Gunman Hijacks L.A. Metro Bus With Hostages; Wild Chase Ends With 1 Killed

A gunman hijacked a Metro bus and led Los Angeles police on a wild chase that ended with one passenger dead in downtown L.A. early Wednesday, according to police. For more than an hour, a cavalry of officers in police SUVs followed the bus as it slowly made its way from Vermont Knolls in South Los Angeles north into downtown, where it ultimately came to a stop after police used spike strips on the tires and surrounded it with a SWAT team after 2 a.m. “This operator continued to operate the bus in as safe a manner as he could under the circumstances, with the police trailing him for an hour before the spike strips finally took effect,” said Deputy Chief Donald Graham with the LAPD’s Transit Services Division during a news conference. Video from the incident showed a series of small explosions around the bus stopped near Alameda and 6th streets then police storming inside with shields. A passenger escaped through a window as police stormed the bus while video showed the bus driver climbing out of a window and running to safety behind an armored vehicle while officers move in. The chase began near South Figueroa Street and Manchester Avenue about 12:45 after police received 911 calls related to the bus, LAPD Officer Rosario Cervantes said. Police said the suspect got on the bus, argued with the driver and shot a passenger as others on the bus ran out.

Los Angeles Times

LAPD Concerned More Teens May Be Victims Of School Counselor Accused Of Sexual Assault

The Los Angeles Police Department is seeking other potential victims of a high school guidance counselor who was arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a student in West Los Angeles. Julie Tichon, 37, was arrested in August after she was accused of sexually assaulting a 16-year-old boy from February to March of this year. She was a former guidance counselor at Yula High School, where she met the victim, according to police. Authorities said they believe the assaults happened off campus. Tichon is facing charges that include three counts of unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor and one count of oral copulation of a person under 18. Detectives learned of the accusations after the boy told his parents of the alleged assaults. His parents then reported the teacher to Yula High School and to law enforcement. “One of the biggest problems we have with juvenile cases, is often kids don’t realize they’ve been victims of crimes until years afterward,” said LAPD Detective Supervisor Brent Hopkins. “Either they didn’t know it was wrong or once they do, they feel some troubles about coming forward.” Tichon, who worked at the school for four years, is no longer working there according to officials. If convicted, she could face five years in prison. She’s due back in court on Nov. 1.

NBC 4

LAPD Searching For Armed Robbery Suspect In Venice

Los Angeles police are actively searching for a suspect involved in an attempted armed robbery in Venice. The incident occurred Tuesday around 6:09 p.m. on the 1100 block of Abbot Kinney Boulevard. The suspect, described as a man between 45 and 50 years old, was last seen fleeing westbound on Westminster Avenue. He was wearing a black beanie, glasses, a beige jacket, and black clothing. Police say the suspect used an unknown type of handgun. There is not further information at this time. 

Westside Current

Girl, 14, Missing For 2 Weeks May Be With 41-Year-Old Man: Los Angeles Police

Police are once again reaching out to the public for help in their search for a 14-year-old girl who disappeared in Wilmington earlier this month. Adriana Sarah Gonzalez-Rugama was last seen on Sept. 7 near the 1300 block of Figueroa Place. “It is believed that Adriana may be with a 41-year-old male, either in Los Angeles or the Dallas, Texas area,” the Los Angeles Police Department stated in a news release first issued on Sept. 12 but redistributed Tuesday. Gonzalez-Rugama’s mother reported the teen missing after it was discovered she had packed her belongings and left her residence, police said. Gonzalez-Rugama was described as having brown hair, which may have been dyed red, and brown eyes. She weighs about 136 pounds and stands 5 feet 1 inch tall. The teen, who is new to the Wilmington area and city of Los Angeles, was last seen wearing a pink top, blue jeans and white shoes. Anyone with information regarding Gonzalez-Rugama’s whereabouts was asked to call detectives at 310-726-7941. Those who wish to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477.

KTLA 5

Man Convicted Of Murdering 3 People, Injuring 2 In Gardena And Lynwood Shootings

A jury found a man guilty of murdering three people and injuring two others in a series of shootings in Gardena and Lynwood, prosecutors said Tuesday. Selvin Fabian Salazar was convicted of three counts of murder and two counts of attempted murder in connection with the 2018 shootings, in which he shot and wounded his pregnant ex-girlfriend as one of the five victims, authorities said. He has also been convicted of felony charges of intimidation of a witness, carjacking and possession of a firearm by a felon along with special allegations of multiple murders and a sentencing enhancement of use of force, according to the LA County District Attorney's Office. The guilty verdict was delivered Thursday and Salazar is scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 23 in the Torrance Courthouse. Prosecutors said he is expected to be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. On July 31, 2018, Salazar opened fire at a mobile home park in Gardena, shooting and killing 28-year-old Dolores Sanchez as she sat in the driver's seat of a vehicle. He also shot and wounded his pregnant ex-girlfriend and Saith Pedraza, a passenger in the vehicle. Pedraza died from his wounds two years later.

CBS 2

AI-Generated Child Porn In CA: A Look At The 3 Laws Cracking Down On Sexually Explicit Deepfakes

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed three bills aimed at protecting Californians from sexually explicit AI photos that are used and created without permission and shared on social media. SB 926 and SB 981, which were both authored by Senator Aisha Wahab, will stop online predators and expand the revenge porn law to include identity theft. "Identity theft is often associated to fraud," explained Wahab. "There are some laws in place for credit card theft and financial violations of innocent people, but we need to move forward with 21st century crimes." According to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office, SB 926 criminalizes the distribution of AI-generated sexually explicit images with the intent to cause serious emotional distress to the person depicted in the image. Last year, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children's Cybertipline received more than 36.2 million reports of suspected child sexual exploitation online. The Organization for Social Media Safety, a nonprofit, has been a champion for legislation like this for years. "We have seen pornographic deepfakes target particularly women business owners, women in child custody battles, and now young women in high school and middle schools," said Organization for Social Media Safety CEO Marc Berkman. "It has a real psychological impact on the target of these videos, which is incredibly concerning. There is potential reputational damage."

ABC 7

‘He Was A Fighter': Retired NYPD Sergeant Dies From 9/11 Related Illness

Robert S. Fawcett, 64, a retired sergeant and detective with the New York Police Department, died after a long fight with 9/11-related illnesses. “He was a fighter through all that,” his son Daniel Fawcett said. “He was. He always maintained his composure, despite me losing my mind.” After growing up on Lyon Place in Westerleigh, Robert —or Bob, as he was known to many — graduated Port Richmond High School before completing his Bachelor’s degree at Wagner College. In 1986, Robert followed in his father’s footsteps and joined the NYPD as part of the 62nd Precinct in southwestern Brooklyn. During his 21-year NYPD career, Robert earned promotions to sergeant and homicide detective. “I don’t think I saw him for three days after 9/11,” his son Daniel recalled. “After that, they opened up the landfill and he was one of the first people up there. He stayed at the landfill for as long as it lasted.” After his work recovering human remains and personal effects at Fresh Kills, Robert was assigned to the 76th precinct in Brooklyn where he would eventually retire. Beyond his time with the NYPD, Robert found work with Phillips & Jordan, the disaster relief company contracted by New York City to oversee relief and recovery work after 9/11. “I think he was home for three months before he started losing it and decided that he needed to go back to work,” said Daniel Fawcett.

Staten Island Advance

911 Caller Opens Fire On Texas First Responders Causing 3-Hour Standoff

A woman in her 70s who on Tuesday called 911 to report she had been on the ground for several days after a fall warned in a second call that she would shoot anyone who tried to enter her west Fort Worth home, police said. As officers, firefighters and MedStar personnel attempted to get inside, they heard what appeared to be a gunshot from the interior, Fort Worth police said. Police for about three hours negotiated with the woman at the house in the 2700 block of Brea Canyon Road before the standoff ended. Police believed the woman was suffering from a mental health crisis. No one was harmed, a Fort Worth police spokesperson said. Fire Department and other emergency personnel went about 1:45 p.m. to the house after the woman’s request for medical attention. The authorities withdrew after the apparent gunshot and established a perimeter. Officers assigned to a SWAT team were at the scene.

Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Patient Hoisted After Being Injured In San Pedro’s ‘Sunken City’ Area

Search and rescue crews hoisted a man who was found injured at the bottom of San Pedro’s “Sunken City” area Tuesday night. Los Angeles firefighters found a man and a woman at the scene when they were called to an area near Shepard Street and South Carolina Street to help two patients shortly before midnight. One of the patients, who was able to walk, was evaluated by personnel at the scene and released, the Fire Department said. The second patient was found on the side of the cliff and in need of assistance but an Air Operations crew could not help due to weather conditions and poor visibility. “Firefighters and Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) on the ground performed a land-based technical rope rescue to raise 1 patient at base of rocky area known as Sunken City,” the Fire Department stated. The man who required the rope rescue was taken to a local trauma center in unknown condition.

KTLA 5

Fire Extinguished At Three-Story Building In Van Nuys

Firefighters knocked down a fire at a three-story building, the site of a Motel 6 near Bishop Alemany High School, Wednesday in Van Nuys. Fire crews were called at 1:11 a.m. to 6909 N. Sepulveda Blvd. near Lemay Street, where they found flames coming from one unit on the building’s third floor and were able to prevent them from spreading to other units, said Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Mark McLean. It took 38 firefighters 23 minutes to extinguish the blaze. No injuries were reported.

MyNewsLA

LA County Moves Forward With Plan For Year-Round Emergency Homeless Shelters

A proposal to develop year-round emergency homeless shelters operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week moved forward Tuesday with approval by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. Under a motion by Supervisors Kathryn Barger and Lindsey Horvath, the board directed the county CEO to report back with a strategy to establish eight round-the-clock shelters, one in each of the county's Service Planning Areas. Barger and Horvath stressed in the motion the importance of providing shelter and emergency care to unhoused individuals during an ongoing climate crisis. "The vision is straightforward: keep those who are most vulnerable safe from the extreme weather that is battering Los Angeles County year-round," Barger in a statement following the vote. "This is another step to enhance our emergency sheltering capabilities to help those in need find a safe place that offers relief." The motion cited the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority's 2024 Point in Time Count, noting there are more than 75,000 people experiencing homelessness in the county, with 52,365 unsheltered, and 22,947 sheltered individuals. The emergency shelters are expected to provide "core support" for homeless people, including three meals a day, showers, bathrooms, clothes and other basic needs, according to Barger's office.

NBC 4

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.