Shooting Near Crime-Prevention Event In Wilmington Leaves Man Dead, LAPD Says

A man was shot and killed Thursday evening near a "Summer Night Lights" event in Wilmington that was intended to prevent violence, Los Angeles police said. The shooting was reported about 10 p.m. at Will Hall Park in the 300 block of Neptune Avenue, according to the LAPD. The name of the victim, a man in his 40s, was at the park with his family at the time of the incident, investigators said. His name was not immediately released. Authorities described him a someone who was known for giving back to his community. Two suspects were at large, a police spokesperson said. Descriptions of the suspects were not available. The motive for the shooting is under investigation. Summer Night Lights events are organized by the mayor's Office of Gang Reduction and Youth Development. They are described on the GRYD's website as creating "safe environments during the peak times for gang related violence. This is accomplished by providing free meals, extended programming and sports leagues, along with safe space for recreation, community engagement, employment opportunities, and linkages to local resources."

ABC 7

Man Accused In Series Of Brutal Attacks Across LA Makes First Court Appearance; Pleads Not Guilty

A 21-year-old man was charged Thursday with attacking eight women in the East Los Angeles and downtown Los Angeles areas within less than a week. Sergio Andrew Garcia pleaded not guilty to 13 counts, including three counts of assault by means likely to produce great bodily injury, two counts each of assault with intent to commit a felony and second-degree robbery and one count each of sexual penetration by use of force, sexual battery, battery, kidnapping for carjacking, elder or dependent adult abuse and grand theft of an automobile. Superior Court Judge Kimberley Baker Guillemet ordered Garcia -- who had been the subject of a manhunt since early July until his arrest late Tuesday night in Tijuana, Mexico -- to remain jailed without bail while awaiting his next court appearance Aug. 17. "The charges brought against this individual reflect a series of heinous acts perpetrated against innocent and defenseless women, some of whomwere elderly,'' District Attorney George Gascn said in a statement. Garcia was suspected in a series of attacks that began around 8:35 a.m. July 10, when he allegedly followed a woman on foot from the area of Olympic Boulevard and Albany Street in the Pico-Union district, the Los Angeles Police Department reported.

ABC 7

Armed Robbery Caught On Camera At Mid-City Restaurant; Police Arrest 2 Suspects

Los Angeles police announced the arrest of two suspects who were caught on camera during a violent robbery at a Mid-City restaurant on Sunday. The brazen incident happened back on July 23, at around 1 p.m., when the two suspects can be seen approaching a woman sitting at one of the tables in the restaurant, which is located in the 1800 block of S. La Brea Avenue. One of the suspects then attempts to grab the woman's necklace, but a group of friends she is sitting with intervene and begin to fight them off. As the struggle ensues, and other restaurant-goers begin to flee from the restaurant, the second suspect can be seen pulling an "assault rifle type of weapon" from his waistband, pointing it at the woman wearing the necklace and group she's with. Both the group of victims and both of the suspects had fled from the restaurant before LAPD officers arrived, but thanks to the surveillance footage from the restaurant and a preliminary investigation, they were able to identify both suspects. 

CBS 2

LAPD: Boy Critically Injured Riding Scooter Reunited With Parents

Authorities Friday said a 10-year-old boy who was injured while riding a scooter in the Koreatown area — who was the object of a plea for the public’s help to identify him — has been reunited with his parents. Paramedics were sent to Vermont Avenue and Seventh Street about 5 p.m. Thursday took the boy to a hospital in critical condition, the Los Angeles Police Department reported. The boy did not have identification in his possession, and police sought the public’s help to identify him so they could notify his parents or a legal guardian. On Friday morning, the LAPD reported that authorities had identified him. “The parents have been located and reunited with the juvenile,” police said in a statement. The boy’s name was withheld by police. Other details were not released. The driver of the vehicle remained at scene, and police said there appeared to be no criminal negligence involved.

MyNewsLA

FBI Raid Of Reseda Home Finds Possible Explosive Materials

Federal and local law enforcement agents found "items of concern" during a Reseda home raid Thursday morning. The Federal Bureau of Investigation said after serving a search warrant at a home near White Oak Avenue and Saticoy Streets, agents found possible explosive-making material. The agency reported that the area is closed to traffic as a precaution while bomb technicians and investigators decide if there is a threat or not. The Los Angeles Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration are assisting.

CBS 2

Authorities Seek Public Help Finding Missing 36-Year-Old Woman

Authorities sought public assistance Thursday in finding a missing 36-year-old woman with an unspecified mental health condition who was last contacted in March. According to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, Ashley Dalton was last contacted on March 6 around noon at an unspecified location. Deputies described her as a Black woman, 5 feet, 3 inches tall and 135 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes. She also has a noticeable scar between her eyes and was last seen wearing a white T-shirt, blue-and-green pants and blue shoes. Dalton has a tattoo of the word “JOSEPH III” on her neck, a tattoo of the word “MAURICE” on her left chest, a tattoo of the word “MONTY” on one of her upper arms, a tattoo of the word “JUDITH” on one of her shins and a tattoo of the word “ALBERT” also on one of her shins, according to the sheriff’s department. Anyone with information regarding Dalton’s whereabouts was urged to contact the LASD Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau Missing Persons Detail unit at 323-890-5500. Tipsters who prefer to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477.

MyNewsLA

SUV Driver Crashes Into Bus Stop In Compton, Kills Person Sleeping On Bench

The driver of an SUV ran into and killed a person sleeping on a bus bench in Compton Thursday morning, according to authorities. The driver was traveling east at about 2:30 a.m. on Rosecrans Avenue through Thorson Avenue before hitting a curb and veering off the road, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. The car then hit a fire hydrant and a bus stop bench, where an unhoused woman was sleeping, authorities said. The vehicle came to a stop after hitting a tree. The woman on the bench died from her injuries at the scene, according to the sheriff’s department. The passenger of the car was hospitalized. Sheriff’s officials did not identify the driver. KTLA reported that the male driver was detained. The crash is under investigation and the cause of the collision is unknown.

Los Angeles Times

Video: Rookie Louisville Officer Released From Hospital After Being Shot In The Head

The Louisville police officer who was critically injured more than three months ago while responding to the Old National Bank mass shooting was released from a rehabilitation facility Friday, officials at University of Louisville’s health care system announced. Officer Nickolas Wilt has been hospitalized since April 10 after he was shot in the head by Connor Sturgeon, an employee at the bank who shot several people with an AR-15 that morning. Wilt remained in critical condition for nearly a month and had a battle with pneumonia during his hospitalization. On May 10, Wilt was taken off all life-sustaining medical equipment and transferred to the Frazier Rehabilitation Institute, where he has been undergoing treatment ever since. Five people were killed during the shooting that injured Wilt, according to the Louisville Metro Police Department. Sturgeon also died after he was shot by police. Wilt was on his fourth shift as an LMPD officer when he was shot, police said previously. He and his training officer, Cory Galloway, were the first officers on scene after reports of the shooting came in. Wilt and Galloway were praised for their efforts and credited with saving lives. Officials are expected to give remarks about Wilt’s recovery Friday.

Lexington Herald-Leader

Connecticut Trooper, K-9 Partner Rescued After Tree Falls On Cruiser

State police said a trooper and his K-9 partner were rescued Thursday night after a tree fell on their cruiser. The agency said the trooper was on-duty near the Cedar Street Fastrack Station in Newington when his cruiser "was damaged by a falling tree." The incident prevented the car doors from being opened. State police said the trooper and his K-9 partner were not injured. They were extricated from the vehicle after firefighters with the Newington Volunteer Fire Department responded to the scene. State police said the trooper was assigned to Troop H in Hartford.

PoliceOne

Los Angeles General Asking For Public’s Help To Identify Man Hospitalized For Several Days

A Los Angeles hospital is asking for the public’s help to locate anyone who may know a man who has been hospitalized for several days and is unable to identify himself. The man has been receiving care at Los Angeles General Medical Center, previously Los Angeles County+USC Medical Center, for four days. He was found on 6th Street in Los Angeles, hospital officials said, although they did not specify if it was in East or West L.A. He’s described as a man in his 30s or 40s, standing 5 feet 8 inches, and weighing 180 pounds with a medium build. He has light brown wavy hair, a black and gray beard, and hazel eyes. The man has no identifiable features and no visible tattoos, officials added. Due to privacy laws, hospital officials cannot disclose his current medical condition or the severity of his injuries. Anyone with information about this patient is asked to contact Cesar Robles, a clinical social worker at Los Angeles General Medical Center Department of Social Work, at 323-409-4860 or 323-409-6884.

KTLA 5

Public Warned Of Toxic Algae Bloom At Los Angeles County Lake

A dangerous algae bloom at a lake near Castaic has led to the California Department of Water Resources urging people to avoid swimming or eating fish caught at the lake. Pyramid Lake in northwest Los Angeles County is currently under a “Danger Advisory” after blue-green algae was found to be present in the water. The lake’s Vaquero Swim Beach is closed and its Emigrant Landing Beach has an algal bloom advisory. Blue-green algae is toxic to humans and can cause eye irritation, rash, mouth ulcers, vomiting, diarrhea and flu-like symptoms. Pets are also considered to be at increased risk of getting sick from exposure, because they often drink water and lick their fur after getting wet. The CDWR urged people to avoid physical contact with the lake water, as well as avoid eating any fish or shellfish pulled from the lake. Boating is allowed, but winds and waves can move the bloom to different regions of the reservoir and algae can build up in mats and scum, as well as form foam at the surface along the shoreline. Officials say algae treatment will begin around Aug. 2, but it could take several weeks for the water to become safe for human contact.

KTLA 5

Summer Brings COVID-19 Uptick Amid Renewed Travel, Socializing. How Bad Will It Get?

Summer has brought an uptick in coronavirus transmission, but experts say it is still too early to tell whether the upswing represents a significant public health concern. The U.S. recorded a 10% increase in new COVID-19 hospital admissions for the week that ended July 15 compared with the previous seven-day period. Still, hospitalizations remain near a record low for the pandemic. Hospitalizations are rising fastest in the South, Great Plains and Rocky Mountain states. California, so far, has fared better. “There’s no doubt compared to our nadirs, or the stability that we’ve enjoyed, that there’s a slight increase in test positivity,” Dr. Mark Ghaly, secretary of the California Health and Human Services Agency, told The Times in an interview. “And the question is going to be: How sick do people really get, now that we’ve had a degree of immunity?” he said. The extent of the increase in transmission is difficult to quantify. Official case counts are now largely unreliable due to the proliferation of at-home testing and reduced data reporting. But other metrics point to an increase.

Los Angeles Times

Councilmember Park Clears 1000 ft Of RVs And Encampments At Ballona Wetlands

Councilmember Park's team released the following statement following the clean-up at Ballona today: "The large-scale RV encampment at our protected Ballona Wetlands has been symbolic of the city's historic failure to address either homelessness or protect this essential environmental resource. I am proud and relieved to have begun the process of restoring this essential asset that belongs to the entire community." "The ongoing ecological degradation, fires, violence, and crime at this location should have never been permitted in the first place. My only regret is that it took this long. I was elected last year with a commitment to address our homelessness crisis and that is exactly what my office had been doing. I want to thank Mayor Karen Bass, LAHSA, Friends of the Ballona Wetlands, and community activists and partners who have fought long and hard to help me deliver the results. We've only begun the process, and this will be ongoing for as long as it takes to return the Ballona Wetlands to our community in a far better condition than we found it." "Our team has been doing continuous outreach for many months with individuals at this location. We are pleased that some accepted services and disappointed that others declined and we will continue to work with them."

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.