Los Angeles Was The Second-Deadliest American City For Pedestrians In The Past 10 Years
Over the past decade, only one city in the nation has outnumbered Los Angeles in pedestrian deaths. While 1,133 pedestrians have died in crashes in Los Angeles between 2011 and 2020, New York City was even deadlier, with 1,260 pedestrians killed over the same time period, according to federal crash data analyzed by an insurance comparison company. The two coastal cities vastly outpaced the rest of the country in pedestrian traffic fatalities — despite both cities developing “Vision Zero” plans aimed at ending traffic deaths in recent years. “We're not surprised [by the data]. We saw Vision Zero was launched six years ago in Los Angeles and sadly we've seen more traffic fatalities since Vision Zero was launched and it even got worse during the pandemic,” said Eli Lipmen, the executive director of Move LA, a group that advocates for an expanded public transportation system in Los Angeles. Los Angeles Times

Dead Man Found In Burned Valley Glen Apartment After Shots Fired
Los Angeles Police believe an unidentified suspect set an apartment on fire in Valley Glen early Thursday morning to cover up a fatal shooting. A body was found inside a burned apartment at 13833 W. Oxnard St. in Valley Glen early Thursday morning after a suspect reportedly broke in and fired shots. The victim's brother escaped out of a window of the apartment and was not injured. Los Angeles Police said the two brothers were at home in the apartment when a suspect broke in. Police believe the victim was shot before the fire was set, and that the fire was set to cover up the shooting. Police said the victim, believed to be in his 20s, may have been targeted. Police were interviewing the victim's brother for information. CBS 2

Pedestrian Struck, Killed In Arleta Hit-and-Run Crash
Police are searching for a hit-and-run driver who fled the scene after fatally striking a pedestrian in Arleta Wednesday night. The incident was reported just before 10:30 p.m. in the 14000 block of Terra Bella Street. Investigators said the pedestrian was struck by a white, four-door SUV. It was unclear if the pedestrian was in a crosswalk at the time of the crash, but the driver left the scene without rendering aid. The unidentified victim was pronounced dead following the crash. The SUV was believed to have fled westbound on Terra Bella Street. Anyone with further information was asked to call the Los Angeles Police Department's Valley Traffic Division. KTLA 5

Teen Stabbed Near Van Nuys High School, 2 In Custody
A teen was stabbed near Van Nuys High School Wednesday, and two suspects have been taken into custody. The stabbing was reported shortly before 5 p.m. near the intersection of Cedros Avenue and Kittridge Street, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Police said the teen was stabbed in the upper body and was conscious and breathing before being transported to the hospital. Neither the victim nor the suspects were students at Van Nuys High School, LAPD Officer Melissa Podany told City News Service. LAPD said they're searching for six suspects, all of whom were white males. By 9 p.m. two suspects had been taken into custody. Detailed descriptions were not available. The suspects were last seen running east down Kittridge Street. FOX 11

Authorities Search For Critically Missing Los Angeles Woman
Authorities are searching for a missing woman who disappeared in Los Angeles. Leticia Casillas, 35, was last seen on Nov. 21 around 8 a.m. while walking near 39th Street and Nicolet Avenue in Los Angeles, according to Los Angeles Police. Casillas' family and friends have not heard from her since that day and police are asking for the public's help in locating the missing woman. Casillas is described as a Hispanic woman with black hair and brown eyes. She stands 5 feet 5 inches tall and weighs around 220 pounds. She was last seen wearing a pink shirt and black pants. Anyone who may have seen Casillas or knows of her whereabouts is asked to call the Los Angeles Police Department's Missing Persons Unit at 213-996-1800.  KTLA 5

Rapper Tory Lanez Faces New Felony Charge Over Alleged Shooting Of Megan Thee Stallion
Amid jury selection in his trial, prosecutors added another felony charge against rapper Tory Lanez, who is accused of shooting fellow rapper Megan Thee Stallion during an argument in the Hollywood Hills, the District Attorney's Office confirmed Tuesday. Lanez, 30, whose real name is Daystar Peterson, was previously charged with one count each of assault with a semiautomatic firearm and carrying a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle, along with allegations he personally used a firearm and inflicted great bodily injury. In an amended complaint, prosecutors added a felony count of discharging a firearm with gross negligence. The amended complaint was filed by the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office on Monday, just as jury selection began in Lanez's trial. Opening statements are tentatively scheduled to begin next week. Lanez had been under house arrest and under electronic monitoring, but those restrictions were lifted by Superior Court Judge David Herriford. Lanez remains out of custody on $350,000 bail. FOX 11

Deputies Swarm The Abbey In West Hollywood After Man With Gun Spotted By Security
Patrons at a popular bar in West Hollywood had a scare after a man was seen with a gun inside, prompting deputies to swarm the establishment and launch an investigation. Deputies responded to The Abbey around midnight Thursday after receiving a call from bar security that they'd seen the armed man. Multiple units surrounded the bar and cleared the location, but nobody was hurt. Officials say they didn't find the suspect, but bar surveillance video captured him in the bar with the weapon. Detectives will now work to see if anybody recognizes that man. It's unclear if that man made any specific threats to anybody or the establishment itself, but the incident was frightening for the LGBTQ+ community following the shooting at a gay nighblub in Colorado Springs that left five people dead. ABC 7

Hate Crimes Are Higher In LA County Than They Have Been In 19 Years: Report
A new alarming report shows that hate crimes in 2021 reached the highest level in 19 years, according to the Los Angles County Commission on Human Relations. The annual report showed hate crimes grew 23% in LA County from 641 to 786 in 2021. This is the largest number recorded since 2002. "The rise in hate crimes across Los Angeles County is deeply distressing. Our most vulnerable neighbors are facing enough challenges, and now have to worry about a greater risk of being attacked or harassed because of who they are. That is unacceptable," said Fourth District Supervisor Janice Hahn, Chair of the Board of Supervisors. The data showed the black community was the most frequent target of reported hate crimes in the county that year. Anti-Asian hate crimes reached the highest levels ever in the area. Explicitly anti-immigrant hate crimes hit a historic high and a growth in hate crimes was shown targeting the LGBTQ+ community, Jewish population and Muslim population.  CBS 2

CHP Arrests 27 Suspects In Orange County Forged Fix-It Ticket Operation
Twenty-seven people were arrested in connection with a scheme to put the forged signatures of California Highway Patrol officers on more than 250 fix-it tickets, authorities announced Wednesday. The suspects were arrested Tuesday by the Highway Patrol as part of an operation that started in 2020 with the arrest of Angel Zahid Sanchez-Peralta. Investigators with the CHP's Southern Division identified a street racing promoter who they say illegally signed off over 250 traffic citations. The tickets were issued during illegal street racing operations in Los Angeles and Orange counties, according to the CHP. Officials said the suspect was Sanchez-Peralta and he forged the signatures of both retired and current CHP officers on the fix-it tickets. These tickets are issued by law enforcement when a vehicle is in violation for being illegally modified or missing a vital part. After a driver fixes the issue and shows it to an officer who signs off on the corrected violation, the car owner can avoid any penalties and instead pay a small fine. Los Angeles Times

Wisconsin Deputy Undergoes Facial Reconstruction, 46 Surgeries After Drunk Driver Strikes Him
A Wisconsin deputy, who was nearly killed by a drunk driver in 2021, recently detailed his harrowing story of survival. Walworth County Sheriff's Deputy Wayne Blanchard was hit by a drunk driver who was fleeing from police last summer. Blanchard was standing on the side of the road, preparing to deploy stop sticks that would hopefully put an end to the pursuit when he was struck by the vehicle. "I remember gravel hitting my face,” Blanchard told WTMJ News. Blanchard was standing behind a guardrail when the car struck it. The rail then encircled Blanchard, removing the skin from his hands and face. He was reportedly hit multiple times by the car. The deputy's memory becomes foggy after that. In addition to severe cuts that lined Blanchard's body, his arms, hands, ribs, legs and toes were all broken. "I probably take about 24, 25 pills a day,” Blanchard told the news outlet. Blanchard's wife, Angela, stood by his side during his tough road to recovery. PoliceOne

Dramatic Dog Rescue: Firefighters Save Pooch From Willowbrook Sinkhole
A Willowbrook family is grateful for the dramatic rescue of their beloved dog who fell into a sinkhole Wednesday afternoon. The 15-year-old German Shepherd named "Maya" was trapped for hours. Crews from the Los Angeles County Fire Department rescued the dog that fell into an old septic tank 15 feet below ground. The family that lives at the residence didn't even know the tank was there. Another dog at the house started barking at a hole near the back door of the house, alerting the owners to Maya's predicament. Somehow Maya had found a crawlspace under the house that led to the collapse. L.A. County Fire Dept. personnel responded around 3:40 p.m. to a residence in Willowbrook. About 45 firefighters showed up, and crews spent nearly three hours trying to save the scared pooch. They finally hoisted her out of the hole at about 6:25 p.m.  CBS 2

L.A. City Council Votes To Reinstate Salary Of Indicted Member Mark Ridley-Thomas
The Los Angeles City Council voted Wednesday to reinstate the salary of indicted Councilmember Mark Ridley-Thomas, more than a year after he was suspended from his post while facing federal corruption charges. Ridley-Thomas, who has been stripped of his duties for nearly 14 months, will receive about $265,000, while an additional $99,500 will go to his legal team. The deal was approved by a 10-1 vote, with Councilmember Mitch O'Farrell opposed. The agreement means taxpayers will be compensating two council members from the same district simultaneously — Ridley-Thomas, who was elected to the seat in 2020, and Heather Hutt, who was selected by the council three months ago to serve the district on a temporary basis. City Controller Ron Galperin halted the pay of Ridley-Thomas in October 2021 after the council member was suspended by his colleagues in the wake of the indictment. Ridley-Thomas sued the city over that move earlier this year, saying it violated the City Charter and was politically motivated. Los Angeles Times

LA Council Proceeds With Plan To Streamline Fully Affordable Housing Projects
The City Council voted today to proceed with a plan to streamline 100% affordable housing projects in Los Angeles that would lead to 45 new positions across five city departments to help expedite processes and procedures. According to a motion filed by Councilwoman Nithya Raman last year, just 6% of housing projects approved in the city since 2015 were fully affordable. The timeline to approve such projects can take up to 58 months, according to a report by the city's planning department. “Here in L.A., we've made it so long and so hard for us to get that stuff built,'' Raman said at Wednesday's council meeting. ``Through this work, through these additional positions, we can reduce that time by a year or more.'' The council provided instruction to various departments, which included removing site plan review thresholds for affordable housing projects that meet objective standards and prioritizing appeals to the Board of Building and Safety Commissioners on 100% affordable housing projects. Westside Current

LA City Council Votes To End COVID-19 State Of Local Emergency In February
Los Angeles' state of local emergency due to COVID- 19 will end in February after a City Council vote Wednesday. The state of local emergency has been in place since March 4, 2020. The council has voted to extend it each month since then.  Council President Paul Krekorian introduced an amendment to Wednesday's item to continue the state of local emergency, but set an end date for Feb. 1, 2023. Council members Marqueece Harris-Dawson, Mike Bonin and Nithya Raman voted against the end date, but the entire item passed 12-0. No council members offered comment before the vote. California's COVID-19 state of emergency is set to expire at the end of February. The local state of emergency ensures that renter protections created during the pandemic remain in place, but the city's long-standing eviction protections due to COVID-19 hardship are also set to expire at the end of January. The vote comes as Los Angeles County is currently facing a surge in COVID-19 cases. The seven-day average daily rate of people testing positive for the virus was 13.5% as of Tuesday, up from 12.6% a week ago, and the number of new infections reported daily has been rising in recent weeks. NBC 4