LAPPL Responds to Commission's Anderson Ruling

The Los Angeles Police Protective League (LAPPL) spoke out against the Los Angeles Police Commission’s ruling in the January 2023 incident involving Keenan Anderson. The LAPPL discussed the flawed ruling and also released a video that directly counters claims made by the attorneys representing the family of Anderson. “We strongly disagree with these politically influenced findings, each responding officer acted responsibly in dealing with Mr. Anderson who was high on cocaine and ran into traffic after fleeing a car accident he caused,” stated the Board of Directors of the LAPPL. “The coroner confirmed he was not tased but rather drive-stunned when he refused to follow simple directions while in the middle of a busy street. Mr. Anderson and Mr. Anderson alone was responsible for what occurred.”

KTLA Video

Arrest Made In South L.A. Hit-and-Run That Killed Bicyclist

A suspect has been arrested in connection with a gruesome hit-and-run that killed a man who was riding a bicycle in South Los Angeles on Tuesday. Felipe Avalos, 66, was taken into custody in Compton and booked on a charge of gross vehicular manslaughter, according to LAPD. The collision happened at about 8:45 a.m. Tuesday morning in the area of Broadway and 117th Street. Investigators say the driver of an older model Chevy van ran over the bicyclist and dragged him for approximately one mile before the victim became dislodged at the intersection of Broadway and El Segundo Boulevard. The driver of the van kept going. The victim, whose name has not been released, was pronounced dead at the scene. “While interviewing witnesses, detectives obtained a possible license plate of the suspect’s vehicle,” police said in a statement Wednesday announcing Avalos’ arrest. “Detectives conducted a series of follow-ups and located the suspect’s van parked in the driveway of a residence in the City of Compton.”

KTLA 5

Shooting Leaves Man Hospitalized In Boyle Heights; Suspect In Custody

A shooting in Boyle Heights left one man hospitalized on Wednesday. Los Angeles Police Department officers were dispatched to the area near First Street and N. Mott Street at around 4:30 p.m. after learning of the shooting. Upon their arrival, they found a man suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He was rushed to a nearby hospital in unknown condition, Los Angeles Fire Department official said. Police have taken one person into custody but did not provide any information on a motive for the shooting. A large area could be seen cordoned off near First Street as well as Fourth Street with SkyCal overhead. 

CBS 2

Armed Suspect Arrested After Hours-Long Standoff In Palms 7-Eleven

An armed man who barricaded himself inside a business in Palms was arrested Wednesday after an hours-long standoff, police said. Officers responded to the 3400 block of Overland Avenue at around 9:50 p.m. Tuesday to a report regarding an armed suspect who barricaded himself inside a business, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. It was unclear what motivated the suspect to barricade himself inside the business, believed to be a 7-Eleven. A standoff between the suspect and police lasted several hours until officers arrested the man around 4:35 a.m. Wednesday. No further information was immediately available. 

Westside Current

$50,000 Reward Offered To Help Solve Cross Burning Outside Sylmar Church

A $50,000 reward was offered to help find the person who burned three crosses on the front lawn of a Sylmar church. The reward for information in the hate crime investigation was approved by the Los Angeles City Council, the LAPD said Tuesday. The three wooden crosses were found on the ground July 6 outside Sylmar Christian Fellowship Church. An accelerant was used to start the early morning fire in the 1300 block of Polk Street, authorities said. The flames were out by the time firefighters arrived. The House of Worship task force, including LAPD, ATF, and the FBI, opened an investigation. As with any case involving a house of worship, the case is being investigated as a hate crime. Rev. Pierre Howard told NBCLA in July that there had been no threats the the church, which has been in the community for about 30 years with a diverse congregation. Anyone with information was asked to call police at 213-486-6270. During non-business hours or on weekends, calls should be directed to 877-527-3247. Anyone wishing to remain anonymous should call the LA Regional Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477 or go here.

NBC 4

Shocking Video Shows Driver Robbed On L.A. Freeway After Intentional Crash

In one of the more brazen robberies captured on video in Los Angeles in recent years, a driver was intentionally hit and then robbed by a group of thieves along the 10 Freeway. A video shared on Citizen shows the scene unfolding on the shoulder of eastbound I-10 just west of Arlington Avenue on Tuesday afternoon. According to the California Highway Patrol, a black Dodge Caravan deliberately crashed into a black Alfa Romeo sedan. A Ford Mustang was also hit. With the Alfa Romeo disabled on the side of the freeway, video recorded by a driver shows four men wearing dark clothing and masks jump out of the Caravan and swarm the sedan, grabbing items from inside. The victim was on his knees with his hands raised as steam billowed from the engine of his badly damaged luxury car. A bystander on the shoulder can be seen recording the robbery from another angle.

KTLA 5

Jewish Studio City Family Says Break-In Suspect Wanted To Kill Them Because Of Their Faith

A Studio City family said they are terrified after waking up to a man in his underwear who had broken into their home and threatening to kill them. The family said the intruder wanted to kill them because of their Jewish faith, and officials are now investigating the break-in as a hate crime. Efrat Meyers is nine months pregnant. She lives at the home with her husband and four young children. She told FOX 11 that the family was sleeping Tuesday night when the screaming man broke into their house. "The guy opened the door, broke my door with his leg," she said. "He came inside my room and my husband pushed him immediately." The intruder, identified as Daniel Garcia was pushed out into the yard, but Meyers said he would not stop screaming. "For like six, seven minutes he didn't talk about anything, only [that] we are Jewish and that he needed to kill us because we are Jewish." Meyers said she believed that the same man had shown up at her family's house before, asking money, saying things like "You are Jewish, you steal money, rich people."

FOX 11

A Mother Allegedly Abducts Her 8 Children, Flees Across Five States To ‘Start A New Life’ Before Her Arrest

A mother of eight children is accused of abducting her children, taking them from their foster care facilities, and then fleeing across five states until police caught up with her in a small town in northern California. Trista Fullerton, 36, allegedly violated a court order of custody for the eight children, as well as the terms of her probation for a domestic violence conviction, when she took the kids from the town of Rogers, Ark., and fled across the country while Arkansas police tried to reach her, according to court records. Her father told police that Fullerton planned on heading to Arizona “to start a new life,” according to a warrant for her arrest. Instead, Fullerton was found in Anderson, Calif. — 150 miles north of Sacramento — where police said they spotted her and six of her children in a pickup truck filled with trash after someone reported that Fullerton was “displaying bizarre behavior.” According to an arrest warrant affidavit obtained by The Times, police from Rogers began trying to contact Fullerton on Oct. 17, after receiving a report that she had “interfered with court ordered custody of eight children.”

Los Angeles Times

Man Who Shot, Killed California Officer Convicted Of First-Degree Murder

A Salinas man has been convicted on all charges for the killing of Officer Jorge “JD” Alvarado, KSBW reported. Gustavo Morales shot and killed Alvarado on Feb. 25, 2022, during a traffic stop. Morales pulled over, immediately got out of his car and shot Alvarado while he was still in his patrol car, according to the report. Morales testified that he was acting in self-defense, thinking that Alvarado would have killed him if he had seen the loaded firearm in his car. “It was him or me. That’s how I saw the situation,” Morales said. “If I didn’t act in that moment, that was my last chance to save myself.” The prosecution testified that Morales was drunk driving on a suspended license, was on probation and was carrying a loaded gun. Morales was convicted of first-degree murder, shooting at an occupied motor vehicle, assault on a peace officer with a semiautomatic firearm, unlawful firearm possession and carrying a loaded firearm, according to the report. He faces life in prison without parole. Alvarado's older brother, Jorge Ernesto Alvarado, served at the same department. He died off-duty last month due to a medical emergency. 

PoliceOne

Suspect In Shooting Of 2 Nashville Officers Found Dead After Pursuit

The estranged son of Nashville’s police chief, who was wanted in the shooting of two police officers, was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound after leading police on a chase in a stolen car, authorities said. Police had been searching for John Drake Jr., 38, since Saturday, when two officers were shot and wounded outside a Dollar General store in La Vergne, a city about 20 miles (32 kilometers) southeast of Nashville. Metro Nashville Police spokesman Don Aaron said Drake stole a car at gunpoint from a home southeast of downtown Tuesday night, WSMV-TV reported. Drake asked a man and woman in front of a home for a ride and when they were unable or unwilling to give him a ride, he pulled out a gun and demanded the car in the driveway, Aaron said. Officers spotted the car a short time later and followed it to the Edgehill area south of downtown, where it crashed. Drake fled to a shed behind a home and when officers surrounded the area, a gunshot was heard, Aaron said. Officers found Drake dead with a gunshot wound that was apparently self-inflicted, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said in a statement posted on social media. TBI will investigate Drake’s death at District Attorney Glenn Funk’s request and a full autopsy will be performed as a part of the investigation, the agency said.

Associated Press

At Least 16 Killed In Maine Mass Shootings As Police Hunt For Gunman

At least 16 people were killed in mass shootings in Lewiston, Maine, Wednesday night, State Police said. Multiple sources said dozens were injured, but it was unclear how many had been shot. A person of interest was at large, State Police said. Maine Public Safety Commissioner Mike Sauschuck told a news conference that the shootings began shortly before 7 p.m. State Police said shortly after 8 p.m. that they were investigating "multiple locations." Authorities are attempting to locate 40-year-old Robert R. Card as a person of interest in the shootings, the Lewiston Police Department said in a Facebook post late Wednesday night. He is considered armed and dangerous. According to a Maine law enforcement bulletin seen by CBS News, Card is a trained firearms instructor believed to be in the Army reserve stationed out of Saco, Maine. He recently reported mental health issues, including hearing voices, according to the bulletin. He had also threatened to shoot up the National Guard base in Saco, Maine, the bulletin said, and he was reported to have been committed to a mental health facility for two weeks this summer. Authorities shared images of the person of interest and asked people to contact them "if you recognize this individual."

CBS 2

Fire Crews Extinguish Alameda House Fire, Where A Person Was Found Dead

Crews from the Los Angeles Fire Department quickly extinguished an Alameda house fire late Wednesday morning, leading them to find a person dead inside the home during their primary search of the blazed area. Just before 11 a.m., 30 firefighters were able to extinguish the fire in 35 minutes. The fire ignited from a room in the back of a house in the 1200 block of E. 35th Street, according to LAFD. LAFD Arson is assisting in the investigation, per protocol. 

CBS 2

LA City Council Moves To End COVID Vaccine Mandate For City Employees

Seeking to align the city of Los Angeles with federal and county vaccination directives, six City Council members Wednesday introduced a motion calling for a plan to end the COVID-19 vaccine mandate for all current and future city employees. Councilwoman Traci Park and Council President Paul Krekorian authored the motion, which instructs the city administrative officer and city attorney to report on the feasibility, impact and timeline of ending the mandate. Council members Heather Hutt, Kevin de Leon, John Lee and Curren Price seconded the motion. "Our action seeks to align city policy with our partners in the federal and county governments, as well as LAUSD. With hospitalization rates remaining low and other COVID-era policies having sunset, we have entered a new phase of our pandemic recovery," Park said in a statement. She added, "We need a uniform strategy that eliminates public uncertainties. The evolving landscape necessitates a review and potential adjustment of our current policies." Krekorian noted the motion continues ongoing discussion in the Executive and Employee Relations Committee and negotiations with unions representing city employees. "A well-considered plan for lifting the mandate will be thoroughly discussed in council, as it should be," Krekorian said.

FOX 11

Robotaxis In LA: Councilman Calls For Regulations As Groups Protest Waymo Expansion

You may have already seen them roaming around Santa Monica or Venice and soon, there will be more "robotaxis" available for use in the Los Angeles area. The expansion, however, is being met with some fierce opposition, mainly from those concerned about safety. "Anybody who knows Los Angeles knows that the freeways are not the place to bring these wreckless robotaxis," said Secretary-Treasurer of Teamsters Local 399 Lindsay Dougherty in a statement. On Tuesday, unions held a rally outside of Google's headquarters on Main Street, protesting the recent expansion of Waymo's autonomous ride-hailing service. Waymo, formerly known as the Google self-driving car project, recently announced a tour that will give Angelenos a chance take free, fully autonomous rides for a limited time ahead of a wider service launch. 

ABC 7

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.