Law Enforcement News LAPD detective says city not safe for tourists amid rash of crime LAPD Detective, and LAPPL Director, Jamie McBride responds to the rise of crime in L.A. and throughout the state of California and explains his frustration with criminal justice “reform.” Fox News Video Triple Shooting In Wilmington Leaves 13-Year-Old Dead, 9-Year-Old And Adult Woman Hospitalized A child died at the hospital after three people including a 9-year-old were shot in Wilmington Monday evening in two incidents, likely related, that were about a mile from each other, authorities said. The Los Angeles Police Department and LA City Fire said that three people were shot in the 1400 block of E Denni St. and the 800 block of N Eubank Ave. Much is still unknown about the incident. As of Tuesday morning, police say they believe the 9-year-old was hit by a stray bullet, when shots were fired at an SUV on Denni St. One witness says she heard eight shots in the neighborhood -- an sound that isn't unusual for the area, but is more common in the middle of the night -- and hit the floor. Those shots were aimed at an SUV driven by a woman in her 20s, with a 13-year-old boy as a passenger. That woman was able to drive about a half-mile away to Eubank Ave. before calling for help. Both the woman and the 13-year-old boy were shot. The 13-year-old boy was in critical condition and the woman was in moderate condition when they were taken to the hospital, LA City Fire said. LAPD said that one of the victims had died, and later said it was the 13-year-old. The young girl was hit while playing in the school yard of Wilmington Park Elementary School, where she is a 4th-grade student, during an after-school event. At last report, she was in critical but stable condition. None of the victims' names had been released. Police are searching for possible motives behind the shooting and descriptions of the gunmen. Anyone with information or home security camera video that may help generate leads should contact the LAPD. NBC 4 Parolee Aariel Maynor Charged With Murder Of Philanthropist Jacqueline Avant A parolee was charged Monday with the murder of philanthropist Jacqueline Avant and the attempted murder of her security guard during a robbery. Aariel Maynor, 29, was charged with one count each of murder, attempted murder, and being a felon with a firearm. He also faces two counts of residential burglary with a person present, and an allegation of using an assault long barrel pistol during the crimes, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. Maynor is accused of killing 81-year-old Jacqueline Avant, a philanthropist known for her work with UCLA, the Wallis Center for the Arts, and Neighbors of Watts, a child care support group in South LA. Avant’s husband, 90-year-old music executive Clarence Avant, was not hurt in the robbery. The home invasion shooting happened last Wednesday at the couple’s Beverly Hills home. Maynor also shot at the security guard, who was not injured, and was arrested shortly after the shooting at the Avant home, at the scene of another break-in at a home in the Hollywood Hills, where he was found with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to his foot and an AR-15 rifle nearby. CBS 2 Homeless Man Found Dead At Encampment Adjacent To Playa Vista School The Los Angeles Medical Examiner’s Office is investigating the death of a 35-year-old homeless man who was discovered deceased at an encampment next to the Westside Neighborhood School in Playa Vista. The man was discovered at 12900 W Coral Street around 7:47 Monday morning, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. A parent, who wished to remain unnamed, said the body was discovered on a sidewalk adjacent to where their kids were being dropped off for school. Parents say they have asked Councilmember Mike Bonin's office for help with the encampment for more than a year. A new anti-camping law, that Bonin voted against, was crafted to protect the public right of way within 500 feet of a "sensitive" facilities (including schools, daycare facilities, public parks and libraries). The law requires the City Council to vote encampment by encampment to enforce large portions of the law. To date, Bonin has yet to submit any areas for enforcement of the law, including encampments located adjacent to schools. The incident remains under investigation. WestSide Current Driver Sought After Pedestrian Killed In Harbor Gateway Hit-and-Run In Harbor Gateway, police are looking for a hit-and-run driver who killed a man crossing the street. It happened Saturday night around 11 p.m. near Normandie Avenue and John Street. Police say the hit-and-run driver is in his 20s or 30s - and was last seen driving south on Normandie in a black SUV. The victim was a man in his 40s. ABC 7 Effort To Recall Los Angeles County DA George Gascón Resurfaces An effort to recall Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón began again on Monday, following widespread crime in the city, including the fatal shooting of a music executive's 81-year-old wife in her home. Supporters of the effort announced on the steps of the Hall of Justice Monday that they will serve the DA with a "notice of intent" to remove him from office. The Registrar of Voters will then need to approve the recall petition. Organizers will then have 160 days to collect more than 580,000 signatures of registered voters. The press conference comes after an initial recall effort this fall that failed to meet the required number of signatures by Oct. 26. Organizers vowed to restart the effort at a later date. "In the interest of continuing the effort to restore public safety in Los Angeles County by recalling District Attorney George Gascón, victims and volunteer leaders from the original recall Gascón campaign have formed a new committee called Recall District Attorney George Gascon," the group Recall DA George Gascón tweeted in September. Recall District Attorney Gascón describes itself as a nonpartisan group on its website and is supported by victims of crimes in the city. FOX 11 San Fernando Valley Police Chase: Driver Hits Multiple LAPD Cruisers Trying To Evade Officers Shocking moments captured on SkyFOX showed a driver evade police by hitting the officers' cruisers multiple times in a San Fernando Valley neighborhood. SkyFOX was initially over Van Nuys as the chase suspect led the Los Angeles Police Department on a pursuit for possibly stealing the car. Later in the chase, the suspect was briefly trapped inside a cul-de-sac in Studio City. As LAPD surrounded the suspect, the suspect began recklessly hitting parked cars and then drove into – and hit – the officers' cruisers multiple times before escaping that neighborhood and extending the chase. After the pursuit gained a second wind, the suspect led officers all the way into a parking garage in Encino, near the intersection of Ventura Boulevard and Woodley Avenue. The suspect was eventually placed in custody after the dangerous (and bizarre) series of events. FOX 11 LAPD Video Shows Security Officer Attacked With Bear Spray At Westfield Topanga Mall During Flash Mob Theft A video released by the Los Angeles Police Department on Monday shows a security officer at the Westfield Topanga Mall being attacked with bear spray during a flash mob theft last month, officials reported. An organized group of thieves entered the Nordstrom store located at the mall in Canoga Park, LAPD said. In the video dated Nov. 24, a security officer can be seen walking in the store when he is suddenly sprayed by a man in a hoodie. The security officer fell to the floor then got back up on his feet. LAPD officers responded to the mall that day, but so far no arrests have been made. The investigation is ongoing. Any with information about the assailant in the video is asked to contact Los Angeles Police Department’s Topanga robbery Detective Mayes at 818-756-3520. KTLA 5 More Than $100,000 Worth Of Jewelry Stolen After Robbers Held 3 People At Gunpoint At Hotel In DTLA More than $100,000 worth of jewelry was stolen when robbers held three people at gunpoint at a hotel in downtown Los Angeles Tuesday morning. It happened at the Intercontinental Hotel on Wilshire Boulevard at around 1:30 a.m. According to police, two suspects got out of their car and robbed the victims near the valet area. The robbers got away with a number of rings and a watch before taking off, investigators said. No injuries were reported. A description of the suspects and the vehicle they were in were not immediately available. Anyone with information on this incident is urged to contact police. Anonymous tips can be submitted through LA Crime Stoppers by calling 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or by downloading the "P3 Tips" app, which is available on Apple app store and Google Play. ABC 7 7 Arrested, 54 Cited Over Illegal Street Racing Activities In San Fernando Valley This Weekend Authorities made multiple arrests and cited dozens of people after responding to 911 calls regarding illegal street racing in the San Fernando Valley over the weekend. The arrests and citations came after California Highway Patrol and Los Angeles Police Department officers were called out to a series of illegal street takeovers, sideshows and roll races the past few days, according to a Facebook post on page of CHP’s West Valley division. During the weekend period, they made seven arrests for offenses ranging from DUI, racing, illegal possession of a firearm and impersonating law enforcement, according to officials. Additionally, 54 citations were issued — many for excessive speed of more than 100 mph, CHP says. Ten vehicles were also impounded and another 20 were inspected. “We take the growing problem of street racing serious and have units AT THE READY to take action against these drivers whose behavior behind the wheel is making the valley community angry, tired, helpless and fearful for their own safety while on the road,” the Facebook post stated. KTLA 5 Authorities Searching For Shokat Kamali, 70, Reported Missing From Woodland Hills Authorities Monday sought the public’s help in locating a woman with dementia who went missing in Woodland Hills. Shokat Kamali, 70, was last seen on Sunday in the 23000 block of Mulholland Drive, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Kamali is described as having a light complexion and standing 5 feet 7 inches tall, weighing 175 pounds. She has brown hair and hazel eyes. She was last seen wearing a tiger print dress, leggings, and a black scarf. Anyone knowing her whereabouts was urged to call 818-756-4800, or 877- LAPD-247. CBS 2 51-Year-Old Burglar Walks Away From Rehab Facility In Los Angeles A 51-year-old man convicted of first-degree burglary left a rehabilitation facility in Los Angeles without authorization Monday. Authorities discovered Michael Amon walked away from a Male Community Reentry Program facility when a tamper alert was issued from his ankle monitor about 2:45 p.m., according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Agents from CDCR’s Office of Correctional Safety were dispatched to the area to search for Amon, but did not locate him. Amon is white, 5 feet, 9 inches tall and weighs about 210 pounds with a tattoo of a star and unknown letters on his face. He was last seen wearing blue jeans and a white T-shirt. Amon was sentenced to state prison from Los Angeles County on July 27 to serve a two-year sentence. He had arrived at the facility Monday morning and was scheduled to be released in June 2023. Anyone with information on Amon’s whereabouts was urged to call 9-1-1. MyNewsLA.com Silver Alert Issued For Woman, 67, Who Went Missing In Tarzana Authorities Monday issued a Silver Alert for a 67-year-old woman who was reported missing in Tarzana. Michal Prager was last about 2:55 p.m. in the area of Reseda Boulevard and Oxnard Street, according to the California Highway Patrol, which issued the Silver Alert on behalf of the Los Angeles Police Department. Prager is white, 5 feet, 4 inches tall, weighs 120 pounds and has brown hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a gray sweater and brown pants, and was believed to be on foot. Prager was previously reported missing in Woodland Hills on Nov. 18, but was later found. Anyone with information on her whereabouts was urged to call 911. The Silver Alert program was established by the CHP to issue and coordinate alerts involving the unexplained or suspicious disappearance of elderly, developmentally disabled or cognitively impaired individuals. MyNewsLA.com A Leader Of L.A. Pandemic Fraud Ring Gets More Than 10 Years In Prison An Encino real estate broker was sentenced Monday to more than 10 years in prison for her role in a family fraud ring that stole $18 million in emergency pandemic loans largely through fake businesses in the San Fernando Valley. Tamara Dadyan, 42, is one of eight convicted conspirators in the scam that was led by her brother-in-law, Richard Ayvazyan. Ayvazyan and his wife, who bought a $3.25 million house in Tarzana with proceeds from the loan scam, were convicted at a trial in June, but fled after slicing off their ankle monitoring bracelets. Ayvazyan was sentenced sentenced in absentia last month to 17 years in prison and his wife to six years. The group filed 151 fraudulent applications for loans that were supposed to keep small businesses nationwide from collapsing during the initial lockdowns of the COVID-19 pandemic, prosecutors say. Lamenting the “brazenness” of Dadyan’s crimes, U.S. District Court Judge Stephen V. Wilson said her “total disregard for the law” was extraordinary. He found that she played an important role in assisting Ayvazyan. The judge mentioned text messages the pair exchanged as they rushed to submit loan applications — including some in the name of dead people — before the taxpayer bailout ran out of money. Los Angeles Times Former Head Of LADWP Will Plead Guilty To Bribery In Corruption Scheme, Prosecutors Say The former head of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power has admitted to using his influence to persuade officials to award lucrative projects to companies he secretly planned to work for following his retirement, according to a plea agreement with federal prosecutors filed on Monday Dec. 6. David H. Wright, 62, of Riverside, agreed to plead guilty to one count of bribery, according to court documents. He became the LADWP’s general manager in September 2016, and stepped down from the position in July of 2019 while he was under investigation by the FBI. The defendant conspired with 58-year-old Scottsdale, Arizona resident Paul Paradis, an attorney who represented the LADWP, after hundreds of thousands of the agency’s customers were overcharged by a faulty billing system in 2013. Paradis since has agreed to plead guilty to bribery in a separate case, and cooperated with federal investigators who were looking into allegations of corruption at the utility. In 2017, Wright and Paradis devised a plan to persuade the LADWP to award a $30 million contract for services associated with fixing the botched billing system without seeking bids from competitors, according to court documents. The utility’s former manager lobbied members of its board. Meanwhile, his co-conspirator won the favor of a court-appointed monitor, assigned to supervise the technical overhaul, by treating them to meals and sporting events. Los Angeles Daily News Detroit Officers Made A Traffic Stop – And Found 4 Abducted Children Detroit police officers who noticed something peculiar about a woman and four children in a van they stopped for a traffic violation saved the youngsters from a kidnapping, authorities said Friday. The Tuesday stop on the city's northwest side and the arrest of a woman accused of abducting the youngsters — an 11-year-old boy, an 8-year-old girl, a 7-year-old girl, and a 5-year-old boy — were detailed Friday in court and at a news conference where the children's mother tearfully thanked the officers for rescuing them. Stephanie Marie Binder, 37, was arraigned in 36th District Court on four counts of kidnapping-child enticement, four counts of unlawful imprisonment, one count of unlawfully driving away of an automobile, and one count of receiving and concealing stolen property-motor vehicle. She was given a bond of $5 million. "It's quite frankly terrifying," Assistant Wayne County Prosecutor Emily Annal said during the hearing. "These kids were simply walking to school on Tuesday morning and are essentially lured and taken into the van. If the officers hadn't pulled them over, who knows where these children would be." The Detroit News After Indianapolis Smashes Homicide Record, FOP President Proposes Law Changes Indianapolis' police union president is calling for numerous changes to the state's criminal justice laws in the wake of the city logging its bloodiest year in history and as the Indiana General Assembly is set to reconvene next month. Fraternal Order of Police President Rick Snyder in a news conference Wednesday presented over 10 recommendations he plans to take forth to state lawmakers. Snyder was joined by Rev. Charles Harrison of the Ten Point Coalition, a local anti-violence group. The majority of the proposals took aim at bail-related laws that Snyder contends too often allow violent offenders to reenter the streets. It's a contention the organization has often repeated, and one it argues is a driving factor in Indianapolis' increasing homicide rate. The city last weekend saw its 246th homicide, surpassing last year's record. "Trying to turn this public safety crisis around in Indy is certainly not going to be easy," Harrison said Tuesday. "It's more complex and more widespread than we have seen in the history of the city. It is very clear that what we've done over the last six years to reduce violence has not worked." The Indianapolis Star 'Significant' Human Smuggling Ring Taken Down As Part Of US-Brazil Investigation A joint operation between U.S. immigration officials and Brazilian authorities led to the takedown of a "significant" human smuggling ring involving individuals ultimately bound for the United States, authorities said. Eight people were arrested in the Brazilian states of Sao Paulo and Minas Gerais on Dec. 2 as part of the investigation, which was coordinated between Brazilian Federal Police and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), along with the U.S. Department of Justice. The suspects, which included several Lebanese, Bangladeshi and Brazilian nationals, were arrested on Brazilian federal charges of human smuggling and operating a criminal enterprise, ICE said in a statement. The human smuggling organization is alleged to be responsible for the smuggling of "scores of individuals" from Bangladesh and other South Asian countries into Brazil — and ultimately destined for the U.S., ICE said. Authorities also carried out 21 search warrants as part of the investigation, dubbed "Operation Blood Ties." "We are grateful to the Brazilian Federal Police for their continued partnership in combating transnational criminal organizations," HSI Brasilia Acting Attaché Patrick Chen said in the statement. FOX 11 Public Safety News Los Angeles County Confirms Second Omicron Case Los Angeles County has confirmed its second case of the omicron variant of COVID-19. The new patient is a college student who traveled to the East Coast over Thanksgiving. The person is fully vaccinated, had only mild symptoms and is in isolation. According to the county's health department, all of the individual's close contacts in Los Angeles County have been identified and are currently quarantined and being tested. Public Health is also working with the university to determine if there are any additional close contacts. The individual is a student at the University of Southern California, according to the chief health officer of USC Student Health. Based on travel history, it is likely that the infection was acquired outside of Los Angeles County, health officials said. "While we are still determining the transmissibility and the severity of Omicron, I encourage residents and travelers to take additional steps to protect yourself and those around you by getting vaccinated or boosters, tested if you feel sick or are a close contact, and wearing your mask," said Dr. Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health. FOX 11 California Prepares For Winter COVID-19 Surge; If Not From Omicron, Then From Delta California is preparing for a winter COVID-19 surge — if not from the newly identified Omicron variant, then from the Delta variant, which still poses a severe threat and has already caused surges in other states. It’s still far from clear what kind of increase California will see, and the state has been doing better than other parts of the country. But officials say they want to be ready. Surge planning is also well underway in Central California, which has recently experienced a reprieve in COVID-19 hospitalizations, falling by nearly 30% since mid-November. Still, the San Joaquin Valley’s most populous county, Fresno, has a COVID-19 hospitalization rate more than triple that of Los Angeles County, and Fresno officials are expecting the winter surge will again be bad. “An anticipated winter surge ... may strike in the next few weeks,” said Dr. Rais Vohra, the interim health officer for Fresno County. But unlike with last year, there are no plans for alternative care sites or cots at the convention center. “So if we have a surge, we’re really just left with what resources the hospitals are able to leverage just on their own campuses.” Los Angeles Times ‌ ‌ ‌ Visit our website LA Police Protective League | 1308 West Eighth Street, Los Angeles, CA 90017 Unsubscribe [email protected] Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice Sent by [email protected] powered by Try email marketing for free today!