Louisiana Man Indicted In Fatal Shooting Of Police Officer

A Louisiana man accused of fatally shooting a 21-year police veteran as well as his girlfriend’s stepfather before engaging with authorities in an hourslong standoff has been indicted on murder charges. An East Baton Rouge Parish grand jury on Wednesday charged Ronnie Kato, 36, with two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Lt. Glenn Hutto Jr., 45, and Curtis Richardson, 58, news outlets reported. District Attorney Hillar Moore III said a formal decision on whether to seek the death penalty would be made in the “near future," according to The Advocate. Kato was accused of fatally shooting Richardson, his girlfriend’s stepfather, during a domestic dispute on the morning of April 26 before allegedly shooting Hutto and Cpl. Derrick Maglone with an assault-style rifle as the two officers searched for him in the backyard of a Baton Rouge home.

Police: Prisoner Shoots 3 Chicago Officers Outside Station

A carjacking suspect being led into a Chicago police station on Thursday shot three officers, who returned fire and shot him, authorities said. The officers and the gunman were rushed to a hospital, police spokesman Tom Ahern said. One of the officers was shot in neck and a breathing tube had to be inserted, according to a doctor at the hospital where he was taken. Ahern said another was shot in the chest but was wearing a bulletproof vest of vest and the third suffered a graze wound to his hip. Police also said two other officers were taken to a hospital to be treated for chest pains. Ahern said he did not have any details on the condition of the suspect, whose name wasn't released.

LAPD Reports 3 More Employees Test Positive For COVID-19 Bringing Total To 474

The Los Angeles Police Department reported Thursday three additional employees have tested positive for coronavirus, bringing the department’s total to 474. Of those who tested positive, 226 are at home recovering or self-isolating and 290 have returned to work, according to the city’s Emergency Operations Center. The announcement comes following the death of two LAPD employees from coronavirus complications. 39-year-old non-sworn senior detention officer Erica McAdoo died earlier this month and a sworn police officer, 45-year-old police officer Valentin Martinez, died last week.

Seattle Police Found Explosives In Van Abandoned Near Site Of Weekend Riots

Seattle police who executed a search warrant of a van abandoned near a series of weekend fires recovered heavy-duty fireworks (explosives), weaponry and riot gear believed to have been used during riots in the area, officials announced Wednesday. During Saturday’s “large demonstration” in the city’s Capitol Hill neighborhood, the former CHOP, a crowd set construction trailers on fire, and damaged cars and businesses before making its way toward Seattle Police Department’s East Precinct, police said Wednesday evening. But as the crowd headed toward the precinct shortly before 4:30 p.m., a van followed and parked in front of the police building. It was facing the wrong direction in a traffic lane, and later abandoned, Fox News reports. “At about the same time explosions occurred outside the precinct,” the press release states. “Individuals in the crowd threw explosives at officers. One explosion occurred along the north wall of the precinct (on Pine Street), which blew a hole in the wall of the building.”

Child Rape Charges Refiled In L.A. Against Leader Of La Luz Del Mundo Megachurch

The leader of a Mexican megachurch has been charged a second time with child rape after earlier charges were thrown out. The case was refiled Wednesday in Los Angeles against Naasón Joaquín García and two others. The self-proclaimed apostle of La Luz del Mundo is charged with three dozen felony counts. Prosecutors allege he committed sex crimes against five women and girls. His attorney couldn’t immediately be reached for comment. García’s Mexico-based evangelical Christian church claims 5 million followers worldwide. The first case against him was dismissed in April because of prosecution errors but he’s remained in custody.

Feds Add Bribery And Money Laundering Charges Against L.A. Councilman Jose Huizar

Los Angeles City Councilman Jose Huizar, who was arrested and charged with racketeering last month in an ongoing pay-to-play probe, now faces additional charges including bribery and money laundering, federal prosecutors announced Thursday. The new charges were included in a 34-count grand jury indictment expanding on earlier allegations that Huizar headed up a criminal enterprise that leveraged his power at City Hall for financial gain, aiding real estate developers who handed over bribes including cash, free flights, casino chips and other perks. The 113-page indictment also includes claims that others conspired with Huizar in the scheme, including a former deputy mayor who previously headed the Department of Building and Safety. Federal prosecutors allege that Huizar agreed to accept at least $1.5 million in illicit financial benefits.

DA Seeks To Bring Harvey Weinstein Back To LA To Face Sex-Related Charges

The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced Thursday that it has filed court papers to move forward with the extradition process to bring imprisoned former film producer Harvey Weinstein back to Los Angeles where he is facing sex-related charges involving three women. According to the D.A.’s office, a hearing date on the temporary custody request is expected to be set in New York — where Weinstein is serving a 23-year prison term after being convicted of sexually assaulting two women — though it was not immediately clear how soon the transfer would be completed if approved. Weinstein has been charged with one felony count each of forcible rape, forcible oral copulation and sexual penetration by use of force and two counts of sexual battery by restraint. The criminal complaint against Weinstein alleges the crimes occurred in Los Angeles County between May 2010 and February 2013.

Victim Shot While Sitting In Vehicle In Glendale; Gunman Sought

Police are investigating a shooting that left one person wounded in Glendale Thursday morning. The victim was sitting in his car outside a residence in the 700 block of East Chevy Chase Drive when someone approached with a gun, a spokesperson for the Glendale Police Department said. The gunman fired at least one round into the car, striking the victim in the arm. The victim, identified only as a male, drove to a nearby 7-Eleven convenience store and called 911, the spokesperson said. An ambulance transported the victim to a nearby hospital in unknown condition. No description of the suspect was immediately available.

Homicide Detectives Investigating Man’s Death In Compton

A man’s death Thursday in Compton was being investigated by homicide detectives, but details were sketchy. Deputies were dispatched about 4 p.m. to the 3200 block of North Alameda Street, a few blocks from El Segundo Boulevard, according to Deputy Grace Medrano of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. The victim, who has not been identified, died at the scene, Medrano said. No information was available regarding a suspect or cause of death. Anyone with information about the death was encouraged to contact the sheriff’s Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500. Those wishing to report anonymously can call 800-222-TIPS.

Washington State Man Pleads Not Guilty In Long Beach Killing

A Washington state resident pleaded not guilty Thursday to a charge that he murdered a man as they walked side-by-side in Long Beach last month. Gilbert Aaron Crawley, 48, of Spokane, is charged in the June 28 shooting of Archie Harris, 49, of Bellflower. Police said Crawley and Harris “were known to one another and were walking side-by-side” in the 5800 block of Orange Avenue when Crawley allegedly shot him in the upper body. Harris died on the sidewalk. Crawley was arrested during a traffic stop in the 6700 block of Atlantic Avenue a day later. There was no word on a motive for the shooting. The murder charge includes allegations that Crawley personally used a handgun in the commission of the crime and that he has a prior conviction for assault with a deadly weapon, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.

An Outdated Understanding Of Chicago Gangs Could Be Hampering Gun Violence Prevention

On July 22, 15 people were shot outside of a Chicago funeral home. At a press conference about the incident, Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown said the shooting was likely gang-related. “Someone gets shot, which prompts someone else to pick up a gun — this cycle repeats itself over, and over, and over again,” said Brown. “This cycle is fueled by street gangs, guns, and drugs. In the case of the funeral shooting, rival factions repeated this cycle.” Gun violence in Chicago is up this year following a relative decline since an apex in 2016. More than 2,000 people have been shot so far, according to the Police Department. But Roberto Aspholm, an academic who has spent years studying the structure of gangs in Chicago, says that the prevailing narrative about how they work is misguided.

Public Safety News

Brush Fire In Hollywood Hills Now Contained

A brush fire that broke out Thursday afternoon in the Hollywood Hills has been fully contained. The Los Angeles Fire Department says it took 80 firefighters approximately two hours to extinguish the three-acre fire. The fire was first reported around 12 p.m. near the 2500 block of Laurel Canyon Boulevard in the Hollywood Hills. It was burning uphill roughly in the area of Laurel Canyon Boulevard and Tianna Road, south of Mulholland Drive. Both sides of Laurel Canyon Boulevard were shut down after the fire sparked in the area. The Los Angeles County Fire Department reported that moderate winds drove the fire to roughly three acres. No homes were threatened. Fire officials said that ground access was challenging due to the uphill direction of the flames.

L.A. County’s Tracing Team Repeatedly Failed To Detect Coronavirus Outbreaks At Workplaces

One by one workers at the Farmer John pork processing plant began getting sick with the coronavirus in March. Public health officials had created a system to help contain such outbreaks: The county’s fast-expanding army of contact tracers would be notified within 24 hours of people who tested positive for the virus. The county workers would call the patients, make sure they were isolated and determine who else they may have infected. But the tracers never found the epidemic in the plant, famed for making Dodger Dogs. By the time the county began an investigation in May, at least 116 workers were infected in what had become one of the region’s biggest outbreaks. It’s been a grim pattern since the pandemic began. The county’s contact tracing system has repeatedly failed to find workplace outbreaks before they spread widely, placing an ever-expanding circle of employees, their families and others at risk.

LA County Announces 1st Human Cases Of West Nile This Season

As people around the world deal with the coronavirus pandemic, Los Angeles County is reporting its first two human cases of West Nile virus this season. An older adult with no underlying health conditions was hospitalized with West Nile earlier this month and is now recovering. The second case was detected in late July in a healthy person identified as a blood donor. The affected people both live in the San Fernando Valley, officials say. The virus is spread by the bite of an infected mosquito, and health officials are warning residents to take preventative steps such as disposing of standing water that can attract the insects.