Email from Los Angeles Police Protective League Daily News & Updates   Law Enforcement News Soccer coach questioned in 13 year old's death, arrested for 2024 sex assault A soccer coach identified by the family of a missing 13-year-old boy as the last person who had contact with the teen was questioned about the disappearance and booked on an unrelated sexual assault charge, according to law enforcement sources and court records. The medical examiner in Ventura County confirmed the body found in a ditch in Oxnard earlier this week was that of Oscar Omar Hernandez. Police had said a body that appears to match the description of the teen. The man in custody, Mario Edgardo Garcia Aquino, 43, was arrested by LAPD detectives Wednesday morning on a warrant issued earlier that day in an unrelated sexual assault case that was investigated last year by the LA County Sheriff's Department. "This individual has not been arrested or charged in connection with the Hernandez case," said LAPD Public Information Director Jennifer Forkish. "Our investigation is ongoing," she said. Garcia Aquino failed to make an initial court appearance at the Criminal Courts Building in downtown LA on Friday and was expected to appear Monday. He was being held in LA County jail in lieu of $100,000 bail. According to the criminal complaint in the 2024 investigation, Garcia Aquino faces a single count of assault with intent to commit another felony, which prosecutors allege was the attempted rape, sodomy or oral copulation of a man. NBC 4 Man’s Conviction Upheld for Double-Murder at Harbor City Burger Restaurant A state appeals court panel Thursday upheld a man’s conviction for murdering two people at a burger restaurant in a Harbor City strip mall, including the longtime owner of the popular neighborhood eatery. The three-justice panel from California’s 2nd District Court of Appeal found that the evidence against Joey Alfred Mendoza that included “devastating recorded admissions” is “overwhelming.” Mendoza, now 27, was convicted of one count of first-degree murder for the Oct. 12, 2016, shooting death of Louis Garcia, 23, of Wilmington, and one count of second-degree murder of Charalambos Antonelos, 61, of San Pedro, who owned Bob’s Hamburgers. Jurors also found true the special-circumstance allegation of multiple murders, along with gun allegations. Mendoza was arrested by Los Angeles police a day after the killings and has remained behind bars since then. In sentencing Mendoza to life in prison without the possibility of parole in November 2023, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Laura Laesecke told the defendant — who was 18 at the time of the shooting — that he “spent so long thinking about how you were going to kill.” MyNewsLA Police seek driver in December hit-and-run in Westlake The Los Angeles Police Department is asking for the public’s help in tracking down a driver who backed over a pedestrian in the Westlake area of Los Angeles late last year. The Dec. 13 collision occurred at about 10:45 a.m., when a white Nissan Xterra “backing up in a southbound direction on Burlington Avenue” hit a pedestrian who was walking across the street, the LAPD said in a news release. Police did not say why the vehicle was traveling in reverse or if the driver shifted to drive, but they say the driver sped off southbound towards Wilshire Avenue without stopping to help or identifying themselves. The pedestrian, a man, was hospitalized with “severe injuries,” the release explained. A reward of up to $25,000 is available for information leading to the driver. Anyone with information is asked to call Officer Herrera at 213-833-3713. KTLA 5 Driver that injured man in 70s sought by police in El Sereno hit-and-run Police are searching for a hit-and-run driver who severely injured a man in his 70s in El Sereno in early January. The crash happened on Jan 3. at around 1:20 a.m. near Huntington Drive and Rose Avenue, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Officers say that the driver of a light-colored sedan traveling eastbound on Huntington struck the victim as he was crossing the street at Rosemead Avenue. instead of stopping to help, he fled from the area. The victim, who has not been identified, was taken to a nearby hospital with severe injuries, police said. A standing reward of up to $25,000 has been offered for anyone who has information that leads to the identification, arrest and conviction of the driver. Anyone who knows more is asked to contact investigators at (213) 833-3713. CBS 2 Police chase involving suspected DUI driver ends in crash in South LA A police chase involving a suspected DUI driver ended in a violent crash Friday night in South Los Angeles - and a portion of it was caught on video. According to the Los Angeles Police Department's Harbor Division, the pursuit began near the intersection of 8th Street and Pacific Avenue in San Pedro. That's where officers spotted a driver they believed was driving under the influence. Police said the driver refused to pull over and took off. The pursuit last 25 minutes before the driver crashed near Figueroa and 115th streets. Police said the suspect, who was identified only as a man, hit a curb and crashed into the gate of a home. Video obtained by Eyewitness News shows the vehicle on its side as officers respond to the scene. The suspect was not seriously injured and was the only person in the vehicle, according to police. No other injuries were reported. ABC 7 Louisiana man suspected of killing his parents arrested in Los Angeles A Louisiana man suspected of murdering his parents was arrested in Los Angeles last week, according to Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department officials. While the arrest was made on Friday, authorities with the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff's Office believe that the killings happened days earlier. Los Angeles County deputies spotted a white Ford E-150 van that was parked in the 5400 block of Fairfax Avenue at around 5:45 p.m. on Friday, which they say matched the description of a vehicle involved in a Louisiana homicide. They arrested the lone occupant of the van, 34-year-old Joshua Brocato. He was allegedly found to be in possession of "body-armor and several loaded firearms including an assault rifle," according to LASD's press release. After he was taken into custody, deputies confirmed that he was the suspect sought in connection with the deadly shootings of Priscilla Brocato, 66, and Marc Brocato, 75, in southeastern Louisiana. They were found dead on Thursday, April 3 when Tangipahoa Parish deputies conducted a welfare check on a home on Eastwood Drive in the Amite City area of Louisiana, which is approximately an hour north of New Orleans. Priscilla was found dead inside of the home, while Marc was found dead on the couple's property. CBS 2 CHP traffic stops nets thousands in drugs, guns California Highway Patrol traffic stops lead to major drug and weapon seizures across California. CHP said that the officers continue to make a difference in the communities across the state by turning routine traffic enforcement into major drug and weapon busts. Officials from the Oroville area arrested a driver in southern Butte County after finding nearly six pounds of suspected methamphetamine during a traffic stop, said CHP. Crews in Santa Cruz said a Coastal Division K9 officer and his partner, Rae, helped arrest a 20-year-old suspect who was linked to previous crimes, said authorities. Officers said when they were looking inside the vehicle, they found two unregistered handguns—one with an extended magazine. West Los Angeles authorities stopped a driver for running a red light at Vermont Avenue and Century Boulevard and they said what stated a simple traffic violation led to the discovery of an open container of Promethazine Hydrochloride, an unregistered firearm, and narcotics for sale. KTLA 5 ‘I grieve each loss': Texas sheriff reflects on 4 suicides in 6 weeks within agency The Harris County Sheriff’s Office is reeling after the deaths of four current and former deputies who died by suicide over the course of six weeks — underscoring the ongoing mental health crisis in law enforcement. Sheriff Ed Gonzalez told CNN that three of the deaths happened within the same week toward the end of March. “It hurts, and I grieve each loss,” Gonzalez told CNN. “When a deputy dies by suicide, it is particularly painful because I can’t help wondering what could have been said or done to help them.” Among those lost was Deputy Christina Kohler, 37, who joined the agency in 2018 and worked in the courts division. The other individuals — Long Nguyen, Maria Vasquez and William Bozeman — had either retired or left the department in recent years. Thomas McNeese, who oversees wellness initiatives at the department, described the emotional toll of the recent losses as being like a bomb — starting with a devastating impact on close family and friends, but continuing to reverberate throughout the agency, according to CNN. “It’s a family, and we’re a large agency, but everyone gets to know each other,” McNeese said. “And people you wouldn’t expect to be affected end up being affected.” PoliceOne 345 fallen officers to be added to National Law Enforcement Memorial in D.C. The names of 345 law enforcement officers who died in the line of duty will be engraved on the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in April, the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund (NLEOMF) announced. The newly inscribed names will be formally dedicated during the 37th Annual Candlelight Vigil on May 13, 2025. Held on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., the vigil is one of the most solemn observances during National Police Week, drawing tens of thousands of survivors, officers and supporters each year. This year’s “Roll Call of Heroes” includes 148 officers who were killed in the line of duty in 2024. Among them are federal, state, local, tribal, territorial, campus and military law enforcement officers. The total reflects a 25% increase in line-of-duty deaths compared to 2023. “With these additions, we now honor 24,412 officers on the Memorial, representing agencies across all 50 states, the District of Columbia, U.S. territories, and federal, campus and military law enforcement,” NLEOMF officials stated. The list of names is vetted by the organization’s research department and names committee, which conducts thorough reviews to confirm each officer’s service record and line-of-duty death classification. PoliceOne Public Safety News Driver crashes van into crowd of shoppers in L.A.’s Santee Alley; 9 hurt, including 3 children The driver of a minivan crashed into a crowd in downtown Los Angeles on Sunday afternoon, injuring nine people including three children, the Los Angeles Fire Department said. The incident happened about 3:15 p.m. in Santee Alley, a popular open-air market in the Fashion District, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Seven of those injured in the crash in the 300 block of East 12th Street, including three children, were hospitalized in fair condition, emergency officials said. Two people were released “against medical advice,” a Fire Department statement said. Those injured included pedestrians. It was unclear whether the driver was hurt or whether there were any injured passengers in the van. Department of Transportation workers were on the scene to cordon off and redirect traffic. It’s unclear what caused the minivan to crash. Los Angeles Times Metro train collides with vehicle in downtown LA A Metro train and a vehicle collided Saturday night, temporarily halting the public transportation service in downtown Los Angeles. The Los Angeles Fire Department responded to the crash around 8 p.m. in the 1500 block of South Flower Street. All occupants were out of the car at the time of the crash, according to LAFD. No medical transportation was required. It's unclear how many occupants, if any, were in the train at the time of the crash. NBC 4 Video shows fire engulfing car in Koreatown Multiple cars parked on the street in Koreatown were overcome with flames on Friday night. The blaze was reported at 7:54 p.m. on the 3700 block of West 7th Street, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. It was initially reported as a rubbish fire, but when crews arrived they found that two cars were engulfed in flames. As of Saturday morning, it’s not clear how the fire started, or if it’s being investigated as an arson. Video obtained by KTLA showed widespread flames covering one car and pressing up against an apartment building. It was not clear if the building was damaged. No injuries were reported. KTLA 5 First report on `Hate Incidents' released by Los Angeles County The Los Angeles County Commission on Human Relations Thursday released its first-ever Hate Incident Report, showing reported non-criminal hate acts in the county grew 35%, from 609 in 2022 to 821 in 2023. Hate incidents are non-criminal occurrences motivated by prejudice or bias against a person or group's actual or perceived identity. Such incidents can include verbal abuse, harassment and displays of offensive material. According to the survey, reported hate incidents taking place at schools, colleges and universities rose 234% -- from 59 to 197. Incidents with white supremacist ideology increased 124% -- from 33 to 74, while Middle East conflict-related incidents grew from 2 to 45, an increase of 2,150%. “Hate incidents can be just as traumatic for victims as hate crimes, and can perpetuate systemic inequality; so all of us must report them, not accept them as 'normal','' said Robin Toma, LACCHR executive director, in a statement. “Understanding hate incident data along with hate crime data is a crucial new dimension for effective prevention and intervention policies and action.” NBC 4 Local Government News LA City Council limits money going to Bass' Inside Safe program With Los Angeles facing a shortfall of $1 billion in the next fiscal year and frustration continuing to grow over homelessness spending, the City Council on Tuesday authorized a limited transfer of money for Mayor Karen Bass' Inside Safe program. Initially, City Administrative Officer Matt Szabo recommended the transfer of about $46.1 million to cover costs related to Inside Safe and other initiatives to address homelessness. On Tuesday, however, the City Council voted 14-0 to transfer $29.1 million instead — a reduction of $17 million from the original request — and ordered several reports regarding questions they felt have yet to be answered after repeatedly requesting such information. Councilwoman Nithya Raman, chair of the Housing and Homelessness Committee, sought to limit the transfer of funds to Inside Safe and encouraged her colleagues to do so. Raman said the amendment is not to be a conflict or to criticize the work of the Mayor's Office or homelessness service providers. It's "designed to make us better at doing the work that we have all committed to over and over again," she added. FOX 11 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