North Carolina Officer In Stable Condition After Being Shot In Neck Earlier This Month

Charles Ainsworth, a Raleigh police officer who was shot and wounded Jan. 9, is in stable condition, authorities said. Police Chief Cassandra Deck-Brown issued the following statement: “The family of Officer Charles Ainsworth would like to thank everyone for their continued support, well wishes, and generosity towards the family. Charlie is in stable condition and his recovery will be a slow process. The family is focused on and has hope for a full recovery. We ask that Charlie remain in your thoughts and prayers as he continues medical care through this arduous process.” Ainsworth was shot several times at close range while responding to a call in west Raleigh about a stolen vehicle. Cedric Jamal Kearney, 24, has been charged with attempted murder.
The News and Observer (Raleigh, N.C.)

Police Find Man Dead After Responding To ‘Battery' Call In Van Nuys

Police discovered a man dead Thursday night after responding to a "battery call" in Van Nuys. The call came in shortly after 9:30 p.m. Investigators are on scene in the 7400 block of Woodley Avenue and working to determine the circumstances surrounding the incident. No further details were immediately known. We will update this developing story when new information becomes available.
FOX 11

Police Pursuit Ends With Crash In Pacoima

A violent end to a police pursuit Thursday night in Pacoima. The driver crashed and rolled the car. Two people were trapped inside and before the crash the driver sideswiped a car with a mother and son inside. “Terrible because the impact is so big,” said Maria Masias, who along with her son Isaac were visibly shaken after the incident. The woman is suspected of driving reckless and running from the LAPD in a possibly stolen car. “I just felt a strong impact. I was in shock,” said Isaac. Isaac rushed his mom out of the car. The seat belt left a burn mark on Maria's neck. Another car was also hit and passengers said they were going to the hospital to get checked out.
CBS 2

Police Seek "Sorry" Parolee Who Evaded Bike Officer In Downtown LA

Police sought the public's help Thursday in locating a 22-year-old parolee accused of driving away from a bicycle-mounted officer who tried to pull him over for a traffic violation in downtown Los Angeles. San Diego resident Sahand Haji-Safari, also known as Sahand Hajisafari, was already the subject of a warrant out of San Diego County for failing to answer to another felony evading violation when an officer tried to pull him over about 12:20 p.m. Tuesday, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. The Central Traffic Division bicycle officer spotted Haji-Safari driving a black 2005 Mercedes-Benz, California license plate number 8DOV066, while texting, police allege.
NBC 4

Safe With $300,000 Inside Stolen In Holmby Hills Heist At Multimillion-Dollar Mansion

A 1,000-pound safe was stolen during a late-night break-in at a multimillion-dollar mansion in the Holmby Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles Thursday night. Los Angeles police responded to the home in the 500 block of Mapleton Drive shortly before 9:30 p.m. Authorities said the housekeeper was in the house and heard rumbling but assumed it was the residents returning home. She then found two suspects ransacking the mansion and called police, but the suspects were able to get away in a red SUV. Police said a 1,000-pound safe was stolen from the second floor of the home. It contained $300,000 worth of money and jewelry. The home, which is a few doors down from the back entrance to the Playboy Mansion, is worth about $15 million.
ABC 7

Man Guilty Of Killing Two At Separate 2016 House Parties

A 21-year-old man was found guilty Wednesday of stabbing two men to death at separate house parties in South Los Angeles and Pacoima in the fall of 2016, according to the Los Angeles County district attorney's office. A jury found Jesse Alexander Cardoza guilty of one count of first-degree murder and one count of second-degree murder in the killings of 18-year-old Martin Kennedy and 22-year-old Victor Garcia in separate attacks, authorities said. Two others accused of helping Cardoza carry out one of the attacks, 20-year-old Brandon Corona and 20-year-old Angel Andres Quezada, each pleaded no contest in October to one count of assault with a deadly weapon. Prosectors said the three men and a minor confronted and attacked Kennedy on Sept. 24, 2016 after a house party in South Los Angeles.
Los Angeles Times

Self-Described ‘Most Hated Hoe In L.A.' Sentenced To 15 Years In Federal Prison

A South Los Angeles woman who called herself “the most hated hoe in L.A.” and admitted to coercing young women, including minors, into sex trafficking through violence and intimidation received a sentence of 15 years in federal prison Thursday, authorities said. Melanie Denae Williams received the mandatory minimum sentence after pleading guilty in November to a single count of sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion, according the the U.S. Attorney's Office. She will also be required to pay restitution to her victims. As part of her plea deal, Williams admitted to recruiting victims, including minors, into commercial sex trafficking, U.S. Department of Justice spokesman Ciaran McEvoy said in a written statement.
KTLA 5

Jews Targeted In Hate Attack: Suspect Pleads Not Guilty To Attempted Murder

A Seattle resident who allegedly tried to run over two men last November outside a synagogue in a Jewish neighborhood in the Wilshire area while yelling anti-Semitic remarks pleaded not guilty Thursday to attempted murder charges. Mohamed Abdi Mohamed, 33, was initially charged with two counts of assault with a deadly weapon — a vehicle — along with a hate crime allegation. The additional charges, which were filed Tuesday, involve the same alleged attack on the two men, according to Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney Richard Ceballos. The victims, who escaped injury, were walking on a sidewalk when they were targeted about 9:30 p.m. Nov. 23 near La Brea and Oakwood avenues, authorities said.
MyNewsLA.com

Federal Agents Charge 19 For Birth Tourism In Southern California, Say Practice Poses National Threat

After allegedly helping thousands of pregnant Chinese women come to Southern California to give birth to American citizen children, three operators of so-called birth tourism agencies were arrested Thursday, the first criminal charges ever lodged against the controversial industry. Officials with the U.S. Dept. of Justice in Santa Ana unveiled indictments against 19 people in all, naming foreign operators and clients, most of whom are in China. But officials also charged three people still in the United States — Dongyuan Li, 41, of Irvine, who ran a company called “You Win USA,” Michael Wei Yueh Liu, 53, of Rancho Cucamonga and his wife Jing Dong, 42, who operated a San Bernardino-based company called “USA Happy Baby Inc.”
Los Angeles Daily News

California's Inmate Programs Haven't Reduced Recidivism Rates: State Audit

Increased efforts by California to change the behavior of prison inmates have not reduced the rate at which ex-convicts commit new crimes, state auditors reported Thursday. The assessment relied on five-year-old data, prompting state corrections officials to say auditors may be drawing conclusions too soon. The data used by auditors predates an expansion of rehabilitation programs and new efforts to see if the programs are working, corrections officials said. State Auditor Elaine Howle said in her assessment that recidivism rates did not vary significantly between inmates who participated in the most rehabilitation programs and those who completed no programs at all.
KTLA 5

How California Got Tough On Guns

The modern American gun debate began on May 2, 1967, when 30 protesting members of the Black Panther Party marched into the California Capitol with loaded handguns, shotguns and rifles. As photos of gun-toting radicals from Oakland hit front pages across the country, many Americans were shocked to see who was embracing the Second Amendment. In California, as in most states at the time, there were few restrictions on carrying loaded weapons in public. That soon changed. The Panthers' efforts to “police the police” already had led Republican Assemblyman Don Mulford to propose legislation to ban the “open carry” of loaded firearms within California cities and towns. After the Panthers showed up in the Capitol, his bill sailed through and was signed by then-Gov. Ronald Reagan. (Yes, that Reagan).
Calmatters

Public Safety News

Typhus Epidemic Worsens In Los Angeles

A veteran Los Angeles City Hall official is one of the latest victims of an epidemic of the infectious disease typhus that continues to worsen across LA County. For months, LA County public health officials have said typhus is mainly hitting the homeless population.

But Deputy City Attorney Liz Greenwood, a veteran prosecutor, tells NBC4 she was diagnosed with typhus in November, after experiencing high fevers and excruciating headaches. "It felt like somebody was driving railroad stakes through my eyes and out the back of my neck," Greenwood told the I-Team. "Who gets typhus? It's a medieval disease that's caused by trash." Greenwood believes she contracted typhus from fleas in her office at City Hall East.
NBC 4

Feds Extend Application Deadline For Woolsey Fire Relief Programs

The federal government Thursday extended for two weeks the deadline for Woolsey Fire victims to apply for federal grants or small business loans. Thursday had been the deadline for fire victims to apply for Federal Emergency Management grants and for Small Business Administration home or business loans. The deadline was extended to Feb. 15. Authorities said the state requested the extension due to the number of people applying for aid, indicating that some people "are still assessing their damage and need additional time" to complete the applications.
NBC 4

First In Series Of Winter Storms Brings Chaos to SoCal, But Worst Is Yet To Come

Lighting struck a passenger plane that had taken off from Los Angeles International Airport, forcing an emergency landing, and the nearby Chevron refinery, causing a power outage. Heavy rain sent mud gushing onto Pacific Coast Highway and in La Tuna Canyon, prompting roadway closures and stranding two city workers. Despite all the chaos Thursday, when the first of three storms forecast for Southern California pummeled the region with heavy rain, hail, thunder and lightning, weather forecasters said the worst is yet to come. “The second storm is the one where you want to stay home,” said Lisa Phillips of the National Weather Service in Oxnard.
KTLA 5

Local Government News

Van Nuys To The Westside By Rail? Metro Is Sharpening Its Vision For The Sepulveda Transit Corridor

L.A. Metro has narrowed down its concepts for an ambitious project that would whisk passengers between the San Fernando Valley and Los Angeles International Airport just in time for the 2028 Olympic games. The proposals for the Sepulveda Transit Corridor have been narrowed from the six options rolled out back in June and include a below-ground train similar to the Red Line and a monorail. The project is expected to woo more than 100,000 passengers every day and provide a faster trip for those who travel on the famously busy 405 Freeway. One of the concepts would start at Metro's Van Nuys station and travel underneath Van Nuys Boulevard with stations at the Van Nuys Orange Line Station and Ventura Boulevard.
Los Angeles Daily News