Man Killed, RV Burns In Boyle Heights

A man was shot to death and a recreational vehicle caught fire in Boyle Heights early Friday morning. The man, believed to be about 30 years old, was found lying in the street in the 2400 block of Emery Street at about 2:45 a.m., according to the Los Angeles Police Department. He had been shot multiple times and was pronounced dead at the scene. His identity has not been released. Police believe the shooter, only identified as another man, fled in an unknown direction. An RV was also set ablaze, possibly in connection to the shooting, though police told KTLA they are unaware of the fire. The motive behind the attack remains unclear.

KTLA 5

16-Year-Old Boy Shot In Broad Daylight In San Pedro

A 16-year-old boy was wounded in a shooting between two groups arguing in San Pedro Thursday. Officers were sent to 12th Street between Gaffey Street and Cabrillo Avenue around 4:15 p.m. Thursday to a report of shots fired, according to Los Angeles Police Department spokesman Officer Drake Madison. Madison said detectives also went to a hospital, believed to be Little Company of Mary San Pedro Hospital, to speak with the victim, who stated that he was walking in the area of 12th Street between Gaffey Street and Cabrillo Avenue and witnessed two groups of individuals presumed to be Blacks and Hispanics arguing. The victim then heard multiple gunshots and felt a pain in his hip before all the suspects ran away, while one got away in an unspecified vehicle. The victim was taken to a hospital by a friend and was listed in stable condition, Madison said. The investigation remains ongoing.

MyNewsLA

One Shot During Robbery Attempt In Parking Garage At Fairfax District Erewhon Market

A man was wounded Thursday afternoon in a shooting during an attempted robbery in the parking garage of an Erewhon Market in the Fairfax District, according to Los Angeles police. The victim drove to a hospital, but details about that person's condition were not immediately available, police said. A person sought in connection with the shooting left the scene in a black Lamborghini, police said. Shots were fired around 5 p.m. when the shooter demanded property from a man in the parking garage, police said.

NBC 4

Police Search For Black Lamborghini Connected To Shooting Near The Grove

Police are investigating a shooting near the Grove. Officers responded to the popular shopping destination at about 3:30 p.m. after someone reported a gunshot victim in the parking lot. The Los Angeles Police Department said they did not locate the victim but believe they left the scene. They later updated the crime scene location to a nearby intersection on The Grove Drive and Beverly Boulevard. Investigators have not located a suspect either. They believe the shooter may be driving a black Lamborghini. 

CBS 2

Suspect With Ties To Organized Crime Wanted For Burglaries In West Hollywood

Authorities with the West Hollywood Sheriff’s Station are searching for an approximately 34-year-old female burglary suspect associated with Romanian organized crime theft groups. Andreea Catalina Rosca, also known as Nicole Morri, is wanted for at least two burglaries where she stole jewelry and credit cards out of lockers at a hotel spa and yoga studio, according to a bulletin released by LASD. Rosca, who has a counterfeit Washington State ID card in the name of Morri, is described as a white female adult, standing 5 feet 1 inch tall, weighing around 100 pounds with black hair and brown eyes. Authorities said Rosca is known to travel the country committing similar crimes. No information on how the suspect gained access to the hotel and yoga studio lockers, nor the estimated worth of the stolen property was provided. Anyone with information related to the two thefts or with information on Rosca or her whereabouts is urged to contact Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Detective Zeff at 310-358-4033. 

KTLA 5

Police In LA County Seek More Gun Removal Orders In 2023

Police in Los Angeles County sought more emergency gun removal orders between January and October than in all of 2022, court officials told the I-Team. There have been 68 requests for "Gun Violence Restraining Orders" so far this year, compared with 66 filed last year. Those numbers include requests from all LA County police agencies and the public, and the LA Superior Court did not have data on how many were approved by judges. If the orders are granted they authorize police to temporarily seize firearms to prevent violence like mass shootings. Members of the Los Angeles Board of Police Commissioners asked for information this week on what the LAPD does to respond to threat reports, following revelations that authorities in Maine had received numerous warnings about the man who carried out the murders of 18 people in shooting sprees last week. LAPD Assistant Chief Robert Marino told the Commission Tuesday the Department investigates all threats and files for gun restraining orders when appropriate. Commander Jay Mastick, the assistant commanding officer of the LAPD's Detective Bureau, told the I-Team that more officers have been trained on how to obtain the orders, and the number of requests increased significantly this year.

NBC 4

69-Year-Old Man Found Brutally Beaten In Inglewood Fighting For His Life

A 69-year-old man remains hospitalized in critical condition after he was found severely injured near an Inglewood hotel, and investigators believe he may have been the victim of a brutal attack. The incident happened on the evening of Oct. 22. Police say Abelardo Rodriguez went to the store around 6 p.m. but never returned home. "We assumed he was just going to take his walks because he takes walks a lot, and he just never came back," said his daughter Alicia Rodriguez. "We pretty much have to choose to see him suffer like that or just let him go. We're waiting for him to pass." Abelardo was found lying on the sidewalk at the corner of Imperial Highway and Prairie Ave in front of a La Quinta hotel. Firefighters-paramedics initially thought he had fallen since he uses a cane, but doctors told police his injuries were more consistent with those of an attack. 

ABC 7

Man To Be Sentenced In California’s First Fentanyl-Related Murder Case

A man convicted of second-degree murder in California’s first fentanyl-related homicide case will be sentenced to prison on Friday. Vicente David Romero, 34, was found guilty of murder in August in a landmark trial for the state of California. During the trial, Romero admitted to giving 26-year-old Kelsey King a “split” pill that he knew contained fentanyl in Temecula on June 16, 2020. King later overdosed and died on the synthetic opioid, which officials say is more than 50 times more potent than heroin. Romero also admitted to additional charges related to firearms possession. He’s expected in court at 8:30 a.m., at which point he could be sentenced to 15 years in prison. Romero’s case is the first of 25 active fentanyl-related homicide cases to go to trial in Riverside County, according to the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office.

KTLA 5

Arizona Officer Shot 8 Times In 2021 Delivers World Series Game 5’s First Pitch

Tyler Moldovan, a former officer who was severely wounded in the line of duty, received a standing ovation at the World Series after throwing Game 5’s first pitch, 12 News reported. After working for the Phoenix Police Department for only a few months, Moldovan was shot eight times, including in the head. He was not expected to survive his injuries, according to the report, but has made a “miraculous” recovery. He was released from the hospital and able to return home last summer. Moldovan also opened the Diamondbacks season in April, throwing the first pitch with the help of his wife, Chelsea Moldovan, and former Diamondbacks player Luis Gonzalez, according to the report. Gonzalez, Chelsea Moldovan, Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego and Interim Police Chief Michael Sullivan all joined Moldovan on the field. Video from the World Series shows Moldovan was able to stand up with the help of a walker to deliver the pitch.

PoliceOne

Florida Detectives Seize Enough Fentanyl To Kill 5M In Drug Bust

Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd announced a seizure of enough fentanyl to kill 5 million people, The Hill reported. “They tried to treat us with fentanyl, and we tricked them with an arrest,” Sheriff Grady Judd said during a Tuesday press conference. The Polk County Sheriff’s Office announced Tuesday that three people were arrested for their part in a drug trafficking operation that transported fentanyl from the Sinaloa Cartel to Compton, California, before making it to Florida, according to the report. The three suspects were identified as Juan Manuel Gutierrez Medina, 55; Ruperto Rocha, 65; and Juan Gutierrez Contreras, 25. Undercover detectives conducted controlled purchases from the suspected dealers, obtaining about 10 kilograms of fentanyl throughout the operation. “Ten kilograms is enough fentanyl to kill 5 million people if taken in overdose amounts,” Judd said. “These drugs are extremely dangerous.” 

PoliceOne

LA City Employee Evacuated After Weeks Trapped In Gaza War Zone

A Los Angeles city employee trapped in Gaza for weeks was evacuated this week to Egypt, one of hundreds of people who were able to escape the violence and misery of the war zone for the first time in three weeks. Sohail Biary, of Simi Valley, was visiting family in Gaza when war erupted following the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attack against Israel. He had been there for nearly a month of violence and devastation. "I am relieved to announce today that the employee is now safe in a neighboring country and out of the war zone," Mayor Karen Bass said Thursday. "I personally want to thank Tom Perez and the Biden administration, Sen. Alex Padilla, and Congresswoman Julia Brownley for working with us to arrive at today's result. We look forward to welcoming our colleague home." Biary, 53, is a district supervisor for the city's General Services Department. Bass said she had been in regular contact with Biary's son, who said his father traveled to his hometown of Gaza City before the war to visit his mother.

NBC 4

City Council Committee Moves To End Rent Freeze, Lower Rent Increases

A Los Angeles City Council committee voted 3-2 Wednesday (11/1) against extending the existing pandemic-related rent increase freeze that is set to expire January 31, 2024. The five-member Housing and Homeless Committee instead approved an amended proposal to allow smaller rent increases for properties that fall under 1979’s Rent Stabilization Ordinance. The amendment to the freeze extension proposal by council member Hugo Soto-Martinez was made by council member Bob Blumenfield and requests the city attorney, with the assistance of the Housing Department, draft an ordinance that would temporarily set rent increases for rent-controlled units from Feb. 1 to June 30, 2024. Blumenfield cited the legality of extending the freeze in introducing the amendment. “The rent freeze proposal by council member Soto Martinez raised legal, practical, and fairness concerns,” a Blumenfield spokesperson told the Westside Current. Soto-Martinez’s original motion to extend the freeze (Westside Current, November 1, 2023) pointed to landlords' ability to raise rents from February 1, 2024 through June 30, 2024 by as much as 7% with an additional 1% for gas and 1% for electricity if the landlord provides that service for the tenant.

Westside Current

Mayor Bass Pushes For More Testing Before Permitting Robotaxis In Los Angeles

As Waymo robotaxis plucked up passengers for free this week in Santa Monica and Venice, worry grew among Los Angeles officials about the safety of driverless cars on city streets. Mayor Bass asked regulators Wednesday to increase their scrutiny of automated taxis and said the city should have a say in how they are regulated. The move comes after a Cruise robotaxi dragged a person down a San Francisco street last month and the company allegedly failed to disclose the footage to the state Department of Motor Vehicles. The DMV suspended the General Motors-owned company’s permits and Cruise has since announced it will suspend U.S. operations. The incident in San Francisco — where the two driverless fleets were doing business — was among several that raised red flags among Los Angeles officials, who have begun to see more and more robotaxis being tested on city streets. “To date, local jurisdictions like Los Angeles have had little to no input in AV (autonomous vehicle) deployment and are already seeing significant harm and disruption,” Bass wrote in a letter to the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), which oversees permitting for taxis.

Los Angeles Times

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.