Security Guard Convicted Of Second-Degree Murder In Store Shooting

A man who worked as a private security guard was convicted Wednesday of second-degree murder stemming from a man’s shooting death during a confrontation inside a Walgreens store in Hollywood nearly six years ago. Jurors deliberated just over two days before acquitting Donald Vincent Ciota, now 34, of the more serious charge of first-degree murder requested by the prosecution for the Dec. 2, 2018, killing of 21-year-old Jonathan Hart. Ciota — who has remained behind bars since he was arrested by Los Angeles police 26 days after the shooting — is due back in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom Dec. 9 for sentencing. He is facing a 15-year-to-life state prison sentence, according to prosecutors. One of Ciota’s attorneys, Mark Geragos, had asked jurors to acquit his client. Geragos said after the verdict was read that it was “obvious to me that the pressure of the activists in the courtroom was too much for this jury,” saying that two of the jurors were emotional when polled about the panel’s verdict.

MyNewsLA

'Hey Leave Her Alone!' - Neighbor's Intervention Helps Save Girl From Kidnap Attempt

New video shows a disturbing sexual assault and attempted kidnapping of a young girl walking down the street in Wilmington. The footage shows a man walking behind the 11-year-old girl on the street and sidewalk in a residential neighborhood. He approaches her from behind and gropes her, as she tries to break free. Suddenly, a neighbor is heard shouting "Hey leave her alone!" The voice startles the man, who lets the girl go, turns around and gets into a nearby car. He drove off in the gray Nissan Kicks. The incident happened Monday around 3:15 p.m. in the area of M Street and Gulf Avenue, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Anyone with information is urged to contact detectives at (310) 726-7900.

ABC 7

Man Arrested After Nearly 2 1/2-Hour Standoff With Law Enforcement In Sunland

An armed man was taken into custody Wednesday after a nearly 2 1/2-hour standoff in Sunland with Los Angeles Police Department officers. Officers responded to the 3400 block of Tujunga Canyon Boulevard around 3 p.m. regarding an armed man, police said. The man was taken into custody shortly before 5:30 p.m. Police did not indicate whether the suspect assaulted any individuals before the standoff or if anyone was taken to a hospital.

MyNewsLA

Man Sought In Theft Of Classic ’58 Corvette On Los Angeles’ West Side

Police are asking the public for help a second time in their search for a suspect who stole a high-end classic car from a parking garage in the Sawtelle neighborhood on Los Angeles’ West Side last month. The 1958 Chevrolet Corvette, which can easily be valued in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, was taken around 9:30 p.m. on Sept. 4 from an underground parking structure in a commercial building on the 12200 block of West Olympic Boulevard. The suspect was seen on surveillance images walking through the parking garage and entering the unlocked blue, two-door, Corvette with Rhode Island license 1KJ358, the Los Angeles Police Department stated in a Crime Alert posted on X. The man then drove off in an unknown direction. Police have been unable to identify the man since initially alerting the public to the incident in late September. The suspect was described as a white man standing around 6 feet tall and weighing about 170 to 180 pounds.

KTLA 5

3 Adjacent North Hollywood Businesses Targeted By Burglars 

Three businesses in the same plaza were targeted by burglars overnight in the latest string of break-ins in the San Fernando Valley. Preliminary information indicates that police officers were dispatched to the shopping center located at 4821 Lankershim Blvd. in North Hollywood, near the intersection with Camarillo Street and Vineland Avenue, around 5 a.m. Wednesday. Upon arriving, officers found smashed doorways at the WaBa Grill and It’s Boba Time locations within the plaza. According to witness accounts, the front door to an adjacent Jersey Mike’s store appeared to be tampered with, but it did not seem as though the suspects made entry. It remains unclear if the suspects were able to get away with any cash or merchandise. 

KTLA 5

Family Desperately Seeks Return Of Father's Urn Stolen During Home Break In

Just one year after their father's death, a West Los Angeles family says that they're dealing with is loss all over again after an urn holding his ashes was stolen during a home break in. "It's like losing him twice, really," said Lisa, a member of the family targeted in the theft. "It's unimaginable." The theft happened over the weekend, family says. They returned home to find that their front door was open and walked inside to realize that they had been burglarized. They almost immediately noticed that the distinct urn, made out of polished wood with what looks to be engraved vines adorning the base of the vessel, was missing from its usual place — a memorial to their father who died last year. While Los Angeles Police Department investigators work to determine who may have broken into the home, family members are desperate for anyone who may know more to contact them or return the urn to its rightful place. "They wanted to walk through the house and have a look at everything, and for us to get an idea of what was gone," Lisa said of LAPD's detectives. "We don't even care, you know, this is ... our father was such a huge part of our life and we loved him so much. He deserves to rest in peace."

CBS 2

‘Celebrity A’ Accused Of Raping 13-Year-Old During A VMAs Afterparty Hosted By Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, Lawsuit Alleges

When Sean “Diddy” Combs was charged last month in a federal sex-trafficking probe, it unleashed a wave of lawsuits detailing how the music industry mogul allegedly drugged and assaulted men and women for years undeterred. But the piecemeal allegations leveled in the criminal and civil cases stopped short of answering an essential question that’s been hinted at by attorneys, investigators and internet sleuths: Who else was involved? This week, for the first time, celebrities other than Combs have been accused in civil lawsuits of participating in assaults during parties hosted by the Bad Boy Records founder. The stars, however, have not been identified by name. A federal lawsuit filed this week in the Southern District of New York involves a woman, identified as Jane Doe, who says she was 13 when she was raped by Combs and a male celebrity, identified only as Celebrity A, while a female celebrity, referred to as Celebrity B in court papers, watched. The woman alleges in the legal filing that the night of Sept. 7, 2000, began with her outside Radio City Music Hall in New York City, trying to talk her way into the Video Music Awards. She approached several limousine drivers, including one who claimed to work for Combs, she said.

Los Angeles Times

Inglewood Man Gets 3 Life Prison Terms For 2018 Triple Killing

An Inglewood man was sentenced Wednesday to three consecutive terms of life in prison without the possibility of parole for murdering three people and trying to kill two others, including his pregnant girlfriend, in two separate shootings in Gardena and Lynwood on the same day. Selvin Fabian Salazar, 32, was convicted last month of the July 31, 2018, shootings of 28-year-old Dolores Sanchez; his friend, 28-year-old Francisco Montes; and Saith Pedraza, who died just over two years later at age 39 after a gunshot wound to his neck that left him a paraplegic. “You’re a cold-blooded killer,” Superior Court Judge Scott T. Millington told the defendant during the sentencing hearing, adding that he believed Salazar “should never, never, never get out” of state prison. Millington called it one of the most gruesome and unjustified crimes he had seen in 20 years as a judge. In her closing argument during the trial, Deputy District Attorney Kendra Carman told the Torrance jury that the defendant believed his pregnant girlfriend was “setting him up” with a rival gang to kill him.

MyNewsLA

Video: Man Rams Massachusetts Police Cruiser Repeatedly, Nearly Strikes Officer Before Fleeing

Newly released body camera footage shows a man repeatedly ramming his car into police cruisers, Boston 25 News reported. The video, captured on Sept. 22, shows Weymouth PD officers responding to a call about a man acting erratically outside a laundromat, according to the report. When officers arrived, the suspect appeared agitated, talking rapidly, sweating profusely and becoming argumentative before getting into his car, police said. The suspect ignored police orders to exit his vehicle and backed out of a parking spot where an officer stood. “You almost just hit me with the car, dude!” the officer can be heard saying. After reversing out of the parking spot, the man reversed rabidly into a police cruiser. He then continued accelerating back and forth, hitting multiple cruisers and nearly striking officers on foot, video shows. Despite police efforts to de-escalate the situation, the suspect drove off in the damaged car, according to the report. His car eventually crashed into a tree line. The suspect has been charged with several offenses, including five counts of assault with a dangerous weapon. The investigation is ongoing, according to the report.

PoliceOne

NYPD Investigates Staged Crash Caught On Viral Video Amid Rising Insurance Scams In New York

The NYPD is investigating a staged vehicle accident that went viral on TikTok, as insurance scams like these are reportedly increasing in New York, the according to the New York Post. The incident, which occurred on Oct. 16, was captured on dashcam and involved a driver reversing into the victim before passengers emerged, claiming injuries, according to the report. The NYPD’s Fraudulent Collision Investigation Squad is handling the case. The driver was safely traveling along a roadway when a silver car cut her off and abruptly stopped, forcing her to brake, the viral video shows. The driver then backed into her car. Several passengers exited the vehicle, acting injured, while another car, the driver of which is presumed to be involved in the fraud, picked up the silver car’s driver. Experts say these scams are part of a growing trend in heavily congested areas, with criminals targeting unsuspecting drivers to file fraudulent insurance claims, according to the report. Mark Friedlander, spokesperson for the Insurance Information Institute, told the New York Post staged accidents cost insurers around $20 billion annually, raising premiums for everyone. New York ranked second in 2023 for staged accidents, with 1,729 cases, a 14% increase from the previous year. In these schemes, fraudsters often involve medical professionals and lawyers to exaggerate injuries and inflate insurance claims, according to the report.

PoliceOne

Council Proposes Increase Wages For LA Tourism Workers

A proposal to increase wages and improve health care benefits for thousands of workers at airports and hotels in Los Angeles is headed to the City Council Thursday after advancing through committee. Following three hours of public comment, the five-member Economic, Community Development and Jobs Committee voted unanimously Wednesday to advance the proposal to the full council. The move comes as tourism workers are calling for higher wages as the city prepares for major sporting events in the coming years, meanwhile hoteliers are concerned it may lead to their businesses shuttering down. “We’ve made an important step. It’s not the only step, but an important step,” Councilman Curren Price, chair of the committee, said. If approved by the City Council, the City Attorney’s Office would be instructed to amend two laws regulating wages for airport and hotel workers, known as the Living Wage and Hotel Worker Minimum Wage ordinances.

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.