Daily News & Updates   Law Enforcement News Burglars Posed As LAPD Officers In Lake Balboa Home Break-In Three men announced themselves as Los Angeles Police Department officers in a frightening break-in Wednesday night at a Lake Balboa home, police said. A house-sitter was the only person in the house at the time of the burglary in the 7000 block of Forbes Avenue. No arrests were reported early Thursday. The house-sitter told police she was in the rear bedroom when the burglars smashed a window to enter the house. They announced that they were LAPD officers and, when the house-sitter responded, they ran off with her purse, she told police. Detailed descriptions of the thieves were not immediately available. No injuries were reported. NBC 4 Woman Who Bought Firearm For Felon Who Shot, Killed Illinois Officer Sentenced To 8.5 Years In Prison A federal judge sentenced a Normal woman to 8 1/2 years in prison on Friday for her role in illegally purchasing a firearm that was used in the 2021 shooting death of Champaign police officer Chris Oberheim. In May, Regina Lewis pleaded guilty to conspiracy to illegally purchase and transfer a firearm and conspiracy to engage in misleading conduct, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Peoria. Lewis admitted in court that she conspired with co-defendants Ashantae Corruthers and Darion M. Lafayette to purchase and transfer a firearm to Lafayette since he could not purchase one himself because of his status as a convicted felon. According to prosecutors, Corruthers purchased 9mm Glock 48 semiautomatic pistol in November 2020 from a federal firearms licensee in Indianapolis. She falsely certified to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms that she was the actual buyer. Lewis also admitted she conspired with the co-defendants to cover up the purchase by having Corruthers falsely report to the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department in April 2021 that the gun was stolen from her, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Prosecutors previously said Lafayette used the firearm to fatally shoot Oberheim on May 19, 2021, 23 days after the firearm was falsely reported as stolen. Lafayette was then shot and killed by another Champaign officer who had been struck with gunfire. The Pantagraph, Bloomington, Ill. Nearly 40 Protesters Arrested After Blocking Traffic Near LAX Entrance Dozens of pro-Palestinian supporters were arrested Wednesday morning after staging a protest near the Los Angeles International Airport. The group of about 40 people gathered at Century Boulevard near the entrance to LAX around 9 a.m. A Los Angeles Police Department captain told Eyewitness News the protest shut down the street for about 30 minutes, but other entrances to the airport remained open. The group was not on airport property. The captain told ABC7 the protesters were throwing things at police officers. According to an LAPD post published on X, formerly known as Twitter, the protesters "used construction debris, road signs, tree branches, and blocks of concrete to obstruct [Century Boulevard] while attacking uninvolved passerbys in their vehicles." "The LAPD's objective is to ensure public safety for ALL, while facilitating the First Amendment rights of those peacefully demonstrating. However, this was not a peaceful demonstration," read another X post. The LAPD captain also said two officers were assaulted by protesters, but the officers weren't seriously injured. ABC 7 Stolen Car Driver Crashes Into Parking Lot Divider During Pursuit The driver behind the wheel of a stolen car crashed into a parking lot divider during a police pursuit near Van Nuys Wednesday night. Officers struggled to keep up with the suspect as he blew by traffic on the I-405 Freeway at speeds as high as 120 mph. He exited the highway on Victory Boulevard and weaved past traffic before reaching an Orange Line Busway parking lot near Densmore Avenue in Encino. Within seconds, the suspect crashed into a divider and ditched his car. The driver tried to run away from officers, but they eventually caught up to him on Sepulveda Boulevard. Officers arrested him shortly after. CBS 2 Danny Masterson Admitted To State Prison On Rape Conviction As Mugshot Released Months after his rape conviction, Danny Masterson has been officially admitted to state prison. State officials confirmed on Wednesday Masterson has been admitted to North Kern State Prison in Delano. He will initially go through the inmate and reception process, which determines the level of security where he will be held. A new prison mugshot was also released of the "That '70s Show" actor. Masterson was accused of raping three women but convicted of two felony counts of forcible rape in late May and sentenced to 30 years to life in prison in September. He is appealing his conviction. ABC 7 Man Arrested In Series Of Armed Robberies In LA County A man has been arrested for allegedly committing a series of armed robberies throughout Los Angeles County, police said Wednesday. Amauje Ferguson, 27, of Nevada, was arrested on Dec. 20 after a vehicle pursuit. Police said he entered a convenience store in the 500 block of West El Segundo Boulevard at around 6:30 a.m. that day and demanded money after walking behind the counter and pointing a handgun at the store clerk. Officers responded to the area and located Ferguson, who attempted to elude law enforcement, which resulted in the pursuit, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Ferguson allegedly threw clothing and money out of a vehicle window during the chase, which detectives said they determined to be money taken from the heist and apparel worn by Ferguson during the armed robbery. He was taken into custody at the termination of the pursuit. LAPD Southeast area robbery detectives allegedly discovered that Ferguson was responsible for an additional robbery in the 5000 block of Wilshire Boulevard about two hours before the armed theft on West El Segundo Boulevard. MyNewsLA Woman Killed In Sledgehammer Attack On L.A. County College Campus Loved ones are devastated after a woman was killed in a violent attack on the campus of El Camino College near Torrance. The victim, identified only as an Asian woman in her 60s, was walking her dog on Christmas Eve morning around 7 a.m. when the attack happened, according to campus police. As the victim was collecting recyclables, she was suddenly attacked by a man with a sledgehammer. He fled the scene before authorities arrived. A passerby had spotted the fallen woman next to the gymnasium building. Arriving officers found the woman unconscious and bleeding from her head. Her dog had remained by her side. Paramedics transferred the woman to a local hospital where she died on Christmas Day from her injuries. After reviewing surveillance footage, campus police identified the suspect as Jeffery Davis, 40, a man they’ve spotted in the community before. “The person that we had an idea of who was on the security footage is, we believe, a homeless person we’ve had contact with before,” said Sgt. Francisco Esqueda of El Camino College Police. “So we were able to go to the neighboring county park where he sometimes hangs out and that’s where we found him.” KTLA 5 Public Safety News 1 Dead, 2 Critically Injured After Fire Rips Through Boyle Heights Home, LAFD Says One person is dead and at least two others critically injured after a fire ripped through a home in Boyle Heights. The fire was reported around around 4:30 a.m. Thursday on St. Louis Street, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. Officials say there were a total of five people in the single-story home. After firefighters arrived, two of them were pulled out of the fire and taken to the hospital in critical condition. A third person was found dead on the porch. The remaining two people were already out of the home when firefighters arrived and they were being evaluated for any injuries at the scene. The cause of the fire has not been determined. ABC 7 Respiratory Illnesses Spike During The Holiday Season Respiratory illnesses have spiked higher this holiday season compared to last year with many catching COVID, the flu or RSV. "We are in the heart of the respiratory season," Dr. Nathan Newman, medicinal director of Exer Urgent Care, said. "Right now, we have a rise in COVID cases, a rise in influenza type-A, a few in type-B of influenza." The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health shows that COVID-19 cases increased by 11% in one week. Flu cases have increased by 14% compared to last week, with 18% of tests returning positive. Respiratory illnesses dropped slightly from 12.5% to 12.3%. "I wouldn't say the strains are any stronger than usual," Newman said. "They're all terrible. They can make you feel just awful. They can lead to infections that are so severe that you wind up in the hospital and even die, both influenza and COVID." Doctors believe that large gatherings that tend to happen during the holiday season contributed to the rise. "It's winter time. Most of us are indoors. We are in close proximity to other people," Dr. Angelique Campen from Providence St. Joseph's Medical Center said. "There's a lot of times where we are gathering with large groups [during] Christmas time, New Years time." CBS 2 SoCal Ban On Fires Extended Amid Poor Air Quality Caused, In Part, By People Ignoring The Burn Ban Angelenos hoping to cozy up by the fireplace this week should make other plans. The South Coast Air Quality Management District has extended a no-burn order for much of Southern California through Thursday amid poor air quality. The agency chalks up the bad air to — coincidentally — residents enjoying holiday fires as well as “stagnant” weather. The burn ban, which covers most of the region from the San Fernando and Santa Clarita valleys to just north of Oceanside, was first put into effect on Christmas Day. “We’ve seen high levels of fine particle pollution over the past few days due to stagnant weather conditions and increased emissions from wood burning due to the holiday season,” the South Coast AQMD said in a statement to The Times. Stagnation occurs when an air mass lingers over an area, according to the National Weather Service. With little to no onshore or offshore air flow, particles from fires and other pollution, such as vehicle emissions, become concentrated in the atmosphere. The AQMD ban prohibits the burning of wood and manufactured logs in fireplaces and outdoor wood-burning devices. Mountain communities above 3,000 feet and homes that rely on wood-burning furnaces are exempt. 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