LAPD Chief Michel Moore To Step Down At End Of February

The Los Angeles police chief announced his retirement from the head of one of the nation’s largest law enforcement agencies Friday. Chief Michel Moore is stepping down in February but will remain on as a consultant for an undetermined amount of time. “During my tenure, I know I’ve made mistakes and missteps,” Moore said during a news conference with Mayor Karen Bass. “But I’m also confident that my work has seen success across a broad spectrum of topics, unmatched by any other law enforcement agency in this country.” The Board of Police Commissioners will appoint an interim chief ahead of a nationwide search. The next leader will be charged with overseeing security during the 2028 Olympics. Moore became the city’s top police officer in 2018. Although he was reappointed last year for a second five-year term as chief and repeatedly said he did not plan to serve the full five years, the news of his retirement was unexpected. The press conference advisory from the mayor’s office, released 45 minutes before it began Friday afternoon, did not even list a topic. Choking up, Moore said he and his wife plan to move closer to their out-of-state daughter. He called it a “distinct honor and privilege to have served for more than four decades on the finest police department in the world and for the last five-and-a-half years as chief.” The Los Angeles Police Protective League, the union that represents rank-and-file officers, praised Moore’s “open-door policy that allowed the LAPPL to deliver the perspective of the rank and file on various issues.” “Although we did not always agree, we had a respectful and productive relationship,” the league’s board of directors said in a statement. They urged the selection of a new chief who is “committed to rebuilding the ranks of the department, reducing violent crime, and improving morale.”

Associated Press

Suspect Arrested In Shooting Death Of Ex-Girlfriend's Puppy

A 32-year-old man was arrested early Monday in the shooting death of a puppy after an argument with the dog's owner, Los Angeles police said. The suspect is accused of holding a pillow over the 4-month-old puppy, placing a gun to the pillow, then shooting the dog, police said. Police took the dog to an animal shelter, where it died after the Jan. 2 shooting. The dog owner was identified in a Jan. 8 criminal complaint as the suspect's ex-girlfriend. Two spent 9mm caliber shell casings were recovered from the crime scene, the complaint said. Police identified the suspect as 32-year-old David Sumlin. He was arrested at about midnight Monday and being held on $50,000 bond. Details about what led to the arrest were not available. In a news release with a photo of the suspect, police said he told the dog owner, "It's either you or the dog," before firing two rounds into the pillow. It was not immediately clear whether Sumlin has an attorney who could speak on his behalf. Jail records did not indicate an initial court date.

NBC 4

Pacoima Pedestrian Dies After Being Struck By 3 Cars. None Of Them Stopped

Police are searching for the drivers of three vehicles who failed to stop after striking — one after another — a pedestrian in Pacoima late Friday night. At around 11:45 p.m., a man was crossing mid-block on San Fernando Road south of Montague Street in the San Fernando Valley community when he was struck by a wrong-way driver, the Los Angeles Police Department said. The light-colored pickup truck was traveling northbound in southbound lanes. The man, described as Latino and in his late 20s or early 30s, fell to the ground and was trying to get back up when he was hit by a second car, a light-colored full-size SUV, in the northbound lane. “The force of the second collision threw the pedestrian onto southbound lanes, where he was run over by a third vehicle,” the LAPD said in a news release. That car was described as a dark-colored midsize SUV. All three drivers failed to stop, render aid and remain at the scene, which is required by law, police said. The pedestrian was pronounced dead at the scene. His name was withheld pending identification and notification of next of kin by the Los Angeles County coroner’s office. As of Sunday evening, no suspects had been taken into custody, according to LAPD Officer Tony Im, and the drivers remained at large. The city is offering a reward of up to $50,000 for anyone who provides information leading to the arrest of the drivers.

Los Angeles Times

2 Pedestrians Struck, 1 Fatally, By Hit-and-Run Driver In Westmont Area

Two pedestrians were struck, one fatally, by a hit-and run driver in the Westmont area of Los Angeles. The incident happened around 11:30 p.m. Sunday at 94th Street and Vermont Avenue, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. The victims were walking in a marked crosswalk when they were struck by a silver 2023 Kia Sorento, police said. A woman was pronounced dead at the scene and an adult man was taken to the hospital in critical condition. Neither of the victims have been identified. The driver fled the scene and abandoned the vehicle a few blocks away near the intersection of Vermont Avenue and 90th Street. That driver is believed to have fled on foot in an unknown direction. Police say they were speeding and did not stop after hitting the victims. The crash remains under investigation. A reward of up to $50,000 is being offered to anyone that can provide information leading to a hit-and-run suspect's identification, arrest and conviction. Anyone with information regarding this investigation is urged to call LAPD's South Traffic Division Detective Flannery or Detective Moreno at (323) 421-2500. 

ABC 7

1 Shot At Alameda Swap Meet In LA's Central-Alameda Area

One person was injured in a shooting Monday at the Alameda Swap Meet in Los Angeles' Central-Alameda area. The shooting was reported at about 1:30 p.m. in the 4500 block of South Alameda Street south of downtown Los Angeles. Details about the injured victim's condition were not immediately available. No arrests were reported early Monday afternoon. Details about where the shooting occurred at the outdoor market with food and shopping vendors were not immediately available. At about the same time, authorities responded to the scene of a crash involving at least two cars about a mile west of the market at 43rd Street and Hooper Avenue. One of the cars appeared to have shattered driver's side windows and a bullet hole in a rear window. It was not immediately clear whether the two scenes are connected.

NBC 4

One Homeless Man Stabs Another In Sawtelle District

A homeless man was slashed Saturday by a fellow homeless man under a freeway overpass in the Sawtelle District. The attack happened around 8:45 p.m. Saturday on Pico Boulevard, just east of Sawtelle Boulevard, under the Santa Monica (10) Freeway overpass, according to Los Angeles police. Tents had been set up underneath the overpass, where the victim was located. The victim was expected to survive, it was unclear if he required hospitalization. The assailant was not immediately located, police said. A motive for the attack was not immediately known. 

Westside Current

Christmas Tree Burns As People Light Fireworks During Downtown LA Street Takeover

A street takeover right by Crypto.com Arena with a fiery twist halted traffic in Downtown Los Angeles early Sunday morning. "I heard tires screeching and everything, so I woke up," witness Samuel Grozdic said. "I looked out my window and saw the fireworks right outside my window." The Grozdic family were visiting from Chicago and fast asleep in their hotel room when the chaos outside began at about 12:30 a.m. Video showed a group of cars doing donuts around a fire and fireworks exploding in the air. It lasted about 20 minutes as concertgoers were still tailing out of Crypto.com Arena. The Los Angeles Police Department responded to the scene but officers were stuck behind the long line of traffic. The Chicago family was shocked to see something that has become a common occurrence in Southern California. KCAL News reached out to the LAPD for more information. Officers said they were waiting to get details from detectives, but there were no reports of any serious injuries or arrests. 

CBS 2

Retail Crime Task Force Recovers $300,000 In Stolen Goods

In a major crackdown on retail theft, the Organized Retail Crime Task Force (ORCTF), comprising detectives from Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, Burbank, Torrance, and Glendale Police Departments, targeted a business suspected of selling stolen merchandise. The Task Force executed a search warrant on January 9, 2024, in the 400 block of West 7th Street in Downtown Los Angeles. During the operation, authorities seized over $23,000 in US currency, a firearm, and hundreds of high-value items. The haul included luxury eyewear and clothing, jewelry, and designer bags, collectively valued at an estimated $300,000. Detectives are collaborating with retailers to identify and return the recovered property to its rightful owners. The ORCTF's ongoing investigation focuses not only on individuals who commit retail theft but also on those who acquire and resell these stolen goods to consumers. The ORCTF says it plans to continue its efforts across the Los Angeles county region, aiming to disrupt and arrest retail thieves and those trafficking in stolen goods. 

Westside Current

Murder Charges Filed Against Third Defendant In Slaying Of Oakland Police Officer

Alameda County prosecutors have filed murder charges against a third defendant in connection with the fatal shooting of an Oakland police officer, who was killed last month while responding to a report of a burglary, according to the district attorney’s office. On Friday, prosecutors filed murder charges against Marquise Cooper, 34, in the killing of Officer Tuan Le, 36, officials said. Cooper is being held without bail and is scheduled to have an initial court appearance on Tuesday, jail records show. Earlier this month, prosecutors announced that they had filed murder charges against Mark Demetrious Sanders, 27, and Allen Starr Brown, 28, for their roles in the killing. A fourth defendant, Sebron Ray Russell, 28, was charged with burglary, according to a statement from Alameda County Dist. Atty. Pamela Price. “I will leverage the full weight of my office against these people who we believe ruthlessly and wantonly murdered an officer,” Price said. Le, an undercover officer, was shot and killed inside an unmarked police vehicle while responding to a report of a burglary on the morning of Dec. 29, police said. Oakland Police Officers Assn. President Barry Donelan has described the killing as an ambush, saying that Le and the officer with him, who suffered minor injuries, “were taken entirely by surprise” and “never had an opportunity to draw their service weapons.”

Los Angeles Times

Convicted Murderer Of Alabama Officer Sentenced To Death

A Madison County judge this morning sentenced a man to death for killing a Huntsville police officer in 2019. Last November, a jury recommended death for LaJeromeny Brown by a vote of 10-2. Brown admitted to shooting and killing Billy Clardy III on Dec. 6, 2019, during an undercover drug operation in north Huntsville. WAAY reported the sentence Friday morning. A jury found him guilty of capital murder in October. Brown, a Chattanooga man, was in Huntsville that day to sell 100 pounds of marijuana. The drug task force set up the operation at an abandoned north Huntsville house on Levert Street. Brown shot and killed Clardy as the officer moved in to take Brown into custody from a hidden position in the house. Brown immediately fled the scene and other task force officers captured him after a brief foot chase about a block from the house. Brown contended during testimony that he did not realize Clardy was a police officer. Clardy’s father, Billy Clardy Jr., died while on duty as a Huntsville police officer in a car accident in 1978.

PoliceOne

Video: Florida Deputies, Firefighters Rescue Woman, Child From Sinking Car

Three people were pulled to safety in an intense rescue after a wreck that sent their vehicle off the road and into a flooded ditch, Florida deputies said. On Jan. 5, two adults and a small child, whose ages were not released, were involved in a car accident that caused their vehicle to slide down into a ditch filled with water near Palm Coast, according to a Jan. 10 Facebook post from the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office. “When deputies arrived, they found a dazed and bleeding male outside of the vehicle and noticed that an adult female and small child in a car seat were still trapped inside the vehicle just above water,” deputies said in the post. The next few minutes were crucial. The sheriff’s office shared body camera footage of the rescue on Facebook. Two deputies rush to the vehicle that was teetering on its side in the ditch, airbags deployed and windows closed, the video shows. They yell out to the woman and child inside. The deputies hear voices from inside the vehicle and use their lights to look inside. The woman was bleeding badly, one deputy is heard saying into her radio, and both her head and the child’s are barely above the water as it creeps into the vehicle.

Charlotte Observer

Firefighters Extinguish Residential Fire In Mar Vista

A fire at a three-story apartment building in Mar Vista was quickly knocked down Monday evening, and one woman at the scene was hospitalized for smoke exposure, authorities said. The fire was reported around 7:30 p.m. at 3726 S. Sawtelle Blvd., according to the Los Angeles Fire Department, which sent 20 firefighters to the scene, who were aided by personnel from the neighboring Culver City Fire Department. They encountered flames burning in one unit of the building, which had two floors of residential units over a ground-floor parking area. The flames wee extinguished in 11 minutes, according to the LAFD. A woman in the apartment involved with fire was taken to a hospital by LAFD paramedics in fair condition following her exposure to “copious smoke from the fire,” the department said. No other injuries were reported. The cause of the fire was under investigation.

MyNewsLA

COVID, Flu, RSV Cases On The Rise Across L.A. County As Holiday Season Ends 

Public health officials are advising Los Angeles County residents of a spike in sicknesses as the holiday season comes to a close. Those who gathered for the holidays and then traveled back are said to be the main spreaders, and while a rise in COVID-19 cases is typical, this year’s uptick also coincides with a rise in flu and RSV cases. According to the L.A. County Department of Public Health, coronavirus hospitalizations surpassed 800 per day on Jan. 2, with the highest number of cases coming around Christmas. As of Thursday, just under four people die due to COVID per day in L.A. County, health officials said. Cases of the flu also rose as the new year began, according to a health department release. An average of 425 influenza-positive patients in the hospital per day was reported for the week ending on Dec. 30, a slight decline from the previous week but still nearly double the levels seen a month ago. “Although the decline in the most recent week is an encouraging sign, it is still too soon to tell if flu activity has peaked for this season,” public health officials said. 

KTLA 5

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.