Email from Los Angeles Police Protective League Daily News & Updates   Law Enforcement News D4vd friend and key witness in case of girl’s death arrested in Montana and returned to L.A. As authorities continue to unravel the circumstances of how a teenager’s body came to be stuffed in the trunk of singer D4vd’s Tesla months ago, a key grand jury witness was dragged back to L.A. from Montana recently, after a judge issued a warrant for his arrest for failing to testify. Neo Langston, a social media influencer often photographed with the singer, bailed out of the Los Angeles Police Department’s jail for $60,000 over the weekend, records show. LAPD Capt. Mike Bland said the department is not in a position to comment on the arrest. The development comes four months after the gruesome discovery of the remains of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez in a Hollywood tow yard on Sept. 8. Although the Police Department has publicly declined to characterize the girl’s death as a homicide, a court filing by an LAPD detective referred to the case as a murder investigation. A swarm of police officers apprehended Langston on Thursday at his mother’s residence in Helena, Mont., after he failed to appear as a witness in a Los Angeles County criminal proceeding. A L.A. County jail issued the warrant, officials said. Lt. Adam Shanks of the Helena Police Department said it was contacted by detectives with the LAPD’s Robbery-Homicide Division to assist with an arrest. Los Angeles Times Hit-and-run driver kills dog, leaves pedestrian severely injured in Sherman Oaks Police are searching for a hit-and-run driver who killed a dog and left a pedestrian severely injured in Sherman Oaks. On Jan. 11, the victim was walking with their dog along Ventura Boulevard, just west of Calhoun Avenue, when they were struck by a driver in a dark blue Toyota Prius around 1:40 a.m. The crash left the pedestrian with severe injuries. The dog was pronounced dead at the scene. The suspect driver did not stop to check on the victims and continued speeding away westbound on Ventura Boulevard, police said. “Detectives are seeking the public’s assistance in identifying the driver and locating any witnesses who may have seen the collision or the vehicle before or after the incident,” LAPD said. A $25,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the suspect’s identification and arrest. No further details, including the pedestrian’s identity, were released. Anyone with information about the case is asked to call LAPD Officer Takishita at 818-644-8116. During non-business hours or on weekends, call 1-877-LAPD-24-7. KTLA 5 LAPD search for suspect who allegedly shot his neighbor in Hollywood A man was taken to the hospital after his neighbor allegedly shot him along Hollywood Boulevard. The Los Angeles Police Department said the shooting happened at about 8:45 p.m. along the 7300 block of Hollywood Boulevard. Officers said the victim, who is in his 30s, was conscious and breathing before he was taken to the hospital. Police set up a perimeter to search for the gunman. CBS 2 Shots fired during Studio City burglary scare; suspects flee A homeowner fired a shot at burglary suspects in Studio City early Tuesday, prompting a police search for two men who fled the area, authorities said. Officers were dispatched around 4:40 a.m. to the 11600 block of Laurelcrest Drive after the resident reported confronting the suspects and firing a single round, according to LAPD Media Relations. The suspects escaped before officers arrived, and it was not immediately known whether anyone was hit, police said. Investigators said the suspects, described as two men wearing gray hooded sweatshirts, were last seen leaving the area in a black Chevrolet Traverse SUV. Police had not confirmed whether any property was taken from the home. Additional units canvassed the neighborhood and searched nearby properties as part of the investigation, police said. Radio traffic posted to the Citizen app indicated officers searched a large property and nearby streets following the shooting. No arrests were announced as of 8 a.m. KTLA 5 Man who drove minivan at anti-ICE protesters in Los Angeles sentenced A parolee who drove a minivan at anti-ICE protesters in downtown Los Angeles last year agreed to a plea deal on Thursday. Ulysses Sanchez, 38, pleaded no contest to one count of assault with a deadly weapon. As part of the agreement, Sanchez also admitted to an unrelated conviction for assault with a deadly weapon, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office. He was sentenced to six years in state prison. "Peaceful protest is a fundamental right that strengthens our democracy; criminal activity is not," LA County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said. "We will fiercely protect the rights of people to peacefully protest, and we will equally fiercely prosecute those who commit criminal activity. On June 8, 2025, Sanchez drove at protesters before doing donuts in the middle of the street, as protesters pelted his minivan with objects. CBS LA recorded him speeding away from the area. He cut through intersections crowded with other cars, nearly hitting other motorists, before eventually parking on the side of the road near S. Savannah Street and E. First Street. CBS 2 CHP Activates Silver Alert for Man with Prosthetic Leg Missing from Los Angeles The California Highway Patrol activated a Silver Alert Saturday to help the Los Angeles Police Department locate a missing 64-year-old man with a prosthetic left leg. Wayne Burrell was last seen about 7 p.m. Thursday at McClung Drive and West Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, according to the CHP. He was believed to be on foot. Burrell is Black, 5 feet, 9 inches tall, 180 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing blue jeans and a black-and-white shirt. Anyone who sees Burrell is asked to call 911. MyNewsLA LA man sentenced to 12+ years for child sex abuse; longest sentence for such crimes in LA history A Los Angeles man was sentenced to 12 1/2 years in jail for sexually abusing a minor, the City Attorney's Office announced Monday, touting the case as an example of its efforts to crack down on people who victimize minors. Jacinto Mendez, 36, was convicted in December of 13 misdemeanor charges including sexual battery, lewd acts on a child, corporal injury to a child and willful cruelty to a child, according to court records. He was sentenced Dec. 23 to 12 1/2 years behind bars. Mendez must also register as a sex offender for life, City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto added. "The safety, health and well-being of our most vulnerable residents - our children - has been one of my top priorities. This is one of the longest sentences our office has secured,'' Feldstein Soto said. "I am proud of the prosecutors in my office who dedicate themselves to this work and give voice in the halls of justice to our kids.'' Feldstein Soto said the abuse by Mendez occurred when the victim - a female relative of the defendant -- was 13 and 14 years old. ABC 7 Los Angeles man charged in $23 million homeless funding fraud Federal agents arrested a Westwood man Friday morning, accusing him of fraudulently taking more than $23 million in public money that was supposed to help house and feed the homeless. Alexander Soofer, 42, has been charged with wire fraud. The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office is also charging Soofer with 18 felony counts, accusing him of defrauding the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority. "Self-dealing government funds intended for food and housing for homeless residents of L.A. County, including families and children, is despicable," Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said. "The defendant called his company 'Abundant Blessings,' but the only abundant blessings he gave were to himself. My office will ensure anyone who thinks they can defraud the government will be brought to justice." Federal prosecutors say Soofer illegally pocketed at least $10 million, using that money to buy a $7 million house in Westwood, a vacation home in Greece, a $125,000 Range Rover, private jet travel and stays at luxury resorts. ABC 7 Olympic snowboarder accused of running drug cartel pleads not guilty in L.A. hearing Ryan Wedding, a former Canadian Olympic snowboarder who allegedly became the head of a billion-dollar drug trafficking organization, pleaded not guilty to multiple charges against him Monday and was ordered detained as his case proceeds. Wedding, who authorities say was in hiding for more than a decade and on the FBI’s “Ten Most Wanted Fugitives” list, was arrested last week. He faces 17 felonies in two separate indictments. During the court hearing at the Ronald Reagan Federal Building and Courthouse in Santa Ana, Wedding, who wore a beige jail uniform and black Crocs, scanned the gallery and occasionally smirked. Hulking and tattooed, the 6-foot-3 Wedding towered over his attorney and the deputy marshals standing guard in the courtroom. U.S. Magistrate Judge John D. Early ordered Wedding jailed without bond and set the next hearing for Feb. 11. The judge set a tentative trial date in March, although Wedding’s attorney, Anthony Colombo, said it would likely take more time for the case to unfold. Colombo did not argue for his client’s release on Monday afternoon, later citing “the whirlwind” Wedding had experienced since his apprehension. Los Angeles Times Man who shot 2 Oregon officers arrested after week-long manhunt Police have arrested a suspect accused of shooting and seriously injuring two Portland officers in Northeast Portland, KATU reported. The arrest comes a week after the shooting in the Sullivan’s Gulch neighborhood, where officers responded to a 911 call on Jan. 19 reporting a person threatening someone with a knife, according to the report. The suspect fired at officers and fled the scene. Officers did not return fire. The suspect, a 41-year-old man, is being held at the Multnomah County Jail on multiple charges, including two felony counts of attempted murder, according to the Portland Police Bureau. One officer was released from the hospital shortly after the shooting. The second officer was expected to be released Jan. 26, officials said. Police said the suspect was taken into custody shortly before 8 a.m. on Jan. 26 after officers closed roads in the area. He was transported to the bureau’s Central Precinct for questioning. Court records show the suspect has a lengthy criminal history dating back more than 20 years, including convictions for violent offenses and firearm-related crimes. Police also said he had an outstanding warrant related to a previous case. The arrest followed a multi-agency search that generated nearly 200 public tips, according to investigators. The U.S. Marshals Service and other state and federal agencies assisted in the operation. PoliceOne 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. 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