Prosecutors will seek death penalty for suspect in killing of Charlie Kirk

Prosecutors will seek the death penalty for Tyler Robinson, the 22-year-old man accused of killing political activist Charlie Kirk with a single shot at Utah Valley University, officials announced Tuesday. “I do not take this decision lightly,” said Utah County Atty. Jeffrey Gray during a news conference. “It’s a decision I made independently as county attorney.” Robinson has been charged with seven counts, Gray said, including one count of aggravated murder and two counts of obstruction of justice, for allegedly hiding the rifle used in the killing and disposing of his clothes. Robinson is also facing two counts of witness tampering after he allegedly instructed his roommate to delete incriminating texts, and asking them not to talk to investigators if they were questioned by authorities. In a news conference Tuesday, Gray detailed how Robinson’s parents first came to suspect that their son may have been the shooter after images from the university were publicly released. Gray also provided details of a text exchange between Robinson and his roommate, a person transitioning to female with whom he was romantically involved, in which Robinson apparently confessed to the killing.

Los Angeles Times

Girl found dead inside singer D4vd's impounded Tesla was reported missing last year

Authorities have identified the body of a girl found in singer D4vd's Tesla after it was impounded at a Los Angeles tow yard as a teen who disappeared in the Lake Elsinore area last year, law enforcement told NBC Investigates. The girl, 15-year-old Celeste Rivas, was identified through forensics. The county medical examiner is still working to determine a cause of death. Rivas was last seen April 5, 2024 in the western Riverside County community. Details about the circumstances surrounding her disappearance were not immediately available. NBCLA has reached out to the Riverside County Sheriff's Department for more information. TMZ reported that the girl's mother said a description provided by police of the body matched her daughter's. The decomposed body was found Sept. 8 after workers at Hollywood Tow reported a strong odor coming from the Tesla registered to the singer. Officers opened the front trunk, also known as a frunk, and found the remains in a bag, police said.

NBC 4

BWC: Suspect leads LAPD cops on foot pursuit through Kohl’s, tries second escape at hospital

A man was arrested after attempting to flee police twice during a theft investigation at a Kohl’s store in the San Fernando Valley, KABC reported. The Aug. 1 incident unfolded as LAPD officers were conducting extra patrols on at the store due to a recent theft report, according to the department. While inside, they spotted a man holding a large quantity of jeans. When officers approached and spoke to him, the man allegedly tried to run. Body camera video shows a brief struggle ending in a takedown, during which the suspect hit his head on a clothing rack. Despite the injury, he continued to resist arrest before being taken into custody. The man was taken to a local hospital with a cut above his right eye. After receiving treatment, he attempted to escape again but was quickly apprehended a second time. The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office later filed three counts of grand theft, one count of attempted grand theft and two counts of resisting arrest, according to the report.

PoliceOne

Pair of L.A. 7-Eleven stores targeted in early-morning robberies 

The Los Angeles Police Department is investigating after two 7-Eleven stores within two miles of each other were robbed early Wednesday morning. The first incident was reported around 4:30 a.m. at a store in the 1700 block of Slauson Avenue, according to an employee. Per the employee, four people dressed in all black and wearing masks entered the store and stole smoking products in addition to two cash registers. They were not able to disclose exactly how much merchandise and money was taken. It was said that the suspects – three men and a woman – fled the scene in a black Kia Optima. Just minutes later, police responded to another robbery report at a 7-Eleven on South Figueroa Street near 54th Street – less than two miles from the store on Slauson. Investigators later found that this incident might have actually occurred first but wasn’t reported until about 40 minutes after. When the officers arrived at the Figueroa Street location, they found that cash had been taken from the store. It was not immediately known how much, or if anything else was taken.

KTLA 5

Copper wire theft leaves Fairfax District neighborhood in the dark

Sue Keh Bennett lives in the Fairfax District and says a number of street lights near Sierra Bonita Avenue and Beverly Boulevard are out. Covers to electrical boxes are smashed and wires are torn out. "When I see that, I don't know what wires are live and what's not. I'm not an electrician. I have no idea," Keh Bennett said. "I see our dogs walking down the street and when they go to the bathroom, I'm afraid they might electrocute themselves because we have no idea." Video she sent from Monday night shows street lights off, and it's pitch black in the neighborhood. She also sent images that show a number of boxes opened and copper wire had been stolen. "I just thought maybe it was just our street, and the more we walk we see it happening east, west, south. It's crazy," Keh Bennett said. On a much larger scale, it's the same issue with the Sixth Street Bridge where all the lights are out, and it is covered in graffiti. "Thieves repeatedly steal the copper wiring and have left the bridge in the dark," Los Angeles police Cmdr. Lillian Carranza said in a post on X. Fixing the bridge's lighting long term will be difficult. The copper wiring continues to be a target for thieves.

ABC 7

Swing for the Officer Needs Help Fund!

Join us for the 43rd Annual Chief Daryl F. Gates Golf Tournament on October 6, 2025 at the beautiful Porter Valley Country Club. This is your chance to tee off for a cause. Every swing helps support the Officer Needs Help Fund. Enjoy a day of friendly competition, scenic fairways, and great company while aiming for exciting prizes and bragging rights. Whether you’re a scratch golfer or just out for the fun, you’ll be part of something truly meaningful. Sponsorship opportunities are available, giving you a chance to showcase your support for our law enforcement family. Don’t miss your shot! Register today and help us drive change, one hole at a time!

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San Fernando Valley men exported $611M worth of fraudulently obtained electronics, authorities say

Two San Fernando Valley men were arrested Tuesday on federal charges alleging they ran a Van Nuys-based company that exported hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of consumer electronics and gift cards, nearly all derived from criminal activities such as identity theft, credit card theft and fraud. Saman Delafraz, 32, of Woodland Hills, and Benjamin Daneshgar, 34, of Studio City, are charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. Delafraz and Daneshgar owned and operated Wireless World, a company that operates from warehouses in Van Nuys and New Castle, Delaware. Wireless World uses its warehouses to accumulate electronics before shipping them out of the United States, prosecutors contend. Since 2019, Wireless World has exported more than $611 million in electronics from the United States, nearly all of which law enforcement believes to be crime proceeds, court papers allege. Both warehouses and Delafraz's residence were searched Tuesday, and Wireless World's bank accounts were seized, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. Delafraz and Daneshgar allegedly procured electronics and gift cards from many illicit sources, including Blade Bai, 37, of El Monte, who is serving a 15-year prison sentence after being convicted in 2023 of federal money.

NBC 4

Two Men to Plead Guilty to Roles in Drug Trafficking Service

Two Los Angeles County men who allegedly helped operate a drug trafficking operation that provided same-day delivery of cocaine and fentanyl-laced oxycodone, including to a man who died from an overdose, are expected to plead guilty Wednesday to federal charges. Arian Alani, 36, of Burbank, has agreed to enter a plea in Los Angeles federal court to a single count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, and Gilberto Marquez, 36, of Woodland Hills, is expected to plead guilty to a count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, court papers show. Federal prosecutors allege Alani distributed the fentanyl that led to the victim’s fatal overdose in June 2022, while Marquez is accused of working as a lieutenant in the drug trafficking operation. Erick Estrada, 36, also known as Franco Sanchez and Eric Freddy Hook, allegedly ran the ring out of his Calabasas home, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Estrada’s 38-year-old wife, Zoila, is among the six defendants.

MyNewsLA

Brother and sister from Mexico sentenced for kidnapping man, demanding ransom from his LA County family

A brother and sister from Rosarito, Mexico, were sentenced to federal prison on Monday for their roles in a kidnapping and ransom scheme, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Prosecutors say that the brother, 55-year-old Mario Alex Medina, also known as Shyboy, pretended to act as an intermediary between the victim's family and kidnappers. He was sentenced to 25 years in prison. His sister, 52-year-old María Alejandra Medina, a U.S. citizen living in Mexico, was sentenced to eight years for crossing the border with her brother's son to collect the ransom money, the DOJ's news release said. A jury found both siblings guilty of one count of conspiracy to commit hostage taking and one count of conspiracy to demand a ransom payment in October 2024, prosecutors said. The same jury also found Mario Medina guilty of one count of making a foreign communication with intent to extort. "On November 5, 2022, Mario Medina directed and helped accomplices break into the house of a neighbor, identified in court documents as 'R.V.,' kidnapping the victim at gunpoint, pistol whipping him and firing a gun near his head," prosecutors said." The next day, they placed a ransom call to the victim's Los Angeles County family and demanded $70,000 for his release. They sent the family video of the victim being beaten via WhatsApp, prosecutors also noted. 

CBS 2

Tons of cocaine, $100M cash shipped from L.A. to NYC via luxury flights

Five people were arrested Tuesday in connection with a sprawling cross-country drug trafficking organization that funneled some 22 tons of cocaine and more than $100 million in cash between Los Angeles and New York, officials with the U.S. Department of Justice announced. In a news release, prosecutors said the organizations’ alleged ringleaders, 45-year-old Dumont, New Jersey resident David Rodriguez, aka “Gotti” and “Fat Boy,” and 39-year-old Manhattan resident 38-year-old Raymond O’Connell, aka “Sal” and “White Boy,” have been in custody since 2024. The two men are accused of purchasing and shipping bulk quantities of cocaine stored at an office fronting as a jewelry store in the California Jewelry Mart in downtown L.A. Cocaine was reportedly shipped in locked plastic cases concealed in New York City’s Diamond District using what the DOJ described as “high-value freight forwarding companies” that specialize in shipping jewelry, precious metals and fine art. Once Rodriguez and O’Connell redistributed the drugs to co-conspirators on the East Coast, prosecutors allege they directed the cash proceeds to L.A., where others in the organization laundered the cash.  

KTLA 5

Hospital asks for public’s help identifying man found unresponsive in downtown Los Angeles

A Los Angeles hospital is asking for the public’s help to identify a man brought in unresponsive late last month after being found on a downtown street. According to Dignity Health officials, the man, described as Hispanic and believed to be between 50 and 55 years old, was taken to California Hospital Medical Center around 8:50 p.m. on Aug. 30. He was initially discovered near 31st Street and Broadway with no identification or personal belongings. The patient is about 5 feet 7 inches tall, weighs roughly 150 pounds and has black hair and brown eyes. Hospital staff noted he has no tattoos or other distinctive marks. Due to patient confidentiality laws, the hospital could not disclose his current condition, though photos shared showed him connected to a breathing device. Anyone with information that could help identify the man is urged to call California Hospital Medical Center at 213-742-5500 or 213-507-5495.

KTLA 5

California issues advisory on a parasitic fly whose maggots can infest living humans

A parasitic fly whose maggots can infest living livestock, birds, pets and humans, could threaten California soon. The New World Screwworm has rapidly spread northward from Panama since 2023 and farther into Central America. As of early September, the parasitic fly was present in seven states in southern Mexico, where 720 humans have been infested and six of them have died. More than 111,000 animals also have been infested, health officials said. In early August, a person traveling from El Salvador to Maryland was discovered to have been infested, federal officials said. But the parasitic fly has not been found in the wild within a 20-mile radius of the infested person, which includes Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia. After the Maryland incident, the California Department of Public Health decided to issue a health advisory this month warning that the New World Screwworm could arrive in California from an infested traveler or animal, or from the natural travel of the flies.

Los Angeles Times

Council Advances Proposal to Modernize LA Convention Center

A Los Angeles City Council committee Tuesday advanced recommendations to modernize the Convention Center without expanding the facility until after the 2028 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games, as top city officials warned about the ramifications were the city to miss its completion deadline. In a contentious 3-2 vote, the five-member Budget and Finance Committee forwarded a new action plan — presented by committee Chair Katy Yaroslavsky and seconded by Councilman Bob Blumenfield — with the intent to deliver an enhanced Convention Center without increasing its current size. “I want to see investment in these high-road jobs, but the risks to the project as proposed, and the risks to the city’s finances are too great, and risks us having to cut our city workforce to offset the cost of the project for years to come, which isn’t even touching on the risk of schedule and being ready for the Olympics,” Yaroslavsky said.

MyNewsLA

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.