9-year-old boy hit and killed, brother injured by RV in Koreatown; driver arrested for DUI

A 9-year-old boy was killed and his 19-year-old brother was injured when they were struck by an RV in Koreatown on Thursday night, according to police. The driver of the RV remained at the scene and was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence, the Los Angeles Police Department said. The deadly incident happened around 7:30 p.m. near the intersection of South New Hampshire Avenue and 4th Street. According to the LAPD, the driver was making a left turn when he struck the siblings on an e-scooter. The 9-year-old boy, identified by police as Nadir Gavarrete, was pronounced dead at the scene. His brother was taken to the hospital in stable condition. Video from the scene shows officers administering a field sobriety test on the driver before his arrest. The footage also shows what appears to be a pair of shoes under a front tire of the RV, and a scooter lying in the street near the victim's covered body. "He almost ran me over... I just got out the way quickly and then he hit some babies," said Candy Williams. "He's always driving too fast and I'm like 'are you high or what?' and he was like 'don't worry about it'... and I was like 'you're going to kill somebody." Neighbors say they are familiar with the RV and have seen it in the neighborhood, but they aren't necessarily familiar with the driver.

ABC 7

Police seek driver of pickup that left South Los Angeles girl, 14, in critical condition

A driver struck and seriously injured a teen girl in South Los Angeles last month, and police are asking for the public’s help in tracking down the culprit. The girl, 14, was hit by a pickup truck just after 8:30 p.m. on June 6 at Vermont Avenue and 90th Street, the Los Angeles Police Department said in a news release. She was in a marked crosswalk headed west across Vermont when the northbound white pickup hit her, then sped off without stopping to help. The girl was taken to a local hospital, and she remains in critical condition. A reward of up to $25,000 is available for information leading to the driver. Anyone with information is asked to call Officer Lozada at 213-677-9791. During non-business hours or on weekends, calls should be directed to 1-877-LAPD-24-7 (1-877-527-3247).

KTLA 5

Downtown LA pursuit suspect crashes into vehicle, flips car

The police pursuit of a reckless driver in downtown Los Angeles ended when the suspect driver crashed into another vehicle, causing it to flip over. The driver of the white pickup truck drove recklessly through the streets of downtown Los Angeles on Friday morning, reaching speeds of up to 83 mph. The collision with a black SUV occurred at the intersection of Trinity Street and East Washington Boulevard. 

CBS 2

Woman pulled from stolen SUV after pursuit through Downtown Los Angeles

Police had to forcibly remove a woman from a stolen SUV after a chase through the streets of Downtown Los Angeles overnight. Officers responded to the stolen vehicle call during the early morning hours on Friday. At one point, the woman driving the SUV yielded at 6th and South Spring streets but took off again. Eventually, the chase came to an end on West 8th and South Olive streets, where the woman was taken into custody, but not peacefully. Video showed that it took multiple officers to pull the suspect, who could be heard screaming, out of the vehicle. Police then conducted a search of the stolen vehicle. At some point, a dog was found but ran away before officers could get control of it. It was unclear if someone had located the dog or whether it belonged to the suspect or the owner of the SUV.

KTLA 5

LA County man faces 350 years in prison for murdering teen and shooting at 4 others

A Los Angeles County court sentenced a 34-year-old man to spend the rest of his life in prison for killing a 17-year-old girl outside her Long Beach home and shooting at four other teenagers last year. In March, a jury found Troy Lamar Fox guilty of first-degree murder and four counts of attempted murder. The charges carried a sentence of 358 years to life in prison, which was imposed on July 31. Fox has prior convictions for attempted robbery and making criminal threats, according to the LA County District Attorney's Office. Fox shot and killed 17-year-old Briana Soto outside her home on March 26, 2024. Prosecutors said she was walking home from work. Soto's mother Ana Morales said she had just gotten off the phone with Briana when she heard gunshots outside their Long Beach home. When she called her daughter back on the phone, a man answered, but she could not understand his English. The Long Beach Police Department said they found DNA evidence and footage that tied fox to Soto's death. 

CBS 2

Mother tried to sneak fentanyl into LA County juvenile hall, prosecutors say

A mother was accused of trying to sneak fentanyl into a juvenile detention facility in Sylmar as her child was held at the juvenile hall, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office said Thursday. Jeny Morenoparra, whose child was housed at Barry J. Nidorf Juvenile Hall, allegedly tried to introduce the dangerous drug to her son as well as other youth being held at the detention facility. "Introducing drugs into a secure facility endangers public safety and lives, and undermines rehabilitation,'' Chief Probation Officer Guillermo Viera Rosa said. The 41-year-old was scheduled to be arraigned Friday after being taken into custody without incident July 11 by the Los Angeles County Probation Department's Special Enforcement Operations Team. Morenoparra was initially contacted by a supervising deputy probation officer in 2023 and found to be in possession of more than 30 pills that tested positive for fentanyl, authorities said. The district attorney said the woman was initially arrested in 2023 and released soon afterward without any charges being filed until he had the case reviewed in May. "Fentanyl is too dangerous a threat -- 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine -- to not treat its lethality with the seriousness and immediacy it requires,'' LA District Attorney Nathan Hochman said in a statement.

NBC 4

SoCal rapist who used dating apps to meet his victims sentenced

A serial rapist who used dating apps to meet his victims was sentenced to 111 years to life in state prison on Thursday, according to a statement from the Ventura County district attorney’s office. Dustin Ronald Alba, a 31-year-old from Oxnard, was found guilty of the rape and sexual assault of five women last month. He committed his offenses from 2012 to 2020 in the cities of Thousand Oaks, Oxnard and Los Angeles, the release said. Multiple victims of Alba said they met him online through dating apps and social media. After meeting in person, they said he would use his body weight to confine and then assault them, the statement said. One woman he met through a dating app in August 2020 described how she and Alba spent a day together in Oxnard. Once back at his home, she said he forcibly “ripped her clothing, pulled her onto the bed, and proceeded to digitally penetrate and rape her,” the release said.

Los Angeles Times

Entire bank heist crew was nabbed — except for him; then he went and blew up an ATM, prosecutors say

He was the last man standing from a prolific bank heist crew that prosecutors say made off with millions during a string of robberies up and down the West Coast. Then he allegedly bombed an ATM in Contra Costa County. The man, identified as Diego Ananias Arellano Diaz, was arrested and charged with bank robbery and conspiracy to commit bank robbery, federal prosecutors announced Thursday. For several months, he was listed in court records only as “John Doe 2,” an alleged member of a South American theft group that authorities say carried out robberies in California, Oregon and Washington. The crew targeted ATMs and banks. They stayed in Airbnb rentals near their targets and were armed with construction vests, sledgehammers, blowtorches and surgical masks, according to court documents. The crew wielded signal jammers to interfere with Wi-Fi-enabled security systems, spray painted over security camera lenses and used rental cars secured on the black market. They carried out their heists between May and October 2024, according to federal prosecutors in the U.S. attorney’s office for the Eastern District of California.

Los Angeles Times

Video: Man shoots Fla. officer from behind after ‘cordial’ conversation

A Tampa police officer was wounded in a shooting near Busch Gardens Wednesday morning, after which the suspected shooter died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, police said. The officer, 40-year-old Jordan Laupert, was in stable condition at a local hospital, according to Tampa police Chief Lee Bercaw. Shortly before 8:15 a.m. Wednesday, the suspect came to the department’s district office at 9330 N. 30th St., then started walking along 30th Street, where he got Laupert’s attention, according to details provided by Bercaw at a news conference and in a department news release. Bercaw said Laupert and the suspect, Jaylin Greene, 21, had a “cordial conversation” through a fence. Then, as Laupert walked toward the back door of the district office, Greene shot him in the leg, Bercaw said. Body camera footage released by the department Wednesday afternoon shows Laupert telling Greene the address of the department’s headquarters and Greene saying “Thank you.” Laupert then began walking back toward the building before the camera cuts out. Greene fled across the street to the Annie Street entrance of Busch Gardens at the 9300 block of North 30th Street, Bercaw said. Officers followed and found him dead there with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, Bercaw said.

Tampa Bay Times

LAFD Puts Out Fire at Boarded Up Apartment Building in Boyle Heights

A fire at a one-story, boarded-up building in Boyle Heights was knocked down in 19 minutes, the Los Angeles Fire Department said Friday. Fire crews were called at 10:51 p.m. Thursday to 209 N. Mathews St. and Michigan Avenue, where they encountered flames on the first floor, said LAFD spokeswoman Lyndsey Lantz. No injuries were reported.

MyNewsLA

Public Health issues ocean water warnings for multiple L.A. County beaches

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health is advising residents to avoid swimming, surfing and other ocean activities at several beaches due to elevated bacteria levels in the water. Warnings are currently in effect for the following locations: Mothers Beach in Marina del Rey – entire swim area; Ramirez Creek at Paradise Cove – 100 yards up and down the coast from the pier; Strand Street extension at Santa Monica Beach – 100 yards up and down the coast from Lifeguard Tower 24; Topanga Canyon Beach in Malibu – 100 yards up and down the coast from the lagoon; Marie Canyon Storm Drain at Puerco Beach – 100 yards up and down the coast from the public access steps; Santa Monica Pier – 100 yards up and down the coast from the pier; and Castlerock Storm Drain at Topanga County Beach – 100 yards up and down the coast from the storm drain. According to public health officials, these advisories were issued because recent testing showed bacterial levels exceeding state health standards.

KTLA 5

About the LAPPL: Formed in 1923, the Los Angeles Police Protective League (LAPPL) represents more than 8,700 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.