Video: Thousands Gather To Mourn California Deputy Killed In Ambush

Good-natured, devoted to his family, rock-steady on the job and a shining example of a deputy — so Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Deputy Sgt. Damon Gutzwiller was remembered at a memorial ceremony Wednesday at Cabrillo College. “Some things are too big, too beautiful to describe, and the picture will never do it justice,” said his wife, Faviola Del Real. “That’s how it was with Damon.” “You made all of our lives so much brighter and without you, it will take a little while for our eyes to adjust,” said Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Deputy Sgt. Steve Ryan of his one-time patrol partner. Del Real and Ryan were among those who spoke before an audience of more than 2,000 deputies, officers and first responders from across the state, who filled Cabrillo’s Carl Conelly Stadium with a sea of khaki, green and blue.

Twenty-six minutes is a long time to wait when you’re on hold with 911. That’s how long Martha Rider says she listened to an automatic recording when she called for help in Venice on June 8. She had been in her backyard when she heard a crash and rushed out to see a hit and run accident at the corner of Penmar and Rose Avenues. “Somebody could have been killing someone or shooting someone and for 26 minutes, nobody answer the 9-1-1 call,” Rider said. 

LAPD Motorcycle Officer Hurt In Crash With Civilian Vehicle In Granada Hills

A Los Angeles Police Department motorcycle officer was injured in a crash with a vehicle in Granada Hills. The crash occurred near the intersection of Balboa Boulevard and Westbury Drive, close to Knollwood Golf Course, about 8:35 p.m. Wednesday, the department said. The officer was taken to a hospital with stable vital signs, but the nature of the officer’s injuries were not disclosed. The cause of the crash was under investigation.

LAPD Investigating San Gabriel Attorney For Allegedly Calling For Cop Killings

The Los Angeles Police Department is investigating a San Gabriel attorney for allegedly calling on Black protesters to kill police officers and offering to represent anyone who did pro-bono. The Instagram posts allegedly made by attorney Mark McBride have been deleted since Fox 11 LA obtained screenshots of the comments and confronted him about them. McBride’s remarks reportedly were in response to a recent post about excessive use of force by police officers on Blacks. “It won’t stop until black people start murdering cops, which they should do often and with great relish,” the post said, according to Fox 11. “These (expletive), low IQ, can’t get into law school jarheads need an asphalt nap, during which they’re bleeding out on the street where they’re shot down. I would have no problem with them. I would absolutely 100 percent defend to the death of any African American who picked off a cop or two. It’s time, it’s well past time.”

California Police: Suspect Threatens Officers With Knife, Stabs K9

A sheriff's K-9 was stabbed by a man with a knife during a domestic dispute Wednesday afternoon but is expected to recover, Stockton police said. Stockton police officers were called to the Mormon Slough area near Hazelton Avenue and California Street at about 3:50 p.m. on a report of a female screaming and a male stating he was going to stab her, according to a news release from police posted on Facebook late Wednesday. When officers arrived, they were able to separate the woman from her ex-husband, but he stood on the bank of the slough holding a hatchet and three knives and refused to comply with commands to give up. On-duty crisis negotiators attempted to convince him to surrender peacefully, but he still refused, police said.

South Park Church Hosts Conversations Between LAPD Officers, Black Young Adults

At The Experience Christian Ministries in South Park, the conversation between 25 LAPD officers and 25 Black young adults arranged by Pastor Shep Crawford started with a prayer and a push for protest. Then, Crawford said, “At the end of the day, we have to ask ourselves, ‘What do we do to move forward?’” He posed the question at a discussion organized with the help of LAPD Sgt. Ronald Kingi with the goal of moving the conversation forward about the relationship between police and the communities they serve. “It’s a time to get uncomfortable,” Kingi said. The group would have to sit down and be ready for open and honest conversation. To organize talks, one officer was paired up with a young adult, and every group had a list of questions to ask the other person. Questions for the LAPD to ask the community might include, “How do you feel when you see police?” while a question for an officer might be, “Do you believe there is a relationship of distrust between the Black community and police?”

LAPD Searching For 2 Men Accused Of Up To 13 Incidents Of Groping In Los Angeles Area

Police are searching for two men who have been approaching women in Los Angeles neighborhoods and groping them before fleeing. The Los Angeles Police Department said the men targeted young women who were walking or jogging alone. They flee the scene either on foot, bicycle, skateboard or in a silver Mercedes Benz sedan. As many as 13 sexual batteries have occurred between May 14 and June 16 in the Palms and Venice neighborhoods. Police believe there could also be additional instances in Culver City and Marina del Rey. LAPD released pictures of the suspects, who were described as two black males in their 20s, on Wednesday to their Twitter account. The suspect pictured below on the left is described as tall and slender and the one on the right is described as shorter and heavier set.

‘That ’70s Show’ Actor Danny Masterson Charged With Forcibly Raping 3 Women At His Hollywood Hills Home

Actor Danny Masterson, known for his roles in “That ’70s Show” and “The Ranch,” has been charged with forcibly raping three women in separate incidents in his Hollywood Hills home, Los Angeles County District Attorney’s officials announced Wednesday. The incidents occurred between 2001 and 2003, officials allege. The 44-year-old actor faces three counts of rape by force or fear. He was arrested at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday and released from custody about 2:45 p.m. after posting $3.3 million bail, according to booking records. Masterson allegedly raped a 23-year-old woman between January and December 2001, according to a criminal complaint against him. He is also accused of raping a 28-year-old woman in April 2003. Sometime between October and December of that year, he allegedly raped a 23-year-old woman who he invited to his home.

Racist Letters Found On Apartment Doors Of Two Sherman Oaks Residents

Authorities on Wednesday are investigating the discovery of racist letters taped to the front doors of the apartments of two residents in Sherman Oaks. Officers went to the building about 11:30 p.m. Tuesday, said Officer Rosario Cervantes of the Los Angeles Police Department's Media Relations office. The address was not released. Officers took a "vandalism and hate crime report," Cervantes said. No arrests have been reported, and police did not reveal the contents of the letters.

Have You Seen Him? 82-Year-Old Man Goes Missing In Arlington Heights

An 82-year-old man who suffers from a medical condition and may become disoriented, went missing Wednesday in the Arlington Heights area, prompting a Silver Alert to be issued in Los Angeles County. Juan Martinez was last seen about 9 a.m. on West 21st Street, at Seventh Avenue, according to the California Highway Patrol, which issued the alert on behalf of the Los Angeles Police Department. Martinez is described as 5 feet tall, 160 pounds, with white hair and brown eyes, the CHP reported. He may be wearing a white shirt, gray jeans and black shoes. Anyone with information about his whereabouts was encouraged to call 911.

Two Men Found Shot To Death In Cars In Willowbrook, Compton

Authorities are investigating the shootings of two men who were found dead in their cars in Compton and Willowbrook Wednesday night. The shootings occurred about two hours apart. The first shooting occurred in the 600 block of South Ward Avenue at around 9:11 p.m., the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department reports. Deputies responded to find a man in the driver’s seat of a Toyota Corolla with gunshot wounds to his upper torso. He died at the scene. The second shooting was reported in the 11700 block of Alabama Street. At 11:07 p.m., deputies responded to reports of gunshots to find the victim in the driver’s seat of a Toyota Camry with gunshot wounds to his upper torso. He also died at the scene. There was no word on a motive or suspect information in either shooting. It’s unclear if they are linked.

DNA Evidence Used To Track Down Arizona Man In Connection With Riverside County Rape Cases Dating Back Nearly 25 Years

DNA evidence was used to track down a suspected serial rapist who has been charged with 16 felony counts in cases that involve six different women in Riverside County dating back almost 25 years, officials announced Wednesday. Darin Edward Cooke, 50, of Chino Valley, Arizona, has been charged with six counts of forcible rape, four counts of forcible oral copulation, three counts of assault with the intent to commit rape or oral copulation during a first-degree burglary, two counts of kidnapping with intent to commit rape or oral copulation, and one count of forcible sexual penetration. Eleven counts involve crimes that occurred in the city of Riverside in 1996 and 1998, while five counts are in connection with crimes that occurred in Corona in 2007, according to the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office.

Proposed California Law Would Make It A Hate Crime To Call 911 Because Of A Person’s Race

A California lawmaker wants to make it illegal to make discriminatory 911 phone calls. Assemblyman Rob Bonta, D-Oakland, announced that he is introducing legislation that would make it a hate crime to make a 911 phone call motivated by another person’s race, religion, sex or any other protected class. The bill also would allow people who are victims of such phone calls to sue the caller. There have been several instances that have gone viral on social media of a white person calling 911 on a Black person over trivial concerns, such as a 2018 incident in Oakland in which a woman called police to report a group of black men barbecuing near Lake Merritt. One recent such viral video shows a New York City woman, Amy Cooper, telling police that she was being threatened by a Black man, Christian Cooper, who was out bird-watching. After the video went viral, Amy Cooper was publicly shamed and lost her job. She later publicly apologized for the incident.

California Sets New Record For Most New Coronavirus Cases In A Day

California reported a record number of new coronavirus cases Wednesday, eclipsing 4,000 new cases in a single day for the first time, according to county data compiled by The Chronicle. County health departments reported 4,233 new cases as of Wednesday night with nearly all counties reporting. The state’s previous single-day high was 3,683 cases last Friday. The rise in new virus cases comes as many areas of the state ease social restrictions and reopen sectors of the economy. All but five counties - including four in the Bay Area - have received state approval to advance into Stage 3 of California’s reopening plan, where services like indoor dining, fitness centers and hotels can begin to reopen and gatherings can involve more people. California eclipsed 3,000 new cases in a day for the first time on May 30. The state has reached that mark eight times in June, including six of the last seven days.