LACP.org
..
Daily Local & Regional NewsWatch
LA Police Protective League

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
.
 

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

  Daily Local & Regional NewsWatch

Daily News Digest
from LA Police Protective League

May 31, 2019
Law Enforcement News

Jury Recommends Death Penalty In Ambush Killing Of Palm Springs Police Officers
A jury Thursday recommended death for a man convicted of killing two Palm Springs police officers and wounding six others in an ambush-style attack in 2016. The same jury that convicted 28-year-old John Hernandez Felix of murder and attempted murder earlier this month recommended capital punishment, according to the Riverside County district attorney's office. He'll be sentenced by a judge on Aug. 30. Officers Lesley Zerebny and Jose “Gil” Vega were killed responding to a call about domestic violence at the home of Felix's mother on Oct. 8, 2016. Prosecutors said Felix opened fire with an AR-15 rifle. Six other officers were wounded as police and Felix exchanged gunfire. Felix was arrested after a lengthy standoff. “We are gratified with the jury's verdict and this represents a step toward justice for these two fallen officers,” Dist. Atty. Mike Hestrin said in a statement Thursday.
Los Angeles Times

State Fines LAPD for Unsafe Conditions at Station Where Officer Was Infected With Bacteria
State officials fined the city of Los Angeles more than $5,000 for health and safety violations at the LAPD's Central Station, where at least one officer was recently infected with salmonella typhi, the bacteria that causes typhoid fever. CAL-OSHA inspection records obtained by the NBC4 I-Team said, "employees were exposed to unsanitary conditions" and "an unsanitary workplace." Inspectors also reported the air conditioning system was improperly maintained, extension cords were being used instead of permanent wiring, and the LAPD had not provided employees with information on infectious diseases.
NBC 4

Dr. Drew Midday Live with Leeann Tweeden
LAPPL Director Robert Harris joins Dr. Drew and Leann Tweeden to discuss the current state of health conditions at LAPD Central Station and the Skid Row area.
Dr. Drew Segment 1

Dr. Drew Segment 2

3 Illinois LEOs Wounded, 2 People Dead In Hostage Situation, Shootout
Authorities on Tuesday identified two people who died Monday in a shootout that took place after police responded to a hostage situation at a burning home in Joliet. The Will County coroner's office Tuesday identified the deceased as Kimiki Truss, 43, of Joliet, and Nakia Smith, 44, of Joliet. Both suffered multiple gunshot wounds. Officials Monday had only confirmed one fatality. Three officers also were taken to the hospital for non-life threatening injuries, according to a news release from the Will County sheriff's office. One of the officers was treated for a graze wound to his arm, Will County Sheriff Lt. Dan Troike said. Shortly after 4 a.m. Monday, Joliet police were called to Truss' home in the 1200 block of Justice Lake Drive after she contacted a third party to tell them she needed help, Troike said. When police arrived, they found Truss' home on fire and as they entered through the front door they encountered gunfire from Smith, who was standing near the entryway, Troike said.
Chicago Tribune

LAPD Patrol Vehicle Rams Stolen SUV, Bringing Chase To End In South Park

A suspect in a South Los Angeles area chase was taken into custody Thursday afternoon after a police vehicle rammed the stolen SUV he was driving — bringing the pursuit to an end. Officers started following the red Kia Sorrento near South Hoover and West 54th streets in Vermont Square earlier in the afternoon, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Around 2:30 p.m., the chase ended when the SUV was pinned against a curb by an LAPD patrol vehicle near West 54th Street and South Broadway in South Park. Sky5 was over the scene as the driver could be seen climbing out of the partially crushed SUV and being taken into custody shortly after. He has not been identified by authorities.
KTLA 5

Alleged Victim Faces Dating Scam Defendant From Woodland Hills In Court
While his alleged victims were looking for love, Wilson Edward Jackson had a passion for cash, according to the district attorney's latest complaint. Jackson is accused of scamming women across the country who met up with him for a possible relationship. When they were asleep or not looking, prosecutors say, he would steal their cash, credit card information and other assets. The number of charges against the 37-year old have grown to 21 felony counts including auto theft, identity theft and forgery. Ten victims are named on the complaint but the lead detective says 20 other women have come forward since LAPD publicized Jackson's arrest. Investigators say Jackson trolled social media, targeting particular women across the country who were single, attractive and earning a paycheck. After a single date with Jackson at his Woodland Hills apartment, Acacia Oudinot from Scottsdale, Ariz. had $6,000 drained from her bank account. Since then she has uncovered other victims and is sharing her information with LAPD.
ABC 7

Woman Charged With Stabbing Boyfriend To Death At Their Lake Los Angeles Home
A Lancaster woman has been charged with stabbing her boyfriend to death at their Lake Los Angeles home last month, prosecutors announced Thursday. Melissa Buranasombati is accused of stabbing Edward Cole, 31, in the chest and killing him on April 9, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office. He was pronounced dead at a hospital, coroner's records show. Buranasombati, 31, is being held at Century Regional Detention Facility in Lynwood on $2,075,000 bail, inmate records show. The couple was at the home they shared in the 41700 block of 156th Street East when they got into an argument and continued arguing in the garage, where Buranasombati allegedly stabbed Cole, according to the Los Angeles Times.
KTLA 5

Two Convicted Of Killing U.S. Marine In South Los Angeles
Two gang members are facing potential life prison terms for the murder of a 19-year-old Marine from Camp Pendleton, who was found shot inside his car in South Los Angeles. A Los Angeles Superior Court jury deliberated less than two hours Wednesday before convicting Oscar Aguilar, 28, and Esau Rios, 31, of one count each of first-degree murder and shooting at an occupied motor vehicle, along with finding true allegations that Lance Cpl. Carlos Segovia-Lopez's killing was committed in association with or for the benefit of a criminal street gang. Jurors also found Aguilar guilty of one count of possession of a firearm by a felon, and found true an allegation that he personally discharged a handgun. Segovia-Lopez, who was from Los Angeles, was on leave from Camp Pendleton in San Diego County when he confronted Aguilar and Rios after seeing them possibly tampering with vehicles on Sept. 16, 2016, according to prosecutors. At Rios' direction, Aguilar approached the Marine, who was sitting in his Dodge Charger at 31st Street and St. Andrews Place, and shot him once in the head, according to court testimony.
NBC 4

Man Sentenced To Life Without Parole For Double-Murder In Chinatown
A Las Vegas man convicted of fatally stabbing two men at a private social club in Chinatown was sentenced Thursday to two consecutive life prison terms without the possibility of parole. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Robert J. Perry imposed the sentence on Vinh Dao, 39, who was convicted April 9 of first-degree murder for the Jan. 26, 2017, killings of Kim Kong Yun and Tony Young, both 64, at the Hop Sing Tong Benevolent Association. Jurors found true the special circumstance allegation of multiple murders, along with allegations that Dao used a knife in the commission of the crime and that he had a 2002 conviction for voluntary manslaughter. At a hearing about a year ago in which Dao was ordered to stand trial, three men who were at the club identified Dao in court as the man they saw stabbing Yun in the neck with a knife.
MyNewsLA.com

Arraignment Due For Alleged Reseda Terror Suspect
An Army veteran from Reseda who allegedly plotted to carry out a terrorist bombing during a Long Beach white supremacist rally is expected to be arraigned Friday on federal charges. Mark Domingo, 26, an infantryman who served a combat stint in Afghanistan, was arrested in April after visiting a park in Long Beach where authorities said he planned to conceal home-made explosive devices made with nail-filled pressure cookers in advance of a Nazi rally, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. He faces federal charges of providing material support to terrorists and attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction. A criminal complaint filed in Los Angeles federal court alleged that Domingo had been planning since March to “manufacture and use a weapon of mass destruction in order to commit mass murder.”
MyNewsLA.com

6 Arrested In Nationwide Drug-Trafficking Ring Moving Narcotics To California, New York, Illinois
Federal authorities arrested six people between Tuesday, May 28, and Thursday, May 30, on suspicion of participating in a multi-million dollar drug-trafficking conspiracy that allegedly moved narcotics from Mexico to Los Angeles, Chicago, New York and other cities. The defendants were among 25 people named in a 24-count indictment. The document accuses them of various roles in a drug-trafficking operation allegedly responsible for distributing large amounts of fentanyl, heroin, methamphetamine and cocaine, prosecutors said in a statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office issued Thursday. The illicit substances were smuggled from Mexico to the United States, prosecutors said. The drugs were hidden either in boxes that appeared to contain speakers, or secret compartments built into vehicles driven by couriers traveling into Southern California. From there, hundreds of pounds of narcotics were taken to stash houses in the Inland Empire and Greater Los Angeles Area, then transported nationwide in wholesale quantities.
Los Angeles Daily News

Public Safety News

California Approves Power Outages To Prevent More Wildfires
California regulators on Thursday approved allowing utilities to cut off electricity to possibly hundreds of thousands of customers to avoid catastrophic wildfires like the one sparked by power lines last year that killed 85 people and largely destroyed the city of Paradise. Utilities' liability can reach billions of dollars, and after several years of devastating wildfires, they asked regulators to allow them to pull the plug when fire risk is extremely high. That's mainly during periods of excessive winds and low humidity when vegetation is dried out and can easily ignite. The California Public Utilities Commission gave the green light but said utilities must do a better job educating and notifying the public, particularly those with disabilities and others who are vulnerable, and ramp up preventive efforts, such as clearing brush and installing fire-resistant poles.  
Associated Press

Local Government News

Metro, Los Angeles Partner to Add 300 More Electric Bicycles
More than 300 electric bicycles were added to the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority's fleet on Thursday. The Metro bicycles will be available throughout the summer at Classic Metro Bike Share stations. More than 20 new stations will be installed in central Los Angeles areas such as Expo Park, University Park, Pico Union, Koreatown, MacArthur Park, Echo Park and Silver Lake. Metro worked with the city of Los Angeles to select new station locations near major transit hubs and primary local destinations. "Metro is introducing a new group of no-sweat bikes," said county Supervisor and Metro Board Chair Sheila Kuehl. "Now you can get off your train or bus, hop on a bike and pedal where you're going." Customers can download the Metro Bike Share App to check bike and dock availability and find the nearest Classic Metro Bike Station to their location, among other features.
NBC 4
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~