Man Found Shot To Death Inside U-Haul Pickup Truck In Hollywood
A man found inside a U-Haul pickup truck in Hollywood overnight had been shot and killed, the LAPD said Thursday. Police were called to Carlos and Tamarind avenues in Hollywood at about 11 p.m. Wednesday night on the report of shots fired. At the scene, they found a U-Haul pickup truck parked on the wrong side of the street with a man inside, suffering from gunshot wounds. The man was pronounced dead at the scene. He has not yet been identified. It's not clear if the man was shot while driving, or if he was shot and was driving to get away.  CBS 2

'Murdered Over A Wig': 2 Teens Face Murder Charges Downtown LA Fashion District Store Owner's Death
Two teens are facing murder charges in the death of downtown Los Angeles' Fashion District store owner. The death of a store owner, later identified as Du Young "Tommy" Lee, is believed to have stemmed from a wig. Lee, who owned the wig shop for about 20 years, reportedly tried to stop the teens from shoplifting from his business. The shoplifting-turned-struggle between Lee and the teen suspects ended with the shop owner being stabbed to death on October 1. Both suspects were eventually arrested following the deadly incident. Neither of the names was released due to the fact that they were minors. On Wednesday, Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón announced charges filed against the two 17-year-old suspects. Both teens will each face one count of murder and one count of second-degree robbery.  FOX 11

Two People Shot In Mar Vista Area; Suspect Sought
Two people were shot and wounded today in the Mar Vista area, and a suspect was being sought, police said. The shooting was reported at about 11:30 a.m. in the 3100 block of South Barrington Avenue, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Paramedics rushed the victims to a hospital. Their conditions were not immediately known, police said. The suspect was described as a man who wore a brown hat and a green sweater. He drove from the scene in a gray Lexus, police said. Police believe a handgun was used in the crime. Anyone with information on the shooting was urged to call 877-LAPD-247.Westside Current

Beloved Venice Security Guard Speaks Out After Losing Finger In Homeless Attack
A beloved Venice security guard is speaking out after a brutal attack by a drunk homeless person who allegedly broke a bottle over the guard's head, and stabbed him repeatedly in the head, torso, and wrist. Saliva from the attacker ultimately infected one of his wounds, which resulted in his ring finger being amputated on his dominant hand. With the homeless crisis exploding in the Venice area, he felt it was time to share his story. On June 3, 2021, Tariq Ali — known simply as "T" — approached an intoxicated homeless man who was loitering in a parking lot near a local school off of Washington Boulevard and Pacific Avenue. Having repeatedly asked the man to leave in the past, he was prepared to take action. "When he came towards me, I maced him, but unfortunately the wind came into my eyes and maced me. That's when I got stabbed in the head, slit in the wrist, and I lost a finger because of an infection," Ali said. "Right after the attack, I was in shock, because once the mace [wore] off, I was just looking down, and I was like, ‘Why is all this blood flowing down, like, where's this blood coming from?' And then I realize he's stabbed me in the head multiple times and it was from the head wound," Ali said. FOX 11

Woman Attacked From Behind With Fire Extinguisher On West LA Sidewalk
A woman was hospitalized after she was struck in the back of the head by a fire extinguisher Sunday on a sidewalk in West Los Angeles. Security camera video from a nearby bar is part of the police investigation into the attack in the 11500 block of Pico Boulevard. The victim's boyfriend told NBCLA a man on a scooter shouted at her before throwing the red fire extinguisher at the back of her head. Video showed the woman tumble to the ground. The man on the scooter made a U-turn and left the scene. The victim's boyfriend said she felt a sharp blow to the back of her head and fell to the ground, unaware of what happened. "She goes unconscious for several moments, looks up, think it is perhaps something from a construction site that she was walking next to that fell and hit her on the head," said Dan Steinberg. "She looks down and notices a fire extinguisher laying there." The victim is recovering at a hospital. No arrests were reported. NBC 4

Man Assaulted, Robbed At Culver City Homeless Encampment
Police were searching for two suspects who robbed and critically injured a man at a homeless encampment in Culver City today. Officers were called to a Shell Gas Station at 3801 Sepulveda Blvd., near Tellefson Park, at about 5:30 a.m. Wednesday on reports of a man with a wound to the head, according to the Culver City Police Department. They made contact with the victim, who said he was sleeping in his tent at a nearby encampment when two suspects entered, pepper sprayed him and struck him in the head with a hammer before taking some of his property and fleeing the area. Culver City Fire Department units took the man to a hospital in critical condition, and police said he was undergoing emergency surgery. No description of the suspects was available. Anyone with information on the assault was asked to contact CCPD Sgt. Edward Baskaron at 310-253-6316 or the watch commander at 310-253-6202. Westside Current

Sylmar Man Arrested After Series Of Sexual Batteries At Burbank Mall
A man has been arrested and charged in connection with a series of sexual batteries that occurred at the Burbank Town Center mall, police said Wednesday. Burbank police began investigating the assaults in late August. Several female victims reported being touched and grabbed inappropriately over their clothing by a man at the mall, located at 201 East Magnolia Boulevard. The victims included customers and an employee of Burlington Coat Factory, as well as multiple customers at Macy's, police detailed in a news release. Investigators eventually obtained surveillance video from the mall that led them to identify the suspect, 23-year-old Javier Navarro of Sylmar, and his vehicle. The Burbank City Attorney's Office reviewed the case and filed a sexual battery charge against Navarro, and he was arrested on Sept. 30, police said. He pleaded not guilty on Monday and was released by a judge on his own recognizance. KTLA 5

3 Robbery Suspects Charged In $2.6M Smash-and-Grab Caught On Video At Beverly Hills Jewelry Store
A federal grand jury indicted three Long Beach men Wednesday who allegedly participated in the daylight smash-and-grab robbery of a Beverly Hills jewelry store in which more than $2.6 million worth of merchandise was stolen. The two-count indictment returned in Los Angeles charges Jimmy Lee Vernon III, 31, Ladell Tharpe, 37, and Deshon Bell, 20, with conspiracy and interference with commerce by robbery, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. On March 23, the defendants and other co-conspirators drove in tandem in three vehicles from Long Beach to Beverly Hills, according to the indictment. Once at the jewelry store, Vernon and co-conspirators allegedly got out of a Kia vehicle, smashed the exterior glass cases multiple times, then stole merchandise worth at least $2.67 million, prosecutors said. Vernon and the others then ran out of the store to a nearby alley, leaving behind their Kia -- which had been reported stolen out of Long Beach four days before the robbery, according to an affidavit filed with a criminal complaint in L.A. federal court. During the robbery, Vernon's cell phone fell out of his sweatpants pocket while he smashed the jewelry's store's window, was left behind and later recovered by law enforcement, the affidavit states. ABC 7

DEA Agents Make Historic Drug Bust; Seize 3,552 Pounds Of Methamphetamine
Authorities in Southern California seized an astounding amount of illegal narcotics in Norco, believed to be connected to the Sinaloa Cartel. In late September, Drug Enforcement Agency agents with the Los Angeles Field Division, as well as Fontana Police Department officers, seized 3,552 pounds of methamphetamine and 66 kilograms of cocaine -- the largest seizure of meth ever for the LA Division. They estimate that the street value of the seized narcotics is worth around $33 million. According to the DEA, investigators located a residence in Norco, where they believed a large quantity of drugs were being stored. They witnessed an individual at the home carry three large boxes from the residence and place them in a vehicle. Their search of the vehicle revealed the cocaine as well as led to the seizure of the meth, which was stored in various boxes inside the garage of the home. CBS 2

California Family Kidnapped At Gunpoint In Merced Found Dead
The missing California family believed to be kidnapped from  Merced  earlier in the week has been found dead. On Wednesday night Merced County Sheriff Vernon Warnke announced that all four family members – eight-month-old Aroohi Dheri and her parents, 27-year-old Jasleen Kaur and 36-year-old Jasdeep Singh, and the baby's 39-year-old uncle Amandeep Singh – were found dead. At the time of the family's disappearance, deputies believed the family was kidnapped Monday at gunpoint from a business in Merced. "Tonight our worst fears have been confirmed. We found the four people from the kidnapping and they are in fact deceased," Warnke said. "There's no words right now to describe the anger I feel right now and the senselessness of this incident. I said it earlier there's a special place in Hell for this guy. And what we're going to deal with all night here is bad," Warnke added during an emotional press conference Wednesday night. The announcement comes a day after the suspect, 48-year-old Jesus Salgado, was placed in custody. Salgado is in critical condition at a hospital after he tried to kill himself. FOX 11

Police: California Serial Killer ‘On A Mission' In Slayings
A California serial killer seems to be “on a mission” throughout the fatal shooting of six men and the wounding of one woman dating back to last year. Ballistics tests and some video evidence linked the crimes in Stockton and Oakland, about 70 miles (110 kilometers) apart, police said. “We don't know what the motive is. What we do believe is that it's mission-oriented,” Stockton Police Chief Stanley McFadden said Tuesday. “This person's on a mission.” The first fatal shooting was in Oakland in April 2021. The woman was wounded in Stockton days later. More than a year passed, then the five killings in Stockton took place between July 8 and Sept. 27, all within a radius of a few square miles, police said. Although police would not say whether all seven shootings had been linked to the same gun, McFadden alluded to a single pistol during the news conference. “I have absolutely no answer as to why that pistol went dormant for over 400 days,” between the April 2021 shootings and the first case this summer, the chief said. Authorities last week announced that five men in Stockton were ambushed and shot to death, alone in the dark. On Monday, police said the two additional cases last year had been tied to those killings.Associated Press

Georgia Deputy Dies After Breaking Up Fight At A School
A longtime Cook County deputy died Monday after breaking up a fight at a school — the first death in the line of duty in the sheriff's office's history. Capt. Terry Arnold, a school resource officer at Cook High School, suffered a fatal heart attack after intervening with two fighting students, according to a statement from the Cook County Sheriff's Office. Arnold, with the help of school administration, had taken a juvenile in the fight into custody and was leaving the school building when he collapsed; school medical personnel and responding backup gave first aid until EMTs arrived, according to the the statement. Arnold was taken to South Georgia Medical Center, where he died a short time later. Neither student faces charges in the deputy's death as they were attacking each other and not Arnold, the sheriff's office said. The captain's body was escorted in a South Georgia Medical Center ambulance down Interstate 75 Monday by area law enforcement, Lowndes County Sheriff Ashley Paulk said. The Valdosta Daily Times, Ga.

LA County Reports 14th COVID-Related Death Of A Juvenile
The number of COVID-19-positive patients in Los Angeles County hospitals crept back above 500, while the county reported the virus-related death of another juvenile in its latest data. Details about the fatality were not released, with the county Department of Public Health saying only that the person was a child under age 18. It marked the 14th COVID-related death of a juvenile in the county since the pandemic began. The death was one of 12 reported Tuesday by the county, lifting the overall death toll to 33,709. According to state figures, there were 508 COVID-positive patients in county hospitals as of Tuesday, up from 494 on Saturday, the last day for which numbers were available. Of those patients, 69 were being treated in intensive care, up from 55 on Saturday. COVID hospitalizations numbers have been generally declining over the past few months, reflecting overall decreases in virus transmission in the county. In mid-July, there were more than 1,300 virus-positive patients in county hospitals. MyNewsLA

Flu Could Be Far Worse In L.A. This Season. Here's Why
More than 2½ years into the battle against COVID-19, officials are warning that this fall and winter could see the rebound of a more traditional foe: the flu. Influenza has been largely dormant the last two seasons, a development some attribute to the infection-prevention protocols put in place to ward off the coronavirus. But with measures such as mandatory masking, physical distancing and limitations on business and social activities having been put aside amid improved pandemic conditions, California could be in line for a more active flu season this year. “It's not clear what this fall and winter will be like. However, because there are fewer masks being worn and there's more intermingling, we're likely to see much more influenza than we've seen in the past two years,” Los Angeles County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said. This raises the possibility of which some officials have previously warned but that has yet to materialize in the United States: a landscape in which the coronavirus and the flu are circulating at elevated levels simultaneously. Los Angeles Times

Caruso, Bass Set For Second LA Mayoral Debate With Race Somewhat Tightening
As the Los Angeles mayor's race approaches its final month, Rep. Karen Bass and developer Rick Caruso will face off Thursday evening in the first of two debates over the next week. Thursday's debate, hosted by KNX News, comes days after the latest UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll found that Caruso had closed a double-digit gap in August down to 3 percentage points at 34% to 31%. But the billionaire still trailed Bass by a sizable margin — 46% to 31% — among likely voters despite spending more than $62 million on the race compared to $6 million for Bass. Bass, in an interview Wednesday with City News Service, acknowledged that Caruso had gained ground, attributing it to the developer's ability to blitz the airwaves. The Los Angeles Times reported last week that Caruso is expected to spend more than $20 million on TV ads alone through the end of the campaign. MyNewsLA