Missouri Officer Shot Responding To Social Distancing Violation

Three men have been charged in the shooting of a Lexington police officer late last week. Kiara Brown, Ayquanya Brown, and 25-year-old Jamie Purnell are charged with three counts of aggravated assault on a police officer along with felony malicious mischief. “It is just frustrating,” said Chief Robert Kirklin. “We are here to do our job and you have some people who don’t respect themselves and do not respect law enforcement. They get out here and shoot us like we are a dog in the street.” Kirklin said it all started Thursday night when they got a call about a disturbance and people not social distancing on 3rd Street. When Officer Kenny Gee and other officers arrived on scene, violence began.

19-Year-Old Man Charged With Shooting At Helicopters Responding To Fatal Police Crash

A 19-year-old man has been arrested and charged with firing a gun at helicopters responding to a deadly HPD chopper crash on May 2. Josue Daniel Claros-Trajedo shot five rounds into the air shortly after the crash around 2 a.m., according to court documents. He allegedly fired one shot before the crash but it's not clear if he was aiming at the HPD helicopter. When Claros-Trajedo heard police approaching, he hid both guns in an air vent in his apartment, according to witnesses. Claros-Trajedo, an undocumented immigrant, is charged with two counts of aggravated assault on a public servant. He also faces charges of discharging a firearm in a metro area, tampering with evidence, reckless driving and unlawfully carrying a weapon. HPD Tactical Flight Officer Jason Knox was killed in the crash and pilot Chase Cormier was critically injured with a broken back.

‘Ink Master’ Star Arrested On Suspicion Of Murder After Crash Kills YouTube Star In Valley Village

Daniel Silva, a 27-year-old star on the tattoo-competition show "Ink Master,'' was arrested Monday for allegedly crashing a sports car, killing YouTube personality Corey La Barrie, and attempting to flee the scene. The crash occurred about 9:40 p.m. Sunday in the 4900 block of Carpenter Avenue in the Valley Village area, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Silva was allegedly driving a 2020 McLaren 600LT at high speed eastbound on Huston Street, when he lost control, ran off the road and hit a stop sign and tree on the northeast corner of Huston Street and Carpenter Avenue, police said. Police said he tried to flee the scene, but was stopped by witnesses who came to render help. The vehicle's passenger, who TMZ identified as La Barrie, died at a hospital, police said. It was his 25th birthday.

2 Pedestrians Struck By Hit-And-Run Driver In Toluca Lake

Two pedestrians were taken to a local hospital after being struck by a hit-and-run driver in Toluca Lake Monday evening, officials said. Officers from the Los Angeles Police Department witnessed a silver Ford Fusion reportedly hit two pedestrians around 8 p.m. on West Valley Spring Lane, officials said. The driver of the Ford had Texas license plates, fled the scene. Police went in pursuit of the suspect but lost the suspect's car near Universal Studios, about a mile away from the incident, LAPD says. The two victims suffered from non-life threatening injuries, officials said.

LAPD Delivers 'Prom Party In A Box' To Class Of 2020 High School Seniors

LAPD's Southwest Bureau and "Building Blue Bridges" (B3), a program designed to improve relationships between youth and law enforcement, teamed up to deliver "Prom Party in a Box" surprises to 2020 high school graduates in South Los Angeles. The first Prom Party in a Box recipient, Waynita Long, a graduate of Dorsey High School, was overwhelmed by the scale of the gesture. "I knew it was coming, but I didn't think it was going to be that big. It was so much more," Long said. "LAPD used every resource they had, including a helicopter flyover. It was just unbelievable," said Daphne Bradford, founder of the non-profit organizations "Mother Of Many" and "Building Blue Bridges" (B3). She came up with Prom Party in a Box after seeing the disappointment in many of the students in her programs over missing their big night.

Van Nuys Target Security Guard Suffers Broken Arm In Attack By 2 Men Escorted Out For Not Having Masks

A security guard at a Target store in Van Nuys suffered a broken arm in an attack by two men who were being escorted out of the business for not having masks, officials said Monday. The LAPD released surveillance video that captured the May 1 incident inside the store. The footage shows three security personnel walking behind two men, one of whom turns around and hits a security officer in the face. A second guard pushes the attacker against a shelf, and a scuffle ensues, footage shows. The other man being escorted out and the two other guards become involved in the fight but stop shortly as shoppers and store associates surround them, video shows. The security guard who pushed the initial attacker against the shelf lay on the floor, apparently hurt. L.A. Fire Department paramedics transported one of the security personnel to the hospital for a broken arm, according to LAPD.

Compton Man, 41, Missing

A 41-year-old Compton man with a diminished mental capacity went missing Monday.

Van Brito Morales was last seen about 1:30 p.m. near his residence in the 700 block of South Bradfield Avenue, north of Alondra Boulevard, according to Deputy Tracy Koerner of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. Morales is Pacific Islander, 6 feet, 1 inch tall and weighs 440 pounds with black hair. He was last seen wearing a purple shirt with a tear on the back, blue pants and black shoes, Koerner said. Anyone with information on Morales’ whereabouts was asked to call the sheriff’s Missing Persons Unit at 323-890-5500.

L.A. County Inmates Apparently Infected Themselves With Coronavirus In Ploy To Get Released

Inmates at the Pitchess Detention Center in Castaic apparently infected themselves on purpose with COVID-19 in an attempt to get early releases, the Los Angeles County’s sheriff said on Monday.About two dozen inmates – all living in one module at the North County Correctional Facility on the sprawling Pitchess property – gathered in a common area and passed around a bottle of hot water in mid-April, Sheriff Alex Villanueva said. They also took turns donning a used face mask and inhaling, the sheriff said. It’s unclear if one of the men thought he had the virus, or if the inmates were just hoping one of them had it and would infect the others, the sheriff said. There’s no audio in the video. And Villanueva said interviews with the inmates did not turn up evidence that there was a plan. But the sheriff said there was also no reason for them to share. Each inmate is provided with a personal mask and individual water bottles to fill up at a water dispenser.

Public Safety News

As LA County Begins To Reopen, Coronavirus Cases Rise To 32,258 With 1,569 Deaths

Los Angeles County officials Monday reported 591 new coronavirus cases and 39 additional deaths, bringing the county's totals to 32,258 cases and 1,569 deaths. Of the newly reported deaths, 33 were individuals over the age of 65, 22 of which had underlying health conditions. Four individuals were between the ages of 41 and 65, three of which had underlying health conditions. One individual with no underlying health conditions who died was between the ages of 18 and 40. The data on the remaining case was not immediately available. Approximately 92% of all county residents who died from the virus had underlying health conditions. County Public Health Director, Dr. Barbara Ferrer, said this emphasizes the county's need to protect those with underlying health conditions and urges those residents to stay at home as much as possible.

Coronavirus In Los Angeles: County Beaches To Reopen Wednesday With Modifications

Los Angeles County beaches will reopen on Wednesday for active recreational activities after being closed for two months due to the coronavirus pandemic. Beach visitors will be required to be engaged in some sort of activity in order to be on the sand, such as walking, swimming and surfing. In other words sunbathing, sitting on the sand, setting up canopies and picnicking will all be off limits, according to the Department of Beaches and Harbors. Beach parking lots will remain closed, as will the beach bike path and all piers and boardwalks. Those who visit will also have to wear face coverings and maintain a six-foot buffer between themselves and others under continued physical distancing requirements.

California Faces A Perilous Fire Season As Coronavirus Threatens Firefighters

As forecasters predict higher-than-normal chances of large fires in Northern California this year — as well as the usual risk of “large significant” burning in Southern California — fire authorities are growing increasingly concerned over their ability to muster a large, healthy force of firefighters in the face of COVID-19. Realizing that wildfire smoke will steadily impair a firefighter’s immune system, and that traditional base camps can magnify the risk of infection, federal, state and county officials are urging a blitzkrieg approach to wildfires that will rely heavily on the use of aircraft. With the coronavirus still circulating, they say they cannot allow even the smallest secluded fire to smolder for the sake of forest ecology. All fires, they say, must be extinguished as quickly as possible.

Local Government News

Coronavirus: City Opens Downtown Hotel To Temporarily House Homeless As Part Of Project Roomkey

A downtown Los Angeles hotel, shuttered by the coronavirus pandemic, has opened once more — this time as an 11-floor, 460-room temporary homeless shelter. It’s the biggest and most ambitious move yet to get people experiencing homelessness off the streets by putting a major hotel just blocks from Skid Row to use housing the city’s most vulnerable. The Salvation Army, which will supervise mental health and addiction services at the hotel, released a video showcasing the accommodations. “It gives them an opportunity to be in a comfortable place, off the streets, out of the elements,” Major Osei Stewart, incident commander, said. “It gives them food to eat, three meals a day.”

The program will last for 90 days and provide case management to those being housed, but the question remains of what happens once the program ends.