Rick Caruso's Latino Appeal Isn't Bought — It's Real. But Is It Enough To Win?
Telenovela star Kate del Castillo took a lunchtime stroll toward a black GMC Yukon parked on Cesar E. Chavez Avenue in Boyle Heights, cameramen and photographers behind her. She peered into the massive SUV. Rick Caruso stepped out and gave her a big hug and birthday greetings. The actor and the Los Angeles mayoral candidate walked together for a bit before stopping in front of palm trees to face the press. Caruso introduced Del Castillo as a “very prominent member of the Latino community” who had decided to endorse him. The announcement was in Boyle Heights — where neither of them live — because that's where his Italian grandparents settled when they came to the United States, he said. Wearing a mint-condition “Rick Caruso for Mayor” baseball hat, Del Castillo added that the city was “impossible to live in” because of “extreme violence and crime all over” and that Caruso had a “real strategy” to fix these problems. The political meet-cute was as canned as a double helping of Purina Dog Chow. Far more real was what happened next. Los Angeles Times

Crimes committed by kids on the rise as expert warns harsher consequences needed: 'The penalties aren't scary'
As crime continues to plague Americans in cities large and small, violent crimes involving juveniles continue to grab headlines and frustrate local leaders and law enforcement as one expert says teens simply are not deterred from crime because of the light consequences that have become the new norm in many areas. FoxNews

LAPD Officers Stop Would-Be Burglars At Elderly Man's Silver Lake Home
Officers with the Los Angeles Police Department interrupted a group of would-be burglars who were trying to break into an elderly man's home in Silver Lake overnight. Around 1:20 a.m. Thursday, family members received an alert from a Ring security camera system from the home of their 89-year-old relative who was home alone. They saw between two and three masked men trying to break into his home located near the Silver Lake Reservoir and immediately contacted authorities. Officers quickly arrived at the scene and busted the would-be burglars in action. Once officers arrived, the suspects took off running and one of them was almost immediately detained, while two others are at large. The suspects left important clues behind including a New Balance shoe that was lost in a neighbor's backyard when the suspects took off running and another suspect's Mercedes-Benz SUV that was registered to a Bakersfield address. LAPD investigators said the vehicle was filled with bags, clothes, and drugs. Investigators later learned the vehicle had recently been impounded in connection with another crime. FOX 11

LAPD Holds Toy Giveaway For South LA Residents After Arsonist Burns Down Beloved Church
Santa made an unexpected visit in the middle of October to help children and families in South LA after an arsonist burned down a beloved church. "You know, Christmas early is always nice," Pastor Edward Jenkins said as he grinned. "There are some things kids will never forget." A little more than a month ago the arsonist burned down the 79-year-old Victory Baptist Church. "We just want the community to know that the lack of building or a structure does not impact in a way that we become ineffective or lackadaisical," said Jenkins. Jenkins was approached by the Los Angeles Police Department to hold a toy giveaway in the church parking lot to help bring some joy to a community that has been through so much. "We want the children and everybody in the community that there is excitement and happiness that we can bring," said Captain Alex Baez. CBS 2

Four Canoga Park High School Students Report Medical Issue, One Taken To Hospital
The Los Angeles Fire Department responded to a call at a high school in Canoga Park after four students reported medical issues and one was taken to the hospital. Two rescue ambulances were requested to Canoga Park High School around 10:41 a.m. on Wednesday, the LAFD said, though only one person was transported for medical care. The ambulances were called after the four students went to the nurse's office at the school. The LAPD also responded to the call, they confirmed to NBC4. No details about what kind of medical emergency took place or what may have caused it were immediately shared. NBC4 has reached out to the Los Angeles School Police for comment. The Los Angeles Unified School District shared this statement about the incident: "At approximately 10:45 a.m. Los Angeles School Police Department was made aware of four students who experienced a medical emergency," a spokesperson said. "All four students are safe. One was transported to a local hospital for further evaluation. Due to privacy and confidentiality laws, we cannot disclose additional information about this incident. The student's parents have been notified. Canoga Park High School campus remains safe and open for instruction." NBC 4

LAPD Now Investigating After Video Shows Driver Giving Nazi Salute In Front Of Jewish Family's Home
Police in Los Angeles and Beverly Hills continue to investigate several antisemitic incidents that occurred over the weekend, one of which could lead to a person getting charged. LAPD Police Chief Michel Moore said he does not believe the demonstrators who hung banners along the 405 Freeway showing support for rapper Kanye West, who has recently made a series of antisemitic outbursts, broke any laws due to protected speech. Moore said the same goes for the people who distributed hate flyers in Beverly Hills on Sunday. One of those people, however, could be charged after he or she was caught on surveillance video giving a Nazi salute, also known as the Hitler salute, outside a Jewish family's home. Police say they do believe that action is a crime and are currently looking for the vehicle involved. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti took to Twitter, saying, "We condemn this weekend's anti-Semitic incidents. Jewish Angelenos should always feel safe.There is no place for discrimination or prejudice in Los Angeles. And we will never back down from the fight to expose and eliminate it." ABC 7

Importer Of Fireworks Tied To Devastating LAPD Blast Gets 5 Months In Prison
A South Los Angeles man was sentenced Wednesday to five months in federal prison for illegally transporting tons of explosives, including dangerous homemade fireworks that were detonated by police in his neighborhood, causing a massive explosion that injured 17 people and resulting in about $1 million in damage to the area. Arturo Ceja III was also ordered to serve two years under supervised release after he gets out of jail. A self-surrender date of Nov. 28 was set, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. Ceja pleaded guilty last year in Los Angeles federal court to transporting explosives without a license. Ceja, 27, planned to sell the fireworks throughout the neighborhood in celebration of the Fourth of July holiday in 2021, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. He made several trips to Nevada in late June 2021 to purchase various types of explosives — including aerial displays and large homemade fireworks containing explosive materials — that he transported to his home in rental vans, court records show. Los Angeles Daily News

Rapper Tory Lanez Ordered To House Arrest, Electronic Monitoring For Allegedly Shooting At Megan Thee Stallion's Feet
A judge Wednesday ordered rapper Tory Lanez to be placed on electronic monitoring and house arrest by Friday while he awaits trial on charges that he allegedly shot at fellow rapper Megan Thee Stallion's feet in the Hollywood Hills. Superior Court Judge David Herriford rejected the prosecution's motion seeking to have the 30-year-old musician to be taken into custody without bail as a result of an alleged attack on a man in Chicago last month. The judge noted that prosecutors had argued in their motion that the defendant -- whose real name is Daystar Peterson -- poses a danger to society and has a pattern of defying court orders, while noting that the defense's response counters that there was insufficient evidence that a battery had even occurred. Deputy District Attorney Alexander Bott urged the judge to order the rapper into custody without bail while awaiting trial on one count each of assault with a semiautomatic firearm and carrying a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle, along with allegations that he personally used a firearm and inflicted great bodily injury. His trial is tentatively set to begin Nov. 28. CBS 2

Two Men Detained After 11 Fires Are Set In An Hour In North Hollywood
Two men were detained Wednesday as the Los Angeles Fire Department investigated 11 suspicious fires set in the morning in North Hollywood, authorities said. The LAFD responded to a series of dumpster and automobile fires, mostly on Tujunga Avenue, as well as a more substantial fire at the old Lamplighter Family Restaurant in the 6200 block of Laurel Canyon Boulevard, Fire Department spokesperson Nicholas Prange said. All of the fires occurred within a half-mile of one another within a one-hour span, starting around 6:40 a.m., the LAFD said. “We don't have any evidence right now to say definitively that this fire is related to all the other fires. Obviously there is concern … but we don't know which are connected at this point,” Prange said. There is an active arson investigation into the fires, Prange said. About 100 firefighters fought the flames at the former restaurant for a few hours. The building suffered a substantial collapse, the department said. Los Angeles Times

$20K Reward Offered In Los Angeles County Gas Station Murder
Authorities are offering a $20,000 reward for information on a man found shot to death at a Los Angeles County gas station. The victim, Issac Padilla, 30, was found fatally shot on July 11, 2021 around 11:23 p.m., according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. Deputies arrived at an Arco gas station on the 5700 block of Whittier Boulevard in the City of Commerce. Padilla was found lying on the street next to the gas station, suffering from gunshot wounds, officials said. He was later pronounced dead. Investigators say Padilla was standing outside of his vehicle when he exchanged words with the suspect. The suspect then pulled out a gun and shot Padilla before driving away. Authorities describe the suspect as a Hispanic man around 30 years old. He was driving a black 2010 Volvo XC SUV. A possible associate was driving a silver 2003 Chrysler Sebring sedan. A reward of $20,000 is being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the suspect. Anyone with information is asked to call the LASD Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500. Anonymous tips can be submitted by calling Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477 or submitted online at  lacrimestoppers.org . KTLA 5

Filmmakers Seek Return Of Stolen Cameras After Theft During East L.A. Classic
A young filmmaker was just looking to give back to his alma mater by doing what he learned during his time at Garfield High School: help capture footage of the East L.A. Classic last week. The rivalry game was intended to be captured by Mario Ramirez, who was invited by his media teacher to record the annual showdown between Garfield and Roosevelt High School. But instead of getting his shots, Ramirez and a friend were deprived of thousands of dollars worth of equipment, and they want it back. “Just return the stuff,” said Ramirez. “We all make mistakes.” The thief, a man, was caught on camera snatching two cameras. “For that person to just take my livelihood away — I've had to pause projects,” he said. Ramirez and a friend had left their cameras in what they thought was a secure media room that was blocked off from the public. But when he went to his car to get more equipment, he returned to find his camera missing. KTLA 5

Two Arrested After Allegedly Robbing Mail Carrier In Burbank
A man and a woman who allegedly robbed a mail carrier in Burbank were arrested Wednesday on suspicion of identity theft and carrying an unregistered gun. Burbank Police Department officers responded about 2 p.m. on Sept. 12 to the 200 block of South Sixth Street on reports of the robbery and made contact with an on-duty U.S. Postal Service carrier, who told police she was placing mail into a box unit outside of an apartment complex “when her attention was drawn to two (suspects) dressed in FedEx uniforms,” according to Burbank police. One of the suspects removed the postal worker's universal key from the apartment mailbox and fled with the other suspect in a nearby vehicle. The victim managed to capture a picture of the suspect vehicle's license plate and provided the information to authorities. Burbank Police Department detectives used the information provided and additional collected evidence to identify the suspects as 42-year-old Aram Avetisyan and 37-year-old Taguhi Avetisyan. The relationship between the two suspects, if any, was not specified by police, but authorities noted neither was a FedEx employee. MyNewsLA

Massive Fire Rips Through 3-Story Commercial Building In Downtown Los Angeles
Firefighters battled a massive blaze that ripped through a three-story commercial building in downtown Los Angeles Wednesday evening. Flames ripped through the roof of the boarded-up building located near the intersection of Los Angeles and 3rd streets. The blaze erupted just after 7:30 p.m., according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. Smoke billowed from the building after most of the flames were extinguished an hour later. It is unclear what sparked the blaze. No injuries were immediately reported. About 135 firefighters battled the fire. The building was red-tagged. LAFD says an official knockdown won't be declared most likely until Thursday morning. ABC 7

LA City Council Commitee Unanimously Censures De León, Cedillo
The Los Angeles City Council's Ad Hoc Censure Committee Wednesday voted 5-0 on a pair of motions to censure Councilmen Kevin de León and Gil Cedillo for their roles in the City Hall racism scandal -- forwarding the motions to the full council for expected votes later this morning. "In most people's memories, it's the first time there has been a censure motion heard against a councilmember," Council President Paul Krekorian said at a briefing on Tuesday. Wednesday morning's approval by the committee, chaired by Councilman Marqueece Harris-Dawson, was the first step of the day toward formally admonishing the two embattled councilmen, who continue to hear relentless calls for their resignations. The full council was expected to complete the process at its regular meeting following the committee vote. "Unfortunately, this is a reflection on all of us, whether we want it to be or not," said Councilman Paul Koretz, who was on the ad hoc committee. Koretz sought to differentiate the comments made by the officials on the leaked 2021 recording from the rest of the City Council and dispel the notion that "everyone is manipulating things behind the scenes, and everyone is making comments about the residents of Los Angeles and each other and their families."NBC 4