Karen Bass Got A USC Degree For Free. It's Now Pulling Her Into A Federal Corruption Case
During the last decade, two influential Los Angeles politicians were awarded full-tuition scholarships valued at nearly $100,000 each from USC's social work program. One of those scholarships led to the indictment of former L.A. County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas and the former dean of USC's social work program, Marilyn Flynn, on bribery and fraud charges. The other scholarship recipient, Rep. Karen Bass, is the leading contender to be L.A.'s next mayor. Federal prosecutors have made no indication that Bass is under a criminal investigation. But prosecutors have now declared that Bass' scholarship and her dealings with USC are “critical” to their bribery case and to their broader portrayal of corruption in the university's social work program. When jurors ultimately decide whether to convict Ridley-Thomas and Flynn, prosecutors have indicated they want Bass' relationship with USC, the largest private employer in her congressional district, to inform their verdict. By awarding free tuition to Bass in 2011, Flynn hoped to obtain the congresswoman's assistance in passing coveted legislation, prosecutors wrote in a July court filing. Bass later sponsored a bill in Congress that would have expanded USC's and other private universities' access to federal funding for social work — “just as defendant Flynn wanted,” the filing states. Los Angeles Times

Man Fatally Shot In South Los Angeles; Investigation Underway
Authorities are investigating a fatal shooting that occurred in South Los Angeles Wednesday evening. According to Los Angeles Police Department, the shooting happened a little after 9 p.m. near S. Main Street between Broadway and San Pedro Street, where officers arrived to find a man suffering from multiple gunshot wounds on the front lawn of a home. He was pronounced dead at the scene. There was no suspect information immediately available as officers continued the early investigation. As they continued to survey the scene, Main Street was closed in both directions. CBS 2

Teen Girl Arrested For San Pedro Double Shooting
Police Wednesday said that a 15-year-old girl was arrested in the shooting of a 19-year-old woman and a 13-year-old boy in San Pedro. The shooting was reported at 11:55 p.m. on Aug. 23 in the area of Mesa and First streets, east of Pacific Avenue. Investigators later learned the shooting occurred during an altercation with the suspect and the 19-year-old victim, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. The suspect fled the scene following the shooting, though LAPD detectives were able to discern her identity after reviewing surveillance footage from the area and interviewing witnesses, police said. The suspect was located on Tuesday and arrested, though her name was not released. She was booked on suspicion of assault with a firearm and is being held at Central Juvenile Hall. Anyone with information on the shooting was asked to contact LAPD Detective Chris Lindberg at 310-726-7891. Calls made during non-business hours or on weekends can be directed to 877-527-3247. Anonymous tips can be called in to Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477 or submitted online at  lacrimestoppers.org . FOX 11

‘Core Of Our Family': Daughter Pleads For Help To Find Killer Of 81-Year-Old Woman
It's now been a month since an 81-year-old woman was killed in a Woodland Hills home invasion. For the first time, we're hearing from her devastated family. Clara Kim said her mom Ok Ja Kim was the matriarch of their family and the person they turned for guidance and inspiration. “She was the core of our family,” Clara said. “She was the pinnacle of this family.” She was the mom who brought soup to her daughters when they were sick, and the grandma who moved just to be closer to her grandkids. “What are we doing for Thanksgiving? What are we doing for Korean Thanksgiving? What are we doing for Christmas? Everything was planned. She had it," Clara said. "My mom, in this family, was kind of the pillar of you go to get all your questions answered." And that is why they are so devastated about her sudden death. On Aug. 2, Clara said her mom was expected at her home because they were about to euthanize their 15-year-old dog. Her mom never showed. "And so my husband went to go check on her, and then he found out, he had discovered her," Kim said. Her husband found her robbed, killed, and set in a fire in a home invasion on the 20800 block of Marth Street. NBC 4

LA City Council Reinstates $50K Reward In 2020 Shooting Death
The Los Angeles City Council reinstated a $50,000 reward offer Tuesday for information in the killing of a man who was gunned down in November 2020 in the downtown Los Angeles area. Michael McGarry, 26, was shot Nov. 15, 2020, at about 7:25 p.m. at Enterprise and Mateo streets. He died at the scene, according to the Los Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles County coroner's office. The council initially approved the reward in February for a six-month period. It was reinstated for another six-month period on Tuesday. According to police, McGarry was working for a towing company and was assisting a stranded motorist when two suspects approached in an attempted robbery and one of them shot him in the neck. The gunman was described only as a male. MyNewsLA

City Council To LAPD: Which LA Intersections Are Most Dangerous For Street Takeovers?
A panel will hold virtual conferences starting at 9 a.m. to address the dangers of street takeovers. Those in attendance will include local law enforcement, elected officials, and community outreach groups. The meeting comes as the city of Los Angeles looks to crack down on illegal street takeovers. A city council motion last week asked the Los Angeles Police Department to identify the most dangerous intersections and to come up with recommendations on how to stop these street takeovers.  FOX 11

Car Crashes Into San Pedro Church Following Hit-and-Run
A driver fled the scene of a two-car crash that happened in San Pedro overnight, the Los Angeles Police Department said. Video from the incident shows the driver crashed into a parked car at 18th and Mesa streets and then appeared to leave their vehicle behind. Another vehicle hit the exterior of a church, but that driver stayed at the crash site, police said. LAPD is investigating the crash as a hit-and-run. Paramedics were called to the area, but it's unclear if anyone was injured or transported to a hospital. LAPD hasn't tracked down any potential suspects or released a suspect description. KTLA 5

VIDEO: DTLA Jewelry Store Employees Fight Off 6 Smash-and-Grab Robbers
Video shows the employees of a jewelry store in downtown Los Angeles thwarting a group of six attempted smash-and-grab robbers. The incident happened on Tuesday around 3 p.m. at a store located in the 600 block of Hill Street. Surveillance video shared with FOX 11 shows the suspects - all dressed in black - trying to take cases of jewelry. One suspect is seen trying to smash the glass display but isn't successful. The employees, however, appear to fight back. Some move the jewelry cases and form what looks like a blockade against the robbers. Another employee is seen throwing a large glass, mirrored object at the suspects as other employees join in on throwing things at the would-be robbers. At one point a chair is seen hitting one of the suspects. A security guard then appears in the frame approaching the suspects with a gun drawn then leaving the store. According to the Los Angeles Police Department, the six suspects were last seen headed northbound on Hill Street, empty-handed. Three suspect vehicles are being sought - a new model black Mercedes with tinted windows and no license plate, a white Mercedes with no license plate, and a white Kia with license plate 8MNT909. FOX 11

19 Cars Seized, 27 Arrested In Illegal Street Takeover In Pomona
A driver who allegedly rammed his vehicle into a police cruiser while attempting to flee a street takeover in Pomona was arrested along with 26 other people at the illegal event Sunday, according to the California Highway Patrol. Authorities said they impounded 19 vehicles in connection with the street takeover near the intersection of Rio Rancho Road and Rancho Valley Drive. Charges included assault on a police officer, possession of a firearm and possession of drugs. Most of the people were arrested on suspicion of spectating or participating in the takeover. About 100 to 150 vehicles were gathered for the takeover, at which spectators watched drivers perform dangerous stunts in their vehicles, according to authorities. Dispatchers with the Pomona Police Department received a call just before 9 p.m. from a concerned citizen who reported the drivers were doing burnouts in a shopping center parking lot. Police issued eight parking citations and a moving citation and impounded a vehicle, according to Pomona police spokesperson Aly Mejia. She said the Police Department has “a zero-tolerance stance regarding street takeovers/street racing.” Los Angeles Times

Canadian Man Charged With Trafficking Nearly $10 Million Worth Of Meth, Cocaine Via Long-Haul Big Rigs
A Canadian man faces charges of trafficking methamphetamine and cocaine via long-haul big rig trucks. Sam Nang Bou, 40, of Edmonton, Canada was arrested last week by the FBI and charged with personally delivering large amounts of methamphetamine and cocaine to semi-truck drivers in Southern California. "Bou has distributed drugs with a value of at least $9.8 million in Los Angeles, and likely several times that amount if exported and resold in Canada," a statement from the Department of Justice said. According to the criminal complaint filed Friday in federal court, Bou orchestrated a series of deliveries to semi-truck drivers, including the shipment of 105 kilos of cocaine that was delivered to Hesperia on June 28 that was later seized by law enforcement in Arizona. An affidavit in support of the complaint alleges Bou would leave one of two "stash houses" in Alhambra to drive to various locations throughout Southern California to deliver boxes and duffel bags full of drugs. The boxes and duffel bags were then loaded into the passenger compartments of the semi-trucks, according to the affidavit. Bou allegedly made a total of eight deliveries of drugs to semi-truck drivers, including a shipment of 500 pounds of meth that was seized on Aug. 23. Following his arrest, several search warrants recovered 48 kilos of suspected cocaine inside two "sophisticated" hidden compartments in a minivan that federal agents say Bou recently locked up in a storage facility in Pasadena. CBS 2

Police Arrest Memphis Man In Livestreamed Shootings; 4 Dead
A gunman who livestreamed himself driving around Memphis shooting at people, killing four and wounding three others in seemingly random attacks, was finally arrested after crashing a stolen car, police said early Thursday. The hours-long rampage had police warning people across the city to shelter in place, locking down a baseball stadium and university campuses and suspending public bus services as frightened residents wondered where the man might strike next. Ezekiel Kelly, 19, a violent felon who was released early from prison this year, was taken into custody at around 9 p.m. in the Memphis neighborhood of Whitehaven, police spokeswoman Karen Rudolph said. Memphis Police Director Cerelyn “CJ" Davis said during a news conference early Thursday that four people were killed and three others were wounded in seven shootings and at least two carjackings. The first killing was at 12:56 a.m. Wednesday, and officers responded to three more crime scenes before receiving a tip at 6:12 p.m. that the suspect was livestreaming himself threatening to cause harm to citizens, Davis said. Associated Press

Arrest Made In 51-Year-Old Cold Case Involving Maryland Officer
On October 23, 1971, Montgomery County Special Deputy Sheriff Capt. James Tappen Hall was fatally shot in the head at a country club. His murder had gone unsolved for 51 years, but an arrest has finally been made. During the initial investigation, police said they believed Hall had interrupted a burglary in progress when he was shot, FOX5DC.com reported. Hall was working at the country club as a part-time security guard. Cold Case Unit Detective K. Leggett and Corporal L. Killen narrowed down their suspect list to one: Larry David Becker. Becker had been interviewed in 1973, but was not labeled as a suspect. On Sept. 1, 2022, Leggett and Killen interviewed Becker, where he admitted to shooting to Hall. He was arrested and charged with Hall's murder. Becker, who had been living in New York under a different last name, is expected to return to Maryland by the end of the week. Hall's case is the oldest cold case solved by the department, according to the department's press release.PoliceOne

New Omicron Booster Shots Now Available As LA County Reports 10 More COVID Deaths
Los Angeles County reported 10 more COVID-19-related deaths and more than 1,700 new infections on Wednesday, while a newly approved vaccine booster shot targeting the omicron variant of the virus started being offered in the county. The 10 new fatalities lifted the county's overall death toll from throughout the pandemic to 33,227. With 1,737 new confirmed infections, the county's cumulative total rose to 3,421,995. Health officials have noted that official case numbers are likely low due to the number of people who rely on at-home tests but do not report the results to the county. According to the county, there were 783 COVID-positive patients in local hospitals, up from 777 on Saturday. County officials have said about 43% of patients with COVID were actually hospitalized due to virus-related illness, while the rest were admitted for other reasons, with some only learning they were infected when they were tested upon admission. The average daily rate of people testing positive for the virus was 7.9% as of Wednesday, up slightly from 7.5% a day earlier. Newly approved booster shots designed to target the BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants of the omicron strain of the virus became available at providers throughout the county starting Wednesday. Details on where the vaccines are available can be found in English at this website, or in Spanish here. NBC 4

LA County Receives New ‘Super Scoopers' From Canada To Help Fight Fires
LA County received new "super scoopers" that will help firefighters battle flames just as the wildfire season seems to be picking up. Wildfire fighters just received their annual "super scooper delivery," courtesy of our friends in Canada. As wildfires seem to claim more and more acres power companies seem to be getting more involved to help keep homes from burning down. "Our department's fleet or aerial firefighting resources is robust," said acting Chief Anthony Marrone, from LA County Fire. This year, the CL-415 "super scoopers" hit the ground running. Last Thursday the very first day of their contract the big yellow planes helped tame the explosive Route Fire which burned north of Castaic. One of the newest members of the Southern California's fleet of "leased" aircrafts is the Heli-Tanker 55. Along with the increasing fire threat comes the need for better tools. Firefighters are calling these aircrafts a "game changer" and for one very important reason. Flight engineer Heather Balint often flies in the Heli-Tanker 55 chopper that drops loads of water or retardant. She does this overnight in complete darkness with infrared goggles and specialized equipment. "If we're doing 3,000 gallons, it could take up to 90 seconds," Balint said. NBC 4