Email from Los Angeles Police Protective League Daily News & Updates   Law Enforcement News Big U, alleged Los Angeles gang leader, ordered to remain jailed ahead of trial An alleged Los Angeles gang leader, known as Big U, was ordered to remain jailed on Tuesday while awaiting trial on charges contained in a 43-count federal indictment, including racketeering, fraud, extortion, and embezzlement. Eugene Henley Jr., the so-called rap "godfather," surrendered to authorities last month in connection with a federal complaint that also linked him to the 2021 killing of an aspiring rapper in Las Vegas. The 58-year-old pleaded not guilty at a downtown Los Angeles courthouse to the charges on April 8, and has been behind bars since. U.S. Magistrate Judge A. Joel Richlin heard arguments for and against the 58-year-old's release from pretrial detention on Tuesday. Prosecutors successfully argued that the defendant would present a threat to the community, the victims and witnesses if freed. According to federal prosecutors, Henley is a leader of the Hyde Park-based Rollin' 60s Neighborhood Crips and runs a vast, "mafia-like" organization that has committed crimes such as murder, trafficking and COVID fraud. Six other people allegedly linked to the case were also arrested. CBS 2 L.A. pawn shop owner accused of trying to sell stolen Andy Warhol art, worth $175,000 A former Beverly Hills resident and the owner of an L.A. pawn shop tried to sell stolen Andy Warhol art and lied about the scheme to federal agents, authorities said. Glenn Steven Bednarsh, 58, has been charged with knowingly buying a stolen Warhol trial proof depicting Soviet Union leader Vladimir Lenin in February 2021 for $6,000. He then attempted to sell it to a Dallas-based auction house, a Tuesday news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office alleges. The trial proof from the iconic pop artist, number 44 of only 46 he made, is worth an estimated $175,000. Bednarsh, who is now living in Farmington, Mich., is charged in a two-count federal grand jury indictment with conspiracy and interstate transportation of stolen goods. The pawn shop owner asked Brian Alec Light, 58, of Hudson, Ohio, and formerly from downtown Los Angeles, to help him sell the stolen art, authorities said. Light allegedly contacted the auction house in March 2021 and Bednarsh transported the piece to the Beverly Hills office before the auction house shipped it to its base in Dallas. Officials did not name the auction house or the pawn shop. Los Angeles Times LAPD searching for victims of alleged 7-Eleven armed robbery crew Officers from the Los Angeles Police Department asked for help finding additional victims targeted by an alleged armed robbery crew that was arrested last Friday night. Detectives said the group's armed robbery spree started at 1 a.m. April 18 and ended later that day at roughly 11:00 p.m. in South LA. The three suspects allegedly robbed five 7-Eleven stores in LA, Baldwin Park and Pasadena, according to LAPD. Investigators said that the suspects would have one person stay behind in their stolen blue Hyundai Sonata while the others robbed the store. The suspects used a blue-steel handgun with an extended magazine that police have not recovered. They allegedly tried to rob another place at about 9:50 p.m., right before the Alhambra Police Department started chasing them towards downtown LA. Two of the suspects jumped out of the car during the slow-speed pursuit after Alhambra PD handed over the chase to LAPD. The driver eventually gave up after he drove onto a South LA sidewalk after reaching a dead-end. Police arrested 21-year-old Jacuri Tobias for robbery. They also arrested two teens, a 15-year-old and a 17-year-old, but did not release their identities. CBS 2 SWAT standoff lasts for more than half a day in South LA A SWAT standoff lasting more than half a day took place outside a home in South Los Angeles. The Los Angeles Police Department responded to a call in the 5800 block of Crocker Street on Wednesday, April 23 involving a possibly armed person. The standoff has since lasted about 12 hours. At one point, SWAT officers fired off nonlethals and used a vehicle to crash into parts of the home. As of 5 p.m. Wednesday, no arrests have been announced in connection to the SWAT standoff. Officials believe the suspect was wanted for assault with a deadly weapon, but did not specify which violent incident they were linked to. FOX 11 3 San Fernando Valley smoke shops targeted in overnight crime spree Three smoke shops in the San Fernando Valley were targeted overnight in a series of back-to-back burglaries, all happening within several hours. The first incident was reported just before 4 a.m. at the Purple Haze Smoke Shop on Magnolia Boulevard in Sherman Oaks. Police said the suspects rammed into the front entrance with their vehicle, taking off with paraphernalia, marijuana and a cash register. AIR7 was above the scene as the investigation was unfolding and captured glass scattered all across the front entrance. According to police, the suspects were in a 2017 white Hyundai Elantra. Police hasn't shared any details regarding a description of the suspects, but a witness who was sleeping in his car at the time told Eyewitness News he saw at least five suspects. "I heard a big bang, and all of a sudden, I looked up and saw this car inside the store and all these men running in and out, in and out ... within 10 minutes, everything was being taken out and thrown in their second car, I guess it was, and they all took off," he said. ABC 7 Teens on bikes steal from supermarket near USC, hurl homophobic slurs at couple In what seems to be part of a recent crime trend, a group of about three dozen bike-riding teens swarmed a supermarket near USC before shoplifting from the store and attacking two men with homophobic slurs and rocks. Their actions follow a similar pattern of reports of large groups of teens on bikes stealing from stores and attacking drivers across the city over the last several months. Police arrested at least two individuals, both minors, in connection with a previous violent attack on a driver near Beverly Hills in February. In the latest incident, a group of teenage boys rode to the Ralphs market on South Vermont Avenue near USC around 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, according to witnesses and emergency radio dispatch reports. The teens stole bottled cocktails, Gatorade bottles and other items from the market, according to Bryan Benson, who was in the checkout line with his husband at the time. “We heard someone yell, ‘Oh, they’re stealing,’” Benson said. “It almost sounded comedic.” He started to record on his cellphone as several teenagers ran toward an exit with items in their arms as a security guard shouted at them. An alarm can be heard ringing inside the store on Benson’s cellphone recording. Several teens returned to the store multiple times and threw items at store employees. At one point, a security guard used pepper spray on the teens, Benson said. Los Angeles Times Southern California man stole over $1.8 million through mail and identity theft scheme A Southern California man was sentenced to prison for stealing over $1.8 million through mail theft, identity theft and bank fraud. Oren David Sela, 36, of North Hills, typically targeted residents in and around Beverly Hills by stealing mail and packages from their homes and using their personal information to open fraudulent bank accounts, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. From November 2021 to October 2023, Sela would obtain debit cards, bank account numbers, Social Security numbers, and other personal information through stolen mail. He used the victims’ information to gain access to their online bank and financial accounts. At times, he utilized SIM-swapping, which involves illegally obtaining a victim’s phone number by transferring it to a new SIM card or porting the victim’s phone number to gain temporary control over to defeat two-factor authentication protocols on their accounts, federal officials explained. Sela then opened additional accounts in the victims’ names to transfer money into intermediary accounts that he controlled. KTLA 5 Video: Suspected drunk driver crashes into Florida cruiser head-on, rolling it over A Manatee County deputy’s patrol car rolled over late Sunday night when a suspected drunk driver veered into oncoming traffic and hit the vehicle head-on, the sheriff’s office said. The sheriff’s office said the deputy was on routine patrol around 11:45 p.m. and was turning into the parking lot of the agency’s Operations Center at US 301 Blvd. W., Bradenton, when a pickup truck veered into the southbound lanes and struck his patrol car, causing it to flip over. According to a news release, nearby deputies helped the deputy with the overturned vehicle. The crash knocked him unconscious and he was later treated at a local hospital for minor cuts. A video of the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office Operations Center parking lot appeared to capture the crash. In footage posted to social media Tuesday afternoon, a pickup truck can be seen plowing into a patrol car. Body camera video showed the inside of the deputy’s overturned vehicle at the time of the crash. As an airbag deployed, the deputy radioed to dispatch that there had been an accident. Footage from another deputy’s body camera showed him running to the scene and helping the deputy out of the vehicle with assistance from a second deputy. The Bradenton Herald BWC: Woman strikes North Dakota officer with car, throwing him into a fence before fatal OIS The Bismarck Police Department released body camera footage showing a woman striking an officer with her car, leading to a fatal officer-involved shooting, KFYR reported. During an April 22 news conference, police shared video showing the suspect and officer engaging in conversation following a traffic stop on March 7. The officer smelled odors of marijuana and alcohol coming from the vehicle and asked the suspect to step out. The suspect refused, reversed her vehicle and drove towards the officers. After both officers avoided being struck, the suspect again reversed the vehicle, driving it backwards several yards. She then drove at officers again. She struck Officer Matthew James, who was thrown multiple feet over a tall snowbank and into a fence. He struck the fence with so much force that his gun flew out of his hand and landed on the other side of the fence, according to the critical incident release. The suspect can be seen driving up the bank and toward James, who was “laying defenseless. Officer Nathan Anderson fired his weapon in response, striking the suspect. The vehicle came to rest on the snowbank, feet away from the injured officer. The suspect later died at the hospital from her injuries, according to the report. The North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation reviewed the incident and determined that Anderson’s use of force was justified. Burleigh County State’s Attorney Julie Lawyer confirmed no charges would be filed, citing the threat to Officer James’ life. PoliceOne Local Government News Councilman Blumenfield Calls for Zoo to Hold Off on Relocating Elephants One day after the Los Angeles Zoo announced its intention to relocate its last two remaining Asian elephants to a 17-acre preserve in Tulsa, Oklahoma, City Councilman Bob Blumenfield introduced a motion Wednesday calling for the zoo to hold off on the move until additional options are explored. The motion would instruct zoo officials to report within 30 days on the relocation options for 40-year-old Billy and 59-year-old Tina, including U.S.-based sanctuaries accredited by the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries, as well as other options. Zoo officials would be instructed not to move the elephants or otherwise commit to where they will be relocated until the matter is discussed and voted on by the full council. The matter will be heard at a future meeting of the council’s Arts, Parks, Libraries and Community Enrichment Committee before being scheduled for the City Council. “Since the zoo is a citywide asset, the Los Angeles City Council has vested interest in the relocation of its elephants. Therefore, all options should be considered by the council before a final decision about where Billy and Tina will be relocated,” the motion reads. 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. Listen To Our Podcast Los Angeles Police Protective League | 1308 W 8th St | Los Angeles, CA 90017 US Unsubscribe | Our Privacy Policy | Constant Contact Data Notice