Police Unions Say They Want To Work With State On Reforms, But Not On SB 731

he unions that represent the Los Angeles and San Francisco police departments released a letter Thursday they sent to California’s top government officials in opposition of a state bill that would decertify law enforcement officers convicted of engaging in serious misconduct. Gov. Gavin Newsom, Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon were sent the letter by the Los Angeles Police Protective League and San Francisco Police Officers Association that stated the unions want to work with state officials and that they support a national database of officers fired for gross misconduct, but they said they want a “fair process” in doing so. “We support the adoption of specific violations that constitute gross misconduct where a potential decertification process could commence,” the letter stated. “We support working with all stakeholders to ensure a fair peace officer decertification process that codifies fundamental and appropriate due process for accused officers and a fair and reasonable appeals process similar to other professions in California.”

Protesters Descend On Porter Ranch Home Of LAPD Chief Michel Moore

A group of demonstrators swarmed the Porter Ranch home of Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore Thursday night as week-long protests continued in response to the Wisconsin shooting death of Jacob Blake. Video showed several dozen people walking up the driveway to Moore’s home and attaching signs to the garage and front entryway that read “Defund LAPD Now” and “Fire Chief Moore.” People could also be seen writing messages on the sidewalk and walkway. The home is in a gated community. More video later showed Moore using a power sprayer to wash off the exterior of his home and another person wiping down walls. There was no word of any arrests.

In Search For Killer, Police Release Video Of Historic South-Central L.A. Shooting That Also Wounded 7-Year-Old Boy

The Los Angeles Police Department on Thursday released surveillance footage of a shooting in Historic South-Central Los Angeles that left a man dead and a 7-year-old boy in serious condition. The suspect in the Aug. 7 shooting remains at large, authorities said. Newly released video shows a white van driving past the camera about 15 seconds into the 41-second clip. Seconds later, what appears to be the silhouette of a person walks past the passenger side of a parked pickup truck and flashes of light suddenly emerge, appearing to be a gun firing. Police said the video shows the shooter who targeted a 30-year-old man and a 7-year-old boy near East Adams Boulevard and South Central Avenue. The victims were sitting inside a vehicle in a parking lot when the suspect fired at them just past midnight. Paramedics took the victims to a nearby hospital where the man died from his wounds and the boy was listed in stable condition, police said.

Driver Sought In Deadly Hit-and-Run Near MacArthur Park

A $50,000 reward is being offered for the capture of a driver wanted in a deadly hit-and-run involving a pedestrian at the intersection of Wilshire Blvd. and Alvarado St. early Thursday morning. Los Angeles police and L.A. Fire Department paramedics responded to the intersection near MacArthur Park at about 4:30 a.m. and located a pedestrian on the street described as a Black woman about 35-40 years old. She was taken to the hospital where she was pronounced dead. LAPD says the pedestrian was crossing Wilshire Blvd., outside a marked crosswalk, west of Alvarado St. when a white pick-up truck traveling eastbound on Wilshire Blvd. collided into the victim. The force of the impact caused the pedestrian to be launched into the intersection and land on the street, according to LAPD. The driver of the truck continued driving eastbound on Wilshire Blvd. without stopping to help the victim, LAPD added.

Police Seek To ID Gunman In Shooting Death Of 40-Year-Old Man

Authorities are searching for leads in a deadly shooting that erupted following a dispute in Torrance Wednesday. The gunfire broke out around 12:20 a.m. on the 1500 block of Plaza Del Amo, a residential area, the Los Angeles Police Department said in a news release. Jimmy Jackson, 40, was with a group of males in a carport in the area. Witnesses reported hearing an argument before gunshots rang out, according to police. Responding officers say they found Jackson suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He died at the scene. Officials have yet to compile a suspect or vehicle description. Anyone with information can contact homicide detectives Cortez and Coffee at 310-726-7889 or 310-726-7887. 

Authorities ID Man Fatally Shot In Skid Row Area Of Los Angeles

Authorities Thursday identified a man who was fatally shot in the Skid Row area of Los Angeles. Officers were sent to Sixth and San Julian streets at about 1:40 a.m. Wednesday, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Alvin Wiley, 61, died at the scene, the coroner’s office reported. His city of residence was not known. No arrests have been reported and no suspect description has been released. Anyone with information on the crime was urged to call 877-LAPD-247.

Gunman Opens Fire On Minivan In Hollywood, 2 Wounded

 Two men riding in a minivan were wounded after a suspect opened fire on them while they were driving in Hollywood Thursday night. The shooting occurred at approximately 11:20 p.m. in the area of Cahuenga and Hollywood boulevards, according to Los Angeles police. The minivan, containing an unknown number of people, was traveling down a roadway when a second car pulled up alongside and one of its occupants opened fire. Two men in their 20s who were riding in the minivan were struck by the gunfire, police said. The victims were rushed by ambulance to nearby hospital where they were last reported to be in stable condition. It’s unclear if any suspects have been arrested. There was also no word on a motive for the shooting and whether it was gang related.

Victim In Culver City Stabbing Hospitalized In Critical Condition

A man was hospitalized in critical condition Thursday after being stabbed in Culver City but was expected to survive. The victim was in the 5600 block of Slauson Avenue, near Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery, about 2 p.m. when three men, believed to be between 25 and 30 years old, approached him and assaulted him, according to the Culver City Police Department. One suspect then stabbed the victim in the upper left torso with “an unknown type stabbing instrument” before the suspects ran away, police said. A possible motive was not released. The victim suffered a collapsed lung and was treated at a hospital, according to police. The suspect who stabbed the victim is described as 5 feet, 8 inches tall with a skinny build. The other two suspects are described as 6 feet tall with skinny builds, police said. Anyone with information about the suspects was urged to contact the Culver City Police Department’s Detective Bureau at 310-253-6300.

Woman Sentenced To 12 Years In Prison In Long Beach DUI Crash That Killed Man, Injured Another

A Lakewood woman was sentenced to more than 12 years in prison after entering a no contest plea in a Long Beach DUI crash that killed a man and injured another earlier this year, officials announced Monday. Charlette Anne Colton, 50, pleaded no contest to gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, DUI causing injury within 10 years of another DUI with admitted great bodily injury and hit-and-run causing death or serious injury, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. She was convicted of DUI in 2012 and was previously facing a murder charge and life in prison. The incident occurred on March 24. Colton was driving her 2000 Dodge Caravan west along Del Amo Boulevard near Locust Avenue when it struck the back of a 1996 Honda Accord, Long Beach police said at the time.

New Domestic Violence Law Proposed After 5-Year-Old Boy's Death At Hands Of Father

It's been three years since 5-year-old Aramazd "Piqui" Andressian Jr. was murdered by his own father. The father ultimately confessed to killing the child because he was angry at his estranged wife. The case made national headlines. Today, Piqui's mother is backing a proposed state law that would allow certain types of abuse to be considered in divorce and custody cases. The bill, SB-1141 the "Domestic violence: coercive control" bill, is awaiting a vote in the State Assembly, which could happen as soon as this weekend. In an exclusive one-on-one with the NBCLA I-Team, she said the new law could protect children from suffering the same fate as her little boy. In 2017, in the midst of a bitter divorce and custody fight, Estevez's estranged husband - Aramazd Andressian of South Pasadena, smothered his 5-year-old son with the boy's own sweater, and left him in the woods of Santa Barbara County. The father at first claimed the boy had mysteriously vanished after a trip to Disneyland.

Nebraska Cop In Critical Condition After Shooting; 2 Suspects In Custody

An exchange of gunfire across the street from a Lincoln elementary school at lunch hour Wednesday left a longtime police officer fighting for his life and two men in custody. Police Chief Jeff Bliemeister said the 23-year veteran of the Lincoln Police Department, who was not named, underwent surgery Wednesday afternoon at Bryan West Campus. The officer remained in critical condition Wednesday afternoon. At an afternoon news conference, Bliemeister said members of the Metro Area Fugitive Task Force, the department's gang unit and the criminal division had gone to a house on the southwest corner of 33rd and Vine streets after getting information that 17-year-old Felipe Vazquez — who was wanted for second-degree assault in connection with Edward Varejcka's stabbing death in March — was there. Shortly after 11:30 a.m., police notified staff at Hartley Elementary School and social media followers of an ongoing situation, asking people to stay away from the area. Then, around noon, two men — Vazquez and Orion J. Ross — came crashing out a window, one of them firing a shot that struck an officer in the chest, Bliemeister said.

Public Safety News

LAFD Reports 5 More Coronavirus Cases, Bringing Total To 164

The Los Angeles Fire Department reported five additional employees have tested positive for coronavirus on Thursday. The total number of LAFD employees who have tested positive is 164, according to Jessica Kellogg of the Emergency Operations Center. Of those, 155 have recovered and returned to duty. Five of the remaining eight employees are isolated at home recovering, and the final three are no longer under quarantine but are continuing to recover at home, Kellogg said.

Victory Boulevard Building Catches Fire In North Hollywood

A fire broke out in a three-story commercial building in North Hollywood Thursday night, but no injuries were reported. The fire, which was burning on the first floor and into the building’s elevator shaft, was reported about 9 p.m. on the 12100 block of Victory Boulevard, near Laurel Canyon Boulevard in the Valley Plaza area, according to Nicholas Prange of the Los Angeles Fire Department. Firefighters were initially told a person may be trapped inside the building, but no one was found, Prange said. Sixty-three firefighters extinguished the blaze in about 30 minutes. The cause of the fire was under investigation.

Los Angeles County Reports 38 More Coronavirus Deaths, 1,636 New Cases

Another 38 deaths due to the coronavirus were reported in Los Angeles County Thursday, while health officials again urged people participating in protests to take precautions against spreading the virus. The 38 deaths -- one of which was actually reported Wednesday by health officials in Long Beach -- lifted the countywide total number of fatalities during the pandemic to 5,701. County officials also announced another 1,636 new cases of the virus, while Long Beach reported 83 and Pasadena added 11. Long Beach and Pasadena both have their own health departments separate from the county. The new cases lifted the countywide total since the pandemic began to 237,080. As of Thursday, there were 1,168 people hospitalized due to the virus, continuing the downward trajectory seen through much of August.

Dangers Of Third Coronavirus Surge In California Focus On Young People, Essential Workers

Even as California finally begins to see declines in both COVID-19 deaths and hospitalizations, health officials and experts are preparing for a potential third surge of coronavirus cases fueled by two groups that already have been hit hard: low-wage essential workers and young people. The summer spike in COVID-19 has started to ease, and governments soon will need to consider how they might begin to reopen the economy further. Gov. Gavin Newsom is expected to outline his plans Friday. California’s first effort at reopening was disastrous, with the spring’s worst weekly death counts doubling to nearly 1,000 during the summer. Last week’s total fell to about 900. There already are warning signs about what the fall may bring.

Local Government News

Following Months Of Less Traffic, LA City Council Votes To Encourage Businesses To Provide More Remote Work Options

Los Angeles City Council voted Wednesday to seek ways to incentivize businesses to provide more ways for employees to work remotely to help decrease traffic and carbon emissions. The unanimously approved motion, introduced in May by Councilman David Ryu, would have city staff report back to the council on methods to encourage businesses to adopt the policies in hopes of allowing more people to work from home, reducing commuter traffic, carbon emissions and smog. “The COVID-19 pandemic has forced many businesses to adopt a remote work and telecommuting model,” Ryu said. “This also happens to be the more climate-friendly model and it should be the future of work in Los Angeles. I’m proud to see the City Council take this step to tackle climate change, reduce traffic and build a healthier future by changing the way we commute.”