Law Enforcement

Gunman kills man in South L.A., flees in silver SUV
A man was shot and killed Thursday afternoon in South Los Angeles by a gunman who fled in a silver SUV, according to Los Angeles police. Police believe the shooting was gang-related. The suspect, described as a man in his 20s or 30s, shot the victim multiple times before fleeing. The shooting took place about 1:45 p.m. in the 6800 block of 11th Avenue. The victim was pronounced dead at a hospital. The Los Angeles County coroner's office said it had no immediate information about the identity of the victim.
Los Angeles Times

Body discovered floating in Hollenbeck Park lake in Boyle Heights
A body was discovered Thursday morning in the Hollenbeck Park lake in Boyle Heights, authorities said. Los Angeles police were called to East 4th Street and South Louis Street about 10:15 a.m. after a person walking on the path along the lake saw what appeared to be a body floating in the water, said Los Angeles police Capt. Martin Baeza. From the position of the body, authorities could not immediately discern whether it was a man or a woman, he said.
Los Angeles Times

Police respond to hostage call in Chinatown, turns out to be vandalism
A reported hostage situation Thursday night at Homeboy Industries turned out to be vandalism, according to authorities. Officers responded to a call of an armed man holding six to eight people hostage at 130 Bruno Street in Chinatown, according to Officer Nuria Vanegas of the Los Angeles Police Department's media relations section. The caller had reported that the man was a former employee who was armed with a handgun, Vanegas said at the time.
KTLA

LAPD Canoga Park crosswalk crackdown leads to 52 citations, 3 impounds
The usual morning traffic in Canoga Park was flecked with red and blue flashing lights Thursday as a contingent of police officers cracked down on people violating pedestrian-safety laws. LAPD Topanga Division and Valley Traffic Division officers, along with California Highway Patrol and the Los Angeles Unified School District Police Department, were out to enforce crosswalk laws at three Canoga Park intersections notorious for bumper-to-bumper rush-hour traffic and cramped crosswalks, all part of LAPD police chief Charlie Beck's New Year's promise to reduce traffic-related injuries and fatalities by 10 percent.
Los Angeles Daily News

Death in officer-involved shooting ruled homicide
A man found dead after a shootout with police at his Laurel Canyon home died of multiple gunshot wounds and did not commit suicide, the coroner's office reported Thursday. The shooting occurred Monday after officers were sent to a multi-story residence in the 8200 block of Gould Ave., a winding road off Laurel Canyon Boulevard, on a domestic battery call shortly after 8 a.m. Monday, the Los Angeles Police Department said.
City News Service

Police search for rape suspect
Sexual assault detectives from the Los Angeles Police Department's Robbery Homicide Division are asking for the public's help in identifying and locating a suspect responsible for kidnapping and attempting to sexually assault a 16-year-old girl in the Newton Division. The incident occurred on March 20 at approximately 6:10 p.m. as the teenage victim was walking home from school on Gage Avenue, near San Pedro Street. A man walked up to her and forced her into a white van at knifepoint.
Park LaBrea News

Few tips for Gatto murder investigation even after $50,000 reward
More than four months after the Silver Lake murder of Joseph Gatto, police still have little new to report even after a $50,000 reward was offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of Gatto's killer. According to the Los Angeles Police Department Robbery-Homicide Det. Chris Gable fewer than 25 tips have been received since the reward was offered in January. This may be, Gable said, because law enforcement had already spoken to many-such as Gatto's neighbors-immediately following the November murder, who shared information.
Los Feliz Ledger

Garcetti backs Beck's decision to lighten penalty for nephew of former Deputy Chief
L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti has defended Police Chief Charlie Beck's decision to save the job of an LAPD officer with family ties to the department. Beck lightened a penalty for Shaun Hillman, the nephew of former LAPD Deputy Chief Michael Hillman and son of a retired LAPD officer who was accused of pulling a gun on a man and using racial slurs at a Norco bar in 2012. Speaking to KCAL9s Dave Lopez on Wednesday, Garcetti said he does not believe favoritism played a part in Beck's decision.
CBS LA

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