2 North Carolina Deputies Wounded In Fatal Shootout With Suspect

A suspect was killed and two Lincoln County Sheriff's Office deputies were injured Monday in an exchange of gunfire near the Gaston and Lincoln County line. Around 12:15 p.m. Monday, officers responded to a physical domestic disturbance call at 2590 Gaston Webbs Chapel Road. After clearing the call, they learned that a man involved in the domestic situation had four outstanding warrants. Deputies returned to the location to serve the warrants and the man retreated into a block building on the property. He began firing a shotgun striking two officers, according to the Lincoln County Sheriff' Office. Deputies returned fire, killing the suspect. One deputy was transported to Atrium Health – Main where he is being treated for shotgun pellets to the face. A second deputy was struck in the arm by shotgun pellets and was being treated at Atrium Health – Lincoln.

Deadly Shooting Under Investigation In Upscale Beverly Glen Neighborhood

A homicide investigation is underway early Wednesday morning after a double shooting in an upscale neighborhood in Beverly Glen. Los Angeles police confirmed a person, who has not been identified, was killed around 2:40 a.m. near San Ysidro Drive. Another person was transported to a local hospital in unknown condition. It is unclear what led up to the shooting. Suspect information was not immediately released. The 2200 block of San Ysidro Drive is shut down during the investigation.

SWAT Team Serves Warrant At North Hills Hotel, Suspect Arrested

A police SWAT team served a search warrant at a hotel in North Hills Wednesday morning and took a wanted suspect into custody. Detectives learned a wanted suspect was at a hotel in the 9400 block of Sepulveda Boulevard and had a search warrant drawn up and executed by a SWAT team about midnight, according to the LAPD. The suspect was taken into custody without incident. The nature of the warrant was not disclosed by police. The name of the suspect was not immediately available.

LAPD Will Keep Testing BolaWrap, A Device Meant To Immobilize Suspects From A Distance

Los Angeles police will continue testing a tether restraint designed to help immobilize suspects from a distance — known as the BolaWrap — after an initial six-month pilot program produced too little data to gauge the tool’s overall effectiveness. At the department’s request, the Police Commission unanimously granted a 180-day extension to the program during its meeting Tuesday morning. Since the initial 180-day pilot began in February, LAPD officers have used the BolaWrap a total of nine times. It was deemed “effective” in six instances. According to an LAPD report on those incidents provided to the commission, successful deployments helped take various suspects into custody, including a naked man running through traffic, a suspect wielding a pipe, a suspect with a knife, and an arson suspect. The devices were ineffective in one incident in which a suspect was up against a fence, in another where a suspect wore a very a large, bulky coat, and another in which the officer who fired the tether missed the suspect, the report said. Deputy Chief Martin Baeza told the commission that the department hoped to gather data from more deployments in the coming months to help determine whether to keep using the BolaWrap. He said the devices were meant to assist officers in bringing potentially dangerous situations to an end without using more deadly force, and that he remained optimistic they could serve that purpose.

Tattoo Artist Gets A Year In Jail For Vehicular Manslaughter In L.A. Crash That Killed YouTube Personality

A tattoo artist who pleaded no contest in connection with a crash that killed YouTube personality Corey La Barrie on his 25th birthday was sentenced Tuesday to 365 days in county jail, 250 hours of community service and five years probation. Superior Court Judge Joseph Brandolino suspended a four-year state prison term that Daniel Joseph Silva could face if he violates his probation, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. Silva was driving a 2020 McLaren 600LT at high speed eastbound on Huston Street when he lost control of the car, which ran off the road and hit a stop sign and tree on the northeast corner of Huston and Carpenter Avenue in the Valley Village area of Los Angeles on May 10, police said. La Barrie, who was a passenger in the vehicle, died that night at a hospital.

$5K Reward Offered For Information On Suspect Who Started Fires At Several Santa Monica Businesses

A reward of up to $5,000 is being offered for information related to the arrest of a person responsible for starting fires at several businesses in Santa Monica. A fire was started at Santa Monica Tobacco, located at 1434 Fourth Street, around 3:20 p.m. on May 31. Another fire was also started the same evening at REI, 402 Santa Monica Blvd., around 3:40 p.m., by what appears to be the same female, during civil unrest. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Santa Monica Police Department shared images of the suspect Tuesday, asking for the public’s help in identifying her while offering $5,000 for information. The suspect is a black female who has a tattoo of Africa on her left shoulder. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact Santa Monica Police Department Detective D. Chabot at 310-458-2201 Ext. 6679, Sergeant C. Green at 310-458-8414, or the Watch Commander at (310) 458-2249.

Woman Found Fatally Stabbed In Hawthorne Apartment Complex

A woman was found fatally stabbed in her Hawthorne apartment Monday night, officials said. The incident was reported about 8 p.m. in a complex along the 14100 block of South Cerise Avenue, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, which is assisting the Hawthorne Police Department. The woman, described only as Black, was found by family members and maintenance staff, officials said. Paramedics responded to the scene and pronounced the victim dead at the scene. Her name has not been released. Authorities did not provide any information on a possible assailant. The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information about the incident can call the Sheriff’s Department’s Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500. Those wishing to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS.

LASD: Search Continues For Norwalk Woman Reported Missing In 2019

 Authorities on Tuesday continued their efforts to find a Norwalk woman who went missing more than a year ago in San Bernardino County. Ericka Guerrero, then 29, was last seen at a party on July 20, 2019, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department reported. The red 2012 Nissan Pathfinder SUV she had been driving was located on Sept. 4, 2019 on a dirt road in the area of Black Mountain Wilderness north of Barstow, but there was no sign of the woman, officials said. Guerrero was described as Hispanic, 5-feet-3 inches tall and 190 pounds, with curly brown hair and brown eyes. She has a "CHAOS" tattoo on her neck and was wearing a white shirt, black jeans and a denim jacket when last seen. Anyone with information on her whereabouts was urged to call the sheriff's Missing Persons Unit at 323-890-5500.

L.A. Chiropractor Sentenced To 46 Months For $5M Health Care Fraud Scheme

A Los Angeles chiropractor was sentenced Tuesday to 46 months behind bars for helping defraud a dock workers union benefit plan by billing nearly $5 million in claims for therapy services not rendered or medically unnecessary. Mahyar David Yadidi, 38, was also ordered to pay $1.9 million in restitution, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. He pleaded guilty in November in Los Angeles federal court to a single count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud. Yadidi defrauded the International Longshore and Warehouse Union-Pacific Maritime Association benefit plan through his clinic, San Pedro Philips Chiropractic, by offering kickbacks to patients for attending the clinic and by billing the health plan for services not performed or unneeded.

Glendale Man Sentenced To 32 Months Already Served For Scheme Involving Fraudulent Tax Refunds

A Glendale man was sentenced Monday to the 32 months he previously served for opening more than a dozen bank accounts that he knew would be used to launder more than $1.8 million in fraudulently acquired tax refunds obtained by using stolen identities. Armen Martirosyan, 62, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge John F. Walter, who also ordered him to pay $1.5 million in restitution. Martirosyan pleaded guilty on June 10 in Los Angeles federal court to one count of bank fraud. After he was interviewed in connection with the case, Martirosyan fled the United States before being named in a federal grand jury indictment filed in November 2017. He ultimately was arrested in Colombia and extradited to the U.S. in August 2018. Martirosyan admitted in his plea agreement that in April 2009, he opened a bank account in his name at a Bank of America branch in Glendale, knowing that it would be used to deposit tax refunds that had been fraudulently obtained using stolen identities.

Public Safety News

LAFD Captain Injured In Explosion Talks About Brush With Death, Recovery

Three and a half months ago, Los Angeles Fire Capt. Victor Aguirre thought he was going to die. “The blast exploded,” he said. “Next thing I know, we’re engulfed in flames, and I thought this is how I die.” The explosion happened May 16 and injured 12 firefighters, including Aguirre, as they attempted to battle a blaze at a commercial building in downtown Los Angeles. Aguirre’s bandaged hands are just about useless and he is still recovering from severe burns on much of his upper body. “If I don’t push myself, it could get worse,” he said. “And so every day I have to push myself, stretch the skin to where it blisters or bleeds.” Aguirre said he feels he cheated death twice — once while trying to escape from the inferno and again at the hospital where he said he believed God had allowed him one last chance to see his family. “When they put me into the ICU, I was scared to close my eyes because I didn’t think I would wake up,” he said.

7 Dead, Multiple Structures Destroyed As 625 Fires Burn In California

The death toll from the historic firestorms hitting Northern California rose to seven Monday as officials used a small break in the weather to make progress against a series of lightning-sparked blazes that have been burning for a week. Crews are battling 625 fires throughout the state, according to Gov. Gavin Newsom. So far this year, firefighters have responded to 7,002 fires that have scorched a combined 1.4 million acres, the governor said. By this time last year, there had been 4,292 fires that had consumed about 56,000 acres. Newsom called this week critical in trying to fight the fires, adding that crews continue to flow into the area to help overstretched firefighters. The state’s commitment includes more than 2,400 fire engines, he said. More have been pledged from other agencies both in and out of California — including 91 from Arizona, Idaho, New Mexico, Texas, Oregon, Utah and Washington.