Los Angeles is Living the BLM Dream: Inside George Gascon’s Dystopia (mini-documntary)

A mini-documentary to assess the impact of Gascon's so called "reforms" of the criminal justice system.

Gascon Mini Documentary

LAPD Officers, Photographer Honored For Saving Teens From Fiery Crash In Encino

Los Angeles police officers and a photographer were honored this week for rescuing two teenagers from a wrecked car engulfed in flames. In February, a 14-year-old driver and an 18-year-old passenger were pulled from the vehicle after it crashed into a utility pole in Encino. A 16-year-old passenger died in the crash. The Los Angeles Fire Department honored the LAPD officers who helped, as well as the photographer who captured the scene before jumping in to assist. The five responders received a standing ovation and praise. The crash happened just before midnight on Feb. 20 at Ventura and Balboa boulevards. Police were initially trying to make a traffic stop after noticing a Toyota Camry driving without its headlights on. Video previously released shows officers trying to extinguish the flames that enveloped the vehicle and trying to smash the windows to get the rear passenger out. Each responder received a certificate for their heroic actions.

ABC 7

1 Arrested After Deadly Family Dispute In South Los Angeles

A suspect was arrested following a deadly family dispute in South Los Angeles early Tuesday morning, police said. According to a Los Angeles Police Department spokesperson, officers were dispatched to the 2800 block of West Florence Avenue in Hyde Park at 6:15 a.m. on calls of an assault with a deadly weapon. The suspect was originally threatening to shoot the victims before opening fire on them as they were running away, the spokesperson said. One of the victims, only described as a man in his 30s, was pronounced dead at the corner of West Florence and 5th Avenue. The other victim, a female in her early 40s, was found on the 2700 block of 73rd Street suffering from a gunshot wound. She was transported to a hospital in serious condition, said Cpt. Jamie Bennett of the LAPD’s South Bureau Homicide Division. 

KTLA 5

Doctor Set To Plead Guilty In Death Of ‘Friends’ Star Matthew Perry

Mark Chavez, one of the two doctors charged in connection with the death of "Friends" actor Matthew Perry, is scheduled to plead guilty Wednesday to conspiring to distribute ketamine. Chavez, 54, of San Diego, is the third of five defendants in the case to sign a plea deal with prosecutors. He made an initial appearance in Los Angeles federal court last month. During that hearing, U.S. Magistrate Judge Jean Rosenbluth ordered him released on $50,000 bond. She also ordered Chavez -- who earlier this week, at a separate administrative hearing, agreed to surrender his California medical license -- not to practice medicine. Chavez, who remains free on $50,000 bond, could potentially face up to 10 years in federal prison, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. A sentencing date will be scheduled during Wednesday's hearing. Perry was found dead in October in a hot tub behind his Pacific Palisades home.

Westside Current

Parents Turn In Teens Tied To Flash Mob Robberies At LA Convenience Stores

The LAPD said Tuesday that the parents of three teenagers who were allegedly shown in security video from recent flash mob-style robberies at convenience stores had brought their children to police stations so they could be arrested. The teens were booked on suspicion of robbery at the Northeast, 77th, and Southwest stations, and Assistant Chief Blake Chow said the surrenders were a direct result of the department last week publicizing the images from a number of the thefts. "We're still taking tips in, and hopefully we'll get more information regarding the individuals who are engaging in the flash mob," Chow told the Board of Police Commissioners. The teens were released while the evidence is evaluated by prosecutors, he said. "It's interesting to hear that parents themselves were active in getting their children to be held accountable for those and to face consequences," said Commissioner Rasha Gerges Shields, who is vice-president of the panel. At least 14 different 7-Eleven stores in LA have targeted since July by organized mobs of thieves, who often arrive on bicycles and overwhelm store employees while stealing food and other items, and destroying shelves, appliances, and fixtures. The LAPD last week shared photos and video clips from some of the robberies in the hope of identifying the participants.

NBC 4

Two Arrested In Connection With Over 30 Break-Ins Across SoCal

Two people were arrested in connection with a series of commercial burglaries across Southern California. Marvin Tyrone Denson, 21, and Justice Clayton, 23, are accused of breaking into over 30 businesses in San Bernardino, Los Angeles, and Riverside counties. On September 1, around 5:30 a.m., deputies in Fontana were investigating a burglary of a business in the 11300 block of Cedar Avenue in Bloomington. The suspects forced their way inside by shattering the front glass door and forcing open the metal security screen. According to the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Office, the suspects stole lottery tickets, alcohol, and cigarettes, then fled in a dark gray Tesla before deputies arrived. Following that break-in, Fontana Station deputies responded to at least two other burglaries in Bloomington involving the same suspects and vehicle. During the burglary series, the suspects stole large quantities of lottery tickets, high-end alcohol, cash, ATM machines, and cash registers.

FOX 11

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Faces Sexual Abuse, Exploitation Allegations From 120 People, Including Minors

More than 100 people, including some who were minors at the time, are planning to file lawsuits against Sean “Diddy” Combs alleging that the founder of Bad Boy Entertainment and others sexually abused and exploited them. The impending lawsuits, announced Tuesday in Houston, would be the latest in a wave of legal filings against the disgraced 54-year-old hip-hop mogul since federal prosecutors in New York unsealed an indictment in September that charged Combs with sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution. He has pleaded not guilty and denied any wrongdoing. “This is the beginning of what I hope to be a national dialogue,” attorney Tony Buzbee said at a news conference Tuesday. “This type of sexual assault, sexual abuse and sexual exploitation should never happen in the United States or anywhere else. This should have never been allowed to go on for so long. This conduct has created a mass of individuals who are injured, scared and scarred.” Buzbee said his firm expects to file cases on behalf of 120 people, an equal number of men and women, who allege they were exploited. Buzbee said other alleged perpetrators who will eventually be named in the suits “will shock you.” “They already know who they are,” he said. “And I’m talking here about not just the cowardly but complicit bystanders ... that we know watched this behavior occur and did nothing. I’m talking about the people that participated, encouraged it.”

Los Angeles Times

Texas Deputy Constable Killed In Crash With Suspected Distracted, DUI Driver

A Cameron County Precinct 1 deputy constable has died after a two-vehicle crash with a suspected distracted driver, Valley Central reported. Deputy Constable Ruben Garcia died on Sept. 30, the Texas Department of Public Safety confirmed. According to DPS, Garcia was in his patrol vehicle, preparing to leave after assisting DPS officers with a separate crash, when his vehicle was rear-ended by another vehicle. The driver of the vehicle admitted to being distracted by their phone and was suspected of driving under the influence, according to the report. A search warrant for a blood draw was issued. DPS is continuing to investigate the incident. Garcia was transported to a hospital in Brownsville, where he later died from his injuries, according to the report. Tributes have poured in from local law enforcement, including a post from Cameron County Constable Precinct 5. “We are forever grateful for the sacrifice made in the line of duty to keep our community safe,” the post read.

PoliceOne

Video: South Carolina Officers Rescue Passenger From Car Moments Before Flames Engulf Entire Vehicle

The tower of flames leapt from the car’s wreckage, disrupting the early-morning darkness on May River Road with a harsh glow. A passenger was trapped inside, and only seconds remained before the vehicle would be swallowed in fire. Two local policemen — one Bluffton officer and one Beaufort County sheriff’s deputy — received high honors last week for their quick, life-saving response to the Sept. 22 incident. Working together, the two officers showed no hesitation in removing a passenger from the burning car before it was completely engulfed in flames. Officer Azahel Young, 27, who has served with the Bluffton Police Department for a year, received the agency’s first ever Medal of Valor Award. It’s the highest honor given by the department and is reserved for officers “who risk their own life to help save that of another,” according to Chief of Police Joe Babkiewicz. Also accepting recognition was staff Sgt. Brian Kaase, 41, a nine-year veteran of the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office. He received the department’s Life Saving Award at the same ceremony Wednesday. The honor is handed out multiple times per year, primarily for medical calls, but in this case it was used to commend a heroic rescue that could have taken the sergeant’s own life.

The Island Packet

Amid Heat Wave, LA County Health Department Issues Beach Warnings

Scorching temperatures have returned to the Southland, but Los Angeles County health officials are warning residents and visitors to avoid cooling off at nine area beaches due to high bacteria levels. The county Department of Public Health on Tuesday cautioned against swimming, surfing or playing in the water at these ocean locations: Windward storm drain at Venice Beach, 100 yards up and down the coast from the storm drain; Mothers Beach in Marina del Rey, entire swim area; Walnut Creek at Paradise Cove, entire swim area; Marie Canyon Storm Drain at Puerco Beach, 100 yards up and down the coast from the public access steps; Inner Cabrillo Beach in San Pedro, entire swim area; Santa Monica Pier, 100 yards up and down the coast from the pier; Topanga Canyon Beach in Malibu, 100 yards up and down the coast from the lagoon; Manhattan Beach Pier, 100 yards up and down the coast from the pier, and Las Flores Creek at Las Flores State Beach, 100 yards up and down the coast from the creek. The health department said those beaches contained bacterial levels exceeding health standards when last tested.   

NBC 4

California’s COVID Surge Is Finally Over. But Expect Another Spike In The Coming Months

California’s protracted summer COVID surge has finally ended, a welcome window that provides a key opportunity to prepare for yet another expected resurgence of transmission this autumn and winter, doctors say. Key to thwarting that threat is the availability of updated vaccines, which have been formulated to boost protection against recently dominant circulating coronavirus strains — the same approach used to develop the annual flu shot. That’s why doctors are urging everyone age 6 months and older to get an updated COVID vaccine, ideally before Halloween. And unlike last year, the new shots have arrived on time and are plentiful. “The single most effective thing that [people] can do to protect themselves as we get into fall and winter is to get vaccinated,” Dr. Mandy Cohen, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said at a recent briefing. “We have an updated COVID vaccine, an updated flu vaccine, an RSV vaccine — all of those can help protect ourselves, our families, our communities.”

Los Angeles Times

LA Council Certifies Reduction Of Single-Use Plastics

The City Council Tuesday certified the environmental impact report for a program officials say will serve as a road map for reducing single-use plastics in Los Angeles. The council voted 10-0 to certify the report as part of the city’s Comprehensive Plastics Reduction Program, which outlines several initiatives the city will consider implementing, including reusable foodware for dine-in services, compostable single-use foodware for take-out, a ban on single-use printer cartridges, and investment in hydration stations across city facilities, events and parks. Councilwoman Katy Yaroslavsky, who chair’s the council’s Energy and Environment Committee, noted that the EIR was years in the making, and described plastics pollution as a global crisis. “We feel its effect right here in Los Angeles from plastics in our oceans and landfills to microplastics in our water supply, and even in our bodies,” Yaroslavsky said prior to the vote. “Researchers are finding microplastics in our blood, in placentas and even in breast milk. It’s horrifying.”

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.