Body Found After Suspicious Fire Burns Through Hollywood Home
An investigation is underway Tuesday after an overnight fire, which authorities deemed to be suspicious, burned through a Hollywood home where one person was found dead. The blaze was reported around 9:48 p.m. in the 6000 block of Fountain Avenue, the Los Angeles Fire Department stated in a news alert. Arriving firefighters found a small, one-story home with light smoke showing and initiated an offensive attack. The fire was burning in one room of the home and was quickly extinguished, according to the fire department. An unidentified body was located as crews searched the home after the fire. “The preliminary investigation indicates a potential suspicious death prior to the fire,” the fire department stated. It was unclear why investigators believed the fire was suspicious. KTLA 5

Driver Arrested After Crashing Into LAPD Patrol Car
A man was arrested Sunday after crashing into a Los Angeles Police Department patrol car. The incident took place Sunday around 5 p.m. on Martin Luther King Boulevard and Hillcrest Drive. Southwest Area Gang Officers were responding to a request for back-up of a man with a gun. The officers responded in a marked police unit with their lights and sirens activated. As officers were approaching the scene going southbound onto Hillcrest Drive from Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard they saw a dark Nissan sedan that was traveling northbound in the southbound lanes of traffic. The driver in the Nissan was identified as 21-year-old Jose Nicholas Lopez from the LA area. Lopez is accused of accelerating toward the police unit while continuing to drive on the wrong side of the road. The officer driving the police car maneuvered to avoid a head-on collision with the other vehicle. Lopez changed directions and collided with the passenger side of the police car, authorities said. Both of the officers in the car were transported to a hospital. One of them was treated then released and the other was admitted and received further treatment. NBC 4

Man Who Shot Lady Gaga's Dog Walker Sentenced To 21 Years In Prison
A man who shot Lady Gaga's dog walker during the theft of two of the singer's French bulldogs pleaded no contest Monday to an attempted murder charge and was immediately sentenced to 21 years in prison. James Howard Jackson, 20, pleaded no contest to the single count of attempted murder with great bodily injury, while also admitting a prior strike, in connection with the Feb. 24, 2021 attack on Lady Gaga's longtime dog walker, Ryan Fischer, who was in court Monday for the hearing and blasted the defendant, saying the shooting changed his life forever. In exchange for his plea to the attempted murder count, prosecutors dismissed charges of second-degree robbery, conspiracy to commit robbery, assault with a semiautomatic firearm and being a felon carrying a concealed firearm in a vehicle. "The plea agreement holds Mr. Jackson accountable for perpetrating a cold-hearted violent act and provides justice for our victim," according to a statement from the District Attorney's Office. FOX 11

LAPD Urges Caution For Hikers Amid Search For Man Who Sexually Assaulted Woman On Encino Trail
The Los Angeles Police Department is urging hikers to be careful as investigators continue searching for a man who they say sexually assaulted a woman on a trail in Encino. The incident happened Nov. 21 around noon, when a woman was hiking on the trail along Mulholland Drive. Police aren't sure about the exact location of the alleged attack, but say it was somewhere between Tampa Avenue and Reseda Boulevard on Mulholland. Authorities said the suspect approached the woman from behind, forced her into a secluded area and sexually assaulted her. "The suspect did have a knife with him at the time the crime was committed, though he didn't use the knife during the commission of the crime," Detective Joseph Hampton said during a press conference Monday morning. The suspect is described as a white or Hispanic man, about 30 years old, with a two-inch scar on his right forearm.ABC 7

LAPD Searching For 4 Burglary Suspects In Adams-Normandie
Los Angeles Police were searching for four burglary suspects who bailed on foot from a suspect vehicle in the Adams-Normandie neighborhood near Exposition Park. A robbery was earlier reported at 1321 Wilson Street in downtown Los Angeles. Officers reportedly witnessed suspects breaking into the building leaving with merchandise. Officers pursued suspects in a blue Toyota Camry at about 5:21 a.m. Four male suspects bailed from the car and fled on foot at 23rd St. and Normandie Ave. At 6 a.m. LAPD said the investigation was still active. CBS 2

Brazen Van Nuys Break-In Captured On Video
As many as ten people broke into a Van Nuys electronics warehouse early Saturday morning. The warehouse, which is located on Leadwell Street, was broken into around 5 a.m., according to the owner and the Los Angeles Police Department. Security footage from inside the shop shows two men approach the glass door with hammer-like objects. After a couple of strikes, the glass shatters and the burglars clear the shards to gain entry. Slowly, more and more people begin entering the business, some wearing face coverings, others holding bright lights. One of the burglars spots the camera and tips it over or disconnects it, the video shows. A large amount of merchandise was stolen in the break-in, totalling as much as $200,000, the owner estimates. KTLA 5

Local DJ Desperately Seeking Return Of Stolen Equipment Worth $50k
A local DJ is desperately looking for the return of his stolen equipment after it was stolen from him more than two weeks ago. Not only did the thieves take his livelihood, they also stole a lifetime's worth of memories. Keoni Kaono, 51, is usually the life of the party, entertaining countless people over his last 30 years worth of disc jockeying. Now, he feels like he has nowhere to turn after his custom DJ-ing equipment was stolen from his storage unit. "I just feel so violated, you know?" He learned that he had been targeted two weekends ago when he went to his storage facility in Carson and found that one of the locks securing his gear was gone. "When I opened up my unit door, everything was gone," he said. Kaono, who performs as DJ NONI, acquired security footage of the theft on Nov. 16, which shows three cars following a credentialed truck driver into the locked storage facility. Two men and one woman are later seen wheeling away his custom DJ-ing equipment, which he estimates is worth up to $50k.  CBS 2

Burbank Police Arrest Three Texas Men Accused Of ‘Bank Jugging'
Three Texas men accused of waiting in bank parking lots and watching for customers with high-value money withdrawals before breaking into their cars were arrested this week, Burbank police said Thursday. The first case of what police called " bank jugging " was reported Sept. 15. Burbank officers responded to a vehicle burglary report in the 4100 block of West Magnolia Boulevard and discovered the victim was robbed after withdrawing money from a bank. The victim left his car unlocked with money inside, police said. Another case was reported the following day when officers responded to a robbery in the area of Burbank Boulevard and Ontario Street, between Hollywood Way and Buena Vista Street. That victim also had just withdrawn money when he was attacked by two men who stole the money and fled the scene in a nearby vehicle. The crimes were likely committed by the same individuals, based on security camera video of the vehicles used by the thieves, police said. NBC 4

California Officer Nearly Killed In Shooting Returns To Job, Discusses Road To Recovery
A Modesto police officer, who was in a coma for weeks stemming from a 2021 pursuit shootout, is one step closer to suiting up and hitting the streets again. According to KCRA News, gang investigator Michael Rokaitis experienced life-threatening injuries when a motorcycle pursuit ended in front of a home and took a violent turn. The motorcycle driver was arrested, but as Rokaitis and his team began searching the home that the motorcycle was parked in front of, they were ambushed. “As we entered the last room the suspect began shooting at us," he told KCRA. "I was struck once in the vest right on my chest and another right under my vest that ended up hitting an artery and we had to get me to the hospital pretty quickly." While fellow officers were pulling him to safety, Rokaitis only had one thought on his mind – his family. "My biggest memories were wanting to get home to my wife and my daughter and knowing that I had a job to do that," he told the news platform. PoliceOne

Driver Going 115 MPH Drags Virginia State Trooper Stuck In Door For 3 Miles
A state trooper got stuck in the door of an SUV — and then was dragged on a Virginia interstate as the driver went up to 115 mph, officials said. The trooper was wedged in the door for about 3 miles before the SUV slammed into trucks on Friday, Dec. 2, according to Virginia State Police. A 38-year-old was later arrested and faced multiple charges, including attempted capital murder. Police in a news release didn't share attorney information for the man, identified as Milton Jermaine Lewis of Delaware. At about 4 p.m., officials said the trooper noticed an SUV speeding on Interstate 295 in Henrico County, in the Richmond area. The driver was accused of going 97 mph in a 70 mph zone before he was pulled over. After the trooper walked up to the SUV, police said the vehicle “sped off at a high rate of speed, which caused the passenger side door to close on the trooper. Caught in the door, the trooper was dragged approximately 3 miles as the SUV reached speeds of up to 115 mph as it continued south on I-295.” Charlotte Observer

New Jersey's 'Torso Killer' Admits To Killing 5 Women Decades Ago Near NYC
A serial slayer known as the “Torso Killer” already convicted of 11 homicides admitted on Monday that he also killed five women on Long Island in the late ‘60s and early '70s. Richard Cottingham was sentenced Monday to 25 years to life for the slaying of 23-year-old Diane Cusick, who was killed in February 1968 after buying shoes at the Green Acres Mall in Nassau County. As part of a plea deal, Cottingham received immunity from prosecution for the four other killings. The 76-year-old prisoner attended the hearing via a video feed from a New Jersey prison. “Today is one of the most emotional days we've ever had in the Nassau County district attorney's office,” District Attorney Anne Donnelly said at a news conference where she was joined by several family members of Cottingham's victims. “In the case of Diane Cusick, her family has waited nearly 55 years for someone to be held accountable for her death.” Associated Press

Fire Damages Attic At Single-Story Building In South Los Angeles
Fire Sunday damaged an attic at a one-story building in the Vermont Vista community of Los Angeles, authorities said. The 28 firefighters dispatched at 12:57 p.m. to 767 W. 97th St. had the blaze out within 39 minutes of their arrival, the Los Angeles Fire Department reported. “They (firefighters) had to work their way through all four units to locate the stubborn fire while crews conducted salvage operations to protect the interior/belongings in the units,” according to Margaret Stewart of the Los Angeles Fire Department. “The fire was prevented from extending down into the living space.” No injuries were reported and a cause of the fire was under investigation. MyNewsLA

As COVID Cases, Other Viruses Continue To Rise, SoCal Inches Closer To A Mask Mandate
As COVID cases and other viruses continue to rise, the Southland is inching closer to a mask mandate. Experts say the combination of COVID, the flu, and RSV is putting an enormous strain on hospitals, especially children's hospitals which are seeing an influx of RSV cases. As well, the CDC says flu levels are off the chart in California, with Los Angeles and Southern California leading the state. There are 10 other states with high infection rates. According to experts, 25 percent of people who tested for the flu in Los Angeles have tested positive. But even with viruses on the rise, one expert says that reinstating the mask mandate should be a last resort. "I think there is very little political appetite to do this and we're going to try to not do this as much as possible for the holiday," said Dr. Peter Chin Hong, a UCSF infectious disease specialist.  CBS 2

Lingering Post-COVID Impacts Similar To Symptoms Of Non-COVID Illnesses
People suffering from long COVID-19 experience lingering negative effects on their physical, mental and social well-being in ways similar to symptoms endured by patients who are sick with other illnesses, according to UCLA research published today. The findings, published in the peer-reviewed JAMA Network Open, are based on a comparison of people known to have been infected with COVID with individuals with similar symptoms who tested negative for the respiratory disease. The researchers found that 40% of the COVID-positive and 54% of the COVID-negative group reported moderate-to-severe residual symptoms three months after enrolling in the study. "Many diseases, including COVID, can lead to symptoms negatively impacting one's sense of well-being lasting months after initial infection, which is what we saw here," said lead author Lauren Wisk, assistant professor of medicine in the division of general internal medicine and health services research at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. NBC 4

Experts Say Weather Helped California Avoid Dangerous Wildfires In 2022
Experts said that Californians managed to avoid the wildfire devastation that the state has seen in past years thanks to moisture brought in by a monsoonal season. "We had a very healthy monsoonal season," said United State Forest Service Meteorologist Pete Curran. "And by that I mean that we had moisture from the Gulf of Mexico that came across the desert ... and brought us beneficial rain in the summer months. And even though the amounts weren't great they did actually tamp down a little bit on our wildfire potential." Curran added that the rain brought by Tropical Storm Kay helped douse the Fairview Fire earlier this year. He added that the rain in early November and fewer Santa Ana wind events played a major role in helping reduce the number, and duration, of the state's wildfires. "We are keeping most fires pretty small in size, not using lots of resources," said Tirtha Banerjee, an assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering.  CBS 2