Man linked to Hollywood Hills killing of rapper Pop Smoke faces up to 29 years in prison

One of four people charged in connection with the fatal shooting of rapper Pop Smoke in Hollywood Hills pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter Wednesday. Corey Walker, 24, also pleaded guilty to two counts of home-invasion robbery for his role in the Feb. 19, 2020 killing of the New York-based rapper, whose legal name was Bashar Jackson. Walker had initially been charged with murder and could have faced up to life in prison without the possibility of parole. He now faces up to 29 years in state prison when he is sentenced on Feb. 21. When he was killed, Pop Smoke was a 20-year-old Brooklyn-born rapper known for songs such as "What You Know Bout Love" and "For the Night," with collaborations involving artists such as Travis Scott, Nicki Minaj and Lil Baby. Walker was 19 at the time of the killing while another defendant in the case, Keandre Rodgers, was 22, and the other two remaining defendants were underage. Rodgers had also initially been charged with murder, and both he and Walker first faced charges with special allegations that made them eligible for the death penalty. California has had a moratorium on executions since 2019.

CBS 2

LAPD Investigating Death on Venice Boardwalk

The Los Angeles Police Department is investigating a death after a body was discovered Wednesday morning on the Venice Boardwalk. Authorities say officers responded to a call around 7 a.m. regarding a body found in the 300 block of Ocean Front Walk. Upon arrival, they located the body of a man, possibly in his 30s. Police remain on scene as the investigation continues. No further details have been released at this time. 

Westside Current

Video shows hit-and-run that killed a military veteran in Los Angeles, suspect at large

Detectives released video footage on Wednesday of a hit-and-run from December that killed a U.S. military veteran in Los Angeles, and are now asking for the community’s help in identifying the suspect. The Los Angeles Police Department said the fatal collision happened around 12:40 a.m. on Dec. 28 when a four-door white sedan driving northbound on Vermont Avenue hit the veteran as he was walking on 165th Place. The driver of the sedan did not stop, identify themselves or attempt to render aid “as required by law,” said LAPD in a release, and was last seen going northbound on Vermont Avenue from 165th Place. Police did not immediately provide a suspect description. Paramedics with the Los Angeles Fire Department responded to the scene and transported the victim to a hospital, where officials said he died from his injuries. LAPD identified the pedestrian as 70-year-old Thomas Michael Cavanaugh, a resident of Los Angeles and a U.S. military veteran.

KTLA 5

Man Shot in Hyundai in Harvard Heights Confrontation

A man was in the hospital Wednesday after he was shot during a confrontation with three assailants in the Harvard Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles. Officers from the Los Angeles Police Department’s Olympic Division responded at 1 a.m. Wednesday to Pico and Hobart boulevards regarding a shots fired call. When they arrived, officers learned the victim was sitting in a Hyundai sedan when he was approached by the suspects. The victim felt threatened and drove away but they shot at him and wounded the victim, an LAPD spokesman told City News Service. Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics responded to the scene and took the victim to a hospital, where he was in stable condition, police said. There were no suspect or vehicle descriptions.

MyNewsLA

Over three dozen live beetles concealed in Japanese snack packages seized at LAX

Over three dozen live beetles concealed inside packages of Japanese snacks were discovered by US Customs and Border Protection at the Los Angeles International Airport last month. According to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, agriculture specialists found 37 of these insects inside packages of potato chips and chocolate during a physical examination of a shipment arriving from Japan via air cargo. “They may look harmless but in reality, smuggled beetles pose a significant threat to our vital agriculture resources,” said Cheryl M. Davies, CBP Director of Field Operations in Los Angeles. “Beetles can become a serious pest by eating plants, leaves, and roots and by laying eggs on tree bark which damages our forests.” The beetles were turned over to USDA officials who will determine their final destination. They will likely be donated to local zoos that have permits for such live insects or preserve them for local insect collection. According to the CBP, importing live insects into the U.S., requires a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Inspection Service (APHIS) Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) permit, or a letter issued by PPQ Plants, Pathogens and Biocontrol unit.

NBC 4

Los Angeles man pleads guilty in $17 million Medicare fraud

The Department of Justice announced Monday that a Granada Hills man pleaded guilty to engaging in a years-long scheme to defraud Medicare of more than $17 million. The DOJ said 43-year-old Petros Fichidzhyan admitted to health care fraud, aggravated identity theft and money laundering. According to the report, Fichidzhyan and others operated a series of sham hospice companies, as well as Fichidzhyan’s own home health care company, to carry out the fraud. “Fichidzhyan, along with co-schemers, impersonated the identities of foreign nationals to use as the purported owners of the hospices — including using the identities to open bank accounts and sign property leases — and submitted false and fraudulent claims to Medicare for hospice services that were not medically necessary and not provided,” said the DOJ in a release. In the falsely submitted claims to Medicare, Fichidzhyan and his group would misappropriate the identifying information of doctors, saying they deemed hospice services necessary for patients, officials said.

KTLA 5

Foreign nationals’ criminal scam targets low-income Southern California families

Five foreign nationals in the U.S. illegally were arrested in connection with a card skimming scam targeting lower income victims receiving CalWORKs and CalFresh benefits, authorities announced Wednesday. The transnational criminal organization used skimming devices illegally inserted in point-of-sale mechanisms, like credit card readers and ATMs, to “clone” electronic benefit transfer (EBT) cards that can then be used to steal funds from those accounts. An investigation by the California Department of Social Services revealed that nearly $127 million was stolen from EBT cards in 2024. In a multi-agency law enforcement operation on Feb. 2, 70 officers conducted surveillance on ATM locations across Los Angeles to identify suspects making multiple cash withdrawals using stolen account data on cloned EBT cards. 

KTLA 5

SFPD officers injured in ‘unprovoked attack’ while sitting in cruiser

Two San Francisco police officers were injured in what authorities described as an unprovoked attack while they were seated in their patrol vehicle, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. The Feb. 4 incident occurred when a man approached the marked police vehicle, opened the driver’s side door, and began attacking both officers, according to the San Francisco Police Department. As the officers attempted to detain the suspect, additional police units arrived to assist, according to the report. The suspect was eventually taken into custody. Charges are pending, and the circumstances surrounding the attack remain under investigation. Paramedics transported the officers to a local hospital, where they were treated for non-life-threatening injuries. They are expected to recover. “An unprovoked attack like this on our officers is unacceptable, and the SFPD will do everything within our power to hold this perpetrator accountable,” SFPD Chief Bill Scott said. “These officers — who show valor every day — are thankfully recovering at the hospital.”

PoliceOne

Flu, COVID and RSV surge in SoCal: Hospitals struggle as winter viruses hit hard

Just over a month into the new year, influenza season is hitting hard in the Southland, and the flu isn't the only virus making a strong showing. Local emergency medicine physicians discuss the effect of respiratory illnesses on emergency care and hospital admissions. "We're kind of going gangbusters over the past probably two weeks," said medical director of emergency services at St. John's Hospitals Dr. Jeffery Davies. He said as a result of a huge influx of the flu, many local hospitals are operating at maximum capacity. "It is frankly blowing up right now. It's really, really picked up," he said. Los Angeles County respiratory disease surveillance data ending January 25 shows nearly 29% more specimens testing positive for flu, 8% of the specimens tested positive for RSV and 3% tested positive for COVID. Davies said he's starting to see much more COVID circulating.

ABC 7

After brutal fire season, California lawmakers call for seasonal firefighters to be employed year-round

With Southern California still in the thick of an exceptionally brutal winter fire season, lawmakers are calling for the state’s largest firefighting agency to extend the bulk of its staffing and operations year-round, instead of employing a seasonal schedule. A bipartisan group of California lawmakers this week announced legislation that would transition about 3,000 seasonal firefighters who work for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection to year-round employees. The legislation would also ensure fire engines, helicopters and vegetation management crews are working every month of the year. “More aggressive fires, and an unrelenting year-round wildfire season, demands more aggressive responses,” Senate Pro Tem Mike McGuire, a Sonoma County Democrat, said in a statement. “Wildfires don’t take three months off. ... This investment will make communities more wildfire safe and greatly improve fire and emergency response in every corner of California.”

Los Angeles Times

L.A. City Council committee rejects rent freeze, advances eviction protection proposal

A key Los Angeles City Council committee on Wednesday rejected an effort to freeze rents citywide, but advanced a series of eviction protections for people economically affected by recent fires. In a 3-1 vote, the Housing and Homelessness Committee approved a motion that would bar landlords from evicting tenants for a variety of reasons, including for nonpayment of rent or if an owner wanted to move into a unit. Such evictions would be prohibited only for tenants who were economically harmed by the fires, and the prohibition would last one year. The motion heads to the full City Council, where it’s unclear it has the votes to pass. A previous version of the proposal, which included a citywide rent freeze in addition to the eviction protections, was heard last week at council, but was sent back the committee amid fears among some council members that both the rent freeze and eviction protections were too broad.

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.