LAPD Appeals for Tips in Fatal South LA Hit-and-Run

Police Monday asked for the public’s help identifying the driver involved in a hit-and-run crash that killed a pedestrian in South Los Angeles. The victim was walking in the street near parked cars about 12:40 p.m. Aug. 27 when a vehicle heading east on Gage Avenue from Vermont Avenue struck him, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. The vehicle, for which no description was immediately available, continued east on Gage Avenue toward Hoover Street, police said. Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics took the victim to a hospital, where he later died. His name, age and place of residence were not released. Anyone with information about the fatal crash was urged to call the LAPD’s South Traffic Division to speak with Officer Lozada at 213-677-9791.

MyNewsLA

Man, 25, shot dead a block from South Los Angeles elementary school 

Police are investigating the fatal shooting of a 25-year-old man that occurred a block from an elementary school in the Westmont neighborhood of South Los Angeles. The Los Angeles Police Department responded to 97th Street and Budlong Avenue at 12:43 a.m. Sunday for a shooting call, a department spokesperson confirmed to KTLA. That location is a block south of 95th Street Elementary School. When officers arrived, they found the victim with gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene. “The shooting was not gang-related and the victim is not homeless,” the LAPD spokesperson stated. No further information on the victim’s identity was released by law enforcement. LAPD was also unable to provide a description of a possible suspect or motive behind the shooting.

KTLA 5

Man fatally shot during robbery in Westmont: LAPD

Police in Westmont are searching for the gunman who killed a man in a robbery early Sunday. Officers were called to the 800 block of W. 97th Street at 12:43 a.m. for a call of a shooting, the Los Angeles Police Department said. At the scene, they found a man injured with gunshot wounds. Despite lifesaving efforts made by paramedics, the victim died at the scene. Details on the victim, such as their name and approximate age, were not released. Police are investigating the case as a robbery/homicide. Anyone with information on the case is asked to call police.

NBC 4

3 hospitalized after shooting in South Los Angeles

Three people were hospitalized following a shooting in South Los Angeles on Sunday afternoon. Police were called to the area near E. 88th Street and South Central Avenue at around 3 p.m. after learning of the incident, Los Angeles police told CBS News Los Angeles. Upon arrival, officers and Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics found three men between 40 and 60 years old suffering from gunshot wounds. All three were taken to the hospital, where one was said to be in critical condition, police said. The other two victims were stable at the latest. While investigating the matter, LAPD detectives learned that the three men were standing on the corner of the road when two suspects approached in a white four-door vehicle. Both of the suspects allegedly got out, shot at the men and then fled from the area. Police said that the suspects' car did not have a license plate. They do not believe that the shooting is gang-related, as all of the victims were said to be homeless. 

CBS 2

CoolKicks CEO arrested after LAPD raid at Santa Monica warehouse

A popular Los Angeles sneaker retailer known for selling limited-edition shoes to celebrities is under investigation after Los Angeles police raided a CoolKicks warehouse in Santa Monica, taking four people into custody, including CEO and co-founder Adeel Shams. CoolKicks, located on Melrose Avenue in the Fairfax District, has built a national reputation among sneaker collectors and high-profile customers, including Travis Kelce and Chris Brown. But on Thursday, its operations drew the attention of law enforcement. According to the Los Angeles Police Department, officers with the Commercial Crimes Division executed a search at the company’s Santa Monica warehouse. Four people were detained, and Shams was booked on a felony charge of receiving known stolen property valued at more than $950, according to LAPD officials. Authorities say dozens of Nike sneakers were seized during the operation. During the raid, Shams was live-streaming an online sneaker auction when police entered. In the video, he appeared shocked, initially asking whether the incident was a case of “swatting,” a hoax in which false reports prompt a police response.

KTLA 5

SFV Man Faces Sentencing for $16M Medicare Fraud Scheme

A San Fernando Valley man is expected to be sentenced Monday for his role in conning Medicare out of nearly $16 million through sham hospice companies and then helping launder the illicit proceeds. Karpis Srapyan, 35, of Winnetka pleaded guilty in July in Los Angeles federal court to counts of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and money laundering. According to court documents, Srapyan and others worked together to bill Medicare for hospice services that were not medically necessary and never provided. The defendants used four sham hospice companies, including three owned by foreign nationals but controlled by the defendants, according to federal prosecutors. The group concealed the scheme by using foreign nationals’ personal information to open bank accounts, submit information to Medicare and sign property leases, according to the Justice Department.

MyNewsLA

One person dead after Los Angeles firefighters extinguish fire at Silver Lake home

One person died on Saturday after a home caught fire in the Silver Lake neighborhood. The fire was first reported at around 4:05 p.m. at a "two-story Craftsman style home" in the 700 block of N. La Fayette Park Place, Los Angeles Fire Department officials said in a statement. Firefighters said that flames were burning in a room on the second floor, which they were able to isolate and extinguish before they spread to the home's attic. In all, it took 34 firefighters just over 15 minutes to completely contain the fire. "While conducting the primary search, firefighters located a victim on the 2nd floor," the statement said. The person was removed from the home on a stretcher, which was seen with SkyCal overhead. Firefighters said that the victim was treated at the scene before being taken to a nearby hospital, where they were later pronounced dead. 

CBS 2

Firefighters battle garage fire at a Canoga Park apartment

The Los Angeles Fire Department was battling a fire at an apartment in Canoga Park on Friday night. Firefighters responded to reports of a fire coming from the garage of a two-story apartment building on the 21700 block of Hart Street. LAFD said the fire broke out in a two-story garden-style apartment complex built over parking. Flames in the garage extended into the residential unit above, prompting firefighters to take an offensive approach. First responders were able to extinguish the fire in 26 minutes. The cause of the fire was not immediately available. The occupants of the unit had five cats, two of which are still missing, according to LAFD.

NBC 4

CDC announces change in COVID-19 and chickenpox vaccine recommendations

The new acting director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has announced changes to the recommended vaccination schedule for adults against COVID-19 and for kids against chickenpox. The changes were expected and were already previewed by recommendations made two weeks ago by the CDC’s powerful Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. All members of the committee were recently replaced after Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. fired everyone on the previous panel earlier this year. The CDC’s changes have been criticized by mainstream medical groups. The CDC is now recommending that children under the age of 4 no longer get a combination vaccine that protects against four diseases: the chickenpox (also known as varicella), measles, mumps and rubella. Instead, the CDC now recommends two separate shots, one just against chickenpox, and the other that protects against measles, mumps and rubella.

Los Angeles Times

LA council approves parking meter rate increase, moves toward possible trash bin penalties

The Los Angeles City Council approved an increase in parking meter rates Friday and called on staff to explore the implementation of penalties for residents whose trash bins block sidewalks and streets. In a 10-0 vote, council members authorized a 50-cent increase to parking meter rates across the city, from $1 to $1.50. The last rate increase was in 2014. The City Council also directed the Department of Transportation to extend its hours of operation for daily on-street parking meters to midnight in night high-activity locations, and to 8 p.m. in all other on-street metered areas, with exceptions on a case-by-case basis as determined by transportation officials. Parking meters are expected to include Sundays, too, which may take up to six months to implement, according to a city report. Department of Transportation officials were instructed to report to the City Council every five years and recommend any adjustments to parking meter zone rates to reflect changes associated with the consumer price index.

ABC 7

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.