Pretrial Hearing For Suspect In Venice Double Homicide

A pretrial hearing was held on Thursday for Abelardo Bon, the man accused of the double homicide of a couple in their Venice home. The incident happened on April 15, 2022, around 4:50 p.m., when Pacific Division officers of the LAPD responded to a call in the 1100 block of Berkeley Drive. Upon arrival, officers discovered two victims, 31-year-old Brandon Neal and 31-year-old Courtney Johnson, suffering from gunshot wounds. Neal, a resident of the location, and Johnson, a visitor, were both pronounced dead at the scene. Investigations led by the West Bureau Homicide detectives revealed Abelardo Bon, a 28-year-old Los Angeles resident, as the primary suspect. Bon was initially arrested on May 19, 2022, by LAPD Southeast Division officers following a pursuit, under charges of Assault with a Deadly Weapon on a Peace Officer. Subsequent investigations connected him to the Venice double murder. On July 12, 2022, the case was presented to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, which subsequently filed two counts of murder under Penal Code Section 187 against Bon. Investigators do not believe the incident to be random.

Westside Current

3 Northridge Businesses Broken Into Overnight, Owners Say Thefts Are Common

Police in the Northridge area are searching for a group of thieves they believe is responsible for multiple break-ins at area businesses overnight. On Wednesday, there was a plastic tarp covering the door of the Ebenezer Salvadorian Restaurant in Northridge. Surveillance footage showed the scene from overnight; thieves breaking in, and getting into the cash register, throwing the drawer to the floor angrily when they found no money inside. That happened around 3:15 a.m. Wednesday, according to the timestamp on the tape. Police tell FOX 11 they believe the same group was responsible for break-ins at Halal Kitchen Cafe across the street, and Yonder Coffee on Balboa Boulevard. Belle Cagas, the owner of Yonder Coffee, said this is at least the third time her store has been targeted. She said the thieves broke in around 3:30 a.m., "as they normally do, break in the window, break in the door and then look for cash, usually near the cash register, and then look elsewhere. There were three of them this time, so they split up. One in the front, a couple in the back." Cagas said the first time her store was robbed, it cost her about $1,500 to fix what was broken, since that robbery happened on a weekend. Each time since, she said it's cost her between $400 and $500. Cagas said in addition to the other two businesses that were targeted overnight into Wednesday, there have been several break-ins in other storefronts in the plaza.

FOX 11

Hunter Biden Expected To Plead Not Guilty In Arraignment Hearing In LA On Federal Tax Charges

President Joe Biden’s son will head back to court on Thursday for arraignment in Los Angeles on federal tax charges filed after the collapse of a plea deal that could have spared him the spectacle of a criminal trial during the 2024 campaign. Hunter Biden is expected to plead not guilty to nine felony and misdemeanor tax offenses. The charges stem from what federal prosecutors say was a four-year scheme to skip out on paying the $1.4 million he owed to the IRS and instead use the money to fund an extravagant lifestyle that by his own admission included drugs and alcohol. The court appearance will also include a discussion over future court dates and filing deadlines. Meanwhile, Hunter Biden has also been charged in Delaware with lying in October 2018 on a federal form for gun purchasers when he swore he wasn’t using or addicted to illegal drugs. He was addicted to crack cocaine at the time. He’s also accused of possessing the gun illegally and has pleaded not guilty in that case. The accusations all come from a yearslong federal investigation into Hunter Biden’s tax and business dealings that had been expected to wind down over the summer with a plea deal in which he would have gotten two years’ probation after pleading guilty to misdemeanor tax charges. He also would have avoided prosecution on the gun charge if he stayed out of trouble.

FOX 11

LA County Officials Seek Additional Victims Of Sexual Assault Suspects In Separate Cases

Law enforcement officials from Los Angeles County have asked anyone victimized by two men in custody to contact local police immediately. L.A. County District Attorney George Gascon on Tuesday announced the arrest and charges of two men: 55-year-old Martin Lopez and 35-year-old Marcos Maldonado. The cases are separate and unrelated to each other, though both are charged with sexual assault. Lopez is accused to impersonating a police officer when he approached a woman at her vehicle on Dec. 27 of last year. Her vehicle was parked outside of a Long Beach restaurant. Prosecutors arrested Lopez earlier this month and charged him with sexual battery, robbery and attempted kidnapping. They believe a good Samaritan intervened and are asking that person to come forward to help with the investigation. Officials say they searched Lopez's vehicle via a search warrant and recovered a fake law enforcement badge, among other things. He's being held on a $2.4 million bail. Meanwhile, Maldonado is accused of walking into a Culver City home early morning on Dec. 2. Prosecutors in that case say he raped a 12-year-old girl who was sleeping in her bedroom, and that he was there for hours before leaving around 7 a.m.

ABC 7

145 Firearms Seized From Passengers At 5 SoCal Airports In 2023

Officials say 145 firearms were seized by security checkpoint personnel at five airports in Southern California last year. The weapons were found at Los Angeles International Airport, Long Beach Airport, Hollywood Burbank Airport, John Wayne Airport in Orange County and Ontario International Airport. Eighty-one firearms were found at LAX, five more than last year. Transportation Security Administration officials and law enforcement held a news conference at LAX Wednesday morning warning gun owners about the risks of being found with weapons at security checkpoints. "Travelers should know that TSA can levy a civil penalty for bringing a firearm to a security checkpoint," TSA Federal Security Director Jason Pantages said. "The amount of the penalty, which can be as high as $15,000, depends on whether the firearm was loaded. And 87% of the firearms discovered here at LAX are loaded." TSA confiscated 6,737 guns at airport security checkpoints nationwide in 2023 and about 93% of them were loaded, according to the agency. The number of firearms seized is the highest recorded and surpasses last year's total of 6,542. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, one of the nation's busiest airfields, saw the most, with 451.

ABC 7

Video: Virginia Officer Pursues Speeding Suspect, Rescues Him From Fiery Crash

Newly released footage shows a high-speed pursuit, followed by a fiery car rescue, CBS News Reported. The Virginia Beach Police Department released the video on Jan. 8. The incident occurred when a vehicle passed a cruiser at 88 miles per hour in a 35-mile-per-hour zone. As the officer turned on his emergency lights, the suspect driver turned off his headlights. The officer then stopped the pursuit to remain in compliance with policy. The video then shows the officer encountering the crashed vehicle, now on fire. The doors to the car were locked and there was not an easily accessible entry point, according to the report. The officer tried to break the car window but was unable. He then began to douse the flames with a fire extinguisher. When another officer arrived, the two broke the driver’s side window. They unlocked the door and were able to pull the driver to safety. “This video serves as a testament to the dedication and heroism our officers demonstrate daily, risking their lives to ensure the safety of our community,” The Virginia Beach Police Department said in the release of the video. “We believe sharing these moments with the public is crucial to fostering a deeper understanding of the sacrifices and dedication our law enforcement officers bring to their duty.”

PoliceOne

Large Mountain Lion Caught On Video Prowling Through Backyard In Sylmar

People are on alert in a Sylmar neighborhood after a large mountain lion was spotted prowling in the backyard of a home. The big cat was captured by security cameras Tuesday night as it strolled through a backyard in the White Ranch development. The people who live at the home told Eyewitness News they alerted the homeowners association as well as their neighbors. No one has reported any problems with the animal, but the sighting can be scary for many, especially those with small animals. 

ABC 7

Crews Extinguish Fire In Vacant Downtown L.A. Commercial Building

A one-story vacant commercial building fire was extinguished in downtown Los Angeles Wednesday in less than 30 minutes, with no reported injuries. Sixty-eight firefighters responded to the 1200 block of South Olive Street around 3:30 p.m. regarding a structural fire threatening a nearby building, according to Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Nicholas Prange. “Crews located a storage closet/structure inside the building with stored building materials on fire, which burned up through the roof in one location and damaged some large structural components,” Prange said in a statement. It was unclear what sparked the fire. A cause was under investigation.

MyNewsLA

Displaced Street Vendors Make Plea For Solution To LA City Council

Over a dozen displaced street vendors from the El Salvador Corridor appeared before the Los Angeles City Council on Wednesday to ask for a solution. Two Guys Plaza used to rent its parking lot to street vendors until the city took legal action against the landlord the week of Jan. 1, saying the lot was not zoned for that type of use. “We’re not asking for anything more than for them to let us work,” vendor Delfia Perez said. “I have a family of eight and everything depends on me because I’m the one who pays the rent and works.” El Salvador Corridor Association Director Raul Claros said 126 vendors have been displaced. “So we’re asking, directly, the city attorney to give us a six-month extension at Two Guys Plaza,” Claros said. Some of the vendors who formerly sold at Two Guys Plaza moved to Vermont Avenue, where there are already vendors. The influx of new vendors — especially those who have set up across the street near the police station — has caused clashes with law enforcement, according to the vendors. “We understand that this corridor, this area is an economic engine for a lot of families, and we're not trying to stop that,” District 1 Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez said. “We're trying to make sure that we can bring more credibility and infrastructure so that it's sustainable and it lasts long term.”

NBC 4

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.