Email from Los Angeles Police Protective League Daily News & Updates Law Enforcement News South LA Street Gang `Shot Caller’ Pleads Guilty to Federal Charges The suspected “shot caller” of a South Los Angeles street gang pleaded guilty Tuesday to federal charges that could bring a lifetime prison sentence. Eliseo Luna, 49, of South Los Angeles was arrested in August 2022 during a predawn sweep in which 28 members of the gang were taken into custody as part of racketeering, narcotics and firearms cases that named about 40 suspected members and associates of the criminal organization, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Luna, said to be the gang’s leading member on the street, entered his plea in downtown Los Angeles to charges of racketeering conspiracy and conspiracy to distribute controlled substances. He could face up to life in federal prison at sentencing on June 23, prosecutors said. The arrests in 2022 were the culmination of a years-long probe into the gang’s activities involving wiretaps and extensive surveillance dubbed “Operation Rabbit Hole” by the FBI and the multi-agency Los Angeles Metropolitan Task Force on Violent Gangs. The gang is tied to the Mexican Mafia prison gang, prosecutors said. MyNewsLA Police chase ends with assault suspect in custody after tense LAPD standoff in Chatsworth A police chase involving an assault suspect came to an end in Chatsworth following a tense standoff with LAPD officers on Tuesday. The suspect was wanted for alleged assault with a deadly weapon. The pursuit wound through the San Fernando Valley with the suspect driving erratically and getting into a couple close calls with bystander vehicles. The suspect was said to be possibly driving under the influence and armed with a knife. LAPD executed a PIT maneuver, causing the suspect's vehicle to come to a stop near Superior Street and Winnetka Avenue. However, the suspect ended up backing up the car in reverse and driving way from officers, and the chase continued. After a few failed PIT maneuvers, the suspect came to a stop near Cozycroft Avenue and Superior Street in the Chatsworth area. He stayed inside the vehicle and appeared to be looking through some photographs. He eventually heeded officers' orders, surrendered, and was taken into custody without further incident. ABC 7 Hollywood woman convicted of running delivery service dubbed ‘Uber, but for drugs’ A Hollywood woman was convicted Tuesday of running a lucrative drug delivery business out of her apartment, with a jury finding her responsible for supplying fentanyl that caused multiple overdoses in 2020 and 2021. Mirela Todorova, 36, stood trial beginning last month, accused of leading an operation prosecutors described as “Uber, but for drugs.” She was convicted on nine counts, including three charges of drug distribution that caused “serious bodily injury” in three nonfatal overdoses. After being ordered removed from the downtown Los Angeles courtroom earlier Tuesday by the federal judge for disrupting the prosecution’s rebuttal in closing arguments, Todorova reacted impassively as the jury’s unanimous verdict was read, betraying no emotion. The three overdose survivors testified at the trial. Two of them, along with several disgruntled customers, warned Todorova repeatedly throughout 2020 and 2021 that she was selling dirty drugs, according to text messages obtained by the Drug Enforcement Administration. Los Angeles Times Los Angeles County man sentenced to prison for $1.2 million money order fraud A Los Angeles County man was sentenced to nearly five years in prison for his role in a scheme that involved forging and depositing over $1.2 million in fraudulent money orders. Sterlyn Lee Smith Jr., 49, of Lancaster, was sentenced to 57 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay over $432,000 in restitution. From July 2013 to February 2019, Smith and multiple accomplices altered money orders purchased at U.S. Post Offices in California and Nevada, inflating their values before depositing them into bank accounts under other people’s names, according to the United States Department of Justice. The group would then withdraw funds before banks could detect the forgeries, officials said. In total, Smith and his co-conspirators deposited or attempted to deposit more than 1,200 forged money orders. Smith eventually pleaded guilty to two counts of bank fraud, one for each bank he defrauded. “This case highlights the importance of investigating and prosecuting financial fraud that targets banking institutions and the public,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Sue Fahami for the District of Nevada. KTLA 5 California man sentenced to over 4 years in federal prison for hate crime beating in Culver City A federal judge sentenced a homeless man from California to more than four years in prison for a racially motivated attack in 2021. The Department of Justice said 38-year-old Jesse Allen Lindsey, a transient with a last known address in Fontana, pleaded guilty to one hate crime count in December 2024. Prosecutors said he was already in state prison on an unrelated conviction when a federal grand jury indicted him earlier this year. Lindsey was sentenced to 51 months in federal prison. "Hate-fueled acts of violence have no place in our society," United States Attorney Martin Estrada said when Lindsey pleaded guilty. The attack happened on June 14, 2021, in Culver City. Investigators claimed that Lindsey punched the woman in the face after she did not give him a lighter or cigarette. The victim told him she didn't smoke. CBS 2 BWC: Man shoots, wounds Ariz. officer before police return fire, strike him with cruiser A Maricopa police officer was wounded and a suspect was fatally shot in a gunfire exchange outside a convenience store, AZ Central reported. Body camera footage released from the incident shows the man firing several shots at officers before officers fired shots at him and struck him with a cruiser. According to the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office, the suspect, a known felon with outstanding warrants, was exiting a Circle K when officers attempted to stop him. Bodycam footage shows the suspect tossing his merchandise before pulling a handgun and firing at an officer, striking him. The wounded officer fell to the ground, yelling, “I’m hit! I’m hit!” A second officer returned fire as the man attempted to flee. Meanwhile, two Maricopa detectives in an unmarked vehicle pursued the suspect, with one detective firing while the vehicle struck him. The suspect was pronounced dead at the scene. PoliceOne Public Safety News Officials seek public’s help to identify hospitalized man Authorities are asking for the public’s help in identifying a man who has been hospitalized for more than a week. The unidentified man, believed to be between 35 and 40 years old, was found face down on the 1000 block of North Vermont Avenue in East Hollywood and brought to Los Angeles General Medical Center in Boyle Heights. He’s been receiving care since Feb. 16, but was found with no documentation or personal belongings that could help with identifying him, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services. He’s described as being short of stature and weighing around 180 pounds. He has black hair in a buzz cut, dark brown eyes, tan skin and black facial stubble. He has no visible tattoos, officials said. Anyone with information that could help identify him is asked to call the hospital’s Department of Social Work at 323-409-5253. After-hours phone calls can be made to 323-409-6883. KTLA 5 Officials issue ocean water use warnings for L.A. County beaches High bacteria levels have prompted the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health to issue ocean water use warnings for multiple county beaches. Officials are encouraging beachgoers to avoid swimming, surfing and playing in the ocean at the following locations: 100 yards up and down the coast from the Santa Monica Pier in Santa Monica; 100 yards up and down the coast from the Pico-Kenter Storm Drain at Santa Monica Beach near South Tower 20; and the entire swim area at Mothers Beach in Marina Del Rey. However, it’s not all bad news. A warning for Inner Cabrillo Beach has been lifted since water quality has improved. An ocean water advisory remains in effect for areas impacted by recent wildfires, spanning from Las Flores State Beach to Santa Monica State Beach. KTLA 5 Gov. Newsom proclaims state of emergency ahead of wildfire season Gov. Gavin Newsom on Saturday proclaimed a state of emergency “to fast-track critical projects protecting communities from wildfire” ahead of the upcoming fire season. The proclamation will cut bureaucratic red tape, including suspending the California Environmental Quality Act and the Coastal Act, which Newsom said slowed down critical forest management projects. “This year has already seen some of the most destructive wildfires in California history, and we’re only in March. Building on unprecedented work cutting red tape and making historic investments – we’re taking action with a state of emergency to fast-track critical wildfire projects even more,” Newsom said in a statement. “These are the forest management projects we need to protect our communities most vulnerable to wildfire, and we’re going to get them done.” KTLA 5 Local Government News LA City Council votes 13-2 against Kristin Crowley's appeal to be reinstated as LAFD chief At a special meeting Tuesday afternoon, the Los Angeles City Council voted against Kristin Crowley's appeal to be reinstated as LAFD chief, after she was removed by Mayor Karen Bass last month. Crowley spoke to the council and said claims that she allegedly refused to conduct an after-action report following the Palisades Fire are false. "I did not refuse to conduct an after-action report. During our discussions about an after-action report, I advised the fire commissioners about my opinion that was best in regard to how to use LAFD resources," Crowley said to the council. "I said that the LAFD is not capable nor do we have the proper resources to adequately conduct an after-action report for the Palisades Fire." She also addressed other accusations made by the mayor that she allegedly sent home about 1,000 firefighters who were sent home when the fire broke out. "As for the 1,000 firefighters who were allegedly sent home prior to the fires, we did not have enough apparatus to put them on," Crowley said. "Because of budget cuts and lack of investments in our fleet maintenance, over 100 of our fire engines, fire trucks and ambulances sat broken down in our maintenance yards, unable to be used to help during the worst wildfire events in our history." CBS 2 LA Council Sidelines Eviction Defense for Workers Affected by Wildfires The L.A. City Council Tuesday formally killed a proposal to provide eviction defense for nannies, gardeners and other residents who were impacted economically by January’s wildfires after postponing a decision on the matter last month. In a 12-0 vote, council members noted and filed the proposal, meaning no further action can be taken on the matter. Council members Traci Park and Nithya Raman were absent during vote, and Councilman Curren Price recused himself, as he is a landlord. The proposal aimed to provide a defense for non-payment of rent and no-fault evictions for tenants who could show proof of economic hardships as a result of the fire emergencies. While the city’s attempt to provide such protections did not move forward, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors has approved a resolution to provide eviction protections for renters and small business owners financially impacted by the January wildfires. 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. Listen To Our Podcast Los Angeles Police Protective League | 1308 W 8th St | Los Angeles, CA 90017 US Unsubscribe | Update Profile | Our Privacy Policy | Constant Contact Data Notice