Police In Austin Suburb Report Multiple Officers Shot

Multiple police officers were shot Sunday and a person remained barricaded inside a home located in a suburb of Austin, Texas, authorities said. The Cedar Park Police Department said on Twitter that officers were responding to a call at a residence when they were shot and one person was barricaded inside the home. A spokesperson for the department did not immediately respond to messages for comment and the department's statement did not say how many officers were shot or provide their condition. 

Man Killed, 2 Women Injured In Green Meadows Shooting That LAPD Believes To Be Gang-Related

A shooting in the Green Meadows neighborhood of South Los Angeles late Saturday left a man dead and two women injured, authorities said. Video shows officers descending on the intersection of 120th Street and Central Avenue around 10 p.m. According to LAPD, three people were shot and taken to the hospital: a 42-year-old woman in critical condition, a 41-year-old woman in stable condition and a man who was pronounced dead at the hospital. Officers believe the incident to be gang-related, the Los Angeles Police Department said. The department provided no further information about the case, including the victims’ names or any description of the perpetrator.

2 Women Shot By Man In Venice Police Say

Two 25-year-old women are recovering Sunday after being struck by gunfire in Venice, authorities said. The shooting happened at 10:30 p.m. Saturday in the 3100 block of Oceanfront Walk, near the Venice Fishing Pier. The Los Angeles Fire Department transported both victims to a hospital in stable condition, according to a dispatcher in the LAPD Department Operations Center. Police say the suspect is a man in his 30s. Los Angeles Police Department’s Pacific Division responded to the shooting. Their investigation revealed that, prior to the gunfire, the people involved had been standing in front of a building arguing, the DOC dispatcher said. The gunman remains at large.

South Los Angeles Woman Charged With Murder, Torture In Death Of Her 4-Year-Old Daughter

A South Los Angeles woman was charged Friday with murder and torture in the death of her 4-year-old daughter. Akira Smith, 35, was charged with one count each of murder, torture and assault on a child causing death. She is scheduled to be arraigned Friday evening. Smith is accused of beating her daughter, Eternity, to death at their home in South Los Angeles on Tuesday. Eternity was taken to a nearby hospital where she died. The criminal complaint also alleges Smith had prior conviction for assault with a deadly weapon in 2016 and injuring a spouse, cohabitant, fiancé or boyfriend in 2014. Prosecutors are recommending bail be set at $3.05 million. If convicted as charged, Smith faces a possible maximum sentence of 62 years to life in state prison.

Elderly Driver Killed In Hit-And-Run Wreck In Tujunga

An 83-year-old driver was killed and a second driver ran from the scene of a head-on wreck in the Tujunga neighborhood early Monday morning. The crash occurred in the 7100 block of Foothill Boulevard at about 1:45 a.m. According to Los Angeles police, two vehicles were traveling in opposite directions when one of the cars struck the other head-on. The driver of the one of the cars, an 83-year-old man, died at the scene, police told CBSLA.Witness spotted the driver of the second car limping away. Police searched the area and arrested three men, one of whom admitted to being the driver. However, investigators are still unclear on the details of the wreck.

Man Stabbed While Trying To Help His Cousin

A 21-year-old man was stabbed twice in the chest Saturday while trying to stop two other men from beating his cousin in the Vermont Square area of Los Angeles. It happened about 4:20 p.m. at 47th Street and Budlong Avenue, said Sgt. Scott Blackman of the Los Angeles Police Department’s 77th Street Station. The victim pointed out one of the suspects to arriving officers as he ran away, Blackman said. Officers caught and arrested him. Another man got away. Both were in their 20’s, the sergeant said. Paramedics took the wounded man to a hospital, where his condition was unavailable, Blackman said. The initial beating was possibly gang related, he said.

Man, 94, Reunited With Family After Going Missing In Hollywood

Leonard Nynik has been located safely and reunited with his family. Authorities on Saturday were searching for a 94-year-old man who was last seen in Hollywood Friday. Leonard Nynik was seen last in the 1300 block of N. Detroit Street. His family described him as 5-foot-6 with gray hair and blue eyes. Anyone with information as to Nynik’s whereabouts was asked to contact the LAPD Hollywood Division Detectives at (213) 972-2967 or (213) 972-2971.

Rape Suspect Arrested in Beverly Hills; More Victims Sought

Beverly Hills police Friday announced they are looking for additional victims of a man suspected of picking up intoxicated women at bars in Los Angeles and Orange counties and driving them to Beverly Hills to sexually assault them. Kamran Syed, 39, of Beverly Hills was arrested June 20, according to Beverly Hills police Lt. Max Subin. Syed was charged by the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office with three counts of rape of an unconscious or asleep person, one count of assault to commit rape, one count of forcible oral copulation and one count of oral copulation of an unconscious person, Subin said. The alleged sexual assaults occurred between 2017 and 2020, he said. Syed was in the Twin Towers jail on $1.5 million bail, according to sheriff's inmate records. "The Beverly Hills Police Department believes Syed may be responsible for additional sexual assaults in the Los Angeles area," Subin said.

Police Pursue Reported Stolen Vehicle From Orange County To Los Angeles

The CHP were in pursuit of a reported stolen vehicle that started in the Orange County area on Sunday afternoon. The pursuit started at about 2:45 p.m. in the Irwindale area and the vehicle was reportedly stolen in Fulllerton, officials said. The vehicle is a stolen gray Nissan Altima. The suspect has blown red lights, stop signs, and has been seen driving at a very high rate of speed. Officials say at least two occupants are inside the vehicle. The suspect reached about 90 mph on the eastbound 210 Freeway while approaching the Pasadena area and nearing La Canada Flintridge. At around 3:40 p.m., the vehicle crashes into another car, CHP surrounds vehicle on Foothill Blvd and Oak Grove in the Pasadena area.

Survivors To Tell Of Trauma, Healing In Golden State Killer Case After The Serial Killer Avoids Death Penalty

Jane Carson-Sandler says she has served an effective life sentence in the more than four decades since she was one of the first rape victims of a one-time police officer who eventually became known as the Golden State Killer. Now it’s Joseph James DeAngelo’s turn. Carson-Sandler will be among nearly three dozen victims or survivors who plan to confront DeAngelo this week during an extraordinary four days of court hearings before the 74-year-old is sentenced to life in prison. Some plan to tell of their pain, others of their healing. It’s the culmination of a plea deal that will spare him the death penalty for 13 murders and numerous sadistic rapes and burglaries that terrorized California for more than a decade. The perpetrator behind the reign of terror mystified investigators until they used a new form of DNA tracking to arrest him in 2018. “Our wounds heal and our scars remain,” Carson-Sandler said.

9th Circuit Ends California Ban On High-Capacity Magazines

A federal appeals court on Friday tossed out California’s ban on high-capacity magazines — those holding 10 or more bullets — finding that it “runs afoul of the Second Amendment.” “California’s almost blanket ban on LCMs (large-capacity magazines) goes too far in substantially burdening the people’s right to self-defense,” Judge Kenneth K. Lee wrote in the 66-page decision. Lee also wrote that while he understands the reason behind the law, “even the laudable goal of reducing gun violence must comply with the Constitution.” The three-judge panel ruling was split. Judge Barbara Lynn dissented, finding that the majority opinion conflicted with prior decisions from the court. Magazines that hold 10 or more bullets have been illegal to sell, manufacture, import or transfer in California since 2000.

Public Safety News

LA Firefighter Lost To Coronavirus Mourned By Family, Peers

A notorious prankster. A devoted family man. A father figure in the community. And a courageous public servant. That’s how loved ones remembered Los Angeles Fire Department firefighter-paramedic Jose “Joser” Melano Perez, 44, at an outdoor memorial service Saturday, Aug. 15 at Los Alamitos’ Cottonwood Church, where Perez regularly attended services with family members. When Perez, a Lakewood resident, passed away on July 25, he became the Los Angeles Fire Department’s first firefighter to lose his life to the novel coronavirus. A relentless prankster, family members recalled that he pulled heart-stopping stunts on his beloved brothers and nephews, but nonetheless endeared himself as their hero. Many in attendance Saturday shared tales of Perez blaring the sirens when they turned their backs. But they also recalled that he was ever eager to take the lead and was a tireless worker. 

Firefighters Knock Down Stubborn Apartment Building Fire In South Los Angeles

Firefighters extinguished a stubborn greater-alarm apartment fire Sunday in South Los Angeles that left one person slightly injured. The blaze inside the 22,000-square-foot four-story apartment building at 1910 S. Los Angeles St. was reported at 2:37 p.m., Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Nicholas Prange said. The building had 31 units inside. The fire burned on the first floor, inside the walls on the fourth floor and into the attic, Prange continued. A 35-year-old man was treated at the scene for smoke inhalation and transported to a hospital in fair condition, Prange said.

LA County Reports Another 35 COVID-19 Deaths, Hospitalizations Falling

Los Angeles County reported 2,103 new cases of COVID-19 and 35 more deaths on Saturday, bringing the county's totals to 220,762 cases and 5,245 fatalities. Officials with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health said a backlog of cases from issues with the state electronic lab report system is still expected, although data that tracks other key indicators, including hospitalizations and deaths, are not affected by the reporting issue. "We send our deepest condolences and prayers to the many families who have lost loved ones to COVID-19,'' Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said.

California Becomes First State To Pass 600,000 Coronavirus Cases

California has become the first state in the nation to surpass 600,000 confirmed coronavirus cases. As of Friday evening, there were more than 609,000 recorded cases. The state also has reported over 11,000 deaths. Yet despite the grim numbers, there is growing evidence that the surge in infections and fatalities that began when California reopened its economy in May is beginning to slow. And statewide, an ensemble computer model known as the California COVID Assessment Tool estimates California’s overall transmission rate is about 0.96. When asked about the 600,000-case milestone during a news briefing Friday, Gov. Gavin Newsom said he and his administration are more concerned with the state’s positivity rate — the proportion of people who test positive for the virus of all who have been tested — which currently sits at about 6.2%.