Memorial bike ride for fallen LAPD officer

Over 100 cyclists honored fallen LAPD Officer Paul Jordan with a 37-mile memorial bike ride. Jordan, a 29-year veteran and avid cyclist, was tragically killed in an off-duty car accident. The ride, starting at the LAPD Academy, traversed Griffith Park, Burbank, Glendale, and La Cañada Flintridge, celebrating Jordan's life and dedication to the Police Unity Tour.

FOX 11 Video

Pacoima Mom's Suspected Killer Had Been Deported 10 Times, ICE Says

The family of 35-year-old Karen Ruiz, who authorities say was killed by her ex-boyfriend in front of her 3-year-old daughter in Pacoima, is heartbroken and outraged by the woman's death. They say that the tragedy that occurred on Jan. 6 could have been prevented if Herbert Nixon Flores, who allegedly committed the slaying, had not been released after being arrested for domestic abuse. According to Ruiz’s family, Flores, 46, had severely beaten Ruiz in August, and in September he had been arrested. However, the man was released on bail, just days after the arrest. "We had texts, calls, and messages saying that he was going to kill her," said a relative. In addition to the domestic abuse report, Flores had an extensive criminal record that included theft, illegal possession of weapons, transportation of controlled substances, and identity forgery, and he was an undocumented immigrant, according to an ICE statement. In the statement, ICE blamed sanctuary laws and said the Los Angeles Police Department did not turn him over to immigration for deportation. “Flores was a Salvadoran citizen illegally present in the country with a criminal record and sentences spanning 30 years. Since 1990 he has been deported from the United States 10 times."

NBC 4

Jury begins deliberations in drug overdose deaths of model and friend

Jurors have started deliberations in the trial of a Hollywood producer charged with murder in connection with the drug overdose deaths of a model and her friend. Forty-two-year-old David Brian Pearce was arrested in December 2021, but wasn't initially charged in the deaths of Christy Giles, a 24-year-old model and aspiring actress, and her friend, Hilda Marcela Cabrales-Arzola, 26. A grand jury charged Pearce with murder in connection with the deaths of the two women a year later in December of 2022. The jury also charged him with three counts of forcible rape, two counts of sexual penetration by use of force and one count each of rape of an unconscious person and sodomy by use of force. Three men were initially arrested in connection with the deaths after the LAPD began investigating claims from the family of Giles that she and her friend were drugged during a night of partying in Los Angeles on Nov. 12, 2021. At the time, LAPD reported three masked men dropped the women off at hospitals in Culver City and Kaiser Permanente West Los Angeles hospital. They were in a black Toyota Prius without license plates.

NBC 4

Police: Knife-Wielding Suspect Holed Up in Westlake Is Arrested

A suspect who allegedly attacked a security officer with a knife and temporarily holed up inside a location in the Westlake area has been arrested, authorities said Sunday. Officers were dispatched at 9:55 p.m. Saturday to the 800 block of South Burlington Avenue regarding an assault with a deadly weapon suspect, according to the Los Angeles Police Department’s Media Relations Division. The suspect had allegedly attacked a security officer with a knife, but did not wound him. The suspect then holed up at a location in the area, but was subsequently arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon. No further information was immediately available.

MyNewsLA

Law enforcement issues dispersal order, closes in on protesters in downtown LA

A rally opposing the Trump administration's immigration crackdown descended upon downtown Los Angeles on Sunday, at times blocking the 101 Freeway. Droves of protesters flocked to downtown Los Angeles in what police described as a “non-permitted demonstration.” LAPD said it was monitoring a peaceful protest that made its way to City Hall and then moved onto the freeway, according to Officer Lee. Video taken from the rally showed hundreds of demonstrators chanting, marching, and holding up signs referencing President Donald Trump's harsh stance on immigration. It’s unclear if the large group obtained a permit for their rally, LAPD said. As a result of the demonstration, Spring Street was closed from 1st Street to Temple Street. By 1:30 p.m., the protesters moved off the freeway and lanes were reopened. Another group of protesters blocked the 101 Freeway near Boyle Heights. Police officers tried to get them to head west and off the freeway.

NBC 4

Carjacking suspect leads LAPD on pursuit into Tarzana

A carjacking suspect led police on a pursuit through Los Angeles Friday night. The Los Angeles Police Department started the pursuit before it entered the northbound side of the 405 Freeway after the Beverly Hills Police Department stopped chasing the suspect. It continued through the San Fernando Valley after the suspect entered the 101 Freeway. The driver exited the freeway and continued the pursuit through a Tarzana neighborhood before ditching the car. Three suspects left the vehicle. One suspect disappeared from view after walking onto a large property near Cassandra Street and Amigo Avenue. 

CBS 2

Man agrees to plead guilty to flying drone that damaged firefighting aircraft in L.A. wildfire

The pilot of a drone that crashed into a firefighting plane, leaving a gaping hole and grounding the aircraft during the deadly Palisades Fire in Los Angeles, has agreed to plead guilty to a misdemeanor count of unsafely operating a drone, federal authorities said Friday. Peter Tripp Akemann faces up to one year in prison, and a judge will determine his sentence, acting U.S. attorney Joseph McNally said. As part of the plea agreement, he will have to complete 150 hours of wildfire-related community service and pay $65,000 in restitution for the damage to the plane, McNally said. Akemann appeared in court Friday and will remain out of jail under court supervision during his case. He has not yet entered his plea. Authorities say Akemann launched the drone from the top of a parking structure in Santa Monica on Jan. 9 and flew it more than 1.5 miles toward the Palisades Fire before losing sight of it. It then crashed with the Super Scooper that was carrying two firefighters. The planes can scoop 1,500 gallons (6,000 liters) of water in just seconds. 

Associated Press

Southern California man catfished young girl, convinced her to send sexual images

A Southern California man was sentenced to over 15 years in prison for producing sexually explicit images of young girls he met online. John Matthew Piecuch, 64, of Hemet, was sentenced to 188 months in federal prison, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced Friday. Pieuch met the victim, a 12-year-old-girl, on Roblox, an online gaming platform. He falsely told the girl that he was a 13-year-old boy. In January 2021, Piecuch began texting the girl and eventually persuaded her to send him sexually explicit images of herself. He also convinced her to take sexually explicit photos of a 5-year-old girl who was her relative, prosecutors said. The 12-year-old’s mother eventually saw some of the text messages between her daughter and Piecuch on the girl’s phone and immediately contacted law enforcement. In August 2021, Piecuch was taken into custody. In July 2024, he pleaded guilty to one count of production of child pornography. 

KTLA 5

Michigan trooper injured after DUI driver crashes into cruiser

A Flint man is in the Saginaw County Jail after crashing into a Michigan State Police patrol vehicle on Interstate 75. An MSP trooper around 6:45 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 29 , was investigating a minor crash on northbound I-75 near M-46 in Buena Vista Township. Another northbound vehicle crashed into the trooper’s patrol vehicle, the impact shoving it forward into the first stopped vehicle. The trooper was outside his vehicle when the collision happened but suffered minor injuries as he jumped out of the way. The occupants in the first vehicle also suffered minor injuries, for which they and the trooper were taken to an area hospital for treatment. Police arrested the 50-year-old man driving the striking vehicle on a charge of operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated.

PoliceOne

Los Angeles crews fully contain Palisades and Eaton fires

After nearly a month, the Palisades and Eaton fires in Los Angeles County have reached 100% containment, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. The two blazes started on Jan. 7 amid a "life-threatening" Santa Ana storm that produced 100 mph gusts. The howling winds hampered firefighting efforts throughout Southern California by grounding all water and retardant-dropping aircraft until weather conditions improved. With flames raging out of control, crews had little chance of stopping embers from spreading to homes. "The conditions, that night, were unbearable," LA County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said during an interview with 60 Minutes. "It was a devil wind that came out, you know, that extreme Santa Ana wind condition." At its height, the fires placed an estimated 331,335 people on an evacuation advisory, with nearly 192,000 residents facing mandatory evacuation and roughly 140,000 subject to warnings. For perspective, 331,335 people can fill SoFi Stadium three times over. The blazes burned a combined 37,469 acres and leveled entire communities in the Pacific Palisades and Altadena neighborhoods of LA County. 

CBS 2

One Unit at Vermont Square Apartment Damaged by Flames

It took 24 firefighters 15 minutes to put out flames that were showing from a second floor unit of a two-story apartment building in the Vermont Square area of Los Angeles Saturday evening. The fire was reported at 5:58 p.m. Saturday at 1915 W. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., said the Los Angeles Fire Department’s Margaret Stewart. Damage was confined to the unit of origin and no injuries were reported, Stewart said.

MyNewsLA

Los Angeles County officials preparing for rain in vulnerable burn zones

With more rain in the forecast for the coming week, L.A. County officials are scrambling to prepare the region for precipitation that could severely impact areas recently burned by wildfires. A bulletin issued by L.A. County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath’s office states that crews have been using heavy equipment to prepare burn areas and protect the flood control district. According to Horvath’s office, around 400 cubic yards of mud and debris was in the process of being removed from the Cloudcroft Basin, located in the Castellammare area of Pacific Palisades near the Getty Villa, on Sunday morning. Large k-rail infrastructure to protect homes and the ocean from debris is also being installed. It was initially announced that Pacific Coast Highway and other parts of the Pacific Palisades would be open for public access on Sunday; however, due to residents’ concerns about crime, the checkpoints to enter the area will remain in place. At a press conference held Sunday morning, Supervisor Horvath reminded affected residents to apply for phase two of the county’s debris removal program by visiting recovery.lacounty.gov.

KTLA 5

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.