LAPD spokesperson resigns after U.S. attorney complains about alleged leak, sources say

The chief spokesperson for the Los Angeles Police Department has resigned amid accusations from the region’s top federal prosecutor that her office was leaking information, according to three sources familiar with the matter but not cleared to speak publicly. Jennifer Forkish, the LAPD’s public information director, said she left the department Thursday at the request of Chief Jim McDonnell but vehemently denied making any unauthorized disclosures. “Any suggestion that I have ever shared or leaked information to the media is categorically false,” she said in a statement. “No one in the Department, including the Chief has ever raised or discussed this baseless allegation with me, because it simply never happened. Anyone claiming otherwise is lying.” The three law enforcement sources said the chief’s concerns about Forkish’s overall performance had been mounting, and that pressure Tuesday from acting U.S. Atty. Bill Essayli may have prompted her ouster. The drama began Tuesday evening after a Times reporter reached out to an official at the U.S. attorney’s office to inquire about plans to schedule a news conference related to the Palisades fire. 

Los Angeles Times

1 wounded in shooting outside strip club in Atwater Village area

Los Angeles police are searching for at least one suspect after a person was wounded in a shooting outside a strip club Thursday. Officers responded to The Gentlemen's Club near the intersection of San Fernando Road and Brazil Street in the Atwater Village area, bordering the city of Glendale. AIR7 was over the scene around 7 p.m. as police looked for evidence on the streets outside the club. The victim went to a hospital and underwent surgery, according to the LAPD. Their condition is unknown. A suspect is on the loose, but police say a second suspect may have also been involved. It's unclear what sparked the violence.

ABC 7

LAPD responds to stabbing call at Hollywood Hills home linked to Bono: report

A person was hospitalized Thursday afternoon following a stabbing at a Hollywood Hills property in which U2 frontman Bono is listed as one of several investors, according to TMZ. Officers from the Los Angeles Police Department responded to the 7800 block of Granito Drive at 1:22 p.m., officials said. One person was taken into custody, but an LAPD spokesperson said it was unclear what type of crime had occurred. The victim was transported to a local hospital via ambulance. Their condition has not been released. TMZ first reported that the property, which is currently under construction, is a real estate investment tied to Bono. The outlet reported that Bono was out of the country at the time and is not involved. Los Angeles Fire Department units were also called to the scene. Video posted to the Citizen showed a helicopter overhead and a “person injured” alert pinned to the location.

KTLA 5

L.A. police use PIT-maneuver to end dangerous stolen car pursuit

A man is in custody after a nearly hourlong pursuit on the streets and freeways in Los Angeles Thursday night. Officers with the L.A. Police Department initiated the pursuit at around 8:25 p.m., reporting that a male suspect was behind the wheel of a vehicle that had been stolen. Behind the wheel of an older model Hyundai two-door sedan, the driver bounced between surface streets and several SoCal freeways, at times weaving dangerously between other motorists, running red lights and jumping a curb in an attempt to flee, though LAPD’s helicopter had the suspect’s vehicle lit the entire chase. While the driver never hit speeds of more than about 75 miles per hour on the freeway, he continued to evade officers until one unit was able to execute a successful PIT maneuver that spun the driver’s vehicle out. The suspect, who was quickly surrounded by police with guns drawn, opened the driver’s door and surrendered.

KTLA 5

Koreatown standoff: 2 suspects in custody after overnight police chase

A wild overnight chase through East Hollywood and Koreatown ended in chaos early Friday morning, with two suspects running into a Koreatown high-rise. They have since been taken into custody after a tense SWAT operation. Just before midnight, Los Angeles Police Department officers from the Northeast Division began chasing a driver suspected of being under the influence near East Hollywood. The pursuit wound through several streets before officers called it off for safety reasons — but the police helicopter continued tracking the suspect’s white pickup truck as it sped into Koreatown. The white truck, reported stolen, finally came to a stop outside the Ambassador Towers on the 600 block of Irolo Street, near Wilshire Boulevard. That’s when police say a man and woman jumped out of the truck and ran inside the residential complex. Once inside, the pair allegedly pulled a fire alarm, prompting residents to evacuate into the street just after midnight. Officers say the suspects may have forced their way into a vacant unit on the ninth floor of the building. As police set up a perimeter around the area, SWAT and K-9 units were called in to clear each floor.

FOX 11

House cleaners or home burglars? Two women accused of cleaning out homes in L.A.

Homeowners thought they were hiring cleaners, but according to Los Angeles police, they instead got cleaned out. Following an investigation, LAPD officials announced Thursday they arrested two women who they suspect posed as a cleaning crew to gain access to homes in the San Fernando Valley, where they allegedly stolen thousands in cash, jewelry and high-end bags. Nikol Quiroga, 30, and Sandra Aguillon, 49, both Colombian nationals, have been booked on suspicion of grand theft and are suspected to be part of a “larger transnational organized crime group,” according to a news release from the LAPD. The women are accused of making fake profiles on a cleaning service app, which allowed them to gain access to the homes, police said. During the investigation, detectives recovered $50,000 in cash, jewelry and high-end handbags belonging to multiple victims in a search of the women’s apartment and vehicles. Police also found in their possession Wi-Fi jammers, which can be used to disarm cameras and alarms, cellphones, trail cameras, GPS trackers and stolen license plates, the release said.

Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles police recover $1.46 million in stolen train cargo, including Nike shoes and power tools

Police recovered nearly $1.5 million in stolen train cargo, including Nike shoes and power tools, while conducting a major cargo theft investigation in Los Angeles this week. According to a news release from the Los Angeles Police Department, officers working with Union Pacific Railroad Police and several other local law enforcement agencies served a search warrant in the 4300 block of Verona Street on Monday. "During the operation, detectives recovered an estimated $1,460,000 in stolen train cargo, including Nike shoes, Milwaukee tools, and electronic equipment," the release said. They shared a video of the inside of the home, which was loaded with boxes of shoes and other packages. They arrested 41-year-old Los Angeles man Alejandro Aguilar-Espinoza without incident at the scene. He was booked for receiving stolen property. After he was arrested, detectives also responded to multiple of Aguilar-Espinoza's residences upon learning that there was additional stolen cargo. 

CBS 2

Suspect breaks into Panorama City smoke shop in burglary caught on video

An investigation is underway after a burglar was caught on video breaking into a smoke shop in Panorama City overnight. The incident happened around 2:30 a.m. Friday, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Security footage from inside the store shows a suspect wearing a green mask and black hoodie as he grabbed merchandise and stuffed it inside blue trash bags. The suspect fled the scene before officers arrived. It's unclear how much he got away with. 

ABC 7

SFV Woman Pleads Not Guilty to Doxing and Harassing ICE Agent

A San Fernando Valley woman pleaded not guilty Thursday to pursuing an ICE agent by car through the streets of Los Angeles and posting the officer’s home address on social media. Sandra Samane, 25, of Panaroma City is charged in L.A. federal court with one count of conspiracy and one count of publicly disclosing the personal information of a federal agent. At her arraignment, a judge set a trial date of Nov. 18. According to the indictment, Samane and two other women livestreamed on Instagram as they followed the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement employee from the Federal Building in downtown Los Angeles to the agent’s home — and encouraged viewers to share the stream. Prosecutors contend the defendants used Instagram accounts titled “ice_out_of_la,” among other names, to stream their actions. Upon arriving at the victim’s home, the defendants shouted to bystanders that their “neighbor is ICE,” “la migra lives here” and “ICE lives on your street and you should know,” the Justice Department alleges.

MyNewsLA

2 Pennsylvania officers shot, suspect killed following pursuit

A Pennsylvania state trooper remained hospitalized in serious condition Thursday and another was treated and released after they were shot by a man suspected of stealing clothing from a store and leading police on a high-speed chase, investigators said. The suspect, identified in a court affidavit as Lamar Lorenzo Foy, 31, was shot and killed when troopers returned fire Wednesday evening, Pennsylvania State Police said. Police were called to a sporting goods store near Chambersburg just after 6 p.m. when suspects fled in a van with Maryland plates, authorities said. Troopers caught up with the vehicle and pursued it for more than 10 miles (16 kilometers) southbound on Interstate 81 before spike strips stopped it. Two women came out of the van and were arrested. Charging documents filed against the two women said Foy shot two troopers with a handgun. The troopers “returned fire and Foy died as a result,” according to the probable cause affidavit. The two women, Amir Loren Swift, 21, and Giani Jaida McGowan, 21, both of Baltimore, were charged with retail theft and drug offenses. They are accused of stealing more than $1,000 worth of clothing from the store. Investigators said a search of the van turned up a THC, plastic bags filled with powder, money and scales. A Franklin County Jail supervisor said Thursday that the two women were being held there. Bail was denied for them both. Neither had lawyers listed on court documents. A phone number for Swift would not accept messages.

Associated Press

2 Miami officers wounded in shootout with barricaded suspect

Two Miami police officers were shot Thursday morning while responding to a call about gunshots fired in Allapattah, leading to a man barricaded in a house killed, another man in police custody and a neighborhood reeling from closed streets, clogged roads and being told to stay inside. The shooter, identified as 27-year-old Mason Triana, was known to police and lived in the house where he was barricaded, Miami Police Chief Manny Morales said. Miami Commissioner Miguel Angel Gabela, whose district includes Allapattah, previously said the shooter had died. Police deployed a drone inside the house at 1439 NW 26th St. and discovered Triana was down, Morales added. Officers went inside and found him dead with a gunshot wound. It is unclear whether the wound came from the earlier exchange with officers or was self inflicted, Morales said. A search of court records shows Triana had been arrested in the past but had never been convicted of a crime. Miami-Dade property records indicate that Enrique Traina bought the property for $550,000 in July, with Mason designated as the person who would inherit the property after Enrique dies.

Miami Herald

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.