in a news alert. “There was a partial floor collapse on the 2nd floor which impacted two firefighters,” the Fire Department posted. The firefighters were not injured but were taken to a local hospital as a precaution, LAFD Assistant Chief Steve Hissong said. Nearly 70 firefighters continued to battle the blaze aggressively and extinguished the fire in just under an hour, the fire department stated. Arson investigators were sent to the scene.

KTLA 5

CDC: Don’t Eat Pre-Cut Cantaloupe From Unknown Source Amid Deadly Salmonella Outbreak

Consumers shouldn’t eat pre-cut cantaloupe if they don’t know the source, U.S. health officials said Thursday, as the number of illnesses and recalls tied to a deadly salmonella outbreak grows. At least 117 people in 34 U.S. states have been sickened by contaminated cantaloupe, including 61 who were hospitalized and two who died, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Another 63 illnesses, 17 hospitalizations and one death tied to the same outbreak have been reported in Canada. The illnesses are severe, with more than half of infected people hospitalized, including residents of long-term care centers and children in day care, the CDC said. Previous recalls of whole and pre-cut cantaloupes have been expanded to include Kwik Trip markets, Bix Produce and distributor GHGA, which sent recalled products to Kroger, Sprouts Farmer’s Markets and Trader Joe’s stores in several states, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

KTLA 5

Mayor Bass Implements Stricter Ethics Rules For Los Angeles City Hall Staff

Staff working in the mayor's office will be expected to abide by new, stricter ethics rules, Mayor Karen Bass announced Thursday. "We must move to restore trust and faith in City Hall and ensure that City Hall is working for the people of Los Angeles," Bass said in a statement. "These reforms are a good step towards those goals." In a memo released Thursday, the mayor's office outlined policy and processes to guide her staff and help identify and avoid conflicts of interest from engaging in pursuits outside of city duties, which are called "Outside Activities.” According to the mayor's office, outside activities are any non- mayor's office employment, outside income, honoraria and volunteer work. Mayor's staff must obtain written approval, using the proper form, before participating in an outside activity -- and the policy will apply even if the staff member is not receiving monetary compensation. Public servants identified in the city's Conflict of Interest Code are required to submit a Form 700 or a Statement of Economic Interest to disclose any monetary or non-monetary gifts to ensure transparency and accountability.

Westside Current

LA City Council To Expand? Not Yet!

While two motions passed a City Council committee Thursday aimed at supporting efforts for governance reform, council members punted proposals for expanding council districts to another day. The Ad Hoc Committee City Governance Reform Committee agreed to hold the issue of council expansion until their next meeting, sometime in January. Some of the council members even pondered holding off on council expansion until after the November 2024 election and passing on the responsibility to another city body. In the meantime, the seven-member committee requested the Office of the Chief Legislative Analyst to prepare a report back addressing the many questions they had on the impacts council expansion will have on the city. “We still have a lot of work to do in resolving some of those questions that you have all raised that I don’t know that we can get clear answers in time to make if for the November ballot,” said Council President Paul Krekorian, who chairs the ad hoc committee. The committee is considering expanding the number of council districts from the current 15 to anywhere between 17 and 32 — as advised by leading academics, community groups and other best practices across the nation.

MyNewsLA

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.