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FEATURES
Hope for the Homeless
Based on a discussion we had on a recent show with Michelle Bless, child abuse survivor and minister
Just last Thursday there was another of our ongoing discussions that evolved into the topic of what could be done for the homeless. One of the participants presented the concept of using 'petitions' for change.
It morphed into a story of the weekend before when Bill Murray made a combined NAASCA and LACP presentation .. and spoke at a Baptist Church function in South Los Angeles.
Many of the community that attended, perhaps half of it, were homeless, folks with young children in tow who eagerly took advantage of box after box of free clothes and donated toys.
Bill had a thought. What if the churches of various denominations across the continent opened their community room or gym doors to the homeless during the evening hours, say between the hours of
8pm to 6am the next morning.
Isn't this at least a portion of the reason churches, synagogue and mosques exist .. to take care of the most disadvantaged among us? And the most vulnerable? Aren't there many in a congregation who are seeking opportunities to volunteer .. to serve the community?
We'll continue this discussion tonight ..
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OPINION
On each murrayTALK episode, Bill will express his Opinion of some of the top issues of the week. There'll be no shortage of topics ..
We promise stimulating and thought-provoking presentations, and we'll see a way for the audience to contribute .. perhaps via Facebook and Twitter if we can figure out how to do it.
For now we'll use the OPEN MIKE discussion forum and the panelists who call the show.
Stay tuned for more on this !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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from the Broker
September 2019 Market Commentary
The Dog Days of Summer were on full display this past month, as a variety of concerns pushed stocks and bond yields lower. After reaching new record highs in late July, the S&P 500 Index dropped approximately 1.8% in August as trade concerns pressured investor sentiment around the world. Impacts of U.S.–China trade tensions reverberated throughout the economy and financial markets in recent weeks, including weakening global manufacturing data and plunging sovereign interest rates. As a result, safe-haven assets like gold, government bonds, and utilities outperformed in August.
Escalating trade tensions early last month dashed hopes of a quick resolution. Both sides need to show strength as China is dealing with protests in Hong Kong and preparing for the 70th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China this October, while President Trump is gearing up for the U.S. presidential election. While global manufacturing has borne the brunt of the trade damage, the latest round of tariffs will impact more consumer goods.
Fortunately, the U.S. consumer remains in good shape, bolstering the economy. The unemployment rate is low, wages are rising, and debt as a percentage of disposable income remains near four-decade lows. Personal spending has driven U.S. output, which during the first half of 2019 remained slightly above the average for the economic expansion. We believe the key to sustaining growth is renewed strength in business investment, which likely requires progress on trade.
The inverted U.S. Treasury yield curve reflects these uncertainties. An inversion occurs when short-term interest rates exceed longer-term rates and typically indicates pending economic weakness, or recession. Considering the relative strength of the U.S. economy and expected interest rate cuts from the Federal Reserve (Fed), we’re not convinced recession is imminent. Instead, we believe the shape of the yield curve reflects a run on U.S. Treasuries based on the global search for yield. More than $17 trillion in global sovereign debt offers negative yields, where lenders pay borrowers for the “privilege” of loaning them money.
Another message sent by the yield curve is that monetary policy is too tight given trade uncertainty, so the Fed needs to respond promptly with lower interest rates. Of course, we will have a recession someday, and now that we’re in the longest expansion ever, anticipation is high. Yet reviewing fundamentals, even with trade, we’re hard pressed to project contraction soon. It is conceivable, though, that a variety of global events, including the uncertainty of trade and the U.S. election, may cause businesses and consumers to “sit this one out” in the fourth quarter of 2020 and the first quarter of 2021. We assign odds of that recessionary scenario at 1 in 3.
In conclusion, fundamentals of the U.S. economy remain solid even as trade uncertainty weighs on investor sentiment. We would interpret the yield curve inversion as a signal that the Fed is too tight, not of imminent recession. Also keep in mind that stocks have historically performed well in the 12 to 18 months following inversions. We recommend suitable investors continue to focus on economic and market fundamentals while maintaining diversified portfolios.
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Public Safety - Travel
American Airlines mechanic accused of attempted sabotage of flight with 150 on board
by Mary Kay Mallonee, CNN
(CNN) A mechanic for American Airlines appeared in court Friday after he was accused of trying to sabotage a commercial airliner shortly before it was set to take off from Miami International Airport for the Bahamas with 150 people on board.
Abdul-Majeed Marouf Ahmed Alani has been charged with "willfully damaging, destroying, disabling, or wrecking an aircraft, and attempting to do so," according to a criminal complaint filed in federal court.
Alani allegedly tried to damage or disable the aircraft's air data module (ADM) system, which reports aircraft speed, pitch and other critical data, on July 17.
On Thursday, investigators interviewed Alani and he "admitted that he accessed the ADM" and that he "inserted a piece of foam into the ADM's inlet where the line connects and that he applied super glue to the foam so as to prevent the foam from coming off," the complaint says.
"Alani stated that his intention was not to cause harm to the aircraft or its passengers," investigators say in the complaint.
The court documents say Alani told investigators that he was upset over a contract dispute between union workers and the airlines, and the dispute had cost him money.
Alani allegedly explained that he tampered with the aircraft so he could get overtime working on the plane.
As the plane went down the runway and pilots increased power to the engines, there was an error related to the ADM system and the takeoff was aborted.
The aircraft returned to the concourse and no one on board was injured, the complaint says.
American Airlines mechanics immediately inspected the aircraft and "discovered a loosely connected pitot tube, which connects directly to the ADM" and determined "the ADM appeared to have been deliberately obstructed with what appeared to be a dark Styrofoam-type material," according to the complaint.
Authorities used surveillance video to identify Alani, the document says.
No formal plea was entered during Friday's court hearing. A bond hearing was set for Wednesday.
The federal government has until September 20 for a grand jury to return an indictment. Alani's public defender, Anthony Natale, has just been assigned the case. "We won't know until the 20th what the formal charges will be."
American Airlines, in a statement to CNN, said, "At American we have an unwavering commitment to the safety and security of our customers and team members and we are taking this matter very seriously.
At the time of the incident, the aircraft was taken out of service, maintenance was performed and after a inspection to ensure it was safe the aircraft was returned to service. American immediately notified federal law enforcement who took over the investigation with our full cooperation."
An airline spokesman said Alani has been suspended.
Alani previously worked for Alaska Airlines.
A spokesman for the airline said Alani "was an avionics technician and line avionics technician for the company. He worked for Alaska from January to August 1990, and then again from June 1998 to July 2008. Alaska does not comment on specific personnel matters of past and present employees."
In a lawsuit Alani filed in 2010, he acknowledged he was fired from Alaska.
According to an American Airlines spokesman, Alani had worked for American since 1988. American acknowledged that he worked for both airlines, which was permitted.
https://www.cnn.com/2019/09/06/us/florida-american-airlines-mechanic-faces-sabotage-charge/index.html
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from Dept of Justice
PRESS RELEASE
Former Burbank Elementary School Teacher Pleads Guilty to Producing Child Pornography Depicting His Former Student
by Nicola T. Hanna - United States Attorney, Central District of California
LOS ANGELES – A former elementary school teacher pleaded guilty today to federal criminal charges for sexually exploiting his 15-year-old former student by producing pornographic images of her.
Sean David Sigler, 55, of Burbank, pleaded guilty to two felony counts of production of child pornography. Sigler, whom a federal grand jury indicted in May 2018, previously taught fifth-grade students at Bret Harte Elementary School in Burbank and at Gardner Street Elementary School in Hollywood.
According to a criminal complaint filed in this case, Sigler became involved in the victim's personal life after the child left Sigler's classroom. He then used his position as former teacher, mentor, and father figure to gain the trust of the victim and her parent. Sigler then exploited that trust to gain sexual access to the minor victim. Over the course of 15 months, Sigler regularly transported the victim to his home, where he gave her alcohol and pills and then photographed and filmed his sexual activity with her. Sigler began having sex with the minor victim when she was just 15 years old.
Sigler admitted in his plea agreement that he created multiple sexually explicit videos of the victim, and that he also took sexually explicit photographs of her, beginning when she was 15 years old. Some of child pornography Sigler created included images and videos involving sadomasochistic conduct. Sigler also created child pornography by modifying a pornographic image of the minor victim's body and digitally superimposing the face of a different underage former student. Sigler's digital devices contained numerous images and videos of his sexual acts with the victim, as well as more than 5,000 images of child pornography depicting unknown pre-pubescent minors, according to court documents.
As part of his plea agreement, Sigler agreed to forfeit $271,506 in cash seized by the government, which constitutes the proceeds from the sale of the home where Sigler produced child pornography.
United States District Judge John A. Kronstadt has scheduled a December 5 sentencing hearing, at which time Sigler will face a statutory maximum sentence of 60 years in federal prison. Each count of production of child pornography also carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison.
This matter was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations and the Burbank Police Department.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Damaris Diaz of the Violent and Organized Crime Section and Devon Myers of the Cyber and Intellectual Property Crimes Section.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, which is a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Launched by the Justice Department in 2006 and led by the U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.
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Ciaran McEvoy, Public Information Officer
ciaran.mcevoy@usdoj.gov
(213) 894-4465
www.usdoj.gov
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from Dept of Justice
PRESS RELEASE Federal Grand Jury Indictments Allege Drug Trafficking Ring that Smuggled Hundreds of Pounds of Cocaine, Ecstasy, Other Narcotics
by Nicola T. Hanna - United States Attorney, Central District of California
LOS ANGELES – Thirteen people were arrested today on two federal grand jury indictments alleging a conspiracy to export hundreds of pounds of narcotics, including cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine, from Mexico through Southern California and into Canada. Three defendants were arrested in the Los Angeles area, while the others were arrested in the Seattle and Vancouver, Canada areas. Three additional defendants are currently in state custody and will be transferred over to federal custody at a later date.
The indictments unsealed today charge a total of 30 defendants with a series of narcotics-related offenses, including conspiracies to distribute, import, and export controlled substances. The indictments further allege that the organization imported MDMA, or ecstasy, from Canada to Southern California in exchange for other drugs.
According to the indictments and other court documents, the defendants, one of whom was arrested on August 24 and remains in federal custody, were members of related international drug trafficking organizations that worked together to traffic bulk quantities of cocaine, methamphetamine and heroin from Mexico to Canada through Southern California, including at locations in Costa Mesa, Compton, Ventura, and Redlands.
The drugs would be exchanged for either cash or bulk quantities of ecstasy, the indictments allege. Some of the defendants allegedly also conspired to transport narcotics to Australia from Southern California. The drug trafficking organizations included members of Canadian, Mexican, Serbian, Chinese, and Sudanese organized crime groups, according to court documents.
The defendants allegedly used modified cellular devices with military-grade end-to-end encryption to communicate with each other regarding their drug trafficking business, including the transportation of narcotics between the United States and Canada. These devices are manufactured primarily by Canadian companies that remove most functionality from the phones, leaving only an encrypted email system, court papers state.
In total, law enforcement seized approximately 428.5 kilograms (944.7 pounds) of cocaine, nine kilograms (19.8 pounds) of heroin, 46.6 kilograms (102.7 pounds) of methamphetamine, and 46.12 kilograms (106.1 pounds) of MDMA. Law enforcement also seized approximately $811,000 in Canadian currency.
Those defendants arrested today in the U.S. will appear this afternoon in United States District Court, including in downtown Los Angeles.
If convicted of all charges, the defendants would face a statutory maximum sentence of life in federal prison and a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison.
An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Los Angeles Police Department, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations. Critical support was provided by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the Toronto Police Service, the Sudbury Police Service, the Hamilton Police Service, Peel Regional Police, the Hawthorne Police Department, the Baldwin Park Police Department, the West Covina Police Department, the Fontana Police Department, the California Highway Patrol, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the Department of Justice Canada, and the Criminal Division's Office of International Affairs.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Victoria A. Degtyareva of the International Narcotics, Money Laundering, and Racketeering Section.
~~~
Ciaran McEvoy, Public Information Officer
ciaran.mcevoy@usdoj.gov
(213) 894-4465
www.usdoj.gov
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from LACP.org web site - MAIN ARTICLES
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LAPPL Law Enforcement News - Daily Local & Regional NewsWatch:
Law Enforcement News - Fri, 9/06
Suspect In Shooting Of Deputy In Central Valley Captured
Authorities have captured a man who allegedly shot and wounded a sheriff's sergeant in Central California. Merced County sheriff's officials identified the suspect as Guadalupe Lopez-Herrera, 51, of Dos Palos and said he was taken into custody Thursday in Kings County after a nearly hour-long chase. Authorities allege Lopez-Herrera opened fire on deputies about 3:30 p.m. Wednesday at a home near the intersection of Eucalyptus Road and Highway 33 in Dos Palos, about 60 miles northwest of Frenso. One deputy was hit by the gunfire. The deputy, whose name has not been released, was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, authorities said. The gunman escaped. Deputy Daryl Allen told reporters at the scene that investigators were at the home to follow up on a domestic violence report involving Lopez-Herrera that had been filed over the weekend. Court documents show Lopez-Herrera has a history of domestic violence allegations. “We had word that he was possibly hiding out at this residence,” Allen told KFSN-TV of Frenso. He said the wounded deputy was alert and in good spirits.
Los Angeles Times |
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2 Mississippi Deputies Shot After Domestic Call, Pursuit
Two deputies were shot Thursday after responding to a domestic call, leaving one of them fighting for their life. According to The Clarion Ledger, LEOs responded to the call of a possible hostage situation Thursday morning at a home. Upon arrival, the suspect exited the home and fled in a vehicle. Gunfire erupted after the ensuing pursuit ended with the suspect crashing his vehicle. Two deputies and the suspect were hit. One deputy was shot in the head and airlifted to a hospital. The deputy was in critical condition and needed multiple surgeries, according to the report. The suspect was also taken to a hospital.
PoliceOne |
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LAPD Searching For Missing 11-Year-Old Boy From South LA
The Los Angeles Police Department is looking for an 11-year-old missing boy from South Los Angeles. Dallas Crawford was last seen wearing a navy blue polo, navy pants and black shoes with red laces. He was last seen running northbound on 8th Avenue from Vernon Avenue around 5:30 p.m. Thursday. Police said he was with his grandmother at the time.
CBS 2 |
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Hundreds Of Pounds Of Drugs Seized In Connection With Drug Trafficking Ring; 3 Arrested In L.A.
Thirteen people were arrested on Thursday -- three of them in Los Angeles, on charges of conspiracy to export hundreds of pounds of drugs from Mexico through Southern California and into Canada, the U.S. Department of Justice said. Authorities say a total of 30 individuals are being charged with several narcotics-related offenses including conspiracies to distribute, import, and export controlled substances such as cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine. While the Department of Justice did not name the individuals arrested on Thursday, it said they "were members of related international drug trafficking organizations that worked together to traffic bulk quantities of cocaine, methamphetamine and heroin from Mexico to Canada through Southern California, including at locations in Costa Mesa, Compton, Ventura, and Redlands." The drugs would be exchanged for either cash or bulk quantities of ecstasy, the Department of Justice said, crediting indictments unsealed on Thursday.
FOX 11 |
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Woman Suspected Of Repeatedly Ramming Car Into Mustang In Hollywood Surrenders To Police
A woman accused of repeatedly ramming her car into a parked Ford Mustang in Hollywood surrendered to police Thursday, her attorney said. The woman was seen in video screaming at a group standing around the Mustang that was blocking her Mercedes-Benz in a crowded area near a taco truck on the corner of Western and Lexington avenues at about 2 a.m. Aug. 25, 2019. She then starts ramming the Mustang with her car, prompting the driver to get out of the vehicle, video shows. One of the car's passengers told KTLA the woman ended up hitting him in the leg with the car before she drove off and returned again on foot. “She ended up coming back on foot and assaulting two people, slapping one girl and then punching another in the back of the head,” the man, who wanted to remain anonymous, said. Police then responded to the scene and filed felony vandalism and battery reports in connection with the incident, the Los Angeles Police Department said at the time.
KTLA 5 |
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Arson Suspect Jailed In Homeless Camp Fire That Injures 2
A 33-year-old arson suspect was jailed Friday morning in lieu of $2.085 million bail in connection with a fire at a homeless encampment in the Harvard Park area of South Los Angeles that injured two people, one critically. Firefighters responded to the 1600 block of West Slauson Boulevard near Denker Avenue about 5:10 a.m. Thursday where they discovered a 27-year-old woman and a 36-year-old man suffering from burn injuries, according to Brian Humphrey of the Los Angeles Fire Department. The injured patients said they were in a nearby homeless encampment when their tent was purposely set on fire, Humphrey said. The man sustained burns to nearly 30% of his body, including his hands, feet and legs. He was taken to a hospital in critical but stable condition. The woman suffered minor burns to her arms and declined treatment, Humphrey said.
MyNewsLA.com |
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Man Sentenced To 40 Years To Life For Marijuana Dispensary Slaying
One of two men convicted of murdering the owner of a Mar Vista medical marijuana dispensary during a robbery was sentenced Thursday to 40 years to life in state prison. James A. Eastland, 25, pleaded guilty nearly a year ago to murder and robbery charges stemming from the Jan. 18, 2017, shooting death of Ovik Oganesyan, 50, at the dispensary at 12480 W. Venice Blvd., along with an unrelated robbery. Eastland testified on behalf of the prosecution in the trial of co-defendant Kayshon Lamont Moody, who was convicted last October of the first-degree murder of Oganesyan and the shooting death of M.D. Mizu Rahman, 34, at a Chevron station in the 2100 block of North Vermont Avenue a day before Oganesyan was killed. Along with the murders, jurors found Moody guilty of three counts of second-degree robbery involving the two murder victims and a separate robbery at a fast-food restaurant shortly before Rahman's slaying.
NBC 4 |
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Public Safety News
Reseda Gas Leak Fully Stopped; Evacuated Residents Allowed To Return To Homes
Workers ruptured an underground natural gas line in the Reseda area Thursday, and some evacuations were ordered as a precaution while utility crews stopped the leak. The break was reported shortly after 10 a.m. on the 17700 block of Saticoy Street, near White Oak Avenue, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. No injuries were reported. Southern California Gas Company crews sent to the scene stopped the leak shortly after 1 p.m., the LAFD said. It took Gas Company workers — with the assistance of Los Angeles firefighters — 3 hours and 10 minutes to fully stop the leak, which prompted the evacuation of 25 homes, businesses and a house of worship, said fire department spokesman Brian Humphrey. “The natural gas fumes have dissipated, and LAFD hazmat experts have identified no ongoing concerns,” he said. After the leak occurred, occupants of about 25 homes, businesses and a house of worship were evacuated, but the evacuations were lifted about 1:15 p.m., according to the LAFD.
Los Angeles Daily News |
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Firefighters' Overnight Efforts Boost Containment Of Tenaja Fire Near Murrieta To 20%
Firefighters battling a fast-moving brush fire that has scorched 2,000 acres in the hillsides near Murrieta increased containment of the blaze to 20% overnight, state fire officials said Friday. Nearly 900 firefighters have been assigned to the Tenaja fire in Riverside County, which erupted about 4 p.m. Wednesday near Tenaja and Clinton Keith roads on a day marked by thunderstorms in the region, officials said. While the blaze burned all the way down to the Copper Canyon neighborhood in Murrieta on Thursday, crews stopped the flames before any homes were destroyed, said Capt. Fernando Herrera, a spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. “The fire probably came within a couple thousand feet of homes,” he said. The blaze, which has forced hundreds of people from their homes, is threatening 1,200 structures. Two structures have received a small amount of cosmetic damage, according to fire officials. One firefighter suffered a non-life-threatening injury in the blaze. The cause of the fire has not been determined.
Los Angeles Times |
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Local Government News
Housing Units Set Aside For Chronically Homeless In South Los Angeles As Part Of $24 Million Project
A vacant lot on Vermont Avenue in South Los Angeles will soon be the site of a permanent home for the homeless. City leaders held a groundbreaking ceremony Wednesday morning to announce the 50-unit affordable and supportive housing complex, called The Pointe on Vermont, located south of Florence Avenue. "You only solve homelessness by creating and building beds," said Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti. The $24 million project is being funded with help from Measure HHH, which was passed by Los Angeles voters three years ago, setting aside $1.2 billion for the creation of homeless housing. Twenty-five of the units at The Pointe are set aside for those who are either formally homeless, chronically homeless or mentally ill. The other half of the units being built are for low income households. The project is in partnership with EAH Housing, an affordable housing non-profit organization and A2Z Enterprises, a real estate development firm.
ABC 7 |
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LA Puts $1.2 Million Into Chandler Bikeway In North Hollywood
The Los Angeles City Council has approved $1.2 million for improvements to the Chandler Bikeway in North Hollywood. The bikeway runs about 2.8 miles along an old railway that stretches into Burbank from the Metro Orange Line. Planned improvements include enhancements to the adjacent parkway, including the addition of exercise equipment, a “tot lot,” dog run and street furniture; a crosswalk and ADA ramp improvements at Denny Avenue; installation of a new mural and restoration of an existing mural. The City Council approved the funding unanimously, 13-0, during a meeting last Friday. According to City Councilman Paul Krekorian, the Chandler Bikeway was created in 2004 to enhance the limited bicycle infrastructure in North Hollywood and has served as a “vital thoroughfare for the community since its construction.”
Los Angeles Daily News |
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Law Enforcement News - Thur, 9/05
Suspect Is Shot After Fighting San Bernardino County Sheriff's Deputy For Gun In Encounter Caught On Camera
A 21-year-old man was shot Wednesday by California sheriff's deputies responding to a domestic disturbance in which he fought with one of them and tried to snatch her gun, investigators said. The encounter unfolded just before 8:30 a.m. in Victorville, 85 miles northeast of Los Angeles, when a woman called San Bernardino County sheriff's deputies saying, "Oh my God, oh my God, send the police, I need my son removed from my home," the department said. The first deputy to respond, Meagan Forsberg, encountered the man identified as Ari Young, outside. Cell phone video shot from one of the apartments in the complex where the incident occurred captured Young appearing to attack Forsberg and repeatedly punching her on the head and face before they both fell to the ground. Forsberg had her gun in her right hand and fired two shots in the air while on her back. Young then appeared to grab the gun and fired in Forsberg's direction as she ran for cover, the department said. She was not hit, investigators said. Responding deputies arrived seconds later and directed Young to drop the weapon and put his hands up. The sheriff's department said he ignored the commands. More than a dozen shots rang out and Young was struck. It was not clear how many times he was hit.
FOX News |
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Over 100 Artifacts Stolen In 1990's Recovered, LAPD Searching For Rightful Owners
Detectives have recovered several expensive artworks that were stolen from Los Angeles area homes in the early 1990's. Officials are now urging people to come forward if they believe the stolen items might belong to them. The investigation, dubbed "Operation Demetra,'' began in June after an art dealer in Los Angeles contacted the Los Angeles Police Department to report that someone had provided the business with possible stolen items, including two Picasso paintings, the LAPD reported. According to police some of the items were stolen from homes in the west San Fernando Valley and in the Hollywood Hills area. “[They] hand picked some art and personal property, as well as artifacts, which some are here today,” said LAPD Capt. Lillian Carranza of the Commercial Crimes Division. Two people were arrested earlier in connection to the burglaries but no stolen items were recovered. The detectives who had originally investigated the burglaries in the 1990's began a new investigation which later led to the service of search warrants in Los Angeles and Orange counties and the recovery of the items.
FOX 11 |
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Hollywood Hills Man Accused Of Supplying Fentanyl-Laced Pills To Rapper Mac Miller Before His Death
A Hollywood Hills man was arrested Wednesday morning in a case tied to the drug overdose death of rapper Mac Miller, officials announced. Cameron James Pettit, 28, is accused of selling counterfeit pharmaceutical drugs laced with fentanyl to the hip-hop artist — whose real name was Malcolm James McCormick — two days before his death in Studio City on Sept. 7, 2018, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Miller was 26 years old. The Los Angeles County coroner's office determined he died of mixed drug toxicity involving fentanyl, cocaine and alcohol, and his death was ruled an accident. Pettit has been charged with a federal count of distribution of a controlled substance, according to a Department of Justice news release.
KTLA 5 |
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Fugitive Suspected In Hollywood Shooting Captured In Mexico
A fugitive wanted for his alleged involvement in an attempted murder in Hollywood was taken into custody by the FBI. Ricardo Villa was flown in by Mexican officials and arrived at Los Angeles International Airport after being located in Puebla, Mexico. FBI Special Agent Scott Garriola said tips brought forward by viewers of an Eyewitness News story, which named Villa as part of a list of a dozen Southern California fugitives wanted by the FBI, helped track him down. He is accused of shooting into a parked vehicle after a dispute inside a Hollywood club on April 26, 2015, according to authorities. At the time, Villa was out on bail after a narcotics arrest in Orange County. Villa was charged with four counts of attempted murder and is accused of other crimes, including possession for sale of a narcotic or controlled substance. According to the FBI, Villa has previously lived in Palmdale. The FBI offered a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to his arrest.
ABC 7 |
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Man Charged With LA Synagogue Vandalism And Making Threats
Los Angeles County prosecutors have charged a 34-year-old man with defacing a synagogue and threatening a man. Cameron Brunson Blake is expected to be arraigned Friday on one count each of vandalism of religious property, which is a hate crime, and criminal threats. Custody records show Blake is jailed, and it's unclear if he has an attorney. Prosecutors are recommending bail be set at $1 million. The district attorney's office says Blake is accused of carving an anti-Semitic slur into the door of a synagogue on Aug. 10. Two days later he allegedly hurled an epithet at a man and his infant daughter in Palisades Park and threatened to injure or kill the man. The charges carry a possible maximum sentence of six years and eight months in prison.
NBC 4 |
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Ex-Cal State Northridge And Redlands High Soccer Player Convicted Of Raping Woman On CSUN Campus
A former Cal State Northridge soccer player was convicted Wednesday of raping a woman on the campus last year. Davis Moreno-Jaime, 20, of Loma Linda, is facing eight years in state prison in connection with the January 2018 attack, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office. He is set to be sentenced Oct. 18 at the San Fernando courthouse. Moreno-Jaime — a 2017 Redlands High School graduate who scored on his only shot in 14 games with the Matadors as a freshman during the 2017 season — was initially charged last year with attacks on three women. Prosecutors subsequently announced that they were unable to proceed on sexual battery and false imprisonment charges involving one of the women, while misdemeanor battery and criminal threats charges involving another woman were turned over to the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office for prosecution, according to Paul Eakins with the District Attorney's Office. Moreno-Jaime was taken into custody last August by Cal State Northridge police and released on bond, then subsequently re-arrested June 25, according to jail records.
Los Angeles Daily News |
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L.A. County Man Arrested On Federal Charges Alleging He Sex Trafficked O.C. Teen
A Los Angeles County man accused of forcing a 16-year-old girl from Orange County into prostitution until she escaped months later has been arrested on federal charges, the U.S. Department of Justice said Friday. Christian Alexander Augustus, a.k.a. “Sir Ceeco,” met the teenager in L.A. in December 2018 and took her to areas of Southern California, Nevada and Arizona to work on the streets and advertise sex work online, according to federal prosecutors. He was arrested Tuesday in Stockton and remains in federal custody in Sacramento. Augustus, 23, allegedly forced the girl to give him all the money she earned and beat her when she did not bring in enough, subjecting her to sex work in cities such as Santa Ana, Las Vegas and Phoenix. Federal prosecutors allege the victim was also beaten severely by Augustus when she tried to flee other times.
KTLA 5 |
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He Died Sunday On A West L.A. Sidewalk. He Was Homeless. He Is Part Of An Epidemic
The balding, middle-aged man was facedown on a flattened piece of cardboard, arms at his side, a small pool of blood near his mouth. He wore bluejeans, his feet were bare, and headset buds were still in his ears. Two LAPD officers who responded to the emergency call from a passerby had pitched a white pop-up tent around the body, which lay on the sidewalk of Massachusetts Avenue between Sepulveda Boulevard and the 405 Freeway in West Los Angeles. It was Sunday morning, the middle of Labor Day weekend, three-quarters of the way into a year in which deaths of homeless people in Los Angeles County are on a record-setting pace to top 1,000, according to preliminary numbers from the county coroner. “I hope this will be another wake-up call that urgency is the order of the day,” said County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, who called it incomprehensible and unacceptable that dying on the streets has become routine. On average, nearly three homeless people are dying daily in the county, nearly double the rate of deaths by homicide. Illness, addiction, accidents, suicide and the ravages of being unsheltered are among the primary causes of death.
Los Angeles Times |
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California Man Charged With Killing Girlfriend, Who Remains Missing
Prosecutors say a Southern California man jailed on suspicion of battering his girlfriend has been charged with killing the woman, who has been missing since July. The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office said Wednesday that Robert Anthony Camou faces one count of murder. The charge comes with a special circumstance allegation of killing a witness and an allegation that he was out on bail when he committed the crime. It wasn't immediately known if the 27-year-old has an attorney. A $10,000 reward has been offered as authorities search for 31-year-old Amanda Custer. Investigators believe Custer was taken against her will by Camou from the home they shared in Monrovia. He had been facing domestic violence charges involving Custer dating back to April.
Los Angeles Times |
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Public Safety News
LAFD Knocks Down Arleta Attic
Fire Firefighters extinguished a stubborn fire in the attic of a one-story home in Arleta in 31 minutes Tuesday night. The fire was first reported at 11:09 p.m. on the 9000 block of Varna Avenue, near Montague Street, according to Brian Humphrey of the Los Angeles Fire Department. A total of 26 firefighters extinguished the fire in the 1,923-square-foot home, and knockdown was declared at 11:40 p.m., Humphrey said. No injuries were reported, and the cause of the fire was under investigation.
Los Angeles Daily News |
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Local Government News
L.A. City Council Votes To Allow Police To Remove People From Fire Zones
Los Angeles police will have the authority to order homeless people out of encampments in high-risk fire-danger areas during heightened wildfire conditions under an ordinance approved by the City Council Wednesday. “With wildfires being our new normal and an imminent threat to not just to many of our hillside communities but many of our communities throughout the San Fernando Valley … it is important that we are looking at more thoughtful changes to our municipal code that will help to provide more efficacy when it comes to evacuating many of these areas,” Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez said. Homeless people who are removed from the fire zones on high-risk days will be referred to supportive services, Rodriguez said. “What we are doing is providing all the wrap-around services,” she said. “When we evacuate these areas, we are getting them the services and resources they need to be permanently off the streets.”
MyNewsLA.com |
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LA City Councilman John Lee Opposes Proposed Homeless Housing Site In Chatsworth
Newly elected Los Angeles City Councilman John Lee came out against a supportive housing project planned for Chatsworth, which was in the works to house unsheltered Angelenos in his northwest San Fernando Valley district. Lee, who was officially sworn in on Friday morning at City Hall, said he has no plans to put his support behind the project at 10243 N. Topanga Canyon Blvd. “I don't think the site was really well thought out,” he told the Daily News a few days before he officially became a councilman. “It was thrown at the community, and I don't believe the site is going to work.” There was a strong possibility that the project was “not going to happen,” he said, adding that he was eyeing another location for the supportive housing project “that is going to work.” Lee, who now represents Chatsworth, Porter Ranch, Northridge, West Hills and Granada Hills, declined to disclose where that possible new location would be.
Los Angeles Daily News |
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Law Enforcement News - Wed, 9/04
Retired LEO Dies From 9/11-Related Illness
A former Cayuga County undersheriff died Thursday of an illness stemming from work he did at the World Trade Center in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Stephen B. McLoud, 59, a longtime member of the Cayuga County Sheriff's Office, died Thursday. He spent time as an undersheriff, a chief criminal investigatory, criminal investigator and deputy with the sheriff's office until he retired on Dec. 31, 2006. He also previously worked as an investigator with the Cayuga County District Attorney's Office. McLoud was sent to New York City in 2001 to help in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks while he was the chief criminal investigator for the sheriff's office. He helped in search and recovery efforts, according to the Cayuga County Sheriff's Office.
Syracuse Media Group, N.Y. |
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Trader Joe's Suspect In 2018 Shootout Will Stand Trial For Murder Of Store Manager
The gunman spotted the police sharpshooter on the roof and became agitated. Inside the Trader Joe's supermarket in Silver Lake in July last year, he threatened to kill someone if the sharpshooter did not leave. “Five, four, three,” he counted on a cellphone to a police negotiator as his terrified hostages waited to die. At the count of two, the sharpshooter abandoned his post, and the hostages were spared. The countdown was among the many harrowing moments recounted by hostages and other alleged victims of Gene Evin Atkins in emotional testimony during a four-day hearing in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom. Some hostages established a rapport with Atkins and tried to keep him calm and comfortable, despite the handgun he used to threaten them and the blood dripping from a serious wound on his arm, the testimony revealed. On Tuesday afternoon, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Mary Lou Villar ruled that prosecutors had presented enough evidence for Atkins to face trial for the murder of Trader Joe's store manager Melyda Corado, the attempted murders of his grandmother and girlfriend, and 48 other criminal counts. Central to the murder charge was the “provocative act” theory holding that Atkins was responsible for Corado's death, even though an LAPD police officer's bullet killed Corado during a shootout with Atkins.
Los Angeles Times |
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2 Sought In Fatal Shooting Of Young Man In Vermont Knolls Neighborhood
Police are investigating the fatal shooting of a young man in the Vermont Knolls neighborhood of South Los Angeles late Tuesday night. The shooting was reported in the 7500 block of South Figueroa Street just after 10:30 p.m., a Los Angeles Police Department spokesperson said. Arriving officers found a man in his early 20s suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. The unidentified victim was pronounced dead at the scene, the spokesperson said. Authorities are searching for two people suspected in the shooting. No descriptions of the suspects were immediately available. Figueroa Street between 74th and 77th streets was closed during the investigation. The motive for the shooting was unknown.
KTLA 5 |
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Bicyclist Fatally Struck In Hit-and-Run Crash In South Los Angeles
A suspect is sought after a bicyclist was struck and killed in a hit-and-run crash in South Los Angeles. The crash occurred at approximately 11:50 p.m. Monday near the intersection of 92nd Street and Grape Avenue. Los Angeles police said the male victim was riding a bicycle when a vehicle traveling eastbound on 92nd Street hit the bicyclist. When first responders arrived to the scene, the man was dead. His identity was not immediately known. A suspect vehicle description has not been released.
ABC 7 |
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Man Wounded In Exposition Park Shooting
An 18-year-old man was wounded in a drive-by shooting believed gang-related, authorities said Monday. It happened at 7:36 p.m. Sunday at 35th Street and Western Avenue, a dispatcher at the Los Angeles Police Department's Operations Center said. The victim was walking when a vehicle drove up and a suspect fired shots from inside, striking the victim, she said. The man was taken to a hospital in a private vehicle and he had stable vital signs, the dispatcher said.
MyNewsLA.com |
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SUV Driver Surrenders To LAPD After Short Pursuit From San Fernando To Sylmar
A suspect who led police on a chase from San Fernando to Sylmar was in custody Wednesday morning. The man stopped the SUV he was driving on Polk Street near San Fernando Road about 10:50 p.m. Tuesday and surrendered to Los Angeles police officers. The identity of the suspect was not disclosed. It was not immediately clear what led to the pursuit, or the exact location where it began.
Los Angeles Daily News |
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2 Arrested On Suspicion Of Attempted Murder In Connection With Eagle Rock Fire
Two 25-year-old men have been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder in connection with last week's 45-acre brush fire in the Eagle Rock area, authorities said Tuesday. Bryan A. Araujocabrera, of Pacoima, and Daniel M. Noguiera, of Eagle Rock, were arrested around 7:30 p.m. Saturday for attempted murder in connection to the fire, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Records showed Nogueira posted $1 million bail and was released Sunday. Araujocabrera remained jailed in lieu of $1.116 million bail. Authorities said they believed the fire was set in an attempt to kill a person or people at the homeless encampment under the 2 Freeway, although the intended target was not immediately clear. According to LAPD, the case will be presented to the district attorney's office Wednesday. The fire started just after 4 p.m. Aug. 25 in the 2900 block of Colorado Blvd., on a hillside near the Glendale Freeway. Within hours, it had grown to about 30 acres and led to the evacuation of about 100 homes in Glendale, fire officials said.
CBS 2 |
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Man Found Guilty Of Stabbing 3-Year-Old Girl To Death In Downtown L.A.
On Tuesday, a jury found a man guilty of fatally stabbing a 3-year-old girl at a clothing factory in downtown Los Angeles in 2016, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office announced. Ricardo Augusto Utuy, 37, who also goes by the name Juan Perez, was found guilty of one count each of first-degree murder and attempted murder, Deputy District Attorney Kathy Ta said. The jury also found true special allegations that Utuy personally used a knife to commit the crime. The District Attorney's Office says Utuy first attacked a woman at a factory in downtown L.A. on March 10, 2016, and stabbed her before fleeing the scene. The victim survived the attack. On Oct. 31, 2016, Utuy, who was working at a clothing factory in the 800 block of McGarry Street, according to DA's Office, ran towards the 3-year-old girl as she was giving her father a cookie and stabbed her multiple times with a knife. The girl was rushed to the hospital where she died. Sentencing for Utuy is scheduled for Sept. 23. Utuy faces 30 years to life in state prison.
FOX 11 |
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Public Safety News
LA City, County Firefighters Joining Hurricane Dorian Response
Fifty-seven crew members from the Los Angeles city and county fire departments were being deployed to the Southeast Tuesday to help with the response to Hurricane Dorian as the storm neared the U.S. mainland. The city firefighters are part of California Task Force 1, a team of highly-trained urban search and rescue specialists requested by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The unit includes dogs and medical personnel, according to Brian Humphrey of the Los Angeles Fire Department. The team, led by LAFD Assistant Chief Tim Ernst, is expected to arrive in the southeast on Wednesday. A 16-member team from the Los Angeles County Fire Department, part of California Task Force 2, is also being deployed to the area at the request of FEMA. California Task Force 2 also consists of urban search and rescue specialists. Dorian was off the coast of Florida on Tuesday after striking the Bahamas.
NBC 4 |
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Local Government News
L.A. City Council To Vote On Allowing Police To Remove People From Fire Zones
The Los Angeles City Council Wednesday will vote on a proposed ordinance that would give law enforcement the authority to order homeless people out of encampments located in brush areas on high-risk fire days. “The implications … are dire in fire zones, particularly on red-flag days,” City Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez said last week. “There are inherent threats that we must mitigate and provide safety for all individuals.” The zones that will be marked off limits would be “Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones,” which are mapped by Cal Fire. Officials said most of the San Fernando Valley is within those zones, but they are limited by the state as to how large the zones can be. Under the proposal, the enforcement would be addressed in three tiers. The first would be during no-risk days when LAFD would provide fire education materials for people in the areas. The second would be during red-flag days when law enforcement would be permitted to remove people. The third would be an enforcement response during a brush fire emergency.
MyNewsLA.com |
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LA Moves Closer To Banning Environmentally Hazardous, Styrofoam Food Containers
A Los Angeles City Council committee Tuesday brought the city closer to banning single-use plastic water bottles, and it recommended a study be conducted on the effects of outlawing containers made of materials like Styrofoam. The Energy, Climate Change and Environmental Justice Committee voted unanimously to send the proposals to the City Council for consideration. Committee members discussed the restaurant industry's hurdles in banning polystyrene, which is used in a variety of food containers and storage. Not only isn't it biodegradable but it's one of the culprits of ocean pollution and landfill mass, experts have argued. Many of the containers are used in food delivery service. "The dilemma for restaurants is that more people are having food delivered," City Councilman Mitch O'Farrell said. Several public speakers said they are in favor of the bans, which included representatives from the Sierra Club and Heal the Bay.
NBC 4 |
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