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City Of LA Asks Judge To Stop Spread Of LAPD Photos

The City of Los Angeles plans to ask a judge Tuesday for a restraining order to try to stop or slow the online distribution of photographs of thousands of LAPD officers that the City released, saying the accidental disclosure of some pictures has placed the lives of undercover officers in danger. "Our public servants are under attack," begins the request filed Monday by the LA City Attorney's Office -- that asks a judge to order a reporter and a group of police critics to stop sharing the pictures until the City's lawsuit demanding the return of the images can be heard. The City produced the photos and employment information about the officers last year, after Knock-LA.com reporter Ben Camacho successfully sued for access under the California Public Records Act. After the images were released the "Stop LAPD Spying Coalition" obtained and published them on a searchable website, called, "WatchtheWatchers.net," designed as a tool for the public to search for photos of officers by name. Earlier this month the City of LA began to demand the 'return' of the files and sued Camacho and the Coalition because the photos and data included the names and photos of some undercover operatives.

NBC 4

Woman Shot In The Head While Driving In South Los Angeles, Police Say

A woman was rushed to the hospital in critical condition after she was shot in the head while driving in South Los Angeles. The shooting was reported around 11:20 p.m. Monday, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. The victim then crashed near 105th and San Pedro streets. The victim's age or identity has not been released. It's unclear if the gunshot came from another car or if it was fired from the street. Three suspects were seen running away eastbound on 105th Street, police said, but no arrests have been made. 

ABC 7

Hollywood Walk Of Fame Shootings Raise Safety Concerns

Shootings along the Hollywood Walk of Fame are causing some people to question safety in the area. Gregg Donovan, known as "The Hollywood Ambassador," has some concerns as he works the area daily. "The Walk of Fame, I hear the walk of shame. People think it's glamorous and it's not the same anymore," said Donovan. Donovan is citing recent crime in the Hollywood area. On Sunday at around 1 a.m., LAPD Hollywood officers told FOX 11 gunfire erupted from the intersection of Hollywood Boulevard and Wilcox Avenue, outside the 7-Eleven store. According to police, a car drove up to the front of the store, six people got out of the car, and one person opened fire, wounding two people who were rushed to the hospital. Just ten days ago, a man was shot in the head on the Hollywood Walk of Fame near the Chinese Theater. "It's another world now. It's gone from heaven to hell," Donovan said. "There used to be a police presence out here, horseback, bicycle patrol, they're not here anymore. These shootings in the last week have me looking behind my shoulder."

FOX 11

Woman Killed, Young Girl Hospitalized After Pickup Crashes Into Mid-Wilshire Apartment

A woman was killed and a young girl was hospitalized after they were struck by a pickup that crashed into an apartment building Tuesday morning in Los Angeles' Mid-Wilshire area. The crash was reported in the 6000 block of Colgate Avenue near Hancock Park Elementary School. Los Angeles police responded to the scene at about 8 a.m.

NBC 4

Anthony Avalos: Mom, Boyfriend Set To Be Sentenced In 10-Year-Old Boy's Torture-Killing

Sentencing is set Tuesday for a Lancaster woman and her boyfriend who were convicted of torturing and murdering the woman's 10-year-old son, who died in 2018. Heather Maxine Barron, 33, and Kareem Ernesto Leiva, 37, are facing life in prison without the possibility of parole for Anthony Avalos' June 21, 2018, death. Superior Court Judge Sam Ohta found the two guilty March 7 of first-degree murder and torture in a non-jury trial after the two waived their right to have the case heard by a jury in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom. "It is clear to this court beyond a reasonable doubt that each defendant targeted Anthony as a scapegoat for extreme cruelty," the judge said in rendering his verdict in a ruling that stretched over more than 50 pages. The judge said in his March 7 verdict that the couple "worked together to deprive Anthony access to liquids for a substantial length of time causing severe dehydration," and that the "condition of Anthony's body, which shows multiple bruises, cuts, possible burn marks all over his body show the extreme torture caused by the combined treatment of Anthony by both defendants manifesting an intent to kill by each defendant."

FOX 11

Studio City Man Accused Of Impersonating Doctor, Illegally Treating Thousands Of Patients

A Studio City man is accused of impersonating a doctor and illegally treating thousands of patients for “several years” from a North Hollywood clinic. Stephan Gevorkian, 44, faces five felony counts of practicing medicine without a certification, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced Monday. “Practicing medicine without a license is not only a criminal activity in California, it can cause irreparable harm to the health of unsuspecting people, some with serious illnesses, who believe they are under the care of a licensed physician,” District Attorney George Gascón said in a written statement. Gevorkian owns and operates Pathways Medical Group in North Hollywood, according to the DA’s office. The clinic conducts blood tests, advises patients on treatments and offers treatments for serious conditions including cancer and viral infections. Gevorkian was allegedly found out after an undercover investigator set up a consultation with him in November of last year. During the consultation, Gevorkian “failed to accurately address abnormal levels of a hormone that could indicate a serious medical condition,” the DA’s office said. It was not immediately clear whether Gevorkian had an attorney who could comment on his behalf. Anyone who believes they may be a victim is asked to call the Consumer Protection hotline at 213-257-2465.

NBC 4

Actor Danny Masterson’s Retrial On Rape Charges Begins In Los Angeles

For the second time in less than a year, actor Danny Masterson sat in a Los Angeles courtroom Monday as prosecutors tried to make the case that he is a serial rapist whose accusers’ voices were quashed for years by the powerful Church of Scientology. Masterson, 47, is charged with multiple counts of rape stemming from allegations that he sexually assaulted three women at his Hollywood Hills home between 2001 and 2003, near the zenith of his fame for playing the mercurial Steven Hyde on the popular sitcom “That ’70s Show.” Prosecutors allege that he drugged two of the women before sodomizing them. The Los Angeles Police Department began investigating Masterson in 2016, but claims by at least one of the women were brought to the agency’s attention as early as 2003, authorities have said. Former L.A. County Dist. Atty. Jackie Lacey filed three counts of sexual assault against the actor in 2020. That prosecution ended in a mistrial in November, after jurors told Superior Court Judge Charlaine Olmedo that they were deadlocked.

Los Angeles Times

'Evil' California Man Accused Of Using Women To Lure Children To Hotels So He Could Assault Them

A California man is accused of using women to lure children to hotels so that he could assault them, according to local police. Jason Valentine Esparza, 57, is accused of grooming women to babysit children as young as 4 years old and then convincing them to bring those children to hotel rooms where he could molest them, according to Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer. "Someone who preys on the innocence of children for their own sexual gratification is a monster of indescribable evil," Spitzer said in a Friday statement. "To plot, to calculate, and methodically carry out sexual attacks on unconscious children is something that can only be dreamt of and carried out by the sickest of minds. Children rely on adults for their safety and security and as prosecutors we do everything we can to protect our children from adults who would harm them and ensure these monsters will never be able to harm another child again." The alleged crimes went on for several decades, and Orange County authorities are looking for additional victims who may have been abused or groomed by Esparza, who is originally from Ohio, to come forward.

FOX News

Suspect In Shooting Of 3 Kansas LEOs Accidentally Released From Jail

A suspect charged with shooting three Kansas City, Kansas officers during a fentanyl bust in early April was inadvertently released from jail this week. Jaeveon Marquice Mitchell-Locke was released on misdemeanor charges from the Platte County Jail on April 20, KMBC reported. "It's premature for me to say how it occurred or why it occurred, but we are going to look into it and take appropriate action to ensure it doesn't happen again," Platte County Sheriff’s Office Major Erik Holland told KMBC. "There are processes in place to prevent somebody that has outstanding warrants or holds from other agencies from being released." Mitchell-Locke was one of three people charged in the shootout with Kansas City, Kansas police officers earlier this month during an undercover fentanyl bust. Three officers were shot and seriously injured, while two additional officers were injured by flying metal fragments in the up-close shooting. All three suspects face several felony charges, including aggravated assault against an officer, aggravated child endangerment and fentanyl distribution, according to the Wyandotte County District Attorney’s Office. 

PoliceOne

Slain Minnesota Deputy Remembered As A Protector, ‘Definition Of A Hero'

Loving father and husband. Heroic military veteran. Selfless law enforcement officer. And a distinctive laugh. That's how Josh Owen, a Minnesota sheriff’s deputy killed on his 44th birthday, was remembered by the thousands of mourners at his funeral Saturday on a cold, clear spring day. Drawn by four horses, his flag-draped casket arrived atop a black caisson in the small city of Glenwood, Minnesota Public Radio News reported. A line of tan-uniformed Pope County deputies raised a final salute alongside first responders, military members, Owen’s wife, 10-year-old son and even his police dog. Owen was fatally shot and two other law enforcement officers were wounded on April 15 while responding to a domestic assault call at a home in the town of Cyrus. The suspect was killed. Owen served in the Army National Guard and deployed overseas twice to Bosnia and Iraq. His platoon leader in Iraq, Lt. Col. John Anderson, said Owen “lived up to the definition of a hero,” recalling how he once rescued a trapped truck driver after an ambush.

Associated Press

Chemical Investigation Underway In West Los Angeles; Fire Crews On Scene

Both directions of Sepulveda Boulevard under the 405 Freeway in Rancho Park were closed Monday night while crews with the Los Angeles Fire Department worked to contain oil that was coming out of the ground at a rate of 3-5 gallons a minute, authorities said. Calls about the incident, located in the 2800 block of South Sepulveda Boulevard, came in just before 6 p.m., according to an LAFD news release. Fire crews used shovels and nearby soil to create dams in an attempt to contain the leaking oil from spilling into storm drains. Authorities estimated that around 1,000 gallons of oil made its way out of the ground. “Only about 20-40 gallons escaped into the storm drain before firefighters contained the rest in the immediate area,” LAFD said. Authorities said that Clean Harbors, a waste management company, ordered a vacuum truck to help with the cleanup, and that LAFD will use heavy equipment to position sand, delivered by street services, in the area “to protect the drains and the environment.” 

KTLA 5

New Los Angeles County Fire Department Chief Sworn In

Anthony C. Marrone was officially sworn in as chief of the Los Angeles County Fire Department Monday after serving as interim chief since July 2022. The Board of Supervisors voted 5-0 Feb. 28 to approve Marrone’s selection, despite opposition from several organizations, including the Women’s Fire League, L.A. County Stentorians and Los Bomberos de LA County, who pointed to what they described as systemic failures in the department to bolster diversity, create jobs and advancement opportunities for women and people of color. The groups and others also blasted the Board of Supervisors, saying it failed to hold a thorough, transparent and fair search for a new chief. Marrone committed to the board that he would work to continue efforts by his predecessor, Daryl Osby, to improve representation within the agency, “to make sure we can move the needle … to be more inclusive of women and people of color, not only when hiring, but when promoting.”

MyNewsLA

Councilwoman Park Works To Ensure Community Safety Amid LADWP Power Pole Backlog

Councilwoman Traci Park is taking measures to ensure the safety of residents in her district after the LADWP revealed that hundreds of power poles across the city require repairs. This action follows the LADWP's settlement over the deaths of a father and daughter who were electrocuted after coming into contact with a downed power line outside their Panorama City home. In January 2021, Ferdinand Tejada went outside when he heard a "loud pop" at the family's home in the 14700 block of Tupper Street and was electrocuted. His daughter went to his aid and also was killed. According to the LADWP, the pole and crossarm inspection program had failed to property inspect and identify needed repairs to the equipment behind the Tejadas' home. Councilwoman Park expressed concern about the conditions of LADWP power poles in her district and has called for transparency regarding the location of high-risk power poles. 

Westside Current

About the LAPPL: Formed in 1923, the Los Angeles Police Protective League (LAPPL) represents more than 9,200 dedicated and professional sworn members of the Los Angeles Police Department. The LAPPL serves to advance the interests of LAPD officers through legislative and legal advocacy, political action and education.