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.
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Procession, Memorial Friday For Fallen San Bernardino Sheriff’s Sgt. Dominic Vaca
A procession and memorial service will be held Friday for San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Sgt. Dominic Vaca, who was shot and killed in the line of duty last month. The procession for Vaca began at 6:45 a.m. at the San Bernardino County Coroner’s Office. Vaca’s body will be transported to the Glen Helen Amphitheatre, where the memorial will take place. Following the service, a procession will take Vaca’s body to the Riverside National Cemetery. Major delays are expected between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. on the southbound 215 Freeway in San Bernardino and Riverside counties. The following sections of the freeway will be closed during this hour: Interstate 215 at State Route 210 (SR-210 will be closed for merging traffic onto I-215 Southbound), Interstate 215 at Interstate 10 (I-10 will be closed for merging traffic onto I-215 Southbound), Interstate 215 at Interstate 215/State Route 60 – Riverside Interchange (SR-60 eastbound merging onto I-215 southbound and State Route 91 eastbound merging onto I-215 will be closed). On the afternoon of May 31, the 43-year-old Vaca was wounded when a suspect opened fire in the Yucca Valley desert following a motorcycle pursuit.
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Man Crashes Land Rover After Being Shot In Sun Valley, Later Dies
A 43-year-old man who was shot in Sun Valley late Wednesday night tried to drive away from the scene, but crashed into several parked cars and later died at a hospital, authorities said. The shooting was reported at about 11 p.m. in the 7900 block of Laurel Canyon Boulevard, according to Los Angeles police. Responding officers found the victim in a 2021 Land Rover a few blocks away, in the 7600 block of Laurel Canyon Boulevard, where he had crashed into several parked cars. He was rushed to a hospital, where he died in surgery, police said. His name was not released. Investigators learned the suspect was shot during a dispute. The circumstances of the shooting and a possible motive were not known. There was no description of the suspect. Anyone with information on the case should call LAPD detectives at 818-374-1925.
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Driver Killed In Crash That Sparked Fire In Hancock Park House, Garage; Street Racing Suspected
The driver of a vehicle that crashed into a home in Hancock Park was killed, and the crash sparked a fire in an attached garage, nearby vegetation and in the attic of the house overnight. Investigators believe the driver was street racing at the time of the crash. Crews responded about 11:35 p.m. Thursday to the 200 block of Rimpau Boulevard, near Third Street, according to Nicholas Prange of the Los Angeles Fire Department. A knockdown was declared about 12:10 a.m. Friday, Prange said. Witnesses says the vehicle was traveling at an estimated 90 mph when the driver lost control, hit a curb and went airborne before slamming into a tree near a bedroom of the home. "A little girl was in a bedroom and stepped out of that room, otherwise this could have been a real tragedy,'' LAPD Capt. Brian Wendling told reporters at the scene. The driver of the vehicle was pronounced dead at the scene. A skid mark in excess of 300 feet was visible on Third Street in the area of the crash, Wendling said. The name of the driver was not immediately released.
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Police Searching For Hit-and-Run Driver Who Severely Injured Pedestrian In East Hollywood
The Los Angeles Police Department is asking for the public’s help in providing information that would lead to the identification and arrest of a driver involved in a hit-and-run in East Hollywood. Police have just released security camera footage of the incident which occurred March 31. Around 9 p.m. a pedestrian was walking southbound across Fountain Ave. when a vehicle that was traveling eastbound on Fountain Ave. from Hobart Boulevard struck the pedestrian. The victim was severely injured in the collision. Police say the driver fled the scene without identifying themselves or rendering aid. The suspect’s vehicle is described as an older model four-door white Hyundai, believed to be a 2005 to 2007 Hyundai Sonata. LAPD has also released the following images of the suspect’s vehicle. A standing reward of up to $25,000 has been offered by the city of Los Angeles for information that helps police solve a non-fatal hit-and-run case. Anyone with information on the crash was urged to call the LAPD West Traffic Division at 213-473-0234 or 213-473-0222; 877-LAPD-247; or Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS.
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Terrifying Random Attack By Venice Homeless Man: Unsuspecting Victim Knocked Unconscious, Not Guilty Plea
A transient who allegedly knocked a man unconscious in an apparently random attack in Venice has been charged with a felony count of battery with serious bodily injury. Macio Martinez Harger, 45, pleaded not guilty Thursday to the charge, which includes an allegation that he personally inflicted great bodily injury during the attack Sunday. Harger allegedly approached the man at about 12:40 p.m. Sunday in the 500 block of Ocean Front Walk and punched him in his face, according to a Los Angeles Police Department statement. The man lost consciousness after he was struck, and Harger fled the scene, police said. Paramedics took the man to a hospital, where he was treated for “serious injuries.” Harger, who was living in a homeless encampment nearby, was arrested Tuesday and has remained behind bars since. He is due back in a Los Angeles courtroom July 8, when a date is scheduled to be set for a hearing to determine if there is sufficient evidence to allow the case against him to proceed to trial.
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Palm Desert Woman Arrested On Suspicion Of Selling Counterfeit Juvederm And Botox: LAPD
A woman was arrested on suspicion of selling counterfeit Juvederm and Botox without a medical license, the Los Angeles Police Department announced Thursday. Josefa Acosta, 57, of Palm Desert, was arrested May 21 on suspicion of selling prescription drugs without a license after she sold counterfeit Botox to undercover officers, a statement from the LAPD said. According to the LAPD, Acosta set up an online store and makeshift medical office in her residence. Detectives from the department’s Illicit Pharmaceutical and Counterfeit Unit say they confiscated syringes as well as Juvéderm and other pharmaceuticals that are meant to be possessed only by licensed medical professionals. Samples of the pharmaceuticals seized at Acosta’s residence were sent to a laboratory for testing and were found to be counterfeit by the manufacturer, in violation of recorded and registered trademarks, police said.
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Arraignment Set For Documented Gang Member Charged In Beverly Hills Robbery
An arraignment hearing is set Friday for one of three documented gang members facing federal charges alleging they committed an armed robbery at a Beverly Hills restaurant in which a customer was held at gunpoint, another was struck by gunfire and a $500,000 watch was taken. Khai McGhee, 18, is charged with conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery and using a firearm in a crime of violence, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. His co-defendants — Malik L. Powell, 20, and Marquise A. Gardon, 30 — are expected to arraigned in the coming weeks. On March 4, at about 2:10 p.m., officers were called to Il Pastaio, a celebrity hangout on North Canon Drive, following a report of a robbery with gunfire. Officers arrived to find a woman who had been wounded. The victim, who was not the intended target, was taken to the hospital with non life-threatening injuries, according to a spokesman for the Beverly Hills Police Department. During the robbery, a restaurant patron was held at gunpoint while he was robbed of his Richard Mille wristwatch, worth about $500,000, according to prosecutors.
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‘Unruly’ Passenger Diverts LAX To NYC Plane To Detroit
A passenger deemed ‘unruly’ by the flight crew of Delta Airlines was removed from a plane traveling from LAX in Los Angeles to JFK in New York after the plane diverted to Detroit. In a video posted to Twitter by CBS Host, Dana Jacobson, a passenger could be seen being escorted off the flight on a gurney Thursday night in Michigan. Delta released a statement on the incident: “Delta flight 1131 operating from Los Angeles to New York-JFK diverted to Detroit after a customer issue on board. The customer was met by law enforcement upon landing. We apologize to our customers for any inconvenience, though the safety and well-being of our customers and crew is always Delta’s top priority.” A spokesperson with Delta said all other customers on the flight were expected to re-board the plane soon.
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70-Year-Old Man Pleads Community To Stop Asian Hate After Being Violently Attacked In Cerritos
A 70-year-old Cerritos man pleads with the community to stop Asian hate after being attacked while going on a morning stroll with his wife at the park on Saturday. Cesar Echano and his wife were strolling around Don Knabe Community Regional Park as they always do every weekend. The 70-year-old Filipino American has lived in the U.S.for more than 30 years. “I felt safe before. Very safe,” he said. Echano says he was approached by a young man who then verbally aggravated them. “Why are you looking at me? You son of a bitch! Bastard,” the man said. Echano’s wife grabbed his arm alarmed, and they say that is when the rant suddenly turned racial. “You don’t belong here! Go back to your country,” the man added. Echano and his wife kept walking, minding their own business, heading back to their car at the end of the parking lot, but the attacker was not done. Echano says the man wasn’t chasing them, but when they got to their car, there was an unpleasant surprise. Echano had just gotten into the passenger seat and had closed his door when the man appeared out of nowhere. As Echano snapped his seatbelt on, the door suddenly opened. “And then he goes… pow,” Echano explained. Photos from the emergency room, where Echano's doctors examined his seriously injured eye, show how badly he was bleeding from his face.
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Six SoCal Men Federally Indicted In Jan. 6 Insurrection
Retired La Habra Police Chief Alan Hostetter, a prominent COVID-19 restrictions critic and activist, was indicted along with five other Southern California men in connection with the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, federal prosecutors announced Thursday. Hostetter, a 56-year-old yoga instructor who lives in San Clemente, was charged along with Russell Taylor, 40, of Ladera Ranch, and four Riverside County men — Erik Scott Warner, 45, of Menifee, Felipe Antonio “Tony” Martinez, 47, of Lake Elsinore, Derek Kinnison, 39, of Lake Elsinore, and Ronald Mele, 51, of Temecula. They are all charged with multiple felonies, including conspiracy, obstructing an official proceeding and unlawful entry on restricted building or grounds. Taylor also faces a charge of obstructing law enforcement during a civil disorder and unlawful possession of a dangerous weapon on Capitol grounds. Warner and Kinnison are additionally charged with tampering with documents or proceedings.
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Baltimore Businesses Threaten To Withhold Taxes Over Crime, Police Response
More than 30 business and restaurant owners in the Fells Point neighborhood of Baltimore are threatening to withhold taxes if city leaders do not address crime, trash and other issues they say are plaguing the waterfront neighborhood. The group sent a letter to Baltimore officials Tuesday — two days after three people were shot in the popular and historic nightlife destination early Sunday morning — complaining about blatant drug sales, public drinking and other problems they say are happening in plain sight while police are handcuffed from enforcing the law. The letter bemoans a “culture of lawlessness” that allows the " the kinds of violence and tragedy we witnessed (over the weekend),” the Baltimore Sun reports. The letter is a sharp response not only to the violence of the weekend, but also to the policies of State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby, who earlier this year announced that she will no longer prosecute a host of crimes, including drug possession, public drinking and urination, and trespassing, among others. It also comes as the police department faces mounting questions from residents about its strategies to quell violence as homicides and non-fatal shootings remain at high levels.
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Fire Hits Businesses Near Van Nuys Airport
A fire damaged several commercial units next to Van Nuys Airport Thursday, but no one was hurt. Firefighters sent to the 16100 block of Saticoy Street — just east of the airport — at 10:17 a.m. extinguished the flames in the single-story building in 34 minutes, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. There was no immediate word on the cause of the fire.
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Delta Variant Of COVID-19 Found In LA County, But Still In Small Numbers
The so-called "Delta" variant of COVID-19 that is blamed for massive infection rates in India and case spikes in parts of the United Kingdom has been detected in Los Angeles County since early April, but the public health director said numbers have remained low thanks to the overall plunge in virus transmission rates. Barbara Ferrer warned, however, that the presence of a variant that is far more easily transmitted from person-to-person than previously identified strains highlights the need to more expansive vaccination efforts. "Keeping this variant from spreading in our county requires continued effort to get immunizations to unvaccinated residents in our communities and to urge residents to keep taking measures to protect themselves and others," she said Thursday. "This is particularly important for those who are not vaccinated who can end up unknowingly being incubators for Delta variants and other variants of concern."
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California COVID-19 Plunges To New Lows, Fueling Hope Big Reopening Won’t Bring New Surge
California will fully reopen its economy next Tuesday under remarkably favorable conditions, with the COVID-19 risk rapidly receding and new cases being reported at the lowest levels in 14 months. The state has for several months recorded one of the lowest coronavirus infection rates in the country, a distinction that’s endured despite the end of many restrictions and the rise of new variants. The numbers and rapid rollout of vaccinations have given public health officials even more confidence that life can return to some semblance of normal without the horrific surges that thwarted California’s two previous attempts at reopening. California has one of the highest rates of vaccinations in the nation, with 56% of residents of all ages — and 71% of adults — having received at least one dose of vaccine. Thirteen states now have at least 70% of their adults at least partially vaccinated, achieving a goal set by President Biden weeks before a July Fourth target. That rollout of vaccines, especially in California’s most populous areas, have helped tame COVID-19 and tamped down transmission.
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Who Can Stop Wearing Masks, And Where: California’s COVID Reopening Rules Explained
Californians who are two weeks removed from their last vaccine dose will be allowed to go mask-free in nearly all settings, with some exceptions that include transit hubs or public transportation; in healthcare settings and long-term care facilities; indoors at K-12 schools, childcare facilities or other youth settings; in homeless shelters, emergency shelters and cooling centers; and in correctional facilities and detention centers. Unvaccinated individuals, on the other hand, will still be required to mask up in public indoor settings — including restaurants when not eating or drinking, retail stores and movie theaters. The duty of determining who is vaccinated and who is not will fall to individual business or venue owners. Officials said operators can either allow customers to self-attest that they’re vaccinated and therefore can enter without wearing a mask, implement some kind of vaccine verification system or require all patrons to wear a mask.
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L.A. City Council Backs Plan To Ban Tenant Harassment Under New Law
The Los Angeles City Council on Wednesday backed a proposal to ban landlords from harassing tenants. The ordinance defines tenant harassment as “a landlord’s knowing and willful course of conduct directed at a specific tenant or tenants that causes detriment or harm, and that serves no lawful purpose.” According to officials, that includes actions like: failing to perform and timely complete necessary repairs, or not following standards to minimize exposure to lead paint, asbestos or other harmful materials, reducing or eliminating housing services required by a lease, like parking spaces, threatening a tenant with physical harm, misrepresenting to tenants that they’re required to vacate, trying to coerce the tenant to vacate the home by offering payments, refusing to accept lawful rent payments required in the lease agreement, entering or photographing a tenant’s unit, beyond the scope of a lawful entry or inspection, disclosing or threatening to disclose information about a tenant to the government to get them to vacate, and asking about the tenant’s immigration or citizenship status.
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Appeals Court To Hear Arguments Next Month In L.A. Homelessness Lawsuit
A federal appeals court today extended a stay of a judge's ruling ordering the city and county of Los Angeles to find shelter for thousands of indigent people living on downtown streets and set a hearing to determine whether to keep the mandate on hold or allow it to go forward. The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals will hear oral arguments from city and county attorneys on July 7, according to a docket item filed Thursday with the appellate panel. It did not clarify whether the hearing will take place in San Francisco or Pasadena, but it is expected that the proceedings will be broadcast via Zoom. City Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas said the circuit court's decision to continue the stay ``means one thing to me: solving the homelessness crisis does not happen in a courtroom. It happens when all parties that have a responsibility to take up the mantle with renewed urgency, do so. I am confident that our local, state and federal leadership get this -- and are ready to double down on the investments and interventions that work.''
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