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Daily Local & Regional NewsWatch
LA Police Protective League

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Los Angeles
Police Protective League
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the union that represents the
rank and file LAPD officers

  Daily Local & Regional NewsWatch

Daily News Digest
from LA Police Protective League

August 6, 2020
Law Enforcement News

Funeral Services To Be Held For LAPD Officer Who Died of COVID-19
A funeral service will be held Thursday for Los Angeles Police Department Officer Valentin Martinez, the agency's first sworn employee to die of complications from COVID-19. Martinez was a 13-year veteran of the department and is presumed to have contracted the virus on duty. He was 45 when he died on July 24, leaving behind his mother, his siblings and his domestic partner, who is pregnant with twins. Services will be held at 9:30 a.m. at Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills' Hall of Liberty Mosaic Deck, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. “He was a hero lost way too early in life,” the Los Angeles Police Protective League Board of Directors said in a statement last month. “All of our officers have placed themselves and their families at increased risk throughout the response to the COVID-19 pandemic.”

LAPD Officer Shot By Apparent Friendly Fire While Responding To Suicidal Man In Hollywood: Chief
A Los Angeles Police Department officer was apparently shot by a fellow officer in Hollywood Wednesday afternoon while responding to a suicidal man who was allegedly armed with scissors, Chief Michel Moore said. The incident began about 2 p.m. in a residence along the 1110 block of North Wilton Place when police responded to a call about a man threatening suicide with kitchen scissors. The 33-year-old man had a Rottweiler with him when officers arrived, and his wife, mother-in-law and three small children were inside the home, Moore said. During an encounter, a female officer was struck by gunfire in the wrist, but it is unclear what led to the shooting. At some point, a fire extinguisher was used, apparently to try and control the dog. The officer had residue from the extinguisher on her boots, Moore said. “At this point we believe this is possibly the result of friendly fire,” the chief told reporters at the scene. He added that it is unclear if the officer who shot the gun was responding to the dog or “the actions of the subject.”

Investigation Underway Into Shooting That Left Man Dead In North Hollywood
Police are investigating a shooting in North Hollywood that left a man dead Thursday morning. Gunshots were reported about 2:20 a.m. in the 10900 block of Vanowen Street, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles Police Department confirmed. Arriving officers found a man, identified only as a male Hispanic between 25 and 30 years old, suffering from at least one gunshot wound when they arrived at the scene. The man was transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead, the spokesperson said. No further details about the shooting were immediately available.

4 New Coronavirus Cases Reported Within LAPD, LAFD
A total of four additional coronavirus cases were reported on Wednesday from both the Los Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles Fire Department, officials said. Three additional LAPD have tested positive for coronavirus, bringing the department’s total to 490 cases. Officials at the city’s Emergency Operations Center aid 223 LAPD employees are at home recovering or self-isolating due to exposure, and 317 have returned to work. Within the LAFD, one additional positive case was reported, totaling 155 coronavirus cases in the fire department since the pandemic began.

LAPD: More Cars Being Stolen This Year; Many Recovered Near Where They Were Taken
Between a pandemic and an economic recession, Los Angeles residents have much to worry about these days. Add this to the list: Having their cars disappear without a trace. Thousands more vehicles already have been stolen in the city this year compared to years past, and police are puzzling over why. As early as March, Los Angeles police commanders across the city were alerting the public that they were seeing huge jumps in reports of vehicle thefts since lockdowns due to the coronavirus began. Lt. Bruce Hosea, an LAPD detective who works on a county-wide task force tracking vehicle thefts, said no neighborhood has been spared. “It looked like a shotgun blast,” Hosea said of looking at car thefts mapped out across L.A. “There’s no rhyme or reason to it — they’re stealing more cars, and it’s just everywhere.” The numbers have not tailed off as the summer has progressed. Citywide statistics as of Aug. 1 show a 33 percent increase in vehicle thefts so far this year, compared to the same period in 2019. That’s 3,034 more vehicles, at least, that have been stolen in the city in 2020.

LA Councilman Jose Huizar’s Trial To Begin In September; He Could Get More Than 100 Years In Prison
A Sept. 29 trial date was set Wednesday for suspended Los Angeles City Councilman Jose Huizar, who faces federal charges alleging he ran a $1.5 million pay-to-play scheme in which developers were shaken down for cash bribes and campaign donations in exchange for his support of downtown-area development projects. Prosecutors told U.S. District Judge John Walter that they expect the trial to last about 20 days and that it will involve between 40 and 45 witnesses. Huizar, 51, of Boyle Heights, pleaded not guilty Monday during a video conference in Los Angeles federal court. He is charged in a 34-count federal grand jury indictment, which alleges more than 400 overt acts, including bribery, honest services fraud and money laundering, that the city councilman and co-defendants are accused of committing to further their criminal enterprise.

LAPD Called To Holmby Hills Wedding After Noise Complaints
Just hours after Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti warned that water and power could be shut off to homes that throw large parties in violation of coronavirus health and safety orders, police responded to a large wedding at a mansion in the affluent Holmby Hills neighborhood late Wednesday night. Los Angeles police received noise complaints from neighbors regarding a wedding at a mansion in the 10300 block of Wyton Drive at around 11:50 p.m. “Social distancing, washing hands, temperatures, masks, elderly separated, everything was according to standard,” a guest at the wedding told CBSLA. The wedding had been postponed a few times before being held Wednesday, CBSLA was told. After police responded, the event allegedly dispersed peacefully.

Suspect Arrested In Killing Of Girlfriend In East L.A.
A man was charged Wednesday with murdering his 20-year-old live-in girlfriend at their East Los Angeles home. Anthony McGeisey, 23, was booked on suspicion of murder in Monday’s shooting death of Sharleyne Conde, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. Deputies went to the couple’s residence in the 700 block of South Hillview Avenue regarding a “call of a person down” about 11:30 a.m. Monday and found the victim dead, according to Deputy Juanita Navarro-Suarez. McGeisey was detained and was subsequently arrested that evening, with bail set at $2 million, the sheriff’s department reported. A handgun was recovered at the scene. The motive for the killing is under investigation, according to the sheriff’s department.

Man Fatally Shot In Long Beach After Altercation: Police
A man was fatally shot in Long Beach following an altercation with another man, police said. The shooting occurred about 4:15 p.m. Tuesday along the 700 block of Cerritos Avenue, according to the Long Beach Police Department. Responding officers found the victim lying in an alley with gunshot wounds to his upper torso, police said. He was pronounced dead at the scene and has not been identified. The victim was apparently involved in an argument with another man who left the area before police arrived, officials said. It is unclear what the dispute was about. The incident remains under investigation. Anyone with any information about the shooting is encouraged to call homicide detectives Shea Robertson or Travis Harris at (562) 570-7244.

9 Accused Of Being In Ring That Sold Opioids In Bogus Southern California Clinics
Nine people, including a doctor who works for a Santa Ana pain-management clinic, are facing criminal charges related to a suspected narcotics trafficking ring accused of selling opioid prescriptions for cash, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced Wednesday. A pair of newly unsealed federal grand jury indictments allege that a group of medical professionals prescribed nearly 440,000 pills of 30 mg oxycodone, which the U.S. Attorney’s Office described as the “highest dose of short-acting oxycodone available” and “the dose most popular for the drug-abusing population.” Among those targeted is Dr. John Michael Korzelius, 68, of Camarillo, who is accused of writing medically unnecessary prescriptions to people at the Santa Ana pain-management clinic who paid him in cash.

Grammy-Winning Music Producer Detail Arrested On Sexual Assault Charges
Grammy-winning music producer Detail, who has produced hits for Beyonce, Lil Wayne and others, has been arrested for a series of alleged sexual assaults, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. Detail, whose real name is Noel Christopher Fisher, has been charged with 15 counts of sexual assault and five counts of felony assault for incidents between 2010 and 2018. Detectives first submitted the case to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office for review in January 2020. The charges were filed on July 31. Sheriff's detectives arrested him on Wednesday. He was being held on bail of $6.29 million. The Sheriff's Department Special Victims Bureau issued his arrest photograph out of concerns there may be additional victims. They are asking anyone with information to step forward and contact the Special Victims Bureau tip line at (877)710-5273 or email specialvictimsbureau@lasd.org

Public Safety News

Brush Fire Burns 2 Acres Near Ford Amphitheater In Hollywood Hills
Firefighters were working to fully extinguish a “largely static” two-acre brush fire Wednesday in the Hollywood Hills that resulted in one firefighter being taken to a hospital. The fire was reported at about 10:30 a.m. near the 2500 block of Cahuenga Boulevard East, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. Within about 45 minutes, firefighters stopped the forward progress of the fire in medium brush above the Ford Amphitheater, the LAFD reported. No structures were damaged. The fire was extinguished by 5 p.m., according to Brian Humphrey of the Los Angeles Fire Department. “One LAFD member became ill at the peak of the firefight, and has been taken to an area hospital in fair condition for further evaluation,” Humphrey said.

LA County Health Director Says Young People Driving Up Virus Cases, Stresses Large Gatherings Still Forbidden
Los Angeles County’s public health director warned again Wednesday that large gatherings are forbidden under coronavirus-prevention orders following two highly publicized parties, one of which ended in a fatal shooting. L.A. County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said infection rates among residents aged 30 to 49 nearly tripled between June and late July, and rates among those 18-29 quadrupled. “These two age groups continue to drive new infections here in the county,” Ferrer said. According to Ferrer, people in the 18-29 age group now represent twice the percentage of hospitalized COVID-19 patients in the county than they did in April, matching the rate of people aged 80 and over.
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About the LAPPL Formed in 1923, the Los Angeles Police Protective League (LAPPL) represents the more than 9,900 dedicated and professional sworn members of the Los Angeles Police Department. The LAPPL serves to advance the interests of LAPD officers through legislative and legal advocacy, political action and education. The LAPPL can be found on the Web at:

www.LAPD.com


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