In South L.A., Police Join Community Leaders To Denounce Gun Violence ‘Not Seen In Years’

A 14-year-old aspiring football player. A 19-year-old high school graduate just getting his start in life. A 77-year-old woman and her 58-year-old daughter inside their home. On Friday morning, Los Angeles police officials cited these and other recent South L.A. shootings as they joined elected officials, community leaders, gang interventionists and local clergy to denounce the violence — which spiked this summer and surged this week — and ask for the community’s help addressing it. Although the LAPD’s South Bureau covers just 12% of the city, it has experienced 39% of L.A.'s homicides this year and 45% of its shootings, police officials said. Just since Sunday, the region has seen four people killed, 19 wounded by gunfire and 11 others narrowly escape injury after being fired upon. LAPD Chief Michel Moore cited a recent case in which a 20-year-old man hoping to become a police officer took an exit off the highway to get around traffic, then had his car shot up at a stoplight after local gang members apparently mistook him for a rival and opened fire. Moore said in South L.A. alone, 40 children younger than 18 have been shot this year — including nine kids younger than 10. “This is a pace of shooting and violence that we’ve not seen in years,” he said.

LAPD Chief Michel Moore Reports ‘Tragically Violent’ Weekend After 6 Shootings

Los Angeles Police Department Chief Michel Moore appealed to residents this weekend to “reject this trend” of violence that he says appears to be increasing in the city. Half a dozen people were shot in the L.A. area over the span of a few days, prompting Moore to call the series of crimes “tragically violent.” “Last night was a tragically violent night in Los Angeles. Together, we must confront this challenge and vehemently reject this trend — we will not let those that wish to tear at the fabric of our city succeed,” he said. Among this weekend’s victims was a homeless man in North Hollywood who was shot and killed after asking someone for spare change, the LAPD said. This was one of six shootings across Los Angeles Saturday night into Sunday morning. 

Police Say Quick Application Of Tourniquet Saved Shooting Victim’s Life

One of three victims of an early Saturday shooting in South Los Angeles that left one dead wouldn’t be alive Sunday if it weren’t for the quick action of an LAPD officer, authorities said. A 51-year-old man was shot a little before 2:10 a.m. Saturday in the 100 block of West 111th Street in the Broadway-Manchester neighborhood. He was pronounced dead at the scene, while a second victim, in his early 30s, had been shot four times and was bleeding to death a short distance away, police said. “We thought we had one scene with the homicide,” said Lt. Shawn Wehr of the Los Angeles Police Department’s Southeast Station. “And we found the other victims further down the street.” A third victim, in his 20s, had been shot in the stomach but was deemed stable shortly after police arrived.

“What happened is three people were shot and they kind of separated,” Wehr said. “One of them’s only going to live because one of my officers put a tourniquet on his leg — otherwise that would have been a double homicide.”

1 Dead, 2 Injured In Suspected Gang-Related Shooting In Broadway-Manchester

A shooting in the Broadway-Manchester neighborhood that law enforcement officials believe to be gang-related left one man dead and two others injured early Saturday. The Los Angeles Police Department said it received a call about the incident on 111th Street near Main Street at 2:08 a.m. Three men, ages 50, 26 and 30, were standing in front of a house when a man in his 20s approached them on foot and opened fire, according to LAPD. The 50-year-old was pronounced dead at the scene, while the two others were taken to the hospital in stable condition, police said. The shooter fled on foot and remained at large on Saturday, LAPD said. Video from the scene shows a number of people gathered on the sidewalk as officers assessed the site. LAPD said investigators believe the incident to be gang-related but provided no further information.

Man Shot Dead, Two Others Wounded In South L.A.

A gunman shot dead one man and wounded two others during a possibly gang-related shooting Saturday in South Los Angeles, according to police. The other two shooting victims, a man in his 20s and a man in his 30s, were taken to an area hospital in stable condition, said Officer William Cooper of the Los Angeles Police Department’s Media Relations Section. The assault occurred a little before 2:10 a.m. in the 100 block of West 111th Street, where a gunman in his 20s approached the trio and fired several shots at them. He fled the scene on foot, Cooper said. Paramedics dispatched to the location pronounced a man in his 50s dead at the scene. Cooper said the shooting is believed to be gang-related.

18-Year-Old Fatally Shot In Pacoima; Suspect Sought

Police are seeking help identifying the responsible party for the Thursday shooting death of an 18-year-old man in the Pacoima neighborhood of Los Angeles. Officers responded to the 13200 block of Del Sur Street around 6:12 p.m. after a report of an assault with a deadly weapon shooting, and a man down, the Los Angeles Police Department said in a news release. Upon arrival, officers found an unconscious man laying on the sidewalk, not breathing, according to police. The man was suffering from a gunshot wound to the upper torso. Paramedics responded and pronounced him dead at the scene, LAPD said. His identity is being withheld pending next of kin notification, but police said he was an 18-year-old Hispanic man from San Fernando. Detectives were unable to find any witnesses to the shooting.

21-Year-Old Man Stabbed To Death Near Downtown LA Apartment Is Identified

A 21-year-old man stabbed to death near a downtown Los Angeles apartment building on Friday night has been identified. Sixto Garcia found by police behind the 1200 block of South Grand Avenue, near Pico Boulevard at 9:15 p.m. Friday, according to Officer Drake Madison of the LAPD. According to police, Garcia was in an alleyway talking to a friend. Shortly after, a car then drove up to the pair, someone got out of the vehicle and stabbed the man multiple times, investigators said. When paramedics arrived to the scene, Garcia had already succumbed to his injuries. A description of the suspect was not available. The incident happened in the vicinity of the high-rise residence, Olive DTLA, which is located just two blocks from the Staples Center.

$50,000 Reward Offered In Fatal Downtown LA Hit-and-Run That Left Man Dead

A reward of up to $50,000 is being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of a driver who fatally struck a pedestrian in Downtown Los Angeles on Sept. 27. The fatal crash was reported around 7:45 p.m. on Sunday, when a dark-colored SUV struck a man crossing Fourth Street, at Central Street, in a marked crosswalk. The vehicle was traveling southbound on Central Street at the time of the crash, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. The driver, who a witness said was a man, did not stop to render aid or identify himself to law enforcement, police said. The victim was taken to a hospital with severe injuries and died on Thursday, four days after being struck, according to police. His name has not been released. Authorities circulated surveillance video of the suspect vehicle and urged anyone with information to contact Detective DeHesa at 213-833-3713 or the Central Traffic Division Watch Commander at 213-833-3746.

Man Enters Van Nuys Home And Assaults Woman Sleeping Next To Her Husband: LAPD

Police are searching for a man who entered a family’s Van Nuys home and assaulted a woman who was sleeping in her bed next to her husband, officials said Friday. The man walked into the apartment around 1:15 a.m. Aug. 24 and first entered the children’s room. He turned on the lights then turned them off and left, which woke up one of the children, the Los Angeles Police Department said in a news release. He then walked into another room where the victim was sleeping alongside her husband. “The suspect touched the victim’s legs and then attempted to remove her shorts as he climbed on top of her,” LAPD said. “The victim woke up, screamed, and kicked the suspect off her.” The husband then woke up and pushed the intruder out of the apartment, police said. The man fled the scene and police are asking anyone with information to come forward.

Man Shot During Argument In Silver Lake

A 26-year-old man was wounded during an argument on Saturday in Silver Lake, authoriities said. It happened at about 4 p.m. at Sunset Boulevard and Bates Avenue, according to Officer Tony Delatorre of the Los Angeles Police Department's Operations Center. The victim was standing on a sidewalk when the suspect approached and an argument ensued, Delatorre said. The suspect then shot the man. Paramedics took him to a hospital, where he was listed with stable vital signs, he said. It is unknown whether the shooting was gang related.

COVID-19 Unemployment May Be Contributing To Rise In Rent Dispute Calls To LAPD, Data Shows

The first of the month means rent is due for many Angelenos. And economic unrest amid the COVID-19 pandemic may be contributing to an increase in calls to LAPD for problems between landlords and tenants, according to an analysis of LAPD data by USC's data journalism organization, Crosstown and ABC7. On April 1, there were 50 such calls to LAPD, a 56% increase from the year before and nearly double the month before. On Sept. 1, there were 48 such calls to LAPD, more than double the year before and nearly double the month before. The calls were lower in the months of May and June as the city continued a moratorium on evictions, rent relief and people out of work could get an extra $600 in unemployment through the CARES Act.

Feds: California Convict Tried To Steal $22M In Virus Relief

A California man convicted five years ago of defrauding several local governments in the state has been charged with trying to steal $22 million from the Paycheck Protection Program. Attila Colar, 48, of Richmond, who goes by several aliases including Dahood Sharieff Bey, was charged with bank fraud in an alleged scheme where he falsified documents to take advantage of the federal program intended to keep small businesses afloat during the coronavirus pandemic, the U.S. Attorney's Office in San Francisco said Friday. Colar faces up to 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine if convicted. Prosecutors sought to keep him detained in jail while the case is prosecuted by telling the court that Colar tried to destroy records related to PPP applications by flushing them down the toilet when investigators executed a search warrant at his home in Hercules.

Public Safety News

Crews Battle 3rd Alarm Structure Fire In East LA

LA County firefighters are battling a three-alarm fire at a strip mall at 4708 E. Whittier Blvd. in East Los Angeles that is burning five or six units, says Los Angeles County Fire Department Dispatch Supervisor Michael Pittman. The commercial fire was reported at 8:20 p.m. on Sunday. No injuries have been reported. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Los Angeles County Reports Lowest Number Of Daily COVID-19 Hospitalizations Since April

The number of coronavirus-related hospitalizations in Los Angeles County reached its lowest daily average since April, when the region was just weeks into a shutdown, health officials said Saturday. This week, the average number of daily hospitalizations was 717 per day, following a couple weeks of COVID-19 hospitalizations remaining “fairly steady,” the Department of Public Health said in a news release Saturday. The figure is the lowest the county has seen in six months, a positive sign as Los Angeles remains in the state’s most restrictive purple tier of the state’s color-coded reopening plan. During that stage, the virus is considered “widespread” in the local population and indoor operations inside non-essential businesses such as restaurants cannot resume. However, the county has moved on with reopening other parts of the economy, allowing nail salons to reopen with up to 25% capacity indoors Friday.

L.A. County Officials Urge Coronavirus Control As More Businesses Open

With more businesses and recreational amenities reopening across the area, county health officials on Friday, Oct. 2, again urged residents and business owners to adhere to health protocols to avoid transmission of coronavirus. And while not mentioning President Donald Trump by name, county public health director Barbara Ferrer said in a statement that coronavirus cases among “our national leaders” should serve as a warning that the virus is still being actively transmitted. “Recent cases and concerns about transmission of the virus among our national leaders and their staff members are a reminder to everyone about how important it is to use the tools we have to slow the spread of COVID-19,” Ferrer said. “Wearing a cloth face covering and keeping physical distance when around people you do not live with is a very important action everyone needs to take to protect themselves and other people from transmission.”

California Fire Season Shatters Record With More Than 4 Million Acres Burned

California’s biggest wildfire season reached a new milestone Sunday, with state officials announcing that the state has now surpassed 4 million acres burned, more than double the state’s previous record. With crews on the biggest fire of them all, the August Complex, reporting more vigorous activity within the fire’s perimeter Sunday and another warm day ahead of them, “difficult conditions remain,” officials said. Before this year, 2018 was California’s biggest year for wildfires, with more than 1.8 million acres burned. The fires this year have burned an area larger than the state of Connecticut and killed 31 people, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

California Surpasses 16,000 COVID-19 Deaths

Nearly eight months after California officially recorded its first death related to COVID-19, more than 16,000 others have died at the hands of the virus. The state crossed the tragic threshold Friday as the country turned its attention to the health of the president and first lady after it was announced at 1 a.m. EDT Friday that they tested positive for the coronavirus. President Trump was admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center Friday night after White House officials reported that he had “mild” COVID-19 symptoms. He is expected to remain hospitalized for a few days. Patients 65 and older have accounted for roughly 74% of deaths in the state, and Latino people have comprised the largest share, roughly 48% of deaths.