Man federally charged for allegedly pointing laser at LAPD helicopter during protest

A man has been federally charged for allegedly aiming and pointing a laser at a police helicopter during a protest in Los Angeles in June. Dominic Rios, 21, was arrested on July 7 following a federal criminal complaint filed on June 27. The complaint claims that on June 10, while a Los Angeles Police Department helicopter was flying over a protest in downtown LA, Rios aimed and pointed a green laser at it. The FBI said the helicopter pilot and flight officer were able to identify the person using the laser, who was later identified as Rios. The officers in the helicopter gave the description of Rios to officers on the ground, who located and arrested him. During a search, LAPD officers found a laser pointer in Rios' pocket. According to a statement by the FBI, Rios admitted to using his green laser pointer on the LAPD helicopter. "Testing confirmed that the device seized from Rios was a green laser pointer," the FBI said, "The helicopter was struck three times by the green laser and each strike lit up the cockpit."

CBS 2

Body of young child found in a Panorama City parking lot

Police are investigating the death of a young child whose body was found in a Panorama City parking lot Saturday morning. The unidentified boy, believed to be 3 to 4 years old, was discovered near trash containers in a commercial parking lot in the 8200 block of Van Nuys Boulevard near Titus Street. Officers from the Los Angeles Police Department’s Mission Division arrived at the scene around 7 a.m. Personnel from the L.A. Fire Department attempted but could not resuscitate the child and pronounced him deceased, LAPD said in a statement. Detectives from the Abused Child Unit are handling the ongoing investigation. The child’s body appeared to have been left near trash receptacle bins, according to video footage captured on Citizen. The area is surrounded by large parking lots serving a mix of furniture stores and healthcare companies. The cause of the child’s death is still unknown, police said. An autopsy is underway.

Los Angeles Times

Boy, 15, Shot To Death in West Adams Area of LA

A 15-year-old boy was shot to death in a gang-related attack in the West Adams community of Los Angeles, authorities said Sunday. The boy was with a group of people in the area of Washington and Rimpau boulevards when two suspects walked up to them at about 10:45 p.m. Saturday, according to the Los Angeles Police Department’s Media Relations Division. A verbal dispute escalated into a shooting when one of the suspects fired at the boy. Both suspects fled the scene, but police had no description of their vehicle. No further information was immediately available.

MyNewsLA

Machete-wielding man shot by LAPD officer near Crypto.com Arena in downtown, department says

A driver waving a machete near Crypto.com Arena was shot and injured by a Los Angeles police officer on Sunday morning. The incident was caught on video by witnesses watching from a nearby high-rise. Shortly after 9 a.m., officers responded to Figueroa Street and Olympic Boulevard after reports of an assault with a deadly weapon. LAPD said the man was reportedly flashing the machete at people and chanting. When police arrived, LAPD says the man -- armed with a machete -- charged at them. He then got into a black Dodge Challenger, launching a short pursuit. The man began driving in circles around officers, bumping one of the patrol vehicles before he stopped and exited his car with the machete in hand. That's when LAPD says two officers fired their weapons, critically injuring the suspect.

ABC 7

Man found dead about a mile from gang-related shooting scene in Los Angeles: police 

A shooting victim was found dead about a mile where the gunfire erupted in a Los Angeles neighborhood on Saturday night, police say. According to a Los Angeles Police Department spokesperson, officers were dispatched to Washington and Rimpau boulevards in West Adams just before 11 p.m. on reports of a shooting in the area. The officers’ preliminary investigation revealed that the victim was standing among a group of people when two suspects approached them and a verbal dispute broke out. One of them opened fire, striking the victim at least once. It was not initially clear whether anyone else was shot. The suspects fled the scene in an unknown direction, the LAPD spokesperson said. The unidentified male victim ended up in the area of La Brea Avenue and Adams Boulevard, approximately a mile away from where the shooting occurred. It is not known how he got to that location; however, first responders pronounced him dead there, the spokesperson confirmed. Video from the scene posted to the Citizen App shows a white tent in a gas station parking lot, indicating the victim was likely located in that area.

KTLA 5

Suspect wounds Kentucky state trooper during traffic stop, kills 2 women in church

Two women died Sunday at a church in Lexington, Kentucky, in a shooting rampage that began when a state trooper was wounded after making a traffic stop, police said. The suspect in both shootings was also killed. The suspect carjacked a vehicle after the traffic stop near Lexington’s airport and fled to Richmond Road Baptist Church, where he opened fire, city Police Chief Lawrence Weathers said. Killed in the shootings at the church were a 72-year-old woman and a 32-year-old woman, the local coroner said. Two other people were wounded at the church and taken to a local hospital, the police chief said. One victim sustained critical injuries and the other was in stable condition, Weathers said. The suspect was shot by police and died at the scene, he said. The suspect was not immediately identified pending notification of family, he said. “Preliminary information indicates that the suspect may have had a connection to the individuals at the church,” the police chief said at a news conference. The trooper stopped the vehicle after receiving a “license plate reader alert” and was shot about 11:30 a.m., Weathers said. The trooper was in stable condition, he said.

Associated Press

BWC: Man shoots at Colorado officers before fatal OIS

Body-camera footage released by the Colorado Springs Police Department Friday shows the man involved in a June 23 shooting fired at law enforcement twice before he was shot and killed by officers. Police said the incident started with a shots-fired call around 1 a.m. near an apartment complex in the 1400 block of Michelle Court, near South Murray Boulevard . The reporting party told officers a man was “firing a gun into the air.” On Monday, two Colorado Springs Police Department officers were involved in a shooting near the 1400 block of Michelle Court. Police say the officers were uninjured in the incident and the suspect was pronounced dead at the scene. Officers arrived on the scene, first speaking to a witness who pointed law enforcement in the direction of the gunshots. Police said they searched the complex, eventually making contact with 51-year-old Jesus Ramirez Jr., outside one of the buildings. Police said Ramirez was holding a handgun when officers located him. He was ordered to drop the weapon “or he would be shot.” Police said Ramirez then pointed the weapon at officers and fired “at least one shot.”

The Gazette

Los Angeles hospital needs help identifying patient hit by vehicle

A Los Angeles hospital is asking for the public’s help to identify a 65-year-old man who has been receiving care for nearly a week as of Saturday. The unidentified man was found Monday, July 7, after he was hit by a vehicle, and was brought to the Los Angeles General Medical Center for treatment at around 9:30 p.m. As of Saturday afternoon, the medical center did not have more information on where the man was struck, or what his injuries were — but said he is still alive and is being cared for in the ICU. Social workers said the patient stands about 5 feet and 6 inches tall, weighs 217 pounds, has brown eyes and “grayish brown and straight” hair. Details are limited, and the hospital did not immediately provide any other identifying factors. A photo obtained by KTLA showed the man unconscious and hooked up to a breathing apparatus. 

KTLA 5

Fire ignites near homes in Pacoima

Firefighters battled a grass fire that ignited on a hillside near homes in Pacoima Friday night. The blaze was reported around 5:30 p.m. on a hillside near the 12500 block of West Chanute Street, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. The half-acre grass fire was burning between Whiteman Air Park and homes along Chanute Street and Empire Drive. Sky5 captured residents hosing down the hillside before fire crews arrived at the scene shortly. Firefighters made their way up the hillside and into heavier brush while securing hose lines near Airpark Way to extinguish the flames. The fire expanded to about three acres before all forward progress was stopped around 6:45 p.m. “A drone team has been requested for aerial reconnaissance as companies remain on scene to mop up hotspots and fully contain the burn area,” LAFD said.

KTLA 5

Firefighters Put Out Flames in Koreatown Apartment

Firefighters put out flames Sunday in a first-floor apartment of a Koreatown complex. The fire was reported at 2:45 p.m. Sunday at 953 S. Westmoreland Ave., and was out 11 minutes later, according to Los Angeles Fire Department spokeswoman Lyndsey Lantz. First arriving firefighters said the unit was involved with fire, Lantz said. The 53 firefighters went on the offensive to put out the flames. No injuries were reported and the cause was not determined, Lantz said.

MyNewsLA

‘Fought for our lives.' Man recounts escape from Wilmington tunnel collapse

A miner is sharing his account of the terrifying moment a sanitation tunnel collapsed in Wilmington, temporarily trapping him and 30 coworkers underground. Oraldo Orozco was one of the 31 miners who were found unharmed Wednesday in what some city officials called a "miracle" rescue mission. More than 100 firefighters were at the scene just minutes after the collapse was reported, but as it turns out, the workers had no time to wait and were able to rescue themselves, with a little help from their supervisors, according to Orozco. "I mean, we fought for our lives," said Orozco, who was about 5 hours into his shift. "The foreman came in running, telling us to evacuate, but we didn't really know what happened." The workers were about six miles into the tunnel below a San Pedro neighborhood when the 18-foot-wide tunnel partially collapsed behind them. The nearest exit, miles away. Orozco says his first thoughts were "Like, are we going to die here? Is this it?" The crew acted fast and began their escape.

NBC 4

About the LAPPL: Formed in 1923, the Los Angeles Police Protective League (LAPPL) represents more than 8,800 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.