LAPD searching for hit-and-run suspect that left man in ICU

The search is on for a person responsible for the hit-and-run crash that left a man severely injured in San Pedro. According to the Los Angeles Police Department, the crash took place at about 6:30 a.m. on Jan. 29. A man was crossing Pacific Avenue near O’Farrell Street when a dark-colored minivan traveling at a high-rate of speed struck him. The man, 24, remains hospitalized in the ICU nearly one month later. His current condition wasn’t immediately made available. The driver of the SUV sped off without stopping. Now, authorities are searching for them. Anyone with any information is encouraged to contact Detective Gerald Chavarria Serial No. 37560, South Traffic Division Detectives, at 213-924-3621 or via email at [email protected].

KTLA 5

LA Woman in COVID Relief Fraud Scheme Sentenced to Federal Prison

A Los Angeles woman was sentenced Thursday to five years behind bars for fraudulently obtaining more than $2 million in COVID-19 government loans and making false claims to the IRS in an effort to secure nearly $1.3 million in tax credits relating to the pandemic. Casie Hynes, 38, was also ordered to pay restitution of $2.37 million, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. She pleaded guilty in April 2024 in Los Angeles federal court to one count of wire fraud and one count of false claims. Hynes admitted having submitted more than 80 bogus applications for Paycheck Protection Program and Economic Injury Disaster Loans — both COVID-assistance programs — in the names of about 20 companies that were purportedly owned by herself or friends or relatives. She often used personal information or signatures of other people without their permission to submit the applications, prosecutors said. She also provided false information on the loan applications, including the numbers of employees at each purported company.

MyNewsLA

LA Man Who Robbed BevMo Stores Sentenced to Prison

A Los Angeles man who committed a string of robberies in a 10-day span that ended in a freeway chase before crashing a stolen car into a tree and then running across six lanes of highway traffic during rush hour was sentenced Thursday to two years and seven months in federal prison. Ivin Kitu Sanford, 33, was convicted in July 2024 after a three-day trial in downtown Los Angeles of interference with commerce by robbery — known as a federal Hobbs Act crime. His co-defendant, Anthony Flores, 28, of Los Angeles was also convicted of the Hobbs Act offense and sentenced in November to more than nine years in prison. Beginning in May 2023, Sanford and Flores robbed two BevMo stores in Long Beach and Lakewood, stealing high-end liquor stored behind security glass and, in some instances, threatening employees with violence. The men would then sell the liquor on Instagram.

MyNewsLA

3 Southern California men allegedly stole millions of dollars from elderly victims

Three Southern California men were charged Thursday for allegedly stealing millions of dollars from elderly victims in a fraud scheme. The U.S. Attorney’s Office identified the suspects as: Lovert Che, 44, of Lomita, Sylas Nyuydzene Verdzekov, 38, of Chino Hills , and Mustapha Nkachiwouo Selly Yamie, 29, of Inglewood. Che and Verdzekov were arrested on Thursday, while Yamie remains at large. The trio are accused of stealing around $10 million from at least 100 victims. Beginning in November 2021, the suspects and their accomplices created “fake identification documents of fictitious people, including passports and driver’s licenses,” court documents said. Using these fake documents, they created at least 36 shell companies in California to aid in their crimes, prosecutors said. At least 145 bank accounts and 32 private mailboxes were opened across Southern California using the fake identities and sham businesses.

KTLA 5

Fake ICE agents terrorized California businesses for social media stardom, police say

Two Fresno men are of accused of carrying out a social media stunt where they posed as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and filmed themselves harassing local businesses, weeks after actual ICE raids in the Central Valley put the region’s undocumented community on edge. The pair donned wigs and black tactical vests with letters deliberately covered up so they read “Police” and “ICE,” and were reported confronting community members at 11 businesses, according to the Fresno Police Department. At one store, they told employees they were conducting an investigation and demanded to see specific business documents, police said. Police arrested the men Wednesday on suspicion of impersonating a police officer, a misdemeanor. They were cited and later released. “As their actions were done simply to gain attention on their personal social media pages, we will not be releasing their names or other information,” the department stated.

Los Angeles Times

Wife wanted in killing of Cal Fire captain, Rebecca Marodi, fled to Mexico, officials say

The search is on for a woman suspected of killing a decorated Cal Fire captain who helped fight the Eaton fire. Yolanda Marodi, 53, also known as Yolanda Olejniczak, is a suspect in the slaying of her wife, Rebecca Marodi, according to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department. Rebecca Marodi, 49, was found stabbed to death Feb. 17 at a residence in Ramona. The couple had been married for just over two years, according to a sheriff’s homicide investigator who cited family members. Yolanda Marodi is believed to have fled to Mexico. Authorities have issued a warrant for her arrest. According to public records, the suspect and the victim shared the same address. Here is a rundown on the case: On Feb. 17, Rebecca Marodi’s mother, Lorena, called 911, saying that her daughter had been stabbed at their home on Rancho Villa Road, according to an arrest warrant obtained by KABC-TV News. Detectives arrived to find Rebecca Marodi with stab wounds to her neck, chest and abdomen; they attempted life-saving measures but she was pronounced dead at the scene. Lorena told detectives that Rebecca Marodi had told Yolanda Marodi a week ago that she was ending their marriage, the warrant states. In home security video that detectives reviewed the following day, Rebecca Marodi is seen running from a woman believed to be Yolanda Marodi, the warrant states.

Los Angeles Times

‘Give me your f***ing gun’: Man waves knife in D.C. PD cruiser window, climbs into another cruiser before OIS

The D.C. Metropolitan Police Department released body camera footage of a deadly officer-involved shooting of a man who crashed into an officer’s cruiser before threatening him with a knife, WJLA reported. The Feb. 18 incident began when a man crashed his car into a marked MPD cruiser, video shows. After the crash, the man can be seen confronting the officer, yelling at him and then reaching into the officer’s open car window while waving a knife. The officer gave multiple commands to back away.“I don’t want to shoot you,” the officer can be heard saying. The man continued lunging at the officer, who then fired his weapon, striking him. Despite being shot, the man stood back up, walked toward officers, and, according to MPD officials, stabbed himself. He then entered another MPD vehicle before running toward a bystander’s car while still holding the knife. A second officer’s bodycam footage captures the final moments when the man attempted to carjack a woman at knifepoint. Officers then fired multiple shots, killing him at the scene.

PoliceOne

‘One, two, three, pull!': N.Y. officers, good samaritans win tug-of-war to rescue horse from frozen pond

A horse that fell through the ice of an upstate New York pond was saved by rescuers who pulled together to free the animal from the frigid water. Body-camera footage from responding officers shows the team of Saratoga Springs police and neighbors grunting and straining to pull Sly, a 1,300 pound (590 kilogram) horse, from a hole in the ice late Monday afternoon. Sly can be seen flailing his front legs while rescuers shout “One, two three, pull!” and “C’mon, baby. We got ya!” Sly’s owner, Ali Ernst, said she noticed her three horses playing on the pond when she came home from work, which was not uncommon. But when she looked out again, the 22-year-old quarter horse had fallen through the ice. Ernst made a series of calls for help as she ran to the hole in the ice, grabbed Sly’s halter to keep his head up and waited for help. “I was losing the battle to keep him above water alone,” she said in a phone interview Wednesday. Officer Kyle Clinton arrived first and helped Ernst get Sly’s full head back up on the ice. They were soon joined by others, including two more officers, neighbors and family members. They were initially able to tie a rope to the halter around Sly’s head. Eventually, the group of about nine people had three ropes on Sly, Ernst said.

Associated Press

LADHS Seeks Help ID’ing 60-Year-Old Black Male John Doe Patient

The Los Angeles County Department of Health Services Thursday sought the public’s help in identifying a patient hospitalized at one of their facilities since January. The patient, a 60-year-old Black man, has been at the Los Angeles General Medical Center since Jan. 30, according to a county news statement. The patient was described as 6 feet, 2 inches tall, 175 pounds with white, short curly hair and light, green/brown, hazel eyes. He has a medium build and no observable markings. Anyone with any information about the patient was urged to contact the Los Angeles General Medical Center Department of Social Work at 323-409-5253 and after hours, call the Department of Emergency Medicine, Social Work Department at 323-409-6883.

MyNewsLA

Metro moves to expand weapon screenings to more high traffic stations

The Metro Board of Directors voted Thursday to move forward with the weapons screening pilot project, expanding it to more high-traffic train stations. Metro began the pilot program in Oct. 2024, as a trend of violence on Metro transportation was on the rise across Los Angeles. Two detection systems were tested at Los Angeles Union Station and at the APU/Citrus College Statio, one randomly scanning passengers, and the other using closed-circuit video feeds to detect people carrying weapons. According to county Supervisor and Metro Board member Janice Hahn, neither system detected any passengers carrying weapons during the five-month test, but the systems detected officers' service weapons "with 100% accuracy." Metro security officials said that the technology serves more as a deterrent to prevent people from bringing weapons onto the transit system. Security officers witnessed some people leaving the Metro stations when they saw or were told that the weapons screening systems were in use.

CBS 2

Kristin Crowley appeals dismissal as LAFD chief to LA City Council

Kristin Crowley has appealed her termination as LAFD chief to the Los Angeles City Council after she was dismissed from the position nearly a week ago by Mayor Karen Bass. Under the city charter, Crowley would need the support of 10 of the council's 15 members to be reinstated as chief. The City Council is set to consider the appeal during a special meeting at 5 p.m. Friday at Van Nuys City Hall. That bar could be a tough one to meet. Four council members stood with Bass when she announced the firing on Friday at City Hall. Another member publicly announced support Tuesday. "Today I notified the City Council of my appeal as provided for in Los Angeles Charter, Article V, Section 5.08(e), due to Mayor Bass’s removal of me, on February 21, 2025, from the position of Fire Chief of the Los Angeles City Fire Department," Crowley said in a statement. Crowley remains with the department at a lower rank. Asked about Crowley's decision Thursday, Bass spokesman Zach Seidl said, "Former Chief Crowley has the right to appeal her dismissal."

NBC 4

Photo appears to show LA City Councilmember Ysabel Jurado asleep at work

A Los Angeles City councilmember appears to have dozed off inside council chambers. Eyewitness News has obtained a photograph of Councilmember Ysabel Jurado during a closed session of the council. The public was not inside the chamber at the time. The photo appears to show Jurado asleep behind the dais, with her head being supported by her left hand. Eyewitness News asked Jurado about the photo that has been circulating on social media. "I'm aware of that photo. It looks like I was reading, and if indeed I did doze off, I think this won't be the first or last of the human moments that I have as a councilmember," Jurado said. Jurado adds despite what the photo shows, she's committed to serving the constituents of District 14, which includes Boyle Heights and downtown L.A.

ABC 7

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.