11 Candidates Battling George Gascón To Become LA County’s Top Prosecutor

District Attorney George Gascón will face 11 challengers in Tuesday’s primary election, featuring a mix of prosecutors and candidates who say they can offer a more moderate approach to criminal justice reform. Gascón was elected in 2020 over incumbent Jackie Lacey as he promised a wave of progressive changes. But he has been under fire since taking office by issuing a series of directives critics have blasted as being soft on crime. The directives included a rule against seeking the death penalty, a ban on transferring juvenile defendants to adult court and prohibitions on filing sentencing-enhancements in most cases. “This campaign is not about me, this is a community movement,” Gascón said last November, when he kicked off his reelection campaign. “This is about looking at the criminal justice system of the 21st Century not with a rear-view mirror but looking forward.” Among the candidates running for his job are five members of Gascón’s office: Jonathan Hatami, a child abuse prosecutor; Lloyd “Bobcat” Masson, a cold case prosecutor; John McKinney, supervising district attorney; Maria Ramirez, the head deputy D.A.; and Eric Siddall, a violent crimes prosecutor.

MyNewsLA

2 Men Shot Outside Los Angeles Neighborhood Sports Bar

Two men were shot, including one fatally, outside of a sports bar in the Vermont Vista neighborhood of Los Angeles Sunday night. The shooting was reported at West 120th and South Figueroa streets near the El Diamante Sports Bar shortly before 10 p.m. Arriving officers located two male shooting victims, transporting one of them to a hospital in critical condition, Los Angeles Police Department Capt. Bennett said. The second victim was pronounced dead at the scene, Bennett said. No information regarding the victim’s age or identity was released. A motive for the shooting was still under investigation. “There’s a sports bar that’s a little bit south of the intersection. It’s unknown what happened inside the bar prior to this,” Bennett said. Video showed several bullet casings on the ground and a white tent covering the deceased victim as homicide detectives investigated the scene.

KTLA 5

Shooter Sought Following Drive-By At North Hollywood Dog Park

Police are looking for a woman after an argument at a dog park in North Hollywood escalated into a drive-by shooting. Shots were fired out of a vehicle toward a dog park Friday on the 5800 block of Whitnall Highway. There, the Los Angeles Police Department received a call of a fight in progress between two groups of women in the afternoon. Details on what led up to the fight were unclear, but multiple witnesses said it ended with one woman going to her car and threatening to shoot up the dog park. One witness, who wished to conceal her identity for her safety, said she and her children were standing in front of the woman’s car when they heard the threat. She was like, ‘I’m going to shoot them, watch.’ At that point, I decided to call the police and while I was on the phone with the police, she started shooting at them into the park. It was very scary.” Another witness said the gunman fired several shots toward the dog park. “The woman get in her car, she said she’s going to shoot the girls and she drive away on the Whitnall (Highway), put a gun outside of the window and, ‘Pow, pow, pow,’ you know, three times,” said Patricia Winstead.

NBC 4

Man Shot In Los Angeles Neighborhood Of Mid-Wilshire, Suspect Arrested

A midday shooting in the Mid-Wilshire neighborhood of Los Angeles left one man injured, according to police. According to the Los Angeles Police Department, the shooting was reported at 11:57 a.m. in the area of Pico Boulevard and La Brea Avenue. Upon arrival, officers found a 40-year-old man with a gunshot would to the shoulder. Police said the man was found conscious and breathing. The extent of his injuries is unknown. A man was taken into custody, police confirmed. No further details, including a potential motive, were released. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Los Angeles Police Department.

Yahoo! News

LAPD Request Public Help To Locate Missing Woman

The Los Angeles Police Department is asking for the public to help find a missing 89-year-old woman. Authorities say Flora Castro was last seen on foot in the 6500 block of South Vermont Avenue on Sunday at noon. Castro is a Hispanic female, with gray hair and brown eyes. She stands 5 feet 2 inches tall, and weighs approximately 130 pounds. Castro was wearing a pink shirt, green pants, and black shoes. Her family and friends are concerned about her well-being. If you have any information regarding the whereabouts of Flora Castro please contact the Los Angeles Police Department at 323-786-5077. During non-business hours or on weekends, calls should be directed to 1-877-LAPD-24-7 (1-877-527-3247). 

KTLA 5

Unhoused Man Accused Of Trying To Steal A Waymo Self-Driving Car In Downtown L.A.

An unhoused man was taken into custody on suspicion of grand theft auto after police said he tried to steal a Waymo self-driving car in downtown Los Angeles on Saturday night. The man entered and tried to operate a Waymo vehicle that had stopped to let out a passenger at the corner of 1st and Main at 10:30 p.m., LAPD Det. Meghan Aguilar said. After the man, whom a Waymo spokesman described as an “unauthorized pedestrian,” entered the vehicle, the company’s Rider Support team instructed him to exit the car. When he did not, the company contacted the police, “who were then able to remove and arrest” the man, said Chris Bonelli, a Waymo spokesman. Vincent Maurice Jones, 34, was arrested at 12:15 a.m. Sunday, Aguilar said. No injuries were reported by the rider, and there was no damage to the vehicle, Bonelli said. The car was stationary during the entire incident because an unauthorized person was identified by the company to be in the vehicle, according to Waymo.

Los Angeles Times

Family Searches For Young Southern California Mother Suspected Of Being Trafficked

Loved ones are desperately searching for a young mother who disappeared in 2022, leaving her infant daughter behind. Ruthey Smith, 21, was last seen on March 2, 2022, near Figueroa and 70th streets in South Los Angeles, authorities said. She was 19 at the time of her disappearance. Smith’s family acknowledges she had been working as a prostitute in order to support her daughter, Ocean, who was 1-year-old at the time of her disappearance. Smith’s mother, Kathryn Renesto, and her younger brother had painstakingly searched the area where she disappeared, looking for leads and evidence. They were able to track down the last known video of Smith, seen with a group of people in a neighborhood that was well-known for sex work at all hours of the day, NewsNation reports. Authorities believe Smith is a victim of human trafficking. Her family said she would never voluntarily leave her daughter behind. “She would never abandon my granddaughter, her child,” Renesto said. “She would never miss birthdays or holidays with family.” Smith was born in San Pedro and was raised in Long Beach. Her family told the Long Beach Post that she became a teen mother and turned to sex work to make ends meet. 

KTLA 5

Washington State Patrol Trooper Killed In Three-Vehicle Interstate Crash

A Washington State Patrol trooper was killed early Saturday morning after being struck by a motorist on southbound Interstate 5 near Marysville, the agency said in a news release. Snohomish County sheriff’s deputies responded to the crash by 136th Street Northeast just before 3 a.m. The trooper, identified as Christopher Gadd, died at the scene. Gadd, 27, was with State Patrol for 2 1/2 years and worked out of Marysville. “We will honor Chris, even in sorrow, but as an agency, we will go on,” State Patrol Chief John Batiste said at a news conference Saturday afternoon. “The people of this great state need to know that we will continue to serve them with humility. Because he served, it’s our duty to continue to serve. [We need to] honor him and never forget his ultimate sacrifice.” According to the sheriff’s office, the trooper was parked on the right shoulder when someone driving at a high speed slammed into the back of the patrol car. A van then crashed into the suspect’s car. The suspect and the driver of the van were taken to the hospital, according to the sheriff’s office. Five passengers in the van were not hurt in the crash. The sheriff’s office identified the suspect as a 32-year-old Lynnwood man. He was booked into the Snohomish County Jail for investigation of vehicular homicide.

The Seattle Times

Fire Erupts At Natural History Museum In Exposition Park, Quickly Extinguished By Firefighters

A fire erupted Friday morning at Exposition Park's Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, prompting a response from firefighters who quickly extinguished the blaze. The fire began shortly before noon at the museum in the 900 block of Exposition Park Boulevard, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. About 40 firefighters arrived at the scene and knocked down the flames, with moderate interior smoke, in less than 30 minutes, the LAFD said in a statement. The fire was "associated with an active roofing operation" at the museum, the news release said, adding that all occupants of the building were safely evacuated. No injuries were reported. The cause of the incident is under investigation.

ABC 7

Firefighters Quickly Handle Garage Fire At Pacific Palisades Home

Firefighters quickly handled a fire that broke out at a home in the Pacific Palisades on Sunday. The fire was reported at around 2 p.m. at a house in the 17600 block of W. Camino De Yatasto, according to Los Angeles Fire Department officials. They say that the fire involved a car inside of the garage of the home. It took them just over 30 minutes to contain the fire, which also burned the contents of the garage, LAFD said. Video from the scene, shared on Citizen App, shows a large plume of black smoke billowing from the home. No injuries were reported and investigators are working to determine what sparked the blaze. 

CBS 2

Opinion: Vote No On HLA, Here's Why

On Tuesday, Los Angeles voters will decide the fate of Measure HLA, also referred to as Healthy Streets LA, an effort backed by bike activists who also want to tear down the 90 freeway. Essentially, HLA would force the City of Los Angeles to remove lanes of traffic and street parking to accommodate dedicated bike and bus lanes. Most dangerously, these road diets increase emergency response times, where seconds can mean the difference between life and death. They also impede traffic during mass evacuations, and ultimately, cost lives.

Westside Current

Hutt Seeks Full Term On LA City Council, Facing Four Challengers

Heather Hutt was appointed as caretaker City Councilwoman for District 10 last year following the indictment and conviction of Mark Ridley-Thomas on federal corruption charges — and now Hutt is seeking a full four-term term, facing four challengers in Tuesday’s primary election. Looking to stop Hutt are pastor and community organizer Eddie Anderson; former Assemblyman Reggie Jones-Sawyer; environmental activist and small-business owner Aura Vasquez; and attorney Grace Yoo. The 10th District encompasses the Central L.A. neighborhoods of Arlington Heights, Koreatown, Mid-City, Palms, South Robertson, West Adams and Wilshire Center. If no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote in the primary, the top two vote-getters will face each other in a runoff in the general election on Nov. 5. Hutt previously served as chief of staff to former City Councilman Herb Wesson and is the first woman to represent the District 10.

MyNewsLA

About the LAPPL: Formed in 1923, the Los Angeles Police Protective League (LAPPL) represents more than 8,900 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.