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 Killed In South LA Shooting; Search For Suspect Underway

A man was fatally shot in South Los Angeles on Wednesday, prompting an investigation and manhunt for the suspect. The shooting happened a little before 11 a.m. near 87th Street and Figueroa Street, according to Los Angeles Police Department. Officers were dispatched to the area where they found a man suffering from a fatal gunshot wound. He was pronounced dead at the scene. His identity was withheld due to the ongoing nature of the investigation. Investigators have learned that the victim was driving through the area when he was shot, causing him to veer off the road and collide with a street sign. They arrived to find the vehicle after it had collided with a building. There was no information provided on either a suspect or a motive. Anyone with information was asked to contact investigators at (877) 527-3257.

CBS 2

LAPD Volunteer Who Was Attacked By Bees Returns To Duty

A Los Angeles Police Department volunteer who was attacked by bees while offering assistance during an outbreak in Encino has returned to duty. The volunteer, identified only as Gary, was stung anywhere from 50-100 times as he tried to help with traffic control in a residential neighborhood that was actively being terrorized by a swarm of aggressive bees. On Wednesday, the Police Department announced that Gary was back on duty after an “extended recovery.” The attack happened in mid-May on the 17100 block of West Adlon Road in Encino. Gary, an Air Force veteran who has been an LAPD volunteer for nearly 18 years, was attacked by hundreds of aggressive bees as he swatted them away and then fell face-first onto the asphalt. Gary’s son, Daniel, watched the event unfold live on TV. Daniel described the helplessness he felt as he watched his father bleed from the face and attempt to get away from the bees.

KTLA 5

Police Seek Public Help Tracking Down Brink’s Robbery Suspects

Police sought the public’s help Wednesday for information leading to two men who robbed a Brink’s armored car courier at gunpoint in Reseda. The heist was reported at about 11:40 a.m. Tuesday in the 6700 block of Reseda Boulevard, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. The Brink’s truck was parked outside a Taco Bell restaurant. According to police, as the armored truck courier walked into the restaurant, “he was immediately attacked by a male suspect who was armed with a rifle.” “A second suspect then entered the armored car and removed an unspecified amount of United States currency,” according to an LAPD statement. “Both suspects subsequently fled in a waiting vehicle to an unknown location.” Police said Tuesday both suspects were wearing white “painter’s” jumpsuits and masks, and one of them was armed with an “AR-15-style” rifle, police said. No injuries were reported.

MyNewsLA

UCLA Among Victims Of Worldwide Cyber Attack

UCLA confirmed this week that it is among dozens of institutions and companies that had data stolen in a cyber attack, that government officials have blamed on a ransomware gang known as, "CL0P." "The university notified the FBI and worked with external cybersecurity experts to investigate the matter and determine what happened, what data was impacted and to whom the data belongs," a UCLA spokesperson told the I-Team, who declined to be interviewed or answer questions about what kind of data was stolen, or who on the campus may have been affected. According to bulletins from the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the F.B.I., beginning in May, 2023 thieves tied to the CL0P group used a previously unknown software vulnerability, also known as a 'zero day' exploit, to infect applications that interface with a file transfer system known as "MOVEit." "Internet-facing MOVEit Transfer web applications were infected with a specific malware used by CL0P, which was then used to steal data from underlying MOVEit Transfer databases," CISA said in early June. MOVEit's owner, Progress Software, said it has been helping its customers patch the vulnerabilities and assisting authorities with investigating the theft.

NBC 4

LAX Police Officer Arrested After Allegedly Touching Woman, Brandishing Gun At Long Beach Bar

A police officer for the Los Angeles International Airport was arrested on Sunday, June 25 in Long Beach after authorities said he repeatedly touched a woman’s arm at a restaurant before brandishing a gun at her, then fired the gun at the ground in a nearby neighborhood. Police said Roberto Mosquera, 47, began touching the woman’s arm while they were sitting next to each other at a restaurant in the 6300 block of East Pacific Coast Highway just before 1 a.m. “When the victim expressed that she did not want to be touched, the suspect displayed a firearm and then put it back into his waistband,” Long Beach police said in a statement. “The suspect left the scene.” Less than 20 minutes later, police were called to the 7100 block of Marina Pacifica Drive, a private street in an apartment complex overlooking Alamitos Bay just a few hundred feet from the restaurant, after someone reported hearing gunshots. When officers got there, they found Mosquera, who was armed with a gun, as well as strike marks from bullets on the ground and several casings. Police said Mosquera matched the details a witness at the restaurant gave of the man who brandished the gun at the woman, and they arrested him. He posted $25,000 bail later that day and was released, according to sheriff’s booking records.

Los Angeles Daily News

7 Arrested In Los Angeles County Prostitution Bust

Seven people were arrested during a prostitution bust in Pomona on Wednesday. The sting operation targeted sex purchasers and human trafficking in the area near East Holt Avenue and Indian Hill Boulevard, according to Pomona Police Department. During the operation, undercover officers posed as sex workers and were “contacted by sex purchasers” in the area, police said. Six people were taken into custody for the alleged solicitation of prostitution: Gregory Lewis Stires, 78, from Ontario, Huriel Ivan Hernandez, 39, from Abbeville, South Carolina, Richard Delgado, 53, from Apple Valley, Manuel Alejandro Rodriguez, 34, from Pomona, Jaime Sanchez, 59, from Ontario, and Manuel Jesus Zapata-Lopez, 65, from Rialto. The seventh suspect, Bill John Adams, 73, from Covina, was arrested on charges of lewd acts in public, according to arrest documents. The operation was a joint effort by the Pomona Police Department Special Investigations Unit and the Sexual Exploitation and Trafficking Team.

KTLA 5

Violent Robberies In San Francisco’s Noe Valley Appear To Target Women With Smartphones

Attacks involving masked assailants reportedly assaulting and robbing several mothers and child caretakers in San Francisco’s Noe Valley this week have heightened neighborhood safety concerns and left many residents on edge. City officials on Wednesday were scrambling to understand whether the incidents were connected. Multiple women interviewed by The Chronicle said the robberies targeted women with smartphones.  The reported incidents were not limited to Noe Valley, said Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, who represents the neighborhood. Neither Mandelman nor the San Francisco Police Department could provide the number of attacks that have occurred.  “We have heard of a person with a stroller, a pregnant woman — it seems like something is going on,” Mandelman said Wednesday afternoon. “They may not all be connected, but (police) are trying to figure out what is happening.” Police on Wednesday confirmed they had arrested a juvenile male suspected in one Noe Valley attack. He was transported to the Juvenile Justice Center and booked on suspicion of robbery, but SFPD spokespeople would not say whether he was suspected in any other robberies. 

San Francisco Chronicle

BWC Video: Lone Officer Runs Toward Gunfire, Stops Mass Shooter At Texas Outlet Mall

Allen police released body-camera video showing the moment a lone officer ran toward rapid gunfire and stopped the deadly rampage. The officer was already at the mall on another call and stopped the gunman less than four minutes after the attack began, the video shows. The shooter, Mauricio Garcia, killed eight people and wounded seven. The video was edited by police to blur out the faces of civilians and victims, and some vulgar language has been removed, the Allen Police Department said in a news release. Police cautioned that some people may find the video disturbing and recommended discretion when viewing. As is standard procedure, authorities presented evidence of the officer’s use of force to a Collin County grand jury. On Tuesday, grand jurors returned a “no bill,” confirming that the officer was justified in shooting Garcia. The officer has not been publicly identified.

Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Watch: BWC Video Shows Michigan Officers Rescue Toddler From Attempted Drowning By Mother

An Albion woman has been charged in connection with the stabbing of two of her children and attempt to drown another last weekend. Jessica Edward-Ricks, 35, was arraigned Tuesday through 10th District Court on assault with intent to murder, first-degree child abuse and second-degree child abuse, records show. Bond was set at $500,000. The charges stem from an incident reported Saturday at a home on Bluestem Court. The Albion Department of Public Safety and Calhoun County Sheriff's Office responded around 10:30 a.m. after "a 911 call with children screaming and asking for help," authorities said in a statement. When officers entered the house, they heard commotion from behind a locked bathroom door. Body-worn camera video shows officers kicking the door open. When they went into the bathroom, officers found Edward-Ricks holding her daughter under the water in the bathtub, according to the release. The officer grabbed the child, took her into the living room and started performing CPR. "After giving a few quick breaths, the child coughed up water and began breathing on her own," officials said. Authorities said the girl had two stab wounds to the chest and throat, and her 4-year-old brother had cuts, according to the release.

Detroit News

Iowa Police Department Receives Grant For New K-9 Officer

Thanks to a new milestone grant, the Cedar Rapids Police Department now has four more paws on the force. Ranger, a new bloodhound purchased to help the police with tracking, joins the department thanks to the 500th grant awarded by AKC Reunite. Ranger, whose handler is Sgt. Nathan Trimble, is the eighth member of the department's K-9 unit, but the first bloodhound. While other dogs are trained to apprehend suspects, detect narcotics or find explosives, Ranger's specialized training from Bluegrass Bloodhounds in Kentucky will focus solely on tracking — rounding out the unit's capabilities to complement public safety needs. "The Cedar Rapids Police Department Canine Unit is incredibly appreciate of the AKC Reunite program's financial assistance to bring Ranger to our department," said Trimble. "He's developing into an outstanding asset." AKC Reunite, a nonprofit affiliate of the American Kennel Club (AKC), serves as the largest pet microchip identification and recovery service provider in the country. Its Adopt a K-9 program, started 10 years ago, has awarded $3.7 million in donations to police departments in 40 states. This year, 58 grants remain for disbursement. The matching grant program allows AKC Reunite to match funds three-to-one from American Kennel Club chapters, AKC-affiliated organizations and the public, up to $7,500 per grant. Funds are raised by contributions from AKC dog clubs and community members.

The Gazette, Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Padilla Wins City Council CD6 Special Election

Community relations manager Imelda Padilla will join the Los Angeles City Council in August following its recess after winning the special election to fill the Sixth District seat vacated by Nury Martinez's resignation. Padilla defeated City Council aide Marisa Alcaraz 56.74%-43.26%, 6,684- 5,096, according to semifinal official returns released Tuesday night by the Los Angeles Country Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk. Turnout was 10.04%. "As someone who has been a community organizer and coalition builder in the Valley for 20 years, I am ready to be the community's champion in L.A. City Council to ensure that we get our fair share of resources to thrive," Padilla told City News Service in an email. During the campaign, Padilla pledged to prioritize "an immediate solution to the unhoused crisis because what is currently occurring is not working." "I will propose an emergency remediation of encampments, connecting the unhoused population to essential services that will support them in finding housing, employment, and health services," Padilla said on her campaign's website.

Westside Current

Councilwoman Traci Park Seeks Funding For RV Rehousing Pilot Program In CD11

Los Angeles City Councilwoman Traci Park introduced a motion Wednesday aimed at addressing issues with people living in recreational vehicles within her 11th District. The motion calls for an investment of $500,000 toward an RV Rehousing Pilot Program that would provide support services and pathways to provide RV dwellers with permanent housing. “Crisis demands action,” Park said in a statement. “Our community is grappling with an alarming increase in individuals living in RVs and the RV Rehousing Pilot Program is not just about responding to a crisis, but also about safeguarding public health, environmental wellness, and community safety.” She added that “we are responsible for ensuring that everyone, including our most vulnerable populations, has access to safe and securing housing.” The RV Rehousing Pilot Program would offer motel vouchers, interim housing, housing navigation services, RV-specific services, supportive services and permanent supportive housing options to Angelenos living in RVs.

MyNewsLA

LA City Council To Study Reducing Vendor Fees

The Los Angeles City Council Wednesday approved initiating a study to determine if the cost of vending permits can be reduced, and the possibility of financial assistance to help street vendors obtain permits. By a 12-0 vote, with Monica Rodriguez and Curren Price absent, the council instructed staff to conduct the fee study, and to take into account the average income of street vendors. “We know, all of us, that these vendors are integral to our local economy,” said Councilwoman Nithya Raman said, who introduced the motion. “We need to make sure that vendors are not responsible for paying costs that they’re simply unable to pay and that we’re not pushing them into an informal market because we’re simply not setting up a system that’s possible for them to take on.” In addition, the Bureau of Street Services will report in 60 days on the feasibility of creating financial assistance programs to help street vendors obtain their vending permits and carts. City staff will also examine ways to possibly create a payment installment plan for sidewalk vending permits.

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.