Slain LAPD Officer Juan Diaz Posthumously Honored With Membership To Hollenbeck Division

The Los Angeles Police Department posthumously honored slain officer Juan Diaz Tuesday, a year after his death. Diaz, who was 24 when he was killed, was named an honorary member of the LAPD’s Hollenbeck Division, which he always dreamed of joining to keep the neighborhood where he grew up safe.

Fugitive Wanted In Georgia Deputy Shooting Captured

A Texas fugitive who fled into the woods in Georgia after shooting at an officer who pulled him over has been captured, authorities said. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation tweeted that Dalton Potter was in custody after authorities surrounded him late Wednesday following another shooting outside the town of Resaca, northwest of Atlanta. In that shooting, two days after the initial traffic stop, Potter shot a man on his property and the man fired back, authorities said. Whitfield County Sheriff Scott Chitwood had told reporters Wednesday that investigators had surrounded Potter, 29, northwest of the town. "We probably have over 100 officers, we’ve set up a strong perimeter, we still have the (Georgia State Patrol) helicopter in the air, we’ve got K-9s on the ground tracking in the woods,” Chitwood said, noting that it was getting dark outside. Chitwood said the civilian who was shot was hospitalized in stable condition.

2 Protesters In Rochester Face Federal Charges, Accused Of Attacking Cops

Two men are facing federal charges of civil disorder in connection to protests over the weekend in Rochester. Adam Green, 20, of Dansville, and Dallas Williams-Smothers, 20, of Rochester each face five years in prison if convicted. It is alleged that after the Rochester Police Department declared an unlawful assembly on Sept. 5, an officer approached Green, and Green swung a wooden shield that he was carrying, striking the officer in the forehead portion of his helmet. Prosecutors say at 11:20 p.m. an RPD officer saw Williams-Smothers ignite a mortar-style, commercial-grade firework and throw it at a line of uniformed RPD officers at the intersection of State Street and Main Street. The firework detonated near the officers, causing an explosion and creating a risk of injury to the officers, according to the WDNY.

3 Sought In Fatal Shooting At Hollywood Apartment Building Where Police Say A Marijuana Deal Went Bad

Police are searching for three people involved in a shooting that left a man dead in a Hollywood apartment building Thursday morning. The shooting was reported about 12:45 a.m. at the building located in the 1700 block of North Orange Drive, a Los Angeles Police Department spokesperson confirmed. Arriving officers found a 33-year-old man suffering from at least one gunshot wound. The unidentified victim was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the LAPD. The victim was conducting some sort of marijuana deal when he was “ripped off” and shot, LAPD Lt. John Radtke said. Authorities are searching for three suspects who fled the scene on foot. They were described only as two men and a woman. The building is equipped with surveillance cameras, which will likely help in the investigation. Authorities are also searching for any witnesses to the shooting.

Man Sentenced To 30 Days In Crash That Killed Pedestrian In Hollywood

A Norwalk man was sentenced Wednesday to 30 days in jail, 300 hours of community service and three years probation in connection with a hit-and-run crash in Hollywood that killed a pedestrian who had spent more than a decade behind bars in Australia before being exonerated of murder. Kristopher Ryan Smith, 21, pleaded guilty in February to one felony count of hit-and-run driving resulting in death and one misdemeanor count of vehicular manslaughter without gross negligence, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. Smith struck Andrew Mallard with his vehicle as the 56-year-old victim was walking across Sunset Boulevard at Formosa Avenue on the morning of April 18, 2019, then fled, authorities said. Mallard was pronounced dead at the scene.

Father Suspected Of Abducting Son Arrested After Two Are Found In Las Vegas

A 25-year-old man suspected of abducting his 6-year-old son in Los Angeles was arrested in Las Vegas, where he and the boy were found, authorities said Wednesday evening. Police circulated photos Monday of Rodney Dorsett Jr. who allegedly abducted his 6-year-old son Chance during a supervised visitation set up by the child’s grandfather, who has full custody of the boy. At about 4 p.m. Sunday, Dorsett met with his father, Rodney Dorsett Sr., at a nearby market located at Redondo and Washington boulevards to allow his son to spend time with Chance, the Los Angeles Police Department reported. “The grandfather allowed his son, Rodney Jr., to take Chance and spend time with him. Hours went by and Chance was not returned,” according to a police statement.

Good Samaritans Thwart Kidnapping Of 6-Year-Old Girl In Westlake; Suspect Caught

A San Diego man has been arrested, accused of relentlessly trying to kidnap a 6-year-old girl during the course of a trip last month with her blind father aboard public transportation, but which was ultimately thwarted by several good Samaritans, including a homeless man. 24-year-old Elijah Lopez was arrested in San Diego on one count of kidnapping, Los Angeles police announced at a news conference Wednesday. The incident occurred back on Aug. 18 as Cesar Palma and his daughter Selena were using public transportation to go from Long Beach back to their home in Westlake. The two were on a Metro train when they were first approached by Lopez, who engaged them in conversation and then asked if he could take the girl home, police said. Several people on the train then stepped in and prevented Lopez from taking the girl. “This overt action caused the commuting public that was on the train to step forward and tell Mr. Lopez to leave the family alone,” LAPD Capt. Alfonso Lopez told reporters Wednesday. “One would think that would stop his action, but it did not.”

Police Chase Of Black Car Speeding From Orange County Into LA County Ends In South LA

A police pursuit Tuesday that started in Orange County traveled at high speeds topping 100 mph into Los Angeles County before the driver decided to give up in South LA. Newschopper4 Bravo was over the chase around 6:50 p.m., with the black car traveling upwards of 90 mph in the Buena Park area going on the westbound 91 Freeway, transitioning from the northbound 5 Freeway. The driver increased speeds even further, topping 100 mph, traveling through Downey and Compton. Around 7 p.m., the speeding car was already approaching the 110 Freeway interchange and decided to take the northbound 110 Freeway. Soon after making a few erratic maneuvers, the driver pulled up to home in South Los Angeles and, surrounded with what appeared to be family members, surrendered to police without further incident.

Counterfeit Apple AirPods Seized At Los Angeles/Long Beach Seaport

Authorities at the Los Angeles/Long Beach seaport recently seized 16,620 counterfeit wireless earphones and charging cables arriving from China that violated Apple’s AirPod and Lightning protected trademarks, officials said Wednesday. The items, which were seized on July 2 and July 15, included 2,400 pairs of counterfeit wireless earphones and 14,220 counterfeit charging cables, said Jaime Ruiz of U.S. Customs and Border Protection. If genuine, the seized merchandise would have had an estimated manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $651,780, Ruiz said. “Counterfeit products have a negative impact on the U.S. economy, as each time a consumer buys a counterfeit good, a legitimate company loses revenue,” said Carlos C. Martel, CBP Director of Field Operations in Los Angeles. “This translates to lost profits and U.S. jobs over time.”

Villanueva:'Disruptive Groups' Infiltrating South LA Station Protests

Sheriff Alex Villanueva insisted again on Wednesday that "disruptive groups" from outside the area have inflamed recent protests outside the South Los Angeles sheriff's station, and only one of the three dozen people arrested over the past four nights was an area resident. Protests have been held nightly outside the station since Saturday in response to the Aug. 31 deadly shooting by two deputies of Dijon Kizzee in the Westmont area. Villanueva said that while some people attending are likely there to protest peacefully, outsiders are taking advantage of the gatherings to incite violence. "Some of the disruptive groups that came to -- we'll call it`protest' in quotes because they came dressed like they were going to play tackle football, with shoulder pads, helmets, knee pads, everything," Villanueva said in an update on Facebook Live. "They came armed and they came armed with fireworks, mortars, frozen water bottles, you name it. And they had gloves, heat-resistant gloves, goggles, everything.

Public Safety News

California Wildfires Growing Bigger, Moving Faster Than Ever

When it comes to California wildfires, it now takes days, not decades, to produce what had been seen as a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence. Last weekend, a fire burning in California’s Sierra National Forest exploded in size, trapping hundreds of Labor Day holiday campers who could only be rescued by helicopters that made a series of white-knuckle flights into the smoke. Fire officials said they’d never seen a fire move so fast in forestland — 15 miles (24 kilometers) in a day. On Wednesday, a wildfire in Plumas National Forest northeast of San Francisco spread 25 miles (40 kilometers) in a day and devoured an estimated 400 square miles (1,036 square kilometers), In between those events, a massive fire in Monterey County doubled in size overnight, trapping 14 firefighters who had to deploy their emergency shelters; one was critically injured.

Coronavirus Testing Begins Thursday At Union Station

In the continued effort to make coronavirus testing more available, a new COVID-19 testing kiosk will open at Union Station Thursday in downtown Los Angeles, one of the largest train stations in the nation. The walk-up kiosk will be capable of conducting 500 tests per day, Mayor Eric Garcetti said Wednesday in a news conference. The tests will be free. People do not need an advanced appointment to get tested, although they can make one here. The idea behind the kiosk is to reach people who may have had trouble getting tested because most testing sites in L.A. County are set up as drive-thrus. The kiosk will be managed by L.A.-based testing company Curative. It will be open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday through Sunday.

LA County Partners With Citizen To Create COVID-19 Contact Tracing Mobile App

As much of the world continues to fight against COVID-19, Los Angeles County is introducing a new tool for people to use in their fight. During a press conference Wednesday, Mayor Eric Garcetti along with County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, county Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer, Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia, Pasadena Mayor Terry Tornek and Citizen CEO Andrew Frame announced a partnership to provide Angelenos with a COVID-19 contact tracing mobile app. SafePass, a mobile app from Citizen, use the phone’s Bluetooth feature to anonymously track people with whom you may have come into contact with. If that individual you had close contact with tests positive for COVID-19 you will then get a notification from the app to get tested, Supervisor Barger explained.