Florida Cop Beaten Unconscious; Suspect Charged With Attempted Murder

The 19-year-old suspect who savagely attacked an Atlantic Beach police officer Thursday and was subsequently shot and wounded by a backup officer has been absentee-booked on a second-degree attempted-murder charge, according to the Police Department. An update on Jaden Domani Perkins' condition was not released, but the department said the unidentified injured officer is home recovering and will undergo facial reconstructive surgery next week. Perkins' last address was listed on Hanford Street near New Kings Road and Dunn Avenue, according to a pair of 2019 traffic citations in court records. He has no other court records in Duval County.

LAPD Releases Video Of Confrontation With Protesters In Downtown LA

The Los Angeles Police Department released body-worn video in connection with the arrests of two suspects accused of attacking officers in downtown Los Angeles on Tuesday as they were taking a man and two women into custody. Officers were conducting an investigation near Figueroa Street and Wilshire Boulevard about 2:45 p.m. Tuesday involving two women who had shown signs of being in the midst of a mental health crisis when they saw a man yelling at, then pushing, another man who had been walking southbound on Figueroa from Seventh Street, according to the police. Police took David Dixon, 53, of Los Angeles, into custody and discovered he had a felony warrant for assault with a deadly weapon, police said. As officers were preparing to leave with Dixon and the two women, an estimated group of 50 protesters who were marching in the area surrounded the officers and began chanting "Let them go,'' police said. A man in a wheelchair, identified as Joshua Wilson, 33, of Los Angeles, slugged an officer in the face and officers used force to take him into custody, police said.

2 Drivers Sought In Hit-and-Run Crash That Killed Pedestrian In Historic South-Central L.A.

The Los Angeles Police Department is searching for two drivers involved in a hit-and-run crash in Historic South-Central L.A. that left a 49-year-old pedestrian dead, authorities said Saturday. The victim was walking westbound along Vernon Avenue just east of Wall Street Thursday night when a light-colored SUV struck him, throwing his body into the eastbound lanes of Vernon, according to LAPD. Then a light-colored 2011 to 2015 Dodge Charger hit him a second time. After being struck by two different vehicles, the victim was suffering from multiple blunt force trauma injuries when officers responded around 10:30 p.m., police said. Paramedics took him to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead shortly after arrival, police said.

Man Stabbed To Death By Neighbor In Watts

A man was stabbed to death Saturday evening by a neighbor in his Watts apartment building. It was reported at 7:30 p.m. in the 9200 block of Graham Avenue, according to Sgt. D. Cornwell of the Los Angeles Police Department’s Southeast Station. The victim, about 30, suffered multiple stab wounds and was pronounced dead at the scene, she said. His name was not released pending notification of relatives. The suspect, a 35-year-old man, fled in a white GMC Yukon Denali, Cornwell said. The license plate number was not immediately available. The nature of the fight that led to the stabbing also was not available, she said.

Family Seeking Justice For South LA Man Killed In Front Of Home In 2016

Four years after the murder of a young man in South Los Angeles, his family is still seeking justice. DeAndre Hughes, 30, was standing in front of his home on July 17, 2016, talking with a friend when a car pulled up and someone shot and killed him. He was a loving son and brother, a hard-working man who took the train to and from his job at Cedars-Sinai hospital every day for nine years. "I'm just begging as a mother," Barbara Pritchett said. "That was my first-born. We did everything together." At the time of the shooting, there was a crowd of people in the park across the street, so someone may well have seen something. The family, and the Los Angeles Police Department are asking anyone with information to please come forward. Tips can be provided anonymously to Crime Stoppers at (800)222-TIPS.

Man Faces Hate Crime Charge In ‘Heated Altercation’ That Led To Transgender Women, Gay Men Being Removed From DTLA Bar

Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer announced charges against a man in connection with a “heated altercation” at Las Perlas bar in downtown Los Angeles that ended with transgender women and gay men being dragged out, officials announced Friday. Eduardo Gonzalez has been charged with one count of making a criminal threat and a second count alleging the criminal threat constituted a hate crime, officials said. The charges stem from an incident that unfolded on Aug. 23, 2019. That night, several transgender women and gay men met at the popular bar for drinks following the DTLA Proud Festival. Gonzalez and his girlfriend sat at a table with the group and allegedly “made multiple transphobic and misgendering slurs toward the transgender women, leading to an argument with the group,” officials said in a news release Friday.

At Least A Dozen Detained After Gambling Bust In Northridge

 At least 12 people were taken into custody following a police raid on an illegal gambling ring in Northridge Thursday night. Los Angeles police served a search warrant a home at Lindley Avenue and Parthenia Street sometime before 10 p.m. Marked and unmarked LAPD patrol cars swarmed the area. Police later confirmed that vice detectives were busting an illegal gambling operation. Aerial footage from Sky2 showed at least 12 people being detained. Its unclear how many of those will be actually charged. The details of the case were not disclosed.

Detectives Search For Missing Girl, 14, Last Seen At USC Hospital

Sheriff’s detectives asked for public help Sunday to find a 14-year-old girl with an unspecified medical condition who went missing in Los Angeles. Leila Worrell was last seen about 7 p.m. Saturday at USC Hospital, at 2010 Zonal Ave., the department reported. Worrell is white. She stands 5 feet 5 inches tall and weighs about 110 pounds, the LASD said. She has long, straight brown hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing blue jeans and white Nike tennis shoes, the LASD reported. Anyone with information on her whereabouts was asked to callL ASD Detective Cortez at 213-974-8000 or 911. Tipsters can also call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477.

LASD Searching For Girl, 11, Missing In Altadena

Sheriff's detectives asked for the public's assistance to find an 11-year-old girl who went missing Sunday in Altadena after leaving a McDonald's restaurant. Dior Douglas was last seen southbound on Lincoln Avenue headed away from the restaurant about 3 p.m. Douglas is Black. She stands 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighs about 160 pounds. She has short black hair and brown eyes, the department said. She was last seen wearing blue shorts, a black shirt, black shoes, and a black head wrap, the LASD reported. Anyone with information about her whereabouts is asked to call the Altadena sheriff's station at 626-798-1131 or 911. Tipsters can also call CrimeStoppers at 800-222-8477.

Former Executive At Charter School Firm With Campuses In Carson, L.A. Admits To Embezzling $3.1 Million

The former executive director of a Los Angeles charter school outfit agreed Friday to plead guilty to criminal theft and tax fraud charges for stealing more than $3.1 million that should have been spent on school operations, but instead financed Disney cruises and theme park admissions, federal prosecutors announced. Janis Bucknor, 52, of Baldwin Hills, who ran the for-profit Community Preparatory Academy charter school and controlled several related entities, entered into a plea agreement on the same day that charges were filed in federal court in Los Angeles, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Bucknor, who is charged with one count of theft, embezzlement and intentional misapplication of funds from an organization receiving federal funds, and one count of tax evasion for the tax year 2016, faces up to 15 years in federal prison, prosecutors said.

California Weighs Steep New Fines To Combat Illegal Cannabis Sellers

Alarmed that unlicensed cannabis sellers continue to dominate California’s pot market, state lawmakers are moving toward imposing steep new fines on businesses that provide building space, advertising platforms and other aid to illicit operations. Those who provide assistance to illegal pot sellers would face civil fines of up to $30,000 per day under legislation approved unanimously by the state Assembly that is now pending in the Senate. A final vote on the proposal is expected sometime after lawmakers return to Sacramento this month. Assemblywoman Blanca Rubio (D-Baldwin Park) said she introduced the bill out of concern that as much as 80% of the cannabis sold in California comes from the illicit market, despite voters approving legal and licensed sales that began in 2018.

Public Safety News

Crews Contain Fire That Burned Near Coldwater Canyon Park In Studio City

A small brush fire burned about half an acre to one acre in the Coldwater Canyon area of Studio City on Saturday afternoon, authorities said. At one point, the fire burned near homes, though it did not pose an immediate threat, said Nicholas Prange, spokesman for Los Angeles city fire. The fire was completely extinguished and contained by about 6 p.m. A bystander had reported seeing a fire burning in the area of 3100 North Coldwater Canyon Avenue, near the Torrey Pines lookout and TreePeople nursery at 3:31 p.m. When firefighters arrived, they faced 8 to 10 mile-per-hour winds slowly pushing the fire downhill, Prange said. Fire ground crews experienced difficulty gaining access to the fire amid steep hills, he said. To buy time, city and county fire department helicopters made water drops on the flames.

Los Angeles County Reports Highest Daily Coronavirus Hospitalizations, Surge In Cases Among Younger People

Most of the new coronavirus cases reported in Los Angeles County on Sunday were among people under 41 years old, officials said. Los Angeles County officials reported 2,848 new cases of coronavirus and 11 additional deaths on Sunday, with a reported 53% of the new cases occurring in people under the age of 41 years old. County health officials also reported on Sunday the highest daily hospitalization count since the pandemic began, with 2,216 people currently hospitalized. Of those, 28% of them are in the ICU, and 18% on ventilators. To date, L.A. County has identified 155,887 positive cases of coronavirus since the pandemic began and 4,095 deaths. Testing results are available for more than 1,515,000 individuals and the positivity rate has increased from 9% to 10%.

15 L.A. County Children Sickened By Rare Coronavirus-Related Inflammatory Syndrome

A rare but serious and potentially deadly inflammatory syndrome believed to be associated with the coronavirus has now been identified in 15 children in Los Angeles County, officials said. Of the children, 73% were Latino, representing a disproportionate burden for the ethnic group. Latino residents are the largest ethnic group in L.A. County, making up about half of the county’s residents. Nationally, about 70% of the cases of the inflammatory syndrome have been either Latino or Black patients. Multi-system inflammatory syndrome in children, or MIS-C, can cause different parts of the body to become inflamed, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, such as the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, skin, eyes or gastrointestinal organs. Symptoms include fever, pain in the abdomen, vomiting, diarrhea, neck pain, rash, bloodshot eyes and exhaustion.