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Los Angeles
Police Protective League
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the union that represents the
rank and file LAPD officers
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Daily Local & Regional NewsWatch
Daily News Digest
from LA Police Protective League
April 7, 2022 |
Law Enforcement News
No City Of Angels: Public Safety And LAPD Hiring Are Now Top Issues In L.A.'s Mayoral Election.
When it comes to public safety, size matters—which makes it a problem that the Los Angeles Police Department is notably smaller than police forces of other large American cities. According to LAPD Chief Michel Moore, the department currently employs 9,440 officers, including recruits. Los Angeles is the second-largest city in the United States, with a population of nearly 4 million, making for a ratio of 23.6 officers per 10,000 residents—significantly lower than New York, the nation's largest city, with its ratio of 45 officers per 10,000 residents, and Chicago (third-largest), at 40 per 10,000. Violent crime in L.A. is near its highest point in a decade, creating problems for a city looking to host major events like the 2028 Olympics and potential World Cup matches in 2026. As Los Angelinos prepare to vote for a new mayor in primary elections this June and in the general election this November, LAPD hiring has become a top policy question among the frontrunners, all Democrats of varying shades of wokeness. Congresswoman Karen Bass and current city attorney Mike Feuer—engaged in a competition for the liberal and progressive vote—have taken minor steps to pivot away from the more radical party base by indicating that they would hire 200 and 500 more police officers, respectively. Councilman Kevin de León, meantime, has held firm, pledging that he will not increase LAPD staffing. Billionaire developer Rick Caruso, the former LAPD commissioner who changed his party affiliation to Democrat prior to launching his campaign, and city councilman and former LAPD officer Joe Buscaino are competing for moderate voters concerned about the deterioration of public safety. Both have said that they want to hire 1,500 more officers, bringing LAPD's sworn force to about 11,000. City Journal |
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Police Investigate Two Stabbings In Los Feliz Area Overnight
Authorities Wednesday were investigating two overnight stabbings in the Los Feliz area. The first crime occurred shortly after midnight near Vermont Avenue and Sunset Boulevard, where a man was stabbed and then hospitalized in critical condition, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. A short time later, a woman was stabbed near Vermont and Prospect avenues, and she was taken to a hospital in stable condition, the LAPD reported. Police were looking for a man described as about 28-30 years old, bald, 5-feet-7 inches tall and weighing 150 pounds. Anyone with information on the attacks was urged to call LAPD detectives at 323-561-3477. CBS 2 |
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Rapper Tory Lanez Jailed Again In Megan Thee Stallion Shooting Case
Rapper Tory Lanez was briefly jailed Tuesday after a judge said he had violated a protective order in a felony assault case in which he is charged with shooting rapper Megan Thee Stallion in the feet. Lanez, 29, whose legal name is Daystar Peterson, was handcuffed in a Los Angeles courtroom and taken to jail. He posted bail and was released several hours later. At the hearing, Superior Court Judge David Herriford found that Peterson had violated orders that he not contact or harass Megan and that he not discuss evidence with outside parties. While Peterson didn't directly contact Megan, Herriford said some of his tweets appeared to be clear messages to her, and he ordered Peterson not to mention her in any social media. Peterson's lawyer, Shawn Holley, said in court that he did not supply information to a Twitter user who posted in February that Peterson's DNA was not found on the weapon in the case. In her argument, Holley said the tweet, now deleted, was not entirely accurate. She said that an investigation showed there were four DNA contributors on the handgun, making it inconclusive whether Peterson's DNA was found. She said his DNA was definitely not found to be on the gun's magazine. KTLA 5 |
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Fatal Stabbing Prompts Homicide Investigation At Grisly Crime Scene In South LA; Assailant At Large
Los Angeles sheriff detectives launched an investigation of the grisly homicide of a 45-year-old man that occurred Tuesday evening in an unincorporated area of South Los Angeles. Crime scene investigators discovered blood covering a parked car following the violent stabbing attack in the 13500 block of Maie Avenue, authorities said. Detectives also found a pool of blood on a sidewalk nearby. The victim had been involved in a physical altercation with an unknown male, according to investigators. During the altercation, the victim suffered apparent stab wounds. They say the stabbing victim ran to a neighbor's house, pleading for help. Those neighbors called 911 and he was transported to a hospital. The man later died at the hospital. Deputies have not released a description of the suspect and the murder weapon remains outstanding. The murder is being investigated as gang-related, the Sheriff's Department said. ABC 7 |
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Authorities Seek Public's Help In Finding Missing 16-Year-Old Girl Last Seen In East LA
Authorities are seeking the public's help in finding a missing 16-year-old girl who was last seen in East Los Angeles. Darresha Lee Childs was last seen Wednesday morning in the 5100 block of 6th Street near Atlantic Boulevard, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. Family members say she does not have a history running away and are very concerned. The teen was last seen wearing a black sweater, blue jeans and yellow Crocs. Anyone with information about Childs' whereabouts is urged to call investigators at 323-264-4151. ABC 7 |
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4-Year-Old Boy Reportedly Abducted By Mother Found Safe In Compton: Sheriff
Authorities say a 4-year-old boy who was abducted by his mother during a supervised visit was found Wednesday, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. The sheriff's department later announced that deputies found Ethan and his mother walking in the 700 block of Rosecrans Avenue in Compton about 4:10 p.m. Wednesday. Ethan was recovered and found not harmed, while Cristina Rodriguez was arrested and booked for suspicion of child abduction. Her bail was set at $40,000. Ethan was last seen with Rodriguez at around 3:30 p.m. Tuesday in the area of East 124th Street and South Mona Boulevard in Los Angeles. Authorities say Rodriguez is a transient known to live in the area. FOX 11 |
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LA Judge Rules Moving Forward With Ed Buck Sentencing Despite Attorney's Arguments
A federal judge has denied a defense bid to have Ed Buck's convictions for providing the drugs that killed two men in his West Hollywood apartment overturned on the grounds that the government used evidence of the defendant's sexual fetishes to unfairly prejudice the jury, according to court papers obtained Tuesday. U.S. District Judge Christina Snyder heard arguments Monday and took the matter under submission, saying she needed time to examine defense arguments before ruling on the acquittal motion. Her written ruling was filed later that day. Sentencing is scheduled for April 14. Buck faces between 20 years and life in federal prison. A defense attorney had argued via Zoom that prosecutors improperly "kink-shamed" Buck during trial by pointing the jury toward his sexual practices in an effort to obscure insufficient proof supporting the government's charges. Mark Werksman further alleged that the two victims, Gemmel Moore and Timothy Dean, suffered multiple underlying medical conditions that caused their deaths, not the methamphetamine they ingested at Buck's apartment. During the brief hearing, Assistant U.S. Attorney Lindsay Bailey responded that several medical experts, including a county medical examiner, called to the stand by prosecutors had testified that both men died from lethal overdoses of methamphetamine. FOX 11 |
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Man Shot And Killed In Hawthorne
Homicide detectives Wednesday are investigating the shooting death of a man in Hawthorne. Officers from the Hawthorne Police Department responded at approximately 10:15 p.m. Tuesday to calls regarding a shooting in the 3900 block of W. 115th Street, where they found the victim suffering from gunshot wounds, said Deputy David Woo of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's Information Bureau. During their investigation, detectives learned the victim was on an access road at the end of the cul de sac on 115th Street and the Glenn Anderson (105) Freeway when an unknown person shot him. The wounded man ran east on 115th Street to a residential driveway where he collapsed, Yoo said. The victim does not live at the home. The victim was taken to a hospital where he died. Information on his identity was not immediately available. The sheriff's department is assisting the Hawthorne Police Department with the investigation. A detailed description of the shooter was not immediately available. NBC 4 |
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West Hills Man Gets 18 Months For Arson Fire In Santa Monica During Civil Unrest
A 20-year-old West Hills man was sentenced Wednesday, April 6, to a year and a half behind bars for starting a fire that caused substantial damage to a Santa Monica sushi restaurant during a night of civil unrest two years ago, authorities said. Micah Tillmon pleaded guilty last year to possession of an unregistered destructive device, in particular an incendiary device, a charge that carries a federal prison sentence of up to 10 years, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. Restitution has yet to be determined. Tillmon first looted two nearby stores, authorities said, then used a homemade incendiary device to set fire to the Sake House at the corner of Santa Monica Boulevard and Fourth Street on May 31, 2020, during a night of apparently organized theft blocks from a protest meant to decry the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis a week earlier. According to documents filed in Los Angeles federal court, the restaurant's security video shows Tillmon removing “a red tube-shaped object from his jacket, which he placed behind the reception desk area of the restaurant before walking away. Within seconds of that action, smoke and fire appeared from the area.” Los Angeles Daily News |
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Foul Play Not Suspected In Death Of Man Found In Malibu Parking Lot
Authorities today said foul play was not suspected in the death of a man whose body was found in a parking lot in Malibu, and investigators sought the public's help to find a person they say was parked in the lot at the time. Deputies from the Malibu/Lost Hills Station were called to the 30000 block of Pacific Coast Highway about 7 a.m. on March 29 regarding the discovery of a body, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. The man was identified by the Los Angeles County coroner's office as Inge Baumbach, 58. His cause of death was listed by the coroner's office as ``deferred pending additional investigation.'' Various news outlets identified Baumbach as an overnight security guard who worked for a nearby shopping center. “The cause of death for the victim remains unknown,'' the sheriff's department said in a statement released Wednesday afternoon. “No foul play is suspected at this time. Investigators are seeking the identity of an individual (who) was parked in the lot at the time of the incident.'' Anyone with information on the case was urged to call the Sheriff's Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500, or Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS. WestSide Current |
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2 Men Arrested With ‘Enough Fentanyl To Kill 4.7 Million People': OCDA
In what's being described as the largest Orange County drug bust in 16 years, two Buena Park residents were arrested last month after authorities recovered “enough fentanyl to kill 4.7 million people,” authorities announced Wednesday. About 821 pounds of methamphetamine, 190 pounds of cocaine and 21 pounds of fentanyl pills were recovered after Buena Park police pulled over a minivan leaving a home on March 17, according to the Orange County District Attorney's Office. Authorities did not elaborate on how they calculated the number of people who would die from the amount of fentanyl seized. Edgar Alfonso Lamas, 36, and Carlos Raygozaparedes, 53, were arrested and have been charged with one felony count of possession of sale of a controlled substance, three felony counts of sale or transportation for sale of a controlled substance, and two felony counts of possession of sale of a controlled substance, officials said. The men, described as drug dealers, were also charged with two felony enhancements that the controlled substances exceeded 80 kilograms by weight, and two felony enhancements that the controlled substances exceeded 20 kilograms by weight or 400 liters by liquid volume. KTLA 5 |
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Years Of Simmering Gang Violence Escalated To Sacramento's Deadly Shooting, Officials Say
The massacre that killed six and injured 12 more in downtown Sacramento early Sunday morning was a gang-related gun battle that involved at least five shooters, Sacramento police revealed Wednesday. Killed in the assault were three fathers, two young women, and a homeless woman well-known in the neighborhood. Initially, police said the crime involved a man firing from a car as it drove up 10th Street just as patrons were leaving downtown nightclubs around 2 a.m. But according to officer Chad Lewis, detectives are “able to confidently say” — based on a preliminary examination of the evidence — that at least five people whipped out weapons and began firing them that night, with gunfire hitting innocent victims. “It is increasingly clear that gang violence is at the center of this tragedy,” police said in a statement. Police have not named the gangs or what the motive for the deadly barrage might have been. Only one alleged shooter, a 26-year-old man arrested Monday, has been identified by police. And, adding to the general lack of clarity, when Dandrae Martin appeared in court Tuesday, he was not charged with murder, or even with assault with a firearm, a crime he was arrested for, but only for being a felon in possession of a gun. Los Angeles Times |
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Philly Cop Shot In The Line Of Duty Gives Raw Look At His Recovery
Philadelphia police officer Arcenio Perez is giving an honest, unfiltered look at recovery from a gunshot wound. In an interview Wednesday with CBS Philly, Perez and his wife described the emotional, financial and physical challenges of healing from a line-of-duty injury. Now, the couple is sharing their story to help others who may also be struggling with the aftermath of gun violence. Perez was shot last October by a suspect who had allegedly killed his coworker at a local hospital. There was an exchange of gunfire and Perez was hit. “It came in through the forearm and came out, severed all the nerves and tendons. Basically lost feeling from my elbow down to my hand,” Perez told CBS Philly. Perez was rushed to the hospital as his wife, Olivia, was called. “I was eight months pregnant, and I got that phone call at 1:30 in the morning that my husband was shot,” Olivia said. Six months later, Perez says the pain is still nonstop. He's had multiple surgeries to graft muscles and nerves from his thigh to his foot, and there are more surgeries in his future. His injuries make it difficult to care for his two sons. “He can't hold the baby, he can't really carry him. All of that falls on me,” Olivia said. PoliceOne |
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Gunman Dead After Firing More Than 100 Rounds, Minnesota Officer Seriously Wounded
A gunman fired more than 100 rounds in his suburban Minneapolis neighborhood, seriously wounding a police officer before the suspect was shot and later died, police said Wednesday. Officers in Roseville responded to a report of shots fired around 7:30 p.m. Tuesday and encountered a chaotic scene as they immediately came under fire, Police Chief Erika Scheider said during a briefing. An officer was shot in the face and his colleagues dragged him to a squad car and rushed him to a hospital, where he was listed in stable condition, Scheider said. The 53-year-old suspect moved around the wooded, residential neighborhood about 8 miles (13 kilometers) northeast of Minneapolis and continued to shoot at officers and houses, in some cases breaking windows, officials said. Neighbors received an alert to shelter in place as police, Ramsey County sheriff's deputies and State Patrol troopers searched for the gunman. The shooting continued for about an hour before a Roseville officer spotted the suspect outside a home, returned fire and the suspect sustained a significant injury to his groin area, Scheider said. The suspect later died at a hospital, the chief said, and the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension will determine whether gunfire from the officer led to his death. Associated Press |
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New Fentanyl Bill Isn't Tough Enough, Colorado Police Leaders Say
A new Colorado bill meant to address the opioid crisis doesn't go far enough, local police leaders told Colorado Public Radio last week. Under the legislative proposal, people who carry four grams of fentanyl or less face a misdemeanor unless prosecutors can prove they were selling the drug, according to the report. Paul Pazen, Denver's police chief, says the legislation needs to go further to prevent more opioid-related deaths. “This is something like we've never seen,” Pazen said. “People are dying unwittingly and unknowingly. You can't ignore that people are dying. In our city, more than one a day are dying. How do folks square that?” Other law enforcement leaders say the bipartisan bill likely won't gain their support unless lawmakers agree to raise the penalties for simple possession. “This drug is so deadly that possession of any amount should have a felony consequence. Since no amount of fentanyl is safe, this coalition will seek amendments to elevate ‘simple possession' to a felony,” said a lobbying group of law enforcement leaders in a statement obtained by Colorado Public Radio. “Colorado cannot afford to take small, incremental steps to address the fentanyl crisis.” Another police group, the Colorado Drug Investigators Association, was also disappointed by the lower penalties. “The current form of this bill, unfortunately, falls short of the mark,” said Matthew Stoneberger, the president of CDIA. PoliceOne |
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Public Safety News
Crews Knock Down Brush Fire Along 118 Freeway In Chatsworth
Crews have knocked down a brush fire in the Chatsworth area that burned about 3 acres. The fire was reported about 11:10 a.m. along the 118 Freeway between De Soto Avenue and Topanga Canyon Boulevard, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. About 3 acres of medium brush burned as 20 mph winds blow from the west, the Fire Department indicated. Forward progress of the blaze was stopped about 12:20 p.m, the Los Angeles County Fire Department indicated. No structures were damaged and no injuries were reported. Firefighters were also assisted by the Ventura County Fire Department. The highway was “heavily impacted” due to responding LAFD units, officials said. Motorists were asked to avoid the area. The blaze burned amid an early spring heatwave, where high temperatures were expected to bake the Southland, creating fire concerns. KTLA 5 |
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COVID Cases Low In LA County, But Numbers Increasing In Schools
Health officials in Los Angeles County say COVID-19 cases remain low, but there's a change happening. "While we've seen significant decreases in COVID cases hospitalizations and deaths, our rates are beginning to level off and cases are no longer declining," said L.A. County Public Health Director Dr. Barbara Ferrer. She said the new BA.2 subvariant is spreading fast. It now accounts for 32% of specimens in the county. The omicron variant is still dominant but, the question is for how long. "BA.2 is more infectious than previous omicron strains. We do expect that BA.2 now accounts for an even higher proportion of COVID-19 cases in L.A. County. Increases in L.A. County do mirror patterns that we're seeing around the world," said Ferrer. Plus, officials are also seeing an increase in cases in schools. Ferrer said there have been 10 recent outbreaks, six of which occurred on Monday - that's something officials are monitoring closely. "For the 10 new outbreak investigations opened in the seven-day period between March 28 and April 3. Nine of the outbreaks happened in elementary school classrooms and there was one outbreak in high school," said Ferrer. ABC 7 |
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The New Omicron Subvariant XE Is Getting Attention. How Concerned Should We Be?
Even as the highly contagious Omicron subvariant BA.2 is increasingly dominating California and the U.S., an even more potentially contagious subvariant, XE, has attracted the attention of global scientists. Early estimates as noted by the World Health Organization say XE may be 10% more transmissible than BA.2, but it's too soon to say whether XE will become the next prolific Omicron subvariant that will become another household name. The British government has also noted that data showing XE's growth rate advantage over BA.2 have not remained consistent, so more data will be needed to assess XE's likely future trajectory. XE was first detected in Britain on Jan. 19, the WHO said. And more than 700 cases of XE have been reported in Britain, with more than 600 of them in England, according to British authorities. There have not been significant numbers of the XE subvariant in countries outside of Britain, Los Angeles County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said Tuesday. To date, there have been only three cases of XE reported in the U.S., and none in California, she said. The preliminary data available so far suggest XE “is going to be easier to catch,” said UC San Francisco infectious diseases expert Dr. Peter Chin-Hong in an interview, although people who are vaccinated and boosted should have a relatively lower risk of suffering hospitalization and death, as is the case with other Omicron subvariants. Los Angeles Times |
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Local Government News
LA Will Resume Ticketing, Towing Vehicle Dwellings In May
Following a vote by the City Council Wednesday, parking enforcement of vehicle dwellings in violation of posted signage will resume on May 15 for the first time since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, and parking enforcement for recreational vehicles deemed hazardous will begin immediately. Enforcement and towing of vehicle dwellings was suspended in March 2020, when the city declared a local emergency, relaxing enforcement for all parking violations. The city resumed general enforcement in October 2020, but vehicles that officers believed were being used as dwellings were exempt. According to the Los Angeles Department of Transportation, vehicle dwellings were exempt from enforcement so "the unhoused did not meet additional burdens during a health crisis." Officials added that the definition's broadness has led to abandoned vehicles not being impounded either. In February, the department created criteria for distinguishing between abandoned vehicles suitable for towing and vehicles used as dwellings that warrant additional engagement. FOX 11 |
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LA City Council Considers Resolution To Support Bill Of Rights For Dogs, Cats
The LA City Council Tuesday began considering a resolution to support a "Dog and Cat Bill of Rights" that's moving through the state Legislature. Assembly Bill 1881, introduced by Assemblyman Miguel Santiago, D-Los Angeles, would gives animals the right to: freedom from exploitation, cruelty, neglect and abuse; a life of comfort, free of fear, and anxiety; daily mental stimulation and appropriate exercise; nutritious food, sanitary water and shelter in an appropriate and safe environment; preventive and therapeutic health care; and health care, including spaying and neutering to prevent unwanted litters. If the legislation is passed, the bill of rights would be required to be posted at animal shelters and rescue groups, and failure to do so would be punishable by a fine of up to $250. "This bill would promote the health and well-being of and fights against cruelty toward dogs and cats," the City Council resolution, introduced by Councilman Bob Blumenfield, states. The resolution will first be reviewed by the Rules, Elections, Intergovernmental Relations Committee before a vote by the full City Council. NBC 4 |
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About the LAPPL - Formed in 1923, the Los Angeles Police Protective League (LAPPL) represents the more than 9,900 dedicated and professional sworn members of the Los Angeles Police Department. The LAPPL serves to advance the interests of LAPD officers through legislative and legal advocacy, political action and education. The LAPPL can be found on the Web at:
www.LAPD.com |
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