South LA Gang Associate Gets Nine Years In Fatal Shooting Of LAPD Officer

A gang associate was sentenced Monday to nine years in federal prison for what attorneys considered her “minor” role in the robbery and killing of an off-duty Los Angeles Police Department officer who was gunned down while house-hunting with his girlfriend. Haylee Marie Grisham, 21, pleaded guilty last year to one federal count of violent crime in aid of racketeering for participating in the January 2022 fatal robbery of LAPD Officer Fernando Arroyos. Prosecutors and defense attorneys had agreed upon a five-year prison sentence, finding that Grisham — the then-girlfriend of the trigger man in the murder — remained in a vehicle when her three co-defendants, all members of a violent and notorious South Los Angeles street gang, robbed and murdered Arroyos. Arroyos, a three-year member of the LAPD, was accompanied by his girlfriend as they searched for a home to purchase in the area. He sustained a single gunshot wound, ran from the area and collapsed in an alley as the gang members fled the scene. However, U.S. District Judge Percy Anderson determined that Grisham’s participation in the crime called for a stricter penalty than the agreed-upon five years behind bars. “The loss of Officer Arroyos’ life was a profound tragedy,” the judge said before imposing sentence in federal court. “He wanted to live in the community where he worked. He undoubtedly wanted to make a difference.”

MyNewsLA

12 Years In Prison For Man Who Burned Woman To Death In North Hollywood

A man who was arrested on suspicion of murdering his one-time girlfriend Elizabeth by allegedly dousing her with a flammable liquid and setting her on fire in front of horrified motorists in North Hollywood was sentenced Monday to 12 years in prison. Gerardo Contreras, 49, was initially charged with murder for the attack on Aug. 28, 2021, which police and prosecutors said was captured by a security camera on a building nearby, leaving little doubt about what happened. The LA County District Attorney's Office agreed last month to drop the murder charge in exchange for Contreras' no contest pleas to voluntary manslaughter and the use of a flammable or caustic substance in an assault. A no contest plea has the same legal effect as a guilty plea in criminal court. Elizabeth was 54 years old, and her family requested she not be more specifically identified because several young relatives did not know the circumstances of her death. LA Superior Court Judge Gregory A. Dohi addressed the family members who attended Monday's hearing in Van Nuys. "I did the preliminary hearing. I saw the video," Dohi said of the recording of the crime. "I hope that you have some degree of closure, if it's at all possible." Dohi imposed a sentence of 11 years for the manslaughter charge and one additional year for the use of a flammable substance. Contreras was not given credit for the two years he spent in jail prior to the no contest plea.

NBC 4

Operation Online Guardian: Over 200 Arrests Made In Online Child Sex Exploitation

More than 200 arrests were made across Southern California for sexually exploiting children on the internet as a result of a multi-agency law enforcement effort, authorities announced Monday. Through Operation Online Guardian, suspects were arrested for various child sexual exploitation charges, including continuous sexual abuse of a child, lew acts with a child and contact or attempted contact with a minor for sex. The operation involving the Los Angeles Police Department and more than 100 agencies in Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, Ventura and Santa Barbara counties was conducted from Aug. 12 through Aug. 23 as part of the Los Angeles Regional Internet Crimes Against Children (LA ICAC) task force led by the LAPD. “Together we continue to stand strong in the face of predators who seek to sexually exploit children working tirelessly to create a safer environment for all,” Alan Hamilton, the LAPD Chief of Detectives, said in a news conference Monday. The task force reminded parents of internet safety and the importance of keeping an open dialogue with their children. “Parents and caregivers can help protect their children by educating themselves and their children on the dangers of the internet by monitoring your children’s internet usage,” LAPD Capt. Jay Mastick said. “By reporting potential child sexual abuse activity – you’re giving a potential victim a voice.”

NBC 4

Family Mourns Man Killed In Hyde Park By Alleged DUI Driver 1 Day After Retiring

Anthony James worked for 43 years at the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office and was making big plans for his retirement. He hoped to visit Jamaica, where his father was from, and had already gotten his passport ready. His last day at work was Friday, Aug. 30. The next day, James was dead, killed by an alleged drunk driver as he backed out of a friend's driveway on Crenshaw Boulevard in Hyde Park. "We're just devastated," says his sister, Alicia James. LAPD says the woman driving - 23-year-old Viniesha Horsley - is under investigation for speeding and drinking. Alicia says her brother was a happy spirit, the life of the party and a dancer who was looking forward to retirement. "He was so excited about retiring... he wanted to go to Jamaica. My father was from Jamaica and he had never been, so that was a dream of his. He already had his passport ready."

ABC 7

Investigation Underway After Person Found Deceased In Hancock Park 

The Los Angeles Police Department is looking into what led up to a person’s death in Hancock Park late Monday morning. According to an LAPD spokesperson, the call regarding an individual being found dead near the corner of 4th Street and La Brea Avenue came in just before 11:15 a.m. Very little information on the circumstances leading up to the gruesome discovery was available; however, KTLA 5’s Rich Prickett observed from Sky5 that the body appeared to have been found “tucked behind planters” near the sidewalk. Police officers were seen putting up a canopy to cover the body. It was not immediately established whether the person was the victim of a homicide or died of natural causes. No details surrounding the decedent’s identity are known. The sidewalk surrounding the area in which the body was found was blocked off while police began their investigation.

KTLA 5

FBI Offers $20,000 Reward For Information On Deadly Shooting At Compton Pool Party In June

A months-long investigation into a deadly shooting at a pool party in Compton continued on Monday, with federal investigators offering a reward for information that helps them solve the case. The shooting happened on June 7 at around 7:45 p.m. at a home in the 800 block of E. Greenleaf Boulevard, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Circumstances leading up to the shooting still remain unclear, but one person, identified since as 28-year-old Robert Abdelkader III, was killed and several others were wounded. Due to the lack of information on the incident, FBI agents are hopeful that the $20,000 reward being offered will help someone who may know more to come forward with potential leads. Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department officials offered a similar reward in late-June. At the time of the shooting, family members of Abdelkader told KCAL News that their loved one was working at the event as a caterer. He was hosting the party in his family's own backyard. Anyone who knows more is asked to contact FBI's Los Angeles Field Office at (310) 477-6565.

CBS 2

4 California Men Charged For Allegedly Taking Migrants Hostage, Holding Them For Ransom

Four men from Southern California have been charged with federal crimes alleging that they kidnapped migrants from Arizona, transported them to California and then held them for ransom. The men, Miguel Angel Avila, 22, of Hemet; Omar Avila Salmeron, 41, of Los Angeles; Jose Jaime Garcia, 20, of San Jacinto; and Jose Alfredo Moreno Gonzalez, 21, of Oak Hills, were arraigned on federal charges and have all pleaded not guilty. A fifth man, Gabriel Michel Becerra, 22, of Palmdale, is currently a fugitive of law, according to the United States Department of Justice. All five men were federally indicted on counts related to conspiracy, hostage-taking, kidnapping, and transporting undocumented immigrants. Avila, Salmeron, Garcia and Becerra face additional charges for conspiracy and attempted interference of commerce, a violation of the federal law known as the Hobbs Act. According to the July 30 indictment, on March 21, 2023, Avila instructed Moreno to drive to a gas station in Chandler, Arizona, where he allegedly kidnapped four migrants and drove them to a restaurant in Burbank. Avila, Garcia and Becerra then held the four migrants hostage in a house and contacted their loved ones with the victims’ phones and demanded ransom money in exchange for their safe release.

KTLA 5

California Woman Behind ‘Terrorgram Collective’ Indicted For Urging Extremist Violence

A California woman and an Idaho man accused of leading a terrorist group known as the “Terrorgram Collective” have been charged with soliciting their followers to assassinate government officials and commit hate crimes, federal prosecutors said Monday. Utilizing the digital messaging app Telegram, Dallas Humber, 34, of Elk Grove, Calif., and Matthew Allison, 37, of Boise, Idaho, allegedly created and circulated several “Terrorgram” videos and publications providing specific advice for carrying out crimes, celebrating white supremacist attacks and providing a hit list of assassination targets, according to a 37-page indictment filed by the U.S Attorney’s office in Sacramento. Among those on the terror group’s alleged target list were U.S. federal, state and local officials — including a state senator, a district court judge and a former U.S. attorney — along with leaders of private companies and nongovernmental organizations. Prosecutors say they were targeted because of race, religion, national origin, sexual orientation or gender identity. Each target received a “list card” with their name, home address and photograph, according to the indictment.

Los Angeles Times

L.A. County Health Dept. Confirms Case Of Locally Acquired Dengue 

The Los Angeles County Public Health Department has confirmed a case of locally acquired dengue from a resident who has no history of travel to areas where dengue fever is endemic. According to a release from the health department issued Monday, the infected person resides in Baldwin Park. Dengue fever, which is transmitted primarily through the bite of infected Aedes mosquitoes, can cause flu-like symptoms which include: High fever; Severe headache; Pain behind eyes; Joint and muscle pain; Rash; Mild bleeding; and Nausea or vomiting. In severe cases, it may lead to dengue hemorrhagic fever or dengue shock syndrome, both of which require immediate medical attention, health officials warned. Public Health is working with local vector control agencies and their field teams to provide door-to-door information on dengue risk and mosquito bite prevention and control.  

KTLA 5

Council Set To Vote On Higher Sewer Service Rates

The City Council Tuesday will consider implementing new rates for sewer services with a 22% increase starting in October, followed by smaller and subsequent fee hikes through 2028. The council voted 11-3 on Aug. 30 to give preliminary approval for an ordinance that would establish a new rate schedule for sewer services, which officials say is needed to maintain operations and improve aging infrastructure. To effectuate the new rates, the ordinance requires a second vote and must also be approved by Mayor Karen Bass. Prior to this proposal, the city had not raised sewer rates since 2020 due to the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic on Los Angeles residents. Council members Monica Rodriguez, Kevin de León and Heather Hutt, who voted against the increase, raised concerns about how property owners could afford the new rates. Council President Paul Krekorian noted that there’s “never a good time to vote for an increase on any fees,” but urged his colleagues to do so.

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.