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Man Who Fired Handgun at Police Shot And Killed During Traffic Stop In Manchester Square

Police shot and killed a suspect who was pulled over for a traffic stop during a confrontation in the Manchester Square area early Wednesday. The shooting occurred around 12:48 a.m. when Los Angeles Police Department officers conducted a traffic stop near Florence and Western avenues, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. After they conducted the stop, the suspect approached the officers on foot, firing a handgun at them and officers returned fire, striking the suspect, police said. The suspect, who was around 25-years-old, was pronounced dead at the scene. No officers were injured during the shooting. Police detained a group of men and women from a business near the shooting, but it was not immediately known if they were arrested or what they were detained for. Officers remained at the scene to conducted an investigation of the shooting. 

CBS 2

Police Search For Porsche Driver Involved In Back-to-Back Hit-and-Run Crashes In DTLA

Police are searching for the driver of a Porsche who hit two vehicles in downtown Los Angeles earlier this month and took off. According to the Los Angeles Police Department, the crashes happened on Saturday, June 17, at 3:37 a.m. The driver of an electric Porsche Taycan was heading north on Main Street, approaching 4th Street, when he drifted to the left and crashed into two parked vehicles. Video of both collisions was posted on LAPD's YouTube page. The driver then took off and was last seen heading southbound on Wall Street. Witnesses described the driver as an Asian man, according to police. Investigators said the Porsche Taycan has front end and rim damage. Anyone with information is urged to contact LAPD Det. Juan Campos by calling 213-833-3713 or emailing [email protected]. You can also contact the Central Traffic Division Watch Commander at 213-833-3746 during weekends and off-hours or submit an anonymous tip on L.A. Crime Stopper's website.

ABC 7

Two Men Rob Brinks Guard At Gunpoint In Reseda

A Brinks employee was robbed on Tuesday in Reseda by two men, one of whom was armed with an assault rifle, police said. The crime was reported at about 11:45 a.m. in the 6700 block of Reseda Boulevard, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Both men wore white “painter's” jumpsuits and masks, and one of them was armed with an “AR-15-style” rifle, police said. No injuries were reported. The men drove away with an unknown amount of currency, along with the employee's handgun, police said. The armored truck was parked outside a Taco Bell restaurant. Anyone with information on the crime was urged to call LAPD West Valley detectives at 818-374-7611.

NBC 4

2 Men Sentenced For Burglarizing LA Mayor Karen Bass' Home In 2022

Two men who broke into the home of Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and stole two revolvers were each handed state prison terms Tuesday. Patricio Munoz, 43, was sentenced to two years in prison, and Juan Espinoza, 25, was sentenced to 32 months behind bars. The pair were each originally charged last year with a felony count of first-degree residential burglary and two counts of grand theft of a firearm. The burglary took place in September 2022 at Bass' Baldwin Vista home when she was a congresswoman and mayoral candidate. According to the complaint, the two guns taken from the home were .38-caliber revolvers. "Everyone deserves to be safe in their home," District Attorney George Gascón said in a statement announcing the charges. "Residential burglary is a violation of that safety in the most fundamental way. Gun thefts have increased since the pandemic began. Many of these stolen guns are then used to commit violent crimes." 

ABC 7

Rideshare Driver Fatally Shot In Inglewood; Suspect Remains At Large

Authorities are searching for a suspect connected to the fatal shooting of a rideshare driver in Inglewood early Tuesday morning. Officers were sent to the 100 block of W. Kelso Street after learning of the shooting at around 3 a.m. where they arrived to find a man suffering from a gunshot wound. He was taken to a nearby hospital where he was later pronounced dead. While the victim has not yet been identified by the Coroner's office, family members at a vigil late Tuesday evening identified him as Juan Miguel, a man who worked as a rideshare driver. "He was always there like no matter what," said friend Ashley Velasquez. "He was an amazing guy, amazing father, amazing friend." Investigators say that they're still unsure of the circumstances surrounding the incident, but they are sure it was not a drive-by shooting and have no reason to believe it was gang-related. They're working to identify a suspect and a motive in the shooting. 

CBS 2

Authorities Seek Public Help Finding Missing 17-Year-Old Girl

Authorities sought the public’s help Tuesday to find a missing 17-year-old girl last seen in Lynwood more than two weeks ago. Maria Fernanda Deniz is presumed to be in the Cypress Park area, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. She was last seen in the 12200 block of Long Beach Boulevard at around 7 a.m. June 8. Deniz is described as a 5-foot-5-inch tall Hispanic girl weighing 110 pounds with black hair, brown eyes, and a pierced nose. According to sheriff deputies, she was last seen wearing a black hoodie, gray pants, and black and red Nike shoes. Anyone with information regarding Deniz’s whereabouts was urged to contact Detective Fisk with the Century Sheriff’s Station Detective Bureau at 323-568-4918. Tipsters who choose to remain anonymous can contact Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477.

MyNewsLA

Woman Sentenced To 2 Years For Burning Bank With Molotov Cocktail

A Gardena woman was sentenced to two years in federal prison for setting a Torrance bank on fire using a Molotov cocktail. Teranee Millet, 35, entered a Bank of America on Sept. 20, 2021, and after a dispute with the bank manager over what she perceived to be a prolonged wait, she promised to return and “blow this bitch up,” the United States Department of Justice said in a news release. “A few minutes later, Millet returned to the bank branch and threw a Molotov cocktail into the bank, causing a fire in the middle of the bank,” the release added. A customer at the bank extinguished the blaze. Millet also threatened another customer in the parking lot and threw a glass bottle at his truck, damaging it. She was identified using surveillance photos and arrested in Georgia three months after the incident at the bank. At the time, she was driving a stolen U-Haul van, which she crashed while being pursued by police. “Inside the van, law enforcement recovered a gym bag containing four packs of glass bottles with tissue paper inserted inside the bottles, a can of lighter fluid and a five-gallon can of gasoline, according to court documents,” the release said. “Millet sustained injuries in the crash and later received medical treatment. She has been in custody since that time.”

KTLA 5

Oakland Police Release Photos Of 2 Persons Of Interest In Delivery Man's Killing

Oakland police on Tuesday released photos of two persons of interest in the homicide of a delivery man. Matheus Gaidos was shot and killed while delivering flowers in Oakland's Koreatown on Wednesday, June 21. The shooting took place before 6:30 p.m. in the 400 block of 26th Street near an apartment building on Telegraph Avenue. Surveillance footage obtained by KTVU shows a man walking two dogs and confronting Gaidos, leading to an altercation and the man shooting Gaidos. "It's hard to forgive something that happened like that," said his father Antonio Gaidos through an interpreter. "We want justice, just don't want to see this happening with somebody else." Gaidos' parents shared that their son left Brazil for the U.S. five years ago. He lived in the Bay Area for three years and was working as a delivery driver. Gaidos' mother, Isabel Martines, had planned her annual visit to her son in September, who always met her with flowers. People with information can contact OPD at 510-238-3821. OPD and CrimeStoppers of Oakland are offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information about these persons of interests.

FOX 11

‘It’s So Pervasive.’ California Hate Crimes Soared 20% In 2022, Report Shows

Hate crimes soared in California in 2022, with year-over-year rises recorded in crimes targeting virtually every demographic group, according to a report released Tuesday. All told, there were 2,120 reported hate crimes, a 20.2% jump from the year prior, figures from the California Department of Justice show. Overall, the number of such events has risen 145.7% since 2013. California’s all-time high in reported hate crimes was 2,261 in 2001. State Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta attributed the rising numbers to what he characterized as an encirclement of hate. “Hate-filled rhetoric fills our social media feeds and dominates the news cycles,” he said during a news conference in front of the Los Angeles Central Library on Tuesday. “It infiltrates our schools and our community gatherings. It seems to be at so many places; it’s so pervasive.” A major departure from the top-line trend was the number of anti-Asian hate crimes — which have soared in recent years, partly due to racially motivated attacks related to the COVID-19 pandemic, but declined sharply from 2021 to 2022. But that was one of only a few silver linings presented by Bonta, who implored those interpreting the statistics to “remember the contrast since 2020” in anti-Asian hate crimes.

Los Angeles Times

California Police Seize 5K Pounds Of Illegal Fireworks Being Manufactured At House

Several homes were evacuated in a San Bernardino neighborhood on Monday, June 26, while authorities seized around 5,000 pounds of illegal fireworks being manufactured at a residence, authorities said. Around 8:30 p.m., officers responded to a home in the 1400 block of West Evans Street after receiving a tip regarding the fireworks, according to San Bernardino police Lt. Jennifer Kohrell. A search warrant was served after officers found several fireworks caches in plain site at the home, including inside the residence, garage and a shed in the backyard. Multiple firearms, tools used to manufacture fireworks and kegs of black powder were also seized from the residence. Along with the residence being suspected as a firework manufacturing site, authorities say they also believe the home to be a store for firework sales from a makeshift carport in the driveway, Kohrell said. Nearby residents in roughly 48 homes were evacuated on Monday and a temporary shelter was opened at Arroyo Valley High School while five bomb trailers were called to the neighborhood to assist with removing the firework materials, Kohrell said. Residents were allowed back into their homes late Tuesday afternoon.

San Bernardino County Sun

Pennsylvania Trooper Killed In Ambush Lauded As A Hero During Funeral Service

A Pennsylvania state trooper who was shot and killed earlier this month when he went to work on his day off after learning his barracks had been attacked by an armed man was laid to rest Tuesday during a funeral where the state’s governor and his colleagues lauded him as a hero who only wanted to serve his community. Jacques “Jay” F. Rougeau Jr., 29, a native of Corry who lived in Mifflintown, was shot June 17 by Brandon Stine, 38, of Thompsontown, authorities have said. Stine also critically wounded another trooper that day in a separate incident before he was shot and killed himself after a manhunt and a fierce gunbattle with law enforcement. Stine’s motive remains under investigation. Rougeau was killed by a gunshot through the windshield of his patrol car as he drove down a road in Walker Township, not far from the state police barracks. He had been a trooper since 2021 and was the 104th member of the state police to be killed in the line of duty. Speaking at the service, Gov. Josh Shapiro said Rougeau had “a servant’s heart” and lived a life of purpose as a dedicated trooper who loved cheering on Penn State football, playing pickup basketball at the Corry YMCA and mentoring kids during youth basketball games. “In every part of his life, Jay wanted to give back and serve others,” Shapiro said.

Associated Press

Watch: Teen In Stolen Vehicle Shoots At Georgia Deputy During Pursuit

A teenage boy has been arrested on several charges, including attempted murder, after he allegedly shot at a Georgia deputy during a pursuit last week, authorities said. On Tuesday, the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office released a portion of the wild chase, which appeared to show the 16-year-old firing a gun out of the driver’s-side window of the truck he allegedly stole from a married couple in nearby Heard County. Deputies said he unloaded nearly a half-dozen rounds, some of which struck the patrol vehicle. “Shots fired! Shots fired! Shots fired!” a deputy was heard saying in the dashcam video from the incident. No injuries were reported. According to the sheriff’s office, Deputy Archie Barber was in his patrol vehicle along Ga. 27 early Thursday when he stopped a 2004 Chevrolet Silverado that was allegedly speeding. Barber approached the truck but it took off, the sheriff’s office said, leading to a pursuit along several roads a few miles south of Carrollton. Soon after, the teenager pulled out a gun and opened fire, deputies said. Barber continued following the teen, who drove north into Carrollton and eventually crashed in a ditch near the Soma Apartments on Hays Mill Road. He ran away, and a gun was found on the driver’s seat, according to the sheriff’s office.

Atlanta Journal Constitution

Imelda Padilla Takes Early Lead In L.A. City Council District 6 Race

Imelda Padilla led rival Marisa Alcaraz in initial results Tuesday night in the special election for the Los Angeles City Council seat representing the northeast and central San Fernando Valley, according to the Los Angeles County Registrar/Recorder. Alcaraz, a top advisor to City Councilmember Curren Price, and Padilla, a community advocate, are vying for the Council District 6 seat formerly held by City Council President Nury Martinez, who resigned last year. Martinez stepped down from the council in October after a leaked recording surfaced on which she was heard making incendiary comments about her colleagues and various groups, setting the stage for a special election. Padilla, who had briefly worked for Martinez a decade ago, was met with loud cheers when she walked into her packed election party at a Mexican restaurant in Sun Valley shortly after 8:30 p.m. “Oh my goodness, what a great start,” Padilla told the crowd, which included Reps. Brad Sherman and Tony Cardenas and former L.A. City Councilmember Felipe Fuentes. City Councilmembers Traci Park, John Lee and Marqueece Harris-Dawson were also spotted at Padilla’s party.

Los Angeles Times

LA Council Permanently Streamlines Affordable Housing Process

The Los Angeles City Council agreed Tuesday to codify key provisions of Mayor Karen Bass' executive directive to streamline the process for developing affordable and supportive housing. The council voted 12-0 to approve the motion, with members Curren Price and Monica Rodriguez absent from Tuesday's meeting. Council members Katy Yaroslavsky, Nithya Raman and Council President Paul Krekorian introduced the motion, which permanently exempts 100% affordable housing proposals from the city's lengthy discretionary review process. Since the mayor signed the directive, it has "dramatically cut" approval time for those projects from an average of six months to just 37 days, officials said. The council members introduced the motion to maintain provisions of the directive, which would have expired without council action. The motion instructs the director of the Planning Department, with assistance from the city attorney's office, to prepare a draft ordinance within the next 90 days codifying the provisions of the executive directive to the "fullest legal extent permissible." The council will then take an additional procedural vote on the ordinance.

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.