Law Enforcement News

Riderless Horse In Rose Parade Honors Slain California Deputy
Amid the pop performances and pageantry of the Rose Parade on Monday, Jan. 2, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department Mounted Enforcement Detail walked the parade route with a riderless horse — a solemn tribute to the department’s Deputy Isaiah Cordero, who was shot and killed last week during a traffic stop. The shooting of the 32-year-old deputy has rippled through law enforcement in the days since, as his story — that of an up-and-coming young motorcycle deputy surrounded by fellow deputies who consider him “their little brother” — spread across the region. He was shot and killed Thursday, Dec. 29, after pulling over a pickup just before 2 p.m. in Jurupa Valley. As he approached the vehicle, the driver pulled a gun and shot him, authorities said. The driver, identified as 44-year-old William Shae McKay, was shot and killed in Norco at the end of a massive pursuit through the Inland Empire.
LA Daily News

Police Commission To Delay Vote On LAPD Chief’s Request For Reappointment
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has tapped the brakes a bit on Police Chief Michel Moore’s bid for another term, securing a delay in a vote by the Board of Police Commissioners on his request for reappointment. Commission President William J. Briggs II said in a statement Friday that the board will still discuss Moore’s request for a second five-year term at its Jan. 10 meeting, which was announced earlier this week. However, the commission no longer plans to cast a vote on Moore’s reappointment during that session. “Mayor Bass wants the chief to be discussed at the January 10 meeting,” Briggs said. “The vote will be taken at a later date.” Moore submitted a letter seeking a second and final term on Monday. A day later, Briggs announced his panel was planning a Jan. 10 up-or-down vote on Moore’s request, prompting some to argue that the decision was being rushed.
LA Times

Los Angeles Prosecutor Pens Scathing Exit Letter To Progressive DA George Gascón: ‘Managerial Dumpster Fire’
A veteran Los Angeles County prosecutor scolded his boss Thursday, saying his progressive reforms and management style have alienated his colleagues and turned the nation's largest district attorney's office into a "managerial dumpster fire." In a lengthy letter to District Attorney George Gascón and his top aides, prosecutor Mark Burnley aired a number of grievances on his last day with the office. Burnley said he has been with the DA's office since 1999 and a prosecutor for 28 years. "Until December 2020, I thought I had the best job in the world," Burnley wrote, referring to when Gascón took office after unseating incumbent DA Jackie Lacey, in a letter obtained by Fox News Digital. "I am constantly amazed by the expertise and knowledge of the DDAs in this office. They are deeply devoted and have a breathtaking amount of experience. It’s a shame you cannot or will not recognize that." In his letter, Burnley said he was told by a member of Gascón's transition team before he took office that there would not be any "dramatic" policy changes. The morning before he was sworn in as the county's top prosecutor, Burnley was informed otherwise, he said. "Many of us hoped, like Mark Burnley, that George Gascón could run a government office. He made it clear, from the first minute of his administration, that he could not," Eric Siddall, vice president of the Association of Deputy District Attorneys for Los Angeles County, told Fox News Digital in a statement.
FOX 11

1 Killed In Shooting Outside 7-Eleven In Lincoln Heights
Police are investigating a fatal shooting that took place in the parking lot of a 7-Eleven in Lincoln Heights on Sunday. According to Los Angeles Police Department, the shooting happened at around 4:20 p.m. at the convenience store located on Mission Road and Selig Place. The circumstances leading up to the shooting were not immediately known. Homicide investigators were called to the scene after officers learned that one person had been fatally shot. It was unclear whether they were pronounced dead at the scene or hospitalized as a result of the shooting. Authorities provided no further information.
CBS 2

Man Found Dead In Canoga Park Alley Sunday Morning, LAPD Says
A man was found dead in an alley in Canoga Park, LAPD officials said Monday, Jan. 2 Someone discovered the body face down in an alley about 9 a.m. Sunday near the east side of Topanga Canyon Boulevard, north of Schoenborn Street, the Los Angeles Police Department said. The man was described as possibly Latino and about 50 to 60 years old. A cause of death was not immediately known. The LAPD’s Valley Traffic Division urged anyone with any information regarding the death to call them at 818-644-8114 or 877-527-3247. Anyone wishing to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477.
LA Daily News

Felon Charged With Murder In Shooting Death Of USC Security Guard
A 31-year-old felon was charged Friday with murder in the shooting death of a USC security guard earlier this week at a private student housing complex near the university. Alexader Crawford is facing one count of murder and one count of possession of a firearm by a felon, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office announced Friday. Arraignment details were not immediately known. The shooting was reported just before 12:47 a.m. Wednesday at the Lorenzo complex in the 300 block of West Adams Boulevard, about a half-mile from the main USC campus. Upon their arrival, Los Angeles Police Department officers found the guard -- identified by the D.A.'s office as Jave Garanganao -- suffering from gunshot wounds, Officer Rosario Cervantes told City News Service. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene. The coroner's office said he was in his 40s.
FOX 11

2 Suspects Arrested, Charged In Murder Of Rapper Half Ounce In Koreatown
Two men have been arrested and charged with the fatal shooting of a rapper and father of three in Koreatown in October. The victim, 33-year-old Latauriisha O'Brien, went by the rap name Half Ounce. An Inglewood resident, he was fatally shot on the night of Oct. 3 in the Koreatown section of Los Angeles. On Friday, the Los Angeles Police Department announced that two suspects had been arrested for murder earlier this week at separate locations in Long Beach. The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office filed murder charges on Thursday. The two suspects were identified as Anthony King and Dennis Risinger, with no age or city of residence disclosed in an LAPD statement. Half Ounce was a father to three children, between the ages of 8 years and 9 months, and his wife was expecting another, family members told Eyewitness News. Besides his rap career, he worked for UPS.
ABC 7

Hit-and-Run Driver Kills Pedestrian Walking In Chatsworth Alley
A man was killed in the Chatsworth area when he was struck by a hit-and-run vehicle while walking in an alley. The crash occurred at 8:30 a.m. Sunday around the 8400 block of Topanga Canyon Boulevard, Los Angeles Police Officer Matthew Cruz told City News Service. The westbound vehicle struck the man, said to be in his 50s, and fled the scene, Cruz said. Paramedics pronounced the man dead at the scene.
MyNewsLA

French Bulldog Snatched During Walk On LA’s Westside, Police Say
A French bulldog was nabbed Wednesday night while on a walk with its owner on the Westside of Los Angeles, authorities said — the latest in a rash of at-times violent robberies targeting the popular breed, which can fetch a high price on the black market. The woman who owned the dog told police she was on a walk in the 8000 block of Cashio Street around 9:15 pm when a male suspect began to tug on the leash from behind, according to a statement released by the Los Angeles Police Department. The woman and man began to struggle, at which point a second man pushed her to the ground and helped wrestle the dog away, police said. One of the men allegedly pointed a handgun at a bystander who tried to intervene, according to authorities. The two suspects then fled with the dog in a dark-colored van. The dog was described as a reverse brindle: blue and gray in color with a white chest.
Miami Herald

How Will California’s New Laws Affect You?
The U.S. Supreme Court decision to strike down the landmark federal abortion rights case Roe vs. Wade led to a flurry of new laws in California, even though abortion rights already are solidly protected in the state. Still, 2022 proved to be a fairly measured year when it comes to the number of bills approved by the California Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom, perhaps a continuation of the COVID-19 pandemic lull in recent years. The Legislature sent 1,166 bills to Newsom for consideration in 2022. He signed 997 into law and vetoed 169. By comparison, California enacted 1,821 new laws in 1971, when Gov. Ronald Reagan was governor. The Times’ list highlights a few dozen noteworthy new laws for 2023, including several that were approved years earlier but are only taking effect now. Most of those listed take effect on New Year’s Day. As in years past, the list mostly reflects the interests of the Democrats who hold a supermajority of seats in both the state Senate and Assembly.
LA Times

Suspect In Deaths Of Idaho Students Arrested In Pennsylvania
Authorities in Pennsylvania arrested a suspect in the killings of four University of Idaho students who were found stabbed to death in their beds more than a month ago, local Police Chief James Fry said Friday. The killings initially mystified law enforcement and shook the small town of Moscow, Idaho, a farming community of about 25,000 people that had not had a murder for five years. Fears of a repeat attack prompted nearly half of the University of Idaho's over 11,000 students to leave the city and switch to online classes. Bryan Christopher Kohberger, 28, was arrested early Friday morning by the Pennsylvania State Police at a home in Chestnuthill Township, authorities said. Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson said investigators believe Kohberger broke into the students' home “with the intent to commit murder.”
PoliceOne

Gun Violence In 2022, By The Numbers
Data can help us understand the contours of a gun violence crisis that kills thousands of people a year and injures — both physically and mentally — tens of thousands more. This year showed that the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is still with us: gun deaths remain at near-record levels as communities across the country continue to struggle with both gun homicides and suicides. But 2022 was also a banner year for firearms law: Congress passed the first gun reform law in decades against the backdrop of a landmark Supreme Court ruling that expanded gun rights.. Here are some numbers that stood out to us in 2022. 20,138: The estimated number of firearm deaths, excluding suicides, in 2022. The number of gun deaths excluding suicides in 2022 declined slightly compared to 2021, a year that saw the most gun deaths on record. This total, tracked by the nonprofit Gun Violence Archive since 2014, includes murders, accidental shootings, and other homicides that law enforcement deemed legally justified. Preliminary data from the Centers for Disease Control also showed more than 48,000 firearm homicides and suicides in 2021 for the first time. The age-adjusted gun death rate of 14.8 per 100,000 people was the highest since 1993, a high-water mark for American gun violence.
The Trace

Public Safety News

Firefighters Knock Down Structure Fire In Huntington Park
Crews with the Los Angeles County Fire Department extinguished a three-alarm fire in Huntington Park Sunday afternoon. The blaze was in a three-story commercial structure located at 2700 E. Slauson Avenue, officials said. When firefighters arrived on the scene, at around 1:40 p.m., the second and third floors of the building were fully engulfed in flames and the roof had partially collapsed, forcing first responders to take a defensive position. Crews were able to get the blaze under control in a little less than three hours, and were expected to remain on the scene through the evening for fire watch, authorities said. No injuries were reported.
KTLA 5

HAZMAT Called To DTLA Blaze After Hand Sanitizer Pallet Boxes Catch Fire
Hazardous Materials Management (HAZMAT) crews were sent to downtown Los Angeles after a pile of pallet boxes containing hand sanitizer caught on fire. The fire started around noon Monday in the 100 block of East 16th street. Firefighters, in full personal protective equipment, began using foam to suppress flammable vapors, while limiting overall water usage. Sand was ordered for a damming operation at Paloma Street and 18th Street, towards East Washington Boulevard, according to LAFD spokeswoman Margaret Stewart. The State Water Resources Control Board and County Health Department were notified about the incident, noting that area was being contained by the damming operation to limit any water runoff.
CBS 2

LA County Health Officials Urge 10 Days Of Mask Wearing Following New Year's Eve
Los Angeles County health officials are hoping residents will cooperate with a new plan following New Year's Eve to avoid a steep spike in COVID-19 cases. After a jump in cases and hospitalizations following the Thanksgiving break, L.A. County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer is asking residents to temporarily wear masks indoors when with others. "Ten days of mask wearing as many return to work, in school, can slow transmission, minimize disruptions to work and learning," she said. "Protect those most vulnerable and help make sure hospitals do not become overwhelmed." Ten days is the incubation period of the virus. It's a strategy Ferrer said is also being tried in other large cities such as New York and Boston, but even outdoors, mask wearing at huge celebrations would be a smart move.
ABC 7