Florida Officer Who Died Of COVID-19 Hailed As ‘Good Cop And Great Man’

The Clermont Police Department lost one of their own to the coronavirus, Police Chief Chuck Broadway said in a written statement released Wednesday. On Tuesday night at a City Council meeting, Mayor Gail Ash also announced the death of Conrad Buckley, 52, a patrol officer who was sworn in on January 10, 2018. Buckley was the first Clermont Police Department employee to die of COVID-19 complications. “Officer Buckley will be greatly missed by the Clermont Police Department,” Broadway said in a Tuesday night memo. “He was an outstanding police officer who cared greatly for his fellow officers and the community. He took tremendous pride in being a police officer and carried himself with confidence and integrity. Today, the City of Clermont lost a good cop and a great man.”

New York Woman Calls Police From Outside Deputy's Home, Says She Plans To Kill Him

An Albany woman was arrested on Monday after she went to the residence of a Linn County deputy with a knife, according to a news release from the Albany Police Department. After APD arrived on the scene, the woman charged at a policeman with the knife but was shot with a less-lethal 40mm impact weapon, which caused her to stumble and fall within 10 feet of another officer. She then attempted to get up, still armed, but officers used a stun gun on her and were able to secure the knife and take her into custody, the news release states. Micayla N. Martin, 23, was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, three counts of attempted first-degree assault, five counts of menacing, three counts of attempted assault of a peace officer and one count of unlawful use of a weapon. 

Additional LAPD Employees Test Positive For COVID-19 Bringing Total To 88

Additional Los Angeles Police Department employees have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the department’s total to 88. As of Thursday, 38 LAPD employees have recovered and returned to work, and one remains hospitalized, according to Emergency Operations Center’s Jessica Kellogg. All other individuals are self-isolating at home and recovering. The number of Los Angeles Fire Department employees who have tested positive for the virus rose to 24 Thursday, Kellogg reported. Out of the LAFD employees, 17 have recovered and returned to work, and none are hospitalized. The remaining seven employees are isolated and recovering at home.

Arrested 4 Times In 3 Weeks: L.A. Police Blame Zero Bail For Rise In Repeat Offenders

Eric Medina has been arrested four times on suspicion of grand theft auto in the last three weeks. It began with the theft of a Ford van April 9, authorities said. Within a day, he was back on the streets, helped by California’s statewide zero-bail policy for lesser offenders fueled by the coronavirus outbreak. Five days later, officers apprehended him with a stolen Toyota truck, officials allege. Again he went to jail, only to be freed without bail. Police say he stole another Toyota truck on April 20. And then last weekend, Medina was arrested yet again in a stolen 2009 Ford Focus. Los Angeles police say Medina, 31, is part of a larger problem related to sweeping changes in the judicial system amid the COVID-19 pandemic, which has shuttered many courts and prompted officials to reduce jail populations to slow the spread of the coronavirus. On March 27, Los Angeles County implemented a zero-bail requirement for most misdemeanors and low-level felonies.

In the first 30 days of the policy, the Los Angeles Police Department has arrested 213 individuals multiple times, with 23 being arrested three or more times. They account for about 5% of all of those booked on misdemeanors or felonies, records show.

1 Killed, 2 Hurt After Car Plows Into South LA Homeless Encampment

One person was killed and two other hurt after a car plowed into a homeless encampment in South LA early Friday morning. The crash happened at Flower and 52nd Street just before 3 a.m. Several people were left under a large amount of debris immediately after the crash. The sedan had plowed through the homeless encampment before hitting a light pole. One person was declared dead at the scene and two people were taken to the hospital. One person who was in the car was taken into custody.

Pastor Arrested Outside Garcetti's House On Suspicion Of Felony Stalking

A pastor was arrested outside Mayor Eric Garcetti's official residence Thursday on suspicion of felony stalking after spending several days advocating for the city to house homeless people during the coronavirus pandemic. Sherman Manning leads the Yes We Can! Worship Center in South Los Angeles and streamed multiple protests on Facebook from outside the Getty House in Windsor Square this week calling for a better response to the homeless crisis during the pandemic, according to The Times. Los Angeles Police Department Officer J. Chaves confirmed that Manning was arrested for felony stalking, but could not confirm that it was outside the Getty House. Manning hopes Garcetti will house people in need at hotels and the convention center, The Times reported. The District Attorney's Office had not filed charges against Manning as of Thursday afternoon.

Dirty Money Piling Up In L.A. As Coronavirus Cripples International Money Laundering

Dirty money is piling up in Los Angeles. In the last three weeks, federal agents made three seizures that each netted more than $1 million in suspected drug proceeds. The reason, according to the city’s top drug enforcement official: The coronavirus pandemic has slowed trade-based money laundering systems that drug trafficking groups use to repatriate profits and move Chinese capital into Southern California. With storefronts closed, supply chains in disarray and the global economy in peril, these complex schemes are hobbled and cash is backing up in Los Angeles, Bill Bodner, special agent in charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Los Angeles field division, said in an interview. The recent million-dollar interceptions were reminiscent of seizures the DEA made before drug traffickers embraced trade-based money laundering, said Bodner, a 28-year agent.

75-Year-Old La Habra Man Goes Missing In East Los Angeles

A 75-year-old La Habra man went missing in East Los Angeles, and authorities Thursday sought public help to find him. Ramon Ervin Wynn was last seen Saturday about 1 p.m. in the 700 block of South Atlantic Boulevard, near Whittier Boulevard, according to Deputy Erin Liu of the Sheriff’s Information Bureau. Wynn, who lives in the 100 block of Beach Boulevard in La Habra, is described as 6 feet, 2 inches tall and 150 pounds, with brown curly hair and brown eyes, Liu said. He drives a black 2013 Honda Accord. Authorities circulated a photo of Wynn and encouraged anyone with information about his whereabouts to contact the sheriff’s Missing Persons Unit at 323-890-5500. Those wishing to report anonymously can call 800-222-TIPS.

Defense Attorneys Ask For Mistrial In Robert Durst Murder Case Due To Pandemic-Related Delays

Defense attorneys for New York real estate heir Robert Durst are asking a judge to declare a mistrial in his murder case due to the coronavirus pandemic. The trial has been paused since March 12. The trial is tentatively set to begin again on May 26, but Durst’s attorneys are saying the lengthy delay “has made it impossible” for their client to get a fair trial on a charge that he killed his longtime friend at her home in the Benedict Canyon area of Los Angeles. “The spread of the virus has impacted every imaginable facet of American life, including our criminal justice system. In the present case, the adjournment caused by COVID-19 has made it impossible for defendant to receive a fair trial. The Constitution therefore demands a mistrial, even if it results in some moderate amount of judicial inefficiency,” attorneys Dick DeGuerin, David Chesnoff, Chip Lewis and Donald Re wrote in a motion filed Tuesday.

Public Safety News

L.A. Mayor Announces COVID-19 Testing Will Be Extended To All County Residents, With Or Without Symptoms

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti announced Wednesday that COVID-19 testing is now available for all residents across L.A. County, whether or not they show symptoms of the illness. Those who do show symptoms of coronavirus infection will take priority, but all Angelenos are eligible to receive a test at no cost to them, Garcetti said. The mayor said L.A. is now the first major U.S. city to offer the tests to all asymptomatic residents. After some contradictory statements, the mayor confirmed that the testing will be available to the whole county, not just Los Angeles city residents. L.A. County, with some 10 million residents, is the most populous county in the nation; the city of L.A. has about 4 million residents. Garcetti announced the expansion during his nightly pandemic update, saying evidence of large numbers of people without symptoms spreading the virus “illustrates why making testing available to anyone who wants it is essential.” 

L.A. County Officials Plead For Street Vendors To Shut Down During Coronavirus Crisis

Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis and county Department of Public Health officials called for street food vendors to stop operations during the COVID-19 pandemic, and offered resources to those who have been financially affected. Solis said many street vendors may be continuing to operate because they don’t think they’re eligible for COVID-19 assistance from the county, such as health services, rent assistance and business assistance, and they may be afraid to access the services due to their immigration status. “I know that the Safer at Home order is challenging for many people, especially those who are unable to work from home or who are having a hard time making ends meet,” Solis said. “We know that many of our families are struggling to even put food on the table.” Regardless of their citizenship status, Solis said the county will offer help to people who call 211 or visit covid19.lacounty.gov for more information, such as locations of food distribution centers and ways to access them.

Coronavirus Death Toll Passes 2,000 In California, More Than Half In L.A. County

Los Angeles County health officials announced 55 new coronavirus-related fatalities Thursday, pushing the pandemic’s statewide death toll past 2,000. California’s largest county accounts for more than 1,100 of those victims, public health officials said. “Many in our county are mourning the loss of their loved ones, and our community is very much with all of you and you are in our thoughts and our prayers every single day,” county Public Health Department Director Barbara Ferrer said Thursday. The recent surge in the number of cases and deaths linked to the coronavirus pushed California across another sobering milestone, as the state surpassed 50,000 infections by the end of Thursday. Los Angeles County, which continues to be a hotbed of the coronavirus even as other parts of the state have seen signs that the illness is retreating, confirmed 733 new cases Thursday — boosting the confirmed infection count past 23,000, Ferrer said.

Local Government News

L.A. City Council Working On Turning Developer Fees For Cultural Events Into Arts Relief Fund

For every private development project of $500,000 or more in the city of Los Angeles, the developer must pay an arts fee to the city based on the square footage of the building or a percentage of the value of the permit. Those funds are then allocated to cultural events such as festivals and other public arts happenings. But with dense public gatherings not possible for the foreseeable future, L.A. City Councilman David Ryu hopes to use those funds as relief grants for arts organizations. Earlier this month, the councilman made a motion to have the percent for arts funds for his own District 4 — the fees are distributed by council district — made available as a small-dollar grants program geared at small arts organizations. “Hundreds — if not thousands — of small arts organizations are at risk of closing their doors for good because of this coronavirus pandemic,” Ryu said in an emailed statement to The Times. “I don’t want to see Los Angeles lose its creative heart.”

Los Angeles City Council Proposal May Protect Fired Hospitality Workers

The recent collapse of the Los Angeles hospitality industry caused by the COVID-19 pandemic is spurring a new ordinance designed to protect workers who lost their jobs in that industry. On Wednesday, the Los Angeles City Council will vote on a measure that would require businesses in that industry to rehire based on seniority, hotel workers, janitors, security guards and certain airport employees who were let go due to the pandemic. "It simply gives workers a basic level of respect," said Los Angeles City Council President Nury Martinez. "If you lose your job because of COVID-19, you will have a chance to get your job back when the business reopens." Members of Unite Here Local 11 say they began fighting for the ordinance after the Chateau Marmont fired roughly 200 of its employees.