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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

January 15, 2020
Law Enforcement News

Vigil Held For LA Sheriff's Detective Killed After Helping Pedestrians In Valley Village
Family, friends and colleagues attended a vigil Tuesday night to remember Los Angeles County sheriff's Detective Amber Leist, who was off-duty when she was fatally struck by a vehicle after helping a couple cross a street in Valley Village. Leist's sons, parents and other family members were among those who attended the vigil. "She was a force to be reckoned with... her strength made everyone feel safe and secure," said her sister Sumry Lemmenes. Leist spent 12 years with the L.A. County Sheriff's Department, five of those years at the West Hollywood station. Deputies and other co-workers are devastated by her death. "It didn't matter who you are because Amber saw the good and the character inside of you," one of her colleagues said at the vigil.
ABC 7

Florida Officer Stabbed Responding To Call For Service
A man with a knife stabbed a Miami Beach Police officer in South Beach on Saturday night. The officer was responding to a call for service near the Clevelander South Beach Hotel on Ocean Drive and 10th Street just after 9 p.m. when he was stabbed multiple times. Officers opened fire on the man, who was listed in critical condition early Sunday morning. He and the officer were transported to Jackson Memorial Hospital. The officer was undergoing surgery after midnight on Sunday. Police did not release the names of the officer or the person involved in the shooting. The officer had been patrolling the popular beach-front promenade as part of the department's Operation Safe Streets initiative, a campaign to increase police visibility in the Entertainment District, said Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber.
Miami Herald

LAPD Asking Public's Help In Identifying Suspect In Deadly Pacoima Shooting
A Mission Hills man was found dead from a gunshot wound inside his car near a Pacoima intersection late on Sunday, and police are searching for whoever pulled the trigger. Los Angeles Police Department homicide detectives from the Valley Bureau are asking for help identifying the shooter or shooters who killed 20-year-old Anthony Lopez II. Lopez was sitting in his car near the intersection of Bromont Street and Fielding Avenue at around 10 p.m. on Sunday when he was shot. Little is known about the shooting. Detectives have not said where they believe the shot came from, whether the gun was fired from a car, or from someone on foot. They also haven't said how many shots were fired. 
Los Angeles Daily News

Crimes Against Homeless People Increased 24% In 2019 While Overall Crime Decreased, Crime Data Shows
An ABC7 analysis found a 6% decrease in crime overall in Los Angeles for 2019 and a 2% decrease in homicides as compared to 2018. While that's positive news for most, that same research showed a segment of our population who feels under attack: the homeless. And they believe it's getting worse. One homeless man, Carlos Guerrero, called the streets "the devil's playground." Another, Noah Goudeau, said "people are ruthless out here." According to an ABC7 analysis of Los Angeles Police Department data, crimes against homeless people increased 24% in 2019. There was a 19% increase in serious violent crime against homeless people and a 5% increase in homeless people killed. Of all homicides in Los Angeles in 2019, 16% of the victims were homeless. The majority of suspects involved in homicides against homeless where also homeless, but a little over half of the suspects involved in aggravated assaults with a deadly weapon against homeless victims were not listed as homeless.
ABC 7

Man, Woman Sought After Victim Shot To Death Near Exposition Park: Police
A man is dead after being shot multiple times Tuesday evening, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. At about 7 p.m., officers were dispatched to the 1700 block of Exposition Boulevard for reports of a shooting. When they arrived, they found a male in his 20s suffering from multiple gunshot wounds, according to the LAPD. The victim was transported to a local hospital where he later died. Police believe a male and a female could be responsible for the shooting and they were last seen traveling eastbound on South Western Avenue in a 2005 Chevy Avalanche. The identity of the victim has not be released at this time.
KTLA 5

Woman Who Fatally Hit Pedestrian While Texting, Driving In Westlake Pleads No Contest
A woman who was charged with fatally hitting a pedestrian while she texted and drove has pleaded no contest, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office announced on Tuesday. Rosario Maximilian Valdezinda, 39, of East Hollywood pleaded no contest to one felony count of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence on Monday, the D.A. said. Valdezinda was charged for fatally hitting a pedestrian while she drove and looked at her messages in a Westlake neighborhood on the evening of Jan. 23, 2019. She hit 65-year-old Yong Do Kim who was in a crosswalk at Grand View and Sixth streets, just north of MacArthur Park, the Los Angeles Police Department previously said. Kim, who was attempting to catch a bus, was thrown between 30 to 50 feet, according to the LAPD. He was pronounced dead at the scene after suffering severe head trauma.
KTLA 5

Ex-LA High School Teacher Sentenced To Prison For Sexual Assault Of Student
A two-year prison sentence was handed down on Tuesday for a former Los Angeles high school teacher who sexually assaulted one of her students. Gina Murry, 34, also must register as a sex offender, and Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Norm Shapiro issued a 10-year protective order, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office. Murry, who taught at Esteban Torres High School, pleaded no contest last November to one count each of committing a lewd act on a child and oral copulation of a person under 16 for sexually assaulting a 15-year-old boy in May 2018, prosecutors said. 
FOX 11

Feds Allege LA Apartment Manager Offered Reduced Rent In Exchange For Sex, Entered Women's Apartments Without Consent
Women who lived in two apartment buildings in the Westlake district faced years of sexual harassment and retaliation by a property manager, violating the Fair Housing Act, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a lawsuit Monday. The lawsuit filed in federal court alleges that since at least 2006, Filomeno Hernandez engaged in unwanted sexual touching, made unwelcome sexual advances and comments, and offered to reduce rent or excuse late or unpaid rent in exchange for sex. Hernandez also is accused of entering women's apartments without their consent. The lawsuit also names Ramin Akhavan and two companies - Bonnie Brae Investment Services LLC and Westlake Property Services LLC.
ABC 7

96 Packages Of Meth Worth $190,000 Stashed In Pickup, Border Patrol Says
A U.S. Border Patrol dog sniffed out more than $190,000 worth of methamphetamine concealed in a vehicle along a Southern California highway, the agency said. An agent patrolling Interstate 15 followed a suspicious vehicle Friday as it exited onto U.S. 395 and parked at a gas station in the unincorporated Rainbow area of San Diego County south of Temecula, the agency said in a statement Monday. The dog alerted the agent to the vehicle as the agent spoke to the driver and a detailed inspection found more than 100 pounds of meth in 96 packages inside the gas tank, spare tire and quarter panels of the Ford Explorer, the Border Patrol said. The driver, identified only as a 34-year-old U.S. citizen, was arrested. The Border Patrol said its San Diego sector agents have seized more than 1,044 pounds of meth since Oct. 1.
Los Angeles Times

Public Safety News

Wilshire Shut Down While Firefighters Put Out Blaze At Koreatown Pizzeria A fire ripped through a pizzeria on the ground floor of a three-story building in Koreatown early Wednesday. The fire broke out at about 3:30 a.m. at 3275 W. Wilshire Blvd. One person and a dog were being evaluated for respiratory problems. No other injuries were reported. Nearly 80 firefighters got a handle on the flames within 24 minutes, and the cause of the fire is under investigation. Wilshire between Vermont Avenue and Berendo Street was shut down for the firefight and cleanup.
CBS 2

Former LA County Clinic Will Soon Open As Emergency Shelter In San Pedro
The Board of Supervisors voted on Tuesday to turn a vacant Los Angeles County clinic in San Pedro into a 24-hour emergency shelter for homeless individuals, many of whom are already camped nearby. Supervisor Janice Hahn recommended adapting the 14,000-square-foot building at 122 W. Eighth St. near Beacon Street to accommodate 40 beds for 20 men and 20 women. Operator Harbor Interfaith-San Pedro will offer three meals a day, on-site medical staff and access to case management and mental health care, according to Hahn. "It's an old public health facility that's now vacant .. right in downtown San Pedro ... surrounded by a growing homeless encampment," she said.
FOX 11

Local Government News

New LA City Council President Nury Martinez Outlines Her Vision
In her first meeting as Los Angeles City Council President, Nury Martinez said today she intends to focus on families and work to decrease the city's homeless population, an effort that could begin with an assessment of local agencies that handle such issues. “We face tremendous challenges here in our city, challenges that demand us to lead with a sense of urgency,” Martinez said. “The working people of this city are doing everything they can to ensure that they keep a roof (over) their heads, but it's still not enough. Our children are living with parents who can't guarantee whether they're going to be able to have a home next month. As public servants, we have an obligation and a purpose to help them.” The newly minted council president introduced several motions Tuesday, which are part of her “Families First” initiative that includes reevaluating the city's role with the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority and reviewing the city's Homelessness Strategic Plan.
Los Angeles Daily News
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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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