Email from Los Angeles Police Protective League Daily News & Updates   Law Enforcement News Stay home and off the roads, officials warn during Southern California wildfires Amid a spate of devastating wildfires in the Los Angeles area, city and county officials on Wednesday had a simple message for Angelenos: Stay home if you can. Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell pointed out that the blazes, including the Palisades Fire in Pacific Palisades and the Woodley Fire near the Sepulveda Basin, have worsened a problem “that we’re used to dealing with here”: traffic. “This will be an extra test of gridlock in many places due to people not having access to their normal routes,” he said. “I would say that if you have an ability to be able to stay out of the Westside today to telecommute or to work from home, as long as your employers are good with that, to take advantage of that. The air is very tough today, for particularly those who are challenged medically, if you can stay home and work from there, I would recommend that.” KTLA Pedestrian Killed in South LA Hit-and-Run A 40-year-old man was fatally injured in a hit-and-run collision in South Los Angeles, authorities said Wednesday. The crash occurred around 7:20 p.m. Tuesday when the pedestrian was crossing Figueroa Street at West 53rd Street in an unmarked crosswalk close to the Harbor (110) Freeway, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. “A vehicle traveling northbound on Figueroa Street at a high rate of speed collided with the pedestrian,” police said. “After striking the pedestrian, the suspect vehicle fled northbound Figueroa Street without stopping and rendering aid to the pedestrian.” The victim was pronounced dead at the scene. His identity was being withheld pending notification of next of kin. Further details on the vehicle and suspect were unavailable. Anyone with information regarding the collision was asked to contact LAPD South Traffic Division detectives at 323-421-2500, or 877-527-3247 during non-business hours. Tipsters who wish to remain anonymous can call 800-222-8477 or visit lacrimestoppers.org. MyNewsLA Fatal Hit and Run in Marina Del Rey A pedestrian was killed Wednesday in a hit-and-run collision in the Marina del Rey area, authorities said. An older model red Toyota Tacoma was traveling north on Lincoln Boulevard at around 5:35 a.m. Wednesday when it collided with a pedestrian heading east while crossing Lincoln Boulevard between Fiji Way and the Culver Boulevard overpass, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Paramedics from the Los Angeles Fire Department pronounced the victim dead at the scene. The name of the pedestrian was being withheld by the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner pending notification of relatives. “Motorists are reminded that if they become involved in a collision, they should pull over and stop as soon as it is safe to do so, notify emergency services, and remain at the scene to identify themselves,” the police department said in a statement. The city is offering a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to the suspect’s identity, arrest and conviction. MyNewsLA Late Laker Darius Morris’ dad, brother sentenced to prison for money order thefts of $5 million The father and brother of Darius Morris, a former Lakers and Clippers guard who died at age 33 in May, were sentenced Wednesday to federal prison for stealing up to $5.1-million worth of U.S. Postal Service money orders. Dewayne Morris Jr. was sentenced to 12 years, and his father, Dewayne Morris Sr., to seven years. They were found guilty of conspiracy and three counts of bank fraud following a jury trial in federal court in February, three months before Darius died in his Los Angeles-area apartment of coronary artery disease and a drug overdose. Morris Jr. also was found guilty of witness tampering. Morris Jr., 41, has been in custody since May 26, 2022, when he was first arraigned on the witness tampering charge, and Morris Sr., 65, has been in custody since Feb. 6, 2024, the day the jury returned its verdict. Both will receive credit for time served. Morris Sr., a career U.S. Postal Service supervisor for post offices in Venice, Playa del Rey and Marina del Rey, was accused of obtaining 10,000 blank postal money orders and Morris Jr. of fraudulently depositing about 5,000 of them in bank accounts then withdrawing the cash. A subsequent audit revealed that approximately 5,100 of those 10,000 money order forms were missing. Los Angeles Times 2 looters arrested in wildfire evacuation zone, LA County Sheriff says Thousands of people have been evacuated across Los Angeles County as firefighters battle four major wildfires that broke out amid a dangerous, life-threatening windstorm. During a press conference Wednesday, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said two looters were arrested Wednesday morning in evacuation zones and issued a stark warning to anyone thinking of committing any further crimes. "If you are thinking of coming into any of these areas to steal from our residents, you're going to get caught, you're going to be arrested, and you're going to be prosecuted," Luna said. "Don't do that! Stay out of these areas. It's only for emergency workers and people who live there." Further details on the arrests made were not available. FOX 11 California motor deputy killed in traffic crash on duty A Riverside County sheriff’s motorcycle deputy died in an on-duty traffic collision on the 91 Freeway in Riverside on Wednesday, Jan. 8, Sheriff Chad Bianco said. “With immense sadness & a heavy heart, I must report that the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office has lost another deputy in a line-of-duty death,” Bianco said in a social-media post. Deputy Timothy Corlew, assigned to the Jurupa Valley station, was riding in the left lane of the westbound 91 Freeway east of La Sierra Avenue when the bike and a sedan collided at about 5:35 a.m. The motorcycle was left upside down and the sedan with rear-end damage. Details of the collision were not available Wednesday morning. The California Highway Patrol is investigating the collision. Scores of officers, along with firefighters, gathered in front of Riverside Community Hospital for a procession. Officers came from throughout Southern California, including Desert Hot Springs , Tustin and Whittier. The procession left at 10 a.m. and traveled to the Coroner’s Office in Perris. The Press-Enterprise Video: Woman who said she’d do ‘something stupid’ lunges at S.C. officers with knife before fatal OIS Newly released body camera footage and 911 audio reveal the events leading to Greenville County deputies fatally shooting a woman who threatened deputies with a knife after telling dispatchers she was going to do “something stupid,” the Post and Courier reported. Officers found the woman armed with a knife outside a Food Lion in the early hours of Nov. 23, 2024, according to the report. Sheriff Hobart Lewis later deemed the shooting justified under the department’s use-of-force policy. The incident began when Lewis called 911 stating she was “planning on doing something stupid.” While she denied feeling suicidal, she warned the dispatcher she might harm deputies if they arrived. Two deputies responded to the plaza and attempted to engage the woman in conversation. Body camera footage shows her pulling out a kitchen knife and lunging at one of the deputies. Deputies deployed a TASER and repeatedly ordered her to drop the weapon. In an effort to de-escalate, deputies spoke with the woman for several minutes, offering support and using less-lethal options, including a beanbag shotgun. One deputy encouraged her to seek help. “I think you called because you know you want to do the right thing,” the deputy can be heard saying. PoliceOne When Pregnancy Makes You a Target Adrienne Rodriguez held her head high as she walked to the front of the courtroom. On her right, her friends and relatives filled the three wooden pews in the back of the room. To her left, the rows on the defendant’s side sat empty. Rodriguez was at the DeKalb County Courthouse in Georgia on that muggy Wednesday morning in August to give a victim impact statement. The room was quiet as she took the stand. Her eyes focused on the accused, whom she once considered a son, now seated next to his public defender. Rodriguez fixed the top button of her pink blouse and took a deep breath before speaking to the charges: second-degree murder and feticide. She would tell the judge she did not think it was right for the man before her, her daughter’s long-term boyfriend, to go free before his trial. More than a year earlier, in February 2023, Rodriguez’s only daughter, Shaniyah Rodriguez, was shot and killed, leading to the premature birth and eventual death of her child. The baby had depended on a respiratory machine for 137 days, during which her grandmother hardly ever left her side. She had named her Millianni. The Trace Gun Violence by the Numbers in 2024 Gun violence in the United States continued to decline significantly in 2024, providing yet another signal that the pandemic-era surge has come to an end. Firearm deaths and injuries dropped for a third straight year. Homicides in major cities, mass shootings, and child and teen gun deaths also fell. Yet the toll of gun violence remains. Even as shootings decline, tens of thousands of lives continue to be lost or permanently changed by guns. Data helps provide a clearer picture of gun violence trends, informing prevention efforts and highlighting both the progress made and the challenges that remain. Below, we examine 13 statistics that help shed light on America’s gun violence epidemic. 16,576 - the number of firearm deaths, excluding suicides, in 2024. Gun deaths decreased for a third consecutive year, dropping 12 percent from 2023’s total of nearly 19,000. While still slightly above pre-pandemic levels, gun deaths this year were 21 percent lower than the pandemic-era peak of more than 21,000 in 2021. These figures, compiled by the nonprofit Gun Violence Archive, include murders, accidental shootings, and homicides deemed legally justified. GVA does not track suicides, which account for more than half of all gun deaths. The Trace Public Safety News Firefighter suffers ‘serious head injury’ fighting Palisades Fire Several people, including at least one firefighter, have been injured as the fast-moving, wind-driven Palisades Fire, officials confirmed to KTLA. The Palisades Fire was first reported around 10:30 a.m. Tuesday in the 1100 block of North Piedra Morada Drive. By evening, the fire had exploded to nearly 3,000 acres and was expected to keep spreading amid unrelenting Santa Ana winds. Fire officials told KTLA’s Mary Beth McDade that several people were injured, three of whom found shelter at Duke’s Malibu in the 21100 block of Pacific Coast Highway, and multiple burn victims were reported at around 9 p.m. less than two miles at Big Rock. “We don’t know how many patients there are yet, but they’re saying there are multiple burn patients, some face injuries and some hand injuries,” one official said. In addition to the civilian injuries, a 25-year-old female firefighter sustained a serious head injury, Erik Scott, a public information officer with Los Angeles Fire Department said in a post to X. “She received immediate treatment at the scene and was transported to a local hospital for further evaluation,” he added. KTLA 5 Karen Bass criticized for cutting LAFD budget by $17.6M amid 3 LA County fires Three major fires fueled by devastating winds have burned more than 20,000 acres in Los Angeles County in just over a day. The winds have made the firefight difficult, particularly for units in the air. Dozens of structures have been destroyed and tens of thousands have been evacuated. While multiple agencies are working together to put out the flames, these fires come just six months after LA Mayor Karen Bass and the LA City Council enacted a new budget which slashed the Los Angeles Fire Department's funding. According to Los Angeles City Controller Kenneth Mejia, the city cut the LAFD's funding by $17.6 million in the 2025 fiscal year, which started on July 1, 2024. Compared to the city's other departments, the LAFD saw the second-largest cut, next to street services. Looking at the budget summaries for the 2023-2024 fiscal year and the 2024-2025 fiscal year though, shows the year-over-year difference is closer to about $30 million. Several LAFD Firefighters have spoken to FOX 11 about their frustrations with the budget cuts, and what they've meant for their ability to fight the fires. FOX 11 Los Angeles fire crews maxed out, assistance comes from outside county and state As three wildfires burn in Los Angeles County Wednesday, with the Palisades and Eaton fires each just over 10,000 acres, out-of-state and outside county assistance continues to roll in as local fire personnel and resources are maxed out. At a morning news conference, Los Angeles County Fire Department Chief Anthony Marrone said all 29 county fire departments are at "a drawdown, with no fire apparatus or additional personnel to spare." Similarly, the Los Angeles Fire Department put out notice of a "recall operation," asking all off-duty crews to report their availability to assist in firefighting -- the first time in 19 years the department has had to turn to this protocol. Mutual aid has been requested from the counties of Orange, Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo since the fires broke out Tuesday amid a red flag warning for the majority of Los Angeles County. As part of California's Governor's Office of Emergency Services, crews from Alameda County, Oakland, Hayward and Fremont fire departments were sent to help fight the LA County fires. Arizona sent a team late Tuesday to assist as well. CBS 2 Hospital Seeks Public’s Help Identifying Patient Found in Downtown L.A. Los Angeles General Medical Center asked for the public’s help Wednesday in identifying a male patient who has been hospitalized since Saturday. The patient was admitted to the hospital for unspecified reasons after being found on East 5th Street in downtown Los Angeles. He is described as a 5-foot-8 Black man about 50 years old, weighing 128 pounds, with salt-and-pepper hair and brown eyes. Anyone with information regarding his identity was urged to contact clinical social worker Cesar Robles at 323-409-6884 on weekdays between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m., or the Los Angeles General Medical Center Department of Social Work at 323-409-5253. MyNewsLA Here's a list of all the wildfire evacuation shelters available in LA County Multiple neighborhoods in Los Angeles have been placed under mandatory evacuation as wildfires rapidly expand across the city. The fires have so far destroyed an estimated 1,000 structures and left multiple people injured, according to LA County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone. Evacuation efforts have been repeatedly complicated by snarled traffic situations as masses attempt to flee on limited highway space and narrow roads. See a list of road closures here. Here's a list of all the available wildfire shelters for people and animals in Los Angeles: List of shelters: Westwood Recreation Center: 1350 S. Sepulveda, Los Angeles; Pasadena Civic Auditorium: 300 E. Green St, Pasadena; El Camino Real Charter High School: 5440 Valley Circle Blvd., Woodland Hills; Ritchie Valens Recreation Center: 10736 Laurel Canyon Blvd, Pacoima; and Sepulveda Recreation Center: Address: 8825 Kester Avenue, Panorama City. According to the Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care & Control, there are multiple shelters across the city currently accepting small and large animals. Please check space availability here. NBC 4 Sunset fire burning in the Hollywood Hills near Runyon Canyon Weary Los Angeles firefighters are dealing with a new fire that broke out Wednesday evening in the Hollywood Hills. The fire is near Runyon Canyon, said LAFD Chief Kristin Crowley. “I don’t have a lot of information,” Crowley said at a Wednesday news conference that had been called to relay information on several other fires burning in the area. “I can tell you, we’re throwing all of our available resources at it as we speak,” the chief said before excusing herself. The blaze, dubbed the Sunset fire, exploded around 5:45 p.m. and appeared to be burning south toward Hollywood Boulevard. An evacuation zone was established between the 101 Freeway and Laurel Canyon and between Mulholland Drive and Hollywood Boulevard, according to the LAFD. Runyon Canyon was closed to the public on Wednesday as a fierce windstorm tore through the region bringing with it extreme fire danger. More than 1,100 buildings have burned and at least five people are dead in wildfires burning across L.A. County, making this one of the most destructive firestorms to hit the region in memory. 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. 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