LAPD Jail Officer Dies Of COVID-19

Erica McAdoo, a senior detention officer with the Los Angeles Police Department, has died from complications related to the coronavirus, the department said Saturday. McAdoo died Friday, the department announced “with extreme sadness.” She is believed to be the first LAPD officer to die from COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus. LAPD officials said there are 287 department employees who are currently at home after having been exposed to, or having tested positive for, COVID-19. Earlier this week, LAPD said 128 of its employees recovered from the disease and have returned to work. A supervisor with the LAPD Custody Services Division declined to immediately answer questions on how McAdoo contracted COVID-19 and whether she contracted the disease while on the job.

Man Fatally Shot Near La Brea Avenue In Wilshire Area; Probe Underway

Authorities on Saturday were investigating the circumstances surrounding a homicide that occurred in the Wilshire area. Around 11:30 p.m. Saturday, police say a shooting occurred near the area of Oakwood and La Brea avenues. It was there that police say two men got into a verbal and physical fight, resulting in one producing a handgun and opening fire. The victim was pronounced dead at a hospital. No further details were immediately available.

LAPD Searching For SUV Driver Who Hit, Killed Man Walking In North Hollywood

An SUV struck a man walking across Victory Boulevard in North Hollywood late Friday night, killing him, police said. Los Angeles Police Department traffic detectives in the San Fernando Valley said the 35-year-old man was walking south across the street at around 8:30 p.m., where Victory Boulevard runs underneath the 170 Freeway. That’s when a dark colored SUV headed eastbound hit him. The driver did not stop, LAPD officials said in a statement. Paramedics with the Los Angeles Fire Department responded to the scene, and found the victim dead. Officials have not released his name, pending the coroner contacting his next-of-kin. Police said they’re looking for anyone with information about the driver and the crash. Officials said drivers who hit pedestrians are required to pull over and identify themselves.

Girl Killed, Her Siblings Injured In Wild Pico Rivera Carjacking

A Pico Rivera family is mourning on Sunday night after a carjacking left their daughter dead and other family members injured. The carjacking happened in the 9000 block of Whittier Boulevard near Lindsay Avenue, officials said. The young girl who died was identified by family as 13-year-old Isabella Cortes. Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said Cortes and her three siblings — 8, 11, and 18 years old — were sitting inside their family car, waiting for their parents outside a restaurant when a carjacker hopped inside.

1 In Custody After Pursuit Of Ambulance Stolen From Scene Of Fire In South L.A.

At least one person was taken into custody Saturday night following the pursuit of an ambulance stolen from the site of a fire in South Los Angeles. Los Angeles Police Department officers began chasing the ambulance around 9 p.m. Saturday in the area of 24th Street and Nevin Avenue in the Central-Alameda neighborhood of South Los Angeles, according to LAPD. The ambulance was near a burning structure in Historic South-Central when it was stolen, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. “The circumstances surrounding the theft of the ambulance are currently under investigation by both the LAFD and LAPD,” fire officials said. The chase continued through Vernon, Maywood and Bell.

LAPD Searches For Gunman Who Killed 19-Year-Old On PCH

Los Angeles police were asking for public help to identify the gunman who killed a 19-year-old man on Pacific Coast Highway in Wilmington Sunday during a car-to-car shooting. Daniel Felipe Delgado was shot to death about 1:45 a.m. on PCH near Drumm Avenue, the LAPD reported. Delgado was driving eastbound on PCH when another car pulled up and someone in it fired several rounds, the LAPD said. Delgado was transported to a hospital, where he later died, the LAPD said. A motive for the shooting was unknown and suspect descriptions were not available, but the car was described as silver-colored, police said. Anyone with information was asked to call LAPD detectives Tiffin or Coffee of Harbor Division at either 310-726-7884 or 310-726-7887.

Los Angeles Police Report Over 1,000 Complaints Of Illegal Fireworks, Warn Against Non-Emergency 911 Calls

Across Los Angeles on Saturday night, there were scenes of illegal fireworks throughout the city in celebration of the Fourth of July. The Los Angeles Police Department reported more than 1,000 complaints submitted online as of 10:05 p.m. Police said they also had to hold dozens of 911 calls due to the lines getting clogged up, and apologized for the delays throughout the night. Residents are being urged to only call 911 for emergencies and to use this online complaint form for reports of illegal fireworks. “We ask that you please not call 911 for illegal fireworks unless someone is hurt or there is a fire. You are tying up 911 for other life-threatening emergencies,” a tweet from LAPD’s Communications Division said.

L.A. Offers $50K Reward For Information On Pacoima Homicide

The city of Los Angeles announced it is offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to the identification, arrest and prosecution of 26-year-old Davon Pledger’s killer. Pledger was standing outside a friend’s house on Cornelius Street in Pacoima about 10:40 p.m. on May 9, when two or three Hispanic men drove up in a dark-colored car, jumped out and opened fire, killing him. Pledger worked as a food delivery driver to support his two boys, according to media reports. Los Angeles police detectives have been unable to develop leads and are now reaching out to the public. The reward was initially proposed on June 23 by City Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez. Anyone with information was asked to call LAPD Detective Sharon Kim at Valley Bureau Homicide, 818-374-9550. Tipsters can also call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS.

Feds Seize Nearly $5.5 Million In Counterfeit Gucci, Facebook And Instagram Sleepwear At LA Seaport

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials, working the Los Angeles/Long Beach Seaport, seized 16,340 counterfeit Gucci, Facebook and Instagram women's sleeping dresses that if deemed genuine would have an estimated suggested retail price of $5,455,214, a department spokesman said Friday. CBP officers in coordination with Homeland Security Investigations special agents assigned to the Trade Enforcement Coordination Center took hold of the products on June 12, after they arrived from China in a shipment containing 329 bales of clothing, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection Branch Chief Jaime Ruiz.

13 Killed, Including 2 Children, Over July 4 Weekend In Chicago

At least 13 people died and 55 others were injured in Chicago due to gun violence over the Fourth of July weekend so far. Two killed overnight were young, continuing a string of children fatally shot in recent weeks. The youngest person killed over the weekend was 7-year-old Natalia Wallace, of Chatham. She was shot in the head around 7 p.m. Saturday in the South Austin neighborhood while outside at a family gathering. A 14-year-old boy was also shot and killed later in the night in Englewood along with three others who have not yet been identified after four men started shooting at a large gathering, according to Chicago police. Four others were injured in the mass shooting, including an 11-year-old boy and a 15-year-old boy.

41 Shot In NYC Over July 4 Weekend With At Least 4 Dead

New York City turned into the Wild West as a series of shootings claiming four lives and injuring 37 others erupted amid Fourth of July celebrations. The shocking wave of violence came as the city was reeling from ongoing anti-police brutality protests, weeks of lockdown orders prompted by the coronavirus outbreak and soaring summer temperatures. Adding to the chaotic atmosphere, illegal fireworks exploded in all five boroughs throughout the night. In the first fatal shooting of the night, Jose Cepeda, a young father, was blasted in the chest a little after midnight Sunday in East New York, Brooklyn. Cepeda, 20, and a friend had a “little disagreement” in front of the victim’s home on Atkins Ave. near Pitkin Ave. that turned deadly, a neighbor told the Daily News.

Public Safety News

Firefighter, Man Injured In Fire That Damaged Two Koreatown Homes And Garage Structures

A firefighter was injured when a roof partially collapsed while crews were battling a fire that damaged two Koreatown homes and nearby garages Friday, authorities said. The blaze was first reported behind a house shortly before 2 p.m. in the area of Harvard Boulevard and Kingsley Drive, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. Fire officials said witnesses reported hearing explosions, but it’s unclear where they rang out. The incident was upgraded to a greater alarm structure fire, with nearly 80 firefighters working to battle the flames and stop from spreading to nearby structures, LAFD said in an update. The blaze was extinguished about 50 minutes later. A man was also injured in the fire and was evaluated by paramedics. He refused to be taken to a hospital, LAFD said.

Five Injured In Northridge Apartment Fire

Five people were injured Saturday, including two seriously, from a fire that spread through a pair of apartments in Northridge, authorities said. About 50 residents were displaced by the fire in the two 16-unit buildings, located next to each other, at Wilbur Avenue and Parthenia Street. The fire consumed several large palm trees and the west side of one building, according to Nicholas Prange of the Los Angeles Fire Department. "Embers landed on the roof of the second building (to the east) and started a surface fire on the roof of the second building," he said, adding it took 81 firefighters to extinguish the fire in the trees, eight west-side apartment units, and on top of the second building. The entire second building and the east side of the first building were protected, he said.

L.A.'s Extreme Fireworks Bring Terrible Air Quality, Increased Calls For Fire Service

With officials canceling Fourth of July fireworks displays because of the coronavirus outbreak, many in Los Angeles County decided to put on their own show — leading to surges in both air pollution and calls for emergency services. L.A. firefighters responded to thousands of emergency calls Saturday and extinguished at least one large blaze that consumed half an apartment complex in Northridge, officials said. The fireworks also caused levels of fine-particle pollution to skyrocket, leading air quality to be rated as hazardous in some areas well into the following morning. The Los Angeles Fire Department, which serves the city of Los Angeles, averages just under 1,400 calls for service over a typical 24-hour period. On Saturday, it responded to 1,738 calls for service, spokeswoman Margaret Stewart said.