Daily News & Updates Law Enforcement News Man Found Fatally Shot In Palms, Suspect At Large Police are searching for a suspect after a man was found fatally shot in Palms on Thursday night. Los Angeles police officers responded to reports of a shooting on the 3600 block of Military Avenue around 8:34 p.m. When police arrived, they found a man in his 50s suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He was unconscious and not breathing at the time, authorities said. The man was transported to a local hospital where he was later pronounced dead, said LAPD. The victim’s identity has not been released. The suspect fled the scene in a vehicle and remains at large, police said. He is described as a Black man who is around 34 years old. He stands 6 feet 3 inches tall and weighs 170 pounds. He was last seen wearing a green True Religion sweatshirt, gray sweatpants and a black baseball cap, authorities said. The suspect’s vehicle is a black-colored Honda CRV. The deadly shooting remains under investigation. Anyone with information can call LAPD at 1-877-527-3247. KTLA 5 Armed Robbers Targeting Taco Vendors In Los Angeles Police are warning the public to stay vigilant as armed robbers have been targeting taco vendors in Los Angeles. Over the past 10 days, four different taco vendor stands were robbed at gunpoint, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. The vendors were located along the Florence Avenue corridor at Crenshaw Boulevard, Grammercy Place, and Normandie Avenue, said LAPD. The robberies all took place between 12:40 a.m. to 2:40 a.m. as the vendors were closing up their stands for the night, authorities said. In each case the thieves brandished a gun, took cash and then fled in a vehicle, police said. Authorities are asking locals to be aware of their surroundings and to contact the police if they are targeted. Anyone with information is asked to contact 77th Street robbery detectives at 323-786-5422. KTLA 5 LAPD Shutters Follow-Home Robbery Task Force The LAPD said this week it was closing its "Follow Home Robbery Task Force" after 15 months, citing a dramatic drop in the number of follow-home robberies after its detectives made dozens of arrests. The unit, that was run out of the Department's Robbery Homicide Division, or RHD, was deactivated March 11 and more than 18 investigators returned to their regular assignments. At the peak of the not-yet-fully explained follow-home trend in the Fall of 2021 the LAPD said it recorded 39 such holdups in one month. Investigators say while some groups of thieves committed numerous, similar crimes, there wasn't proof of a large, organized scheme to carry out the holdups. "There doesn't appear to be any, any criminal mastermind that's at play here," LAPD Capt. Kirk Kelley said last October. "It just seems to be individuals that see, in 15 minutes, they can follow someone home when they've seen them with a fancy watch, like a Rolex, or a very expensive handbag, and getting into a high end luxury vehicle," he said. The Department has recorded two or fewer follow-home cases in each of the last three months. Of the roughly 125 arrests tied to follow-home cases since December 2021, prosecutors have filed dozens of serious and violent felony cases, including charges of murder, attempted murder, kidnapping, and robbery, the LAPD's Robbery Homicide Division said. NBC 4 Authorities Warn Motorists Of Increased Enforcement For St. Patrick’s Day Authorities Thursday warned Southlanders celebrating St. Patrick’s Day that law enforcement officers will be out in force looking for people driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. “This St. Patrick’s Day, don’t push your luck,” Los Angeles Police Department Cmdr. Craig Valenzuela said. “Leave your keys at home and plan ahead before you celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. Designate a sober driver, schedule a ride share or make other plans to get home safely if you plan to consume alcohol.” According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, St. Patrick’s Day is one of the deadliest times on our nation’s roadways. “The LAPD warns the community that alcohol is not the only substance that can cause impairment,” Valenzuela said. “Marijuana, prescription medications or over-the-counter drugs may also impair. Do your research and understand how certain drugs may affect your driving ability.” The California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control urged business licensees to do their part in the safety effort. MyNewsLA Woodland Hills Man Facing Federal Charges For Extorting Protection Money From Koreatown Karaoke Bars A San Fernando Valley man faces federal charges of extortion after an investigation found that he was allegedly demanding protection money from karaoke businesses in Koreatown. According to a release from the United States Attorney's Office, Daekun Cho, 38, was arrested by officers with both Homeland Security and the Los Angeles Police Department last week. During the course of their nearly year-long investigation, Cho was found to be "demanding protection money from karaoke businesses in Koreatown, as well as from 'doumi' — or hostesses — employed by patrons of the karaoke establishments," the statement said. "To further his extortion scheme, Cho committed shootings, a carjacking, a kidnapping and other acts of physical violence," a complaint affidavit referred to in the statement said. "Cho made explicit threatening statements to the doumi drivers and karaoke bar owners to get them to pay a monthly fee." According to the affidavit, Cho is also alleged to have physically assaulted four victims over the past year. CBS 2 LASD Searching For Man Accused Of Sexually Assaulting Woman In WeHo Parking Garage Authorities are searching for a man accused of sexually assaulting a woman Monday morning at a parking garage in West Hollywood. According to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, deputies responded to the 7600 block of Santa Monica Boulevard at around 1:30 a.m. The suspect reportedly approached the victim at a bus bench and forced her to a parking garage where she was sexually assaulted, the sheriff's department said. The man then fled, heading southbound on Fuller Avenue. LASD described the suspect as a Black man who's about 28 years old and is 6 feet tall. Investigators said he weighs about 210 pounds with a "muscular build" and has dark-colored eyes and a mustache. He was last seen wearing a ski mask, a baseball cap, and a cream-colored sweater with the letters "XTC" worn over a green hoodie along with black pants and white shoes. Anyone with information is urged to call the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, Special Victims Bureau tip line at (877) 710-5273. ABC 7 Suspect Tries To Fight LASD Deputy Following Pursuit Termination A suspect attempted to fight a deputy with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department following a pursuit termination in Rancho Palos Verdes Friday morning, officials said. Deputies were in pursuit of a Mini Cooper when it came to an end at the intersection of South Western Avenue and Caddington Drive. That's when officials said the suspect got out of the vehicle and attempted to evade deputies by running away from the scene. When deputies caught up with the suspect, a fight occurred. The suspect was subsequently taken into custody. The suspect was evaluated at the scene by paramedics. Medical personnel said he suffered minor injuries during the altercation with the deputy. However, he did not require hospitalization. No deputies were injured in the incident. FOX 11 Santa Monica City Employee Stabbed In Palisades Park At approximately 8:15 AM Wednesday morning, Santa Monica Police Department patrol officers responded to a 911 call from a Downtown Ambassador, who reported a person down in Palisades Park near the Camera Obscura. Arriving officers located a City of Santa Monica employee who had been stabbed in the upper torso after he attempted to rouse an individual sleeping in the area. The suspect fled the area prior to officers’ arrival and the victim was transported by the Santa Monica Fire Department to a local hospital for treatment of a non-life-threatening injury. The victim is said to be a long time employee of the City. The Santa Monica Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Division (CID), in conjunction with the Special Operations Division, has identified and arrested a suspect involved in the felony assault. CID detectives were able to identify a possible suspect as Barna Allen Cranford, who was then located and arrested. Westside Current American Woman Believed Kidnapped In Mexico Has Ties To SoCal; FBI Offers Reward The FBI suspects a 63-year-old American with ties to Southern California was kidnapped from her home in Mexico this year and is offering a reward of up to $20,000 for information that leads to her location. Maria del Carmen Lopez was abducted from her home in Pueblo Nuevo in the state of Colima on Feb. 9, according to the FBI’s Los Angeles office. Lopez is 5 feet 2 and 160 pounds with blond hair, brown eyes and permanently tattooed eyeliner, the FBI said. “We have no evidence at this time that it is” a drug-related kidnap, said Laura Eimiller, a spokesperson for the FBI in L.A. “She is an American citizen, and she has family here in both Los Angeles and Riverside counties,” Eimiller said. She added that Lopez had lived in Southern California but currently resides in Mexico and “goes back and forth.” Anyone with information about her location can contact the FBI or the nearest American embassy or consulate. The FBI field office in L.A. can be reached at (310) 477-6565. Information can also be submitted at tips.fbi.gov. Los Angeles Times GoFundMe Created To Send Slain Alabama Deputy's Daughters To National Police Week A GoFundMe has been launched to help send the young daughters of a slain Alabama deputy to Washington, D.C. to see their dad’s name added to a national memorial. The Fraternal Order of Police Cahaba Lodge #44 and Bibb County community leaders announced on Thursday that they have set up the crowdsourcing campaign for the daughters of Bibb County Deputy Brad Johnson – Livy and Lana - to be present when their father’s name is added to the National Law Enforcement Officers’ Memorial during the week of May 15. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Brad’s young daughters to see their father’s courage and sacrifice honored and permanently memorialized in our nation’s capital,” said Bibb County Administrator Brian Davis. Davis is overseeing the use of the funds that are raised. “The girls have suffered a loss that no child their age should have to experience, but as they grow, mature, and begin to understand more fully the heroism that Brad displayed, the experience of having been present when his name was added to the national memorial will give them some measure of comfort and closure,” Davis said. PoliceOne Cleveland Officer Shot, Others Injured In Crash, During Pursuit Of Vehicle Theft Suspects Cleveland police officers are continuing their search for four suspects accused in the shooting of an officer on the East Side on Tuesday. The officer, who has been with the department for approximately four years, was shot twice in the 2800 block of Cedar Avenue. The officer was struck once in the thigh and once in the arm. He is in the hospital but is in stable condition, Cleveland police spokesperson Sgt. Jennifer Ciaccia said Wednesday afternoon. Another officer on scene applied a tourniquet to the officer who was shot. The two detectives were investigating Hyundai and Kia thefts in the area, said Wayne Drummond, Cleveland’s police chief. He added that the location often sees stolen vehicles left in the area. “They came upon what they believed to be a stolen Kia,” he said. “Four suspects bailed from the vehicle, and they started to run.” The driver of the Kia fled and was chased by a detective. As the officer exited his police vehicle, the suspect fired several rounds toward him at close range striking him twice. The driver then fled through the Cedar Estates Apartments. PoliceOne Shootings Of Children Nearly Doubled During The Pandemic — And Black Kids Bore The Brunt Of The Violence Black children were 100 times more likely to be shot than white children during the first 18 months of the coronavirus pandemic, according to a study published last week in the Journal of the American Medical Association. “This study shows how important it is to bring a health disparity lens to research,” said Jonathan Jay, a professor at the Boston University School of Public Health and one of the study’s authors. “It shows how structural racism, including the inequitable distribution of resources, residential racial segregation, and distribution of opportunities not only harms children of color, but privileges white children.” Firearm homicide rates rose dramatically in the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic, and research has linked the spike to poverty. Initial scholarship focused on gun violence affecting adults or the general public, but emerging work is revealing that children were particularly affected. The Trace More Than 150K Catalytic Converters Stolen In 2022; Problem May Be Underreported, Data Suggests The rise in catalytic converter thefts in America has been a nuisance for law enforcement agencies and car owners for the past several years. Now new data from Carfax shows just how bad the problem has gotten. The vehicle data company, known for tracking repairs and accidents on vehicles across the country, looked at catalytic converter replacements from millions of service records to come up with an estimated number of thefts in 2022: 153,000 — a 2% increase from the year prior. The number is pretty alarming, and Carfax suggests the problem has been underreported in the past. Whereas most reports regarding the total number of catalytic converters look at only insurance claims, Carfax says its data scientists looked at all replacements, taking into account ones that were replaced due to deterioration, defectivity or recalls, and came up with the 153,000 figure. Carfax said it believes theft numbers reported to media outlets are vastly underestimating the full scope of the problem, because many car owners don’t file insurance claims. The possible explanation for that is because some drivers don’t have full coverage on older vehicles or some don’t have insurance at all. KTLA 5 Public Safety News Husky Reunited With Owner After Being Stuck On Steep Hillside Near Hollywood Hills Trail A husky got stuck on a steep hillside near a Hollywood Hills trail Thursday, but was reunited with its relieved owner after some help from firefighters. Los Angeles firefighters responded to the area near Wonder View Trail near Cahuenga Peak just after 5 p.m. to search for the dog. LAFD said the husky either slid or fell down the remote hillside that was covered in thick vegetation. At one point, another hiker climbed 40 feet down the hill to try and rescue the husky. Luckily, the dog was able to climb back up the hill and firefighters were able to pull it up back up onto the trail. The dog then reunited with its owner for a happy ending. LAFD said the dog didn't appear to be injured. ABC 7 Los Angeles County Logs 11 More COVID-19 Deaths Los Angeles County reported another 11 COVID-19-related deaths and 814 new infections in its latest data. The new fatalities reported Thursday lifted the county’s death toll from throughout the pandemic to 35,875. 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 814 new infections gave the county a cumulative case number from throughout the pandemic of 3,718,412. Overall case reports from the county are 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. According to state figures, there were 466 COVID-positive patients in Los Angeles County hospitals as of Thursday, down slightly from 487 on Wednesday. Some of the patients were initially hospitalized for other reasons and learned they had COVID after a mandated test. MyNewsLA 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. 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