Police Searching For Hit-and-Run Driver That Left 62-Year-Old Woman Dead In South LA

Investigators are searching for the hit-and-run driver who left a 62-year-old woman dead in the street in the Watts neighborhood of South Los Angeles on Monday. It happened at around 8:50 p.m. on Imperial Highway, just west of Parmelee Avenue, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. "The victim was walking southbound across Imperial Highway ... outside of a crosswalk, when she was struck by a two-toned silver or white sedan traveling eastbound on Imperial Highway," LAPD's statement said. "The driver of the sedan failed to stop and render aid as required by law and continued driving." On Monday, the victim was identified as 62-year-old Los Angeles woman Denise Barkus. As with all deadly hit-and-run collisions in Los Angeles, a standing reward of $50,000 has been offered by city officials for information that helps solve the case. Anyone who may know more is asked to contact LAPD at (323) 421-2500.

CBS 2

DTLA Drive By Shooting Injures Two

A 35-year-old man and a 34-year-old man are in the hospital Wednesday after they were wounded in what police say was a drive-by, gang-related shooting. Officers from the Los Angeles Police Department’s Southeast Division responded to 208 W. 111th St. at 11:30 p.m. Tuesday when they learned the two men were standing outside when a car drove up to them and one of the shooters opened fire several times, an LAPD spokeswoman told City News Service. Los Angeles Fire Department personnel were called to the scene and took the victims to the hospital in an unknown condition. The suspects drove away westbound on 111th Street.

MyNewsLA

Feds Arrest Suspect They Say Sold Encino Home Out From Under Man Who Later Killed Himself

Authorities arrested a drug dealer known as “Persian Sean” on Monday for his alleged role in selling an Encino house out from under a man who later killed himself. Bahram Hassanshahi and his co-conspirators allegedly stole the identities of property owners, forged power of attorney forms in their names and then sold their properties, according to a criminal complaint filed in federal court last week. Hassanshahi allegedly received $180,000 in proceeds from the theft of Robert Tascon’s home — funds he later told investigators he used to buy drugs for resale. Tascon killed himself in 2022, which his common-law wife told investigators was due to his ongoing battle with depression and his inability to regain his Encino property. Authorities are accusing Hassanshahi of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, aggravated identity theft and conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine. Hassanshashi allegedly conspired with Caroline Herrling in the 2021 sale of Tascon’s home for about $1.5 million. Herrling, a former West Hills resident, fraudulently obtained ownership of real estate and money in a near-$3.9 million scheme that also involved dismembering and dumping a dead body, according to the U.S. attorney’s office in L.A.

Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles County Man Arrested For Allegedly Violating Sanctions Against Iran

A federal grand jury indicted a man on Tuesday for allegedly sending about $2.4 million of gift cards, an act that violates the sanctions U.S. officials levied against Iran. "Restrictions on exports and transactions with countries that are hostile to the United States, such as Iran, are critical to protecting our nation," United States Attorney Martin Estrada said. Federal agents from the FBI and Homeland Security arrested Kambiz Eghbali, 50, after the grand jury charged him with violations of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, conspiracy to commit bank fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Eghbali, a dual citizen of the U.S. and Iran, faces a maximum sentence of 70 years in federal prison. If convicted, Eghbali would be forced to forfeit all property obtained due to the alleged crimes. "Nothing is more important than protecting our country from foreign threats," Estrada said.

CBS 2

CHP Officers Seize Nearly $2 Million Worth Of Fentanyl, Some Hidden Inside Of Raw Beef

Nearly $2 million worth of fentanyl was seized by police in less than a week in California's Central Valley in early-October, some of which they say was disguised inside of packaged raw beef. According to California Gov. Gavin Newsom's Office, California Highway Patrol officers conducted two traffic stops on the I-5 Freeway last week, which lead to the seizure of 120,000 fentanyl-laced pills and 11 pounds of fentanyl. The estimated street value of the haul is $1.7 million. The first incident happened on Oct. 3, when officers stopped a suspect in Fresno County on I-5. During the stop, an officer was "alerted to the presence of narcotics in a cooler in the vehicle," according to the release. Inside, they found multiple packages of carne asada beef, which was being used to conceal 11 pounds of fentanyl. They say that it was worth approximately $500,000. The suspect, only identified as a man from Washington state, was arrested and booked on felony charges of possession of fentanyl for sale and transportation of fentanyl across non-contiguous counties. On top of the drugs seized by officers, several illegally possessed firearms were also recovered. 

CBS 2

BWC: Man Threatens To Kill Connecticut Officers Before Attacking One With Knife

The state Office of the Inspector General released a report Tuesday providing video footage of an incident in which police shot at a man who attacked an officer with a knife Saturday. Inspector General Robert Devlin investigates cases in which peace officers use deadly force and determines whether they are justified. Bridgeport police were called to the 100 block of Terry Place at around 1 a.m. on Oct. 5 for a report of an “emotionally disturbed person,” according to police. When officers arrived, they could hear a man, later identified as 45-year-old Huntley Jackson, yelling from inside that he wasn’t going to leave without a fight, according to a police report. Four officers stood on the front porch and spoke to Jackson while he was in the doorway behind a glass door. Body-camera footage, which was provided by Devlin Tuesday, showed the officers knocking on the glass door, asking Jackson to unlock it as he seemed to be arguing with someone inside, his back facing the officers. Bridgeport Officer Marie Cetti used what appeared to be a pocketknife to manipulate the door lock. As a person inside reached over Jackson to open the door, Jackson turned around and stepped out of the doorway, threatened to “kill” one of the officers and lunged toward Cetti with a knife, the video showed.

Journal Inquirer, Manchester, Conn.

2 Killed, 1 Injured In Porter Ranch Fatal Crash

A 58-year-old man and an approximately 50-year-old man were killed and a man in his 20s was injured in a two-vehicle collision in Porter Ranch, authorities said Wednesday. The collision was reported at 11:15 p.m. Tuesday and Los Angeles Fire Department personnel responded to 10700 Tampa Ave., south of Chatsworth Street, where they found the collision, LAFD spokeswoman Margaret Stewart said. LAFD paramedics pronounced the first two men dead at the scene. The younger man, who the LAFD said was in the second car, was taken to a hospital with non-life threatening injuries. The cause of the collision is under investigation.

NBC 4

1 Dead, 7 Hospitalized Following Possible Overdose At LA Jail

A man is dead and seven others hospitalized following possible overdoses at the Men's Central Jail in downtown Los Angeles Tuesday. The Los Angeles Fire Department responded to the jail located at 400 E. Bauchet Street around 8:40 a.m. on a report of possible overdoses involving an "unknown white powder," officials said. The inmates were in the reception area, in one of the holding cells used to keep them until they are transported to court or other facilities, when they began showing symptoms of overdose. One inmate, described as a man in his 30s, died at the scene. Seven others were transported to the hospital. The inmates range in age from 18 to 68, officials with the sheriff's department said. "Deputies administered Narcan and did CPR to all the inmates involved," said detective Michael Modica with the LA County Sheriff's Department, which is in charge of the facility. The jail was immediately put on lockdown. Hazmat teams were on scene along with firefighters and the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

FOX 11

Crews Knock Down Large House Fire In Boyle Heights 

A large house fire was knocked down by firefighters in Boyle Heights early Wednesday. According to the Los Angeles Fire Department, crews were dispatched to 412 Lorena Street just before 5:25 a.m. Upon arriving, they observed heavy smoke coming from the one-story single-family home. Video posted to the Citizen App shows active fire and a thick plume of smoke rising into the night sky. It took 46 firefighters just under 20 minutes to extinguish the flames, LAFD said. A back house on the property, which was said to have had three people inside at the time of the fire, was not damaged. Two people, described as a 45-year-old man and a 65-year-old woman, were treated at the scene and declined medical transport. It is believed they were sleeping when the fire broke out.

KTLA 5

LA County To Establish Task Forces For Bridge Fire Recovery

The County Board of Supervisors directed its Office of Emergency Management on Tuesday to establish task forces to assist recovery efforts for residents and communities impacted by the Bridge Fire. The fire ignited Sept. 8 in the Sheep Mountain Wilderness area of the Angeles National Forest, ultimately burning more than 54,000 acres in Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties. The loss of vegetation from the fire poses a heightened risk of flooding, debris flows and mudslides from the burned areas during upcoming storm events, according to a motion introduced by Supervisor Kathryn Barger. On Tuesday, the board unanimously approved the establishment of task forces on Economic Recovery, Watershed Hazard Assessment, Health and Social Services, Debris Removal and Rebuild, and Natural and Cultural Resources. The County Departments of Mental Health and Public Social Services were directed to implement services to evaluate the physical and mental health of those affected by the fire. Residents will also be provided assistance on filing Misfortune and Calamity Claims, and will be offered deferral on the first installment of property taxes due Dec. 10.

NBC 4

LA Council Approves CCTV For Bus Lanes

The City Council Tuesday advanced a pilot program in partnership with L.A. Metro aimed at curbing vehicles blocking bus-only lanes and zones. In a unanimous vote, council members approved an ordinance establishing fines for vehicles that park in bus-only lanes. Violators can face a penalty of $293, which can increase to $381 for late payment, followed by an increase to $406 for subsequent failure to pay on time. Under the pilot program, about 100 cameras will be installed on buses along Line 212 on La Brea Boulevard and Line 720 on Wilshire Boulevard. After two months, cameras also will be installed on Lines 910-950 on the Silver Line and Line 70 on Olive Street/Grand Avenue. Before the city moves forward with the program, Metro and the Los Angeles Department of Transportation are expected to conduct outreach to inform residents. The transit agencies will issue warnings for the first 60 days of the program, with citations sent out early next year. While the City Council approved the program without much discussion, two council members called for reports on how the city could use the money generated from citations.

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.