Video: LAPD Officers Ambushed By Man While On Patrol

Body camera video released Tuesday by the Los Angeles Police Department shows the moment a man randomly walked up to a cruiser that officers were sitting in and started shooting. The shooting took place on Aug. 6 in the Pico-Union area. According to police, officers were patrolling the area when they saw a man, later identified as 29-year-old Jose Delgado-Pinto, standing across the road pointing a handgun at them. As the officers stopped their cruiser, the suspect walked toward the cruiser and fired at them. This resulted in officers returning fire. Delgado-Pinto then ran off and threw his handgun, which was recovered at the scene and determined to be a ghost gun. Responding patrol units were able to locate Delgado-Pinto, who then attempted to fight the arresting officer, resulting in the deployment of a TASER. Delgado-Pinto fell to the ground and was then taken into custody. Delgado-Pinto was struck by gunfire during the incident and taken to a nearby hospital, where he was treated and later booked for attempted murder. Police said the investigation determined the cruiser was struck by gunfire, but no officers were injured. 

PoliceOne

Couple Killed By Gunfire While Sitting In Their Car, Baby In Car Seat Is Wounded

A 1-year-old boy was hospitalized after a shooting Monday night in Harbor City that left both of his parents dead, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. The shooting occurred around 6:30 p.m. in the 1000 block of West 253rd Street. The couple, identified as Ashley Guzman, 18, and Carlos Loera, 21, were found inside the Infiniti sedan where they had been shot, police said. Loera was pronounced dead at the scene, and Guzman was pronounced dead after being taken to a hospital. The couple’s toddler son, who had been secured in a child safety seat in the back of the car, was also hit by gunfire. He was taken to a hospital for treatment, police said, and has since been released to family members. Investigators believe the victims were sitting in the car when they were approached by one or more assailants, who fired at them before fleeing the scene. There were at least five bullet holes in the driver’s-side window of the Infiniti as police collected evidence Monday, video from the scene showed. A Nike Air Max shoe sat next to the car by an evidence marker. No arrests have been made in the case, and the investigation remains ongoing. Anyone who has information about the shooting can call investigators at (323) 786-5100 or (323) 786-5500.

Los Angeles Times

Man Wounded In Shooting In South Los Angeles

A 35-year-old man is in the hospital Wednesday after he was shot in South Los Angeles. Officers from the Newton Division of the Los Angeles Police Department received a shots fired call at 12:51 a.m. and responded to 545 East Vernon Ave. and Avalon Boulevard. Upon their arrival, they found the victim suffering from a gunshot wound, an LAPD spokeswoman told City News Service. The victim was taken to a hospital in an unknown condition. Police said the victim was unable to give officers a description of the suspect.

MyNewsLA

Venice Father Demands Action After Woman Assaults 8-Year-Old Son

Patrick Costello is demanding a response from local officials after a woman punched his 8-year-old-son in the head while the pair were walking through Venice. Costello said there was no warning before the woman lunged at his son near 5th and Rose and he fears little will be done about the incident. “Now, I have lived in Venice for over 20 years and have seen all manner of outrageous incidents, but this is the most egregious,” he wrote in an email. “Even worse, this unhinged, dangerous person is out in the Venice Beach community right now (!), on a holiday weekend, surrounded by CHILDREN, families, locals, and tourists.” He said his son was walking with his bicycle at the time and was wearing a helmet but the incident was still scary. “My hope is my personal story could be helpful, even in a small way, to inform the public and drive policy,” he said. “Violence against children is among the worst offenses and should not be tolerated by any functioning society.”

Westside Current

Woman Fights Off Naked Man Who Broke Into Her Santa Monica Apartment, Police Say

A woman fought off a man she found next to her bed naked after he made his way into her apartment, the Santa Monica Police Department said on Monday. The woman called police at about 1 a.m. Saturday from her home in the 1500 block of 15th Street, where detectives as well as a department forensics unit were dispatched. The woman reported that she woke up to find the man nude, standing next to her bed. After a brief struggle, the woman was able to open the front door of her apartment and force the attacker out, the Santa Monica Police Department reported. Police released photos of the suspect, 29-year-old Cordell Dionte Studley, who was wanted on suspicion of residential burglary, false imprisonment and assault with intent to commit rape. They said Studley was observed at the same apartment complex twice the previous day. The department later said Studley was taken into custody, but did not say where or when he was arrested. Police urged anyone with information about the suspect or the alleged crime to call them at 310-458-8420 or 310-458-8427. Tipsters who prefer to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477.

NBC 4

Young Mother Killed In Horrific Compton Area Crash Involving Fire Engine

A family is mourning the loss of a young mother who was killed in what authorities initially suspected was a street racing crash after a PT Cruiser slammed into a fire engine in the Compton area. However, family members of 26-year-old Asia Allen-Bookman are looking to set the record straight and say Asia and her boyfriend were not involved with street racing. They allege the couple was being chased at the time of the collision. Loved ones say Allen-Booker was the mother of a three-year-old girl. Around 12:30 a.m. Tuesday, officials with the California Highway Patrol said a crash was reported at the intersection of Avalon and East Compton boulevards in the West Rancho Dominguez neighborhood. CHP investigators said two cars, including a blue PT Cruiser, were traveling at high speeds going westbound on Compton Blvd. while the fire truck was traveling northbound on Avalon Blvd.

FOX 11

Authorities Searching For 36-Year-Old Man Last Seen Near Compton

Authorities with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department are asking for the public’s help in locating a 36-year-old man missing out of Rancho Dominguez. Deandre Demetrius Marry, who frequents the areas of Carson and Compton, was last seen on the 19000 block of South Laurel Park Road, near Alameda Street, in Rancho Dominguez at around 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, LASD’s missing person bulletin stated. The 36-year-old is described as a Black male, standing 5 feet 9 inches tall, weighing around 150 pounds, with black braids, brown eyes and a full beard. He has a tattoo of the grim reaper on his right shoulder, authorities said. He was last seen wearing a black hoodie, black pants, black boots and was carrying a black bag. “Mr. Marry suffers from a mental health disorder. His loved ones are concerned for his well-being and asking for your help,” the bulletin says.  

KTLA 5

DA: Off-Duty NYPD Cop Was Attacked After ID'ing Himself As Officer During Road Rage Incident

An off-duty NYPD officer who clashed with two brothers during a caught-on-camera road rage incident in Queens accidentally shot himself during the struggle, according to court papers. During the middle-of-the-street scuffle for his gun with one of the brothers, Officer Christopher Campos, 27, fired a shot that wounded himself in the leg and struck one of his assailants, Edwin Rivera, 32, in the hand. According to a criminal complaint, the wounded suspect’s brother, Shawn Rivera, 27, was on the ground choking Campos before the outnumbered officer fired the shot. All three combatants were hospitalized with various injuries. Campos was released Friday from Elmhurst Hospital. The brothers were charged at their arraignment Friday with first-degree assault, assault on a police officer, strangulation and criminal possession of a weapon. Both men were jailed pending court hearings on Tuesday, records show. “We will not allow our streets to devolve into the Wild West.” said Queens DA Melinda Katz. “The rule of law and the officers who enforce it must be respected. “After clearly identifying himself as a police officer, this off-duty cop was attacked while trying to make an arrest, and the charges reflect the seriousness of the assault against him,” Katz said.

New York Daily News

New COVID Variant BA.2.86 — Nicknamed ‘Pirola’ — Is Here. What Do We Know So Far?

Scientists are racing to understand a new COVID-19 strain dubbed BA.2.86 and assess its potential for fueling a fresh autumn surge of cases.  The lineage, informally called “Pirola” on social media, has garnered attention due to its substantial genetic deviations from other omicron subvariants that have been the prevailing strains of COVID-19 for the past two years. In a risk assessment issued last week, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention noted that the new variant may be better able to cause breakthrough infections than previous strains of the virus.  “BA.2.86 may be more capable of causing infection in people who have previously had COVID-19 or who have received COVID-19 vaccines,” the report said. It’s a concerning prospect as all key disease indicators in the United States show an upward trajectory. In the month ending on Aug. 18, COVID-related hospitalizations rose by 87%, translating to over 2,152 daily admissions, according to the CDC’s latest data. Simultaneously, COVID-19 fatalities increased by 70% compared with the previous month.

San Francisco Chronicle

Smoke From Wildfires May Increase Risk Of Dementia, Study Finds

While the risk of wildfires causing devastation to communities and the environment is well known, new research is showing that the smoke from massive vegetation fires may also have serious effects on the brain. A study from the University of Michigan published last month found that wildfires, as well as emissions from farming, may pose especially toxic threats to a person’s cognitive health, even increasing their risk of developing dementia. The study from Michigan’s School of Public Health found a “strong likelihood” that agriculture and wildfires may be doing more damage than previously thought and will need to be closely monitored and studied for their risks to public health. “We saw in our research that all airborne particles increased the risk of dementia but those generated by agricultural settings and wildfires seemed to be especially toxic for the brain,” said Sara Adar, associate chair of the Department of Epidemiology in the School of Public Health. Adar is leading multiple studies on the impacts of exposures on cognitive aging and dementia.

KTLA 5

LA City Council Approves Measures To Track Gun Violence Restraining Orders

The Los Angeles City Council Tuesday approved recommendations intended to promote and track the filing of gun violence restraining orders against people who pose a danger to themselves or others. The council voted 14-0 to support recommendations in a report from the Los Angeles Police Department, with Councilwoman Heather Hutt absent for the vote. LAPD Detective Marie Sadanaga, a gun violence restraining order coordinator, filed the report, which recommends the creation of a database that can be used by the LAPD and the City Attorney's Office to track gun violence emergency protective orders and temporary firearms restraining orders. It also recommends partnering with the L.A. County Office of Violence Prevention to increase awareness in the community about GVROs. According to the report, the database will serve to ensure proper follow-up on mandated hearings, within a 21-day time frame, to consider a long- term GVRO that would limit an individual from accessing firearms for up to five years.

Westside Current

About the LAPPL: Formed in 1923, the Los Angeles Police Protective League (LAPPL) represents more than 8,900 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.