LAPD investigators share video of deadly Vermont Vista hit-and-run as they continue search for suspect

As police continue their search for the hit-and-run driver involved in a deadly crash that happened in late February, they've also released video to the public in hopes that someone will be able to provide them more information. The crash happened on Feb. 24 at around 7 p.m. on Figueroa Street and 104th Place, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Video shows the victim, who has not yet been identified other than a man in his 60s, as he uses a walker to cross the street. In the footage, the man is seen standing in the road as other traffic drives by moments before the suspect vehicle makes a left turn from 104th onto Figueroa. Instead of stopping to help the man they struck, the driver continued driving northbound on Figueroa. The man was rushed to a nearby hospital by Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics, where he was later pronounced dead. As with most hit-and-run crashes in Los Angeles, a standing reward of up to $25,000 is offered for anyone who provides information leading to the identification, arrest and conviction of the driver. 

CBS 2

Police chase suspect hides in North Hollywood shopping center parking garage

The search is on for a driver in the Los Angeles police chase that ended in a mall parking garage. The driver initially led the Los Angeles Police Department on a chase on Wednesday, March 26 after officers spotted the suspect illegally driving along the shoulder of the road. Over the course of the chase the suspect drove through parts of Hollywood Hills along the 101 Freeway before ending up at NoHo West, a shopping center with a parking garage in North Hollywood. At one point during the chase, SkyFOX clocked the suspect's BMW breaking 100 mph with a bumper dangling from the back. Officials have not given a description of the suspect. As of Wednesday night, no arrests have been announced in connection to the chase.

FOX 11

Mid-City homeowners' property targeted by thieves for third time within a year

A Mid-City couple is fed up and worried about their safety after their home was targeted by burglars for a third time within the span of a year. Dan Sutton and Linda Wang are weighing their options following the latest burglary attempt, which was captured on surveillance footage recently. It’s the third time since last January that thieves targeted their home. “If we are being targeted over and over again, it’s a little frightening,” Wang said. Despite the couple adding more security measures such as fences around their property and cameras, thieves haven’t been deterred from picking on their home. “I just want to keep my wife and dog safe, and I don’t want us watching camera feeds all day long because it’s just, it’s insane,” Sutton said. The most recent break-in occurred just days ago when a group of three masked individuals dressed in all black was captured creeping onto the couple’s property. “On Tuesday I was at work and around 5:29, I was in a meeting and all of a sudden I saw my camera alert went off,” Wang said. She spoke directly to thieves via a speaker and ordered them to leave her property. Even though she said she called police, the burglars were unphased and proceeded to aim for their back door.

NBC 4

Father and son arrested for allegedly selling drugs and guns in Los Angeles

Federal agents arrested a father and son from Los Angeles on Wednesday for allegedly selling at least 2 kilograms of fentanyl pills and several guns. Antonio "El Gato" Espinoza Zarate, 55, and his son, Francisco Javier Espinoza Galindo, 31, were charged with possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl. They face a minimum of 10 years in prison if they are convicted as charged. The maximum prison sentence for their charges is life in federal prison. Antonio was also charged for entering the country after being deported several times. Between 2023 and 2025, Antonio allegedly sold six firearms, ammunition and roughly 2 kilograms of fentanyl pills, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Federal investigators claimed his son Francisco was either present during the deals or provided the illicit items for two the sales. The Justice Department said a Los Angeles Superior Court convicted Antonio of selling drugs in 2008. A federal court in Arizona also convicted him for illegally entering the country in 2015, according to prosecutors. In court documents, investigators claimed that Antonio was deported in 2010, 2013, 2014 and 2017. 

CBS 2

Pickpockets targeting victims in West Hollywood bars and nightclubs

City officials are warning the public of a troubling trend in pickpockets and thieves targeting victims in West Hollywood. Although many locals say they’re aware of the thefts, the city remains a popular destination for bars and nightclubs, leaving many out-of-town visitors vulnerable. The thieves are also likely targeting victims who are intoxicated or distracted. Kristofer Bowers said his cell phone was stolen while partying with friends in WeHo. “I did, at the time, tend to leave my phone on the bar in front of me,” Bowers told KTLA’s Gene Kang. “Out of nowhere, it disappeared. I was like, ‘Where’s my phone?’” “It’s becoming really ridiculous to the point where, to visitors from around the world, West Hollywood is being known as the cell phone theft capital of the world,” said Adam Eramian, Chair of West Hollywood’s Public Safety Commission. According to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, in 2024, there were nearly 400 reported cases of thefts in the area.

KTLA 5

As hoax 911 calls surge, California lawmakers push for ‘swatting’ crackdown

Earlier this month, the Claremont Police Department received a chilling 911 report: A caller said they were holding someone captive inside a Claremont McKenna College restroom, carrying a bomb and preparing to shoot anyone they saw on campus. The call triggered a massive deployment of law enforcement and SWAT team members and sent waves of panic coursing through campus as students scrambled to find cover. But the crisis was fake, the result of a “swatting” call, a hoax 911 report made in the hope of generating a large law enforcement response. The incident took place one day after a similar threat prompted a lockdown of Loma Linda University’s Children’s Hospital. Swatting is a growing problem across the state and country. But California law can make it challenging to hold people accountable for the chaos their threats cause. Although falsely reporting an emergency to 911 is a misdemeanor offense, lawmakers are seeking tougher penalties for threats that cause mass disruption and target vulnerable populations such as schoolchildren or hospital patients. Under current law, threats are only considered to be a crime when they are made against an individual — not an institution, such as a school or hospital. Now, state legislators are backing new legislation to close that loophole.

Los Angeles Times

Wife of slain Cal Fire captain pleads not guilty to first-degree murder after arrest in Mexico

For five weeks, Yolanda Marodi was on the run from authorities. The 53-year-old was the prime suspect in the killing of her wife, Rebecca Marodi, 49, a fire captain who was found stabbed to death last month in the couple’s home in Ramona, Calif., officials said. Her fugitive status ended this weekend when Yolanda Marodi was arrested in Mexico. She entered a plea of not guilty to first-degree murder Wednesday during her arraignment at San Diego’s East County Superior Courthouse. She appeared via video from a San Diego hospital; her public defender requested a bail review hearing for April 28. San Diego County Superior Court Judge Peter Lynch said at the arraignment that Rebecca Marodi had been stabbed at least 34 times. Yolanda Marodi was at the hospital receiving treatment for an unspecified medical issue and will be moved to a jail after her release. She was arrested Saturday at a hotel in the Ferrocarril neighborhood of Mexicali, according to the Baja California Citizen Security Secretariat. She was transported to the U.S. border by Mexican state security agents and released to the U.S. Marshals Service, according to a news release from the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office.

Los Angeles Times

L.A. mayor’s text messages provide vivid window into early fire response

Inside the U.S. Embassy in Ghana, Mayor Karen Bass was attending a reception with local and foreign dignitaries as her phone began to ping. The first urgent message came from her deputy chief of staff, Celine Cordero. It was 6:48 p.m. on Jan. 7 in the African nation and just before 11 a.m. on what would become a catastrophic day in Los Angeles. “On phone with Chief Crowley now,” Cordero wrote from L.A., referencing then-Fire Chief Kristin Crowley in a group chat that included Bass and two of her closest aides, Deputy Mayor of Communications Zach Seidl and Chief of Staff Carolyn Webb de Macías. “2 significant fires in city now. She will call you mayor.” Bass was more than 7,500 miles away from Los Angeles and had attended the inauguration of the Ghanaian president earlier that day as part of a Biden administration delegation. She was set to depart Accra, the Ghanaian capital, in hours, just after the embassy cocktail party ended. At home in Los Angeles, the winds were vicious. A fire had ignited high in the hills of Pacific Palisades, and smoke was massing over the bone-dry ridgeline.

Los Angeles Times

California lawmakers ask for nearly $2 billion to fund LA's fire recovery

After a visit from Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and a handful of council members, California lawmakers asked the state legislature for nearly $2 billion to help the city's wildfire recovery effort. "Los Angeles is facing a budget crisis while recovering from devastating and unprecedented wildfires, and it's important that we advocate directly to state leaders for support," said Mayor Karen Bass. The massive request for $1.893 billion comes a week after LA's Administrative Officer Matt Szabo warned the council about a $1 billion shortfall that made thousands of layoffs for city employees "nearly inevitable." During his presentation to the city council, Szabo said the layoffs "cannot and will not be the only solution." The city delegation's pleas resulted in 22 state lawmakers, most of whom represent Southern California, signing the budgetary request, mainly focusing on wildfire recovery. However, roughly a third of the request will address the problems plaguing the city's revenue shortfall. 

CBS 2

LA moves to take control of homelessness agency, citing audits that found reckless spending

Los Angeles officials moved Tuesday to take control of hundreds of millions of dollars in homelessness spending, citing two scathing audits that found the government agency currently responsible for that money has spent it recklessly and without transparency. An audit this month found poor record-keeping prevented the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, or LAHSA, from tracking spending and verifying whether paid-for services were provided. The authority also paid invoices late, lacked an adequate system to monitor contracts and could not provide documentation to account for $5 million in cash advances sent to five service providers, according to a report in November. On Tuesday the LA City Council unanimously approved a motion asking staff to produce a report on how Los Angeles could effectively sidestep the authority and directly contract with homeless service providers. The agency, which is jointly funded by the city and county, was formed in 1993 as a result of a lawsuit settlement addressing limited access to public funds. It coordinates and manages money that goes toward shelter, food programs and a wide range of services for unhoused residents. It has an annual budget of approximately $875 million.

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.