Good Morning. On March 13th, LAPD Officer Elizabeth Velasco was involved in a horrific, off-duty car accident. Officer Velasco sustained severe injuries to her neck and spine. The road to recovery will be a long one. Her rehabilitation will require long hours of extensive physical therapy which can become financially exhausting. Click here to help support Officer Velasco's recovery.
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Man With Blunt Force Trauma Found Dead In Sun Valley Garage: LAPD
A man who appeared to have suffered blunt force trauma was found dead in a Sun Valley garage, Los Angeles Police Department officials said Thursday. The death was reported about 10 a.m. Wednesday at a home in the 11600 block of Wixom Street, police said in a news release. Responding officers were directed to the garage where they found the victim with head injuries. The 47-year-old victim was pronounced dead at the scene. Police did not release any additional information about what led up to the man’s death. Anyone with information about the incident can call Valley Bureau homicide detectives at 818-374-9550. Anyone wishing to remain anonymous can call the L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or visit www.lacrimestoppers.org.
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LAPD Seeking Hit-And-Run Motorist In Pedestrian Fatality
Authorities Thursday continued their efforts to find the motorist responsible for a hit-and-run collision that killed a 74-year-old pedestrian last week. John Donald Draper was crossing Crenshaw Boulevard at Hyde Park Boulevard on Friday at 9:39 p.m. when he was struck by a gray Ford F-150 pickup truck traveling at a high rate of speed, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. The driver continued northbound on Crenshaw Boulevard and out of sight. Draper was pronounced dead at the scene. A $50,000 standing reward has been offered by the city for information leading to the identity, arrest and conviction of a hit-and-run suspect. Anyone with information on the case was urged to call 877-LAPD-247.
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Child Struck By Vehicle While Running Across Street To Catch Ice Cream Truck, LAPD Searching For Driver
The Los Angeles Police Department is searching for a hit-and-run driver who struck an 11-year-old child. Surveillance video released by LAPD Central Traffic shows the entire incident. The collision occurred at 4 p.m. on March 24 on 42nd Street just east of McKinley Avenue. Police say the 11-year-old boy ran across the street to catch an ice cream truck when the vehicle hit him. Police say the driver immediately stopped and exited the car to check on the child. The driver then reentered is vehicle and fled without rendering aid or identifying himself, according to a statement from police. The suspect vehicle is a gray or beige 2002 Chevy Tahoe SUV with the California License Plate No. 6SEZ288. Police say the Chevy Tahoe was reported stolen out of Rampart Division on March 21. The driver was described as a male Hispanic, 5’9" to 6’0", and is in his 30’s. The city is offering a $25,000 reward for information leading to the driver’s arrest. Anyone with information on the collision is urged to contact Detective Calvin Dehesa, Central Traffic Detectives, at (213) 833-3713, or e-mail [email protected].
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Man Charged In Fatal Assault Of 76-Year-Old John DeCindis In Venice Pleads Not Guilty
The man charged in the death of 76-year-old John DeCindis pleaded not guilty to homicide and elderly abuse charges today. Pacific Patrol Officers arrested and charged 45 year-old Obie Thompson, a homeless man, with the murder of DeCindis. Thompson entered the not guilty pleas during a preliminary hearing at the Airport Courthouse today. Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) Pacific Officers say they learned that DeCindis died after being assaulted in Venice. Police say that DeCindis was walking his dog when Thompson attacked him, according to police. The attack happened without motive, according to the LAPD. DeCindis was hospitalized with several fractures. He was released from the hospital but returned after having difficulty recovering from the injuries. On February 27, DeCinids died from his injuries.
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Protesters Clash With Police Over Shut Down Of Echo Park Lake Homeless Camps, Several Arrested
About a dozen people were arrested Thursday night during a protest against the removal of a large-scale homeless encampment at Echo Park Lake and the park’s indefinite closure to clean up an estimated $500,000 in damage. Several hundred protesters faced with with Los Angeles police officers in riot gear outside the office of Los Angeles City Councilman Mitch O’Farrell at Sunset Boulevard and Lemoyne Street, which is also just outside Echo Park Lake. Just after 8 p.m., the LAPD declared an unlawful assembly after officers said the crowd used high-intensity lights in an attempt to blind officers. Several media members were detained, including a reporter for the L.A. Times and two reporters for Knock LA, but all were later released.
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Police Seek Public's Help To Identify 3 Suspects In Armed Robbery On Melrose Avenue
The Los Angeles Police Department is seeking the public's assistance in identifying three men who assaulted a man and robbed him at gunpoint in West Hollywood. The men approached the man at about 1:40 p.m. Monday in the 7600 block of Melrose Avenue, near Stanley Avenue, while he was walking with his girlfriend after he dined at a nearby restaurant, police said. The men assaulted the man and demanded his property, police said. One suspect pulled out a gun and took the man's belongings, including a gold necklace before fleeing with the other two suspects in a red-four door sedan driven by a fourth man. The three men who committed the assault are described as being between 20 and 30 years old. A description of the driver was not available. Anyone with information on the robbery can call Wilshire Robbery Detective S. Azmy at 213-922-8229.
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California’s Top Court Ends Cash Bail For Some Defendants Who Can’t Afford It
For years, California legislators and judges have tried to reform the state’s money bail system to reduce discrimination against the poor. On Thursday, four months after voters rejected such a reform, the California Supreme Court ruled that it is unconstitutional to require defendants to remain behind bars simply because they cannot afford bail. In a unanimous decision, the state’s top court told judges to favor pretrial release and consider a person’s ability to pay before setting bail. Thursday’s ruling is likely to lead to many more people being released without bail before they go to trial. Judges may keep criminal defendants locked up only when “clear and convincing” evidence shows there is no other way to protect the public and ensure the defendants’ return for court appearances. “The common practice of conditioning freedom solely on whether an arrestee can afford bail is unconstitutional,” Justice Mariano-Florentino Cuéllar wrote for the court, ruling that it violated both state and federal protections. “Other conditions of release — such as electronic monitoring, regular check-ins with a pretrial case manager, community housing or shelter, and drug and alcohol treatment — can in many cases protect public and victim safety as well as assure the arrestee’s appearance at trial.”
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Boulder Shooting Suspect Makes First Court Appearance
The suspect in the Boulder, Colo. grocery store shooting that left 10 people dead made his first appearance in court Thursday, in a brief hearing that called for a mental health assessment. Last night, hundreds of people gathered to mourn the victims and support those affected by the senseless gun violence. Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa, 21, is facing 10 counts of murder in the first degree and one count of attempted murder over the horrific attack at a King Soopers supermarket. The victims include a police officer who responded to calls for help. The ages of those who died range from 20 to 65. Alissa appeared in court alongside his attorney, Kathryn Herold of the Colorado Public Defender's Office. Alissa wore a white face mask and what looked to be a purple hospital gown. Because of an injury to his leg, the suspected gunman was seated in a wheelchair. District Judge Thomas Mulvahill agreed to Herold's request after Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty noted that his office will file additional charges against Alissa "in the next couple weeks." The judge did not set a bond for the suspect, meaning he will stay in jail as the case moves to the next steps.
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New Evidence Points To Coordination Among Extremist Groups Ahead Of Capitol Riot
A member of the Oath Keepers paramilitary group who is charged with conspiracy in connection with the Capitol riot claimed to be coordinating with the Proud Boys and a far-right, self-styled militia to form an "alliance" on Jan. 6, according to court papers filed by the Justice Department. The allegation emerged in a motion federal prosecutors filed overnight in the case against Kelly Meggs, one of 10 alleged members or associates of the Oath Keepers charged with conspiring to interfere in Congress' certification of the Electoral College count. The investigation into the Capitol riot is one of the largest in American history. More than 300 people have been charged so far, and prosecutors have said they could charge at least another 100 more. The conspiracy case against the Oath Keepers is one of the most closely watched, and Meggs' communications are the first that prosecutors have publicly revealed that point to possible coordination among extremist groups in the runup to Jan. 6 and on the day itself.
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L.A. County Health Officials Warn Against Drinking Real Water Products Over Possible Link To Child Liver Illness Cases
Los Angeles County health officials on Monday urged people not to consume Real Water-brand alkaline water because it’s possibly tied to five infant and child cases of acute non-viral hepatitis in Nevada. The product may be sold at stores in the L.A. area and surrounding regions, which is why the county’s Public Health Department issued the health alert. It comes days after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration urged people to stop drinking, cooking with, selling or serving the product. The product is sold in 5-gallon containers through delivery and subscription, and in smaller plastic and glass bottles in stores and online. Federal health officials confirmed the 5-gallon containers were distributed to homes in Orange County through Paradise Bottling Company, and in Ventura and Santa Barbara through Real Water Gold Coast.
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COVID-19 Vaccine Eligibility Expands As LA County Passes A Grim Milestone
Statewide vaccine eligibility will widen to all those at least 16 years old in mid-April, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Thursday morning, March 25, the same day Los Angeles County received a sobering reminder that the virus remains a threat — with its coronavirus-related death toll topping 23,000. Newsom announced the statewide eligibility expansion on Thursday morning, via Twitter, right before a visit to a Santa Ana vaccination center. In the evening, Los Angeles County health officials announced they’d fall in line: Those at least 50 years old can receive the vaccine beginning April 1. Anyone at least 16 years old can be vaccinated starting April 15. The expansion will precede by two weeks the target date President Joe Biden set for all states to open vaccine eligibility, which was May 1. “With the state’s announcement today, it means everyone age 16 and over will be eligible for the vaccine in mid-April,” Barbara Ferrer, director of L.A. County’s Department of Public Health, said in a Thursday statement.
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