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. Law Enforcement News Man Shot To Death While Driving Through Hyde Park A 39-year-old man was shot to death when a suspect on a sidewalk fired several rounds into the victim's car as he drove in Hyde Park, authorities said. The shooting occurred at 7:41 p.m. Saturday at Victoria and Slauson avenues, according to Officer A. Delatorre of the Los Angeles Police Department's Operations Center. The victim was struck "several times," Delatorre said. Whether the vehicle crashed or the driver managed to stop it was not available. The man was pronounced dead at the scene, Delatorre said. No shooter information was available. NBC 4 Wounded Man Walks Into His Florence-Area Home A man was hospitalized with stable vital signs after walking into his Florence-area home with a gunshot wound, authorities said Monday. Police did not release where the shooting occurred or the circumstances leading up to it, but the 29-year-old man arrived at 7:52 p.m. Sunday at his home in the 200 block of West 60th Street, said Officer A. Delatorre of the Los Angeles Police Department’s Operations Center. MyNewsLA.com Escaped Murderer In Ohio Being Sought In Los Angeles Area; $50,000 Reward Offered One of the most wanted fugitives in the United States is being sought in the Los Angeles area after escaping from an Ohio prison in 1973, authorities confirmed Saturday. Lester Eubanks was convicted of murdering 14-year-old Mary Ellen Deener in 1966. He was sentenced to death, but in 1972 his sentence was commuted to life in prison. He was allowed to accompany other inmates on a Christmas shopping trip in December 1973, but failed to appear at the designated pickup spot and has been a fugitive ever since, according to the U.S. Marshals Service. Eubanks is on the Marshals Service's list of its 15 most wanted fugitives. After reviewing recently obtained photographs that allegedly show Eubanks working and socializing with people in Los Angeles County -- including a former waterbed factory in Gardena -- the Marshals Service began focusing their investigation in Los Angeles. "We believe that he may have never left the Greater Los Angeles area," Siler said. "We know that he has a footprint there, we know that he has associates throughout the area, we just need to talk to those people." An official with the Marshals Service confirmed to City News Service on Saturday that Eubanks was being sought in the Los Angeles area, but had no other immediate information. FOX 11 Father of 3 Stops at Store, and Never Makes it Home A dark alley. Alone. A father and new grandfather, shot and killed at point-blank-range. It’s part of a growing problem of shootings across LA, particularly in the San Fernando Valley. NBC LA’s “SeekingJustice” series shines a light on Francisco Cebrero in the hopes a $50,000 reward will help lead to his killer. NBC 4 1 Dead, 3 Injured In Suspected DUI Crash In Panorama City A 19-year-old man was expected to be arrested on suspicion of DUI after his vehicle rear-ended another — killing one woman and injuring three people, including the suspect, authorities said Monday. The crash was reported at 11:20 p.m. Sunday in the 9500 block of North Van Nuys Boulevard, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department’s Nicholas Prange. Firefighters used hydraulic tools to free one person from wreckage, and paramedics took four to hospitals, Prange said. Three were in critical condition and one was in fair condition, he said. One of the patients, a 25-year-old woman, was pronounced dead at a hospital, said Officer A. Delatorre of the Los Angeles Police Department’s Operations Center. The woman was in a vehicle that stopped at a traffic light, Delatorre said. A vehicle driven by the 19-year-old man slammed into the rear of the vehicle, he said. The 19-year-old man was one of the hospitalized patients and would be taken into custody for suspicion of DUI, police said. MyNewsLA.com MTA Board Increases Police Contracts, Promises Funding For Alternatives The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority unanimously voted to increase law enforcement contracts with the Los Angeles and Long Beach police departments and L.A. County Sheriff's Department, but the total amount increased was $75 million less than initially requested. The board voted to amend the law enforcement contracts to increase funding by $36 million, instead of the $111 million requested, with L.A. Metro CEO Phillip Washington or his designee responsible for dividing it among the three law enforcement contracts. The contract will last through Dec. 31, while previously it was set to last an extra six months. Mayor Eric Garcetti -- who chairs the board -- City Councilman Mike Bonin and several board members also amended the motion to instruct Metro's CEO to include at least $40 million in the fiscal year 2022 budget for investments in alternatives to policing, including transit ambassadors, elevator attendants and a flexible dispatch system to enable a response by homeless outreach workers, mental health specialists and unarmed security ambassadors. FOX 11 French Bulldog Puppy Reunited With Family As Search Continues For 2 Men Who Stole Him At Gunpoint The French bulldog puppy taken at gunpoint from North Hollywood has been reunited with his family, but the search continues for the two men who stole him, police announced Saturday. The 5-month-old puppy was stolen on March 20 by two men who followed a victim out of a store and into a parking lot near the intersection of Victory Boulevard and Vineland Avenue, the Los Angeles Police Department said in a news release. The men approached and pointed a gun at a family member who was carrying the dog back to his car. The suspects then fled the scene on foot with the French bulldog, according to the LAPD. The first suspect is described as a Hispanic male, approximately 20-years-old with brown hair and brown eyes. He stands about 5’10” in height and weighs around 160 pounds. He was wearing black shoes, blue jeans, a camouflage jacket and a red hat worn backward with a distinctive “gauge” earring, according to investigators. The second suspect is described as a Hispanic male, around 20-years-old, with brown hair and brown eyes. He stands approximately 5’10” tall and weighs 150 pounds. He was wearing white shoes, blue jeans and a black sweater, according to the LAPD. KTLA 5 Suspected DUI Driver Swerves Through Busy Night Traffic In South LA Police were in pursuit of a suspected drunk driver in a black Mercedes in South Los Angeles Saturday night. Newschopper4 was over the chase around 10:20 p.m. after reports of a reckless driver. The Mercedes SUV had a lot of close calls as he swerved through busy and narrow streets. The driver was even seen doing donuts at an intersection, taunting the police. The vehicle then seemed to have pulled into a driveway and two cop cars pulled up behind him as they thought the pursuit was over, but the driver then backed out of the driveway and clashed with the cop car. At around 10:35 p.m. the vehicle came to a complete stop near 84th and Figueroa and the driver remained inside the car. The driver was later taken into custody. NBC 4 Search Continues For Man Who Vandalized, Burned Buddhist Temple In L.A.’s Little Tokyo The search continues for a man captured on camera last month setting fire to the Higashi Honganji Buddhist Temple in downtown Los Angeles. Around 6:30 p.m. on Feb. 25, the unidentified man climbed a gate to get onto the Little Tokyo property, which was closed at the time. Surveillance video shows the man climbing over the temple’s fence and setting two wooden lantern stands on fire. As the flames grow, he destroys a pair of metal lanterns, which have been a part of the temple since it was built in 1976. Before leaving, he throws a rock at the front door, shattering the floor-to-ceiling glass panel at the entrance, according Rev. Noriaki Ito, a bishop and the temple head priest. A minister who happened be in the back office smelled smoke, grabbed an extinguisher and fought the flames until firefighters arrived. Amid a wave of attacks against Asians and Asian Americans, Ito says the incident raised the question about whether it should be considered a hate crime. KTLA 5 Granada Hills House Junk Removal: ‘Hoarders’ TV Show, City, LAPD Get Involved As Junk Is Removed From Yard Of Home Saturday, a cleanup that neighbors had been asking about for years was finally wrapping up as residents of a Granada Hills neighborhood feared for their safety and property values due to an apparent junkyard that had taken over one home’s yard. Neighbors have been trying to get the city to force the owner to clean it up for nearly three years, but to no avail. Now, the city, the LAPD, and even the television show “Hoarders,” have gotten involved. CBSLA learned that the city is finally going to stand up and try to fix the problem for neighbors by filing a nuisance abatement. The Los Angeles Police Department was also seen on Bircher Street, going door-to-door interviewing neighbors — the same people who say they have been fighting for years to get the mess cleaned up. CBS 2 LA Man Allegedly Obtains $3 Million In State Unemployment Benefits Using Identities Of 23 Inmates, Others A Los Angeles man indicted by a federal grand jury this month for possessing methamphetamine and unauthorized debit cards is suspected of using the identities of 23 inmates and others to obtain more than $3 million in state unemployment benefits, according to court records. Edward Kim, 35, allegedly submitted at least 400 fraudulent claims with the California Economic Development Department from March 30 to Sept. 8, 2020, according to an arrest affidavit filed by U.S. Department of Labor Special Agent Anthony Clark. At least 120 of those EDD claims were filed under the names of inmates incarcerated in California prisons, authorities said. Kim was arrested in November following a traffic stop by La Habra police, who allegedly discovered methamphetamine and EDD materials. Officials with the U.S. Department of Labor and EDD declined to comment on Kim’s arrest or the fraud he is accused of perpetrating. Los Angeles Daily News Police Searching For 51-Year-Old Diabetic Man Reported Missing In Lakewood Authorities continued their search on Saturday to locate a missing 51-year-old man with diabetes who was last seen in Lakewood. Brook Cavanaugh Brent was last seen at about 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, according to the sheriff's department. Brent is Black, stands 5-feet-10 inches tall and weighs about 220 pounds. He is bald and has brown eyes. He was last seen wearing black sweat pants, a gray shirt and a black sweatshirt. Brent has several tattoos, including the name "Theresa" tattooed on his right forearm and upper left arm, and a picture of Winnie the Pooh with the names "Alexus" and "Brook Jr." around it on his left arm authorities said. Police say he also suffers from diabetes. Anyone with information on Brent's whereabouts was asked to call the LASD Missing Persons Unit at 323-890-5500 or 911. Tipsters can also call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477. FOX 11 To Deter Thieves, SoCal Law Enforcement Help Residents Etch License Plate Numbers On Catalytic Converters Amid Increase In Thefts In an effort to deter thieves, some law enforcement agencies in Southern California have been helping drivers etch license plate numbers on their vehicles’ catalytic converters. The exhaust emission control devices are increasingly being cut from vehicles and stolen because they contain precious metals and can be scrapped for quick profit. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department reported that catalytic converter thefts skyrocketed 400% in 2020. Earlier this month, 19 people were arrested and $750,000 worth of catalytic converters were recovered in an operation targeting several locations in Los Angeles. The Sheriff’s Department’s different stations have recently been hosting “Catalytic Converter Etching Events,” where drivers can get their license plate numbers etched onto the car parts to make them easier to track if stolen. The latest of such events were hosted by Palmdale and San Dimas sheriff’s stations. On Thursday, Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station provided the service to residents. KTLA 5 Public Safety News 9 Hospitalized For Breathing Difficulties After Fire Is Put Out At Canoga Park Apartment Complex Nine people, including an infant, were hospitalized after firefighters put out an apartment fire in Canoga Park Saturday morning authorities said. Los Angeles City firefighters were called to the 20900 block of West Gresham Street just before 2:15 a.m. and were met with fire in a second-story unit in a three-story building, LAFD spokesman Brian Humphrey said. Fifty firefighters put out the flames, in a center-hallway apartment building, in about 30 minutes, Humphrey said. The fire filled hallways with smoke and about a half hour after the fire, a resident complained of having difficulty breathing, Humphrey said. By 5:30 a.m., nearly three hours after the fire had been put out, eight more residents had complained of breathing difficulty and were taken to local hospitals for medical evaluation, Humphrey said. The cause and origin of the fire was under investigation. Los Angeles Daily News L.A. County Cautions Holiday Vigilance As COVID-19 Case Numbers Rise In Other States Los Angeles County public health authorities are urging people to remain vigilant in observing coronavirus protocols when traveling or socializing during the spring holidays, cautioning that other states are seeing a rise in cases. The county reported 538 new coronavirus cases and one related death on Sunday. There are 669 people in the county hospitalized with COVID-19; 25% of them are in intensive care. The figures reflect an undercount due to delays from reporting over the weekend. There were 692 COVID-19 patients in hospitals Friday, a decline of about 30% from two weeks before, county officials reported. Passover began Saturday, and Easter is in one week, prompting health officials to urge the public to take precautions when meeting with others. Indoor gatherings of up to three separate households are permitted by public health rules, provided people are wearing masks and distancing if any aren’t fully vaccinated. But even small parties and reunions carry risk, officials said. Although California’s numbers continue to decline, health officials are concerned about an uptick in COVID-19 cases in several states, including New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Florida. Los Angeles Times ‌ ‌ ‌ Visit our website LA Police Protective League | 1308 West Eighth Street, Los Angeles, CA 90017 Unsubscribe [email protected] Update Profile | Customer Contact Data Notice Sent by [email protected] powered by Try email marketing for free today!