Possible Release Of Convicted Deputy Killer, Mexican Mafia Shot Caller Sparks Fear

A convicted killer who was sentenced to death in 1981 for the killing of a Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy has found an unexpected ally in his decades-long quest to overturn his murder conviction. L.A. District Attorney George Gascón told Eyewitness News he will do everything in his power to keep Jesse Gonzalez in prison for the rest of his life, but that his office had an ethical duty to turn over evidence that casts doubt on a jailhouse confession back in 1979. Critics of Gascón - including the daughters of murdered Deputy Jack Williams - fear the conviction will be overturned and Gonzalez could be set free. It all unfolded on May 29, 1979 when LASD deputies and officers from Baldwin Park and El Monte executed a search warrant on a home in La Puente as part of a drug investigation. "They demanded entry ... Bobby Esquivel kicked the door, his momentum carried him in, and he looked up and he saw Jesse Gonzalez with a shotgun, and he hollered "Gun!" recalled retired LASD Homicide Detective Rey Verdugo who investigated the case. Deputy Williams was the second man through the broken-down door during the drug raid. "Jesse Gonzalez fired his shotgun, and he killed Jack Williams," Verdugo told Eyewitness News.

ABC 7

Los Angeles-to-Baltimore Drug Pipeline Behind Triple Homicide In Porter Ranch, Prosecutors Say

Travis Reid was frustrated. Three packages of cash the Baltimore drug dealer had mailed to his cocaine supplier in Los Angeles had gone missing. Out $377,000, Reid thought the supplier, Gary Davidson, was cheating him. “I was playing fair with y’all,” one of Reid’s associates recalled him saying. Davidson, the associate added, “wasn’t playing fair.” Reid’s answer was to lure Davidson into a drug deal, execute him and steal 10 kilograms of cocaine to recoup his losses, Deputy Dist. Atty. Victor Avila told jurors on Monday in closing arguments at a trial for murder and attempted robbery charges against Reid and a co-defendant. Killed alongside Davidson, 39, in his Porter Ranch home the afternoon of Feb. 18, 2019, were Jesus Perez, 34, and Benito Vasquez Lopez, 46. Perez and Vasquez Lopez, who supplied the cocaine that Davidson thought he’d be selling to Reid, were gunned down because they were witnesses, Avila argued. “It doesn’t get more violent, more personal, than the way they died,” he said. An attorney for Reid, 44, conceded his client sold drugs and acknowledged he was at the scene of the crime, but argued it was an unidentified man from Davidson’s violent milieu who killed him.

Los Angeles Times

Man Fatally Stabbed In East Hollywood; Suspect Arrested

A 69-year-old man was fatally stabbed in East Hollywood Monday evening and a suspect was arrested. Los Angeles Police Department officers responded at approximately 9:10 p.m. to the 4600 block of Hollywood Boulevard, near Vermont Avenue, to a call of a man down. Upon their arrival, the officers found the suspect suffering from stab wounds, LAPD Officer Tony Im told City News Service. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene. Police took the suspect into custody shortly after the stabbing.

MyNewsLA

Emotional Vigil Held For 17-Year-Old Shot, Killed In Westlake

Family and friends gathered for an emotional vigil Monday night in L.A.’s Westlake neighborhood to remember a 17-year-old boy who was shot and killed Saturday night. According to the Los Angeles Police Department, the original call regarding an assault with a deadly weapon with shots fired came in around 7:10 p.m. in the 200 block of North Lake Street across from Lake Street Primary School. The 17-year-old victim, identified by family as Gabriel Quintas, suffered at least one gunshot wound to the chest, police said, and he was quickly transported to a local hospital in critical condition. He died due to his injuries on Sunday, law enforcement officials confirmed. “My son, he had a beautiful spirit. He was very special, he was very unique,” the teen’s mother, Marisel Rams told KTLA at the vigil. “He was kindhearted. He wanted everybody to be in a good mood and whoever killed him, they didn’t know that. They didn’t know him. They took my boy from me. I don’t even know what else to say.” 

KTLA 5

Larchmont Village Residents Disturbed Over Increase In Violent Crimes

Residents in Larchmont Village are disturbed over a troubling increase in violent crimes plaguing the community. A meeting was held Saturday to address the issues with the Los Angeles Police Department in attendance. Residents said they don’t feel safe anymore and are demanding a solution. “We have for months, actually more than a year, been reporting various break-ins and forced entries as a community,” an attendee said. Officers from LAPD’s Olympic Division were onsite answering questions and addressing citizen concerns following a series of break-ins, robberies and other violent incidents over the past few months. “That’s the challenge with that,” said LAPD Captain Aaron Ponce. “They want to see results. It’s been a challenge all across the United States with policing.” The Olympic Division covers neighborhoods such as Koreatown, Arlington Heights, Larchmont Village and parts of Hollywood. 

KTLA 5

Armed Robber Steals $400 From Boyle Heights Taco Stand

An investigation is underway after an armed robber took off with several hundreds of dollars from a taco stand in Boyle Heights. The Los Angeles Police Department received a call shortly after 6 a.m. Sunday of an armed robbery at a taco stand on the 700 block of S. Soto Street. There, a man demanded money from the restaurant workers and took off with about $400. Authorities did not provide a detailed description of the robber. No injuries were reported in connection with the incident.

NBC 4

Approximately 30 Vehicles Vandalized In Koreatown

A man used a yellow crowbar to smash the bodies and windows of approximately 30 vehicles parked in Koreatown Monday. The vandalism occurred between Fourth and Seventh streets and Westmoreland Avenue to Virgil Avenue from noon to 3 p.m., according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Detectives described the suspect as wearing a Dallas sweatshirt, black pants, black slippers and a neon green bag. Police said the suspect is known to be hostile toward bystanders and investigators believed there are possibly additional victims of vandalism. Anyone with information regarding the vandalism was urged to call the LAPD Olympic Area Auto Detectives at 213-382-9370. Tipsters who prefer to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477. During non-business hours or weekends, calls should be made to 877-527-3247.

NBC 4

Dog Stolen At Gunpoint In West Hollywood Returned To Owner

An English bulldog that was stolen from its owner at gunpoint in West Hollywood has been recovered, but it was unclear Monday if any arrests have been made. The bulldog, named Capone, was stolen around 11:40 p.m. Nov. 6 in the 1100 block of Olive Drive, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. "Two suspects exited a newer model black Jeep Compass, pointed a firearm at the victim, and robbed him of his English bulldog," according to a sheriff's department statement at the time. "The two male adult suspects then entered the black Jeep Compass and fled the location at a high rate of speed," the statement said. "The vehicle was last seen driving northbound on Olive Drive towards Fountain Avenue." The dog's owner, Justin Garcia, told the WeHo Times he was reunited with Capone on Nov. 27. He didn't provide details of the recovery, saying only that he received a call while he was returning home from the Thanksgiving holiday.

FOX 11

Southern California High School Coach Sentenced To 2 Years In Prison For Sex Crimes Against Student

A former Southern California high school coach has been sentenced after pleading guilty to one felony count of sending harmful matter to a child, the Ventura County District Attorney’s office announced Friday. Aaron James Mora of Oxnard was sentenced to two years in prison and is required to register as a sex offender for life. He also admitted to “special allegations that the victim was vulnerable and that he took advantage of a position of trust or confidence to commit the offense,” a news release said. Mora, a former track coach at Oxnard’s Pacifica High School in 2022, pleaded guilty to the felony count on Oct. 17. The 25-year-old began texting an underage female student and sent inappropriate sexual images of himself to the victim, according to the attorney’s office. “It is critical that we protect children and vulnerable victims,” Senior Deputy District Attorney Edward Andrews said in a statement. “A coach is a position of trust and confidence, and Mora exploited his position for sexual abuse,” he continued. “I want to recognize the victim’s courage and my hope is that lifetime sex offender registration will protect others in our community.”

KTLA 5

'Pretty Special Dog': Kansas Deputy Handler Remembers K-9 Who Was Killed In The Line Of Duty

About 10 police cruisers with officers and their K-9s standing in front lined up on Wednesday at the entrance of the Sedgwick County Extension Office for the memorial service for fallen Sedgwick County Sheriff's Office K-9 Bane. Among the dozens of law enforcement officers at the service were members of the Sedgwick County Sheriff's Office, Wichita Police Department, Lenexa Police Department, Halstead Police Department, Sumner County Sheriff's Office and the Caldwell Police Department. "Bane did a wonderful job working for us. I cannot explain enough how much Bane did for this community," said Sedgwick County Sheriff Jeff Easter. "From the amount of drugs he seized, the tracking that he did, the deputy protection stuff that he did. . . it is amazing what those K-9's do and how much they can help us." Bane was killed in the line of duty on Nov. 16 in east Wichita after being strangled to death by a 24-year-old Wichita man who ran away from police and into a large storm drain, the Eagle previously reported. Bane previously worked for the Wichita Police Department under late officer Daniel Gumm, who died of cancer last year. Gumm's family attended the memorial service on Wednesday.

Wichita Eagle

Crews Extinguish Office Building Fire In DTLA

Firefighters responded to a fire at a boarded-up two-story office building in downtown Los Angeles Monday. The fire was reported at 2:56 a.m. in the vacant building at 1000 W. Sunset Blvd., said the Los Angeles Fire Department's Brian Humphrey. It took 56 firefighters 37 minutes to put out the flames. The 7,400-square-foot building was also the site of a significant fire three days ago, Humphrey added. The cause of the fire is still under investigation. There are no reports of injuries. 

CBS 2

LAFD Crew Saves Worker Who Fell Below Ground Level In East Hollywood

A man was rescued Monday afternoon during a technical rescue after he fell an additional six feet while working below ground level in East Hollywood, officials said. The incident was reported just after 1 p.m. near the intersection of Sunset Boulevard and Western Avenue. After he fell, an official with the Los Angeles Fire Department said the worker was injured and unable to climb out of the location. LAFD Urban Search and Rescue specialists performed a basket rescue by using a rope system over the top of an aerial ladder. The worker was taken to the hospital with moderate injuries. 

FOX 11

COVID, Flu, RSV On The Rise In California. Is Another ‘Tripledemic’ Coming?

Respiratory virus season is ramping up in California, prompting health officials to renew their calls for residents to get vaccinated in hopes of reducing potential pressure on health systems across the state. While conditions so far are nowhere near as daunting as last autumn — when hospitals labored under the strain of a “tripledemic” spawned by wide simultaneous circulation of COVID-19, flu and respiratory syncytial virus — the transmittable trio is on the rise. Data show new COVID and flu hospital admissions are increasing in California, and Fresno County was forced to take steps last month to stem a tide of patients arriving in its emergency rooms, instructing ambulances to not transport patients to hospitals if they are stable and not suffering from an emergency. Nationally, “RSV season is in full swing. The flu season is just beginning across most of the country, though accelerating fast. And while we’re seeing relatively low levels of COVID, COVID is still the primary cause of new respiratory hospitalizations and deaths, with about 15,000 hospitalizations and about 1,000 deaths every single week,” Dr. Mandy Cohen, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told a House of Representatives subcommittee last week.

Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles City Council To Vote On Rodeo Ban

The Los Angeles City Council will decide Tuesday whether to ban rodeos in city limits over concerns that the events are inherently cruel to animals. A City Council committee passed a proposed ordinance in December 2022 that would have prohibited “the use of electric prods or shocking devices, flank or bucking straps, wire tiedowns, and sharpened or fixed spurs or rowels at all rodeo or rodeo related events” in the city of Los Angeles. The full council never voted on that ordinance, however, and the council instead switched its focus to an outright ban on rodeos. John Popoch, deputy chief of staff for Councilman Bob Blumenfield, who co-authored the original motion in 2021, told the committee members that the council made the switch at the suggestion of the city’s Equine Advisory Committee to avoid potential confusion over the kind of events that would be included in the ban.

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.