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.

LAPD Searching For Gunman After Father, 8-Year-Old Son Shot In Hyde Park

A father and his 8-year-old son were injured in a shooting that led to a crash involving three cars in Hyde Park Monday. The crash occurred in the 3100 block of West 54th Street, the LAPD said. It was about a block away from Crenshaw High School. LAPD responded to reports of a crash involving three cars at around 12:15 p.m. Police say someone was shooting at the driver of a Honda when one bullet hit a 48-year-old man and another hit his 8-year-old son. The white Honda crashed into a black car and a white Audi. Witnesses say the gunman drove off after the shooting. Video from NewsChopper4 showed a white Audi sedan that crashed head-on in the corner of a building. A white Honda sedan and a black sedan appeared to have collided just before the intersection in the community northeast of Inglewood. A witness who rushed to help the victims said she heard the collision. She said the child was in the backseat of the car. "We had to pull him out, and he was screaming," said Natalie Evans. "They put him on the ground, and you see blood on the ground." The father and son are recovering at the hospital, while the others injured in the crash only had minor injuries.

NBC 4

Two Wounded In San Pedro Shooting

A man and a teenage boy were wounded on a San Pedro street, authorities said Monday. The shooting was reported about 5 p.m. Sunday at 21st and Alma streets, according to a desk officer at the Los Angeles Police Department’s Operations Center. The 22-year-old man and 17-year-old boy were on the street when they were approached by two males on foot who opened fire on them and ran away, she said. Both victims suffered gunshot wounds and were taken in a private vehicle to a hospital where the had stable vital signs, the officer said. The shooting may have been gang-related, she said.

MyNewsLA

LAPD Drug Dog Sniffs Out Drugs, Gun Hidden In Vending Machine

A Los Angeles police dog is being hailed a hero after he located a massive cache of narcotics and an assault rifle that was hidden inside a vending machine. The drug bust happened in Los Angeles as part of a Ventura County Sheriff’s Office investigation. Sheriff’s deputies were in L.A. to serve a search warrant at an undisclosed location and requested a K-9 unit from the Los Angeles Police Department. LAPD K9 Bosco responded to the scene to assist in the investigation, at which point he sniffed out the drugs which were hidden in a nondescript soda vending machine. Inside the machine, authorities found 15 pounds of heroin, a kilogram of fentanyl and an assault rifle. A kilogram of fentanyl has the potential to kill more than 500,000 people, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration. Bosco is a 2-year-old Dutch shepherd that specializes in narcotics. According to LAPD, Bosco has been on the job for only six months. We will watch his career with great interest.

KTLA 5

Group Of Burglars Hit Small Businesses In Northridge, Make Of With Thousands In Cash And Goods

A group of burglars hit a number of small businesses in Northridge earlier this week, targeting those with ATMs and making off with thousands of dollars in cash. Police say that the group consists of at least eight thieves who ransack businesses after forcing entry. They then take as much cash and goods as they can, even making off with lottery tickets. Surveillance footage from the Pisco Sour Market shows just that, where four cars drive up to a small strip mall where the South American grocery store is located on Tampa Avenue just before 4 a.m. Thursday morning. Eight thieves get out of the cars and bee line for the store, smashing the front glass window before entering. Catalina Palomino, the owner of Pisco Sour Market, says that the group took at least $20,000 in cash from the ATM and registers, as well as merchandise and lottery tickets worth an unknown amount of money. "It's like the movies," she said. "They use the mask. White masks, white gloves and everything is black." She said that the swiftness with which the group worked, it would be surprising if they hadn't visited her store on several occasions before making their move. 

CBS 2

Inmate Arrested After Walking Away From Reentry Program In LA County

California authorities have arrested an inmate who walked away from a reentry program in Los Angeles County over a week ago. Officials with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) said 25-year-old inmate Aleisha Schmitz was seen going into a gray or silver Mercedes outside the Custody to Community Transitional Reentry Program (CCTRP) around 7:10 p.m. Authorities received an alert on her monitoring device and agents were sent to locate Schmitz. Local law enforcement was also notified of her disappearance. Schmitz was taken into custody without incident around 5:35 p.m. Saturday in North Hills, authorities said. Schmitz was sentenced to three years for second-degree robbery and for a hit-and-run that left another person injured.

FOX 11

CA Attorney General Rob Bonta To Combat Organized Retail Crime

California Attorney General Rob Bonta has teamed up with significant merchants and online marketplaces in Los Angeles to address the pervasive problem of organized retail crime. Bonta said this cooperative initiative attempts to address large-scale theft and fraud. Systematic theft of retail products, which results in large financial losses, is considered organized retail crime, according to Bonta's office. A 2020 nationwide poll found that this issue costs American merchants $700,000 for every $1 billion in sales. "Let me be clear, this is not about one-off thefts from stores or the occasional smash and grab," said Bonta. "This is about a multi-billion dollar criminal enterprise." The initiative calls for more coordination between law enforcement and retailers, as well as better detection and reporting. Throughout the retail supply chain, particularly for cargo and consumer items, the agreement places a strong emphasis on seamless information sharing, Bonta's office said. In order to encourage public reporting of organized retail theft, an online reporting form has also been established.

CBS 2

FBI Seeking Convicted Child Molester On The Run For Two Decades

Federal Bureau of Investigation officials are seeking the public's help in locating a known child molester who has been on the run for 20 years after he was released on bail in 2002. Erik Kristian Moller, a 55-year-old Arcadia resident, is wanted for failing to appear at a scheduled sentencing hearing back in December of 2022 in San Luis Obispo. He was convicted of child molestation for lascivious conduct involving an underage girl lasting from 1997 through 2000. The FBI says that Moller was usually entrusted to the care of the girl on a week-to-week basis when she was between the ages of 10 and 14. They say that he give her drugs and alcohol before the molestations. A federal bench warrant was issued for Moller in March of 2003 after he failed to appear in court. Federal charges were filed against him the following month for unlawful flight to avoid prosecution by the United States District Court of the Central District of California, leading to the issue of another arrest warrant. According to the FBI, Moller is a White man who stands around 5-feet, 10-inches tall and weighs about 140 pounds. He has blond or brown hair with blue eyes.

CBS 2

BWC Video: California Deputy Shot In Ear During Pursuit With Suspect Armed With Rifle

The Merced County Sheriff's Office has released body camera footage of an April deputy-involved shooting that resulted in injury to a deputy and the death of a suspect. At about 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 29, 2023, deputies responded to information about potential gang members with firearms in the area of the Winton cemetery, according to Merced County Undersheriff Corey Gibson in the video. Authorities said Deputy Nasir Wali responded to the scene and observed several subjects run out of the cemetery and enter a vehicle. According to Deputy Alexandra Britton, it is unclear what the subjects were doing at the cemetery. Wali has been a deputy with the Merced County Sheriff's Office since 2016, according to Britton. Wali attempted a vehicle stop, but the vehicle continued and the deputy pursued the vehicle through Winton. According to Gibson, Deputy Lucy Lopez joined the pursuit, which last just over three minutes. Lopez has been a deputy with the sheriff's office since 2020, according to Britton. The vehicle pursuit came to an end when the subject's vehicle collided with a parked car at the corner of Walnut Avenue and Suzie Street in Winton.

Merced Sun-Star

Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Dead, Another Injured In Separate But Related Shootings

A state trooper and a suspect were both killed Saturday in a shootout in central Pennsylvania, hours after the suspect seriously wounded another trooper, state police said. Police in Juniata County said a man engaged troopers at about 12:45 p.m. near the Lewistown barracks and shot one trooper, who was taken to a hospital with serious injuries. Authorities found the man shortly before 3 p.m. in Walker Township, about 26 miles (42 kilometers) northwest of the initial incident. The shooter and a trooper were then killed during the resulting shootout, state police said in a news release. Officials said Saturday evening that there was no threat to the public. The troopers' names and the condition of the wounded trooper weren't immediately available. Gov. Josh Shapiro and Colonel Christopher Paris of the state police were at the hospital, state police said.

Associated Press

Man Found Dead Inside Building After Fire In South Los Angeles

Firefighters found a dead man inside a one-story commercial building today as they battled a blaze in the Broadway-Manchester area of South Los Angeles early Wednesday. Fire crews responded just after midnight to 11308 S. Main St. north of Imperial Highway where they found a fully engulfed building with two cars in a carport at the building's rear, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. It took 83 firefighters and 38 minutes to knock down the fire. After the flames were put out, firefighters searched the building and found a man inside. The victim, whose name and age were not known, was pronounced dead at the scene by LAFD paramedics. Although it is unknown what type of business was operating at the building, it appeared to be filled with mattresses. 

CBS 2

Beachgoers Urged To Avoid Swimming At These L.A. County Beaches

Los Angeles County residents planning a beach trip to commemorate the first official day of summer won’t be able to swim at select beaches, public health officials announced Tuesday. Officials are urging beachgoers to avoid swimming, surfing, and playing in ocean waters at the following locations: Malibu Lagoon at Surfrider Beach, Topanga Canyon Beach in Malibu, Santa Monica Pier in Santa Monica, and Mothers Beach in Marina Del Rey. The warnings were issued since bacterial levels exceeded health standards when last tested by experts. The infamous “May Gray” and “June gloom” weather has begun its departure from Southern California, with more summer-like temperatures expected during the upcoming weekend, meteorologists have predicted. In Los Angeles, the weekend temperatures are expected to reach the upper 70s, with sunny conditions expected throughout the day, according to the KTLA weather page.

KTLA 5

Fire Risk Increases In Some Parts Of Southern California Despite Continued June Gloom

Gusty winds, combined with a drop in humidity, have increased the risk of fire across inland valleys and desert regions of Southern California until at least Tuesday, according to a fire weather forecast issued Sunday. The Antelope Valley, in particular, is at higher risk for grass fires, officials said. Southwest winds are expected to reach 40 mph in Palmdale and Lancaster, and up to 50 mph along the foothills. The same onshore winds that are putting mountain communities on alert, however, will also lead to cooler temperatures along the coast — as well as a heavier marine layer, better known this time of year as June gloom. Los Angeles and much of Southern California, in fact, will continue to experience damp, drizzly weather this week. “There’s a low-pressure system moving through the whole West Coast, and when we get these upper-level low-pressure systems, that’s what drives a stronger onshore flow from the coast to the desert,” said David Gomberg, a meteorologist and fire weather program manager for the National Weather Service. “That strong onshore flow and that low-pressure system together help deepen the marine layer, and then strengthens the winds out in the desert.”

Los Angeles Times

LA City Council Elects Marqueece Harris-Dawson As The New President Pro Tempore

The Los Angeles City Council Tuesday elected Councilman Marqueece Harris-Dawson as the new president pro tempore to replace Curren Price, who stepped down from the position and faces possible suspension from the council after being charged with embezzlement, perjury and conflict of interest. In a 12-to-0 vote, the council moved to appoint Harris-Dawson as president pro tempore with council members Monica Rodriguez and Curren Price absent from the vote. Price was not in attendance at Tuesday's meeting and he will not attend any of the remaining meetings this week, according to his office. "With that vote, I'm pleased to congratulate our new Council President Pro Tem Marqueece Harris-Dawson," Council President Paul Krekorian said. "I'd like to ask you to come up on and take the desk." Krekorian introduced a motion last week calling for the council to have an election at the next available council meeting for the position, and further moved to tap Harris-Dawson for the post.

FOX 11

Mayor Karen Bass Sets Lofty Goal Of Ending Street Homelessness In LA By 2026

Mayor Karen Bass made an appearance on CNN's "State of the Union" with Jake Tapper on Sunday, announcing a lofty goal of ending street homeless in Los Angeles by 2026. When asked by Tapper what she hopes to accomplish in that time frame, with 2026 signaling the end of her elected term, Bass doubled down on what was one of, if not her biggest, campaign promise — making a massive dent in the homeless crisis. "My goal would be, really, to end street homelessness," she said. "There'll still be people in shelters and interim housing, but to at least not have people dying on our streets." Bass's first step as mayor was to declare a state of emergency in Los Angeles regarding the issues of homelessness, which she acted on several times to date, most notably a recent announcement that efforts from her team have so far helped get 14,000 homeless people off the streets. 

CBS 2

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.