Suspect arrested after woman found shot to death in South Los Angeles

A suspect was arrested after a woman was found shot to death in South Los Angeles. The suspect was identified as Bryan Blackmon, 29, from Hawthorne, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. On March 19, police responded to reports of a victim down in the 5800 block of South Hoover Street in the Vermont-Slauson neighborhood at around 8:50 p.m.

KTLA 5

Woman Caught Violently Smashing Windshields Of Parked Cars With Brick In Venice, West LA

A woman was caught on video violently smashing the windshields of several vehicles with a brick for no apparent reason in two Los Angeles neighborhoods, and people are now wondering who she is and why she's doing it. In one incident, the woman was seen smashing the windshield of a Porsche Cayenne. It happened Thursday around 5 p.m. on Bernard Avenue in Venice. You see the woman get out of a newer model, white Volkswagen Tiguan, walk over to the Porsche and throw the brick at the windshield. "You should feel safe to park your car on the street and not have to worry about a crazy lady with a brick," said Katerina Meyer, the victim in this case. After the attack, the woman then picks up the brick and leaves. "Takes it with her and that's what she did in the video before, and I think that actually happened prior to my incident," said Meyer, referring to another similar brick-bashing attack on another vehicle. "So, she was picking it up to put it back in her car so she can make her next run." 

ABC 7

Burglars Target Westchester Neighborhood Homes

A group of concerned neighbors in Westchester are speaking out after a string of violent burglaries and trespassing incidents were reported in the last week. The Los Angeles Police Department says one of those burglaries involved several men wearing ski masks and breaking into a home while the homeowners were inside. Neighbors say -- they don't feel safe to live here. Residents question what else they can do to keep themselves safe after a string of burglaries and trespassing reports. “This has been alarming this week that there have been face-to-face confrontations with harm,” Debra Houston, a neighbor, said. “It's changed the dynamic in the neighborhood where we feel like we have to be on constant alert,” Marisa Peters, a neighbor, said. There have been four incidents since last Monday. LAPD said officers responded to a burglary on Fordham Road where the burglar pepper sprayed the homeowner. In another incident, according to LAPD, three men wearing ski masks broke into a home on 91st while a mother and her child were inside. They stole items and then ran off. LAPD says two incidents of trespassing and a break-in happened as recently as last night. “Many people here are learning how to shoot weapons, buying weapons because of the safety concerns,” Houston said. 

NBC 4

Thief Who Finagled Luxury Hotel Room Keys Admits To Brazen Diamond Necklace Heist

A man accused of talking his way past the front desks of posh Beverly Hills hotels and walking off with suitcases full of jewelry, shoes and designer dresses admitted Tuesday that he stole a guest’s diamond necklace valued at $395,000. Appearing in a federal courtroom in downtown Los Angeles, Jobson Marangoni De Castro pleaded guilty to interstate transportation of stolen property. The tall, slender 38-year-old wore a white jail jumpsuit, his gray hair thinning and his goatee streaked with gray. The victims, identified in an affidavit only as residents of Brazil, traveled to Los Angeles in May 2023 to attend a fashion event, FBI Special Agent Gary Wallace wrote. They packed jewelry and designer clothes inside their six suitcases, along with several AirTag tracking devices. Four days after the couple checked into the Peninsula Beverly Hills, De Castro ate dinner at the bar and charged the bill to the couple’s room, Wallace wrote. It’s unclear why De Castro, a Brazilian citizen with legal residency in the United States, singled out the couple, who told the FBI they didn’t know him, the agent said.

Los Angeles Times

LA City Council Extends Contract For LAPD's High-Ranking Officers

The City Council Tuesday extended its contract with the Los Angeles Police Department's high-ranking officers, which was set to expire June 29. Council members voted 8-to-3 in favor of the contract between the city and the Los Angeles Police Command Officers Association that will cover captains, commanders and deputy chiefs through 2027. There was no discussion prior to the council's action. The terms and conditions will resemble the contract with the LAPD's sworn officers, lieutenants and detectives to "ensure equity in compensation and conditions of employment between subordinates and supervisors," according to a report from the City Administrative Officer. Council members Nithya Raman, Eunisses Hernandez, and Hugo Soto- Martinez voted against the contract. Council members Bob Blumenfield, Kevin de León, Curren Price and Katy Yaroslavsky were absent during the vote. Raman, Hernandez and Soto-Martinez previously voted against pay increases to LAPD officers, citing concerns with the city's budget and priorities.

Westside Current

Man Arrested For Attempting To Start Fire At LAFD Station In Woodland Hills

A man was arrested on Sunday after he allegedly attempted to set a fire outside of a Los Angeles Fire Department station in Woodland Hills. The incident happened at the station located in the 6300 block of Fallbrook Avenue, according to Los Angeles Police Department investigators. They say that they were called to the scene after learning of a trespasser at the station, who was seen trying to use a diesel fuel pump and spray the gasoline onto the building. He was unable to operate the pump, however, as he didn't have the code required. An LAFD captain said that all but one of the members of the station were away at the time of the incident. Police located the suspect about 500 feet away from the station, at a homeless encampment where he is believed to live. There was no further information provided. 

CBS 2

LA County Man Shot, Killed In Front Of His Granddaughter; $30,000 Reward In Search For Suspect

Police in Los Angeles County are asking for the public's help in finding the suspect in the murder of a South Gate grandfather. Back on September 16, 2023, Hector Ascencio Sr. was shot and killed after answering the door of his home in the 2500 block of Glenwood Place, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said. The shooting happened with Ascencio's teen granddaughter witnessing the horrific incident, LASD said. As of April 1, 2024, no arrests have been announced in Ascencio's death. On Monday, Los Angeles County and the City of South Gate both approved a total reward of up to $30,000 for those with information that could lead to the arrest and conviction in connection to Ascencio's death. Anyone with information on the deadly shooting is asked to call 323-890-5500.

FOX 11

Missing Woman Amanda Nenigar Found Dead Near California-Arizona Border: Officials

The search for a woman who had been missing since Feb. 28 ended in tragedy as authorities announced that the body of Amanda Nenigar had been recovered. Late Friday evening, the La Paz County Sheriff's Office in Arizona said in a statement that the 27-year-old was found deceased near the California-Arizona border nearly a month after her reported disappearance. Nenigar was last seen alive on Feb. 28 in Blythe, California, according to county officials. Back on March 12, authorities said that Nenigar's vehicle was located in a remote area of La Paz County south of Cibola. "The family has been notified and issued a statement requesting privacy and thanked the public for their assistance in trying to locate Amanda. We ask that you please respect the family during this time and avoid spreading rumors and assumptions," the sheriff's office said. The circumstances leading up to her death and how she died were not immediately available. "This is still an active investigation and a pending autopsy will determine the cause of death," officials said. 

FOX 11

Las Vegas K-9 Recovering After Being Stabbed By Suspect

A man accused of stabbing a police dog during a standoff in downtown Las Vegas Friday is facing five felony charges, according to court records. Thurman Lowe was booked into the Clark County Detention Center on two counts of assault on a protected person and one count each of attempting to kill a police animal, arson and resisting police while armed, records show. Police said Friday that the 64-year-old suspect, who suffered self-inflicted stab injuries, was hospitalized at University Medical Center in “critical but stable condition.” Lowe also is being held on an out-of-state warrant, according to jail and Las Vegas Justice Court records, which noted that he did not appear in front of a judge Saturday due to his medical state. Officers responded at 1:08 p.m. to a call about a man said to be suicidal at an apartment complex in the 1200 block of Las Vegas Boulevard South, near Charleston Boulevard, the Metropolitan Police Department said. Police said the man, who was armed with a knife, started a fire and barricaded himself in an apartment.

Las Vegas Review-Journal

L.A. County Offers Free Gun Locks In An Effort To Decrease Firearm Violence

Survivors of gun violence gathered at a news conference at the Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center on Tuesday morning to share one message: It is preventable. To that end, Los Angeles County public health officials announced that the county is offering free gun safety locks to residents. Designed for use on unloaded weapons, gun locks cover the trigger and require a key or combination to open. Addressing a small crowd, L.A. County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said, “In Los Angeles County, a child is killed or injured by gun violence every 30 hours.” “In 2022, more than 300 residents in L.A. County died by gun suicide, and 510 residents died after being shot by someone with a gun,” Ferrer said. Ferrer went on to say that too many families have experienced the pain of losing a child, parent or sibling because guns were “readily available in the home, loaded and unlocked.” To reduce the accessibility of guns at home, the county public health department’s Office of Violence Prevention is making 60,000 gun locks free to residents, no questions asked.

Los Angeles Times

LA Council Moves Toward Hiring Private Security At Graffiti-Covered High-Rises In Downtown

The City Council Tuesday updated its policy regarding the abatement of nuisance properties to allow the hiring of private security by the city -- a move prompted by ongoing efforts to secure an abandoned, graffiti-vandalized downtown high-rise. In a 13-0 vote, council members approved technical changes to the city's abatement process related to enforcement of building standards. Specifically, the city wants to hire private security to secure buildings that have become a "present, imminent, extreme, and immediate hazard or danger to life or limb, health and safety," according to the city documents. The update -- which will require property owners to reimburse the city for private security costs -- will need a second vote before it can be implemented. Council members Bob Blumenfield and Katy Yaroslavsky were absent during the vote. Councilman Kevin de León introduced a motion in February that called for private security at Oceanwide Plaza, an unfinished development at 1101 S. Flower Street near Crypto.com Arena. The property has been a "blight" in downtown and in the South Park neighborhood, the councilman has said.

ABC 7

LA City Council To Consider Temporary Halt On Animal Breeding Permits

A Los Angeles City Council committee Wednesday will consider approving a temporary moratorium on breeding permits in an effort to prevent further animals from entering the city's overpopulated shelters. The three-member Neighborhoods and Community Enrichment Committee will consider a draft city law, establishing the moratorium on breeding permits. Previously, city officials have said the moratorium would be lifted once shelters were at or below 75% capacity for three consecutive months, and could be automatically reinstated if shelter capacity rises above 75%. The City Attorney's Office submitted the draft law for consideration mid-March, and it will need approval by the committee and then the full City Council before it can be enacted. Staycee Dains, the head of the city's Animal Department of Animal Services, had previously described the moratorium as a way to "signal to the community clearly that our shelters are not in any position to take in one more animal."

Westside Current

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.