Fatal Hit and Run Near Lincoln Heights

A man was killed in a hit and run collision near the Glendale Junction, west of Lincoln Heights, police said Friday. The collision occurred at 12:30 a.m. Friday at the intersection of Avenue 19 and Humboldt Street, a Los Angeles Police Department spokesman told City News Service. Witnesses told police the pedestrian was crossing Avenue 19 when the vehicle struck him and drove away from the scene, without stopping to render aid. The victim, who the LAPD said was between 35 and 40 years old, was pronounced dead at the scene. There was no vehicle description.

MyNewsLA

Two teens shot near James Monroe High School in North Hills

Two teenagers were shot near James Monroe High School on Thursday morning after they were approached by five suspects at a bus stop, police said. The shooting prompted the North Hills campus to go on lockdown as Los Angeles Police Department officers responded to the scene. The shooting was reported at 9:30 a.m. at a bus stop near Nordhoff Street and Orion Avenue, where two boys, between the ages of 15 and 16 years old, were waiting for a bus, said LAPD Officer Drake Madison. The two victims were approached by five suspects and shot, Madison said. The suspects were seen fleeing west from the scene, while the victims fled east. The two teenagers were taken to a nearby hospital and are stable, Madison said. The victims have been uncooperative in the investigation, he said, and a description of the suspects was not available. 

Los Angeles Times

Gunman sought after shooting at Los Angeles recording studio

A shooting at a Los Angeles recording studio left a man hospitalized and police searching for the gunman late Thursday. The shooting was reported around 10 p.m. at The Room Recording Studios at 4550 Melrose Ave. in East Hollywood, just off the 101 Freeway. Officers arrived to find the victim suffering from at least one gunshot wound, Los Angeles Police Department Officer Miller confirmed. The victim, who was not identified, was taken to a local hospital. His condition was unknown, Miller said. Police set up a perimeter around the scene but the gunman had already fled the area, Miller said. No description of the suspect, believed to have fled in a white Audi, was released. Video showed at least one person being detained at the scene, but their involvement in the shooting was unclear.

KTLA 5

Human trafficking, kidnapping suspect arrested in North Hollywood: LAPD

A human trafficking and kidnapping suspect was taken into custody Thursday morning, officials said. The arrest came shortly after the Los Angeles Police Department set up a perimeter in a residential area in North Hollywood. LAPD officials said officers were deployed to a neighborhood near Cahuenga and Chandler boulevards just before 7:25 a.m. regarding a possible wanted suspect. Aerial images from SkyFOX showed a large police presence and the suspect being taken into custody in handcuffs. The name of the suspect has not been released and details of the alleged human trafficking and kidnapping investigation were not provided. Details about the victim were not available. 

FOX 11

LAPD captures suspected car thief after chase

The Los Angeles Police Department captured the driver of an allegedly stolen Jeep after a Thursday afternoon pursuit. When Sky5 arrived on scene, the vehicle in question, a green Jeep, was weaving its way through stop-and-go traffic. Eventually, the driver entered a large commercial building after abandoning the vehicle and made his way to a parking lot, at which point he was surrounded by LAPD officers. He then came out from behind a semi truck with his hands up.

KTLA 5

Over $300K worth of stolen merchandise recovered in MacArthur Park

Authorities recovered more than $300,000 worth of stolen merchandise Wednesday night during a retail theft bust in MacArthur Park. The Rampart Burglary detectives, in collaboration with Rampart Vice, served a search warrant at a storefront on 6th Street and Alvardo Street. Detectives there found thousands of dollars worth of stolen goods being stored. The stolen items came from retailers like CVS, Walgreen, Ross, TJ Max and Target, according to police. Items that were recovered included cosmetics, clothes and over-the-counter medicine. The amount of merchandise was so large that police utilized a U-Haul truck to transport it out. At least three people were arrested. Their identities were not immediately available.

NBC 4

‘You ran from what you did': Man gets 12 years for hit-and-run that killed Florida deputy

A judge sentenced a former construction worker who admitted that he fled after running over a Pinellas County sheriff’s deputy with a front-end loader to 12 years in prison Tuesday, punctuating an emotionally charged criminal case that became a flashpoint in the national controversy over immigration. Juan Molina-Salles, a Honduran immigrant who was in the U.S. illegally, pleaded guilty last month to leaving the scene of a collision that killed Deputy Michael Hartwick. “You ran from what you did,” Pinellas-Pasco Circuit Judge Pat Siracusa told Molina-Salles. “The person that died is a person that would have run to what you did. You did the exact opposite of what the deputy would have done. You ran away because you got scared, and I have to punish you today.” Molina-Salles, 34, clutched tissues and wept as he listened to a Spanish translation of Tuesday’s testimony. Spectators, many of them law enforcement officers, packed each of seven rows of courtroom benches behind him. The construction company Archer Western-de Moya Group Joint Venture drew scrutiny for employing Molina-Salles and several of his co-workers, none of whom were legally authorized to work in the U.S.

Tampa Bay Times

Suspect slashes tires of 19 NYPD cruisers

The NYPD is asking the public’s assistance in identifying and locating a man said to have vandalized 19 NYPD vehicles in Manhattan. It was reported to police that on Tuesday at approximately 11:40 p.m. , in the vicinity of 145 West 30th St. , an unidentified individual allegedly vandalized the vehicles by slashing the tires with a sharp object before fleeing on foot northbound on 7th Avenue into the 33rd Street subway station. The individual is described as male with a light complexion and heavy build. He is approximately 260 pounds, 5-feet 11-inches tall and was last seen wearing a grey hooded sweatshirt, black sweatpants, a blue hat, grey sneakers and a white surgical face mask, according to a statement released by the NYPD’s Deputy Commissioner of Public Information. The NYPD released a surveillance photo of the sought individual. Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).

Staten Island Advance

FBI offers $10 million reward for arrest of former Olympic snowboarder turned alleged drug lord

A former Canadian Olympic snowboarder has been added to the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list for running what federal prosecutors call a transnational drug ring that shipped hundreds of pounds of cocaine from Colombia, through Mexico and Southern California, to Canada and elsewhere, and for allegedly orchestrating multiple murders, officials announced Thursday in Los Angeles. Ryan "El Jefe" Wedding, 43, was born in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada, and competed in the giant slalom snowboarding competition during the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, according to the FBI. "Wedding went from shredding powder on the slopes at the Olympics to distributing powder cocaine on the streets of U.S. cities and in his native Canada," Akil Davis, the assistant director of the FBI's Los Angeles Field Office, said in a statement. "The alleged murders of his competitors make Wedding a very dangerous man, and his addition to the list of Ten Most Wanted Fugitives, coupled with a major reward offer by the State Department, will make the public our partner so that we can catch up with him before he puts anyone else in danger."

ABC 7

ID of woman found in Echo Park unknown after 5 days in L.A. hospital

Health officials in Los Angeles County are asking the public for help Thursday in identifying a woman found near Echo Park Lake nearly a week ago. The unidentified woman was brought to Los Angeles General Medical Center on Saturday after being found at the intersection of Logan Street and Park Avenue, the L.A. County Department of Health Services stated. Officials believe the woman is about 40 years old but have been unable to locate any friends or family members to help identify her. She was described as 5 feet 3 inches tall and weighing 139 pounds. The patient has a medium build, gray hair and light blue eyes, Health Services stated. No further details about her condition were released but officials asked that anyone who knows her to call Senior Clinical Social Worker Brian Dillon at 323-409-3134 (Wed-Sat) or Senior Clinical Social Worker Cristol Perez at 323-409-4317 (Sun-Wed). The Los Angeles General Medical Center Department of Social Work can also be reached at 323-409-5253.

KTLA 5

Ambulances called to LAUSD middle school for 'medical emergency'

Four students at an LAUSD middle school were taken to an area hospital after a "medical emergency" on campus, a district spokesperson said. Authorities responded to John Liechty Middle School on Union Avenue after receiving reports of a possible overdose. The LAUSD spokesperson said the incident was due to effects of alcohol and some unknown substance. The spokesperson said the student's parents were notified, and that the school remains safe and open for classes. "We take the health and safety of school community very seriously and try to ensure a safe learning and working environment," said the spokesperson. "Los Angeles Unified maintains an ongoing partnership with local health agencies, community partners and medical experts to provide training and education to school staff and our school community. We encourage everyone to follow the District's message: 'If you see something, say something.' If you have any additional questions, please contact me at [phone]. Thank you."

ABC 7

Hollywood Hills neighbors raise concerns about homeless encampment fires

A KCAL News investigation has found a troubling connection between the county's homeless population and a growing number of fire-related instances in recent years. The news comes in the wake of a devastating January that saw several large wildfires erupt, including the Palisades and Eaton fires that combined to torch tens of thousands of acres, destroy thousands of homes and kill more than two dozen people. One of those fires was the Sunset Fire, which broke out in the Hollywood Hills the day after the wildfires began to rage in the Pacific Palisades and Altadena. That fire forced thousands to flee their homes when evacuation orders and warnings were issued, despite no structures burning from the intense flames. Video from that night shows the firefighters' urgency as they called for residents to leave the area as soon as possible. 

CBS 2

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.