LAPD Cadet Passes Away Unexpectedly At 24 Years Of Age

The Los Angeles Police Department is mourning the loss of one of its own. Dominic Malachi passed away unexpectedly Tuesday at his home at the age of 24. He served as a cadet and associate community officer with the department. The LAPD says, "Dominic's smile lit up a room and he will be forever missed." The cause of his death has not been released. 

CBS 2

D.A. George Gascón Faces 9 Challengers In One Of The Largest Primary Fields In L.A. History

When Jackie Lacey sought a second term as Los Angeles’ top prosecutor in 2016, she wound up running unopposed. The man who ousted her from office, George Gascón, has a much steeper hill to climb to win reelection next year. During his first term in office, Gascón has frequently been at odds with his own prosecutors and law enforcement, who say his policies aimed at reducing mass incarceration and racially disparate outcomes in the criminal justice system have led to spikes in violence. Data show the violent crime rate is trending down, but some experts have cautioned against making connections between short-term shifts in the crime rate and a prosecutor’s policies. Gascón’s positions have motivated one of the largest primary fields in the history of the office, with a mix of former federal prosecutors, county judges and deputy district attorneys taking a run at the self-described “godfather of progressive prosecutors” in 2024. District attorney’s elections have become more competitive across the nation in recent years as reform-minded progressives challenge more traditional prosecutors. Gascón’s 2020 tilt with Lacey saw millions raised in a nationally watched race that drew endorsements from presidential candidates.

Los Angeles Times

Video Shows Moments LAPD Sergeant Was Hit By Alleged Drunk Driver While Trying To Stop Stolen Car

Newly released video captures the moments a Los Angeles Police Department sergeant is mowed down by an alleged drunk driver. The violent collision was caught on surveillance video and on Sergeant Vanessa Prentice's body-worn camera. It happened on September 23 in Jefferson Park around 3:40 a.m. as officers were attempting to stop a stolen vehicle. Prentice got out of her patrol car and was walking up to the scene when another driver hit her from behind. Severely injured, fellow officers and paramedics raced to her aid before she was rushed to the hospital. The suspect was identified as Alexis Carter and was arrested on felony DUI charges, according to authorities. Video from the scene showed damage to her car following the violent impact. After almost a month in the hospital, it was tears of joy for Sgt. Prentice as her fellow officers celebrated her release on Monday. LAPD Chief Michel Moore said though Prentice has a long road to recovery, she's up for the task and said she truly has the "heart of a lion." 

ABC 7

South LA Mother Pleads No Contest To Murdering Her 4-Year-Old Daughter

A South Los Angeles woman pleaded no contest Friday to first-degree murder for her 4-year-old daughter's beating death. Akira Keyshell Smith, now 37, is facing 25 years to life in state prison in connection with the Aug. 11, 2020, death of her daughter, Eternity. According to testimony given by her two sons during preliminary hearings, Smith repeatedly picked on 4-year-old Eternity. The day Eternity died, Smith slapped, kicked, hit and choked her daughter until she was unconscious. "Ms. Smith, over a two-day period beat her little 4-year-old daughter to death," Deputy District Attorney Jonathan Hatami said. "It was a horrendous case ... And she did that in front of her sons, Christopher and Ezekiel. They have to live with that for the rest of their lives." Both of Smith's sons, who are now under foster care, are expected to give victim impact statements during her sentencing next month. As a result of Smith's no contest plea, two other counts stemming from Eternity's case and two prior strikes were dismissed.

ABC 7

2 Shot, 1 Killed In South LA, Suspect On The Run

One man was killed after two people were shot in South Los Angeles Saturday evening and police are searching for the shooter. It happened around 6:30 p.m. Saturday, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Officers were called out to reports of a shooting near the intersection of McKinley Avenue and E. 97th Street, in the Green Meadows neighborhood on South LA. When officers got there, they found two shooting victims. One, a man in his 20s, had been shot in the leg. Another, a man in his 30s, had been shot in the chest. That second man was killed. Police did not provide a detailed description of the shooter, just that he was last seen running west on 97th Street. Police did not recover a weapon. Anyone with information about the shooting was asked to call the LAPD. 

FOX 11

Police Investigate Possible Murder-Suicide In North Hollywood

Police Saturday are investigating the deaths of a 48-year-old woman and a 46-year-old man in North Hollywood as a possible murder suicide. Los Angeles Police officers were called at approximately 7:45 p.m. Friday to the 6500 block of Riverton Avenue between Victory Boulevard and Kittridge Street regarding an assault with a deadly weapon and shots fired call. Upon their arrival, officers found the woman with multiple gunshot wounds inside an SUV with the engine running in a residential area, KTLA5 reported. Two houses away, police found the man dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Neighbors told KNBC4 that they believe the man and the woman were married. There were no further details available.

MyNewsLA

3 People Injured In Triple Shooting In Vermont-Slauson

Two women and one man were injured in a triple shooting in Vermont-Slauson Saturday morning. At around 5:07 a.m. Los Angeles police responded to reports of a shooting in the area of 68th and Figueroa. When they arrived on scene, authorities found two young women, 17 and 18, conscious and breathing, suffering from a gunshot wound and an unconscious 20-year-old man, who was not breathing, suffering from gunshot wounds. The suspect fled the scene and has not been located. All three victims were transported to nearby hospitals to be treated. The two young women are in stable condition and the man is in critical condition. There are no further details at this time. 

KTLA 5

Two Dead In Separate Shootings At Halloween Parties In Southern California

Two men were shot to death at separate parties in the early hours of Saturday morning, California authorities said. In the Santa Barbara County town of Santa Maria, a 20-year-old man was killed and other people were shot and transported to local hospitals after a fight broke out at a large backyard party just after midnight. Santa Maria police officials declined to reveal how many people were shot and transported to hospitals, saying it was “an active and ongoing investigation, so limited details are currently being released.” Numerous witnesses, officials said, “still need to be identified and interviewed.” Police said all the injured victims were expected to survive. In Palmdale, another man was shot at a party early Saturday morning. Los Angeles County sheriff’s officials said they were called to the 37000 block of 55th Street East to investigate a shooting death. According to City News Service, the shooting took place at a Halloween party. The Santa Maria incident marked the second weekend in a row a shooting has occurred at a Halloween party there.

Los Angeles Times

Washington Trooper Who Was Shot In Face To Return To Full Active Duty

A Washington State Patrol trooper expects to return to full duty about a year after a shooting nearly cost him his life. The Washington State Patrol released a 7-minute video interview with Trooper Dean Atkinson, 29, speaking about what the last year of recovery has been like. Atkinson had been shot in the face, lost part of two fingers and was left critically injured after an alleged confrontation with Brandon O'Neel, 38, at a Walla Walla intersection in September 2022. He had his final surgery to repair the damage to mouth and cheek in March, he said in the video. The surgery went better than even the doctors expected, he said. "I went for a follow-up visit and they left the room and they were like high-fiving and all the doctors were cheering and congratulating themselves," he said. "They came back in and I was like, 'I thought you told me that this was simple.' They were kind of like, 'No. It's actually one of the hardest places we can do a plastic surgery because of all of your nerves.'" Since getting the final surgery, Atkinson has been able to return to two of his favorite past times, skiing and golf, and was married on July 22.

Tri-City Herald

Shooter Gets 23 Years To Life For Ambushing New York City Police Twice In 12 Hours, Wounding 2

A shooter who ambushed New York City police twice in 12 hours, wounding two officers, has been sentenced to 23 years to life in prison. Robert Williams, 47, pleaded guilty last month to two counts of attempted murder of a police officer in the February 2020 shootings in the Bronx. But he said during his sentencing Friday that he didn't have deadly intent. “I apologize to my family, the precinct and the cop. I wasn't trying to kill nobody," Williams said, asserting that police had beaten and used a stun gun on him in the past. Prosecutors have said Williams told investigators after his arrest that he was “tired” of police. Bronx Judge Ralph Fabrizio was unmoved. "Your actions are inexcusable," the judge told Williams on Friday. On the night of Feb. 8, 2020, Williams walked up to a marked police van on a Bronx street, asked officers for directions and then fired into the van at them, wounding Sgt. Paul Stroffolino in the chin and neck, prosecutors said. Williams then ran off. The next morning, Williams went into a Bronx police station and started shooting, hitting Lt. Jose Gautreaux in the arm and narrowly missing other police personnel before running out of bullets, according to prosecutors. They said police shot at Williams, who then laid down and tossed his pistol.

Associated Press

Massive Structure Fire Erupts In South Los Angeles

Over six dozen firefighters battled a raging structure fire in the Harbor Gateway neighborhood of Los Angeles Sunday afternoon. The fire broke out in an empty building at 442 West Rosecrans Avenue just before 2:30 p.m., fire officials said. Smoke was visible for several miles as flames engulfed the building, causing the roof to collapse. Video from the Citizen App shows several different points of view of the fire, some from cars and others from a sidewalk on the same street as the blaze. Embers from the fire also ignited a 50-foot trailer several buildings away, threatening a neighboring structure, the Los Angeles Fire Department said. City, county and Compton Fire Department crews extinguished the fire in 41 minutes. No injuries were reported. The cause of the fire was under investigation.

KTLA 5

California Agricultural Officials Trying To Stop Spread Of Invasive Fruit Fly In LA County

Stevenson Ranch residents may get a surprise visit from California agricultural officers who are searching for signs of a fruit fly infestation. Officials for the California Department of Food and Agriculture say they are concerned about the appearance of the Tau fruit fly, an invasive breed from Asia that can destroy large swaths of produce including citrus, tomatoes, avocados and more. "They attack the fruit directly and they lay their eggs under the skin," said James Carey, a professor of entomology at the University of California, Davis. "The maggots develop and they destroy the fruit." Agricultural officers are canvassing areas in Santa Clarita, asking residents to move Halloween pumpkins and gourds indoors to help prevent the spread of the flies. Parts of the Inland Empire are dealing with a similar problem. More than 100 square miles of San Bernardino and Riverside counties are now under quarantine after multiple Oriental fruit flies were spotted there.

ABC 7

Council Unanimously Approves Controversial Midvale Project In West LA

The Los Angeles City Council Friday approved a hotly debated interim housing facility for unhoused Angelenos near Pico and Westwood boulevards in West L.A., which has sparked opposition and frustration among some local residents. The council voted 14-0, with Councilman Marqueece Harris-Dawson absent during the vote, to fund nearly $4.6 million for the construction, lease and operation of the proposed housing project. The council also concurred with a recommendation from the Bureau of Engineering to exempt the project from the California Environmental Quality Act, which would help expedite the development process. The project is expected to open in 2024. Prior to the vote, Councilwoman Katy Yaroslavsky introduced, who represents the Fifth District, which encompasses portions of West L.A., addressed opponents and supports of the project sitting in the Council Chamber. "For those who are opposed to the project, I want you to know that I hear you and I know many of you are very concerned and frustrated. I know those concerns come from a very real place," Yaroslavsky said, who introduced the project in July.

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.