Email from Los Angeles Police Protective League Daily News & Updates   Law Enforcement News Copper wire thefts are leaving neighborhoods in the dark. Here's what LAPD is doing to stop it Many California streets have been left in the dark lately by copper thieves vandalizing street lights. Officials say heavy metal thefts have been on the rise, leaving neighborhoods in the dark. ABC7 is looking into what's being done to combat the crime, and what happens to all the stolen metal. "It's a problem all over the United States," LAPD Lt. Andrew Mathes said. "The transportation of stolen metals is a pretty big industry." Mathes is the head of LAPD's Heavy Metals Task Unit, which is investigating stolen copper and other metals all across the city. Some people are also losing landline service because thieves are stealing telephone wires. Surveillance video from the Sierra Pacific Electrial Corporation shows thieves taking huge reels of copper lines. Experts say the copper sells for about $4.60 a pound. ABC 7 Tipsters can get $25K for info IDing driver in South L.A. hit-and-run A 23-year-old woman was severely injured in a hit-and-run in South Los Angeles on Friday night, and a reward of up to $25,000 is being offered for the public’s help in tracking down the driver. The woman, whose identity was not released, was hit at about 10:35 p.m. as she crossed Crenshaw Boulevard while in a crosswalk just north of the on-ramp to the westbound 10 Freeway, the Los Angeles Police Department said in a news release. A southbound pickup truck hit the woman and fled without stopping, police said. The woman was taken by ambulance to a local hospital for treatment. A reward of up to $25,000 is available for information leading to the driver. Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Holmes at 213-473-0238. During non-business hours or on weekends, calls should be directed to 1-877-LAPD-24-7 (1-877-527-3247). To report information anonymously, call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or visit lacrimestoppers.org. KTLA 5 Armed security guard allegedly shoots at suspects during attempted break-in at Sawtelle business An armed security guard allegedly shot at suspects during an attempted break-in at a business in Sawtelle Thursday morning. The Los Angeles Police Department said they are looking for an unknown number of suspects who attempted to break into a business near the intersection of Pico Boulevard and Centinela Avenue. Officers responded around 4:26 a.m. and found an armed security guard who shot at the suspects. An unknown number of suspects fled before police arrived. The LAPD is handling the incident as a shooting investigation. CBS 2 South L.A. residents who allegedly tried to chase and block immigration officers face federal charges A South Los Angeles couple are facing criminal charges for allegedly using their car to try to impede and pursue federal immigration agents who were serving search warrants earlier this year. Gustavo Torres, 28, and Kiara Jaime-Flores, 34, are charged with conspiracy to impede or injure officers, federal prosecutors announced Wednesday. Advocacy groups that call attention to immigration raids and inform people about their legal rights called the arrests an intimidation tactic by the Trump administration meant to deter activism. The couple could not be reached for comment. It was not immediately clear if they had legal representation. The charges stem from an incident on Feb. 28 when agents with the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Customs and Border Protection were serving search warrants in South Los Angeles. A small crowd gathered outside a home in the Florence neighborhood, according to a federal affidavit that accompanied the charging documents. At 9:32 a.m. three federal law enforcement vehicles left the scene with “evidence,” court documents said. There was no indication if anyone in the home was taken by the federal agents. Los Angeles Times More than 150,000 contraband cigarettes seized from couple aboard cruise ship in Port of LA Nearly 750 carton of contraband cigarettes were seized from a couple riding a cruise ship into the Port of Los Angeles in April. According to the U.S. Customs of Border Protection, two female passengers traveling together aboard the ship from Ensenada, Mexico, were found to be in possession of the illegal items once they disembarked at the Long Beach Cruise Ship Terminal. Upon presenting themselves for inspection, agents found 10 pieces of luggage that were full of cigarettes. "Although the travelers presented purchase receipts, they were unable to provide the appropriate permits to import such a quantity of tobacco products," said CBP's release. According to CBP, large quantities of cigarettes are considered commercial and not personal use, requiring an importer permit from the U.S. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau. They also require that tobacco product labels meet FDA standards, including nicotine warnings and accurate product descriptions. "The importation of tobacco products is highly regulated from both tax and consumer safety perspectives," said a statement from Cheryl M. Davies, CBP Director of Field Operations in Los Angeles. "Travelers who intentionally disregard U.S. importation laws and regulations often pay a high price." CBS 2 10-year-old California girl made TikTok about ‘getting kidnapped, lmao.’ Then she went missing. New details have emerged in the case against a Sacramento County man accused of kidnapping a 10-year-old girl whom he met on the online gaming platform Roblox. Matthew Naval was arrested on April 13 after authorities say they found him with the missing girl and her pet bird in an Elk Grove strip mall, over 250 miles from her Kern County home. Naval has pleaded not guilty to multiple felony charges for kidnapping and lewd acts with a minor. Naval, 27, told a deputy from the Kern County Sheriff’s Office that the girl had said she was 18. He said he agreed to pick her up so she could “escape” verbal abuse at home and they could be together as a couple, according to a report submitted by the deputy and filed in Kern County Superior Court. Naval allegedly admitted she looked younger in person, telling a deputy he thought she was maybe 17. He ended the interview by saying, “I think it would be best if I don’t know how old she is,” the deputy’s report says. His attorney, Mark Anthony Raimondo, told The Times that Naval has mental health challenges and may have autism. The day before the girl went missing, she posted a video on TikTok with the caption, “First time getting kidnapped, lmao,” and footage shot out of a car window, according to a report filed by a deputy. She also told friends she was going to pay someone to kidnap her, according to another deputy’s report. Los Angeles Times Homicide suspect fatally shot inside North Carolina police station after grabbing officer’s gun A murder suspect was fatally shot inside the Durham Police Department headquarters after he “lunged” for an officer’s gun, Police Chief Patrice Andrews said Wednesday. Andrews spoke at an evening news conference and said investigators were in the process of interviewing an adult male in custody shortly before 6 p.m. for a “recent homicide” when he reached for and gained “full control” of a Durham officer’s weapon. Following a struggle, the unnamed suspect was shot. Andrews said a preliminary investigation shows “the suspect fired the shot from the gun that was in his control. Again, this was a gun that belonged to a police officer.” Officers began to treat him at the scene. He was taken to the hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries, Andrews said. Andrews did not identify the suspect or in what case he was a suspect. The shooting is being investigated by the Durham Police Department’s Professional Standards Division and the State Bureau of Investigation, which is standard procedure for shootings involving officers. Andrews emphasized that her report is based on preliminary findings, including from surveillance footage inside the building. The investigation is ongoing, Andrews said. The Herald-Sun, Durham, N.C. ‘They can come to us': Pennsylvania PD distributes trading cards in community policing effort Police Chief Joseph Coffay was with the department as a sergeant in 1996 when the first round of officer trading cards were created and distributed to the community. Nearly 30 years later, the cards are back, and Coffay can still find the value in their creation. “It’s a community policing effort where we introduce ourselves, through these cards, to whoever we can hand them out to,” he said. As described by the chief, the 2025 edition of Wilkes-Barre police trading cards are their latest effort in community policing. The cards feature a photo of an officer on the front and a corresponding biography printed on the back. Each officer has been equipped with 100 of their own cards, which can be distributed to community members, specifically the children of the city. The cards are not pulling from taxpayer money, but rather were financially supported by local sponsors. Each card lists one of the sponsors on the back, under the biography. The effort to resurrect the card program after 30 years was spearheaded by Officer Justin Morris . He got the blessing of both Coffay and Mayor George Brown to move forward with the project. The Times Leader, Wilkes-Barre, Pa. Public Safety News 2 found dead at problem homeless encampment in Los Angeles A disturbing death investigation is unfolding in the Westlake District of Los Angeles, where two people were found dead at a problem homeless encampment, including one who neighbors say was found partially eaten by dogs. The grisly discovery was found at an encampment along Huntley Circle near downtown L.A. A woman’s body was found inside a sidewalk tent that had reportedly been locked from the inside. Family members, unable to reach the victim, tore open the tarp and discovered the woman’s body. A man’s body was also found at the scene. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s office identified the woman as 46-year-old Lucrecia Macias Barajas; the man’s identity has not yet been released. Cell phone video captured outside the tent shows a woman, believed to be Barajas’ daughter, wailing in grief. The homeless encampment has been a longtime complaint of nearby residents, who say it’s been neglected by the city and allowed to become progressively more unsafe. KTLA 5 Man barricades himself inside LA apartment after fire Authorities are in a standoff with a man who has barricaded himself inside an apartment building in Los Angeles' Florence neighborhood after it was reportedly on fire. According to the Los Angeles Fire Department, crews responded to a possibly burning apartment building in the 300 block of West 59th Place on Wednesday around 11 a.m. Officials said the man, who may be "experiencing a behavioral emergency," is not communicating with emergency crews. At this time, there is no indication of a fire as smoke is no longer visible from the building. The three-story center-hall building has been evacuated. There are no reported injuries. FOX 11 Do you know him? Man with head injury found near train tracks in L.A. Los Angeles County health officials are reaching out to the public on Wednesday to help identify a patient who has been hospitalized for nearly a week after being found near railroad tracks. The unidentified man was brought to Los Angeles General Medical Center after being “found altered” near the tracks on May 10, the L.A. County Department of Health Services stated in a news release. No further details about the incident were provided, but he did have injuries that required his head to be shaved. Officials said the unidentified man’s hair was shoulder-length prior to arriving at the hospital. He was also believed to be about 25 years old and about 5 feet 7 inches tall. He weighs 110 pounds and has hazel eyes, according to the email. Anyone with information was asked to contact Clinical Social Worker Nicole Crayon at 323-409-3877 Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m., or Jessica Barahona at 323-409-3758 Sunday through Wednesday between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. 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. 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