Suspect Arrested For Trio Of Killings In San Pedro, Harbor City In September

Police have arrested a suspect who they believe is responsible for a trio of deadly shootings that happened in Harbor City and San Pedro, which also left a 1-year-old child wounded, in September. Though they haven't yet released the suspect's name, Los Angeles Police Department officers said that a press conference is planned for Thursday to further discuss the charges and release details in the incidents. According to investigators, the suspect is believed to be responsible for a string of fatal shootings that spanned from Sept. 4, 2023 to Sept. 30, 2023. The first shooting, which happened on Sept. 4, left Carlos Loera, 21, and Ashley Guzman, 18, dead in the 1000 block of 253rd Street in Harbor City, police said. Investigators say that the shooting occurred a little before 6:40 p.m., when the couple and their one-year-old child were inside of their car when they were approached by the gunman, who opened fire, striking all three. While Loera and Guzman died from their injuries, the child was treated at the hospital and is said to have survived the injuries. The suspect is also connected to the fatal shooting of 17-year-old Joseph Saldana in San Pedro on Sept. 30. 

CBS 2

LAPD Reports Major Shift: Traffic Deaths Eclipse Homicides, Burglaries In Spotlight

The Los Angeles Police Department's (LAPD) end-of-year crime report revealed a notable shift in the city's crime dynamics for 2023, with traffic-related fatalities surpassing homicides for the first time in almost a decade. In a press conference, Mayor Karen Bass and LAPD Chief Michel Moore discussed these trends and outlined future initiatives. Moore brought attention to the worrying increase in traffic fatalities, including a rise in fatal hit-and-runs and incidents involving pedestrians and cyclists. The report showed a 23% increase in fatal hit-and-run crashes and a 32% rise in DUI-related crashes, with nearly 13% more fatalities involving pedestrians. In response, Moore announced enhanced enforcement measures against speed and impaired driving violations. Despite the uptick in traffic-related deaths, the LAPD reported a 3% decrease in violent crimes overall, including a significant 17% reduction in homicides, which totaled 327 incidents in 2023. The South Bureau saw the largest decrease in homicides, while the West Bureau achieved a 95% homicide clearance rate. However, the city saw a 1.9% increase in "Part 1 Crimes," which include serious offenses like homicide, rape, and burglary. The department noted a four-year low in overall shooting violence, with 127 fewer shooting victims than the previous year. Contrastingly, property crimes, including "flash robberies," rose by 3.5%. Motor vehicle thefts increased by 2%, predominantly involving Kia and Hyundai vehicles. There was a 16% increase in robberies involving firearms since 2019, now constituting 30% of all robberies in Los Angeles.

Westside Current

Ex-L.A. Gang Informant ‘Termite’ Extradited From Mexico To Face Murder Charges In 1993 Fire

Juan “Termite” Romero was once a leader of the 18th Street gang, shaking down drug dealers on the streets of Westlake in the 1990s. After being targeted for death by his imprisoned boss, Romero became the government’s star witness in a racketeering case that sent dozens of his associates to prison. Romero disappeared into witness protection, living under an assumed name far from his old neighborhood. But Los Angeles County prosecutors have brought the 57-year-old out of hiding, alleging he set fire in 1993 to a crowded apartment building, killing seven children and three women, two of them pregnant. Romero appeared Wednesday morning in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom, where he deferred entering a plea to 12 counts of murder. Dressed in an orange jumpsuit, the short man with thinning hair hardly resembled the gang member who stared into a camera decades earlier, a thick gold chain draped above the words “Baby I’m For Real” tattooed along his collarbone. The last of four defendants to face charges in the arson, Romero has been a fugitive since 2016, when detectives traveled to the Phoenix apartment complex where he had been living and found the protected witness had moved just a week earlier. One detective testified she found the timing “incredibly strange.” Deputy Dist. Atty. Victor Avila declined to specify where or when Romero was arrested, but said he was extradited from Mexico. Records show he was booked into the Los Angeles County jail on Dec. 5.

Los Angeles Times

Double Shooting Investigation Underway A Block Away From USC

A double shooting is under investigation after two men were shot about a block away from the University of Southern California (USC) campus. The violence was reported sometime around 4 p.m. Wednesday, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Police said the shooting occurred near the intersection of Jefferson Boulevard and Budlong Avenue in LA’s Adams-Normandie neighborhood. Due to the shooting’s proximity to USC, students received a notice via TrojansAlert – an emergency notification system for the university. It warned students and staff to avoid the area. There is no threat to the public, according to the alert system. The shooting victims were taken to an area hospital. The severity of their injuries was not immediately made clear. The gunman is believed to have gotten away in a gray Porsche Cayenne. LAPD remains searching for that individual.

NBC 4

Authorities Seize $1M In Drugs, $300K Cash In San Fernando Valley Bust

Federal and local authorities have busted a major drug trafficking ring that flooded the San Fernando Valley with cocaine, methamphetine and fentanyl. The operation seized 44 pounds of meth, 128 pounds of cocaine, and six and a half pounds of fentanyl. Total value: more than $1 million. Agents also seized guns and $300,000 in cash. A federal grand jury indicted seven members of the drug crew. Four were arrested this week. Sarkis "Sam" Kyurkchian, 40, of North Hollywood is a fugitive on the run.

ABC 7

Investigators Searching For Bank Robber Who Has Hit Several Banks Since October

Authorities are seeking to identify a serial bank robber who they believe has hit several banks since late 2023. According to Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department investigators, the suspect has robbed or attempted to rob an undisclosed number of banks since October, with his latest attempt coming on Monday at a Bank of America in Harbor City. "In each of the robberies, the lone suspect approaches a bank teller and demands money, while simulating a weapon concealed uner his sweatshirt," said a statement from LASD. Deputies have described the man, who they believe to being his 40s, as standing between 5-feet, 8-inches and 5-feet, 10-inches tall and weighing between 240 and 260 pounds. They say that he was last seen fleeing from the scene in a 2006-2007 silver-colored four-door Honda Accord with tinted windows and stolen license plates. Anyone with information is asked to contact investigators at (562) 946-7893.

CBS 2

California Man Using Name ‘Rhythmic’ On Snapchat Charged With Human Trafficking

A 20-year-old Ventura County man, who goes by the name “Rhythmic” on the social media platform Snapchat, has been charged with human trafficking and child exploitation, authorities announced Wednesday. Authorities with the Ventura County District Attorney’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Unit began an investigation into Oxnard resident Victor Manuel Avalos Jr. in Dec. 2023 after receiving tips about a person posting videos of a teen girl on Snapchat. One of the primary features of the popular instant messaging app Snapchat is that images and messages sent on the platform are only available for a certain amount of time before they become inaccessible to the recipients. “Those same CyberTips also reported that the account had posted a ‘menu’ of available [child sexual assault material] for others to order and purchase,” a news release from the VCDA’s office stated. On Jan. 19, special agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, along with assistance from detectives with the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office, served a search warrant at Avalos’ residence in the Nyland Acres community in Oxnard. 

KTLA 5

Calif. PD Almost Fully Staffed 10 Months After It Announced $75K Hiring Bonuses

During the pandemic, California lost thousands of police officers, falling between 2020 and 2022 to the lowest number of patrol officers per capita since at least 1991, according to the Public Policy Institute of California. Alameda was no exception. But in its rebuilding effort, its police department was willing to go further with financial incentives than any other city in the country, offering $75,000 in signing bonuses to new officers last year. Ten months later, the recruitment plan has worked, but it has yet to be reflected in the city’s crime statistics. Last year, 30% of positions in the Alameda Police Department were open. Since the signing bonus was implemented, the department has received over 400 applications, and 20 officers have been hired, while four retired or resigned, leading to a net gain of 16 officers and nearing the maximum of 88. Alameda Chief of Police Nishant Joshi said he expects the department to have completely filled its vacancies by June. The $75,000 bonuses are funded by unspent police salaries. Joshi said Alameda’s generous bonuses have allowed him to choose from the top 5% of candidates. In his initial pitch to the city for the bonuses, he said the money would allow him to attract top candidates and institute a neighborhood policing model.

Bay Area News Group

Man Sentenced To Life In Prison For 2018 Fatal Shooting Of U.S. Marshal

A man convicted of fatally shooting a federal agent in Tucson in 2018 has been sentenced to life in prison, authorities said Tuesday. Ryan Phillip Schlesinger, 31, was not in court for Monday’s sentencing as his lawyers argued for a prison term of less than 50 years. Schlesinger also received consecutive sentences of 20 years for attempted murder and 50 years for discharging a firearm during the commission of a violent offense. A jury last November found Schlesinger guilty of second-degree murder in the death of Deputy U.S. Marshal Chase White. At the time of the fatal November 2018 shooting, the 41-year-old White was just four days away from his deployment in the Air Force Reserve as a lieutenant colonel. Prosecutors said White, a married father of four, was part of a group of Marshals Service personnel who were trying to serve a felony arrest warrant at Schlesinger’s home. Schlesinger had been stalking a woman who was a Tucson police sergeant, according to a criminal complaint. After a standoff with law enforcement that lasted about an hour, authorities said Schlesinger emerged from his northern Tucson home wearing body armor and was taken into custody.

Associated Press

California Relaxes COVID Isolation Guidance. What You Need To Know

With COVID-19 no longer the widespread public health emergency it was in years past, public health officials at both the state and Los Angeles County levels have relaxed their guidance on how long individuals need to isolate from others after they are infected. Both agencies note that earlier guidelines were implemented to reduce the spread of the coronavirus. But most policies are now focused on protecting those most at risk for serious illness while reducing social disruption. Here’s what you need to know about the new guidelines: Under guidelines revised this month, officials at the California and county departments of public health now say those who test positive need to isolate and stay home only while they have active COVID-19 symptoms. Those who test positive, but remain asymptomatic, need not do so. Those who do develop symptoms — such as a cough or body aches — can end their isolation period once their symptoms are mild and improving, provided they haven’t had a fever for 24 hours without using medication. Earlier guidance stated that those who were infected should stay home for at least five days. “Previous isolation recommendations were implemented to reduce the spread of a virus to which the population had little immunity and had led to large numbers of hospitalizations and deaths that overwhelmed our healthcare systems during the pandemic,” the California Department of Public Health said in a statement.

Los Angeles Times

City Councilwoman Hernandez Seeks Assessment Of Proposed Dodger Gondola

City Councilwoman Eunisses Hernandez has introduced a motion calling on the city to suspend further actions relating to the proposed Los Angeles Aerial Rapid Transit — or gondola — that would provide access to Dodger Stadium, and Thursday is seeking recommendations for ways to alleviate traffic to and from other stadiums and venues in the city. Hernandez, whose First District includes neighborhoods of downtown Los Angeles, including Dodger Stadium, wants to pause the proposal until the Department of Transportation completes an assessment of Dodger Stadium traffic and accessibility. The proposed gondola would require using public land and airspace, flying over Los Angeles State Historic Park. If approved by the full City Council, Hernandez’s motion would instruct city departments to study policies and procedures at other stadiums and high-capacity venues throughout the region, including the Rose Bowl, Hollywood Bowl, SoFi Stadium, BMO Stadium and the Coliseum, to provide recommendations on alleviating traffic, community queuing and local parking impacts.

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.