Law Enforcement

LAPD Chief to Meet with #BlackLivesMatter Protesters
Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck said on Thursday that he will meet with #BlackLivesMatter protesters as demonstrators continue to gather outside the department's headquarters over the issue of fatal police shootings. The meeting is slated to take place Friday morning, Cmdr. Andrew Smith said. "It is a meeting to discuss their demands," he said. "The chief meets with a lot of people and already met with several groups on these issues in South L.A."
Los Angeles Times

LAPD Officer Injured when Patrol Car Crashes with another Car in Reseda
A Los Angeles police sergeant was hospitalized with minor injuries after her squad car collided with another vehicle in Reseda early Wednesday. The accident occurred in the 18500 block of Vanowen Street around 12:25 a.m., a news videographer reported from the scene. Officers said the patrol vehicle had made a U-turn in an intersection when it was struck by the other vehicle. Neither of the two occupants in the second vehicle were injured, the videographer reported.
Los Angeles Daily News

LAPD Captures Suspected Burglar Who Escaped on Rooftop
Los Angeles police captured a suspected burglar in the Mid-City area Thursday morning after he led them on a more than two-hour manhunt after evading custody by scrambling over a rooftop, authorities said. The escape was reported around 6:30 a.m. near the intersection of Washington Boulevard and St. Andrews Place, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
NBC4 , Los Angeles Times

L.A. Sheriff's Office Burns Millions of Dollars in Drugs
Sheriff's deputies and health officials Thursday morning destroyed several million dollars in confiscated pharmaceuticals, seized last year from everywhere in the county in raids by the Los Angeles County Health Authority Law Enforcement Task Force (HALT). HALT Detectives are responsible for investigating corrupt medical service providers, unlicensed medical and dental operators and seizing the drugs that are dispensed by unlicensed vendors in black market sales. This includes smuggled foreign drugs, counterfeit, expired, misbranded and drugs diverted from legitimate sources into the black market.
Patch.com

Armed Men Wearing Monkey, Gorilla Masks Rob Business in Fairfax District
Two armed men wearing monkey and gorilla masks burst into a popular business in Los Angeles' Fairfax neighborhood on Thursday afternoon in what police were calling a “brazen daytime robbery.” Officers were called to the 7800 block of Melrose Avenue (map) just before 1 p.m. after a report that three individuals had robbed a business, Los Angeles Police Department Officer Drake Madison said. Police later confirmed that only two robbers were involved in the heist. Surveillance video showed the masked gunmen threatening the store clerk with two semi-auto hand guns before stealing numerous shoe boxes.
KTLA5

Man in His 50s Caught in Gang Crossfire in Silver Lake
A man in his 50s was shot and wounded in Silver Lake Thursday and police were searching for the gunman, police said. The shooting was reported at 6:05 p.m. in the 700 block of North Vendome Street, said LAPD Sgt. Mel Gamble. He was taken to a hospital for treatment. The last check of his vital signs were stable. Police were searching for several males who scattered after the shooting. It was unknown if a vehicle was involved. At least one witness reported that one sped from the scene, police said.
NBC4

Police: Men Try to Buy Toddler from Woman at Covina Supermarket
In a crime described by police as both bizarre and disturbing, two men tried to buy a woman's 2-year-old son as she shopped at a Covina supermarket, officials said Thursday. Both the woman and child got away unharmed following the 7:40 p.m. Wednesday encounter at the Baja Ranch Supermarket, 425 S. Citrus Ave., which detectives are investigating as an attempted human trafficking case, West Covina police Lt. Tim Doonan said. Two men took part in the crime, police said. The first suspect approached the woman and child.
Los Angeles Daily News

Body Found in Search Area of Missing Irvine Woman
Authorities found the body of a woman in Big Bear Lake on Thursday morning in an area that has been the subject of an intense search for a missing Irvine woman. San Bernardino County sheriff's officials have not confirmed whether the body is that of Lisa Ann Cimbaluk, 35, whose snow-covered car was found Sunday morning. The body was found in the water during an aerial search over the South Shore in the Big Bear Lake area. Sheriff's officials and search and rescue crews on the ground confirmed the body was that of a woman.
Los Angeles Times

Man Sought in San Pedro Burrito Factory Restaurant Burglary
Los Angeles police were asking the public's help Thursday in finding the person who burglarized a San Pedro restaurant last month. On Dec. 23, a man entered the San Pedro Burrito Factory, which is located at 1902 S. Pacific Ave. (map), through an open window, according to a Facebook post from the LAPD's Harbor Division. He took an undisclosed amount of cash from the register before fleeing the scene, the post stated.
KTLA5

State Government

Gallery: Possible Contenders for Sen. Barbara Boxer's Seat
Democrats have a supremely deep bench of possible successors, along with some dark horses. The 2016 race also will be a test for whether Republicans can regain a Senate seat in the Golden State.
The Sacramento Bee

Immigration

46,200 Immigrants Apply For California Driver's License
Democrats have a supremely deep bench California officials say 46,200 immigrants started applying for a driver's license in the first three days that the state began issuing licenses to immigrants who are in the country illegally. Department of Motor Vehicles spokeswoman Jessica Gonzalez said Tuesday that 970 licenses were issued Friday to immigrants who weren't required to take a road test because they previously had a license in California or another state.
CBS Los Angeles