3 Arizona Officers Shot; Suspect Arrested After Starting Fire, Fleeing Police

A suspect is now in police custody after he shot and wounded three Chandler police officers in two separate, but related, shootings and was barricaded in a home for a short time Monday, police said. The first shooting occurred around 1 a.m. Monday when an officer was shot in the area of Delaware Street and Chandler Boulevard, near Arizona Avenue, according to Chandler Police Department. The officer was hit below the waist and was released from the hospital earlier Monday morning, according to Detective Seth Tyler, a Chandler police spokesman. Police had a perimeter set up after the first incident and broke it down around 6 a.m., but the department still kept teams roving the neighborhood. 

2 More LAPD Employees Test Positive For COVID-19 Bringing Total To 81

An additional two Los Angeles Police Department employees have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total to 81. As of Monday, 33 LAPD employees have recovered and returned to work, and one remains hospitalized, according to Emergency Operations Center’s Jessica Kellogg. The number of Los Angeles Fire Department employees who have tested positive for the virus rose to 22 Monday, Kellogg reported. Out of the LAFD employees, 15 have recovered and returned to work, and none are hospitalized.

After COVID-19: Anxious, Wary First Responders Back On Job

The new coronavirus doesn’t care about a blue uniform or a shiny badge. Police, firefighters, paramedics and corrections officers are just a 911 call away from contracting COVID-19 and spreading it. With N95 masks hanging off their duty belts and disposable blue gloves stuffed in their back pockets, they respond to radio calls, make arrests and manage prisoners. But their training never covered something quite like this — what has been called an “invisible bullet.” It’s sickened thousands of America’s first responders and killed dozens more. But many have recovered, and they’re going back to work — back to the crime scene, back into the ambulance, back to the jail. Going back to this deadly pandemic’s front lines. They go with a lingering cough and lost weight. They toss and turn at night, wondering if the claims of immunity are true. They fear that picking up extra overtime shifts may expose them, and their families, to additional risks. And then they pull on their uniforms and go back to work.

Police Seek Man Caught On Video Shooting At Occupied Palms Apartment

Los Angeles police are asking for the public’s help finding a man who was caught on video shooting at an occupied Palms apartment earlier this month. The incident was reported about 12:35 a.m. April 18 at an apartment complex near the intersection of Mentone Avenue and Washington Boulevard. The man, who police said did not live in the building, first tried to kick down the door of an apartment. The man then allegedly fired a gun at a third-floor apartment. The bullet hit the sliding glass door and narrowly missed the person inside, police said. The man is described as being about 30 years old, is about 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighs about 240 pounds. He got away in a gray or white four-door vehicle. Anyone with information about the man or the incident can call Pacific Division Detective Lin at 310-482-6395.

LASD Investigating ‘Disgusting’ Egg Attack In South LA

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department is investigating egg attacks in South L.A. The suspects were reportedly driving around near Florence Avenue and Central Avenue, asking people to come to the car before throwing eggs at them. In one video that the LASD shared on Twitter, a passenger was seen calling to a vendor to ask about prices. The passenger then told the vendor that he dropped something, and while the vendor was looking down, the passenger threw an egg at him and laughed as the car drove away. The LASD called the incident “disgusting” and continued to urge people to stay at home as much as possible during this pandemic.

Detectives Search For Missing Man, 80, From Los Angeles

Sheriff’s detectives are searching for an 80-year-old man who suffers from undisclosed medical conditions and went missing in Los Angeles Sunday. Johnny Williams was last seen about 8 a.m. near the 1900 block of E. 77th Street in the Florence area, according to the California Highway Patrol. Williams is 5-feet-10 inches tall and weighs about 110 pounds. He has gray hair and blue eyes, the LASD reported. Williams was last seen wearing a gray T-shirt, gray pajama pants and gray slippers. He may be disoriented, the LASD said. Anyone with information on his whereabouts was asked to call the sheriff’s missing persons unit at 323-890-5500 or 911. Tipsters can also call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS.

Most Wanted List? Long Beach Ice Cream Truck Robbed, Four Nabbed

A young man arrested along with three teenage boys following the armed robbery of a Long Beach ice cream truck was being held Monday in lieu of $50,000 bail, police reported. Officers were dispatched to the 2400 block of Pasadena Avenue, near East Burnett Street, in Long Beach about 5 p.m. Sunday, where the ice cream truck’s operator told them that four people had robbed him of merchandise, according to Officer Tonya Dean of the Long Beach Police Department. Three 16-year-old suspects were found at an unidentified location and detained, and officers went to a nearby home, where they believed the fourth suspect had fled, Dean said. A SWAT team was called to the location, but the suspect, identified as 20-year-old Isaac Perez-Benitez of Long Beach, surrendered to police before the team arrived, according to Dean. No firearm was recovered, he said.

2 Inland Empire Men Charged With Trying To Scam Medical Mask Supplier Out Of $4 Million

Two Inland Empire men were arrested Monday after allegedly trying to charge suppliers more than $4 million for personal protective equipment that they didn’t actually have, federal prosecutors say. Donald Lee Allen, a 62-year-old Riverside man, and Manuel Revolorio, 37, of Rancho Cucamonga, used photos of shrink-wrapped, empty boxes at their office and pictures of masks owned by someone else to claim a large supply of medical gear, according to a Department of Justice news release. The pair were trying to defraud PPE suppliers through the website for their company, International Commerce and Investment Group, investigators said. The website allegedly falsely represented the company’s credentials, claiming it had been supplying gear to medical institutions and others since 2014.

Coronavirus Curtails Police And Fire Explorer Programs In Southern California

Israel Anaya-Morales felt fortunate to keep his job at In-N-Out in Signal Hill. But, like most Californians, his life changed drastically following the emergence of coronavirus this spring. The Cal State Fullerton student’s routine shifted from shuttling between work, classes and volunteer opportunities to finding himself restless at home in between shifts and digital lectures amidst the global crisis. The 20-year-old lieutenant in the Long Beach Police Department’s Explorer Post is one of hundreds of volunteers statewide, both young and old, who were participating in a variety of police and fire department programs that have been suspended or moved to online formats because of the pandemic. Changes in these outreach efforts illustrate how dramatically COVID-19 has altered the way people live in California. Many explorers like Anaya-Morales said it has been difficult to adapt to a new normal that includes distance education and a prohibition on public gatherings. But they are trained to persevere.

Public Safety News

A Troubling Trend: Coronavirus Deaths Doubled In L.A. County Over Last Week

The number of coronavirus deaths in Los Angeles County doubled in the last week amid new evidence that the poor are being hardest hit, according to the county health department. As of Sunday, the county had recorded 916 deaths and nearly 20,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19. Officials said the rising numbers underscore the need to stay indoors as much as possible and also raise questions about when Los Angeles County will be able to ease its strict social distancing rules. “Because we are still seeing a significant increase in new cases and deaths, we ask that you continue to stay home as much as possible,” said Barbara Ferrer, the county’s public health director.

Coronavirus: LA Mayor Garcetti Says ‘Safer-At-Home' Orders Could Be Eased Within Weeks

As calls mount for officials to reopen states, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti echoed Gov. Gavin Newsom, suggesting easing "safer-at-home" orders could be weeks away. The mayor said physical distancing measures are proving to be effective and the COVID-19 curve is starting to flatten. He added that the process will be gradual and won't happen all at once. Stay-at-home orders for L.A. County are in effect until at least May 15. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump called for states to "seriously consider" reopening their public schools before the end of the academic year, even though dozens have already said it would be unsafe for students to return until the summer or fall, Garcetti said on CNN that it's "way too early" to reopen his city's schools, adding that "you don't get a lot of credit for moving too quickly to reopen."

Meet Remotely Tuesdays, Wednesdays Starting Next Week

The Los Angeles City Council will meet remotely on Tuesdays and Wednesdays starting next week, and committee meetings are tentatively being rescheduled as teleconferences, Council President Nury Martinez announced Monday. “As the city of Los Angeles, the state and nation, grapple with two conflicting realities, a growing daily infection and death toll from COVID-19, and evidence that our quarantine Safer at Home policies are helping us flatten the curve, this City Council must and will continue to do the people of Los Angeles’ business that we are bound by duty and law to execute,” Martinez said in a prepared statement. The council’s next meeting is set for this Wednesday at 10 a.m. Since the City Council started meeting remotely due to the pandemic, it has met just five times in the last six weeks.