San Pedro Shooting Suspect Wounded By His Own Gun: LAPD

A suspect wanted in a beach shooting in San Pedro was arrested days after the shooting, and police say he was one of the people who was shot. Five people were shot in an altercation at Royal Palms Beach at 1800 W. Paseo Del Mar at about 5:45 p.m. on Saturday, March 4. Three were hospitalized in stable condition, and a fourth remained in critical condition as of March 21, according to the LAPD. Police said a fifth victim self-transported to a local hospital and was treated for multiple gunshot wounds. The beach was closed for two days after the shooting. On March 9 at about 9:36 p.m., Jose Ortega, 22, was arrested in Orange County. Ortega was charged with four counts of attempted murder, four counts of assault with a deadly weapon, and one count of discharging a firearm at an inhabited dwelling or vehicle. Ortega was held on $1 million bond. In a news conference Wednesday, police said the fifth shooting victim who self-transported is the shooting suspect.

CBS 2

Fatal Collision Leaves One Dead On 110 Freeway In Downtown LA

A person was found fatally struck on the southbound 110 Freeway in downtown LA Wednesday. CHP officers were called just after 2 a.m. to the 110 Freeway near Olympic Boulevard and 7th Street where they found a person who has been struck by multiple vehicles. First responders pronounced the person dead at the scene. The CHP issued a SigAlert as the four left lanes will be blocked for a few hours as authorities investigate the scene. The incident has caused severe traffic backups all the way to the 101 Freeway. The identity of the person is unknown and it is not clear if they were a pedestrian. 

NBC 4

Catalytic Converter Thieves In L.A. Could Soon Face Jail Time, $1,000 In Fines

The theft of catalytic converters from automobiles has been on the rise in the past year and now the Los Angeles City Council is proposing new stiffer penalties for thieves, including a punishment for anyone in possession of a stolen converter. Catalytic converter thieves could face up to $1,000 in fines or up to six months in jail under a Los Angeles City Council ordinance. Current penalties for stealing the car part include petty theft, which can be charged as a misdemeanor, or grand theft, which can be charged as a felony. Police say it’s difficult to hold suspected thieves accountable because they cannot always prove that a person in possession of a stolen car part had some role in the theft, according to Los Angeles City Councilman John Lee who introduced a draft ordinance Tuesday with the proposed new law. The catalytic converter, an exhaust emission control device typically found in the undercarriage of a vehicle, contains precious metals like rhodium, palladium and platinum. Catalytic converters can sell for anywhere between $300 and $1,200 and cost vehicle owners thousands in vehicle repairs, according to Lee’s motion.

Los Angeles Times

Suspect Arrested After Attacking, Robbing Man Outside Of Meat Market In San Fernando

A suspect who was caught on video attacking and robbing a man outside a meat market in San Fernando has been arrested, police announced. Edgar Flores, 31, was arrested on March 20, just days after committing a violent robbery outside Ziggy's Market, San Fernando Police reported. Video shows Flores approaching a 69-year-old man and attempting to remove a bag from his hand. The victim resisted, that's when Flores became violent and started attacking the man, rendering him unconscious. Employees of the market rushed out to help and chased the suspect away. Flores was booked at the San Fernando Police Department for robbery, assault with a deadly weapon, elder abuse, resisting arrest, and an outstanding parole warrant.  

FOX 11

Suspect Arrested In Culver City Carjacking; Second Suspect Sought

A suspect in a recent armed carjacking in Culver City has been arrested and an accomplice was being sought Wednesday, police said. The crime occurred on Saturday at about 7:25 p.m. near Blanco Park, in the 5800 block of Sawtelle Boulevard, according to the Culver City Police Department. "The victim had been dragged alongside the vehicle as the suspects drove away," police said in a statement. The 65-year-old Culver City resident was treated at a hospital for injuries that were not life-threatening, police said. The suspects were described as males about 20 years old, one of whom was armed with a handgun. "CCPD detectives tirelessly conducted their follow-up investigation and identified one of the two suspects involved," police said. On Monday, detectives conducted a surveillance operation in a Los Angeles neighborhood near the crime scene "and observed the identified juvenile suspect driving the victim's stolen vehicle," police said. "The juvenile suspect was ultimately taken into custody and transported to Juvenile Hall. The investigation is still ongoing." The suspect's name was not released. Anyone with information on the case was urged to call Detective Ivan Hernandez at 310-253-6306 or the watch commander at 310-253-6202.

Westside Current

California Man Arrested 10 Times In 31 Days

California authorities said they have become "very familiar" with one man after they've arrested him 10 times in the last 31 days. 38-year-old Keith Chastain of Fresno was last taken into custody Tuesday morning after Clovis Police received a call about a stolen truck Chastain was suspected of driving. "An observant officer located the stolen truck driving in Old Town Clovis and followed it until additional officers were in the area," officers said in a news release. Authorities initiated a high-risk traffic stop before taking Chastain into custody without incident. Investigators said he was the only person in the truck and was on his way to pick up personal property from the police department when they arrested him. Of the 10 arrests, Clovis Police said they've arrested him six times and other agencies arrested him the remaining four. Authorities did not explain why Chastain was freed after each arrest. Right now, Chastain is facing 18 felonies and 15 misdemeanors from those arrests and charges include stealing 6 vehicles, DUI, vandalism, fraud, possession of a controlled substance, and more.

FOX 11

'You Were Caught On Scene Red-Handed': Judge Denies Bail For Accused Killer Of Chicago Officer

An attorney for an 18-year-old man accused of shooting and killing a Chicago police officer earlier this month asked a judge Wednesday to set a reasonable bail, arguing that he didn’t intend to kill a police officer and worked as a mentor to kids at a community center. Cook County Judge Ankur Srivastava, though, agreed with a previous judge’s ruling and held Steven Montano, 18, without bail in the slaying of Officer Andrés Mauricio Vásquez Lasso on March 1. Montano is charged with first-degree murder, two gun-related felonies and misdemeanor counts of interfering with a report of domestic violence. Prosecutors alleged that Montano shot and killed Vásquez Lasso after officers responded to domestic disturbance at his home in the 5200 block of South Spaulding Avenue in the Gage Park neighborhood. The charges were superseded by a grand jury indictment, and his case was referred to the chief judge’s office for assignment to a trial judge. “This is an incredibly tragic case,” said Julie Koehler, Montano’s public defender.

Chicago Tribune

Video: Suspect Fights And Pulls Gun On Dallas Officers During Arrest Struggle

The Dallas Police Department released body-camera footage Wednesday of a shooting that left a suspect in critical but stable condition Sunday night. At about 7 p.m. Sunday, Senior Cpl. Matthew McLain and Officer Kimberley Esquivel were patrolling the 1900 block of Bennett Avenue when they found Hernanl Gutierrez, 35, in the back parking lot of an apartment building, police said at a news conference Wednesday. Gutierrez was “known to them with prior criminal mischief and burglary of motor vehicle offenses,” police said. The bodycam video released by police shows McLain entering an apartment complex and walking out to the back of the building at 7:04 p.m. McLain is heard in the video asking if Gutierrez was breaking into a vehicle and ordering him to put his hands up. McLain called for backup, according to Chief of Police Eddie Garcia. Police said that Gutierrez was uncooperative, and the video shows a struggle ensued. He was ordered to get on the ground, and McLain used his Taser, but it was not effective, according to police.

Fort Worth Star-Telegram

1 Critically Injured During Greater Alarm Fire At Commercial Building In Lincoln Heights

Firefighters are engaged with a fire burning at a commercial building in Lincoln Heights. The blaze was first reported at around 8:30 p.m., at a structure located in the 1700 block of N. Main Street. With Sky-CAL overhead, large flames and smoke could be seen escaping from the roof of the building, which is possibly a movie studio, according to a statement from Los Angeles Fire Department. Crews could be seen working on the roof as they attempted to release the smoke and flames. Two additional task forces were requested for assistance, LAFD said. "They made it about halfway into the structure without yet locating the fire," a statement said, noting that they were working to assess the situation under "zero visibility conditions" from the address-side of the building. Access to the rear of the building was delayed by vehicles surrounding the structure. After crews were able to enter through that side, they spotted the flames and were able to "extinguish the bulk of the fire, which was primarily on a mezzanine."

CBS 2

LA County’s COVID Hospitalizations Continue To Decline

Los Angeles County’s coronavirus numbers continued to trend in an encouraging direction, according to the latest data released by the state and the county health department. State figures Wednesday showed 435 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in the county — down from 441 Tuesday and 447 on Monday. Of those patients, 40 were being treated in intensive care, down from 44 Tuesday and 48 Monday. The statewide total of COVID-positive hospital patients stood at 1,892 Wednesday, down from Tuesday’s 1,938 and Monday’s 1,931 after falling below 2,000 at the end of last week for the first time since November. Some patients were admitted for other reasons and learned they had COVID after a mandated test.

MyNewsLA

Death Toll Rises To 5 In Wild California Storms As Officials Assess Damage, Warn Of Flood Risk

Heavy rain and damaging winds gradually subsided Wednesday as one of the wildest storms of the season made its exit from the Golden State, leaving at least five people dead and others critically injured as it felled trees, knocked out power, and threatened additional flooding in the Central Valley. The San Francisco Bay Area and Central Valley suffered the most damage and loss. San Jose resident Jesus Cruz Diaz, 29, was killed after a tree fell on his vehicle in Portola Valley, according to the San Mateo County coroner’s office. Walnut resident Thomas Huster, 79, was killed when a large tree fell on his car in Walnut Creek, the Contra Costa County coroner’s office said. In Oakland, a man who has not yet been identified was pronounced dead Tuesday night after a tree fell on the tent he was in near Lake Merritt. An exact cause of death has not yet been determined, but officials presume he died of either blunt force or suffocation.

Los Angeles Times

City Council Approves Amendment Increasing Access To House For Veterans

A motion that would allow more veterans to live in housing built as result of the passage of the 2016 bond measure Proposition HHH was approved Wednesday by the Los Angeles City Council. The motion by council members Traci Park and Katy Yaroslavsky addresses a bureaucratic obstacle that had disqualified certain veterans, in spite of being homeless, from receiving housing as a result of their benefits exceeding the income restrictions for certain units. “This is a significant step towards ensuring our veterans have access to the support they need and deserve,” Park said in a statement. ”This change fills a critical gap, ensuring that senior veterans who are currently living in tiny homes in our district will move into housing because of this amendment.” By increasing income limits to account for veteran benefits, Wednesday’s City Council action will allow more veterans to access needed housing and services.

MyNewsLA

City Council Moves Two Motions Forward Addressing RV Homelessness

The Los Angeles City Council unanimously approved two separate but complementary motions Wednesday aimed to reduce recreational vehicle homelessness throughout the city. The first motion, presented by Councilwoman Nithya Raman, directed several city departments to report back within 60 days with a comprehensive city-wide rehousing strategy for people experiencing RV homelessness. The motion instructed staff to include in their strategy a way to identify and secure appropriate interim shelter and housing for people living in RVs; creation of incentives for voluntary relinquishment of RVs used as dwellings; expanding safe parking programs; and necessary budgetary and staffing resources. According to Raman, for years the city's response to vehicular homelessness, particularly RVs, has been reactive and not one focused on resolving homelessness. 

Westside Current

About the LAPPL: Formed in 1923, the Los Angeles Police Protective League (LAPPL) represents more than 9,200 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.