Good Morning. Join Mission Division officers for a memorial bike ride honoring the 1-year anniversary of LAPD Officer Valentin Martinez's passing. There is a 20 mile and 40 mile route. The event will take place Saturday July 24th, 2021. The proceeds raised for this event will benefit Mission's youth groups and more importantly, an education fund for Officer Valentin Martinez's 5 month old twin boys. Click here for more information.
|
|
Police Arrest Man Suspected Of Kidnapping His Ex-Girlfriend And Killing A Bystander
A man suspected of kidnapping his ex-girlfriend in North Hollywood on Sunday after allegedly killing a bystander who tried to intervene has been taken into custody, authorities said. Shane Winfield Rayment, 37, was arrested shortly after 5 p.m. Tuesday by Hemet police officers, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. The dead man, Roberto Fletes, had tried to intervene in an argument between Rayment and his ex-girlfriend, Jenny Marie Downes, according to the LAPD. After fatally shooting Fletes, Rayment forced Downes into a pickup truck and fled, the LAPD said. By the time Hemet police pulled him over, Rayment was driving a different car. Downes, 31, was inside, battered and bruised, authorities said. Her injuries were not life-threatening. A man from Perris was also in the car, but LAPD detectives determined he wasn’t involved in the shooting or alleged kidnapping and released him. Fletes, 42, was a friend of Downes’ sister and did not know Rayment otherwise, according to LAPD Det. Efren Gutierrez. Rayment was booked into jail in Banning on a warrant for murder. His bail was set at $3 million.
|
|
Amber Alert: 8-Year-Old Girl Found Safe After Alleged Abduction By Mother In Los Angeles
An 8-year-old girl was found safe and a woman was detained Wednesday morning after the child was allegedly abducted by her mother in Los Angeles, prompting an Amber Alert, authorities said. Aleigha Stevenson had last been seen earlier in the morning, according to the California Highway Patrol. Just before 2 a.m., LAPD detectives responded to a call on the 2800 block of W. 42nd Street and learned that Aleigha's father and his ex-wife have been involved in an ongoing child custody dispute with a restraining order on file. The father told authorities that Aleigha's mother, identified as 29-year-old Kera Stevenson, showed up at his home with three other men. When he allowed her to enter the residence to see her daughter, one of those men pushed his way inside and "forcibly removed" the girl before fleeing, according to police.
|
|
Police Arrest Man Accused In Caught-on-Video Sucker-Punching Of Venice Boardwalk Performer
A suspect has been arrested in a random assault on a 61-year-old street performer caught on video in Venice over the weekend, officials said Wednesday. Marco Harger, 45, of Los Angeles, has been identified as the man seen sucker-punching John Gavert as he danced on the Venice Beach Boardwalk Sunday afternoon, the L.A. Police Department said in a news release. Harger was arrested Tuesday and booked on suspicion of battery causing serious bodily injury, police said. Cellphone video of the incident on the 500 block of Ocean Front Walk shows the man identified as Harger walk past Gavert before swiftly turning around and punching him in the face. Harger then left the area. Gavert is later seen on the ground being tended to as he holds his head. Police say he lost consciousness and was hospitalized with serious injuries. Investigators are still working to determine a motive for the attack. Gavert said he wonders if it could be related to a minor disagreement he had with other street performers the day before.
|
|
Abandoned Vehicles Left Littering Streets Of Los Angeles As Officials Struggle To Resolve Concerns
Many business owners are frustrated about abandoned cars left littering the streets of Los Angeles. Several city ordinances put in place because of the economic toll the pandemic has had, leading to people using their cars as temporary housing, have not yet been changed. Auvi Ibgui opened Hype LA, a high-end sneaker shop in Studio City five months ago, and says there has been a vehicle outside of his store for some time now without anyone living inside. “It’s upsetting because nobody is in it,” Ibgui said. “Nobody’s in there, windows busted, there are like pillows blankets inside, it’s dirty, it smells. It’s not good for any of these businesses down here.” In this particular case, businesses have been pushing the vehicle down the block away from their entrances after officials and police said they were unable to remove it because of housing rules. Further into the Valley, it’s not just one unsightly car but rather, numerous RVs. One business owner told CBS2/KCAL 9 that one month they had a $600 water bill because of an outside faucet that was being used.
|
|
19-Year-Old Who Pulled Knife At Buscaino Event Arrested In 2020 Kenosha Riots
Alaia Smith, the 19-year-old woman from Washington who was arrested on Monday for pulling a knife during an event for City Councilmember Joe Buscaino, participated and was arrested during the Kenosha, WI riots. The riots happened between August 24-30, 2020. According to Wisconsin news publications, multiple arson fires burned down local businesses and other buildings after the shooting of Jacob Blake. Reports show people who participated in the riots burned and destroyed vehicles, set major arson fires and smashed windows. A state of emergency was declared on August 23, and the National Guard was activated the following day. In total, 175 people were arrested during the riots, of those, 102 had addresses from outside Kenosha, including Smith. Court records show Smith was detained on charges of failing to comply with an emergency management order in the state of Wisconsin on Aug. 27. A $200 bond was posted for her release from jail. Smith pleaded no-contest, a plea by which a defendant in a criminal prosecution accepts conviction but does not plead or admit guilt, to the charges on October 15. This past Monday, June 7, Smith was arrested on the Venice Boardwalk for pulling a knife during a press conference held by Los Angeles City Councilman and mayoral candidate Joe Buscaino.
|
|
1 In Custody After Pursuit Involving Box Truck Sought In Hit-and-Run Ends In Sherman Oaks
One person was taken into custody following a pursuit involving a box truck that ended in the San Fernando Valley Wednesday. It’s unclear when the chase started, but the vehicle was wanted in connection with a hit-and-run in West Los Angeles, according to the California Highway Patrol. The pursuit was entering the Sherman Oaks area on the northbound 101 when Sky5 first arrived at the scene around 12:10 p.m. Minutes later, the box truck stopped on the busy stretch of freeway and someone exited on the passenger side, aerial video showed. He then surrendered to law enforcement. CHP confirmed the driver was the lone occupant of the vehicle. All lanes of the northbound 101 were blocked while authorities took the man into custody. It’s unclear when the lanes would reopen, but traffic was already heavy in the area prior to the closure.
|
|
Sheriff’s Department Seeks Public’s Help In Finding Woman Missing Since August
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Tuesday sought the public’s help to locate a 37-year-old woman diagnosed with schizophrenia who has been missing for nearly 10 months. Shannon Michele Reasoner was last seen at about 9 a.m. on August 10, 2020, in the 29100 block of Quincy Street in Santa Clarita, according to Deputy Eric Ortiz of the Sheriff’s Information Bureau. Reasoner is white, 5 feet, 2 inches tall and weighs 120 pounds, with brown hair and blue eyes. She was last seen wearing a camouflage shirt and blue jeans. Anyone with information on Reasoner’s whereabouts was asked to call the Sheriff’s Missing Persons Unit at 323-890-5500. Anonymous tips can be called in to Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477 or submitted online at lacrimestoppers.org.
|
|
Man Killed In Compton Shooting
A man was killed in a shooting in Compton and the shooter was on the loose Wednesday morning. Deputies from Compton station responded about 10:25 p.m. Tuesday to a shooting call in the 1700 block of East Alondra Boulevard and found the victim, who had sustained at least one gunshot wound to the upper body, according to Deputy Tracy Koerner of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene by Compton Fire Department personnel, Koerner said. Details of what led to the shooting were not immediately available. The age and name of the victim were not disclosed.
|
|
Employee Charged With Stealing COVID-19 Vaccine Cards Valued At $10,000
An employee of a Los Angeles County mass vaccination site is facing a grand theft charge for allegedly stealing more than 500 blank COVID-19 vaccine cards. Muhammad Rauf Ahmed, 45, was employed as a nonclinical contract employee at the Pomona Fairplex vaccination site in La Verne on April 27 when police received a call about a possible theft, according to the La Verne Police Department. A security guard at the site had noticed Ahmed exiting the facility with a stack of cards in his hands. Officials found blank vaccination cards in Ahmed’s car, and later uncovered about 400 more in his hotel room. In total, they recovered 528 cards. Det. Sgt. Cory Leeper of the La Verne Police Department said Ahmed, of Las Vegas, initially claimed he took the cards to “pre-fill” them and get ahead of his workload. But blank cards are not permitted to leave vaccine sites, Leeper said, and the stacks of cards in the hotel room were still sealed in plastic. “That was not something that is allowed, and it was not something that anyone was aware of,” Leeper said. “He did not get permission for that. This was an intentional thing that he was doing in taking these cards back to his hotel room.”
|
|
Ex-Hollywood Exec Sentenced For Stealing $22M From Firm Representing Influencers, Using To Pay Gambling Debt
A former executive who embezzled more than $22 million from a Los Angeles-based digital marketing company was sentenced Wednesday to more than 6 1/2 years in federal prison. Dennis Blieden, 31, of Cincinnati also was ordered pay nearly $22.7 million in restitution. From 2015 to 2019, the former Santa Monica resident was controller and vice president of accounting and finance for StyleHaul Inc., which represents influencers on Instagram and YouTube, the U.S. attorney’s office said in a statement. Blieden, who had entered and won professional poker tournaments, was accused of wiring company money to his personal bank account and using it to pay for expenses that included a gambling debt and to buy cryptocurrency, authorities said. He pleaded guilty in 2019 to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.
|
|
CHP Officer Credited With Saving 6-Month-Old Choking Baby
A California Highway Patrol officer is being credited for saving the life of a little baby. While driving along the 101 freeway near Topanga Canyon in Woodland Hills, a woman’s 6-month-old boy started choking on a cherry. The mother pulled onto the shoulder of the freeway and called 911. Two CHP officers quickly arrived on scene. While one officer was directing traffic, Officer Casey Ramstead opened the car door and began CPR on the baby. "It’s just another day on the highway patrol, serving the general public, doing whatever we can. It just happens that I’m a little more skilled in this and was able to use my paramedic skills," Ramstead said to FOX 11’s Hailey Winslow. He utilized back slaps to help the boy clear his airway. After six back slaps the baby was breathing on his own again. This is not the first life Ramstead has saved… he has been a paramedic since 2006 and even trains his officers in emergency medical response. He encourages all new parents to get training in first aid and CPR.
|
|
Suspect In Shooting Of Colorado Police Officer Arrested
Police arrested the man suspected of shooting a police officer during a traffic stop last week. Jacob Aaron Sedillo, 25, was taken into custody without incident, according to The Denver Channel. The officer, who hasn't been identified, was discharged from the hospital and is recovering at home. The officer was allegedly shot by Sedillo after stopping him in a parking lot. The officer did not return fire. Sedillo, who was arrested for suspicion of attempted first-degree murder, had fled the scene after the shooting and was at-large until Tuesday. The investigation into the shooting is ongoing.
|
|
Memorial Billboard For Chicago Officer Killed In Shooting Vandalized
A memorial billboard for a Chicago police officer killed in a 2018 attack at a South Side hospital was vandalized Wednesday morning, police said. The billboard, which honors Officer Samuel Jimenez, who was killed responding to an active shooter at Mercy Hospital and Medical Center in November 2018, was tagged with “PROPAGANDA” Wednesday morning at the corner of Elston and LeClaire avenues, according to Chicago police. The billboard was installed by the Chicago Police Memorial Foundation as part of a citywide effort to humanize police, Executive Director Philip Cline said. Cline called the act “terrible” and “tragic.” “The defacement of the Chicago Police Memorial Foundation billboard is an absolute disgrace and insult to the memory of Chicago Police Officer Samuel Jimenez, the Jimenez family and every other fallen officer and families of those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our city,” a Chicago police spokeswoman said in a statement. Jimenez, 28, had been on the police force for two years when he was gunned down coming to the aid of other officers during the Mercy Hospital shooting. He was married with three small children. Two other people, including the shooter’s former fiancee and a pharmacy resident, were killed during the attack.
|
|
LA County Will Align With State On Post-June 15 Coronavirus Mask Policies
Los Angeles County health officials reiterated Wednesday, June 9, that they will fully align with the state’s newly announced guidelines for mask-wearing when the bulk of California’s coronavirus restrictions are lifted next week. And with the lifting of restrictions just days away, local authorities again pushed the availability of financial and entertainment incentives for people who get vaccinated — but the clock is ticking. Through Thursday, anyone who gets a first-dose vaccine at a Los Angeles county- or city-run vaccination site, or at a St. John’s Well Child and Family Center site, will be entered for a chance to win season tickets to the Dodgers or Los Angeles Football Club. The contest is open to anyone receiving a first dose, or people receiving a second dose who bring another person with them to be vaccinated.
|
|
California Drought Has Moved Up 2021 Wildfire Season Far Ahead Of Schedule, PG&E Warns
California’s drought is accelerating the start of the 2021 wildfire season — and intensifying the pressure on PG&E Corp. to prevent more mega-fires of the sort that drove the state’s largest utility into bankruptcy. Pacific Gas and Electric Co. executives said Wednesday they’ve begun gearing up for wildfire season weeks earlier than usual, including putting helicopters in the air to practice for PG&E’s “public safety power shutoffs.” Scott Strenfel, the utility’s director of meteorology and fire science, said in an interview that the drought is drying out California’s vegetation more quickly than normal. Gov. Gavin Newsom has officially declared that 41 of the state’s 58 counties are in drought, including the greater Sacramento region and the Central Valley. “The fuel moisture levels ... are about a month or two months ahead of schedule,” Strenfel said. “They’re at a state where they’re typically this dry in mid-July, and we’re seeing them in June. We’re a month ahead of schedule, if not two months, in terms of fire danger.”
|
|
LA Councilman Buscaino Seeks To Resume Ban On Sidewalk Encampments During Daytime
Los Angeles City Councilman Joe Buscaino on Wednesday requested the city resume its ban on sidewalk encampments. Buscaino requested the City Council amend the mayor's Declaration of Local Emergency and resume enforcement of Los Angeles Municipal Code Section 56.11, which regulates the storage of personal property in public areas. It prohibits people from configuring a tent in any public area from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., except when raining or if the temperature dips below 50 degrees. The mayoral candidate's request came as the City Council was scheduled to vote on a routine extension of Mayor Eric Garcetti's Declaration of Local Emergency that was put in place on March 4, 2020 and has been extended month-to-month since. The declaration includes a suspension of enforcing the ordinance. "I'd like all of us to reconsider the suspension of banning encampments on our sidewalks. COVID is essentially over, we're getting ready to reopen our economy, people are actually going to Dodger games nowadays," Buscaino said, noting that he recognizes the city needs to extend the Declaration of Local Emergency for federal funding purposes.
|
|
She’s been at City Hall six months. Now Nithya Raman is being targeted for recall
Voters in Southern California have launched yet another bid to remove a politician ahead of the regular election cycle — this time targeting a Los Angeles city councilwoman who’s been in office for just six months. CD4 for CD4, a campaign committee formed last month, served Councilwoman Nithya Raman with a recall notice outside her Silver Lake home Wednesday. On its website and elsewhere, the committee argued that Raman’s office is inexperienced, unresponsive and too politically radical for her constituents to endure a full four-year term.
|
|
City Council Expands Definition Of Tenant Harassment Ahead Of Ordinance Vote
The Los Angeles City Council on Wednesday strengthened aspects of a draft tenant harassment ordinance, including through an expanded definition of harassment, and directed the City Attorney's Office to incorporate the revisions and bring the measure back for final approval. The draft ordinance defines tenant harassment in several ways, including reducing or eliminating housing services, such as parking; failing to perform necessary repairs and maintenance; abusing the right to access a rental unit; threatening a tenant with physical harm; misrepresenting to a tenant that he or she is required to vacate the unit; refusing to accept rent payments; and inquiring about a tenant's immigration status. The City Council amended the definition to include tactics like coercing a tenant to vacate with offers of payment; failing to perform necessary repairs on time as required by federal, state, county or local housing, health or safety laws; failing to minimize exposure to noise, dust, lead, paint, asbestos and other harmful building materials; and interfering with the comfort, peace or quiet of a tenant.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
