St. Louis Officer Dies After Being Shot By Gunman

A St. Louis police officer who was a “hero” to his family died Sunday after being shot in the head by a barricaded gunman on the city's south side, authorities said. Officer Tamarris L. Bohannon, 29, had been with the department for 3 1/2 years. A second officer who was shot in the leg was treated and released after the shooting around 6 p.m. Saturday in the South Grand neighborhood near Tower Grove Park, St. Louis Police Department spokeswoman Officer Michelle Woodling said. Woodling said the second officer is 30 and has been on the force about six months. The 43-year-old suspect was taken into custody Sunday morning, Woodling said. Mayor Lyda Krewson said in a statement Sunday night that she was “heartbroken” at Bohannon’s death. “I’ve had the privilege of spending some time with his family under these extraordinarily challenging circumstances. They’re wonderful people and immensely proud of the way he selflessly served and protected our community with distinction and honor for more than three years.”

Officials: Arizona LEO Run Over, Killed By Armed Man With Stolen Patrol Car

Grieving families left flowers and candles outside schools on the Tohono O’odham reservation Friday to honor a fallen tribal police officer who spent years working with youngsters as a school resource officer. Officer Bryan Brown, who was set to retire in a few months from the Tohono O’odham Police Department, was run over and killed with his patrol vehicle Thursday while responding to a report of an armed and erratic driver on Thursday. Carlos Maximilliano Galvan, who is in his late 30s, is facing a murder charge in the incident that occurred near the Desert Diamond Casino in Why, a community about two hours west of Tucson, according to a federal complaint filed Friday.

Teen Suspect Taken Into Custody Following Death Of 14-Year-Old Basketball Standout Semaj Miller

A 17-year-old suspect in the deadly shooting of 14-year-old basketball prodigy Semaj Miller was taken into custody on Monday. The Los Angeles Police Department did not provide additional details about the individual. Miller was shot on July 29 on the corner of Main Street and 87th Street and pronounced dead on the scene. Standing at 6’6″, he was a standout basketball player for the L.A. City Wildcats Youth Basketball program for several years, where he started learning how to play basketball from Coach Derrick Cooper and coaching staff at 11 years old. Coaches remember him for being devoted to mentoring younger players who needed help. “He was a good role model for our younger kids. We’ve got little ones that are five and six. He would catch the bus to their games and coach them,” Cooper said.

Rampart Detectives Announce Illegal Firearm Haul

Police seized two firearms during two early morning arrests Monday in the Westlake region, bringing to 15 the number of guns removed from Rampart-area streets in the past two weeks, a Los Angeles Police Department investigator said. A dozen suspects have been arrested in connection with the recent firearm removals, according to LAPD Detective Craig Marquez of the Rampart Station’s gang squad, who said nine guns were confiscated in the previous reporting period from July 19-Aug 15. “As the summer months have gone on, we did see an uptick on crime,” Marquez said. “It’s one of these things where we’re proud of the work that our officers are doing, keeping our residents safe, taking a lot of these illegal guns off the street.” Police say taking guns out of the hands of people who aren’t legally supposed to have them is an effective way to target gangs and improve community safety.

23 L.A. Children Died Of Suspected Abuse, Neglect In First Five Months Of 2020

Between January and May of this year, 23 children died of suspected or confirmed abuse or neglect, including drownings and traffic deaths, according to updated information provided Monday on the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services website. DCFS Director Bobby Cagle issued a statement in empathy with families and community members seeking information and said individual records are kept confidential. “The death of a child in our community understandably affects us all very deeply. It’s natural for families and community members to want immediate answers,” Cagle said. “While state law protects the confidentiality of records for children and families who may have come to the attention of child protective services, we are able to share statistical data.” If trends hold through the balance of this year, the numbers for 2020 reflect a decrease in both the number of deaths — which totaled 107 overall — and the percentage of deaths related to abuse or neglect.

Alleged Valley Rapist To Stand Trial In Topanga And North Hollywood Cases

A man accused of raping a 17-year-old girl in the Topanga area in 2018 and a 22-year-old woman in a North Hollywood parking garage last year was ordered to stand trial in both cases, the District Attorney’s Office announced Monday. Allen Dante Villarreal, 27, was held to answer Friday to allegations that he raped a woman after knocking her unconscious in March 2019. The defendant allegedly approached her as she was walking to her car, then got into the vehicle to attack her. After the rape, he drove off with his victim inside the car, according to the District Attorney’s Office. Villarreal is charged in that case with one count each of kidnapping to commit rape, rape by use of any intoxicating or anesthetic substance or any controlled substance, rape of an unconscious person, assault with intent to commit sexual assault, sexual penetration by use of any intoxicating or anesthetic substance or any controlled substance and sexual penetration of an unconscious person.

Driver Appears To Intentionally Drive Into Fairfax Neighborhood Store

Police are investigating after a driver appeared to have intentionally rammed an SUV into a Fairfax neighborhood store Monday night. The crash occurred shortly before 9 p.m. in the 7500 block of Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles Police Department Officer Mike Lopez said. Video recorded by @tariqnasheed and shared with KTLA showed the SUV drive into the Coolkicks shoe store and then back out. Police officers were able to catch up with the driver and take him into custody, Lopez said. The unidentified suspect was apparently wanted for a carjacking on Sunday that took place near the intersection of Lincoln Boulevard and Rose Avenue in Venice. Investigators are trying to determine what prompted the suspect to drive into the building Monday night.

Porn Star Ron Jeremy Charged With 20 More Counts Of Sex Abuse Against Victims Aged 15 To 54: L.A. DA’s Office

Adult film star Ron Jeremy has been charged with 20 more counts of sexual assault involving 13 females — the youngest being 15 years old — over a 16-year period, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced Monday. Prosecutors initially charged Ronald Jeremy Hyatt earlier this summer with forcibly raping three women and sexually assaulting another in separate incidents in West Hollywood. Within days, prosecutors were investigating an additional 25 complaints against the porn star, the Los Angeles Times reported. On Monday, the criminal complaint was amended and 20 new counts were filed against Hyatt. The DA’s office listed the charges as follows: “six counts of sexual battery by restraint, five counts of forcible rape, three counts of forcible oral copulation, two count of forcible penetration by a foreign object and one count each of sodomy, assault with intent to commit rape, penetration by a foreign object on an unconscious or sleeping victim and lewd conduct with a 15-year-old girl.”

Man Who Impersonated National Guardsman During L.A. Unrest Charged With Gun Crime

A Gardena man has been charged with a weapons offense after prosecutors say he dressed up as a member of the National Guard and displayed a rifle near a protest at City Hall that came at the height of tensions between police and demonstrators in early June. Gregory Wong, 31, faces up to three years in prison if convicted of one felony count of possession of an assault weapon , according to a news release issued by the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office. Wong was armed with an ARP5 rifle and a handgun while wearing fatigues when he was confronted by real members of the Guard on June 2. The Guardsmen confronted him after noticing incorrect decals on his uniform, police said. Authorities have not said why Wong was wearing the uniform or what his intentions were. Wong is scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday. A spokesman for the district attorney’s office did not know if he had retained an attorney.

Woman Gets 33 Months In Jail For Role In Lottery Scam Targeting Latina Grandmothers

A Colombian woman with ties to Los Angeles was sentenced on Monday to 33 months behind bars for her role in a long-running lottery ticket scam that targeted Latina grandmothers throughout the Southland. Maria Luisa Henao, 43, was also held liable along with her co-defendants for restitution of $190,422, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. Prosecutors wrote in a sentencing memorandum that Henao showed a "uniquely depraved and cruel willingness" to victimize the elderly. Henao's conduct "spanned years and was the result of a person fully committed to a life of crime," the document states. "If it were not for (her) arrest, she would undoubtedly have gone on to defraud countless additional victims." She pleaded guilty in June to a single federal count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Three additional defendants -- Tito Lozada, Luisa Camargo and Mercedes Montanez -- also pleaded guilty in Los Angeles federal court to the same charge.

California Change To Bullet-Tracing Mandate Is Sent To Newsom

Gov. Gavin Newsom will decide whether to escalate a longstanding battle between California and the gun industry over bullet-tracing technology. The Legislature sent a bill to Newsom on Sunday that aims to compel firearms manufacturers to embrace the technology known as microstamping, which they have long rejected as unworkable, by scaling back standards the state adopted more than a decade ago. Newsom now has a month to decide whether to sign AB2847, which would would require that semiautomatic pistols sold in the state leave a single unique imprint on bullets that are fired rather than two, as currently required. The marking, which reveals a gun’s make, model and serial number, are meant to help law enforcement investigations.

Making False, Racist 911 Calls Could Soon Be A Crime In California Under Bill Sent To Newsom

Calling 911 to harass or otherwise violate the rights of a person based only on their race would be classified as a hate crime that could lead to jail time and a fine under a bill passed by California lawmakers on Monday. The legislation comes amid a nationwide reckoning on systemic racism and following confrontations across the country in which primarily white people have made discriminatory emergency calls to the police when encountering people of color bird watching and barbecuing in a park, among other everyday activities. The problem has drawn widespread attention on social media, leading to memes coining the term “Karen,” a label given to people — primarily white women — who make illegitimate 911 calls targeting people of color or, more broadly, who are caught on video exhibiting racist behavior.

Oregon Sheriffs Reject Gov. Kate Brown's Request To Staff Portland Protests

The sheriffs of Clackamas and Washington County in Oregon said they won't send staff to help with the nightly unrest in Portland after Gov. Kate Brown unveiled a plan to bring an end to violence in the city. Brown had asked the sheriffs and the Gresham Police Department to support the Portland Police Bureau with personnel and resources "to keep the peace and protect free speech." Clackamas County Sheriff Craig Roberts on Monday said the governor never approached him before unveiling her plan to mobilize local law enforcement agencies in the Portland protests, and that he has no plans to send his staff to nightly demonstrations. “Had Governor Brown discussed her plan with my office, I would have told her it’s about changing policy, not adding resources,” he said, according to a statement released by Kellee Azar, a reporter with Portland's KATU. “Increasing law enforcement resources in Portland will not solve the nightly violence and now, murder.” He said that Portland’s newly elected district attorney had dismissed charges against hundreds of protesters arrested for non-violent, low-level crimes.

Public Safety News

Firefighter Killed At Scene Of Wildfire In Northern California

A firefighter was killed and another injured Monday battling a wildfire in the Northern California forest, authorities said. The firefighter was killed in the Mendocino National Forest north of San Francisco, where a wildfire that started Aug. 17 was 20% contained, according to a statement from the U.S. Forest Service. No other details were immediately available. The blaze was burning in timber, chaparral and tall grass. It began as 37 separate fires, but many have either been contained or merged, according to the Forest Service. Many other fires continued to burn. California was free of extreme weather warnings Monday, but firefighters working to contain massive wildfires were cautioned about increasingly warm and dry conditions heading toward the Labor Day weekend.

Los Angeles County Officials To Discuss Possible Reopenings Amid New State Guidelines

Los Angeles County officials Tuesday will discuss the possible reopening of indoor shopping malls, hair salons and barbershops, with new state guidelines allowing such operations to resume with limitations to lower the risk of coronavirus spread. The discussion will be held days ahead of the Labor Day weekend, amid concerns the holiday will lead to a repeat of coronavirus case spikes that followed Memorial Day and the Fourth of July. The county announced another 16 deaths due to the coronavirus, raising the countywide total to 5,784. Another 1,022 cases were also reported, raising the cumulative total since the start of the pandemic to 241,768. A total of 1,043 people were hospitalized due to the virus as of Monday. Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger said the full board will meet with public health director Barbara Ferrer on Tuesday to discuss possible business openings under the state's new four-tier virus-tracking guidelines.

Local Government News

L.A. And Airbnb Launch New System Meant To Help Remove Illegal Listings

Los Angeles and Airbnb have launched a new system meant to help the city ferret out and remove illegal listings from the online platform, a step that L.A. officials say is crucial to enforcing its restrictions on renting out homes for short stays. The new system “will significantly streamline the process for identifying and taking down illegal short-term-rental listings,” planning department spokesman Yeghig Keshishian said in an email. “In many ways, it’s the missing piece to the puzzle.” Los Angeles has struggled to crack down on illegal rentals: More than a year after new rules meant to protect housing and limit short-term rentals went into effect, a Times analysis found thousands of unregistered listings remained on Airbnb. City officials recently estimated that more than 6,000 listings on the platform were out of compliance.