LA District Attorney Nathan Hochman Revives Death Penalty

Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman announced Tuesday his office will seek the death penalty only in exceedingly rare cases, rescinding a directive by his predecessor that barred prosecutors from seeking capital punishment against defendants charged with special circumstance murders. "I remain unwaveringly committed to the comprehensive and thorough evaluation of every special circumstance murder case prosecuted in Los Angeles County, in consultation with the murder victim's survivors and with full input on the mitigating and aggravating factors of each case, to ensure that the punishment sought by the office is just, fair, fitting and appropriate," the district attorney said in a statement. According to the District Attorney's Office statement, the office will only consider pursuing a potential death sentence after an extensive and comprehensive review and only in exceedingly rare cases, recognizing that the death penalty "should be restricted to the most egregious sets of circumstances."

Westside Current

Police arrest serial rape suspect accused of more than a dozen crimes in L.A. County

Los Angeles police are seeking additional victims of a knife-wielding serial rapist accused of attacking at least nine people across Los Angeles County over the past two decades, with the latest incident reported last month on Figueroa Street. The suspect, Andre Cobbs, is also allegedly behind at least four robberies. Cobbs, 40, was arrested after the Feb. 19 assault of a sex worker near the intersection of South Figueroa and West 80th streets, LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell said at Tuesday’s Police Commission meeting. Cobbs let the victim into his car, where he sexually assaulted her, the chief said. The woman managed to escape as Cobbs drove away, McDonnell said. “Despite the trauma, the victim managed to take a photo of both the suspect and his vehicle,” he said. Based on that information, officers from the LAPD’s 77th Street Division arrested Cobbs and presented the case to the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office for charging, but were told that further investigation was warranted, McDonnell said. After uploading Cobbs’ DNA into CODIS — the FBI’s nationwide Combined DNA Index System — the LAPD chief said, investigators linked him to other sexual assaults and robberies that spanned the past two decades.

Los Angeles Times

Man sexually assaults a shopper, punches an elderly woman near USC, LAPD says

Investigators Tuesday tried to track down a man who may be linked to a sexual assault and physical attack against women in August in the University Park area of South Los Angeles. The incidents happened at the Ralph’s grocery store on Vermont Avenue near USC on Aug. 25, 2024, the Los Angeles Police Department said. The man appeared to follow a 32-year-old woman around the store before walking up behind her and inappropriately grabbing her from behind, the LAPD said. As the suspect was leaving the store, he punched an elderly woman in the chest before taking off in a car driven by someone else, police added. The man is described to be a man at around age 30 with black hair, 5 feet 11 inches and weight around 230 pounds. He was wearing thick glasses and a burgundy windbreak with the “Wake & Bake” logo on the back at the time of the incident, according to the LAPD. Police believe the man, who ran away in a two-door white sedan with a block hood and spoiler on the trunk, may have assaulted other women before. “The residents of Los Angeles, our friends and family members, should be free from this behavior,” said Detective Robert Smey, a Southwest Division Sexual Assault Investigator, “I encourage anyone with information about the suspect’s identification to come forward.”

NBC 4

Disturbing video shows man hit dog with metal chain inside DTLA apartment building

The Los Angeles Police Department is investigating after a man was seen on video hitting a dog multiple times with a metal chain in a hallway of a downtown L.A. apartment building. "I think I saw red. I just couldn't believe someone would do this to their pet and so openly in public, too," a neighbor named Terry said. The horrific abuse happened on March 18. Terry is the neighbor who posted the Ring camera footage online. That video instantly went viral and is now the subject of a police investigation. Terry recounted the ordeal exclusively to Eyewitness News on Tuesday. Her Ring camera was rolling as she confronted her neighbor before calling the police. She said the neighbor seen in the video just moved in beside her less than two months ago. His callous behavior toward his dog prompted her to look back at her Ring camera archive. "On the fifth of March I found a video of him grabbing the dog and throwing it against the wall," Terry said.

ABC 7

74-Year-Old Man Last Seen in Sherman Oaks

A Silver Alert is in effect Wednesday in Los Angeles County on behalf of a 74-year-old man last seen in Sherman Oaks. Jose Joel Gonzalez was last seen near Burbank Boulevard and Coldwater Canyon Avenue around 7:30 p.m. Monday, according to the California Highway Patrol, which issued the alert Tuesday on behalf of the Los Angeles Police Department. Gonzalez was described as a 5-foot-5-inch tall man weighing 140 pounds with gray hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing a beige jacket, blue jeans and black shoes. Anyone with information regarding Gonzalez’s whereabouts was urged to call 911. The Silver Alert program was established by the CHP to issue and coordinate alerts involving the unexplained or suspicious disappearances of elderly, developmentally disabled or cognitively impaired individuals.

MyNewsLA

U.S. Postal Inspection Service offers $150K reward for info regarding letter carrier robberies

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service has announced it is offering a reward of up to $150,000 for information regarding the robberies of USPS letter carriers. The agency said a group of suspects has attempted to rob and has robbed letter carriers in Sherman Oaks, Valley Village and Tarzana on several occasions. Surveillance footage from nearby homes in the area shows the suspects driving in a newer model white Honda sedan with custom rims, the USPIS said. The three suspects are described as wearing dark-colored clothing and a face mask. Authorities are asking people to use caution and avoid trying to apprehend the suspects by themselves. If anyone has any information regarding the incidents, they are urged to contact the U.S. Postal Inspection Service at (877) 876-2455. All information shared will be kept confidential. 

CBS 2

Man sentenced to 45 years for ramming cruiser, killing Florida deputy hours before he was set to retire

The man who prosecutors said intentionally rammed into a Hillsborough County sheriff’s patrol cruiser in 2021, killing Sgt. Brian LaVigne hours before he was set to retire, admitted Tuesday to a murder charge in exchange for 45 years in prison. In an agreement with state prosecutors, Travis Zachary Garrett pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of second-degree murder and other crimes related to the deputy’s death in exchange for a sentence that ensures he will remain incarcerated for decades. Garrett, 32, who was left paralyzed from the fatal collision, sat in a wheelchair Tuesday morning before a courtroom packed with uniformed sheriff’s deputies, including LaVigne’s daughter. He quietly answered a series of questions from Hillsborough Circuit Judge Robin Fuson to ensure he understood his guilty plea before being sentenced. It was a perfunctory end to a four-year legal odyssey whose central questions concerned whether Garrett was insane when the crime occurred. Had he been convicted as charged at trial, Garrett would have faced a mandatory sentence of life in prison. LaVigne’s daughter, Caitlin, sat straight-backed on a witness stand in a white uniform, with a sheriff’s star affixed to her chest on Tuesday morning. She expressed conflicting emotions about the outcome. Ultimately, avoiding a trial would spare the family having to see and hear the details of how their father died.

Tampa Bay Times

Kansas trooper finds kidnapped 6-year-old after stopping vehicle for traffic infraction

A traffic stop in Kansas led to a kidnapped 6-year-old girl being recovered and two men arrested. The Kansas Highway Patrol posted about the incident on social media Saturday, but did not say when or where it occurred. A trooper in the agency’s criminal interdiction unit stopped an SUV for a traffic violation. Inside the vehicle were two men in their 60s and a young girl in the backseat. During the stop, the trooper learned that the front passenger had a warrant for his arrest from another state for kidnapping a 6-year-old girl just over a month ago. The driver had a criminal history including homicide and numerous other weapons violations, the KHP said. The girl in the SUV looked to be the age of that of the missing girl, the trooper observed. The trooper and a local sheriff’s office deputy detained the men and were able to get the girl out of the vehicle. The girl initially gave the trooper a fake name and date of birth, having been instructed to. The trooper calmed the girl down and got her to say her real name and age.

Wichita Eagle

Los Angeles hospital looking to ID patient

A Los Angeles hospital is asking for the public’s help in identifying a patient who has been hospitalized since Sunday. The man is currently receiving treatment at Los Angeles General Medical Center in Boyle Heights after he was found on Wall Street in downtown L.A. The unidentified man is believed to be about 30 years old. He is 5 feet 11 inches tall, weighs 178 pounds, and has black hair and brown eyes, officials said. Due to patient confidentiality laws, the man’s condition was not disclosed. Photos shared by the L.A. County Department of Health Services appeared to show the man unconscious with a ventilator. Anyone with information about his identity is asked to contact clinical social worker Cesar Robles at 323-409-6884. The hospital’s Social Work Department can also be reached at 323-409-5253.

KTLA 5

U.S. measles outbreak spreading ‘like a forest fire’

Measles, one of the most contagious viruses in the world, has been confirmed in 17 states and counting as outbreaks multiply around the country. As of last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said at least 378 cases of the virus have been confirmed in 2025 – and that number is expected to keep rising.“What is interesting about this current outbreak is the speed at which it’s expanding and increasing,” said Dr. William Moss, an epidemiology professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and director of the school’s International Vaccine Access Center. In a briefing this month, Moss said he expects measles will continue spreading in the U.S. as long as we still have these two conditions in place: a susceptible community and an infected person. 

KTLA 5

LA city council exploring LAFD funding initiatives

The Los Angeles City Council approved a measure on Tuesday that could lead to more funding for the LA Fire Department. City leaders now have 60 days to create a bond that would be voted on in June 2026. All 15 members in the chambers voted in favor of this. This came after three city council members passionately talked about the need for new and improved fire stations. Not just in the Palisades, but across the city in areas like Sylmar and Lincoln Heights. “Simply put, we need a 21st century fire department that can tackle 21st century problems. Too many stations past their originally intended life stamps. We have leaky roofs, broken staircases, and PFAS extractors that we can’t plug into the wall because we don’t have the right electrical equipment to support the equipment,” Councilwoman Traci Park said. “We already know we can’t get the kind of investment that we need inside the walls of our own city budget, and that means we need to explore a ballot measure for 2026,” Park said. This comes in the wake of the Palisades Fire and frustration from the LA Fire Department, the union representing firefighters and the people impacted by the fire about a lack of resources.

NBC 4

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.