Good Morning. Join us on Thursday, September 9th for the LAPD Central Area Golf Tournament Fundraiser honoring Officers Rice and Botello. The tournament will be held at Montebello Country Club at 11 a.m. Tickets are $150.00 an individual and $600.00 a foursome. Click here for more information.
|
|
Coroner IDs Two Men Killed In Wilmington Gang-Related Shooting
Two men fatally wounded in a gang-related shooting in Wilmington were identified Thursday. Angel Mandac, 44, was from San Pedro and Alexis Casarez, 40, was from Wilmington, according to the coroner’s office. The victims began arguing with two other men at 11:59 p.m. Saturday in the 900 block of North Neptune Avenue when the suspects pulled out handguns and fired shots, the Los Angeles Police Department reported. Paramedics rushed both victims to a hospital, where they were pronounced dead. The suspects fled in an unknown direction.
|
|
Body Found Inside Burning RV
Firefighters found a woman dead Wednesday morning after they put out flames engulfing an RV in the Pico-Union area of Los Angeles. The fire was reported at 8:20 a.m. at 1892 W. Washington Blvd., according to the Los Angeles Fire Department’s Margaret Stewart. The Los Angeles County coroner’s office confirmed that the victim was female, but did not immediately know her age or identity. The fire was under investigation.
|
|
Marilyn Manson Released On Bail After Turning Himself In To LAPD On Assault Charges
Rock musician Marilyn Manson is free on bail after turning himself in to Los Angeles police on Friday, a police department in New Hampshire confirmed on Thursday. Manson, born Brian Hugh Warner, was expected to turn himself in on assault charges stemming from an alleged incident at a New Hampshire concert in 2019. An in-house prosecutor with the Gilford Police Department had previously reached a deal with Manson’s attorneys after the department shared news on Facebook last month of their active arrest warrant for him. “Mr. Warner, his agent and legal counsel have been aware of the warrant for some time and no effort has been made by him to return to New Hampshire to answer the pending charges,” police wrote at the time. Manson eventually turned himself in Friday, July 2, and was released on personal recognizance bail under the condition that he refrain from contact with the victim and appear at a future court date in New Hampshire, among other conditions, according to Guilford Police Chief Anthony Bean Burpee.
|
|
Santa Maria Man Accused Of Human Trafficking Arrested In Los Angeles
A Santa Maria man was arrested on suspicion of human trafficking charges Wednesday in Los Angeles after an investigation lasting more than two years. Raymond Carnell Crandell, 31, was taken into custody on a warrant after Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office Special Investigation Bureau detectives uncovered multiple victims trafficked by the suspect, according to spokeswoman Raquel Zick. Detectives allegedly located Crandell inside an unspecified hotel room with an 18-year-old female he had attempted to recruit for prostitution. In addition, Crandell was arrested on a Los Angeles County warrant involving drug-related charges. The investigation into Crandell began in March 2019 and findings were submitted to the District Attorney's Office. A felony complaint warrant was issued in May, according to Zick.
|
|
Villanueva To Hold "Protecting Parks And Beaches " Town Hall Monday
Sheriff Alex Villanueva is set to hold a town hall in which he says he plans to talk about regulating public spaces and homeless shelters in public parks and beaches. Member of the Los Angeles City Council voted in favor of looking into the feasibility of bringing temporary homeless housing options to Mar Vista Park, Fisherman's Village in Marina Del Rey, Dockweiler Beach in Playa del Rey, Westchester Park, Will Rogers State Beach and the West LA Municipal Building. The motion, presented by Councilmember Mike Bonin, has received significant pushback since being introduced in early April. Brentwood, Pacific Palisades, Marvista and Westchester voted to oppose the motion in recent neighborhood and community council meetings. Councilmember Joe Buscaino, the only committee member to vote against the motion, said beaches and parks are not appropriate options. Other members of the committee pushed back and said this is a feasibility study-- all options should be looked at.
|
|
Police Investigate After Man Fatally Shot In Hawthorne
A man was fatally shot Thursday afternoon while sitting inside of a car in Hawthorne. According to the Hawthorne Police Department, the shooting happened at about 4 p.m. in the 14100 block of Chadron Avenue. The Los Angeles County Fire Department said the victim was a man in his 20s who was pronounced dead at the scene. Police said officers from surrounding cities were assisting with crowd control. Chadron Avenue remained closed to vehicle and pedestrian traffic during the investigation.
|
|
LAX Cargo Handlers To Plead Guilty To Theft Of Gold Bars
Two men who worked at Los Angeles International Airport for a cargo-handling company are expected to plead guilty Friday to a federal charge for stealing gold bars that were part of an international shipment. Marlon Moody, 38, and Brian Benson, 35, both of South Los Angeles, have each agreed to enter their pleas to a federal charge of conspiracy to commit theft of an interstate or foreign shipment, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The indictment alleges that both men worked for Alliance Ground International, a company that provided ground handling services at LAX. On the evening of April 22, a shipment of gold bars arrived at LAX on Singapore Airlines. A total of 2,000 gold bars, each weighing 2.2 pounds and valued at $56,000, were being shipped from Australia to New York at the direction of a Canadian bank. During a stopover at LAX, the gold was offloaded and secured, but an inventory that evening showed one box containing 25 gold bars was missing, federal prosecutors said.
|
|
3 L.A. Men Arrested In Santa Barbara County For Alleged Catalytic Converter Thefts
Three men from Los Angeles were arrested in Santa Barbara County on suspicion of stealing catalytic converters early Thursday, police said. Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrived at the 1000 block of Palmetto Way in the city of Carpinteria about 2:50 a.m. for reports that a catalytic converter theft had just occurred, officials said. The person who contacted authorities told deputies they heard what sounded like a saw and they realized a theft was most likely occurring and provided a description of the suspect’s vehicle. After deputies located the suspect’s vehicle they found two catalytic converters, two reciprocating saws and two car jacks, officials said. The suspects, Rufino Garcia-Vasquez, 39, Gustavo Pineda-Duran, 37 and Samuel Gallegos-Espinoza, 34, were quickly located and arrested. The suspects were booked at the Santa Barbara County jail on suspicion of possession of stolen property, grand theft, conspiracy and possession of burglary tools.
|
|
Orange County Mass Shooting Suspect Appears In Court For First Time Since Deadly Attack In March
A man suspected of opening fire inside a Southern California office building killing four people, including a 9-year-old boy, appeared in court Thursday for the first time since the attack in March. Aminidab Gonzalez has finally been able to leave the hospital since he was shot in the head. He appeared in an Orange County courtroom in a wheelchair, a protective helmet covering his skull. He never spoke. His lawyers say he cannot help them defend him. The judge ordered the criminal proceedings suspended until he can be evaluated. It does not mean they are dismissed. He may not be able to understand criminal proceedings against him, Ken Morrison, an assistant public defender. Gonzalez is accused of targeting people he knew, killing Luis Tovar, his daughter Genevive, 9-year-old Matthew Arias and their co-worker Leticia Raygoza. They say he also shot and injured Blanca Tamayo who was released from the hospital in May. Her 9-year-old son died in her arms. According to police, Gonzalez locked the gates at the Lincoln Avenue office where the victims worked. Then he opened fire. He was eventually dragged out of the building and was initially declared critical.
|
|
Shooting Suspect Says He Mistook Undercover Officers For Rival Gang Members
A federal indictment filed Thursday charges a 28-year-old Chicago man in connection to a drive-by shooting of three undercover law enforcement officers, and it says the suspect told authorities he mistook the officers for rival gang members. The shooting Wednesday occurred the same day President Joe Biden traveled to the Chicago area and discussed persistently high levels of gun violence in the nation's third-largest city. Eugene “Gen Gen” McClaurin is charged with one count of using a dangerous and deadly weapon to assault a special agent from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. Charging documents accuse McClaurin of shooting the other ATF agent and a Chicago task-force officer, though the charge pertains to one agent. It is likely other charges will follow. A conviction on the one count carries a maximum 20-year prison sentence. After his arrest Wednesday morning, McClaurin told investigators a friend had warned him rival gang members were in the area in a vehicle similar to the unmarked vehicle the two ATF agents and task-force officer were in, according to the indictment. He began following it, then pulled along side, rolled down a window and opened fire with a handgun while driving onto an expressway on Chicago’s South Side.
|
|
Video: Man Shoots Las Vegas Officer With Officer’s Holstered Gun
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department is reconsidering its holsters after an officer was shot with his own gun on Sunday. Officers were adjusting a suspect’s handcuffs when the man slid his finger into an officer’s holster and pulled the trigger, according to NBC 7. One officer was shot in the leg and another was sprayed with shrapnel, police said. Both officers have since been released from the hospital. Assistant Sheriff Laz Chavez says he’s concerned that the suspect was able to reach the trigger and has since been reviewing different holsters. “It can very well be an equipment issue,” Chavez told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “We’re going to look at that and make some determinations of whether or not we need to discontinue the use of some of these holsters and then certainly go into training.”
|
|
Man Drowns At Magic Johnson Park In Willowbrook
A man drowned Thursday in a lake at Magic Johnson Park in Willowbrook. Officials received a call about a drowning at 5:18 p.m., according to Los Angeles County Fire Department spokesperson Imy McBride. McBride said the man had been sitting in the park with his girlfriend and that someone saw him go into the water. The man was seen struggling for help about 40 yards from the shore, the department said on Twitter. He was recovered from the bottom of the lake at 7:08 p.m. and pronounced dead at the scene. A heat wave is bearing down on Southern California, with temperatures in the L.A. Basin expected to reach the 80s and low 90s. Inland temperatures are forecast to hit closer to 100. Drownings often occur statewide when people flock to waterways during high heat.
|
|
Swimmer Dies After Being Pulled From Water Near Santa Monica Pier
A swimmer has died after being pulled out of the ocean near the Santa Monica Pier Wednesday evening. According to authorities, crews were initially called out for reports of two swimmers needing help. One of the swimmers was able to make it out of the water on their own, but lifeguards with the Los Angeles County Fire Department needed to pull the second swimmer to safety. Sky9 was overhead as paramedics performed CPR on the second swimmer. The Santa Monica Fire Department took the second swimmer to Santa Monica Hospital, where they later died. The Santa Monica Police Department said it believed the death to be the result of an accidental drowning.
|
|
Brush Fire Burns In Remote Area Of Malibu
At least 150 firefighters were battling a five-acre brush fire Friday morning in a remote area of Malibu, off Tuna Canyon Road. The Los Angeles County Fire Department reported that the blaze “has presented access challenges,” with firefighters having to hike approximately 2,000 feet via a narrow trail and in steep, rugged terrain, to get to the burning area. The fire was also being battled by air with three water-dropping helicopters, the department said. The department said the location of the blaze was about one mile up Tuna Canyon Road from the Pacific Coast Highway, on the east side of the road.
|
|
L.A. County Sees Increase In Number Of Coronavirus Cases As Delta Variant Alarms Health Officials
Coronavirus transmission is up across the board in Los Angeles County, a troubling trend officials say illustrates the new normal of the still-potent pandemic — one in which the virus continues to spread easily among residents who have yet to be inoculated. “Right now, people have the lowest levels of protection from this virus in the communities where transmission is the highest. But among all of our communities, transmission is going up,” county Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer told reporters Thursday. Over the last week, the county has reported an average of 521 new coronavirus cases a day, a number that, though still significantly smaller than what was seen during the pandemic’s previous waves, nevertheless represents a tripling of the figure from two weeks ago, according to data compiled by The Times. The county’s positivity rate — the proportion of conducted tests that confirm coronavirus infection — has also shot up, from 1.2% last week to 2.5% as of Thursday.
|
|
SoCal Search And Rescue Teams Helping In Recovery Effort At Site Of Florida Condo Collapse
As search efforts turned from rescue to recovery at the site of the condo collapse in Surfside, Florida, first responders held a moment of silence for the victims and their families. “It’s a tough emotional moment when you recognize and reconcile the tremendous loss for the families and the community,” Orange County Fire Authority Battalion Chief Kevin Fetterman said. Fetterman is part of the National Urban Search and Rescue Team that arrived in Florida June 28. During the effort, he has worked as the planning section chief for a team of 26 and helps facilitate and coordinate the operation. He said he has responded to many disasters over the years, but the condo collapse rescue and recovery effort was highly complex and especially challenging. “We were dealing with a building collapse with, you know, over 100 people missing,” he said. “Then you throw in the ramifications of COVID and what that means, add a hurricane onto the top of that.” But, despite the challenges, he said the focus of everyone there did not change.
|
|
Statewide Flex Alert Issued For Friday As Extreme Heat Hits California, Threatens Electric Grid
A Flex Alert was issued for Friday afternoon as extreme temperatures across California posed a risk to the state’s electric grid. The statewide Flex Alert will be in place from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Friday, in an attempt to avoid power disruptions and rolling blackouts, the California Independent System Operator, which runs most of the state’s electric grid, said in a news release. Such conservation would help ease the strain on the grid during the crucial evening hours when solar energy is diminished or no longer available, the agency said. Flex Alerts are a call to consumers to voluntarily conserve energy when demand for power could outstrip supply, which generally occurs during heat waves when electrical demand is high. Before the Flex Alert period, residents can: pre-cool the home by lowering the thermostat to 72 degrees; close blinds and drapes to keep the heat out; turn off unnecessary lights; charge mobile devices, laptops, and medical equipment; and use dishwashers, washing machines, and other major appliances.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
