South LA Crips gang leader pleads not guilty to multiple federal charges

A South Los Angeles gang leader who is accused of acting as a community activist while running a criminal enterprise pleaded not guilty Tuesday to numerous federal charges, including racketeering, murder, extortion and fraud. Eugene "Big U" Henley Jr., 58, of the South LA community of Hyde Park, made an initial court appearance in downtown Los Angeles Tuesday. Henley, a long-time leader with the Rollin' 60s South LA gang, was charged last month after authorities accused him of running a "mafia-like" criminal operation identified in court documents as Big U Enterprise, which benefited from Henley's association with the gang. Henley also received grants from government agencies for the charity, which were then diverted to the criminal enterprise, according to authorities. Federal prosecutors added there’s probable cause to believe Eugene “Big U” Henley, Jr. killed a man named Rayshawn Williams in Las Vegas and dragged his body in the desert. Williams, according to court papers, was an artist for Henley’s label “Uneek Music. After Williams wrote a song to “diss” Henley, the gang leader kidnapped and murdered Williams in retaliation, prosecutors said. Additionally, Henley is suspected of submitting a fraudulent application for a COVID-19 pandemic relief loan for Uneek Music.

NBC 4

L.A. youth soccer coach faced earlier abuse allegations. Now, he’s charged with killing a 13-year-old boy 

The charging of a Los Angeles-area youth soccer coach in the killing of 13-year-old boy whose body was found along a road in Oxnard is raising new questions about earlier criminal investigations into the accused man’s contact with minors as well as his immigration status. Mario Edgardo Garcia Aquino, 43, was charged with murder with special circumstances in the death of Oscar Omar Hernandez. Here is what we know: Police records show that Garcia Aquino was the subject of two earlier investigations into alleged misconduct with children. Garcia Aquino was charged this week with assault with intent to commit rape in connection with a Feb. 22, 2024, incident. The coach allegedly “took advantage of a position of trust and confidence in committing the assault,” according to criminal records filed in court. The offense involved a 16-year-old boy, authorities said. Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Nathan Hochman said this week the reason for the delay in filing charges in the 2024 assault was because such crimes must be thoroughly investigated. Garcia Aquino was also the subject of an LAPD investigation into the suspected sexual assault of a minor in 2022, but was never charged because the alleged victim declined to testify against him, according to multiple law enforcement sources.

Los Angeles Times

Woman on scooter run over, left to die in Los Angeles

Police are searching for a driver who struck a woman on a scooter, then ran her over and left her to die in the Vermont Vista neighborhood of Los Angeles early Tuesday. The crash was reported just after midnight as police say the suspect was traveling on the 9600 block of Figueroa Street and struck a woman crossing on a scooter near Colden Avenue. Witnesses said the victim landed on the vehicle as the driver continued northbound on Figueroa. The victim eventually was dislodged from the car and was run over by the suspect for a second time, Los Angeles Police Department Detective Moreno said. The driver failed to stop and fled northbound on Figueroa Street at a high rate of speed. The unidentified victim was pronounced dead at the scene, Moreno said. The hit-and-run vehicle was described only as a small, dark sedan. No description of the driver was immediately available.

KTLA 5

Ebony Alert issued for girl, 14, last seen in South Los Angeles 

Authorities have put out an Ebony Alert for a young girl who hasn’t been seen in days. A missing person bulletin posted by the California Highway Patrol states that 14-year-old Ty’jhaya Richmond was last seen in the area of 88th Street and Budlong Avenue in South Los Angeles just before 1 a.m. on Saturday. CHP was notified on Tuesday, the poster indicates. She is believed to be in a black 2016 Honda Civic with the California license plate 8JZB656. Richmond is described as standing 5 feet, 8 inches tall and weighing 100 pounds. She has brown hair and brown eyes, and her last known clothing is a white shirt and pink pajama pants, authorities said. The Los Angeles Police Department also put out an Ebony Alert for Richmond which included another photo. Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Ty’Jhaya Richmond should contact Hollenbeck Detective Rider at 323-342-4191.

KTLA 5

Police Seek Help Finding 36-Year-Old With Schizophrenia Last Seen in Sylmar

Police sought the public’s assistance Tuesday in locating a 36-year-old man diagnosed with schizophrenia last seen in Sylmar. James Daniel Chiffer was last seen on Thursday walking in the 14100 block of Bucher Avenue, near Wilson Canyon, around 2 p.m., according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Chiffer was described as a 6-foot-1-inch tall Hispanic man weighing 230 pounds with brown hair and eyes. He was last seen wearing a black hoodie and dark-colored pants. Chiffer’s family is asking for public assistance in finding him, police said. Anyone with information regarding Chiffer’s whereabouts was urged to call the LAPD’s Missing Persons Unit at 213-996-1800 or 911. Call during non-business hours can be made to 877-527-3247. Tipsters who prefer to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477 or visit lacrimestoppers.org.

MyNewsLA

Cartel Member Pleads Guilty to Racketeering, Murder Conspiracy

A Mexican Mafia member who controlled drug smuggling, narcotics sales and the extortion of prisoners inside the Los Angeles County jail system pleaded guilty Monday to a federal charge that includes his role in a plot to murder a rival. Jose Landa-Rodriguez, 61, entered his plea in downtown Los Angeles to a charge of racketeering conspiracy, with a special sentencing allegation that he conspired to commit murder “with malice aforethought,” according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. U.S. District Judge George H. Wu set sentencing for May 19. The indictment focuses on a period when Landa-Rodriguez and two now-deceased members of the prison gang allegedly controlled drug sales among Spanish-speaking inmates in jails throughout the county. The initial 70-defendant indictment filed in 2018 explains how the incarcerated Landa-Rodriguez and other leaders of the enterprise exercised power with the help of trusted shot-callers, facilitators and associates who operated as “an illegal government within LACJ custody facilities,” prosecutors wrote.

MyNewsLA

LA County Catholic priest faces child sexual abuse charges

A Catholic priest from Downey remains in custody after Los Angeles County prosecutors charged him with several counts of child sexual abuse on Monday. Jaime Arriaga, 41, was remanded without bail after pleading not guilty to six felony counts related to the case. Most of the charges from the alleged sexual abuse happened in early February, according to court records. However, prosecutors also charged him with an assault that allegedly happened more than a month later on March 22. The Archdiocese of Los Angeles said Arriaga started presiding at the Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in January 2024 as a transitional deacon before being ordained as a priest six months later. The archdiocese added that it learned about the allegations on April 2. It immediately dismissed Arriaga from the ministry and reported the case to investigators. Arriaga surrendered himself to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department the following day, according to the archdiocese. 

CBS 2

Infant among 2 dead after head-on crash in Vermont Square

An infant was among two people killed in a violent head-on crash in the Vermont Square neighborhood of Los Angeles. The collision happened just after 11:30 p.m. Monday night at the intersection of Western Avenue and 47th Street, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Authorities say a white Kia was speeding when it crossed into southbound lanes and hit a black Nissan. The driver of the Kia died, as well as the 6-month-old baby inside the other car. A 20-year-old man and 25-year-old woman in the Nissan were taken to the hospital with serious injuries. The cause of the crash is under investigation. It's unclear if drugs or alcohol were involved. 

ABC 7

2 women dead, 4 people injured after a violent crash in Westmont

Two women are dead and four other people are injured after a crash in the Westmont neighborhood. The California Highway Patrol said they received calls around 12:10 a.m. near the intersection of Normandie Avenue and Century Boulevard of a crash. Crews from the Los Angeles Fire Department responded to the scene and pronounced two women dead. They also took four other individuals to a local hospital with moderate to major injuries. The CHP said a Honda CR-V was traveling eastbound on Century Boulevard when it was involved in a crash with a Buick that was traveling northbound on Normandie Avenue. A KCAL News photographer at the scene caught the aftermath of the crash where debris and glass were scattered across the street. The cause of the crash is still unknown, but the CHP is investigating if one of the drivers possibly ran a red light. 

CBS 2

Help needed to ID man found face down in East Hollywood weeks ago

Health officials are seeking the public’s help in identifying a patient who has been hospitalized in Los Angeles since mid-February. The 35 to 40-year-old man was brought to L.A. General Medical Center on Feb. 16 but hospital staff have been unable to contact any friends or family members that can help identify him. The patient was found face down with apparent facial trauma on the 1000 block of North Vermont Avenue in East Hollywood. He was described as 4 feet 8 inches tall and weighing 181 pounds with black hair and dark brown eyes. He was described as 4 feet 8 inches tall and weighing 181 pounds with black hair and dark brown eyes. Officials also said that the patient primarily speaks Spanish and sometimes mentions that he lives on 41st Street and Walton Avenue. Anyone with information was asked to contact Clinical Social Worker Jonathan Evanculla at 323-409-3859 or the L.A. General Medical Center Department of Social Work at 323-409-5253.

KTLA 5

Fires tied to homelessness make up nearly one-third of LAFD responses

The LA Fire Department says nearly a third of all firefighting responses in the last seven years have been tied to persons experiencing homelessness, and in a new report, officials suggested the Fire Department should begin to get its own share of the billions of dollars the City has spent on homeless relief efforts to bolster its own $838 million budget. "The LAFD has and will continue to be directly involved in the direct response to the homelessness crisis," wrote Battalion Chief Eric Roberts in a memo detailing the department's resources being increasingly devoted to issues involving persons experiencing homelessness, or "PEH," in City lingo. Between 2018 and 2024, LAFD firefighters responded to 232,266 fire calls, and of those, 76,449, or 32.9%, were related to homelessness, with the bulk of the increase -- a 475% jump -- counted in the number of rubbish fire calls in the last decade, of which 42% were linked to homelessness. The Fire Department said persons experiencing homelessness made up for nearly 12% of all medical calls, but said the data was incomplete because noting whether or not a person appears homeless is not part of the patient evaluation protocol.

NBC 4

LA Council to Consider `Phased Deliver’ of Convention Center Project

The City Council Wednesday will consider a “phased delivery” approach for a proposal to modernize the Los Angeles Convention Center, which is scheduled to host events for the 2028 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games. On Tuesday, the Economic Development and Jobs Committee recommended a phased delivery option to pursue the expansion of the Convention Center, connecting the South Wall and West Hall together above Pico Boulevard with a new hall building. Under the plan, construction would start in September with work being paused from May 31 to Sept. 30, 2028, for the 2028 Olympics with project completion slated for March 2029. Officials noted this was a “contemplated” timeline as more work needs to be done to finalize the schedule, costs and other things. Committee members approved the matter with conditions, and it will now be voted on Wednesday by the full City Council.

MyNewsLA

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.