Victims driven across South Los Angeles in reported kidnapping

The Los Angeles Police Department is looking into a reported kidnapping where victims were allegedly forced into a vehicle and driven across South L.A. Two women told police they were forced into the car by three men at 111th Street and Compton Avenue in Watts around 2 a.m. Monday morning, an LAPD spokesperson confirmed to KTLA. 

KTLA 5

LAPD officer injured in South LA crash

An LAPD officer is in the hospital after a head-on crash in South Los Angeles. It happened Sunday night in the 2700 block of West Florence Avenue. Paramedics rushed the officer to a hospital after the crash. His current condition is unknown. The driver of the other car was questioned, but police haven't disclosed the cause of the crash or if the man will face any charges. The investigation is ongoing.

FOX 11

Fitness influencer dies three months after being shot during attempted robbery

A fitness influencer shot during an attempted robbery outside his West L.A. home three months ago has died. Miguel Angel Aguilar, the founder and CEO of Self Made Training, had been hospitalized in critical condition following the Sept. 13 shooting in the 11400 block of North Thurston Circle. He died on Saturday, according to a statement posted on his Instagram. “Miguel was more than just a leader; he was a visionary, an inspiration, a mentor, a father, a husband, family, and a dear friend to many,” the statement read. “His unwavering dedication to Self Made Training Facility, his passion for the fitness industry and entrepreneurial spirit have left an enduring legacy.” In September, Aguilar and his wife were confronted in their driveway by multiple armed people who demanded property from them, according to the LAPD. During the attempted robbery, one of them shot at Aguilar, striking him in the head. The suspects fled the scene and one of them, later identified as Mario Melara, was critically wounded during the confrontation. Melara later died from his injuries, according to the LAPD. Jason Melara, Daymonee Johnson and Mahki Taylor were arrested Oct. 10 in Northern California in connection to the shooting and attempted robbery.

Los Angeles Times

19-year-old fatally shot near his Los Angeles home after dropping sister off at work, family says 

The heartbroken family of a man who was shot to death in Boyle Heights earlier this week has identified the victim as a teenager who was returning home from dropping his sister off at work. A Los Angeles Police Department spokesperson told KTLA that the shooting occurred around midnight on Wednesday in the 500 block of South Grande Vista Avenue near Lanfranco Street. When officers arrived at the scene, they located a man inside a Kia Soul who had sustained gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene. While police did not release the victim’s identity, his family identified him as 19-year-old Jason Alexander Ramirez. Jason’s brother Angel told KTLA that he was coming back from dropping his sister off at work and was just a few houses down from his own residence when he was shot. Angel says that witness accounts and surveillance footage indicate that four teenaged male suspects were “lurking” in the vicinity of Jason’s home at the time he arrived in the area.

KTLA 5

71-year-old pedestrian suffers severe injuries in hit-and-run crash in Koreatown area

Police are seeking help from the public in locating a hit-and-run driver who left a man in his 70s with severe injuries in the Koreatown area last week. It happened on Friday at around 6:40 p.m., when a pedestrian was standing beside his car on southbound New Hampshire Avenue, just south of Eighth Street, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. They say that the driver of a white Ford F-150 hit the man and continued driving without stopping to help and were last seen driving westbound on James M. Woo Boulevard. Paramedics rushed the man to the hospital for treatment on severe injuries. A standing reward of up to $50,000 is offered by the city of Los Angeles through a trust fund for hit-and-run investigations. Anyone with information that leads to the identification, arrest and conviction of the suspect is urged to contact LAPD detectives at (213) 473-0238.

CBS 2

Police investigating possible shooting, burglary in Beverly Crest

Law enforcement was investigating a possible shooting and burglary at a Beverly Crest mansion Friday night. Officers responded to a call around 7:18 p.m. in the 2500 block of Summit Ridge Drive. According to the LAPD, a security guard possibly shot at the suspected burglars. It's unclear if anyone was injured. Police were searching the area for two possible suspects.

NBC 4

TSA agents at LAX discover replica guns, knives and more in woman's carry-on, officials say

TSA agents at Los Angeles International Airport found knives, replica firearms and more in what the security agency has described as an "extremely concerning" discovery inside a woman's carry-on luggage, officials said Friday. The collection of dozens of prohibited items that agents discovered when the woman was passing through security at LAX's Terminal 4 Sunday night for a flight to Philadephia "surprised even the longest tenured and most experienced TSA officer," the Transportation Security Administration said in a statement. The bag was flagged to be checked after going through a routine X-ray screening. "The sheer number of prohibited items discovered in a single carry-on bag is extremely concerning," LAX TSA Federal Security Director Jason Pantages said in the statement. Eighty-two consumer grade fireworks, two replica guns, three knives and a container of pepper spray were found in the passenger's bag, leading to agents calling in airport police who then interviewed the woman and called in a bomb squad, according to TSA.

CBS 2

California man arrested on suspicion of beheading 1-year-old son, authorities say

A Sacramento County father has been arrested on suspicion of beheading his 1-year-old son, sheriff’s officials said. Andrey Demskiy, 28, was arrested and booked Friday on felony charges of murder, assault by means of force likely to produce great bodily injury, and corporal injury on a spouse in connection with the child’s death, according to authorities and jail records. He is being held in the Sacramento County Main Jail and is ineligible for bail. Sheriff’s deputies responded to a family disturbance call at a house in the 7500 block of Versailles Way in Sacramento County early Friday morning, sheriff’s officials said on social media. A woman outside the home told them that her husband, Andrey Demskiy, had assaulted her and her mother, who was transported to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Deputies then attempted to contact Demskiy but he refused to answer the door, authorities said. When they learned that a 1-year-old boy was inside the home and had possibly been injured, deputies forced entry and attempted to detain Demskiy, who resisted, authorities said.

Los Angeles Times

BWC: Man uses 1-year-old son as ‘human shield,’ stabs Mich. officers

A 1-year-old in a locked car sat on his father’s lap as the 23-year-old refused to surrender to officers saying he was under arrest, Michigan video shows. Newly released body camera footage of the Dec. 11 incident shows the altercation between Bay City officers and the man, police said in a Dec. 18 Facebook post. The dad is seen locked in the car with his 1-year-old son sitting in the front seat as police told him he was accused of violating his bond conditions and under arrest, video shows. McClatchy News is not naming the father to protect the identity of the child. The man refused to get out of the car, telling police in the video that he did not violate his bond. After minutes of arguing, the man started to drive the car as police and his family members surrounded it, yelling at the man to stop, according to the video. The toddler, whose face was blurred, could be seen in the man’s lap. The man also told police, “You’re gonna have to kill me because I didn’t break the law.” As he continually refused to get out of the car and yelled at police through the window, officers threatened to break one of the windows, video showed. They discussed in the video breaking the rear windows to avoid hurting the child.

Merced Sun-Star

Luigi Mangione pleads not guilty to murder, terror, weapons charges in UnitedHealthcare CEO’s death

The man accused of fatally shooting the CEO of UnitedHealthcare pleaded not guilty on Monday to state murder and terror charges while his attorney complained that statements coming from New York’s mayor would make it tough to receive a fair trial. Luigi Mangione, 26, was shackled and seated in a Manhattan court when he leaned over to a microphone to enter his plea. The Manhattan district attorney formally charged him last week with multiple counts of murder, including murder as an act of terrorism, in a state case that will run parallel to his federal prosecution. His initial appearance in New York’s state trial court was preempted by federal prosecutors bringing their own charges over the shooting. The federal charges could carry the possibility of the death penalty, while the maximum sentence for the state charges is life in prison without parole. Prosecutors have said the two cases will proceed on parallel tracks, with the state charges expected to go to trial first. One of Mangione’s attorneys told a judge that government officials, including New York Mayor Eric Adams, have turned Mangione into a political pawn, robbing him of his rights as a defendant and tainting the jury pool.

Associated Press

72-year-old handicapped man found dead after house fire in Eagle Rock, LAFD says

Firefighters discovered a 72-year-old man dead while battling a fire Sunday at a single-story home in Eagle Rock, authorities said. The 45 firefighters dispatched at 11:27 a.m. to the 5200 block of N. Townsend Avenue had the flames out within 31 minutes of their arrival, the Los Angeles Fire Department reported. "Preliminary reports stated a possible trapped person inside the structure," LAFD's Jennifer Middleton said. "Unfortunately, firefighters did find an occupant who had perished and was unable to be revived." That person has not been identified but LAFD said the fire victim was handicapped, which could have hindered him being able to evacuate. The agency said the man was the only person inside the home at the time of the fire. "Firefighters were met with excessive storage in the dwelling, which hampered entry to the dwelling as well as reaching the room of origin," Middleton added. No other injuries were reported. Fire crews were able to prevent the fire from spreading to nearby homes. The cause of the fire was under investigation.

ABC 7

Fire Crews Knock Down House Fire in Los Feliz

Crews knocked down a structure fire Monday that broke out at a home in Los Feliz, authorities said. Units responded at around 8:40 a.m. Monday to the 4400 hundred block of West Ambrose Terrace, near the intersection of North Commonwealth Avenue, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. “A hazmat squad was requested to mitigate any dangers from 3 lithium ion battery powered scooters affected by the blaze,” a dispatcher with the department said in a statement. Forty-two firefighters extinguished the blaze within 19 minutes of arrival, fire officials said. No injuries were immediately reported. The cause of the fire and amount of any property lost was unclear.

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.