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Law Enforcement News

LA Man Charged In Beating Death Of Toddler Was Arrested For Burglary Same Month Alleged Abuse Occurred
Authorities have arrested and charged a North Hollywood man for the beating death of a 14-month-old baby, according to authorities. Cesar Daniel Cabrera Jr., 20, is charged with assault on a child that would likely result in the child becoming comatose or paralyzed and child abuse under circumstances or conditions likely to cause great bodily injury, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office announced Friday. "The physical abuse suffered by this young boy is horrifying. That the alleged perpetrator is the child’s father is unconscionable," District Attorney George Gascon said in a statement. "The harm inflicted in this case warrants that special allegations be filed. My office is committed to protecting our children by holding accountable anyone who abuses them." The charges also include special allegations of abuse to a child under 5 years old and felony offense while out on bail. A police report states that the 14-month-old boy suffered brain and head injuries as a result of the alleged abuse. Cabrera, his biological father, allegedly admitted to the crime in an interview with police. The alleged assault took place on March 22, when Cabrera was out on bail for a separate crime, court documents show.
FOX News

2 Men Fatally Shot Following Physical Altercation In Westlake; Suspect In Custody, Authorities Say
Two men were killed in a shooting following a physical altercation in Westlake, and a suspect was taken into custody, authorities said. Officers responded to a call of shots being fired in the 1900 block of 6th Street shortly after 11 p.m. Tuesday and found two people suffering from gunshot wounds, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. One man died at the scene and the other was rushed to the hospital where he also died. Additional details were not given, but authorities said the incident started as some sort of physical in a nearby parking structure. Video shows police removing two young children from the scene overnight. Officers say the kids were not hurt, but may be related to the suspect. Police also said another person at the scene sped away and was involved in an accident nearby. She is being interviewed by detectives.
ABC 7

2 Drivers Killed In Head-On Crash Near Pierce College In Woodland Hills
Two people were killed overnight in a head-on crash in Woodland Hills. The crash happened at the intersection of Victory and Mason, near Pierce College, when one car crossed over into oncoming traffic and hit the other car. One driver was pronounced dead at the scene, while the other driver died at a hospital. Both were described as men in their 20s, and both of them were driving alone. Neither of the drivers have been identified yet. The cause of the crash is under investigation.
CBS 2

LAPD Searching For Driver Who Ran Over Injured Scooter Rider With Van, Then Drove Off
Los Angeles police are searching for the driver of a van that ran over an injured scooter rider Saturday in Boyle Heights and did not stop. The department is offering $25,000 for information leading to the driver’s identification, arrest and conviction or settlement with the victim. Just before 9 p.m. on Fickett Street, the Los Angeles Police Department said in a release, Luis Lopez was riding a scooter when he fell and was knocked unconscious. In surveillance footage released by the LAPD, Lopez is seen lying in the roadway, barely moving, for several seconds before a white Ford Econoline van comes into view. The van drives over Lopez, dragging him down the street before he is dislodged from under the vehicle. Police said Lopez was dragged about 25 feet. The van can be seen continuing to drive down the street and out of sight. Lopez was taken to a hospital with severe injuries; he was stable and expected to recover as of Tuesday. The LAPD released photos and a video of Lopez in his hospital bed with wounds on his face, right arm and legs.
LA Times

Los Angeles Reeling From Weekend Of ‘Dangerous' Street Takeovers, Racing As Police Crack Down
Police are cracking down on street racing as major cities in parts of the country grapple with the "dangerous" and illegal activity. Los Angeles, California, residents began protesting over the weekend in a neighborhood where an upcoming "Fast & Furious" installment is set to film, as locals prepare for an uptick in street racing – an increase that happens in the wake of every installment of the racing movie franchise. "Street racing kills. Race on a track. Film in studio," protesters chanted, according to The Associated Press. Street racing activity in the neighborhood and elsewhere in Los Angeles is nothing new. In the days before Friday’s protest, the Los Angeles Police Department announced the issuance of dozens of street racing-related citations, and several other arrests. "[T]he LAPD joined multiple police agencies from Southern California to combat and disrupt a growing and dangerous problem: street racing and takeovers," the police department announced on Facebook. "The collaborative efforts by everyone involved made an impact and sent a message—we will not condone this illegal and often deadly behavior." On August 20 and 21 alone, LAPD personnel issued 82 citations related to street racing and takeovers, the department said.
FOX News

Search Underway For Missing 12-Year-Old In Granada Hills
Authorities are searching for a missing child in Granada Hills. Abigail Marie Bein is a 12-year-old who identifies as he/him, and was last seen on Saturday at around 8:45 p.m. on Hiawatha Avenue. Bein is White and stands about 4 feet, 10 inches tall and weighs around 90 pounds with brown hair and hazel eyes. According to Los Angeles police, Bein was last seen wearing a gray t-shirt and white shoes that have a rainbow design on the top and soles of the shoes. The subject is believed to enjoy dogs and skateboarding, and is reportedly in possession of a pink rolling suitcase, police indicated on a Critical Missing Alert released to the public Monday evening. Community members planned a search party for Tuesday morning at 9:30 a.m., with volunteers expected to arrive at Petit Park on Chatsworth Street before searching the area. Anyone with information on Bein's location was asked to contact the LAPD Devonshire Juvenile Officer Magers at (818) 832-0863.
CBS 2

Driver Smashes Into 25 To 30 Parked Cars In Vermont Square
An out-of-control driver smashed into a row of parked cars in the Vermont Square neighborhood early Tuesday morning. According to the Los Angeles Police Department, as many as 30 cars were damaged along Vermont Square. The damage range stretched over 5 or 6 blocks, from Vernon Avenue all the way up to 41st street. Dozens of people were seen visibly angry or distressed over the damage done to their cars. The driver was taken to a hospital for injuries suffered during the crashes. Details about what led to the crashes were not immediately available. Authorities said the driver apparently suffered a medical emergency before the crashes.
NBC 4

Police Warning About ‘Distraction Thefts' Targeting Senior Citizens In LA, Glendale Area
Police are warning about a series of "distraction thefts" targeting elderly victims in the Los Angeles area. A flyer issued by Glendale police lists more than a dozen incidents using similar methods in the Los Angeles and Glendale area in the last three months. Typically the suspects drive up to victims who may be outdoors, perhaps in front of their homes or in a grocery store parking lot. They strike up a conversation with the victim, often an elderly person. During the conversation, they use various ruses to distract the victim such as showing them fake jewelry and placing it on them or hugging the person. While that is happening, they are simultaneously removing the victim's jewelry. Sometimes the suspects show up with children, who provide a further distraction. In many of the instances, the prime suspect who takes the jewelry hsa been an adult woman, sometimes accompanied by children, with other suspects remaining in the vehicle. In one video posted to YouTube, two women are seen driving up and talking to two elderly women who are sitting in chairs on a driveway.
ABC 7

Councilman O'Farrell Seeks To Address Human Trafficking In East Hollywood
Citing a significant increase in human trafficking and prostitution near schools, daycares and residential properties along Santa Monica Blvd. and Western Ave. in East Hollywood, City Councilman Mitch O'Farrell Tuesday requested to appropriate $100,000 from his office's budget to help fund an LAPD task force. O'Farrell filed a motion Tuesday to request the funding. It would provide what his office described as a "services-led approach'' for the women being trafficked. Reports into O'Farrell's office of human trafficking and prostitution in the area have increased significantly in recent months, according to a statement from his office. Journey Out, a nonprofit that helps sex trafficking victims -- and is a component of the LAPD task force -- would provide the outreach services, his office said. "We need to come to the aid of the women who are being victimized and trafficked in East Hollywood and Greater Wilshire,'' O'Farrell said. "This situation has not only put these women in danger, but it's also a danger to the neighborhood. These women need our help, which this funding will provide, and the criminals who are victimizing them deserve to be brought to justice.''
NBC 4

West Hollywood Chiropractor Accused Of Sexually Battering Woman; More Victims Sought
Authorities are looking for additional victims after a West Hollywood chiropractor was arrested on suspicion of sexually battering a woman at his office. The incident occurred around 4 p.m. July 14 at David Mottahedeh’s office, Golden Hands Chiro at 8961 Sunset Blvd., according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. Authorities did not elaborate on the allegations, but Mottahedeh, 58, was arrested on Aug. 24. He was released on bond and is expected to appear in court on Sept. 15, officials said. “Based on the nature of the allegation and Mr. Mottahedeh’s access to patients, detectives believe there may be additional unidentified victims,” the Sheriff’s Department said in a news release. They released two images of Mottahedeh, one from 2013 and one from this year, in their efforts to identify additional victims. In response, attorney Louis Shapiro denied the allegations on behalf of Mottahedeh.
KTLA 5

Video: North Carolina Deputy Returns Fire After Being Repeatedly Shot During Traffic Stop
A Mecklenburg County sheriff’s deputy managed to return fire after going to the ground when a driver shot him five times during a traffic stop in February, newly released video shows. A Superior Court judge on Thursday ordered the release of the body-worn camera and dashcam video to Charlotte Observer news partner WSOC, which petitioned the court to make the raw footage public. The deputy, Dijon Whyms, was shot on Feb. 19 after stopping a vehicle about 4:15 p.m. on Salome Church Road, off North Tryon Street in northeast Charlotte, the Observer previously reported. As the deputy approached the vehicle, Aidan Cole Bryant, 23, “fired multiple shots,” striking Whyms, according to a Sheriff’s Office news release at the time. “Deputy Whyms returned fire, injuring the suspect.” Whyms, 45, was shot twice in the lower body and three times in the upper body, officials said. He underwent successful surgery for non-life-threatening injuries, the Observer previously reported. He was released from the hospital on Feb. 21 and was expected to make a full recovery, the Sheriff’s Office said. Bryant underwent surgery and was later released from the hospital, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
Charlotte Observer

2 LEOs Injured In Phoenix Shooting Rampage That Left 2 People Dead, 3 Wounded
Two people were killed and five injured — including two police officers — when a man armed with a semi-automatic rifle and wearing tactical gear began a seemingly random attack in Phoenix on Sunday night. Phoenix police received a call about shots fired in the north-central part of the city around 8:30 p.m., according to a statement released Monday morning. As officers arrived, a man immediately opened fire on several fully marked patrol SUVs. Four patrol cars were riddled with bullets. One officer was struck by a bullet in the shoulder and a second officer was hit by shrapnel in multiple places including the face. Police said the officer shot in shoulder was able to get out of his car and return fire before other officers came to his aid to remove him from the area for medical treatment. Other officers began evacuating nearby businesses and bringing community members to a safe place. Preliminary investigative information, along with surveillance video from nearby businesses, shows the suspect leaving a room at a motel in the area and begin shooting at random, the statement said. The man is seen firing his rifle into the motel then turning the rifle on a car pulling into the parking lot. Two people inside that car died on the scene from gunshot wounds.
Associated Press

Public Safety News

LA County Could Improve To ‘Low’ COVID Activity Level In Next Week
Just weeks after moving from the federal government’s “high” COVID-19 activity category to the “medium” rating thanks to falling hospitalization rates, Los Angeles County could soon graduate into the “low” category as case numbers continue to fall, the public health director said. Barbara Ferrer told the Board of Supervisors Tuesday that transmission of the virus still remains elevated, but based on official infection numbers, the county could move to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s “low” virus-activity category within the next week. The categorization change would have no practical effect for residents, other than sending a message of an overall slowing of virus transmission. The county moved into the “high” virus level in mid-July, thanks to a new infection rate that topped 200 per 100,000 residents and an average daily virus-related hospitalization rate that topped 10 per 100,000 residents. On Aug. 12, however, the county moved back to the “medium” category when the hospitalization rate fell below 10 per 100,000 residents.
MyNewsLA

LA County To Be Under Excessive Heat Warning As SoCal Braces For Triple-Digit Temps
A brutal heat wave was bearing down on Southern California, with temperatures in many areas rising into triple digits and staying that way through Labor Day weekend. Temperatures will rise a few degrees Monday, then spike even more on Tuesday and stay that way through next weekend, according to the National Weather Service. With the forecasted triple-digit temps in mind, an excessive heart warning has been issued for the following Los Angeles County regions from Wednesday, August 31 to Monday, September 5: Los Angeles County mountains, Downtown Los Angeles, Los Angeles basin, Santa Clarita Valley, San Fernando Valley, San Gabriel Valley, and Santa Monica Mountains. In Van Nuys, temperatures are expected to top 100 degrees every day from Tuesday through Sunday, peaking at 106 both Wednesday and Sunday. Santa Clarita will hit 104 degrees on Tuesday and get as high as 108 on Thursday. In Lancaster — traditionally one of the hottest spots in Los Angeles County — highs were expected to hover around 108 to 109 degrees Wednesday through Sunday.
FOX 11

Coronavirus Today: The Years Of Life Lost To COVID-19
Sometimes the toll of COVID-19 is hard to fathom. More than 1 million Americans have died of the disease — 1,039,055 as of Tuesday, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — but numbers that large are necessarily abstract. How about this: The life expectancy for Americans born in 2021 is 2.7 years lower than for Americans born in 2019, just before the coronavirus arrived in the U.S. Or what about this: Babies born last year can expect to live 76.1 years, on average. That’s the lowest life expectancy this country has seen in 25 years. There’s also this: Prior to the pandemic, the last time life expectancy in the U.S. dropped so much over a two-year period was all the way back in 1921-23. Facts like these bring into sharp focus the truly historic nature of what the country has been going through. And although the death toll of the second Omicron wave is far below those seen in previous surges, roughly 400 Americans are still dying of the disease every day.
La Times