Good morning! On April 15, 2023, Officer B. Jerry Sandoval was killed in a traffic collision. Please consider donating to the Blue-Ribbon account established for Jerry to support his wife, Christine and twin sons, Logan and Jacob. Click here for more details.

Man Fatally Shot Near Marina Del Rey; Road Rage Suspected

LAPD has said that the Fatal shooting this afternoon on Lincoln Boulevard could have been a case of road rage. The shooting was reported about 12:15 p.m. at Lincoln Boulevard and Maxella Avenue, near the terminus of the Marina (90) Freeway, and the victim died at the scene, the LAPD reported. The westbound Marina 90 Freeway was closed in the area while an investigation was conducted, with police saying two drivers may have gotten into some type of road rage confrontation on the freeway, eventually exiting the freeway and stopping at Lincoln and Maxella, where one apparently got out of his vehicle and shot the other before driving away, police said. "It does appear at this time that this incident could have a road rage nexus," LAPD Capt. Michael Applegate told reporters at the scene. Police said the gunman is still at large and was last seen driving away north on Lincoln Boulevard in a four-door black vehicle, possibly a Kia, with Utah license plates.

Westside Current

1 Hospitalized After Car-to-Car Shooting In South Los Angeles

One person was hospitalized during a car-to-car shooting in South Los Angeles early Saturday. The incident is said to have occurred at around 12:40 a.m., when Los Angeles Police Department officers were dispatched to the area near West 75th Street and Figueroa Street. Upon arrival, they learned that the victim, who is hospitalized in stable condition, was sitting in his vehicle when the suspects drove up beside him in a black truck and opened fire. It was not clear how many shots were fired. The suspects then fled from the area. Investigators were working to determine a motive in the shooting and were investigating whether the shooting was gang-related. 

CBS 2

Police Confirm Remains Found In Santa Monica Are Of Tech CEO Missing Since November 2021

The remains of a Los Angeles tech CEO who has been missing for more than a year were found in Santa Monica last month. Beau Mann, who was last seen a few days after Thanksgiving in 2021, was found dead in the courtyard of an abandoned property in the 2900 block of Santa Monica Boulevard, police said. The coroner confirmed the remains were those of Mann but a cause of death has not yet been reported. Mann, 39, created the Sober Grid app, which connected thousands of people battling drugs and other addictions, offering them support and solutions. According to investigators, when Mann vanished on Nov. 30, 2021, he sent a text to 911, saying he was in an Uber and needed help. He was never seen or heard from after that.

ABC 7

Girl, 14, Goes Missing In Paramount

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Sunday circulated a photo of a 14-year-old girl who went missing in Paramount. Jaqualine Ramos Espinoza was last seen about 1 a.m. Saturday in the 8400 block of Fairton Street, the Sheriff’s Information Bureau reported. Espinoza was described as a 5-foot, 3-inch tall Latino girl weighing 80 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a white shirt, black and white pajama pants, and black and white Converse shoes. The sheriff’s Lakewood station urged anyone with any information regarding Espinoza’s whereabouts to call them at 562-623-3500. Tipsters can also call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477 or use a smartphone by downloading the “P3 Tips” Mobile APP on Google play or the Apple App Store or by using the website lacrimestoppers.org.

MyNewsLA

Authorities Search For Missing Los Angeles County Man

Authorities are searching for a missing man who disappeared in Los Angeles County. Dominik Joseph Magana, 27, last contacted his family on Aug. 8, 2022, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. His family has not heard from him since and is concerned for his well-being. Magana is described as a Hispanic man standing 5 feet 9 inches tall, weighing 180 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes. No further details were released as authorities continue searching. Anyone with information about Magana or his whereabouts is asked to contact the LASD’s Missing Persons Unit at 323-890-5500. Anonymous tips can be submitted to “Crime Stoppers” at 800-222-8477 or online at lacrimestoppers.org.

KTLA 5

California Man Drives To Utah To Kill Brother, Set House On Fire, Officials Say

A Long Beach man allegedly drove from California to North Ogden, Utah to kill his brother then set his house on fire, according to the Weber County Attorney's Office. Officials say on April 27, Jeffrey Roberts, 66, arrived at his brother's home around 7:11 p.m., parked his van in the driveway, approached the front door and rang the doorbell. His brother, Scott Roberts and his wife were home alone eating when Jeffrey arrived. The two brothers began talking on the front porch and within a few minutes, Jeffrey Roberts pulled out a gun from his jacket and began firing. Parts of the incident were caught on a Ring doorbell camera which the attorney's office has since shared with the public. Both Scott Roberts and his wife were struck by gunfire. Neighbors then called 911 after hearing multiple gunshots. 

FOX 11

High Crimes: Sheriff Says Drugs Are Fueling The Crime Crisis In California

A California sheriff blamed substance abuse for rising crime in his state and accused lawmakers of adding fuel to the fire with permissive drug laws. "In the shootings that we are involved with, where law enforcement is involved with a suspect that is shooting at us or we get involved in some type of officer-involved shooting," Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco said, "almost all of them involve drug use." Bianco added that the majority involve a substance like methamphetamine, heroin or alcohol combined with marijuana. "Those are the statistics that nobody wants to hear," he said. "Our lawmakers just refuse to have any type of dialog that has anything to do with fact or statistics, because the facts and the statistics show that we're correct." The data around drug use, criminality and officer-involved shootings are often outdated or limited in scope. More than 70% of people shot by police in San Bernardino County over six years exhibited signs of drug or alcohol use, according to an investigation by KPCC and The San Bernardino Sun. But that rate was more than twice as high as in Los Angeles County, despite similar rates of drug use in both locations.

FOX 11

Chicago Police Officer Fatally Shot After Her Shift

A young Chicago police officer whose family called “happy” and “intelligent” was shot dead early Saturday shortly after leaving the station following her shift on the city’s South Side, Chicago police said. Police responded to “shot spotter” calls about 1:45 a.m. in the 8100 block of South Blackstone Avenue in the Avalon Park neighborhood and found 24-year-old Areanah Preston with gunshot wounds, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office and police. One of the first officers to get there rendered aid, but Preston was transported to UChicago Medicine where she died, police said. Preston, who had only been with the police department for three years, had just completed her shift and was assigned to the Calumet District station on the city’s Far South Side. “She was intelligent, a happy person ... she was all of that and more,” said Preston’s grandfather, who she knew as “Pa Pa,” who was getting ready to travel to Chicago, he told the Tribune. “I can’t speak about her without breaking up,” he said. Tense exchanges between an officer and 911 dispatchers erupted shortly after the shooting.

Chicago Tribune

New Jersey Officer Dies From Gunshot Wound In Struggle With Suspect

A Deptford Township police officer died Sunday from a gunshot wound sustained in the line of duty two months ago, authorities said. Officer Robert Shisler, 27, had been hospitalized at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania after he was shot in the leg on March 10 by an armed suspect during a foot chase through a residential neighborhood in the Gloucester County community. Shisler returned fire, hitting the man — Mitchell Negron Jr., 24 — who was declared dead at the scene. The incident remains under investigation by the New Jersey Attorney General's Office, which has released few details about what led up to the chase. The department announced the death of Shisler — a Deptford Township native and four-year veteran of its police force — in a Facebook post on the department's website Sunday afternoon. "Officer Shisler will always be remembered for his dedication and his commitment to the residents of this great community," it read. "We are extremely grateful and thankful for his service. He will be sorely missed, but never forgotten."

Philadelphia Inquirer

Maine Officers Arrest Man After $3M Worth Of Drugs Shipped To Restaurant

Employees of a Maine restaurant got a surprise when they opened a large wooden crate that they thought was a shipment of mugs they had recently ordered. Instead, they found a plastic tote that contained what law enforcement suspect is 14 kilograms (31 pounds) of the powerful synthetic opioid fentanyl with an estimated street value of $3 million, Auburn police Deputy Chief Timothy Cougle said in a statement Saturday. The tote had a shipping label with the restaurant's address but the name of someone who did not work there. Employees who opened it saw what they thought looked like drugs, so they contacted police, Cougle said. The crate from Arizona that arrived in the Maine town about 30 miles (50 kilometers) north of Portland was taken to the police department, where a chemical field examination confirmed it contained fentanyl. About an hour later, the man whose name was on the shipment showed up looking for the crate and was arrested, police said.

Associated Press

Coyote Sneaks Into Family's Woodland Hills Home Through Unexpected Entrance: Their Doggie Door

A family in Woodland Hills woke up to an unexpected visitor who managed to get into their home through a doggie door: a coyote! Mia Shoshan said it happened at 4 a.m. Friday at their home in the Valley Circle area. She said her brother was sleeping when he suddenly heard their doggie door open. Their French bulldog - Bella - was with him and their Pomeranian was sleeping with their mom. "He wondered who opened the doggie door," said Mia. "Our cat Lily started meowing and screaming, she was terrified and calling for us to help." Home surveillance video shows the coyote sneaking in and roaming the home for a bit. The brother got out and locked eyes with the coyote, which eventually scared it off. "As soon as the coyote saw him, he ran right back out the doggie door and left," said Mia. "No one and no pet was harmed thank God."

ABC 7

Hiker From LA Reported Missing In Joshua Tree

A hiker whose last known address was in Los Angeles has gone missing at Joshua Tree National Park. Trammell Evans, 25, was reported missing May 5, after he failed to show up at the time he was scheduled to be picked up from a dayslong hike, the National Park Service said Monday. Evans had been dropped off Black Rock Campground around 8 p.m. on April 30, according to the NPS. He planned to hike from Black Rock to Geology Tour Road, then back to Black Rock via the California Riding and Hiking Trail. He was supposed to be picked up at 11 a.m. on May 5, but he failed to show up and was reported missing two hours later. Evans did not register for a backcountry use permit, the park service said. Park rangers have since contacted all 55 people who had backcountry permits in the area. Evans was described as an athletic and experienced long-distance hiker who is familiar with Joshua Tree National Park. He is 6 feet, 3 inches tall, weighs around 190 pounds, and has brown-red hair, brown eyes and a mustache.

NBC 4

LA County’s COVID Numbers Continue To Fall

The number of coronavirus patients in Los Angeles County hospitals continues to inch downward, dropping by four people to 253, down from over 1,300 in December, according to the latest state data released Saturday. Of those patients, 28 were being treated in intensive care. Meanwhile, the statewide total of COVID-positive patients dropped by 32 people to 1,163, the lowest it’s been since May of 2022. Some of the hospitalized patients were admitted for other reasons and learned they had COVID after a mandated test. The latest state numbers come two days after local health officials reported another 2,533 COVID infections over the past week, down from 2,659 the previous week, and 51 virus-related fatalities, down slightly from 54 deaths recorded the previous week, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.

MyNewsLA

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.