Traffic Snarled After LAPD Motorcycle Officer Injured In Crash On 405 Freeway In Bel Air

A Los Angeles Police Department motorcycle officer was rushed to a hospital after a crash on the 405 Freeway in Bel Air that temporarily shut down all northbound lanes. The crash happened before 4:20 p.m. Thursday near Skirball Center Drive in the Sepulveda Pass during the afternoon rush hour. Details on what led up to the crash were not immediately available, but it appeared a Tesla vehicle was involved. Aerial footage showed paramedics treating the injured officer in the middle of the freeway. The officer was loaded into an ambulance and taken to a hospital in unknown condition. Traffic was backed up for miles during the shutdown and later on when some lanes reopened.

ABC 7

Police Seek Shooter In Midday Attack On Scooter Renter

The Los Angeles Police Department is looking for a man who shot a woman during an argument in Hollywood last month. At a few minutes after noon on Oct. 15, a woman was trying to rent a scooter at Hollywood Boulevard and Western Avenue when a man approached her, police said in a news release. That man “initiated an argument,” and then used a semi-automatic handgun to fire multiple shots at the woman, the release added. She was struck multiple times and was hospitalized with non-life-threatening wounds. The shooter ran south on Western Avenue, but not before a witness captured photos of him. He has black hair and brown eyes, is between 5-foot-5 and 5-foot-8, weighs between 130 and 160 pounds, and appears to be between 20 and 25 years old. Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Greg Papik at 213-972-2971. During non-business hours, call 877-LAPD-24-7 (877-527-3247).

KTLA 5

Hannah Kobayashi: Missing Hawaii Woman's Family Continues Search In LA

The family of Hannah Kobayashi, who vanished earlier this month after missing a connecting flight in Los Angeles, held a rally Wednesday to give the latest update on the search for the missing 31-year-old Hawaii woman. The rally took place at 3 p.m. outside Crypto.com Arena, not far from the Metro Pico station where she was last seen. "We were able to get footage of her boarding the Metro with an unidentified person and getting off two blocks over here at the pico station," said Larie Pideon, a relative of Hannah. They've chased leads in Skid Row and analyzed the smallest details, like her last text messages… suspicious they're not from her at all. "It was strange messages about someone trying to steal her identity, someone trying to take her funds. She speaks in emojis, and I know that sounds strange, but when you know your family, there wasn't a single emoji in any of those text messages," Pideon added. Ryan Kobayahi flew from Oahu to LA a week ago. He said he was estranged from his daughter, but vows that will change once he sees her again. 

FOX 11

Why Did Someone Add A Giant Meth Pipe To MacArthur Park's Prometheus Statue?

A piece of guerrilla art appeared at Los Angeles' MacArthur Park this week, underlining the park's reputation as a center of drugs, addiction and despair. Prometheus is known in Greek mythology for rebelliously taking fire from the gods to give to humans, but at his statue near the corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Alvarado Street in Los Angeles on Monday, he was using it to heat an oversized meth pipe. "A lot of our work focuses on parts of the city that have fallen into disrepair, and this particular Prometheus sculpture stood out to us as significant — having eerily taken on the condition of his surroundings," artist S.C. Mero told The Times. For longtime residents, MacArthur Park is a shadow of the 35-acre urban oasis it was built to be. Today it is known more for rampant drug use and homelessness, needles strewn on the ground and overdose deaths from fentanyl and other narcotics in the park and nearby alleys. On occasion, medical outreach teams hand out glass pipes and test kits that can detect fentanyl or veterinary tranquilizers in drugs before they’re consumed in an effort, they say, to saves lives. The Prometheus statue by artist Nina Saemundsson was erected in 1935 by the federal Works Progress Administration and is one of several art pieces in the park. Throughout the years, vandals have occasionally broken off parts of the left hand, toes and a sphere that the figure originally held. A newsboy statute at another end of the park was mutilated by thieves earlier this year, leaving behind only two bronze shoes.

Yahoo! News

Reputed Mexican Mafia member wounded, another man killed in L.A. County shooting

A reputed member of the Mexican Mafia was wounded in a shooting Saturday that left a second man dead in Los Angeles County, authorities said. At 11 p.m., Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies responded to a Veterans of Foreign Wars hall on Valley View Avenue in La Mirada, where they found two men with gunshot wounds in the parking lot, Lt. Steven De Jong said.

Los Angeles Times

Silver Alert Issued For 80-Year-Old Woman

A Silver Alert covering Los Angeles and Kern counties were issued Thursday for a missing 80-year-old woman. Melitina Youngstrand was last seen around 9:40 a.m. Wednesday near 82nd Street and Jacaranda Avenue in California City in Kern County and could be headed for Los Angeles County, according to the California Highway Patrol. Youngstrand was described as 5-feet-4-inches tall weighing 140 pounds with white hair and brown eyes. She is believed to be driving a maroon 2006 Ford F-150, with a California license plate of 8B04326. Anyone with information regarding Youngstrand’s whereabouts was urged to call 9-1-1. The Silver Alert program was established by the CHP to issue and coordinate alerts involving the unexplained or suspicious disappearances of elderly, developmentally disabled, or cognitively impaired individuals.

MyNewsLA

California Barber Charged With Sexually Assaulting Intoxicated Men, His Whereabouts Unknown

A Bay Area barber has been charged with sexually assaulting at least two men but is suspected of assaulting as many as 20 who were severely intoxicated, according to authorities. Police say evidence shows Franklin Enrique Sarceno Orla, a 34-year-old Mountain View resident, may have assaulted 20 different men who were intoxicated or passed out at the time, according a Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office news release. One assault involved a kidnapping, authorities said, alleging that Sarceno Orla videotaped the assaults. Sarceno Orla has fled, authorities said, and law enforcement is seeking information about his whereabouts. If convicted, he could face life in prison. “There was a sexual predator in our community, and we thank the Mountain View Police Department for identifying him,” Santa Clara Dist. Atty. Jeff Rosen said in a release. “With the help of courageous victims, investigators, and the public we will soon have him in custody to keep him from ever hurting anyone again.” The Mountain View Police Department launched an investigation in July after speaking with a man who said he woke up injured after having drinks with Sarceno Orla, officials said. Another victim said that Sarceno Orla was his barber and he passed out after having beers with him.

Los Angeles Times

Drug “Several Times" Stronger Than Fentanyl Linked To California Overdose Death

The U.S. Department of Justice's Los Angeles office filed charges in what could be the nation's first death-resulting criminal case involving a synthetic opioid that is possibly more dangerous than fentanyl. On Thursday, federal prosecutors announced the sole count of distribution of protonitazene resulting in death against 21-year-old Benjamin Anthony Collins, a resident of LA County. He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years in prison if convicted. The harshest possible punishment for this charge is life in prison. The Justice Department claims that Collins knowingly and intentionally sold the pills to a 22-year-old man on April 19, 2024, according to the indictment. To compare, the fentanyl is 50 times stronger than heroin. Protonitazene is three times more powerful than fentanyl. The young man took some of the pills in the front seat of his car soon after allegedly buying them from Collins. The Justice Department said he died quickly after taking the drugs. His mother found him dead inside his parked car outside of her home. The Center of Forensic Science Research and Education believes the novel opioid entered the illicit drug market in North America sometime before May 2021. The Justice Department believes this is the first death-resulting criminal case involving protonitazene in the nation.

CBS 2

Florida Sheriff’s Office Mourns 2 Motorcycle Deputies Killed In ‘Horrific’ Crash

The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office has identified two motorcycle deputies who died after they were struck by a vehicle. The deputies were identified as Corporal Luis Paez and Sheriff Ralph “Butch” Waller. Deputy Ignacio “Dan” Diaz was also critically injured in the crash and is currently fighting for his life, the sheriff’s office said. The crash happened on Nov. 21 while the three deputies were working traffic enforcement, NBC Miami reports. One of the deputy’s motorcycles wouldn’t start, so the three were standing on a grassy area on the side of the road while they waited for jumper cables. A driver of an SUV “overcompensated” when trying to avoid a stopped vehicle, causing the SUV to veer into a grassy area where the three deputies were standing, NBC Miami reports. Paez, one of the deputies killed in the crash, dedicated more than 36 years to law enforcement, the sheriff’s office said in a statement. He began his career with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office in January 1988 as a corrections deputy before transitioning to Road Patrol, where he served as a motor deputy for over two decades. Waller, another deputy killed in the crash served with distinction in PBSO’s motor unit for more than 18 years. His law enforcement career began with the Royal Palm Beach Police Department, which merged with PBSO in October 2008, the sheriff’s office said.

PoliceOne

‘I’m Hurt. I’m Stabbed': Video Shows Suspect Attacking California Officer Outside PD Before Fatal OIS

An officer was attacked and stabbed outside the Santa Monica Police Department Headquarters, newly released body camera video shows. The attack happened on Oct. 5 when the officer was standing outside the headquarters to collect information from a resident about an unrelated call, the Santa Monica Police Department said. While speaking with the resident, the officer was approached by a man near the building’s front entrance. Body camera footage released on Nov. 21 shows the officer noticed the man appeared to be concealing something under his coat. “What’s in your jacket? I’m kind of nervous with your hand in your jacket like that,” the officer said. “You’re nervous?” the suspect said before he pulled out a knife and lunged at the officer, video shows. Video shows the suspect making a slashing movement toward the officer several times. The officer immediately moved away and armed himself with his duty weapon, police said. The suspect continued to follow and attack the officer with a knife as the wounded officer retreated around the building where he fired his weapon, striking the suspect.

PoliceOne

Cases Of ‘Walking Pneumonia’ On The Rise In The U.S.

Respiratory infections caused by a bacteria known as Mycoplasma pneumoniae have been increasing in recent months, leading to widespread cases of a condition known as “walking pneumonia,” according to the CDC. Infections resulting in “walking pneumonia” are generally less severe than pneumonia, with many patients going their daily routines without initially realizing they have it. Symptoms also start out mild in the first week before getting progressively worse; they include a cough, sore throat, headache, and/or fever. “People with pneumonia caused by M. pneumoniae can seem better than expected for someone with a lung infection,” the CDC writes. “With mild symptoms, people may not stay home or in bed. Thus, the phrase ‘walking pneumonia’ was coined.” In October, the CDC wrote that since late spring, the number of infections caused by walking pneumonia has been increasing, especially among young children. In fact, the CDC is seeing more cases nationally than it has since the pandemic began in early 2020. The exact number of cases is hard to determine, as “walking pneumonia” isn’t a condition that is required to be reported to public health departments. The CDC does, however, have data from the National Syndromic Surveillance Program (NSSP), which collects patient information and diagnoses from emergency departments across the country.

KTLA 5

Highly Contagious Whooping Cough Rises In California To Highest Level In Years

Whooping cough — a highly contagious and potentially dangerous illness — has surged in California this year, staging a comeback to levels not seen since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Across California, there were fewer than 300 reported cases of whooping cough, also known as pertussis, all of last year. This year, there were 1,744 reported cases statewide as of the end of September, according to the California Department of Public Health. Those at highest risk from whooping cough are infants younger than 1 year old, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Other people at higher risk of severe illness include those who are immunocompromised or who have moderate-to-severe asthma. In Los Angeles County, there have been 347 confirmed and probable whooping cough cases so far this year, up from 126 reported in all of 2023 and more than quadruple the 2022 total. Nationwide, the number of reported whooping cough cases in 2024 is higher than what was reported in 2019, the last year before the COVID-19 pandemic. In recent years, many common respiratory illnesses saw large declines in transmission — in part because of the preventive measures put in place to combat the coronavirus. So far in 2024, the number of whooping cough cases in Los Angeles County is 3.5 times higher than at the same point last year.

Los Angeles Times

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.