1 Houston Police Officer Killed, 1 Injured In Helicopter Crash

A Houston police helicopter crashed early Saturday, killing one of the two officers on board and critically injuring the other, while assisting a call to search for bodies in a nearby bayou, officials said. A pilot and tactical flight officer were aboard a police helicopter when it crashed at an apartment complex around 2 a.m. They were flown to a hospital where the tactical flight officer died, police Chief Art Acevedo said hours after the crash during a news conference where he was joined by the city's mayor, Sylvester Turner. The department the officer who died as Tactical Flight Officer Jason Knox. He is survived by a wife and two young children, who were at the hospital along with his parents and in-laws, Acevedo said. “We’re going to miss him,” Acevedo said. “He had a heart of gold, integrity second to none.”

Kansas Officer Killed In Shootout With Suspect

Overland Park police have identified the officer killed in a shootout with a suspect Sunday afternoon as Mike Mosher, a 14.5-year veteran of the department. During a news conference outside the Overland Park Police Department, Police Chief Frank Donchez said all Mosher ever wanted to do was be an officer. He became a decorated one who had been recognized for his work on the force at the state level, Donchez said. “He loved what he did and he was damn good at it,” Donchez told reporters Sunday night. “He died doing what he loved.” Mosher was also was the current president of the Overland Park Fraternal Order of Police. In a statement, Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt called Mosher a “respected law enforcement leader.”

2 L.A. County Agencies Report Incidents Of Men Suspected Of Re-Offending Because Of Zero-Bail Rules

Due to the zero-bail policy put in place to limit the spread of the coronavirus in jails, some California police officers have had to release suspects who would normally be kept in custody. Earlier this week, Glendora police took one man into custody on three separate occasions on suspicion of various property crimes in a single day, including two stolen vehicle incidents, but then released him each time with a citation. And in Glendale, officers arrested a 56-year-old man twice on Friday on suspicion of a series of vandalism and burglary incidents. Though his first release had been due to the no-bail policy, the court granted a bail deviation, keeping the suspect in custody on $20,000 bail following the second incident. On April 13, courts across the state began setting bail at zero dollars for misdemeanor and low-level felony cases. Bail still applies to those held in custody for violent crimes, sex crimes, gun charges or domestic violence cases.

33-Year-Old Pedestrian Struck And Killed In Gramercy Park Crosswalk; Hit-And-Run Driver Sought

Police are searching for a hit-and-run driver who fatally struck a 33-year-old man in the Gramercy Park neighborhood of South Los Angeles early Friday. The crash occurred just before 4 a.m. as the victim was walking in a crosswalk at the intersection of West 92nd Street and South Western Avenue, Los Angeles Police Department Sgt. Petersen said. Two vehicles were traveling northbound on Western Avenue when one of them struck the victim, Petersen said. The unidentified man was pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities did not provide a description of the vehicles, which both left the crash site. Investigators are not sure which vehicle struck the victim, so they would like to talk to both drivers, Peterson said.

UCLA Police Report Sexual Assault

Campus police at UCLA are looking for a suspect who allegedly sexually assaulted a student outside an off-campus apartment over the weekend. It took place at around 5:20 p.m. Saturday in the 800 block of Levering Avenue, where “the suspect approached the victim near the entrance of her apartment and grabbed her buttocks,” according to a crime alert issued by the UCLA Police Department. The suspect was described as a white male in his 30s with blond hair, facial hair, approximately 6-feet tall, and wearing a grey hoodie. No injuries were reported and no vehicle was seen, according to police.

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 continued to ask for public help Sunday to find him. Ramon Ervin Wynn was last seen about 1 p.m. April 25 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 or 911. Tipsters can also call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS.

CHP Arrests Driver After Pursuit Through LA County

A driver lead California Highway Patrol on a pursuit through Los Angeles County Saturday night, hitting the center divider on the freeway before giving up 20 minutes later. Newschopper4 Bravo picked up the pursuit in the Los Alamitos area at around 11 p.m. when the driver was transitioning from the 405 Freeway onto the 605 Freeway. At around 11:05 p.m., the driver of a white vehicle drove extremely close to the center divider of the freeway and eventually grazed it, knocking him over a few lanes. The chase originated in the Orange County area of Jamboree, and the driver reached speeds of up to 85 mph while our news helicopter flew overhead. Toward the end of the pursuit, the passenger-side door could be seen opening and something falling out of the car. It appeared as though the driver attempted to exit through the passenger door before losing control. The vehicle hit the left railing, bounced over to the right railing, crashed and came to a stop.

Public Safety News

Firefighters Handle Detached Garage Fire That Spreads To Panorama City Home

Firefighters Saturday quelled a detached garage fire that spread to the sub-floor of a home in Panorama City. Firefighters dispatched at 10:07 a.m. to 14667 W. Tupper St. had the bulk of the fire out within 40 minutes, said Margaret Stewart of the Los Angeles Fire Department. “The fire appears to have started at the detached garage with some extension to a single family dwelling through the sub-floor,” Stewart said. “LAFD Arson Section is responding for the investigation.” No injuries were reported and a cause of the fire was under investigation.

3.2-Magnitude Quake Rattles Chatsworth Area, USGS Says

A 3.2-magnitude earthquake has struck the Chatsworth area, the U.S. Geological Survey reported Sunday. The quake was reported around 2:48 p.m. less than a mile from Chatsworth and about 7 miles from Northridge. The quake marked the second in the day to hit the same region. Earlier Sunday, a magnitude-3.3 quake was registered. There were no immediately reports of injuries or damage.

LA County Health Confirms 21 More Deaths, 781 Additional COVID-19 Cases

Los Angeles County officials are confirming 21 more deaths from coronavirus and 781 additional cases, bringing the county's totals to 25,662 cases and 1,229 deaths. The public health department says 15 people who died were over the age of 65 and three people who died were between the ages of 41 to 65. Eleven people had underlying health conditions including 10 people over the age of 65 years old and one person between the ages of 41 to 65 years old. The confirmed cases include 745 in Long Beach and 417 in Pasadena, which have their own health departments. Los Angeles County continues to represent about half of the cases and deaths across the state. Officials in Sacramento reported Saturday that the state had 53,616 cases and 2,215 deaths.

Garcetti Says He Won’t Lift ‘Safer At Home’ On May 15, But Some Things Could Open

Mayor Eric Garcetti said Friday, May 1, the COVID-19 Safer at Home orders Los Angeles is under won’t be completely lifted May 15 and limiting the orders could be a gradual process through the rest of the year. Garcetti said he would like to see a two-week trend of declining coronavirus-related deaths and hospital admissions before opting to relax the orders, but he said he also wants consensus on actions with the county’s and neighboring cities’ health agencies. “There’s certain things, you know, I’d love to see (open) if they get the green light to go even sooner,” Garcetti said, adding that he thinks May 15 could be the day where the city can take “baby steps” to reopen some of its assets.

California Sees Increase In Coronavirus Cases, 57 More Deaths Statewide

California recorded another 57 fatalities due to the coronavirus on Saturday and saw another 2.8% increase in the number of reported cases of the deadly virus. There were 1,459 more reported COVID-19 cases Saturday for a total of 53,611 statewide, a 2.8% increase from the previous day. On Friday, the state saw the largest single day of fatalities, a total of 98, since April 22, when there were 118 fatalities, according to data compiled by this news organization. The state has seen 2,188 deaths since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic earlier this year. Most of the new cases reported in the state were from Southern California: Los Angeles County had the most with 679 new cases, San Diego County had 131, Orange County 99 and Riverside County 85 new cases. Of the deaths reported Saturday, most were from Los Angeles which had 37, while Riverside reported five and San Diego reported four deaths.