Protests Expected During Biden Visit, Prompting LAPD Warning: 'Violence Will Not Be Tolerated'

With President Joe Biden scheduled to visit Los Angeles on Friday, the LAPD has issued a warning about possible protests, saying "Violence of any kind will not be tolerated." The Los Angeles Police Department "is aware of possible first amendment activity in the Los Angeles area over the next few days," the agency said in a statement. "In coordination with the US Secret Service, additional uniformed personnel and other resources will be deployed to ensure the highest level of public safety. The Department will continue to work with any protest organizers to facilitate lawful demonstrations while protecting the safety of all involved including surrounding communities. Violence of any kind will not be tolerated." Biden and first lady Jill Biden will make a fundraising swing through Southern California starting Friday, rubbing elbows with Hollywood's elite to benefit his reelection bid. The White House said the president will be in Los Angeles from Friday to Sunday.

ABC 7

Woman Struck, Killed By Hit-and-Run Driver In Sun Valley

Police are searching for a hit-and-run driver who fled the scene after fatally striking a woman in Sun Valley Thursday night. The incident was reported shortly before 9:45 p.m. near the intersection of Trousdale Street and San Fernando Road. The female pedestrian was struck by a vehicle traveling northbound on San Fernando, a Los Angeles Police Department spokesperson said. The victim, who was believed to be about 50 years old, was pronounced dead at the scene, according to police. It was unclear if she was in a crosswalk at the time of the crash. The driver fled the scene in an unknown direction, police said. No description of the suspect or the vehicle was available.

KTLA 5

Dramatic Videos Show Minivan Fatally Slamming Into Metro Bus After LAPD Chase In Downtown

Police released shocking new surveillance video of a deadly crash in downtown Los Angeles in which a minivan that was trying to get away from police plowed into a Metro bus. The incident happened the morning of Nov. 5 near Main and E. 17th streets, just off the 10 Freeway, according to officials. According to the Los Angeles Police Department, the pursuit started when officers saw a gun being thrown out of a green minivan near Central Avenue and the 10 Freeway. Dashboard camera video, which was posted to LAPD's YouTube page, showed police following the green minivan, which they said had paper plates. The driver pulled into a gas station and then sped onto the 10 Freeway. Shortly after, the minivan exited the freeway, crashing right into the bus. The impact so powerful, it knocked over a passenger who was standing inside the bus, surveillance video showed. The driver, identified as Albert Diaz, and the front passenger of the van were taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Diaz was later taken into custody. The two rear passengers, who appeared to not have been wearing seatbelts, both died.

ABC 7

Man And Woman Found Dead In Marina Del Rey, Sheriff's Homicide Bureau Seeks Information

A man and a woman were found dead Thursday in Marina del Rey. Deputies from the Marina del Rey Sheriff's Station responded at 11:12 a.m. to the 14000 block of Tahiti Way, near Via Marina, where they found the two bodies, said Lt. Steven De Jong. The man and woman were pronounced dead at the scene. Anyone with information regarding this case was asked to call the Sheriff's Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500. Anonymous callers can call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477 and tips can be sent to lacrimestoppers.org. 

Westside Current

South LA Pimp Who Trafficked Teenage Girls Sentenced To Life In Prison

A South Los Angeles man was sentenced Thursday to life in federal prison for recruiting and enticing teenage girls to work for him as prostitutes. Donavin Bradford, 32, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge John A. Kronstadt, who described the defendant’s actions as “inexcusable” and “horrific.” The judge also ordered Bradford to pay $67,000 in restitution and an additional $900 in special assessments, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Bradford was found guilty in April of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of a minor, three counts of sex trafficking of a minor, three counts of sexual exploitation of a minor for the purpose of producing a sexually explicit visual depiction, one count of possession of child pornography, and one count of sex trafficking through threats of force, fraud or coercion. From the summer of 2021 to February 2022, Bradford conspired with Layla Valdivia, 24, of Ventura, to cause one of the minor victims — a then-15-year-old girl — to be used for prostitution. As the victim’s pimp, Bradford expected the girl to earn $1,000 per night and give it to him.

MyNewsLA

Hunter Biden Charged With Tax Crimes In Los Angeles

Hunter Biden, the president’s son, was indicted Thursday in Los Angeles on several federal tax charges, marking the start of a second criminal case that will proceed during his father’s reelection campaign. Biden, who resides in Malibu, was accused of failing to pay his taxes on time from 2016 to 2019, filing false and fraudulent tax returns in 2018, and tax evasion, according to the 56-page indictment. The charges in the nine-count indictment span a period when Biden was addicted to alcohol and crack cocaine, which he documented in graphic detail in a memoir that dwells on the death of his brother, Beau, along with the grief and depression that consumed him and his family. Biden has since become sober, paid his taxes, along with penalties and interest, and his lawyers are expected to point to his well-publicized addiction to explain his chaotic financial affairs. But prosecutors contend that he “willfully” failed to file and pay his taxes on time, and that rather than pay the IRS, he plunked down cash for a bacchanalia across L.A. featuring “drugs, escorts and girlfriends, luxury hotels and rental properties, exotic cars, clothing, and other items of a personal nature.”

Los Angeles Times

Man Unloading 120 Pounds Of Marijuana Robbed At Gunpoint Outside Culver City Dispensary

Three people are sought in the armed robbery of a man who was unloading about 120 pounds of marijuana outside a Culver City dispensary. The robbery at gunpoint was reported at about 7:30 p.m. Wednesday in the 3700 block of Robertson Boulevard. The victim was unloading the marijuana from a vehicle when he was approached by two people with handguns. One man pointed a gun at the victim as they took the marijuana and left in a car driven by a third person. The men who confronted the victim were described as Black, 20 to 30 years old, and about six feet tall. One man wore dark jeans, a black hoodie with white spots, and black ski mask. The other man wore a white hoodie with dark-colored marks on the upper chest area, light-colored pants with a vertical stripe along the legs, white shoes, and a black ski mask. The getaway car was described as a silver Honda Accord. Anyone with information on the case was urged to call Culver City police at 310- 253-6502.

NBC 4

$25k Reward Offered For Information That Helps Solve Fatal Pasadena Shooting In 2020

A $25,000 reward has been extended for information on the fatal shooting of a man in Pasadena in 2020. Ernesto Jimenez, 27, was fatally shot while walking along the 200 block of Parke Street at around 8 p.m. on Nov. 13, 2020 and authorities are still searching for the alleged gunman, according to the Pasadena Police Department. "More than three years have passed since Ernesto's life violently ended while he was simply strolling to his neighborhood park," said Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger in a statement. "I'm hopeful that this reward will lead to someone stepping forward to provide a critical tip or bit of information to help solve this case”. The Board of Supervisors is offering the reward. "Ernestos' family is heartbroken. They and the Pasadena community at large deserver answers, justice and closure," Barger said. Investigators have not yet been able to determine a motive in the shooting and have never released a description of any possible suspects involved. Anyone with information is urged to contact detectives at (626) 744-4081.

CBS 2

Buying Guns For Criminals: Easy, Illegal And ‘Extremely Difficult’ To Stop

Vainiaku Magic Na’a walked into a Scheels sporting goods store south of Salt Lake City on a September afternoon in 2021. He strode past racks of camping supplies and the indoor Ferris wheel and headed upstairs to the expansive gun section. He picked out a Glock 43 pistol from one of several locked display cases set amid a taxidermied menagerie, according to a federal criminal complaint. He showed the clerk his Utah driver’s license and concealed-carry permit and checked “yes” on the required federal form that asked whether he was purchasing the gun for himself. Then Na’a drove to the nearby home of his uncle Siosifa Lavulavu and handed him the Glock in exchange for the cost of the gun, $529.99, plus his $100 fee for making the buy, the complaint said. Federal prosecutors accused Na’a of buying at least 97 firearms from dealers in the Salt Lake City area between September 2019 and February 2022, each time attesting the guns were for himself. He and his uncle allegedly passed many of these guns along to an Oakland father-and-sons operation that sold them in California. Often, the weapons ended up in criminals’ hands. When Na’a bought the guns, he broke the law by providing false information on a federal form, according to the federal indictment against him.

Los Angeles Times

Hospital Asking For Public’s Help To Identify Man Who Was Hit By Car

A Los Angeles area hospital is asking for the public’s help to identify a patient who has been hospitalized since mid-November after he was hit by a vehicle in Long Beach. The patient, identified by Dignity Health officials as a Hispanic man in his 50s, has no documentation or evidence that could help identify him. The man was found around 11 p.m. on Nov. 18, lying in the roadway at the intersection of Golden Avenue and Pacific Coast Highway. He was transported to Dignity Health St. Mary Medical Center on Linden Avenue, where he remains hospitalized. Officials say he’s about 5 foot 7 inches tall and weighs about 138 pounds. He has brown eyes, brown hair and a brown beard. On his right forearm, he has a tattoo of a rose and the names Guadalupe and Lizbet. On his left forearm, the names Jose and Lizbet again, as well as a tribal circle. Due to patient privacy laws, Dignity is unable to provide any details about the man’s condition. Anyone who may recognize the man is urged to call 562-491-9381.

KTLA 5

Fire In Commercial Building In Pacoima Extinguished In 23 Minutes

A contents fire in a commercial building in Pacoima Thursday evening was knocked down in 23 minutes with no reported injuries. Firefighters arrived at the 12900 block of Branford Street, between the Golden State (5) Freeway and Laurel Canyon Boulevard, around 6:55 p.m. Thursday to a report regarding a structure fire burning from a unit with visible moderate smoke, according to Los Angeles Fire Department spokeswoman Margaret Stewart. The first arriving firefighters made an offensive attack, preventing the fire from extending into the adjacent units, Stewart said. It was unclear what sparked the fire, and the cause was under investigation.

MyNewsLA

Windy Weekend To Bring Dangerous Fire Conditions To Southern California

A windy forecast combined with dry conditions has fire officials on alert this weekend. Gusty overnight winds in many Los Angeles and Ventura County areas will temporarily calm down late Friday morning but are expected to return as Santa Ana winds Friday night. Wind advisories are in place until 10 a.m. Friday morning in the San Fernando Valley and until 7 p.m. in the San Gabriel Mountains, according to the National Weather Service. Those advisories will turn into high wind warnings for both areas when the Santa Anas arrive Friday evening, according to the Weather Service. The windy weather is then expected to continue into early next week along with warming temperatures. “Sunday is the big warmup,” KTLA meteorologist Henry DiCarlo said. The strong winds will combine with low relative humidities to bring an elevated fire risk to the region. A fire weather watch is in effect from Saturday morning through Sunday morning for to coasts and valleys of Los Angeles and Ventura counties, as well as for the Inland Empire.

KTLA 5

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.