Glendale Man Arrested In Fatal Shadow Hills Hit-and-Run

A Glendale man has been arrested after he allegedly struck a pedestrian with his car in Shadow Hills Tuesday night. Arvien Atakhanian, 28, was driving a 2023 Tesla Model 3 in the 10000 block of Sunland Boulevard at about 10:30 p.m. when he hit a pedestrian, then fled the scene, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. The victim, a man in his 40s, was taken to a local hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries. His identity has not been released. Atakhanian was booked into the Van Nuys Jail on a count of felony hit-and-run. No information on bail or a future court date was immediately available. Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Otrosina at 818-644-8033 or Officer Garcia at 818-644-8117. During nonbusiness hours or on weekends, calls should be directed to 1-877-LAPD-24-7 (1-877-527-3247).

KTLA 5

Copper Thieves Unplug 6th Street Bridge Lights

A large swath of the 6th Street Bridge, known as the “Ribbon of Light” because of its illuminated arches of color across the Los Angeles River, has gone dark. Copper wire thieves are to blame, city officials said, and it’s unclear when the lights for the Instagram-popular bridge will be fixed. It is a problem that has beset the region for years, with wire thieves disabling streetlights and rail lines to pilfer the valuable copper lines. The picturesque bridge quickly turned into a destination as much as a connection between L.A.’s Arts District and the Eastside. By night, a menu of colored lights transforms the bridge’s 10 arches into a visual celebration, with the city able to change the lights’ color depending on the occasion. With its arches and view of the downtown skyline in the background, the bridge has drawn families out on evening walks, as well as street takeovers, social media infuencers, and people climbing the arches, including one who fell to his death. Now the bridge has also attracted copper thieves, and about a third of the bridge’s lights are inoperable as a result, said Tonya Shelton, spokeswoman for the Los Angeles Department of Public Works. Utility boxes have been forced opened, and video and pictures posted on social media show wires poking out of the ground in several areas.

Los Angeles Times

Man Found Dead In Ladera Heights Area; Investigation Underway

A man was found dead Wednesday in the Ladera Heights area, and an investigation was underway. Deputies went to the 5200 block of South Fairfax Avenue about 4:25 a.m., according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. Information was not immediately available on the man’s identity or cause of death. Anyone with information on the case was urged to call the Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500, or Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS. Tipsters may also use the website lacrimestoppers.org.

MyNewsLA

LASD Searches For Assailant Who Stabbed Man In Wheelchair In Bellflower

A man who was stabbed while he was seated in his wheelchair is speaking out about the daylight attack that was captured on surveillance footage in Bellflower as the assailant remains on the loose. Michael Olson, who was born without limbs, uses an electric wheelchair to get around. He said he was traveling down Artesia Boulevard last month when the attack happened. “I was completely caught off guard,” Olson told NBC4. Video shows Olson traveling on the sidewalk and passing the assailant, who lets him by then chases after him and stabs him.“After I passed, about 20 seconds later, I felt a sharp pain in my back,” Olson recalled. “He stumbled over in front of me and said, ‘Sorry, bro.’ After a 10-second pause, he stabbed me in the stomach.” In shock, Olson returned home immediately. He said he began to search for witnesses after his wounds healed and so far, was only able to find the surveillance footage captured by his neighbor’s camera. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said it’s investigating the face as a double felony, including as an assault with a deadly weapon.

NBC 4

3 Suspects Arrested In Connection With Glendale Residential Burglaries

Three suspects were arrested in connection with several residential burglaries in Glendale, police said Wednesday. According to Glendale Police Department Sgt. Victor Jackson, GPD detectives, with the assistance of Glendale Police Residential Burglary Task Force personnel, found the three men in Los Angeles, where two of them tried to evade police on foot but were arrested Tuesday afternoon. Detectives identified the three suspects as 33-year-old Los Angeles resident Felipe Leivasolis, 30-year-old Francisco Alegria, and 31-year-old Juan Eduardo Salomon Castro. Castro and Alegria are both residents of Reseda. “This successful operation represents a significant milestone in an ongoing, diligently pursued investigation initiated by the burglary detectives over a month ago. The suspects are connected to residential burglaries in Glendale and are suspected of other burglaries in the region. Witness statements, video surveillance, and advanced technology helped identify the three men,” Jackson said in a statement.

MyNewsLA

SoCal Man Arrested For Allegedly Stabbing Stranger In Unprovoked Attack During Broad Daylight

Deputies with the Fontana Station in San Bernardino County arrested a man accused of stabbing an unsuspecting victim in an unprovoked attack during broad daylight. The stabbing happened last Thursday, around 11:20 a.m., near Cedar Avenue and Bloomington Avenue in unincorporated Bloomington. Deputies said that a man walking on the sidewalk was unexpectedly attacked by another person. The suspect in the stabbing was later identified as Alex Monjaraz, 31, from Bloomington. Deputies alleged that for no apparent reason, Monjaraz pulled out a knife and stabbed the pedestrian. The victim somehow managed to take the knife away from Monjaraz and used it to defend himself. Both were hurt and were taken to the hospital. Police found the knife used in the attack, along with more knives, at the scene. The motive for the attack remains unclear, and there's no indication that the victim and Monjaraz knew each other before this incident. After the initial inquiry, Monjaraz was arrested and is currently receiving medical treatment in West Valley Detention Center. 

FOX 11

‘Far Too Lenient’: Federal Judge Rejects No-Prison Deals In S.F. Tenderloin Drug-Dealing Cases

A federal judge in San Francisco has slammed prosecutors for not seeking harsher penalties for suspected Tenderloin drug dealers, rejecting plea deals in two cases because the defendants would not spend any time in prison before being deported to their home country of Honduras. U.S. District Judge William Alsup wrote in a sharply worded order Tuesday that he could not accept the proposed sentences presented to him by federal prosecutors and defense attorneys because they were “far too lenient” on the dealers. Both were caught selling fentanyl, a highly potent synthetic opioid that Alsup called “Public Enemy Number One,” citing remarks by Attorney General Merrick Garland and President Biden, as well as the drug’s role in San Francisco’s record overdose deaths this year. Alsup expressed concern that the dealers would simply return to the United States to resume selling fentanyl and said he wanted to send a message to cartel leaders. He noted that the cartels who oversee a large part of the Tenderloin drug trade recruit almost all of their dealers from Honduras’ Siria Valley, which the Chronicle reported in an 18-month investigation published this year. But no matter where the dealers come from, “no prison time will be a valuable recruitment tool” for future dealers, Alsup said. 

San Francisco Chronicle

Watch: Texas Officer Shot Multiple Times In Ambush-Style Attack Takes Down Suspect

Newly-released body camera footage shows a suspect ambush a Houston officer and shoot him several times, FOX26 reported. The incident occurred Dec. 2 when officers on the Houston Police Department’s crime suppression team spotted a burglary and assault suspect, according to the report. Seargeant M. Valle drove through a darkened street looking for the suspect as he and another person began to case businesses for burglaries. Surveillance footage from a business shows the suspect ducking behind a truck and palettes, out of sight to Valle. As Valle drives closer to the suspect, the suspect runs toward the passenger side of the vehicle, raises a handgun, and fires multiple shots at Valle. After the suspect shoots Valle, hitting him several times, Valle stumbles out of the car and fires several shots at the suspect. The suspect ran from the scene, but was found unconscious nearby later. He was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the report. Valle was taken to the hospital and is expected to survive.

PoliceOne

Florida Deputy Saves 9-Year-Old Boy From Suspects Who Tried To Burn Him Alive

A frenzied attempt to burn a “possessed” 9-year-old boy alive came to an abrupt end when a Florida deputy killed one of the adults involved, according to investigators. The fatally shot man was identified as Richard Myron Ham, 39, and witnesses say he is the one who placed the boy in the fire, the Highlands County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release. It happened at about 4 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 19, in Sebring, and the boy escaped serious burns after refusing to stay in the flames, officials said. Sebring is about 95 miles southeast of Tampa. Investigators say it was the fire department that first confronted Ham, after receiving calls about “several people burning piles of debris on the side of Bay Blossom Drive .” “Deputies quickly arrived on scene and found Ham armed with two metal rods. Ham refused to follow deputies’ orders and a taser was deployed. The taser did not appear to have an effect,” the sheriff’s office said. “Ham pulled the taser probes from his body and re-armed himself with one of the bars. He then swung the bar and struck a deputy in the head. At that point ... one of the deputies fired his agency issued firearm.” Both Ham and the deputy were taken to hospitals. Ham was pronounced dead, and the deputy was treated and released, officials said. Detectives say Ham and the boy’s mother Lakenya Lavonn Phillips were in the process of burning the boy’s possessions when the fire department showed up, officials said.

Sacramento Bee

L.A. County Hospital Seeks Family Of Unknown Patient

An L.A. County hospital is searching for the family of a patient who was found in Bell Gardens last week. The woman is currently at St. Francis Medical Center in Lynwood and has been there since Dec. 14. She was found at John Anson Ford Park located at 8000 Park Lane, hospital staff said. She is described as a woman in her mid to late 30s. She stands around 5 feet three inches tall and weighs around 120 pounds. She has black hair and dark brown eyes. She speaks both English and Spanish with possibly a Portuguese or Island accent. No personal information or belongings were found to help identify her, officials said. She was found wearing a blue floral short-sleeve button-down blouse and pink floral Volcom boxer shorts. Anyone who recognizes this woman or has additional information is asked to call the St. Francis Medical Center at 310-900-8630. After-hour calls can be directed to 310-900-4610 or 310-900-7850.

KTLA 5

New California Laws 2024: Speed Cameras To Be Implemented In These CA Cities

Get ready to slow down, California! After Gov. Gavin Newsom signed AB-645 into law, six cities in the state will see speed cameras in their neighborhood starting in 2024. The speed camera installation will begin on a trial basis in Los Angeles, Glendale, Long Beach, San Francisco, San Jose and Oakland in the new year. The cameras will issue tickets to drivers going at least 11 mph over the speed limit. The cameras will prioritize areas around schools, high-injury intersections, and known street racing corridors, to reduce speeding and traffic fatalities. After 11 mph over the limit, the ticket price increases from $50 to $100, $200 or even $500, depending on how fast the driver is speeding. In most cases however, a driver's first violation will be a warning, according to officials. While this law only pertains to these six California cities, officials said they could expand the speed cameras to other areas throughout the state, if the pilot program is successful. This speed camera law comes as traffic-related deaths continue to rise across the state and beyond. Data from the Los Angeles Department of Public Health revealed traffic deaths are the leading cause of death of people under the age of 30.

FOX 11

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.