Authorities Seek Clues In Killing Of Man In North Hollywood

Authorities Monday sought the public’s help to solve the killing of a man who died at the scene of a vehicle crash in North Hollywood. Artak Agababyan, 44, was pronounced dead about 1:20 a.m. Sunday in the 7200 block of Bellaire Avenue, the Los Angeles Police Department reported. Officers went to the scene on a report of a traffic crash, the LAPD reported. “When the officers arrived, they located Agababyan in the driver seat of a newer-model white Jeep Wrangler suffering from a sharp force injury to his upper body,” police said in a statement. “There is no suspect description at this time.” Anyone with information on the case was urged to call detectives at 818-374-9550 or 877-LAPD-247. Tipsters may also call Crime Stoppers at 800 222-TIPS.

Los Angeles Daily News

L.A. Riders Bail On Metro Trains Amid ‘Horror’ Of Deadly Drug Overdoses, Crime

Matthew Morales boarded the Metro Red Line at MacArthur Park as classical music blared over the station loudspeakers. It was rush hour on a Tuesday afternoon, and Morales made his way to a back corner seat and unfolded a tiny piece of foil with several blue shards of fentanyl. As the train started west, he heated the aluminum with a lighter and sucked in the smoke through a pipe fashioned from a ballpoint pen. Doors opened and closed. A few passengers filed in and out. A grain of the opioid fell to the floor. He concentrated on trying to pick it up, then lost track, as his body went limp. His shoulders slumped and he slowly keeled forward. By the time the train arrived at the Wilshire/Western station, Morales, 29, was doubled over and near motionless, his hand on the floor. The train operator walked out of the cabin, barely glancing at him as she passed — as if she encountered such scenes all the time. Drug use is rampant in the Metro system. Since January, 22 people have died on Metro buses and trains, mostly from suspected overdoses — more people than all of 2022. Serious crimes soared 24% last year compared with the previous.

Los Angeles Times

Driver Dead After Crash Into Utility Pole In North Hollywood

The driver of a vehicle was killed Sunday morning after it crashed into a utility pole in North Hollywood. Firefighters and paramedics were dispatched at 1:19 a.m. to the 7200 block of Bellaire Avenue, where the motorist was pronounced dead at the scene, the Los Angeles Fire Department reported. Paramedics did not take anyone to a hospital, said Margaret Stewart of the Los Angeles Fire Department. No further information was immediately released.

NBC 4

Dangerous Street Take-Over In South LA

The Los Angeles Police Department said a dangerous street take-over happened in multiple locations in south LA early Monday morning. Authorities said the street racing take-over started just before 1 a.m. where cars and people took over the roadway at Manchester and Main Alondra, Compton Gage and Normandie Western and also Century Manchester and San Pedro Avalon and Colden. In video from the scene, hundreds of people can be seen gathered in the street. One man appeared to be hurt as he laid motionless in the roadway after being hit by an out of control racing vehicle. When LAPD arrived to the scene, the man was no way to be found. Authorities believe be might have been taken to a nearby hospital from another vehicle.

CBS 2

Man Diagnosed With Depression Reported Missing

An 18-year-old man who authorities say has been diagnosed with depression was reported missing Tuesday after being last seen in an unincorporated area of Athens. Victor Saldana was last seen at around 8 p.m. Monday on the 1000 block of West 124th Street just west of Vermont Avenue, according to the Sheriff’s Information Bureau. Saldana is Latino, 5 feet, 9 inches tall, weighs160 pounds, has black hair, brown eyes and a mustache. He was last seen wearing a pink hoodie and black pants. Anyone with information about Saldana or knows of his whereabouts was asked to call the Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500. Anonymous calls can be made to Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477 or sent to lacrimestoppers.org.

MyNewsLA

Burglars Broke Into UCLA Frat House While Occupants Slept: Police

Police are looking for a man and a woman who burglarized a UCLA fraternity house while students were asleep inside last week. The hot prowl burglary occurred around 8 a.m. Friday at a frat house in the 500 block of Landfair Avenue, according to the UCLA Police Department. The two suspects got away with laptops, wallets and other property belonging to the residents while the victims slept, police said. The man is described as being 30 years old, with thin, short black hair and was wearing a blue jean jacket, a gray undershirt with a pink logo, blue jeans, a gray backpack and white shoes. The woman is described as having a medium build and was wearing a black bucket hat, a blue surgical mask, a dark blue jean jacket, a gray undershirt, black pants and pink shoes and was carrying an orange backpack and blue handbag.

KTLA 5

Man Charged With Hate Crimes After Santa Monica Attacks

A man in Santa Monica was charged with hate crimes after allegedly beating and shouting racial slurs at Black victims. The suspect was identified by the Santa Monica Police Department as Job Uriah Taylor. He was charged with two counts of attempted murder, one count of assault with a deadly weapon, and one count of assault with force likely to produce great bodily injury. In addition, hate crime allegations were added to the two counts of attempted murder and assault with force, according to SMPD. Two victims were transported to the hospital after the incident, according to police. One victim was released on the same day and while another victim is still being treated for a head injury. On Friday, March 3, at approximately 7:30 a.m., SMPD officers responded to a call of an attempted assault in the 1100 block of Santa Monica Beach. The victim was walking his dog at the time, and told police Taylor approached him and yelled several racial slurs at him. Santa Monica Fire Department personnel working nearby fended off Taylor, causing him to flee on his bike, according to police.

NBC 4

Maryland LEOs Use DNA Analysis, Genetic Genealogy To ID Teen's Killer In 1970 Murder

More than a half-century after Maryland high school student Pamela Conyers was found strangled to death following her disappearance from a local shopping mall, law enforcement officials announced Friday that they finally solved the case. But the suspect, Forrest Clyde Williams III — whom detectives identified using DNA technology and genetics research — died in 2018 of natural causes. Officials haven’t linked him to other unsolved crimes, leaving many unanswered questions for residents of the close-knit suburban community outside Baltimore. The night of Conyers’ disappearance, the 16-year-old attended a high school pep rally and then drove to the mall. Her parents reported her missing when she never returned from running errands. Four days later, authorities discovered her body in a wooded area, not far from the family car she had been driving. There was no evidence to suggest Conyers knew her accused killer, Anne Arundel County police officials said at a news conference Friday. They also said they haven’t ruled out the possibility that another suspect was involved, meaning the case is not yet considered closed.

Associated Press

Video: Oregon Murder Suspect Captured After Escaping From Courthouse

A man accused of second-degree murder bolted from a Washington County courtroom during a break in his trial Monday, spurring a frantic two-hour search of downtown Hillsboro before he was captured. Washington County sheriff’s deputies said they caught up with Edi Villalobos Jr., 28, and arrested him without incident inside a nearby unoccupied apartment about 1:45 p.m. Villalobos had entered the unit through an unlocked sliding door and was found hiding underneath a blanket in the closet of a child’s bedroom, sheriff’s officials said. A resident had reported that someone was trying to break into the apartment below and deputies then contacted the unit owner and learned no one was home, authorities said. Earlier in the day, deputies had removed Villalobos’ shackles and allowed him to change into street clothes before potential jurors were led into the courtroom for jury selection. Two deputies were assigned to guard him.

PoliceOne

Los Angeles County Logs 28 New COVID-Related Deaths

Los Angeles County reported 28 more COVID-19-related deaths over a three-day period ending Monday, along with nearly 1,800 new infections in its latest data. The county Department of Public Health reported nine deaths for Saturday, 10 Sunday and nine Monday, raising the overall death toll to 35,842. The figures do not necessarily mean the deaths occurred on those specific days, only that they were reported on those dates. A majority of people who die with COVID-19 are elderly or have an underlying health condition such as diabetes, heart disease or hypertension, health officials have said. The county also reported 1,052 new infections from Saturday, 431 for Sunday and 295 for Monday. Sunday and Monday figures tend to be undercounts due to delays in reporting from the weekend. Overall case reports from the county are also considered to be undercounts of actual virus activity, due to the number of people who use at-home tests and don’t report the results, or those who don’t bother testing at all.

MyNewsLA

Hospital Seeks Public’s Help Identifying Female Patient Found In Los Angeles County

Officials at LAC+USC Medical Center are asking the public to help them identify a female patient who has been hospitalized since Friday. The woman, who was admitted on Mar. 10, was found on South Ditman Avenue and Olympic Boulevard in East Los Angeles, the hospital said. The nature of her injuries or illness was not disclosed due to patient privacy rules. She is described as approximately 35 years old, 5 foot 3 three inches tall, weighing around 135 pounds, with an average build, brown hair, and eyes. Officials are searching for the woman’s family or acquaintances. Anyone with information on the patient’s identity is asked to contact Daisy Rivera, Licensed Clinical Social Worker, LAC+USC Medical Center Department of Social Work at 323-409-3754. 

KTLA 5

LA County COVID Restrictions Relaxed, Required Mask Wearing For Those Exposed Dropped

Some local health orders prompted by the pandemic ended Monday, with COVID-19-related emergency declarations set to end in Los Angeles County at the end of the month. Most notably, the county's rule that people exposed to the virus wear a mask for 10 days was dropped as of Monday, according to the health department. Such mask-wearing will be "strongly recommended," but it will not longer be required. Health officials urged that people who are exposed be tested as soon as possible, then test again within three to five days. Also starting Monday, people who test positive for the virus must isolate for five days, but may leave isolation after that as long as they have been fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medicines, and if they have no symptoms or only mild symptoms. A negative test will no longer be required to leave isolation between days six and 10, although health officials strongly recommend that people do so.

CBS 2

About the LAPPL: Formed in 1923, the Los Angeles Police Protective League (LAPPL) represents more than 9,200 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.