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Photos, Videos: Thousands Pay Respects To Slain Pennsylvania Police Chief

The camaraderie of the job — a sense of responsibility, a solemn duty — drew thousands of law enforcement officers and other first responders from across the state and country on Wednesday to honor a small-town police chief slain in his own neighborhood last week. Brackenridge police Chief Justin McIntire was killed in the line of duty Jan. 2, four years to the day after he was sworn in as chief of his hometown. The officers filled the lawn at Mount Saint Peter Roman Catholic Church in nearby New Kensington and lined the street leading up to it as a horse-drawn hearse carried the chief the short walk from the Ross Walker Funeral Home. They stood silently at attention as the hearse and the chief’s family passed by. It was not much of an ask to get such law enforcement response, said Pennsylvania State Trooper Rocco Gagliardi. “We all have different uniforms on, different cars, but at the end of the day, it’s all one team,” he said. “When we lose one of our members, we’re all there for one another and for that fallen member.”

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Teenage Boy Dies After Being Stabbed, Shot Near Downtown L.A. Metro Station

A teenage boy who was stabbed and shot near a downtown L.A. Metro station died early Thursday, and police said two juveniles have been detained in connection with the attack. Police responded to reports of a stabbing near the intersection of 7th and Flower streets around 5:40 p.m. Wednesday, according to Officer Melissa Podany, a Los Angeles Police Department spokeswoman. The victim and another juvenile were involved in a physical altercation when the other juvenile stabbed the victim with a knife and then shot him, Podany said. Two juveniles were detained later that night, police said. It was unclear whether one of them was the attacker. An investigation “will reveal how they were connected, if they were connected,” Podany said. The victim was taken to L.A. County-USC Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead around 2 a.m., said Sarah Ardalani, a spokeswoman for the L.A. County coroner’s office. His name has been withheld pending notification of next of kin. 

Los Angeles Times

South LA Hit-and-Run Driver Accused Of Killing 13-Year-Old, Injuring Mom And Siblings, On The Run

Authorities continue to search for a man who allegedly killed a 13-year-old boy and critically injured his mother and two siblings during a hit-and-run crash in South Los Angeles Monday. The crash happened just before 8 a.m. in the area near E. 111th Place and S. Main Street. According to authorities, a preliminary investigation indicates the driver of a silver Mercedes-Benz sedan was speeding and ran a red light, crashing into a silver Toyota SUV. Police said the Mercedes was going so fast that it pushed the SUV more than 100 feet. Family identified the four people inside the SUV as 35-year-old mother Debbie Amaya and her three children - 2-year-old Damian, 13-year-old Chris, and a 16-year-old daughter. Chris died at the scene from his injuries. Damian is still listed in grave condition at the hospital, while Debbie and her daughter are recovering. Authorities are looking for the suspect in the silver Mercedes who ran away from the scene. He is described as a man in his mid-30s wearing a blue shirt and blue jeans. Authorities also believe the suspect is injured.

FOX 11

Driver Strikes Person In Wheelchair In North Hollywood, $25,000 Reward Offered For Information

Police are offering a $25,000 reward for information on a hit-and-run driver who struck a person in a wheelchair in North Hollywood. The incident happened on Jan. 1 near Lankershim Boulevard, just south of Blythe Street around 6:05 p.m., according to Los Angeles Police. A white sedan was traveling northbound on Lankershim Boulevard when it struck a pedestrian in a wheelchair. The pedestrian was not on a crosswalk, said LAPD. The driver did not stop to help the victim and drove away from the scene, said authorities. The collision left the victim with severe injuries, police said. Authorities are asking for the public’s help to identify any possible suspects. LAPD is offering a $25,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the felony hit-and-run suspect.

KTLA 5

Mom Pleads For Help After Hit-and-Run Driver Severely Injures Son In LA

A mother is asking for the public’s help in identifying the hit-and-run driver who left her son in a grave medical state from which doctors say he will likely never recover. Luis Varela, 29, was hit on Nov. 11 of last year while walking along a marked crosswalk on Wilshire Boulevard at Park View Street in Los Angeles’ Westlake neighborhood. He was left comatose and only came out of the coma in recent days, his mother, Alma Varela, said. “He’s in very bad shape. He doesn’t speak. He just moves his mouth. He doesn’t open his eyes. He’s not well,” a grief-stricken Ama Varela said Thursday. She added that doctors told her her son will likely never recover. His mother said Luis Varela had come to the U.S. eight years ago from Guatemala and worked in construction. Detectives don’t have many clues as to who hit him, other than a witness describing the suspect vehicle as a dark gray SUV. Police are offering a $25,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible. Those with information are asked to call detective Juan Campos at 213-486-0755 or email [email protected].

NBC 4

$20,000 Reward Offered In Murder Of 19-Year-Old Woman In Los Angeles

Authorities with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department are asking for the public’s help in identifying several suspects responsible for the shooting death of a 19-year-old woman in South Los Angeles. The shooting, according to an LASD news release, occurred on Nov. 22, 2020, at around 7:45 p.m., in the 1400 block of West 106th Street. The victim, Michelle Diaz, and her boyfriend had just parked their vehicle and crossed the street to his residence when a dark colored compact vehicle, possibly a Kia Forte or a Kia Optima, with three or four occupants pulled up. “The front passenger exited the vehicle and fired one round from a firearm at both Ms. Diaz” and her boyfriend while they were in the front yard of his residence, according to a motion filed by County Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell.  

KTLA 5

Suspect Arrested Short Distance From Robbery In Beverly Hills

Police apprehended a robbery suspect in Beverly Hills Thursday. The robbery occurred about 3:50 p.m. in the 9700 block of Wilshire Boulevard, the Beverly Hills Police Department reported. The block contains upscale clothing stores. “A suspect description was provided and BHPD officers saturated the area,” according to a news statement. The suspect was detained a short distance from the robbery without incident and arrested. Police said there was no current threat to the public. There was no other immediate information.

MyNewsLA

CHP Seeking Information On Suspect Connected To Road Rage Incident In Glendale

Police are searching for information on a suspect connected to a road rage incident that was caught on camera in Glendale on Tuesday. Wild cellphone footage shows a Tesla swerving in front of another vehicle in the southbound lanes of State Route 2, just north of the York Boulevard offramp, during the morning commute at around 8:30 a.m., before the driver abruptly exits the vehicle armed with a what seemed like a metal pipe. The man then starts hitting the driver's door and window of the second vehicle before reentering the Tesla and fleeing from the scene. The victim, who did not want to be identified, said he also recorded the suspect trying to hit another car with the people. However, that driver was able to get out of harm's way. The victim said he was trying to get the suspect's license plate on video. "The guy notices that I'm recording on my iPhone so he tried to chase me down," the victim said. The man, who was still rattled by the attack, said that he just got his truck two months before this enraged man decided to smash it. 

CBS 2

Thieves Use Sleight Of Hand To Snatch $40,000 Ring From Southern California Jewelry Shop

A trio of thieves was caught on camera using sleight of hand to snatch a $40,000 ring from a Santa Clarita jewelry shop. Authorities say it’s also likely this is not the first time the group of slick thieves has done something similar. The shop’s owner, Edmond, tells KTLA the thieves were so smooth, he didn’t suspect a thing while he was being swindled. Security video from Jewelry Fixx captured the deft thieves in the act as their faces remained clearly visible. The trio includes two women and one man who entered the shop around 4:45 p.m. on Wednesday afternoon. Video shows Edmond greeting them at a display case. “They just wanted to buy a watch and a diamond ring,” Edmond recalled. The thieves claimed to be Italian tourists who showed him a wad of cash they wanted to spend. Edmond showed them some items they could purchase including a six-carat diamond ring worth $40,000. He says that’s when the distractions began.

KTLA 5

Crime Surging? Here’s How Technology Can Help

Policing in America is in trouble. The challenges we face today are unprecedented. Staffing shortages, recruiting challenges, shrinking budgets and constant criticism from all forms of media – all these issues paint a grim picture of the future of the law enforcement profession. Why the atmosphere around public safety has shifted so dramatically over the past few years is open to debate. Some claim a collection of enforcement-related sentinel events is the catalyst, while others point to the coronavirus pandemic. While the reason can be debated, everyone can agree that something happened to cause this shift and that this shift has been associated with a rise in crime. These events have resulted in law enforcement seeking ways to combat crime effectively with fewer people and resources. Historical methods of crime suppression revolved around pressure and force: When a crime spike occurred, the law enforcement response was to send dozens or hundreds of officers into the area as a show of force. The result was that vehicle and pedestrian detentions rose dramatically, and entire communities felt targeted. This tactic only exacerbated the problem in many cases, since many innocent citizens were caught in the proverbial crosshairs. Rather than convincing citizens to help, it often turned them against the police, resulting in even more friction.

PoliceOne

Man Found Dead After Firefighters Extinguish Flames At Hollywood Apartment Building

A man was found dead Thursday in a Hollywood apartment after a fire erupted inside the building, officials said. Firefighters responded to the four-story structure in the 5000 block of West Harold Way shortly before 9 a.m. and extinguished the flames in the second-floor unit in 24 minutes, Los Angeles Fire Department said in a statement. "In battling the flames, firefighters discovered one adult male deceased within the involved apartment," the statement said. "His site affiliation and circumstances of his death have yet to be determined." No other injuries were reported. The deceased victim's identity was not immediately released. The cause of the fire was under investigation.

ABC 7

L.A. County COVID-19 Deaths Hit A New Winter High. Why?

The number of COVID-19 deaths reported weekly in Los Angeles County has hit the highest point of the season, underscoring the continued deadly risks of a disease that has ripped through the community for nearly three years. L.A. County recorded 164 COVID-19 deaths for the seven-day period that ended Wednesday, a new high that exceeds the summer peak of 122 deaths for the week that ended Aug. 6. That tally was the worst in 10 months. The rolling weekly death tally declined slightly for the week that ended Thursday, to 163. “Deaths are high, and it’s really upsetting,” L.A. County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said Thursday. Nationally, many more people are still dying from COVID-19 — about 36,000 since early October — than the flu — estimated to be about 14,000 over the same period. But the distressing development comes even as other metrics show a relatively promising picture. L.A. County’s latest death tally is a fraction of last winter’s maximum, when 513 deaths were reported for the week that ended Feb. 9.

Los Angeles Times

About the LAPPL: Formed in 1923, the Los Angeles Police Protective League (LAPPL) represents the more than 9,900 dedicated and professional sworn members of the Los Angeles Police Department. The LAPPL serves to advance the interests of LAPD officers through legislative and legal advocacy, political action and education.