Email from Los Angeles Police Protective League Daily News & Updates   Law Enforcement News A ‘well-orchestrated execution’: Mystery surrounds school official’s killing at L.A. Live It was the height of the dinner rush at L.A. Live, a glittering, neon-drenched complex of restaurants and bars steps from Crypto.com Arena. Around 6 p.m. on Nov. 28, 2023, a white Ford Escape pulled out of rush hour traffic on Figueroa Street, stopping along the curb outside Fixins Soul Kitchen. A man stepped out of the Ford, wearing a dark jogging suit with white trim, white sneakers and a baseball cap with the words “No F— Given” on the front. A black balaclava covered his face as he entered the restaurant. L.A. Live’s security cameras captured what happened next: In front of about 20 diners and employees, he walked up behind a man eating alone at the bar, aimed a pistol with two hands and shot him in the back of the head. At a court hearing Wednesday, Los Angeles Police Department detectives revealed how they identified the alleged shooter and a second man accused of coordinating what police called a “very well-orchestrated execution.” Detectives testified that surveillance footage, license plate readers and an analysis of cellphone and car location data helped solve the case — but only partially. It remains a mystery why the two defendants, alleged gang members with prior convictions for violent crimes, would target Sidney Barrett Morris, who until shortly before his death held a high-level post at Cal State Northridge. Los Angeles Times Messy multi-vehicle hit-and-run crash kills 2 people in Westlake, driver arrested for possible DUI New details emerged in what’s turning out to be a gruesome, expanded hit-and-run crash that killed two people and injured at least four others in Westlake on Sunday afternoon. The Los Angeles Police Department confirmed to KTLA that around 12:20 p.m., the driver of a black Alfa Romeo crashed into at least two other cars at Olympic Boulevard and Union Avenue and fled the scene. However, in a 4 p.m. update, the LAPD said the investigation revealed that there were in fact four cars involved in the crash, and a total of six injured patients. Four patients were hospitalized, including the suspect. Crews with the L.A. Fire Department responded and had to rescue two severely injured adult patients who were trapped in one of the hit cars. Both patients were extricated from the wreckage and transported to the hospital in critical condition. According to the LAPD, one of these patients was not conscious or breathing. In the LAPD’s 4 p.m. update, officials said both of these patients were later pronounced dead at the hospital. KTLA 5 Man Stabbed to Death in Downtown LA Area; Suspect Arrested A man was arrested on suspicion of murder for allegedly fatally stabbing another man in downtown Los Angeles, authorities said Sunday. Officers dispatched at about 9 p.m. Saturday to the 500 block of South Crocker Street located a man, about 45 years old, suffering from stab wounds, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Paramedics rushed him to a hospital, where he later died from his injuries. The suspect, described as a man about 64 years old, fled on foot and into a nearby apartment building, police said. He was arrested at that site on suspicion of murder, a police officer with the LAPD’s Media Relations Section told City News Service. No further information was immediately available. MyNewsLA Fatal hit-and-run driver arrested in L.A. after returning to scene of the crime The driver in a fatal hit-and-run was arrested after he returned to the scene of the crime in Los Angeles, officials confirmed. Around 1:10 a.m. on May 2, according to the LAPD, a pedestrian was crossing Sherman Way, just east of Independence Avenue, when a black Mercedes-Benz fatally struck him. The victim was only identified as a man in his 60s. After hitting the victim, LAPD said the driver continued eastbound on Sherman Way, failing to stop, identify themselves or provide aid – as required by law. Fire paramedics responded to the scene and pronounced the man dead. LAPD said his name is being withheld pending next of kin notification. Then, while detectives were actively conducting their investigation, the hit-and-run driver returned to the scene. Details are limited, but police said he was interviewed and identified as 29-year-old Marvin Edgardo Pineda, a Northridge resident and the driver of a 2023 Mercedes-Benz GLE53. Pineda was arrested and booked at the LAPD Van Nuys Jail for a felony hit and run. KTLA 5 Missing 13-year-old girl last seen Wednesday in South L.A., police say Detectives are asking for the public's assistance in finding a missing 13-year-old girl. Los Angeles police said Zhinya Rodgers was last seen on Wednesday around 11:30 a.m. when she was leaving her residence in the 400 block of W. 109th Street in South L.A. Family members haven't heard from Zhinya since and are concerned about her well-being. Zhinya is described as a Black female with brown hair and brown eyes. She's 5' 6", 140 pounds, and was last seen wearing a white t-shirt with gray sweatpants and overalls, according to LAPD. Anyone with information on Zhinya's whereabouts is urged to contact Southeast Detective III Patsenhann at (213) 709-3784. During non-business hours or on weekends, calls should be directed to 1-877-LAPD-24-7 (1-877-527-3247). ABC 7 Man gets stuck on fence while trying to escape from police: LAPD A man accused of burglarizing a downtown Los Angeles business on Friday was rescued by first responders after he got stuck on a fence. The Los Angeles Police Department said officers responded to a reported burglary around 10 p.m. on the 1600 block of S. Los Angeles Street. There, three people were seen inside the business. Those individuals quickly fled the scene and two were taken into custody. The third person tried to hop a fence nearby but got stuck between two fences, LAPD said. Emergency crews with the Los Angeles Fire Department helped the man get down. Initially, they thought he may have been impaled by one of the fences but he was ultimately not hurt. LAPD clarified that the individuals were later suspected of vandalism, not burglary, as the call was originally reported. Police did not identify the people who were taken into custody. NBC 4 Man pleads not guilty to sex crime charges connected to East Hollywood bus assault The 18-year-old man who allegedly attempted to rob, and then sexually assaulted a woman on a Los Angeles Metro bus last month pleaded not guilty to sex crime charges on Friday. Edgar Javier Zepeda allegedly assaulted a woman at knifepoint while traveling on a bus between East Hollywood and Southwest Los Angeles on April 12. The incident happened around 10:15 p.m. near Sunset Boulevard and Vermont Avenue. Police said the suspect sat next to the victim, a 33-year-old woman, and began to talk to her. At some point, the suspect began "brandishing a knife and demanding money from her," LAPD said in an earlier statement. "When the victim did not have any money to give the suspect, he sexually assaulted her for several minutes.” Zepeda allegedly fled the bus at a stop near Exposition Park. Aside from the sex crime charges, Zepeda also is charged with one count of attempted first-degree robbery of a transit passenger. His bail is set at $1.5 million. CBS 2 ‘Virtual' kidnapping scammers targeting Latino community in Los Angeles Los Angeles residents, especially those in the Latino community, are urged to be extra vigilant about a “virtual” kidnapping scam through which criminals attempt to extort money by claiming that they are holding loved ones captive. The Los Angeles Police Department warned Friday that scammers, often Spanish speakers, call or text message would-be victims via a private messaging app, saying they are holding a family member hostage. While there was in fact no kidnapping, criminals demand money in exchange for the “safe release,” the LAPD said. “(The scammers) claim to have a loved one held captive and provide various reasons, such as money was owed to the cartel for lost narcotics, involved in a traffic collision they caused, etc.,” police warned. The criminals also demand ransom be sent or delivered to a specific location while urging the victims to remain on the phone as the payout is being processed, falsely claiming that they are being watched, according to the LAPD. Sometimes, the scammers reach out to multiple family members, such as a parent and a child, to make their lies more believable, officials said. Police also recommend people beware of calls and text messages coming from unknown numbers, including prefix numbers originating from Mexico (+52) and other local area codes. NBC 4 SoCal man who killed wife and tossed her severed legs in trash gets 15 years to life in prison For more than two decades, Jack Potter had fooled people into believing his dead wife, whose severed legs were found in a Rancho San Diego trash container in 2003, was still alive, prosecutors say. On Friday, one of the region’s most disturbing cold cases concluded when 72-year-old Jack Potter was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison for the murder of his wife, Laurie Potter. Potter pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and admitted to smothering his 54-year-old wife to death in February, prosecutors said. For almost 20 years, prosecutors say, Potter was living large and profiting off of Laurie’s death while pretending she was still alive. He fraudulently opened credit cards in her name and used family court to sell their home in Temecula and pocket the profits, prosecutors said. He met a new girlfriend at a strip club and gifted her a Hummer SUV and a ski boat, leased her an apartment and gave her a credit card with a $30,000 limit, prosecutors said. The girlfriend eerily shared his wife’s name. Los Angeles Times FBI, Florida sheriff’s deputies arrest man who had fake cop gear, aimed to carry out attack on LE A Palm Beach County man was thwarted in carrying out racially-motivated mass shootings and attacks on law enforcement that investigators say were imminent after he was arrested Tuesday, according to the sheriff’s office and FBI. Deputies and federal agents raided 22-year-old Damien Allen’s Loxahatchee home, where he lived with his parents, and found 18 firearms, some of which may be fully automatic, 12,000 rounds of ammunition, two-way radios, a Taser stun gun and authentic-looking uniforms from the sheriff’s office, FBI and military, according to PBSO. Sheriff Ric Bradshaw told reporters during a press briefing Wednesday that Allen boasted in online chats and social media sites — including Instagram and Discord — that he planned on attacking churches for racial reasons, as well as ambush law enforcement officers. “This guy was ready to go, had all the equipment, had the propensity to do it. It was a just a matter of what day was going to set him of to go do it,” Bradshaw said. “No doubt in my mind, [the investigation] saved a love of lives.” The sheriff’s office worked on a tip it received last week from the FBI about Allen’s disturbing online activity. The FBI discovered his conversations while investigating a separate case law enforcement has not detailed, said sheriff’s office Capt. Randy Foley. Miami Herald Public Safety News 4 people hospitalized in multi-vehicle crash in Pacoima, LAFD says Four people were rushed to the hospital after a multi-vehicle crash in the Pacoima neighborhood Saturday evening. The crash happened just after 6:30 p.m. at 11675 N. Glenoaks Blvd., according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. Two 29-year-old men are in critical condition. Two women, ages 55 and 60, are said to have minor injuries. One additional patient declined treatment at the scene, LAFD said. Additional details about what exactly led up to the crash were not immediately available. ABC 7 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