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.

Boyle Heights Murder Under Investigation

A homicide investigation was underway in Boyle Heights after a passerby discovered a body Wednesday morning. The passerby noticed a body on a sidewalk near the intersection of Sixth Street and Euclid Avenue around 6 a.m. and contacted authorities. Los Angeles City firefighters found the victim suffering from apparent gunshot wounds and bullets on the ground. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene. The investigation is active and no further information was immediately available. 

FOX 11

Beyoncé's Mom, Tina Knowles', LA Home Burglarized, Safe With $1M+ In Jewelry, Cash Stolen: Report

Tina Knowles-Lawson, the mother of Beyoncé and Solange Knowles, became the latest celebrity to have their Los Angeles area home burglarized, according to a report. Law enforcement told TMZ that the theft was discovered Wednesday, July 5 at Knowles-Lawson's Hollywood Hills home. During the burglary, the thieves reportedly made off with a safe containing over $1 million worth of cash, jewelry and other valuables. The entertainment news outlet said Knowles-Lawson was out of town when the robbery occurred. Someone stopping by the home was apparently the one who discovered the crime scene. Officials with the Los Angeles Police Department confirmed with FOX 11 a burglary was reported at the Hollywood Hills home, but did not confirm the name of the victim. It's unknown how the suspects were able to gain access into the home. The burglary investigation is ongoing anyone with information is asked to contact the LAPD. 

FOX 11

LAPD Seeks To Improve, Add Staff On Unarmed Response

The Los Angeles Police Department’s various unarmed response programs are able to handle just one-third of the mental-health calls the LAPD receives, and the department needs additional staffing to improve in that area, according to a report heard Tuesday at a meeting of the Police Commission. During the meeting, LAPD officials provided commissioners with an overview of the department’s unarmed response programs, which address an array of non-violent calls for service including mental- health crises, calls related to unhoused people, well-being checks, noise complaints and verbal disagreements. The report called for the city to hire more staff related to the department’s unarmed models. According to the report, the LAPD’s unarmed response teams handled 10,918 calls for service out of 31,923 mental health-related calls dispatched between January 2021 to July 31 2022. Between August 2022 and May 31 of this year, the LAPD’s unarmed response teams handled 5,173 calls for service out of 18,762 mental health related calls dispatched.

MyNewsLA

Carjacked Vehicle Smashes Into Illegal Downtown L.A. Marijuana Dispensary

A carjacked vehicle was used to smash into an illegal marijuana dispensary in downtown Los Angeles early Wednesday morning, and the suspects got away. Los Angeles police officers responded to a report of shots fired near Hooper Avenue and 15th Avenue in downtown L.A. at about 4 a.m. Wednesday. A black car was driven through a steel-roller front gate at an illegal marijuana dispensary near the intersection. Five to six suspects reportedly carjacked the driver at Washington Blvd. and Central Ave., about a half-mile away, and put the driver in the trunk of the vehicle, then drove to the dispensary and drove through the front of the building, possibly in reverse. The victim was reportedly released at the scene of the break-in.

CBS 2

LAPD Seeks Help Finding Missing 77-Year-Old Woman

The Los Angeles Police Department is asking for the public’s help finding a missing 77-year-old woman last seen in Lake Balboa over the weekend. Elaine “Judy” Gordon was last seen leaving her assisted living facility in the 17300 block of Roscoe Boulevard on foot around 11 a.m. Saturday. “She has not been seen since and her family is concerned for her safety,” LAPD said in a news release. Gordon is described as having white and brown hair, green eyes and has a tattoo of a red heart on her right arm. She is 5 feet tall and weighs about 125 pounds. She was last seen wearing a green jacket, a multi-colored flower dress and gray Vans and uses a walker to get around, police said. Anyone who has information about Gordon’s whereabouts is asked to call the LAPD’s missing persons unit at 213-996-1800. During non-business hours or on weekends, calls should be directed to 1-877-LAPD-24-7.

KTLA 5

Suspect Poses As Customer Before Pulling Out Gun On Cashier In Chatsworth Sandwich Shop Robbery

The owner of a popular sandwich shop in Chatsworth fears for the safety of her employees after a robber posed as a customer before pulling out a gun on a cashier. The robbery, which was all caught on video, happened Wednesday at Capriotti's on De Soto Avenue. Surveillance video shows the suspect at the counter, placing an order. He then pulls out a gun and then asks the employee to open the register. The frightened employee apparently didn't have a key so the suspect yells at another employee. "Will you please open the register?" he asks. "Put the money in the bag and nobody will get hurt." The suspect ended up getting away with about $500. 

ABC 7

Police Seek Help Identifying Pair Of Suspects Who Robbed 80-Year-Old Woman Outside Culver City Bank

Police are hoping to identify a pair of suspects who allegedly assaulted an 80-year-old woman before robbing her outside of a Culver City bank on Monday. According to Culver City Police Department, the attack happened at around 10:30 a.m. in the parking lot of First Citizens Bank, which is located in the 10700 block of Jefferson Boulevard. Investigators learned that the victim was approached by a female suspect, who was attempting to distract her as she entered her vehicle. While the distraction was ongoing, a male suspect struck her in the face multiple times before taking her purse. Police say that the suspects made off with the woman's orange Michael Kors purse, a Motorola cellphone, multiple credit cards, $600 in cash, her driver's license and two pairs of prescription glasses that she uses for reading and driving. The suspects then fled in what police called a newer-model gray SUV.

CBS 2

Sun Valley Man Charged In Suspected Road Rage Killing In Lancaster

A Sun Valley man was charged Tuesday with murder in connection with a motorcyclist's death in a suspected road rage incident July 4th in Lancaster. Jesse Cupido, 29, is set to be arraigned Wednesday at the Antelope Valley Courthouse in Lancaster on one count each of murder and possession of a firearm by a felon, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office. Co-defendant Isabel Cortez, 25, also of Sun Valley, is charged with one count of being an accessory after the fact, according to the District Attorney's Office. California Highway Patrol officers initially responded to what was reported as a traffic collision and discovered Henry Gonzalez had been shot on the northbound Antelope Valley (14) Freeway at the Avenue L off-ramp. Gonzalez, 37, was pronounced dead at the scene. The Los Angeles Department of Medical Examiner had no city of residency for Gonzalez.

FOX 11

Man Convicted In Pursuit, Wild Shootout That Wounded 3 Georgia Officers

An Alabama man was found guilty of murder in connection with a 2021 pursuit and shocking gunbattle that injured three Georgia officers, one of whom spent three months in the hospital after being shot in the head, prosecutors said. While 25-year-old Aaron JuJuan Shelton didn’t fire any shots, a Carroll County jury found he was the driver and participated in the crimes with his cousin Pier Shelton, who fired an AK-47-style rifle at law enforcement several times. Pier Shelton was eventually killed during the rampage that shook three separate agencies to the core and horrified both families and local communities. Aaron Shelton was convicted of multiple crimes, including felony murder, aggravated assault, aggravated battery on law enforcement officers, felony fleeing and attempting to elude, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon after the jury rejected his claims that his cousin coerced him. He is scheduled to be sentenced Thursday. 

Atlanta Journal Constitution

Wisconsin Officer Walks Away From Crash After Cruiser Rolls Over, Catches Fire

A Caledonia police officer collided with a white SUV causing the squad car to roll over and catch fire on Saturday afternoon. No one was seriously injured. The officer was traveling northbound on Douglas Avenue in a marked squad car trying to catch up with a vehicle that allegedly was traveling 90 mph in a 45 mph zone. The police officer's siren and emergency lights were turned on, according to a press release from the Caledonia Police Department. A white SUV, also travelling northbound on Douglas Avenue, tried to turn left onto Harvest Lane but was in the path of the squad car. The white SUV was driven by a woman and had a male passenger. The squad car and the white SUV crashed and the squad car was pushed off the road and rolled onto its roof. A fire started in the engine compartment. Bystanders helped free the officer from the car before the fire reached the passenger side of the car and later engulfed the entire vehicle in flames.

The Journal Times

Watch: Dallas Police Rescue Woman From Vehicle In Lake

The Dallas Police Department released body-camera footage in a news release on Tuesday of a rescue in Bachman Lake. At about 3:10 a.m. Wednesday July 5, police responded to a call for service in the 2900 block of Shorecrest Drive at Bachman Lake. When officers arrived at the scene, they saw a vehicle in the lake. Dallas Police Sergeants Paul Kessenich and Matt Carlson jumped into the water and swam the victim to safety and onto the dock, according to the news release. Officers then performed CPR. Body-worn camera video shows the woman coughing up water and asking officers for her name. The woman was taken to a hospital where she recovered. 

Fort Worth Star-Telegram

At Least One Person Is Dead After SUV Fell Over A Cliff In Rancho Palos Verdes

Los Angeles County Fire crews are on the scene in Rancho Palos Verdes where an SUV fell over a cliff, at least one person is dead. According to LAFCD, they are searching for other people that may have been in the car. The incident was reported around 2:40 p.m. near at 25 Via del Cielo.

NBC 4

Firefighters Knock Down Brush Fire In Sepulveda Basin

Fire crews extinguished a brush fire Tuesday in the Sepulveda Basin area that burned approximately three acres of vegetation. The Los Angeles Fire Department responded to the 5600 block of North Woodley Avenue near Burbank Boulevard at around 5:15 p.m., according to Brain Humphrey of the LAFD. Amid hot weather and a steady 7-mph wind from the south, fire crews assisted by park rangers battled flames at ground level and by air to stop the fire from extending into the brush on the west side of Woodley Avenue, Humphrey said. There were no reported injuries or threats to nearby structures. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

MyNewsLA

Multiple Fires Erupt As Heat Wave Descends On Southern California

Several wildfires ignited across Southern California on Tuesday — including one that torched several buildings in Riverside County — highlighting the dangerous conditions the region faces during this week’s heat wave. The Rider fire was first reported at 12:43 p.m. on Seaton Avenue in Mead Valley, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection/Riverside County Fire Department. Crews were able to get the upper hand by 2 p.m., stopping the fire’s forward progress, but not before several outbuildings and vehicles had been destroyed. As of 4:30 p.m., the fire had burned 32 acres and was 60% contained. Larger was the Springs fire, which has scorched 60 acres in the unincorporated area of Moreno Valley since it was reported at 4:46 p.m., officials said. That fire was 70% contained as of Tuesday evening. Another blaze broke out in the city of Orange around 12:15 p.m. and threatened some homes before firefighters made an “aggressive stop.” Yet another, dubbed the Snake fire, has burned roughly 30 acres near Lindell Road and Snake Road in Lake Elsinore.

Los Angeles Times

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.