Law Enforcement News

Michigan Officer Shot In Face, Suspect Captured After Shootout
An hours-long manhunt for a suspect who shot an officer in the face during a traffic stop ended Tuesday afternoon. Police took 29-year-old Joshua Michael Rosebush, the suspect in the shooting of Saginaw Township officer Jeff Koenig, into custody after a brief pursuit and shootout, ABC News reports. Rosebush shot at officers as they attempted to arrest him. They returned fire and wounded the suspect, who was taken to a hospital. No officers were hurt in the gunfire exchange. Koenig, a 16-year veteran officer, was shot in the face and shoulder, but managed to race back to his vehicle to radio for help. He is currently in critical but stable condition. 
PoliceOne

Man Found Dead Of Apparent Electric Burns Near Open Electric Vault In Westlake District
An investigation is underway after a man was found dead from apparent electrical burns near an open electrical vault in the Westlake district. The man's body was discovered shortly before 4 a.m. Tuesday at Wilshire and Rampart boulevards. "The Los Angeles Police Department received a radio call of a woman saying that there was a man on fire at Wilshire and Rampart," said Detective Meghan Aguilar. The exact circumstances surrounding the incident were not immediately known. "We're not certain at this time what he was doing in trying to access that box. We have seen in the past that a lot of times, people are trying to get copper wire to sell," Aguilar said. Authorities warn that attempting to open an electrical vault is simply not worth it.
ABC 7

Video Shows Suspected Burglar Who Smashed Vehicle Window In West L.A., Stealing Credit And Gift Cards: LAPD
A man who authorities believe smashed the window of a vehicle in West Los Angeles before stealing credit and gift cards inside was captured on surveillance video released by police Tuesday. The Los Angeles Police Department released the 14-second clip following a month-long investigation into vehicle burglaries and identity theft. The video shows a man making purchases at a retail store. LAPD officials believe he is the same person who burglarized a vehicle inside a parking garage near the 1300 block of South Sepulveda Boulevard on Dec. 2. The break-in occurred sometime between 11:45 a.m. and 3:15 p.m. “Credit and gift cards stolen during this vehicle burglary were used within hours of the crime at businesses in Los Angeles and Menifee,” LAPD officials said in a news release.
KTLA 5

Men Accused Of Getting Botox, Then Assaulting The Receptionist And Leaving Without Paying
Surveillance footage captured two young men accused of receiving Botox and fillers at Sculpt DTLA before asking to use the bathroom and taking off, the cosmetic business' owner said Tuesday. The two men went into Sculpt DTLA early in the evening Monday and received treatments that cost a couple thousand dollars, Dr. Benny Hau said. "We asked them what they wanted and they said they wanted everything to be done!" he said. They received thousands in Botox injections, lip fillers, and others. The two men then asked if they could use the bathroom, which is located outside the business at 705 South Olive St. The doctor asked the receptionist to check on the two. She was then allegedly attacked, and they took off. "The receptionist was very scared when she came back. She said, 'they pushed me and ran away,'" Natalia Hau said.
NBC 4

Remains Of L.A. City Worker Who Was Reported Missing In 2017 Found In Tennessee
Authorities say human remains found in a Tennessee city belong to a missing man from California. Police said Tuesday that the remains found in south Memphis have been identified as Sean Turner. Police said the cause of death has not been determined, but investigators suspect foul play. Police are investigating the death as a homicide. News outlets say the 48-year-old Turner had been reported missing in November 2017. Turner had taken a rental car from the St. Louis airport and was last seen in Memphis. His burned rental car was found not far from where his remains were later discovered. Turner worked for the City of Los Angeles as an equipment operator. 
KTLA 5

L.A.-Area Attorney Arrested On Federal Drug Trafficking Charges
A Los Angeles-area attorney is expected to make her initial federal court appearance Tuesday on drug distribution charges for allegedly illegally selling oxycodone pills after offering drugs for sale on Craigslist. Jackie Ferrari, 36, a resident of Downey, who investigators believe recently started a new job at a Beverly Hills law firm, was arrested late Friday without incident by law enforcement officers affiliated with the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force, which operates under the direction of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. A criminal complaint filed on Jan. 15 and unsealed Tuesday specifically charges Ferrari with one count of distributing a controlled substance.
MyNewsLA.com

Man Accused In Malibu Creek State Park Shootings Pleads Not Guilty To Murder, Other Charges
A man charged in a series of shootings at Malibu Creek State Park, including one that left an Orange County man dead, pleaded not guilty Tuesday to murder, attempted murder and commercial burglary. Anthony Rauda, 42, stood just out of view of the public during the court hearing in Van Nuys. While his attorneys entered his plea, he was tucked in a corner inside the door to the courtroom's inmate holding area. The hearing took place after several delays — Judge Frank Tavelman twice pushed back his estimate for when Rauda might show up. It wasn't clear why the court was unable to get Rauda to appear. A bailiff said attorneys were “trying to communicate with him.”
Los Angeles Daily News

Some U.S. Police Departments Dump Body-Camera Programs Amid High Costs
When East Dundee, a tiny suburb of Chicago, ordered body cameras for its 17 police officers, Terry Mee, the police chief at the time, told local reporters the devices­ would promote “officer safety” and “positive interaction with the public.” But before a single incident could be recorded in the village of 3,000 people, Mee retired, and the new chief, George Carpenter, persuaded the Village Board in February to cancel the program, arguing that the $20,000 annual fee for the cameras and video storage couldn't be justified amid budget concerns. Body cameras “are wonderful for winning public trust,” Carpenter said. “But it's expensive.”
Washington Post

Too Easy To Legally Buy A Gun? U.S. Study Says Few Criminals Buy Them In Stores
As lawmakers push to toughen gun sale rules amid outrage over random mass shootings like the November massacre at a Thousand Oaks country music bar, a new federal study says few criminals who had a gun bought it from a retailer. According to the January special report by the U.S. Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Statistics, about one in 10 state and federal prisoners convicted of crimes involving a firearm said they got the weapon through a retail source like a sporting goods store, pawn shop or gun show. Both sides in the debate over toughening gun laws said the study, based on interviews with 20,064 state and 4,784 federal prisoners, supports their argument. Gun-rights advocates argue it bolsters their case that laws making it harder to legally buy guns aren't keeping them out of criminals' hands and only vex the law-abiding citizens who buy guns for sport or protection.
Mercury News

Supreme Court Takes 1st Gun Case In Nearly A Decade, Possibly With Big Consequences
With the Supreme Court now having five justices who are less likely to approve of gun regulations and laws, it granted a major gun case Tuesday for the first time in nearly a decade. The court granted a right-to-carry case out of New York that that pits the New York State Rifle & Pistol Association against the City of New York. New York bans transporting permitted handguns outside city lines, even if the gun is not loaded and locked in a container. The guns currently can only be taken to one of a handful of shooting ranges within city limits. The case could have wide ramifications for gun rights and gun restrictions across the country, depending on how broadly the court rules. Conservative justices have been champing at the bit to take up gun-rights cases. Justice Clarence Thomas in 2014, for example, criticized the court for not taking up more gun cases, calling it a "disfavored" right.
KPCC

Firefighters Rescue Trapped Driver After Tractor Trailer, Asphalt Truck Crash In Wilmington
Firefighters on Tuesday morning successfully extricated a man from a tractor trailer after the vehicle and an asphalt truck collided on a street in Wilmington, officials said. The collision happened about 3:30 a.m. in the 1600 block of Alameda Street, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. In an initial statement, the agency said it anticipated a "prolonged extrication operation due to the complexity of safely removing the vehicle from around the patient." News video from the scene showed several LAFD personnel pulling the driver from the vehicle's mangled front cab on a stretcher. He was transported to a hospital in unknown condition. No other injuries were reported.
ABC 7

LA County Reminds Residents Of Woolsey Fire Assistance Deadlines
Critical deadlines are approaching for Woolsey Fire victims to apply for federal grants, small business loans and debris removal, county officials reminded residents Tuesday. Residents have until Jan. 31 to: submit right-of-entry forms to opt in for state workers to remove debris from properties or to opt out of the program, apply for Federal Emergency Management Agency grants; and, apply to the Small Business Administration for home or business loans. Right-of-entry forms can be found online at www.lacounty.gov/lacountyrecovers or by calling (626) 979-5370 or in person at the Debris Removal Operations Center at 26610 Agoura Road in Calabasas. The center is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday.
NBC 4

L.A. City Council Backs Hollywood Project With New Apartment Towers
The Los Angeles City Council granted its approval Tuesday of a vast new project that will include glassy towers with more than 900 new units of housing, over 300 hotel rooms and new shops and restaurants on more than eight acres in Hollywood. The $1-billion development will give rise to nine new buildings, including three skyscrapers, the tallest of which will measure 31 stories. Backers of the Crossroads Hollywood project said it would bring in needed housing and give an economic jolt to the neighborhood. Alfredo Hernandez, executive director of the Hollywood Media District Business Improvement District, called it a “catalytic project” that would provide housing and generate jobs and tax revenue.
Los Angeles Times

Electric Scooters Start Expanding To Unincorporated Los Angeles County
The flocks of electric scooters appeared one night late last year in Altadena and East Pasadena, surprising locals who found them perched, without warning, on sidewalks along two busy retail corridors. “I came to work, opened the store — and they were there,” said Paul Netherton, who manages the Full Circle thrift shop on Lake Avenue in Altadena. “I had no idea, and I had a lot of customers asking about them.” He and others soon learned that local start-up Bird — whose sleek, black scooters have sparked both wonder and rage in Venice, Santa Monica, Beverly Hills and other communities — had decided to expand its nest to a new spot: unincorporated Los Angeles County.
KTLA 5