After baby’s fentanyl death, L.A. prosecutors accuse mom and grandpa of murder

At 17 months old, Justin Bulley should have been safe when he fell asleep on a couch next to his grandfather in a Lancaster apartment last year. But the baby never woke up from the Sunday afternoon nap. His grandfather, 73-year-old Jessie Milton Darthard, admitted to smoking fentanyl out of a glass pipe while next to the boy, and then falling asleep, court records show. Paramedics found the child unresponsive, and a medical examiner ruled that he overdosed. A coroner’s report determined Justin’s death was accidental, but L.A. County prosecutors are pursuing murder charges against Darthard and the boy’s mother, arguing they were responsible. Although prosecutors have previously treated overdose deaths as homicides, a case involving a baby is rare. Only once before have L.A. County authorities filed murder charges against parents or guardians whose drug use had fatal consequences for children, according to Jonathan Hatami, the assistant head of the L.A. County district attorney’s office’s complex child abuse unit.

Los Angeles Times

Man killed by hit-and-run driver in South Los Angeles

Police are searching for a driver who killed a man in a hit-and-run crash in South Los Angeles. The collision occurred on Feb. 24 as the victim, identified only as a man in his 60s, was crossing the road in the Vermont Vista neighborhood. In surveillance footage released by the Los Angeles Police Department, the man is seen pushing what appears to be a walker or a small cart as he crosses Figueroa Street near 104th Place at around 7 p.m. There was no crosswalk in the area. As vehicles drive by, he pauses in the middle of the road. The suspect, who had been waiting to make a left turn from 104th Place, drives forward and crashes into the pedestrian. The impact sent the man flying onto the vehicle’s hood before he fell onto the ground. The suspect continued driving away and never stopped to check on the victim. L.A. Fire Department paramedics transported the man to a local hospital where he died from his injuries. His name is being withheld pending next of kin notification. 

KTLA 5

1 Killed, DUI Driver Arrested in Early Morning Crash in Westchester

One person was killed Friday when a police pursuit of an allegedly impaired driver ended with a crash in the Westchester area, snarling traffic on streets near Los Angeles International Airport. Officers from the Los Angeles Police Department's Southwest Division were pursuing a DUI suspect in an SUV around 1:30 a.m. Friday, and the chase ended in the 10000 block South Sepulveda Boulevard, near Century Boulevard, where the suspect crashed into a blue Honda sedan, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Video from the scene showed the SUV nearly split in half from the collision. A passenger in the SUV was pronounced dead at the scene and a person in the Honda was taken to a hospital in an unknown condition. The driver of the SUV tried to leave the scene but was taken into custody, police said. The crash led to a difficult morning commute in the LAX area, with traffic being diverted away from Sepulveda and Century boulevards.

Westside Current

Skateboarder, 22, left for dead by hit-and-run driver in L.A. identified

Investigators have yet to locate and arrest the motorist involved in a deadly Koreatown hit-and-run that left a 22-year-old skateboarder dead. The fatal March 27 collision occurred at around 6 a.m. near the intersection of 6th and Catalina streets as the victim, now identified as Oscar Lopez, was riding his skateboard to work. In surveillance footage captured by a nearby business, the driver of a gray four-door sedan is seen traveling westbound on Catalina Street when they struck and killed the 22-year-old as he approached 6th Street, officials said. The grainy footage of the crash did not, however, provide investigators with any additional information about who was behind the wheel of the car. While police scoured the scene for evidence, closing 6th Street between Berendo Street and Kenmore Avenue for more than two hours, a white canopy covering the remains of the 22-year-old could be seen, as well as one of his shoes knocked loose from the impact and broken pieces of his skateboard.  

KTLA 5

South Central Man Injured During Altercation Escalating to Shooting

A 20-year-old man was hospitalized Saturday after he was shot during a verbal altercation in what police believe was a gang-related shooting in the Exposition Park neighborhood of Los Angeles. Officers from the Los Angeles Police Department’s Southwest Division responded to 3574 Ruthelen St., between South Gramercey Place and St. Andrews Place, at 12:04 a.m. Saturday where they learned the victim was seated in the back seat of a car when he was approached by another man and an argument ensued, LAPD Officer J. Nelson told City News Service. The suspect fired several shots at the victim and then fled in a black Dodge Charger. The victim was taken to a hospital by Los Angeles Fire Department personnel in stable condition.

MyNewsLA

Robbery suspect runs over pedestrian with tow truck in South LA

Police are searching for the robbery suspect who crashed a tow truck into a bystander in South Los Angeles. "There was just a lot of chaos going on," witness Jacqueline Reyes said. Reyes was walking to an appointment when she saw a man lying in the middle of the street near the W. 39th Street and Broadway intersection. "Couldn't really tell me what had happened, but it was pretty clear that he got hit by something," Reyes said. The Los Angeles Police Department first heard about the robbery involving a tow-truck at just after 10:30 a.m., right before receiving a call about a pedestrian being struck. "When I did see him, his face was pretty bloody," Reyes said. "He didn't look very responsive." Reyes added that police and paramedics rushed to help the victim, who is in a stable condition at a local hospital. LAPD Detective Christabel Youssef said that officers detained a person of interest but ended up releasing the individual. Officers found the suspect's tow truck dumped on the side of the road near Normandie Avenue and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard before getting away. "We're still canvassing and trying to sort everything out," Yousseff said. "We don't want to put anything out prematurely."

CBS 2

Suspect caught on camera burglarizing Sherman Oaks thrift store

The sound of shattering glass echoed through Start Rescue Resale as security cameras caught a man breaking in just 10 minutes before the nonprofit opened. "He threw a brick through the glass front door," employee Arlene Reese said. "He was kind of in and out in 10 minutes. I showed up at 11 a.m." After breaking through the glass, the suspect went straight to the back of the store and rummaged through racks of clothes. "We have a designer room that has designer clothes and he took about 15 designer men's shirts and about four designer sweaters," Reese said. "He had them on his arms in hangers." Reese added that he grabbed at least $2,500 worth of merchandise and walked right out. While he didn't take much else from the store, the suspect robbed vital funds from the nonprofit's mission. Start Rescue Resale sends all of its proceeds toward saving animals from high-kill shelters. "Everything in this store has been donated and the foundation is responsible for going to various high-kill shelters throughout Los Angeles, Fresno, San Bernardino and picking up to 100 dogs and cats every month and then driving them up to Oregon and Washington, distributing them to different foundations, shelters and sanctuaries," Reese said. 

CBS 2

Authorities looking for men who tampered with ankle monitors, left L.A. County reentry programs

Authorities are looking for two men who, in separate incidents, tampered with their ankle monitors and left the Los Angeles County reentry programs where they were serving the end of their prison sentences. Officials discovered Jose Arroyo, 39, was missing about 5 a.m. Friday morning when they were alerted that he had messed with the monitor, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. In a separate incident, they got a similar alert for Deshon R. Daniels, 26, later that evening. It’s unclear if the two men were staying at the same facility. There are three Male Community Reentry Program centers in L.A. County. Both men were serving sentences for second-degree robbery, according to the state corrections department. The voluntary program allows people who have two years or less of their sentence remaining to serve the rest of their time in a center that offers help with reentering the community. According to the state corrections department, the program helps people find employment and housing, among other services.

Los Angeles Times

BWC: Man accused of murdering 13-year-old daughter reaches for handgun before OIS

The Columbus Division of Police released body camera footage showing a SWAT officer shooting a Toledo man who was wanted in connection with the killing of his 13-year-old daughter, the Columbus Dispatch reported. The suspect was being surveilled by Columbus police after being identified by the Toledo Police Department as the last person seen with the girl, whose body was found with neck wounds in an abandoned house in Toledo earlier in the week, according to the report. The video shows a SWAT officer approaching the suspect. The suspect is seen walking with his right hand inside his sweatshirt and a walkie-talkie in his left hand. The officer, with his gun drawn, orders him to stop and show his hands. The man refuses, repeatedly telling the officer, “Just kill me.” Despite commands to show his hands, he keeps his right hand in his hoodie, appearing to handle a firearm. As he begins to pull out what is later confirmed to be a revolver, the officer fires multiple shots, striking the man.

PoliceOne

‘What will it take’: Mass. mayor concerned about ‘revolving door’ of repeat offenders

After about a decade of voicing the same concerns, Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno is once again questioning, “What will it take” to keep what he calls violent repeat offenders off the streets. His renewed plea comes after police arrested eight Springfield residents last week, including a repeat firearms offender. Jahiem Sutherland, 21, is one of the eight city residents who was arrested on March 12, according to the Springfield Police Department. In addition to his prior firearms convictions, Sutherland has two open firearms cases. Sutherland was held in jail from October 2023 to April 2024 in one open gun-related case, according to court records. A judge found the man dangerous in February 2024. In April 2024 , his bail was set at $4,000 with conditions, such as wearing a GPS. Sutherland was indicted in January 2024 in another gun-related case, court records show. His bail conditions were the same as in the first case. In both cases, there were notices for violations of pre-trial release conditions, with the most recent last month.

MassLive

The body of missing LAFD firefighter Connor J. Lees has been found

The body of Los Angeles Fire Department firefighter Connor J. Lees has been found nearly four months after the 29-year-old went missing during a recreational dive, the LAFD has announced. Long Beach police recovered Lees’ remains Friday off the coast of Long Beach, the fire department said in a statement Saturday. “The LAFD stands united in grief alongside Firefighter Lees’ family, friends, and colleagues,” the department said. “We extend our deepest condolences to all who knew and loved him.” Lees, a six-year veteran of the department assigned to Fire Station 94 in Baldwin Hills, went missing Dec. 4 while diving near Pier J in Long Beach. The off-duty firefighter was part of a group of four men in their 20s who had set out that evening to free dive, which involves swimming underwater without breathing apparatus or scuba tanks. Lees was one of three divers who plunged into the water while the fourth man drove the boat, the Long Beach fire department said at the time. When only two of the men resurfaced, the group called 911.

Los Angeles Times

Man found in house fire in Pico-Union area dies at hospital

A man discovered by firefighters in a burning two-story home in the Pico-Union area Los Angeles Saturday died at a hospital, authorities said. Firefighters dispatched at 1:04 p.m. to 1215 S. Westlake Ave. had the fire out in 12 minutes, the Los Angeles Fire Department reported. "During the primary search, firefighters located and pulled out a gravely injured, approximately 50 (year-old) male victim,'' the LAFD's Margaret Stewart said. The man was rushed by ambulance to a hospital where he later died. No other injuries were reported. The cause of the fire was under investigation.

ABC 7

Person dies after traffic collision with Los Angeles fire engine

A person was killed Sunday after a collision involving a member of the Los Angeles Fire Department driving a fire engine, authorities confirmed. According to the department, the incident occurred at about 10:45 a.m. at the intersection of Terra Bella and San Fernando Road in the Pacoima neighborhood of L.A., just outside of Whiteman Airport. The sole occupant inside the vehicle that collided with the fire engine was transported to a local hospital where they later died. Their identity was not immediately made public. A pair of LAFD firefighters were also transported with non-life threatening injuries. As of 1 p.m., it wasn’t clear how the collision occurred. No additional details were immediately made available.

KTLA 5

L.A. hospital needs help identifying man found injured in Lincoln Heights

A Los Angeles hospital needs help identifying an injured man. On March 26, the man was found on Forney Street in a residential area in the Lincoln Heights neighborhood. He was transported to the Los Angeles General Medical Center where he remains hospitalized. He did not have any personal belongings to help staff identify him. He is described as a man around 30 years old who stands 5 feet 5 inches tall and weighs 149 pounds. He has brown eyes, dark brown hair and a short beard. The extent of his injuries was not released. Workers are hoping to locate his loved ones. Anyone who recognizes the man or has additional information is asked to call Cesar Robles, a clinical social worker, at 323-409-3859 or the L.A. General Medical Center’s Department of Social Work at 323-409-5253.

KTLA 5

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.