Email from Los Angeles Police Protective League Daily News & Updates Law Enforcement News Man Pleads Not Guilty in Exchange of Gunfire That Injured Two Officers A man who allegedly wounded two Los Angeles Police Department officers in an exchange of gunfire last month pleaded not guilty Wednesday to attempted murder and other counts. Nija Hill, 30, is charged with nine felony counts, including two counts of attempted murder of a peace officer, three counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm and one count each of attempted second-degree robbery, attempted extortion, attempted carjacking and possession of a firearm by a felon, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. Officers were responding to a radio call in the area of 92nd Street and South Central Avenue at about 9 p.m. Nov. 1 when Hill — who had allegedly confronted two people in an alley and then allegedly threatened others with a firearm — immediately fled and led police on a short foot pursuit, according to a statement released by Los Angeles police. Hill allegedly fired at officers during the pursuit, striking both of them, near the 9200 block of South Central Avenue, then unsuccessfully tried to carjack a vehicle in the area of 93rd Street and Clovis Avenue, police said. SWAT officers found Hill in the area of 92nd Street and Wadsworth Avenue following an extensive search and he was taken into custody without incident, police said. MyNewsLA Boyle Heights teen in custody after deadly shooting A 17-year-old was in custody after a 20-year-old man was gunned down in Boyle Heights overnight. Officers with the Los Angeles Police Department were called to an area near the intersection of Sixth Street and Grande Vista Avenue after a call of shots fired. When officers arrived at the scene, the suspect ran away. Officers then searched the area and found the victim suffering from gunshot wounds inside a car. He was declared dead at the scene. The suspect was later arrested and taken into custody. The name of the victim has not been released by authorities. FOX 11 FBI agents search home of L.A. deputy mayor over City Hall bomb threat FBI agents searched the home of a Los Angeles deputy mayor on Tuesday as part of an investigation into whether he made a bomb threat against City Hall, officials said. Zach Seidl, a spokesperson for Mayor Karen Bass, said she was notified that the search took place at the home of Brian K. Williams, her deputy mayor for public safety, as part of an investigation into a bomb threat Williams “allegedly made” this year. In a separate statement, the Los Angeles Police Department identified Williams as the “likely” source of the bomb threat. “Earlier this year the LAPD responded to a bomb threat made against Los Angeles City Hall,” the department’s statement said. “Our initial investigation revealed that the source of the threat was likely from Brian Williams, Deputy Mayor for Public Safety. Due to the Department’s working relationship with Mr. Williams, the investigation was referred to the FBI. The FBI remains the investigating agency.” Williams has been placed on administrative leave, said Seidl, who declined to provide additional details. “The Mayor takes this matter very seriously,” he said. “When the threat was reported, LAPD investigated and determined there was no immediate danger. Following additional investigation, LAPD referred this matter to the FBI for further investigation.” Los Angeles Times LAPD asking for help finding missing 13-year-old girl The Los Angeles Police Department asked for help finding a 13-year-old girl who did not come home from school last week. Naomi Daniella Santos, 13, left at around 8 a.m. to attend classes at Magnolia Science Academy, which is roughly 5.5 miles away from her North Hills home. After school, Santos was supposed to take public transportation and meet her mother at Parthenia Street and Tobias Avenue. However, she never arrived and has not been located since. Her family said she has not contacted them since her disappearance. Police described her as a 5-foot-tall teenager weighing roughly 110 pounds. She was last seen wearing a blue sweater and gray pants. She was also carrying a blue backpack. Anyone with information about her disappearance is urged to contact detectives at (818) 838-9810 or (818) 838-9800. Callers during non-business hours should contact 1(877) 527-3247. Those wishing to stay anonymous should contact LA Regional Crime Stoppers at 1(800) 222-8477 or through their website: lacrimestoppers.org. CBS 2 5 arrested amid retail theft blitz operation in Westfield Topanga Mall area Police in Los Angeles arrested five people this week in connection with organized retail theft in the area of Canoga Park, officials announced. Officers with the Los Angeles Police Department’s Topanga Division ran a series of blitz operations, where police proactively saturate an impacted area with personnel and resources, on Dec. 17. Of the three operations, one was at a store inside Westfield Topanga Mall in the 6600 block of Topanga Canyon Drive. Another was at a retailer in the 21400 block of Victory Boulevard and a store inside Fallbrook Mall in the 6600 block of Fallbrook Avenue, according to an LAPD news release. The five suspects arrested during the operations were identified as: 64-year-old Javid Gholami; 55-year-old Artemus Shydian; 54-year-old Diana Aragon; 20-year-old Jacob Beccera; and 18-year-old Tanner Talei. Several of the suspects, according to police, were cited and released while others had pending warrants and were taken into custody. Officials did not specify who was taken to jail. KTLA 5 $150,000 worth of stolen merchandise discovered in Southern California retail theft bust A Southern California man was arrested after police discovered $150,000 worth of stolen merchandise during a retail theft bust. The suspect was identified as Wendell Rios, 35, of Costa Mesa, according to the Costa Mesa Police Department. Detectives working an undercover operation contacted Rios on Wednesday to purchase items he listed through an online marketplace. Rios handed officers the items which were allegedly stolen, police said. Rios was arrested at the scene. Inside his car, officers found around $54,000 worth of stolen merchandise from retail stores. Police also found counterfeit headphones. A search warrant at Rios’ home led to the discovery of over $10,000 worth of stolen high-end products and designer fragrances, police said. Over $23,000 in cash was also located. There were reportedly even more stolen items found in a storage unit nearby. In total, police found around $150,000 worth of stolen goods. Photos of the bust showed the suspect had a collection of luxury fragrances from Chanel, Versace, Dior, Maison Francis Kurkdjian and more. There were also boxes of stolen Dyson Airwraps, a high-end hair-styling tool, Apple AirPods Max, and more unlisted merchandise. KTLA 5 Prop 36 takes effect in California. What it means for retail theft and drug possession penalties Proposition 36, which increases punishments for some retail theft and drug possession offenses, went into effect Wednesday morning in California. Voters overwhelmingly passed the prop back in November with a 69% majority. The statewide prop was one of 10 on the Nov. 5 ballot. Here’s what Prop 36 does: Turning some misdemeanors to felonies: Under Prop 47, theft crimes such as shoplifting and burglary involving items that are valued less than $950 are classified as misdemeanors. Also all drug possessions, including fentanyl and methamphetamine, are considered misdemeanors. But Prop 36 will undo some of those penalty reductions and turn those misdemeanors into felonies, especially if a person committed similar crimes in the past. This would also mean a conviction would lead to a sentence of up to three years in county jail or state prison. Longer sentences: Under Prop 36, if a group of three or more people commit a crime together, such as flash-mob robberies that have affected retailers since the pandemic, their felony sentences can be extended by up to three years. Under Prop 36, people convicted of selling hard drugs could get a longer sentence based on the amount they sold. Unlike Prop 47, the new ballot measure seeks to require people to serve their time in prison. NBC 4 Video: Man attempts to steal car, pins Connecticut officer A 19-year-old Waterbury man was arrested after he injured an officer while he was trying to steal a car, police said. David Hernandez was charged with assault on an officer, drinking while driving, interfering with an officer, first-degree criminal mischief, operating a motor vehicle without a license and unsafe movement of a stopped vehicle, Waterbury Police Lt. Ryan Bessette said in a news release Monday. He is being held on a $250,000 bond, Bessette said. Police responded to a residence on Wood Street at 10:04 a.m. on Dec. 10 after a woman reported that a man, later identified as Hernandez, was trying to steal her vehicle, Bessette said. Arriving officers saw Hernandez inside the vehicle and told him to get out, but he did not listen, Bessette said. “Hernandez did not comply with officers commands and put the vehicle into drive and attempted to flee, while the officer was partially pinned between the vehicle and the patrol car. In an effort to prevent further harm, the officer applied pressure to the vehicle’s brake pedal, bringing the car to a stop,” Bessette said. Journal Inquirer, Manchester, Conn. Public Safety News LAFD firefighters collect donated Spark of Love toys at Costco in Los Feliz Los Angeles firefighters loaded donated toys onto fire trucks after Costco employees and customers donated the holiday gifts to ABC7's annual Spark of Love toy drive. The LAFD firefighters picked up the presents at the warehouse store in Los Feliz. The Costco location has marked boxes out in the open where people can drop off an unwrapped, brand-new toy. And donors have generously filled those boxes with thousands of toys. Each toy is destined to bring joy to a local child in need this holiday season. ABC 7 Hospital in Los Angeles seeks help identifying unresponsive patient A hospital in Los Angeles is asking for the public’s help in identifying a patient admitted last month. The unidentified male was hospitalized at around 7 p.m. on Nov. 20 after he was found unresponsive on 4th and Union Street, hospital officials said in a news release. Described as a Hispanic male, approximately 50-60 years old, the patient was admitted without any documentation or evidence of his identity. He stands 5 feet 7 inches tall, weighing approximately 165 pounds with brown eyes and black and gray hair. Hospital officials added that the patient was admitted wearing blue jeans and a black t-shirt and was carrying a set of four keys. Anyone with information about the patient, who may know him or his family is urged to contact Dignity Health at 213-507-5495 or 213-742-5511. KTLA 5 Firefighters put out multiple fires overnight in the Sherman Oaks area Firefighters had to put out at least three fires late Tuesday night into Wednesday, including a carport fire at a Sherman Oaks apartment complex destroyed at least five cars. Just before 10:30 p.m. Tuesday night, a person is seen on video going up to the carport and heading toward that white car. The person shifts around a bit, bends over, then you see a bright orange light -- come from the area where the person’s hand is. The ring video skips two minutes and that’s when the entire carport was in flames. A man ran out of his apartment, panicked. The resident who shared this ring video said he showed it to arson investigations and wants to stay anonymous. He said he now needs to figure out where to stay. The Los Angeles Fire Department said multiple cars were on fire in the carport behind the apartment building. At least two of the apartment units have broken windows and there is damage to the electrical panels and lines. The video showed neighbors frantically helping each other evacuate from the uncontrollable blaze, along with their pets with only seconds to spare as those flames spread to their homes. NBC 4 Gov. Newsom declares state of emergency to address bird flu outbreak California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency Wednesday to bolster the statewide response to the ongoing bird flu outbreak. In recent days, the outbreak has spread from the California Central Valley to the entirety of SoCal after it was detected at four dairies. Those specific locations are currently undisclosed. “This proclamation is a targeted action to ensure government agencies have the resources and flexibility they need to respond quickly to this outbreak,'' Newsom said in a statement. “While the risk to the public remains low, we will continue to take all necessary steps to prevent the spread of this virus.'' Thus far, 34 Californians have been infected with the virus – with all but one being linked to cattle. The source of the last case is still under investigation. There have been 61 human cases reported nationally. Health officials say the virus is still primarily an animal health issue and the risk to the general public remains low. 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. 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