Woodland hill standoff, pursuit suspect had BB gun, metal machete, LAPD says

Authorities Wednesday identified a woman who was shot by an officer during a standoff after leading police on a pursuit across the San Fernando Valley on Memorial Day. The Los Angeles Police Department said officers first spotted 42-year-old Claudia Corugedo in a white van with multiple bullet holes in the windshield after receiving a call about a possible shooting on Sherman Way near Coldwater Canyon Avenue in North Hollywood at around 7:15 a.m. Monday. Corugedo, who had a felony warrant, refused to surrender and pointed what appeared to be a black semiautomatic pistol at her throat while driving recklessly, the LAPD said. When Corugedo’s van came to a stop on Arcana Road in Woodland Hills, she and officers were on a standoff with the suspect, at one point, sitting on top of the van. The LAPD said, after over an hour of negotiations with a SWAT team, the woman began walking toward the front door of a residence while holding her pistol and large machete. And that’s when an officer opened fire, causing her to collapse near the entryway of the residence, according to police. The pistol turned out to be a BB gun, designed to look like a semiautomatic weapon, the police said. Corugedo, who was taken to a hospital for the gunshot wounds, was booked for the felony evading charge.

NBC 4

LAPD Arrests Knife-Wielding Suspect

A man who police said threatened another man with a knife in the Exposition Park area of downtown Los Angeles is in custody, police said Thursday. Los Angeles Police Department officers from the department’s Southwest Division were called at Wednesday to a 7-Eleven located at the intersection of Martin Luther King Boulevard and Figueroa Street, west of the Harbor (110) Freeway regarding a victim who told the officers he had been threatened with a knife by the suspect, LAPD Officer Charles Miller told City News Service. The officers searched for the suspect and eventually found him hiding in a nearby homeless camp and pursued him to the intersection of 41st and Flower streets, where he was arrested, Miller said. Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics took the victim to a hospital, where he was reported in stable condition.

MyNewsLA

Video shows hit-and-run crash in downtown LA that left motorcyclist injured

Los Angeles police are seeking the public's help in finding the driver in a hit-and-run crash in downtown that left a motorcyclist injured. The Los Angeles Police Department recently released surveillance video that captured the crash on Cesar E. Chavez Avenue back on March 23. The footage shows a dark-colored Jeep Gladiator trying to make a left turn onto Bunker Hill Avenue when it crashed into an oncoming motorcycle. The driver of the Jeep did not stop to render aid. The motorcyclist, only described as a man in his 30s, was taken to the hospital with severe injuries. Police are offering a reward of up to $25,000 for information that could lead to an arrest.

ABC 7

FBI Asks for Help Finding 2006 Shooting Suspect

The FBI Wednesday sought the public’s assistance in locating a 54-year-old convicted felon suspected of murder, kidnapping and other crimes. Carlos Vasquez Serrano of Los Angeles is suspected of fatally shooting a man at a South Los Angeles bar on Feb. 1, 2006, according to the FBI. Serrano broke into the bar’s office following the killing and allegedly stole surveillance recording equipment moments before kidnapping a woman and taking her to Mexico against her will, the FBI reported. Serrano was charged on suspicion of murder, kidnapping, assault with a firearm and second-degree commercial burglary and a state warrant was issued for his arrest on Oct. 10, 2012. Serrano was described as a 5-foot-10-inch-tall Hispanic man, weighing 220 pounds, with brown hair and eyes. Anyone with information regarding his whereabouts was urged to call a local FBI office or a nearby American embassy or consulate.

MyNewsLA

San Fernando Valley, Glendale residents charged with COVID loan fraud

Multiple residents of the San Fernando Valley and Glendale are among more than a dozen defendants facing federal charges alleging they fraudulently obtained more than $25 million in COVID-19 relief funds and federally guaranteed small business loans, officials announced Wednesday. According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, those arrested Wednesday include Sarkis Sarkisyan, 37, of Glendale, who allegedly submitted a false application and bogus documents to obtain a loan under the Paycheck Protection Program, which provided low-interest, forgivable loans to help small businesses retain their workforce and cover expenses. Sarkisyan allegedly applied in April 2021 on behalf of a fake business that received more than $700,000 in PPP funds. Mery Babayan, 32, of Van Nuys, together with two co-defendants, allegedly defrauded a bank by "representing the nonexistent sale of a sham business to another sham company to obtain a nearly $3 million federally guaranteed loan'' through a Small Business Administration lending program. Felix Parker, 77, of North Hollywood, who in January 2023 allegedly falsely claimed that a shell company earned millions of dollars a year and owned tens of thousands of dollars in federal income taxes, and he allegedly received more than $2 million in funds that were supposed to help small businesses.

NBC 4

Authorities searching for escaped killer last seen in Southern California

Federal authorities have shared new age progression photos of a man who escaped from a life sentence in Ohio and is known to have spent time in Southern California. Lester Eubanks was sentenced to death in 1966 after he was convicted of the murder of 14-year-old Mary Ellen Deener in Ohio. Eubanks, according to the U.S. Marshals Service, was out of custody on bail at the time of the November 1965 killing for an alleged attempted rape just three months before. About 6 years later in 1972, Eubanks was taken off of death row and commuted to life in prison. The next year, on Dec. 7, 1973, Eubanks was given an honor assignment, which allowed him outside the prison. He managed to escape and to this day, hasn't been caught. "Fifty-nine years ago Lester Eubanks was sentenced to death for the vicious murder of Mary Ellen Deener," U.S. Marshal for the Northern District of Ohio Pete Elliott said, "and even after 59 years the U.S. Marshals Service will not give up on this case until Eubanks is found, justice can finally be served, and Mary Ellen's family can rest." The case has been investigated by local authorities for decades, and now Eubanks is on the U.S. Marshal's 15 Most Wanted fugitives list.

CBS 2

Ohio deputy fatally shot while responding to domestic violence call

A sheriff’s deputy in Ohio who responded to a domestic violence call at a home was fatally shot by a suspect who was wounded, authorities said. The Morrow County Sheriff’s office said the shooting occurred Monday night in the town of Marengo, about 35 miles (56 kilometers) north of Columbus. Speaking at a news conference on Tuesday, Sheriff John Hinton identified the deputy as Daniel Sherrer, 31, who had served with the department since May 2021. Sherrer “always had a smile on his face, never in a bad mood,” Hinton said. He noted the death was a tough blow for the department but said everyone came into work Tuesday because “that’s what we have to do, it’s what he would have wanted.” In a statement posted on the department’s Facebook page, Hinton said Sherrer was shot shortly after he arrived at the home. The deputy and the suspect were both taken to a hospital, where Sherrer was pronounced dead a short time later. The sheriff said Tuesday he has not yet viewed body camera footage of the shooting, so he could not provide further details about what occurred.

PoliceOne

K-9 killed in fatal New Mexico police shootout with suspect

A suspect and a police K-9 were killed during an officer-involved shooting near the Albuquerque International Sunport, KRQE reported. APD Chief Harold Medina said the series of events began on May 27 when officers were called to the Comfort Inn Albuquerque Airport to recover stolen tools from a trailer. During that operation, a SWAT team attempted to apprehend the suspect, but he escaped. Police tracked the suspect to the Comfort Inn. When the suspect attempted to leave the hotel and spotted officers, he fled back inside and then jumped from a second-story window. K-9 Rebel was deployed and successfully stopped the suspect. However, as officers approached, the suspect produced a firearm, prompting a shootout, according to APD. Both the suspect and Rebel were killed in the exchange. “Rebel was a loyal and courageous member of the Albuquerque Police Department for seven years and served our city with honor and bravery,” the department posted on Facebook. “He was not only a partner to his handler but a valued member of our police family. His dedication and service will never be forgotten.”

PoliceOne

Science lab incident sends 2 South LA middle school students to the hospital

Two South Los Angeles middle school students were transported to the hospital from their classroom science laboratory on Wednesday morning. According to the Los Angeles Fire Department, HazMat units were called to investigate the matter at George Washington Carver Middle School. A total of eight patients were examined in response to an unknown incident in a classroom science lab. All patients are in fair condition, and no hazardous chemicals were found at the scene. The cause of the illnesses remains unclear, according to the LAFD. 

CBS 2

L.A.’s mayor declared a homelessness emergency. Now, some at City Hall want to move past it

It was the first and possibly the most dramatic act by Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass after she took office: declaring a city emergency on homelessness. That move, backed by the City Council, gave Bass the power to award no-bid contracts to nonprofit groups and to rent hotels and motels for interim homeless housing. It also allowed Bass to waive regulations limiting the size and scale of certain types of affordable housing. Now, two and a half years into Bass’ tenure, some on the council are looking to reassert their authority, by rescinding the homelessness emergency declaration. Councilmember Tim McOsker said he wants to return city government to its normal processes and procedures, as spelled out in the City Charter. Leases, contracts and other decisions related to homelessness would again be taken up at public meetings, with council members receiving testimony, taking written input and ultimately voting. “Let’s come back to why these processes exist,” McOsker said in an interview. “They exist so the public can be made aware of what we’re doing with public dollars.”

Los Angeles Times

LA Council Supports State Bill to Regulate Junker Sales of Metals

The City Council Tuesday approved a resolution in support of a state bill that seeks to regulate the purchase and sale of certain metals by junk dealers and recyclers. The resolution, introduced March 7 by Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez and Councilman John Lee, was approved unanimously. Council members supported AB 476, citing what they say is an ongoing challenge with thefts of copper, brass and other metals from street lights, tombstones, fire hydrants and transit rail lines. According to the resolution, these surges in theft of precious metals are a result of organized criminals that use social media to coordinate their activities and hit multiple locations simultaneously. The issue is further exacerbated when some recycling centers and scrap yards receive and resell stolen metals. Los Angeles Police Department officials previously recovered approximately $46,000 worth of stolen copper and aluminum from a single recycling center in the San Fernando Valley.

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.