Compton Man Found Guilty In Ambush-Style Shooting Of 2 LA County Sheriff's Deputies

A Compton man was found guilty Thursday of the ambush-style shooting of two Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies who were wounded while sitting in their patrol vehicle just over three years ago. Jurors deliberated a little over two days before finding Deonte Lee Murray, 39, guilty of 10 counts, including two counts of attempted murder of a peace officer for the Sept. 12, 2020, attack on Deputies Claudia Apolinar and Emmanuel Perez-Perez, which was caught on surveillance video outside a Compton transit center. The jury also convicted Murray of one count each of attempted murder, assault with a semiautomatic firearm, carjacking and robbery, along with four counts of possession of a firearm by a felon. Murray is facing a potential life prison term, according to Deputy District Attorney Stephen Lonseth. Sentencing is tentatively scheduled for Oct. 16 in a Compton courtroom. The prosecutor told the jury that Murray shot four people and tried to kill three of them, including the two sheriff's deputies whom he allegedly tried to ambush in what the prosecutor said was "no impulse." Lonseth noted that Murray allegedly said afterward that he couldn't believe that the deputies hadn't died.

ABC 7

Ex-Boyfriend Convicted Of Murdering Hollywood Hills Sex Therapist

A man was convicted Thursday of murdering a prominent Hollywood sex therapist by throwing her over a balcony in the Hollywood Hills in 2020. Gareth Pursehouse, 41, was found guilty by a jury of murdering his ex-girlfriend, Amie Harwick, 38, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. On Feb. 15, 2020, Harwick was found below a third-floor balcony at her Hollywood Hills home. Harwick had “expressed fear” about Pursehouse before the fatal attack, police said. She had applied for two orders of protection against him at the time. A longtime friend of the victim, Eric Breslow, told KTLA that Harwick had broken up with Pursehouse in 2012 and that he had become “obsessed” with her. Physical abuse was reportedly the reason behind the separation. “This was a constant thing that she talked about,” Breslow said. “That she was afraid of this particular guy and it was always something that kind of followed her. It scared her enough to tell friends that, ‘I think I should get some mace or pepper spray.’”

KTLA 5

Attempted Robbery Caught On Camera Aboard Metro Train

A jarring robbery attempt was caught on camera aboard a Metro train on Wednesday, as a woman attempts to forcibly take a man's bag filled with baby formula while other passengers looked on. Los Angeles Police Department says that the incident happened aboard the Expo line at around 12:30 p.m. Video shows the dramatic moments that the woman stands over the man, attempting to rip the cross-body bag away from him as he refuses to let go. "As a last attempt, the woman pepper sprayed the victim, then took off," police said. The moments are caught on video as other passengers flee towards the back of the train while the spray fills the cabin. The woman who shot the video spoke with KCAL News, noting that the two accidentally bumped into each other at one point, resulting in a confrontation that saw the female suspect berate the man for several minutes before things turned physical. "He was just saying, 'No, no. She can't have this. My baby, my baby,'" Andrianna Chambers-Robinson recalled. "He was willing to fight for whatever he had for his baby." LAPD is still searching for the woman, who can be clearly seen in the video, wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, shorts and red-and-black-stockings. 

CBS 2

LAPD Arrests Woman Accused Of Beating Teen In Harbor City McDonald's

Los Angeles police arrested a woman accused of savagely beating a 13-year-old girl inside a Harbor City McDonald's. The unprovoked attack happened on Sept. 6 when eighth grader Kassidy Jones decided to stop by her local McDonald's with a couple of classmates. The teen said she was walking out of the bathroom when she made eye contact with the suspect, Ariana Lauifi. The woman cursed at the middle schooler and exclaimed "I fight kids." "Then she grabs me and starts manhandling me and I didn't do anything to her," said Jones. Video captured Jones' desperate pleas to stop as the woman grabbed her hair and punched her in the face. After the initial onslaught, the woman threw Jones to the ground. "Swung me like a rag doll," said Jones. The attack continued until a man, who entered the McDonald's with the suspect, pulled her off the teenager. Jones suffered a few cuts and bruises. After a three-week investigation, the Los Angeles Police Department arrested Laufi for the unprovoked attack. She has been booked for felony child abuse. 

CBS 2

Erratic Driver In Custody After Police Pursuit In Downtown Los Angeles

Two people are in custody after a dangerous pursuit through downtown L.A. on Wednesday night. The driver was initially wanted for suspected grand theft auto, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. During the chase, the driver was seen weaving through tight surface streets, driving on the wrong sides of the road and narrowly missing nearby vehicles at times. The male suspect and a female passenger eventually parked under a canopy of trees near South Hope Street and West Olympic Boulevard before ditching their vehicle and fleeing on foot. Arriving Los Angeles police officers eventually located the two suspects about three blocks away from where they ditched their vehicle. Sky5 video showed a large police presence during the search on surface streets. Both suspects were eventually handcuffed and taken into custody. It remains unknown what the suspect driver was initially wanted for.

KTLA 5

Dog Stolen During Violent Attack In North Hollywood 7-Eleven Reunited With Owner

A dog who was stolen during what police said was an apparently unprovoked attack inside a North Hollywood store has been reunited with its rightful owner. Drake, the 11-year-old pit bull/Rhodesian ridgeback mix, was happily home Thursday night with his owner, 47-year-old massage therapist Liat. The pair had been separated after the violent attack shortly after midnight Tuesday. The Los Angeles Police Department said the robbery occurred Tuesday at 12:46 a.m. inside a 7-Eleven in the 11100 block of Burbank Boulevard. The investigation began after video posted to social media sites showed what appeared to be two people attacking a dog owner in a store aisle and leave with the dog. Speaking exclusively with NBC4, Liat, who wished only to go by her first name, said she and Drake had gone to the 7-Eleven to get some money, which is when they immediately began to be followed by a woman. She said the woman put her in a headlock and punched her while a man hit her in the back. "The investigation revealed that a victim entered the business with her dog on a leash," the LAPD said. "Shortly after, two suspects entered the business and, seemingly unprovoked, attacked the victim and used bodily force to remove the dog from her possession."

NBC 4

3 L.A.-Area Residents Found Guilty Of Scamming Seniors Into Buying $2.5 Million In Target Gift Cards

Three Los Angeles-area residents were found guilty of laundering more than $2.5 million from older adults by scamming them into buying Target gift cards, according to authorities. Blade Bai, 35, of El Monte; Bowen Hu, 28, of Hacienda Heights and Tairan Shi, 29, of Diamond Bar were found guilty by a jury Tuesday of one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering after a 10-day trial, according to a U.S. attorney’s office news release. Bai was also found guilty of an additional count of conspiring to commit money laundering, which prosecutors said he committed after he was already freed in the initial case. Bai has been in custody since February 2022 and Hu and Shi were remanded into custody after the verdict. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for Jan. 26, when the three face a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for each money laundering conspiracy count. The gift cards were distributed to “runners,” who went to Target stores in L.A. and Orange counties to buy electronics and other items, according to the release, which does not specify the number of older victims. In September 2022, one of the runners, Yan Fu, 60, of Chino Hills, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. He was ordered to pay $48,073 in restitution.

Los Angeles Times

Man Pleads Guilty To Large-Scale Marriage Fraud Scheme

A Philippine national living in Los Angeles pleaded guilty Wednesday to running a large-scale marriage fraud scheme that arranged hundreds of sham marriages used to circumvent immigration laws. Marcialito Biol "Mars" Benitez, 49, entered his plea in Boston federal court to conspiracy to commit marriage fraud and immigration document fraud. U.S. District Court Judge Denise Casper scheduled sentencing for Jan. 10. Benitez was arrested and charged in April 2022 along with 10 other Southern California residents. He is the seventh defendant to plead guilty in the case. The business prepared and submitted false petitions, applications and other documents to substantiate the sham marriages and secure adjustment of clients' immigration statuses for a fee of between $20,000 and $30,000 in cash, according to prosecutors. Benitez operated the agency out of offices on Wilshire Boulevard, where he allegedly employed co-conspirators as staff. Specifically, some defendants assisted with arranging marriages as well as submitting fraudulent marriage and immigration documents for the agency's clients, including false tax returns. Other defendants served as "brokers," who recruited U.S. citizens willing to marry the agency's clients in exchange for a fee and monthly payments from the client spouses following the marriage, federal prosecutors said.

CBS 2

Crime Rate Plummets In New Jersey City After State Takeover, Installment Of New Chief

Six months after a surprise state takeover of the troubled police department in New Jersey’s third-largest city, state authorities say crime is down, public sentiment is improving and new technology is helping hold cops accountable. Paterson’s police force has been under the microscope since March, when state Attorney General Matthew Platkin citied a “crisis of confidence in law enforcement in this city” and took over the department. Since then, an ex-NYPD chief installed to turn things around has ordered more officers onto foot patrols, dramatically increasing their presence along the city’s Broadway corridor. The effect has been significant, city officials and residents say. “Broadway has become a billboard for what change can look like in the city of Paterson,” Issa Abbassi, the officer in charge in Paterson, said during a law enforcement briefing at the city’s public library, which sits along Broadway. “But it can’t stop there.” The location was no accident. Platkin said the library had become a dangerous place to some city residents, a hub of drug activity and crime that kept away families. Since Paterson police doubled down on foot patrols and community policing on Broadway, the attorney general said, “this neighborhood blossomed and the library once again became accessible to the children of Paterson as a safe and welcoming place.”

PoliceOne

2 Hospitalized After Crash In Sawtelle Area

Two people were hospitalized following a grisly two-car crash in the Sawtelle area. According to Los Angeles Police Department, the crash happened at around 1:50 p.m. near Olympic Boulevard and Sepulveda Boulevard. Investigators say that both victims are in serious condition after they were taken to nearby hospitals. Due to the wreckage that still sits in the street, police estimate that traffic in the area will be considerably impacted for several hours. Metro officials also reported that Line 761 bus operations will experience at least a two-hour detour due to the crash. Buses will instead use southbound Sawtelle Boulevard between Olympic Boulevard and Pico Boulevard. 

CBS 2

LA City Council Approves $30M Plan To Add Bus Shelters

The Los Angeles City Council Wednesday approved a $30 million spending plan to replace and add bus shelters in underserved areas and improve sidewalks near them. The council voted 10-0 to approve the request by the Board of Public Works, with council members Kevin de Leon, Eunisses Hernandez, Imelda Padilla, Curren Price and Monica Rodriguez absent during the vote. The Board of Public Works requested authority to use a $30 million loan from the Public Works Trust Fund to install new shelters, prepare a loan repayment schedule and identify additional sources of funds to minimize the interest on the loan. A letter from the City Administrative Office notes the trust fund was established to hold deposits from permit applications and is separate from the city treasury. Lance Oishi, a contract administrator for the Bureau of Street Services, previously said the $30 million would be used to install 280 new shelters citywide. About 230 shelters will replace existing ones, while 50 will be installed at locations currently without shade or shelter, he added.

MyNewsLA

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.