Racist Remarks In Leaked Audio Of L.A. Council Members Spark Outrage, Disgust

Behind closed doors, Los Angeles City Council President Nury Martinez made openly racist remarks, derided some of her council colleagues and spoke in unusually crass terms about how the city should be carved up politically. The conversation remained private for nearly a year, until a leaked recording reverberated explosively Sunday and turned the focus of a sprawling metropolis toward Los Angeles City Hall. By Sunday evening, three of Martinez’s council colleagues had called for her to resign. The leak had quickly become a new and incendiary issue in the coming Nov. 8 election, with candidates — some of them endorsed by Martinez — having to stake out positions. Martinez and the other Latino leaders present during the taped conversation were seemingly unaware they were being recorded as Martinez said a white councilmember handled his young Black son as though he were an “accessory” and described Councilman Mike Bonin’s son as “Parece changuito,” or “like a monkey.” During the conversation with Councilmembers Gil Cedillo and Kevin de León and Los Angeles County Federation of Labor President Ron Herrera, Martinez described Bonin at one point as a “little bitch,” according to a recording of the meeting reviewed by The Times.

Los Angeles Times

Clerk Killed In Los Angeles After Teenagers Allegedly Attacked Him With Scooter Over Case Of Beer

A liquor store clerk was killed in Los Angeles Thursday evening after he was allegedly attacked by a group of teenagers with a scooter over a case of beer. According to KTTV, the Los Angeles Police Department said that the attack happened around 8 p.m. on Thursday near Figueroa Street and East Avenue 40. Two boys and two girls between the ages of 15 and 18 went into a liquor store and had tried to allegedly steal multiple items including a case of beer. The clerk tried to stop them, but one of them hit him in the head with a scooter, according to KTTV. The victim was identified as Steven Reyes, 68, according to KTTV. The victim’s daughter told KTLA that the teenagers used a Bird scooter and allegedly hit him multiple times before he became unconscious. According to KTLA, the teenagers fled the area before the police arrived. Reyes was taken to the hospital, where he later died from his injuries. The investigation is ongoing. No further information has been released, including if any arrests have been made or not.

FOX 13 Memphis

$50K Reward Offered For Elderly Woman Killed, Burned In Woodland Hills Home Invasion

Police continue to investigate the murder of an 81-year-old woman in her Woodland Hills home back in August, and now police are offering a reward for information into that leads to the killer's arrest. Ok Ja Kim was found in her Woodland Hills home on Aug. 2, after family had ordered a welfare check at her home when she didn't show up for a family function. When Los Angeles Police Department officers arrived at the house, thy found Kim's body lying on the ground, half under her bed. She was semi-charred and not breathing. She was pronounced dead at the scene. On Sunday, the LAPD announced a $50,000 reward for information leading to the capture of the killer. At the time, LAPD investigators said they believe someone broke into Kim's home, killed her, took some of her belongings, and even tried to set her house on fire in the process. The preliminary investigation showed someone closed the door of the room where her body was found, which prevented the home and some evidence from going up in flames.

FOX 11

Woman Arrested For Killing Man With His Own Car In Griffith Park, Fleeing Scene

Police have arrested a woman for allegedly running a man over with his own car in Griffith Park, killing him, and then fleeing the scene. The fatal incident happened Saturday afternoon in a parking lot at Griffith Park. Police say the victim, identified as 70-year-old Valeriy Saakyan, was struck by his own vehicle, a 2006 Lexus. He fell to the ground and then was "intentionally run over by his own vehicle, driven by a female suspect," according to an LAPD statement. The woman fled the scene in the victim's car and did not attempt to help him. Paramedics brought Saakyan to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead. Sunday morning, LAPD officers in the Hollywood area came across a vehicle with collision damage and covered by a blue tarp. The car matched the description of the vehicle wanted in the deadly hit-and-run. They detained the woman who they saw exiting the vehicle, later identified as 32-year-old Sonia Sovereign, and brought her to the Hollywood police station. Police say Sovereign was interviewed and confessed to the fatal hit-and-run. She was arrested and booked for murder and bail was initially set at $1 million.

ABC 7

Man Dies After Stabbing In North Hills, Suspect Still In Hospital

An argument between two men in North Hills early Sunday morning, Oct. 9 escalated into a stabbing that left one of the men dead and another in the hospital, police said. The two men were seen fighting around 6 a.m. in the 9400 block of Sepulveda Boulevard, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. One of the men took out a knife and stabbed the other. Paramedics picked up both the victim and suspect and took them to the hospital. Police said the victim later died. While the suspect was also injured, it’s not clear how he was hurt. He was recovering in a hospital Sunday morning and had not yet been taken into custody. Neither man was identified.

Los Angeles Daily News

Video Shows Violent Robbery At Encino Gas Station; Police Seeking Additional Victims

Police are looking for additional victims of two men suspected of committing a series of burglaries throughout Los Angeles. Clayton Randolph, 34, and 35-year-old Shanika Davidson -- both of Wilmington -- were arrested on Sept. 15 "for a series of robberies,'' and police recovered two handguns, jewelry and "items connecting them to the robberies'' during the arrests, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Randolph was booked on six counts of robbery and placed into jail on $2.28 million bail, according to the LAPD. Davidson was booked on one count of robbery and was later released on $50,000 bail. Police said they believed Randolph may be wanted for other robberies in the Los Angeles area. Investigators have released surveillance video of a robbery involving Randolph that occurred on Sept. 4 at a gas station in the 5500 block of White Oak Avenue in Encino, near the 101 Freeway, according to the LAPD. Anyone with information on further robberies or who may have been a victim was asked to call LAPD Detective Dara Brown at 213-486-6840. Calls during non-business hours or on weekends should be made to 877-527-3247.

ABC 7

LAPD Releases Video Of Violent Follow-Home Robbery; More Victims Sought

Two suspects have been arrested in connection with a string of follow-home robberies in Los Angeles, and authorities believe there may be more victims. According to the Los Angeles Police Department, 34-year-old Clayton Randolph and 35-year-old Shanika Davidson were arrested Sept. 15 after evidence including two handguns and jewelry seized during a search warrant connected the pair to a series of robberies. Randolph was booked for six counts of robbery and his bail is set at $2.3 million. Additionally, 12 charges against Randolph including attempted murder were also filed, officials said. Davidson was booked for robbery and was released on $50,000 bail. Because it is believed that Randolph may be involved in other LA-area robberies, authorities have since released surveillance video from a Sept. 4 robbery at a gas station in the 5500 block of White Oak Drive. They are asking anyone who recognizes the suspect to contact police.

FOX 11

Missing Chatsworth Woman May Have COVID-Related Psychosis, Family Says

Friends and family of a 23-year-old Chatsworth woman who went missing last week are spreading the word about her sudden disappearance, which they worry is related to her mental health struggles after a COVID-19 diagnosis. Hadyne Wilson was last seen around 2 p.m. Sept. 29 riding a silver scooter near the Vons grocery store at 20440 Devonshire St. She is described as a 5-foot-8, light-skinned Black woman with braided hair. She was last seen wearing all black — pants, a T-shirt, a hoodie and a jacket — and wearing earbuds, her family says. Her mother, Cyndee Wilson, said Hadyne suffers from COVID-related psychosis, which affects a fraction of those with the coronavirus and “kind of looks like schizophrenia.” Friends and relatives became worried when they hadn’t heard from Hadyne Wilson for a few days last week, and they began plastering the area near her Chatsworth home with posters. A man called to report that he had seen Wilson on her scooter, but when her mother went to the LAPD’s Devonshire station to file a missing person’s report Saturday, she said, she was told that no detectives were on duty to start looking into her daughter’s disappearance.

Los Angeles Times

Two Fatal Shootings Are Under Investigation, And Authorities Say It Is Unclear If They Were Related

Homicide detectives from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department are investigating a Saturday morning shooting death in Hawaiian Gardens and another in Lynwood. Deputies responded to a reported shooting around 1 a.m. at Norwalk Boulevard and 226th Street in Hawaiian Gardens, the sheriff’s department said. They found two men with gunshot wounds nearby. One of the men was dead and the other was hospitalized. About 4:15 a.m., nearly 15 miles away, deputies responded to a report of another shooting at Long Beach Boulevard and Minnesota Avenue in Lynwood, the sheriff’s department said. They found a man dead from a gunshot wound. Authorities did not release the names of the victims or say whether they believed the shootings were related.

Los Angeles Times

Harvey Weinstein To Face Trial On Monday In Los Angeles On Sex-Crime Allegations

Disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein has already been convicted of rape and other sex crimes in New York. Now the 70-year-old former film producer goes on trial for similar charges in Los Angeles, years after allegations that helped spark the #MeToo Movement in Hollywood. Jury selection is expected to begin Monday in Los Angeles on rape and other sex-related counts involving five women. The case involves incidents that date back at least to 2004. To stand trial, Weinstein was extradited from New York, where he has already served two years of a 23-year sentence for sex crimes. That case is being appealed. The #MeToo Movement gained momentum about five years ago after dozens of women accused Weinstein of sexual harassment and assault. The multiple accusations over a period of time will help make the prosecution's case stronger, according to one legal analyst. "That's going to be one of the strongest arguments for the prosecution," said attorney and analyst Lou Shapiro. "It's called pattern evidence. It's not just one person coming across on this, it's several people who don't know each other. What are the chances of different people from different locations, different time periods all having similar stories? It's not just a coincidence."

ABC 7

Dozens Arrested In Mail Fraud Operation Involving Nearly $5 Million In Losses

Authorities Friday announced the arrests of 56 people across Southern California allegedly involved in a long-running mail- and check- fraud scheme that officials say bilked more than 700 victims out of nearly $5 million. Beginning in 2018, perpetrators "allegedly deposited altered checks stolen from the U.S. mail into numerous bank accounts," Carroll Harris, inspector in charge of the Los Angeles Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service said during a news conference announcing the arrests. "The suspects would swiftly withdraw the money before the financial institutions discovered the checks were forged," he said. "The masterminds behind this scheme would recruit individuals on social media to open bank accounts or utilize their own checking accounts to deposit the fraudulent checks and hide their identification." State Attorney General Rob Bonta said 769 people were victimized in a scheme that affected people in California, Nevada and Arizona. He said a total of 88 defendants were being charged in the case, for a total of 330 felony counts.

FOX 11

Kansas Deputy Killed In Crash On Way To Call

A 22-year-old Sedgwick County sheriff's deputy known for her bubbly personality died Friday, less than one week after she went on patrol, Sheriff Jeff Easter said in a news conference Saturday. Sidnee Carter was southbound on 135th Street West when her vehicle collided with one heading west on 29th Street North. The crash happened around 9:26 p.m., while Carter was headed to a disturbance call. She died at the scene. The other driver was taken to an area hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Carter dreamed of being in law enforcement from a very young age, Easter said. "She's young," Easter said. "She had her whole life ahead of her." Carter joined the Sheriff's Office in September 2020 and spent one and half years as a jail deputy. She entered the academy in February and graduated in July of this year. She completed field training and starting on patrol by herself Oct. 1. 

The Wichita Eagle

Council Candidates On L.A.'s Westside Bash Each Other Over Their Legal Careers

An increasingly vitriolic battle to represent the Westside on the Los Angeles City Council roared to new levels of intensity Friday, as attorney Erin Darling charged that his opponent, lawyer Traci Park, had moved to “defend racism” in a case where she represented the city of Anaheim against a city employee who accused a supervisor of using the “n-word.” Park responded by accusing Darling of descending into “sleazy smear tactics,” and said she had “no choice but to respond.” She slammed Darling for representing a host of unsavory criminal defendants, including one who faced a gun-possession charge, after initially being accused of raping his victim at gunpoint in a public bathroom just hours after he was released from jail. The salvos from the two candidates, a month before election day, marked a pronounced escalation of the contest to represent Council District 11, which stretches from Pacific Palisades to Los Angeles International Airport. Darling, 41, and Park, 46, previously had focused mostly on the issues of homelessness, public safety and the environment.

Los Angeles Times

LA City Council Votes To Explore Creating Citywide Office Of Unarmed Response

Los Angeles could soon have an Office of Unarmed Response and Safety to streamline efforts to respond to non-violent situations with a services-led approach rather than armed police officers now that the City Council has voted to explore creating such an office. The effort, led by Councilman Mitch O'Farrell, would build on previous council plans to create unarmed crisis-response models. The council sought a report with recommendations to create an Office of Unarmed Response and Safety. A motion introduced in the summer of 2020 following the death of George Floyd while in Minneapolis police custody called for non-violent calls to be diverted from the Los Angeles Police Department. The goal of the motion is to unite existing initiatives and implement a citywide unarmed response model. The office would ensure around-the-clock coordination and deployment of unarmed response specialists to non-violent calls for service, as well as collaboration with 911 dispatchers, and seek to address barriers for serving high-need communities by improving coordination between agencies, according to the motion.

Westside Current