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Father Of Three Killed In Wilmington Hit-and-Run, Police Searching For Suspect

Authorities are searching for an alleged hit-and-run driver who fatally struck a man in Wilmington, and a $50,000 reward is being offered for information. It happened just after 9 p.m. Monday night in the area near 700 N. Fries Avenue. According to authorities, the 36-year-old man was allegedly setting off fireworks in the street when he was hit by an SUV. Family of the victim identified him as Juan Areyan, a father of three. "That was my best friend getting hit. I was looking for him all I could do was search for him," said friend Richard Smith. "I didn't see anything, I just saw his shoe. And 120 feet later past the driveway of Food4Less I saw him laying under a car and I already knew he was gone." Smith told FOX 11 that he and Areyan had just set off fireworks in the street, and that Areyan was walking back to the house when he was hit. Surveillance footage from the area showed a white SUV speeding down the road, and off screen, the collision with Areyan could be heard. Officials said Areyan was dragged a distance then hit by a second car, officials said. That second driver stopped and called police. 

FOX 11

Child Struck By Stray Bullet While Watching Fireworks In South L.A.

A 6-year-old boy was struck by what appeared to be a stray bullet while watching 4th of July fireworks in the Central-Alameda neighborhood of Los Angeles Tuesday night, leaving him in critical condition. The incident occurred around 9 p.m. as the boy was standing outside his apartment building in the 700 block of East 40th Place, a Los Angeles Police Department spokesperson confirmed. The boy’s parents noticed he had been struck by something falling from the sky but didn’t know what it was. They tried taking the child to the hospital but ended up flagging down officers in the area of East Jefferson Boulevard and San Pedro Street. Paramedics took the child to the hospital but he was not conscious and not breathing, police said. Medical personnel confirmed the child had been struck in the upper body. Investigators have not determined for sure if it was a stray bullet that struck the child or if someone may have shot him intentionally, but he is in critical condition as of Wednesday morning.

KTLA 5

Three Wounded In Shooting In Del Rey Area Near Venice

A shooting in the Del Rey community northeast of Venice Tuesday left three men wounded, one man in custody and authorities seeking a suspect who fled the scene on foot. The shooting occurred around 3 a.m. Tuesday in the 11700 block of Allin Street, a couple blocks west of the San Diego (405) Freeway, the Los Angeles Police Department reported. Police said two men were arguing when one of them pulled out a handgun and wounded the other man. A man seated in a vehicle fired at the gunman and another person not associated with the initial argument, said Officer Drake Madison of the LAPD's Media Relations Division. Paramedics rushed the initial gunman to a hospital, where he was listed in stable condition, Madison said. "Officers were notified that victim one and victim two were transported by a private vehicle and the (Los Angeles Fire Department) to a local hospital in stable condition," he said. The first suspect was taken into custody and hospitalized, where he was uncooperative with police, authorities said. The second suspect fled the scene on foot and his vehicle was impounded, Madison said.

Westside Current

Man Wounded By Shotgun Blast In South LA Car-to-Car Shooting

A man was wounded by an apparent shotgun blast during a car-to-car shooting in South Los Angeles Tuesday morning. According to Los Angeles Police Department, the shooting occurred at around 3 a.m. in the area near South Figueroa Street and West Boulevard. While the circumstances leading up to the incident remain unclear, a 53-year-old man was hospitalized in stable condition after he was hit by gunfire from a shotgun. There was no information provided on a suspect or vehicle in the incident. Police did not provide further info. 

CBS 2

Dog Shot During Westchester Home Invasion

A robber shot a homeowner's dog in the head and snatched the victim's wallet during a home invasion Tuesday morning in Westchester, authorities said. The crime was reported around 1:25 a.m. Tuesday in the 7000 block of Alvern Street, near Centinela Avenue and the San Diego (405) Freeway, the Los Angeles Police Department reported. An armed suspect wearing a black-hooded sweatshirt fled the scene on foot, said Officer Drake Madison of the LAPD's Media Relations Division. Madison did not know whether the dog died, and no further information was immediately available. Anyone with information regarding the crime was urged to call 877-527-3247. Tipsters who choose to remain anonymous can contact Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477.

FOX 11

LAPD Searching For Reported Gunman In Griffith Park

Los Angeles police sought a reported gunman in Griffith Park Tuesday. Police set up a perimeter around Los Feliz Boulevard and the southbound Golden State (5) Freeway, LAPD Officer Tony Im Told City News Service. The report about the gunman came in from a member of the public at 2:45 p.m., Im said. He was described a white male with a black bandana, black shirt and black pants. The LAPD also brought in K-9 units to aid in the search. It was not immediately clear where in the park the gunman was believed to be, nor was it clear if shots were fired.

MyNewsLA

CHP Distributes Over $19M To Fight Impaired Driving

The California Highway Patrol (CHP) announced more than $19 million in grant funding to 71 California law enforcement agencies, crime laboratories, and nonprofit organizations to help address the dangers of driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs. According to a highway patrol press release, the grants are the result of Proposition 64, the Control, Regulate and Tax Adult Use of Marijuana Act, which tasked the CHP with administering grants for education, prevention, and enforcement programs to help communities combat impaired driving. Money is also available to crime laboratories conducting forensic toxicology testing. Funding for the grants comes from a tax on the cultivation and sale of cannabis and cannabis products sold in California. "Communities throughout California will benefit greatly from the disbursement of these grant funds intended to help make California's roadways safer for all who use them," stated CHP Commissioner Sean Duryee. "The money will be used to help enhance traffic safety by educating the public on the dangers of impaired driving, removing impaired drivers from the roadway through enforcement operations, and advancing research on the issue."

PoliceOne

Indiana Officer Fatally Shot By Domestic Violence Suspect In Hospital

A man suspected of domestic violence fatally shot a police officer in a southern Indiana hospital early Monday and was then killed by other officers, authorities said. The confrontation occurred at Perry County Memorial Hospital in Tell City, across the Ohio River from Kentucky. Police were called when a victim of domestic violence told hospital staff that Sean Hubert was on his way. Tell City Sgt. Heather Glenn tried to subdue Hubert, 34, at the hospital with an electronic device and arrest him, but it was ineffective, Indiana State Police said. “During a brief struggle, Hubert produced a firearm and Sgt. Glenn was shot,” state police said. “Officers with the Tell City Police Department and Cannelton Police Department returned fire and shot Hubert.” The shooting occurred inside the hospital, near the emergency room, Sgt. John Davis told The Associated Press. “They did not know he was armed,” Davis said. Glenn had spent nearly 20 years with the Tell City Police Department and the Perry County Sheriff’s Office.

Associated Press

3 Dead, 8 Wounded After Shots Fired Into A Crowd Of Hundreds Following Texas Holiday Festival

Three people were killed and eight were wounded late Monday when gunmen fired into a crowd at a Como parking lot following the west Fort Worth neighborhood’s annual celebration on the eve of Fourth of July. The 10 adults and one juvenile who were shot were amid several hundred people gathered after ComoFest on Horne Street at Diaz Avenue about 11:45 p.m., authorities said. None of the injured people are suspects in the shooting, police said. Although they were pursuing leads, homicide detectives had not determined the assailants’ names, a Fort Worth police spokesperson said. People who said they saw the shooting did not know whether the rounds were fired by people who live in Como. Police and Mayor Mattie Parker said the shooting was not related to the earlier festival. “I choose to believe this is a few bad perpetrators that came into this neighborhood to really wreak havoc,” Parker said Tuesday morning at the end of the neighborhood’s Fourth of July parade, where streets were filled with balloons and children running to catch bags of candy tossed from floats.

Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Video: Man Seen On ‘America’s Most Wanted’ In Florida Jail After 39 Years On Run

Florida murder suspect Donald Santini has been on the run so long, he holds the distinction of being featured three times on the TV show “America’s Most Wanted” (1990, 2005 and 2013). His 39-year run from justice came to a quiet end at 3:03 a.m. on Wednesday, June 28, when deputies led him in handcuffs into a Hillsborough County jail in Tampa. At age 65, Santini has spent more than half his life on the run in connection with the 1984 killing of Cynthia Wood, who was in the midst of a divorce when she was choked to death, officials said. “The arrest of Donald Santini brings closure to a long-standing cold case and provides justice for the victim and her family after nearly four decades of waiting,” Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister said in a news release. Santini is charged with first-degree murder, officials said. He was caught in early June in Campo, California, where Santini served as president of a water board and was considered “a pillar of the community,” station WKGT reported. Campo is in San Diego County. Santini was living in Hillsborough County when Cynthia Wood, then 33, was found “strangled and left in a canal,” the sheriff’s office said.

The Charlotte Observer

Illegal Fourth Of July Fireworks Spark Blazes, Cause Injuries Across LA County

Firefighters across Los Angeles County faced an increased number of calls following Fourth of July celebrations as illegal fireworks sparked brush fires, set trees and cars on fire, and injured people. The Los Angeles Fire Department said by 11 p.m. Tuesday, dispatchers received more than 2,000 calls compared with around 1,700 calls on an average weekday. In Van Nuys, fire crews were sent to the 7500 block of Haskell Avenue for a tree that was set on fire. They rushed to put out the flames coming from one tree, right next to an apartment building. “That tree started burning down. That was crazy,” a witness described the moment the fire started. “They were throwing fireworks at each other, so it wasn’t like an accident.” Video from the scene shows some 1,000 pieces of used fireworks scattered in the middle of the street. Another fireworks-related incident led to a small brush fire in South LA. Images from the area of Imperial Highway and S. Broadway Street show a large group of young people running around and randomly throwing illegally fireworks on the street. One of the sparks from the pyrotechnics ended up flying into dry vegetation in the corner.

NBC 4

California Hospitals Seeing Fewer COVID Patients

The number of COVID-positive patients in California hospitals continues to decline, dropping to 752, a decrease of 29 over the previous day, according to the latest state figures. Of those patients, 89 were being treated in intensive care. That data is through June 24, according to the California Department of Public Health. Meanwhile, Los Angeles County officials reported 1,794 new cases of COVID-19 and 28 additional deaths associated with the coronavirus in their latest weekly update on Thursday. Those numbers are for the week ending June 26, and bring the county’s cumulative totals to 3,755,601 infections and 36,510 COVID-related deaths since the pandemic began in early 2020, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. The health department had reported 1,817 infections and 25 COVID-related deaths for the previous week, ending June 19. A majority of people who die with COVID-19 are elderly or have an underlying health condition such as diabetes, heart disease or hypertension, health officials have said.

MyNewsLA

The U.S. Wildfire Season Has Been Eerily Quiet. That Could Soon Change.

After a very slow start, fire season may be heating up in the United States. Meteorologists are warning of a potential jump in fire activity as heat waves combine with increased ignitions during the July Fourth holiday. While Canada’s record-shattering fire season continues to pour smoke across borders, there has been little contribution from blazes in the Lower 48. About 675,000 acres have burned so far nationwide — the lowest number at this point in the season in the past 10 years. Wet and cool weather has kept fire danger unusually low out West. Massive forest fires, which spew the most smoke, are less likely this summer thanks to all of the snow last winter. Still, hot and windy weather in late June led to a marked increase in fire activity in Colorado and the Southwest, including Texas, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. Despite improved drought conditions out West, dense vegetation growth is still set to fuel wildfires this year, especially at lower elevations. That happens to be where most people live, and human-caused ignitions usually spike on the Fourth of July.

Washington Post

Council To Consider Naming Padilla Temporary Member While Voting Is Certified

The Los Angeles City Council will decide Wednesday whether to appoint Imelda Padilla — who has a 1,700-vote lead in the special election to represent the Sixth District — as a temporary voting member of the council while final election results are still being certified. Last week, Padilla, a community relations manager, declared victory in the race to fill the remainder of Nury Martinez’s term, which ends in December 2024. Padilla’s opponent, council aide Marisa Alcaraz, conceded Friday. “As we wait for the final results of this election to be certified, I feel incredibly encouraged by the semifinal official returns released (last) Tuesday night, and I am ready to serve as the next councilwoman for the communities of CD 6,” Padilla said in a statement. In the latest ballot results, Padilla leads with 8,520 votes to Alcaraz’s 6,751 — a 55.79% to 44.21% margin. Voter turnout based on semi-official results was 13.02%, according to the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk. The county clerk’s office is slated to certify and declare the winner of the election on Friday.

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.