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Daily Local & Regional NewsWatch
LA Police Protective League

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Los Angeles
Police Protective League
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the union that represents the
rank and file LAPD officers

  Daily Local & Regional NewsWatch

Daily News Digest
from LA Police Protective League

April 18, 2017
 

Law Enforcement News

Man Shot Across The Street From LAPD Station In South L.A.
Police on Monday were attempting to identify suspects after a man was found shot near the Los Angeles Police Department station on 77th Street in South L.A., authorities said. Officers were notified of the incident in the 7600 block of South Broadway at 4:12 p.m., LAPD Officer Tony Im said. Responding officers found a man suffering from a gunshot wound, Im said. He was conscious and breathing at the scene and was later confirmed to be in stable condition, according to police. The victim's identity was not known. Three men were eventually detained, but no arrests were made, according to LAPD Officer Liliana Preciado. 
KTLA 5
Dead Body Found In Car In Westlake District
A body was found today inside a vehicle in the Westlake District. The body was reported at 2:10 a.m. in the 300 block of South Westlake Avenue, said Officer Irma Mota of the Los Angeles Police Department's Media Relations Division. It appeared the vehicle had been towed to that location, but it wasn't immediately clear if the deceased was the one who towed it, Mota said. Homicide investigators were summoned to the scene to determine the cause of death of the person, whose age and gender were not immediately reported. The area was blocked off by police for the investigation. 
Los Angeles Daily News
$50K Offered For Information Leading To Suspect In Sylmar Killing
Police on Sunday were offering a reward for anyone who knows where to find the ex-boyfriend of a mother gunned down on her way to work in Sylmar. Eloise Elizarraraz's heartbroken family struggles to find the words as the hunt continues for her former boyfriend, believed to be her alleged killer. The 34-year-old was on her way to her first day at a new job on Jan. 7 when she was gunned down in her car near Harding Street to Tripoli Avenue. The car ended up on the sidewalk with the window shattered. A good Samaritan tried desperately to save the mother of three. "She was in the car. I couldn't see her because she was leaned over in her seat, so I opened the door and my dad came out and I told him, 'call 911,'" said Brittney Irving, who found Eloise that day. 
ABC 7
Police Seeking Man Wanted For 7 Smash-And-Grab Burglaries In Studio City
Nick Tsaturyan has security video at his Reno's Pizzeria and Restaurant in Studio City that shows a man giving a series of mule kicks to the glass door to smash it open. Cameras also captured the man slamming the cash register three times before the machine opened up. “He comes here and takes the cash register, bam, one time, two time, third time, open,” Tsaturyan said. Police also say the same man broke into a women's boutique, where he made off with a handful of pricey purses in less than a minute. A camera was also rolling on the man at a massage parlor where he kicked the door and went straight to the cash box, police say. Veronica Mattar showed CBS2's Jeff Nguyen the damage done to her salon after he bashed in a glass door.
CBS 2
Registered Sex Offender Arrested For Allegedly Sexually Assaulting Woman
A 32-year-old registered sex offender with a lengthy criminal record was arrested Monday for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman he approached in the Valley Glen area, police said. Enefiok Edem was arrested about 10:30 a.m. The assault occurred about noon Sunday, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Edem approached the victim, who was standing near a bus bench at the intersection of Woodman Avenue and Oxnard Street after getting off the Orange Line, police said. Edem offered the victim a ride, which she initially refused, but ultimately accepted, according to the LAPD. "The suspect told the victim that he could drive her to her friend's house, but that he first needed to make a stop," according to a police statement. "Edem then drove the victim to a secluded area where the victim tried to escape. Edem physically assaulted the victim and then sexually assaulted her." 
NBC 4

Transient Suspected In North Hollywood Doughnut Shop Altercation
A transient suspected of fighting with a Yum Yum Donuts employee in North Hollywood was taken into custody early Tuesday after a two-hour manhunt. The apparent altercation was first reported at about 2:30 a.m. as a possible robbery or attempted robbery at the doughnut shop, 11699 W. Magnolia Blvd. The suspect went into the store several times throughout the night and eventually got into a fight with the employee and had an unknown weapon at one point, police said. The suspect was reported to be injured from the fight, but the extent of those injuries were not known. The LAPD closed off several surrounding streets to look for the suspect, who was eventually found by a K9 officer at Colgate and Magnolia. 
CBS 2
4 LA County Social Workers Plead Not Guilty In Death Of 8-Year-Old Palmdale Boy Four social workers charged in connection with the beating and torture death of an 8-year-old Palmdale boy pleaded not guilty on Monday. Former social workers Stefanie Rodriguez and Patricia Clement, and their supervisors, Kevin Bom and Gregory Merritt, pleaded not guilty to one count each of child abuse and falsifying public records, both felonies, in connection with the death of Gabriel Fernandez. Gabriel Fernandez, who prosecutors said was the victim of repeated abuse, suffered a fractured skull, several broken ribs and had been shot with a BB gun. He was declared dead on May 24, 2013. Prosecutors said Rodriguez and Clement falsified reports that should have documented signs of Gabriel Fernandez's extensive abuse. 
ABC 7
Conviction, Death Sentence Upheld In 2000 Van Nuys Killing
The California Supreme Court today upheld a man's conviction and death sentence for murdering his ex-girlfriend to keep her from pursuing a rape case against him. The state's highest court unanimously affirmed Ruben Becerrada's September 2008 conviction for the March 4, 2000, stabbing and strangulation of Maria Arevalo, 22, of Arleta. Her body was found in the trunk of her car in the parking lot of a Van Nuys apartment complex, where Becerrada had lived in 1994 and 1995. Deputy District Attorney Beth Silverman told jurors that the defendant killed his ex-girlfriend “to get rid of her because she was the sole witness against him” in the rape case. Becerrada was sentenced to death in February 2009 after maintaining that he was “innocent of rape.” Reading from a statement written on pages from a legal pad, Becerrada said that he and Arevalo had gotten into an argument, and she “told this far- out story” alleging that she had been raped.
Los Angeles Daily News
Videos Show Desperation Of Suspect In Facebook Video Killing
The suspect in the random killing of a retiree posted on Facebook made his living mentoring teens in Cleveland, but his life appeared to be unraveling under the weight of gambling debts and trouble with his girlfriend Rambling videos he shared showed his despair, saying he was out of options and wanted to kill as many innocent people as he could.
Associated Press

Ariz. Governor Signs Bill Protecting Off-Duty Police Officers
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey has signed legislation adding tougher sentences for assaults on off-duty law enforcement officers. Ducey signed the legislation Monday after heated debates arose over it in the Legislature. The governor said in a written statement the legislation "sends the clear message that Arizona stands firmly with its men and women in uniform." The "Blue Lives Matter" law drew criticism from Democratic lawmakers who called it an affront to the "Black Lives Matter" movement that protests police killings of black people and racial profiling. Republican backers say even off-duty officers deserve higher protections. Prosecutors would have to show the assault was motivated by the officer's employment. Assaulting an on-duty officer or an off-duty officer acting in a law enforcement role already draws a harsher sentence.
Associated Press
SEC sues company accused of 'duping' Texas police group out of $1M
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is suing the developer of the stalled $4.4 million Fort Worth Police Officers Association headquarters for operating a multi-million-dollar fraud scheme in seven states and Canada. In the lawsuit filed by SEC in Fort Worth federal court Thursday the agency contends that since 2014 4D Circle raised at least $9 million from more than 50 investors and also defrauded the POA out of $1 million through its agreement to build a five-story, 30,000-square-foot building in downtown Fort Worth.
Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Local Government News

Candidate's Endorsement Agreement With A Former Rival Draws Complaints In L.A. City Council Race
Los Angeles City Council candidates in tight races frequently seek endorsements from former rivals to broaden their base of support. But an endorsement agreement in the Council District 1 race in northeast Los Angeles is drawing complaints. Candidate and bike activist Joe Bray-Ali signed an endorsement pledge last month with Jesse Rosas, a Highland Park resident who ran in the primary election, but was not among the top two vote-getters. Bray-Ali, who faces City Councilman Gil Cedillo in the May 16 runoff, agreed to three stipulations in exchange for Rosas' backing, including “no [bicycle] lanes on Figueroa St without community consensus,” the agreement says. 
Los Angeles Times
L.A. County Seeks To Strengthen The Safety Net For Its Neediest Residents With Funding For The Homeless, Social Workers And Healthcare
Los Angeles County pressed forward with an effort to strengthen the safety net for its most vulnerable residents Monday with a budget plan that carves out significant allotments for social services, healthcare and other support for the poor. The proposed budget is a slight increase from last year, and officials said they are trying to channel some of that money toward helping those who rely on county government for critical services. The total recommended budget for fiscal year 2017-2018, which begins July 1, is $30.02 billion, an increase of $137 million, or 0.5%, over last year's budget. More than $600 million will go toward reducing and preventing homelessness, hiring new social workers, improving foster care, treating the county's sickest patients and diverting individuals with mental illness from jail.
Los Angeles Times

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About the LAPPL Formed in 1923, the Los Angeles Police Protective League (LAPPL) represents the more than 9,900 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. The LAPPL can be found on the Web at:

www.LAPD.com


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