In Honor Of LAPD Officer And NorCal Deputy Who Died From COVID-19, Gov. Newsom Orders Flags Flown At Half-Staff

Gov. Gavin Newsom on Saturday ordered for the State Capitol’s flags to be flown at half-staff in honor of two law enforcement officers who recently died from COVID-19. In a statement, Newsom called LAPD Officer Valentin Martinez and Alameda County sheriff’s Deputy Oscar Walter Rocha “heroes” and offered his condolences to their families, friends and colleagues. Their deaths are “a very real and painful reminder of the risks these men and women face every single day protecting the people of California,” the governor said. Martinez died at age 45 on Friday and is survived by his sister, brothers, his parents, Ricardo Sr. and Maria, and his partner Megan Flynn, who is expecting twins, authorities said. He had been battling COVID-19 since May 24.

LAPD: 4 Arrested, Including 1 Who Had A Machete, After Police Clash With Protesters In Downtown L.A.

Los Angeles police on Sunday said they made four arrests after a clash between civilians and police followed “peaceful” protests in downtown L.A. the day before. According to LAPD, some people within a large crowd of protesters started to “direct physical assaults on officers” and vandalized property just after 5:30 p.m. Saturday. Protesters also walked onto the 101 Freeway. People had descended outside City Hall and the Federal Building on North Los Angeles Street in one of many protests across the U.S. Saturday. LAPD initially described the demonstration as peaceful, but just after 7 p.m., the agency issued a citywide tactical alert. Four officers and three protesters sustained minor injuries, according to the Police Department. Authorities arrested three people for alleged battery on a police officer and one person, who allegedly had a machete, on suspicion of causing a disturbance, LAPD said.

Police And Rioters Clash In Violent Weekend Across The US

Protests took a violent turn in several U.S. cities over the weekend, with demonstrators squaring off against federal agents outside a courthouse in Portland, Oregon, forcing police in Seattle to retreat into a station house and setting fire to vehicles in California and Virginia. A protest against police violence in Austin, Texas, turned deadly when a witness says the driver of a car that drove through a crowd of marchers opened fire on an armed demonstrator who approached the vehicle. And someone was shot and wounded in Aurora, Colorado, after a car drove through a protest there, authorities said. The unrest stemmed from the weeks of protests over racial injustice and the police treatment of people of color that flared up after the May 25 death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

LAPD Reports 16 More Employees Have Tested Positive For COVID-19

The Los Angeles Police Department reported Friday that 16 additional employees have tested positive for COVID-19. So far, 435 LAPD employees have tested positive for the virus, according to Jessica Kellogg of the Emergency Operations Center. Of those who have tested positive, 245 employees are at home recovering or self-isolating, and 270 have returned to work. 

Teen Girl Fatally Shot At Hollywood Street Race, Man Arrested

Police Sunday said they have arrested a 33-year-old man on suspicion of shooting a 17-year-old Huntington Park girl to death after a street race in Hollywood. The girl was struck by gunfire just after midnight at Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue in an incident that was tied to a street race along surface roads, according to Officer Kevin Snare of the Los Angeles Police Department’s Operations Center. She was pronounced dead at the scene and her name was withheld pending notification of next of kin. Ramon Roque Monreal, of El Paso, Texas, was taken into custody by sheriff’s deputies around 3:45 a.m. in the area of 223rd and Figueroa streets after an unrelated radio call. Monreal was allegedly in possession of a firearm, the LAPD said. Sheriff’s deputies notified LAPD Hollywood homicide detectives, who later arrested him for suspicion of murder.

Man Shot To Death Outside Encino Home, Suspect Arrested

A suspect has been arrested in the shooting death of a man outside a home in Encino early Monday morning. The shooting occurred in the 18000 block of Green Meadow Drive at 2:20 a.m. Los Angeles police arrived on scene to find a man with a gunshot wound. He was taken by ambulance to a hospital, where he died, police said. His name was not released. A man was arrested at the scene. He was also not identified. The shooting was likely not a home invasion, police said. A motive was not known, although investigators believe the suspect and victim may be related, police added.

Koreatown Resident Stabs Robber to Death After Being Shot

A Koreatown resident stabbed a would-be robber to death Sunday evening after being shot by him. The break-in happened at 5:45 p.m. at 3033 Wilshire Blv., said Officer D. Orris of the Los Angeles Police Department’s Operations Center. A gunman believed to be about 20 years old forced his way into the apartment and shot the roughly 30-year-old man who lived there, Orris said. It was not immediately known where the man was struck. The resident fought back and stabbed the suspect to death, Orris said. It was unclear what type of weapon the resident used. The suspect was pronounced dead at the scene. The resident was taken to a hospital for treatment of the gunshot wound and said to have stable vital signs, he said.

Two Brothers Charged With Fighting Security Over Wearing Masks At Van Nuys Target Store

Criminal charges have been filed against two brothers who allegedly got into a scuffle with security guards -- including one who broke his arm -- after the two refused to wear masks at a Target store in Van Nuys, the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office announced. Phillip Scott Hamilton II, 31, is charged with one misdemeanor count of battery with serious bodily injury, battery and refusing to leave a business establishment after being asked to leave. He could face up to one year and nine months in jail if convicted as charged, according to the City Attorney's Office. Paul Joseph Hamilton, 29, is charged with two misdemeanor counts of battery and one misdemeanor count of refusing to leave a business establishment after being asked to leave.

Suspect Sought In Theft Of Long Beach Liquor Store, Resulting In Death Of Employee Who Intervened

Authorities are seeking the public's help in finding a suspect in the theft of a Long Beach liquor store, resulting the death of a store employee who tried to to stop the thief. The chain of events began Thursday night at a liquor store in the 300 block of West Anaheim Street, where the suspect was caught on camera stealing socks and T-shirts from the store. That's when the store employee, identified by co-workers as 49-year-old Victor, tried to stop the thief by jumping on top of his car as he tried to flee the scene. "The suspect drove with the pedestrian on the hood for approximately three blocks before maneuvering the vehicle to get the pedestrian off the hood," read a statement from the Long Beach Police Department. Surveillance footage in the area shows the suspect driving erratically to try and throw Victor off.

Police Probe Fatal Hit-And-Run Involving Bicyclist In Long Beach

Authorities on Sunday continued to investigate a fatal hit-and-run accident that claimed the life of a bicyclist in Long Beach. The crash unfolded around 3:20 a.m. on Orange Avenue and Del Amo Boulevard. It was there that authorities say officers were dispatched. Upon arrival, they located the bicyclist who succumbed to his injuries at the scene. A preliminary investigation has shown that the victim was riding south on Orange Avenue when he was struck by a car that was also traveling southbound. The driver failed to stop at the scene and fled before officers arrived. Anyone with more information about this incident was asked to Det. Kelsey Myers or Det. Shawn Loughlin of the Long Beach Police Department collision investigation detail at (562) 570-7355.

Ex-USC Gynecologist Pleads Not Guilty To New Sex Charges

USC’s former longtime campus gynecologist, who is accused of sexually assaulting 21 young women, pleaded not guilty Friday to a half-dozen new felony charges. Prosecutors filed the latest charges — five counts of sexual penetration of an unconscious person and one count of sexual battery by fraud — against George Tyndall on July 9. The new charges involve alleged crimes against five women while the 73-year-old defendant was working at USC’s health center between 2011 and 2015, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. Tyndall was charged in June 2019 with 18 felony counts of sexual penetration and 11 felony counts of sexual battery by fraud involving 16 other women dating back to 2009. He subsequently pleaded not guilty and was released from jail on bond about two months after his arrest.

LAFD Loses First Firefighter To COVID-19

A Los Angeles firefighter died Saturday from complications of COVID-19, the first in the department to die from the disease. Firefighter-Paramedic Jose J. Perez was 44 and had been with the LAFD for more than 16 years, officials said. Perez is survived by his wife and three children. "Fire Chief Ralph Terrazas and the entire Department send their deepest and most sincere condolences to the Perez family," according to a department statement. From March through Friday, 145 LAFD employees have tested positive for COVID-19, with 108 recovered and back at work and 36 recovering at home.

LA County Reports 3,628 New Cases Of COVID-19, 53 Deaths

Los Angeles County reported 3,628 newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 53 additional deaths on Saturday, bringing the county's totals to 172,325 cases and 4,351 fatalities. Officials said the higher totals -- coming after 1,949 new cases were reported Friday and 2,014 on Thursday -- were due in part to a resolution in California's electronic lab system and inclusion of backlogged positive results. Younger adults still make up the majority of new positive cases, with 76% of the cases announced Saturday occurring in people under 50 years old, and 54% of those among people under the age of 30, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.

California Desperate For Signs Of Turnaround After Stunning Coronavirus Setbacks

Coronavirus cases surging. Hospitals filling up. Reopening of schools postponed. Battles over wearing masks in public intensifying. July has brought a month of grim COVID-19 headlines for California, with a state once seen as a model of prevention enduring a new surge in cases as the economy rapidly reopened. But will July end with more bad news or some tentative signs that the efforts to slow infections by closing down some businesses and institutions might be paying off? Health officials are anxious for more signs of the latter, especially amid indications that other hot-spot states may be beginning to plateau. “We are at the phase of just beginning to flatten the curve, albeit at a higher level than before,” Dr. Robert Kim-Farley, medical epidemiologist and infectious disease expert at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, said Sunday of California. “I would anticipate — depending upon the cooperation of the public — we would start seeing cases beginning to go down in the next couple of weeks.”