Stabbing At Jewelry Store In Downtown L.A. Leaves 1 Dead

A man was stabbed to death Tuesday morning at a downtown L.A. jewelry store, Los Angeles police said. Police first said the death was a shooting after a neighbor reported gunshots, but later they said it was a stabbing. The call came in shortly before 9:30 a.m., Officer Drake Madison said. A neighbor reported broken glass in the 700 block of South Broadway, along with an initial statement indicating that a person had been shot. “It came in as shooting and shots fired, but it ended up being a stabbing,” Madison said. By 10 a.m., a crowd had gathered in front of the store while police officers rolled yellow tape around the crime scene. Some people sobbed, while others comforted them. An officer confirmed that a male victim had been pronounced dead at the scene. Madison said the stabbing was not being classified as a robbery at this time.

40 Arrested After LAPD Declares Unlawful Assembly For ‘Unruly Crowd’ Near Staples Center

Los Angeles Police Department officers arrested dozens of people after twice declaring an unlawful assembly Tuesday and issuing dispersal orders for “unruly” crowds near Staples Center. More than 40 people who were blocking train tracks were detained, LAPD Officer Mike Lopez said, adding that they were all arrested on suspicion of failure to disperse. Before that, about 30 people were detained, cited then released for blocking an intersection, Lopez said. The unlawful assembly was declared because it was a “large and unruly group,” with people throwing rocks and blocking streets, according to LAPD Officer Tony Im. The department announced dispersal orders around 8 p.m., telling everyone to leave the area of Pico Boulevard and Figueroa Street in downtown Los Angeles.

LAPD Went On Tactical Alert As It Geared Up For Election Night

The Los Angeles Police Department announced it was going on tactical alert Tuesday afternoon, an expected move that comes as law enforcement is on guard for any unrest or other issues related to the election. Police stressed they have no intelligence suggesting problems but want to be prepared. The alert allows more officers to be available. LAPD Chief Michel Moore said staffing had been boosted and staggered, and the department will have significant numbers of officers on duty well into election night and beyond, both to facilitate peaceful protests and to watch out for intimidation, violence or destruction. Moore said nearly every uniformed officer would work a 12-hour shift on election day, and officers will have a visible presence across the city all week. He pledged immediate action to restore order if disturbances were to unfold. 

Laser Pointers Banned From Public Demonstrations In Los Angeles

Police announced Tuesday that effective immediately, the Los Angeles municipal code has been amended to prohibit laser pointers and other laser devices at public demonstrations, rallies, protests, picket lines and public assemblies. The Los Angeles Police Department had requested that the City Council make the changes to the law that bans certain items at highly populated events after the department reported multiple officers have been injured by laser devices during protests. On Tuesday, police announced that the council and Mayor Eric Garcetti added the amendment to 55.07 of the Los Angeles Municipal Code to prohibit "laser pointers or laser-style device emitting any color beam, milliwatt output level, intensity class level or any visibility level, including infrared or non-visible'' from specified events. The amendment adds laser pointers to a list of items already prohibited at public demonstrations, picket lines and other lawful assemblies, which includes large metal or wooden poles, baseball bats, slingshots, guns, glass bottles, bricks, pepper spray or mace and other items of combat.

George Gascón takes lead in L.A. County district attorney race

Former San Francisco Dist. Atty. George Gascón surged to an early lead over incumbent Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Jackie Lacey Tuesday in the pivotal race to lead the nation’s largest local prosecutor’s office. At 2:30 a.m. Wednesday, Gascón was ahead of Lacey by nearly 54% to 46%. The contest between Lacey and Gascón has been considered a litmus test of Southern California’s appetite for criminal justice reform.

Woman Investigated For Voter Intimidation After Allegedly Collecting Ballots From South LA Senior Home

A criminal investigation into potential voter intimidation is underway as authorities search for a woman who may have swiped ballots from senior citizens living in South Los Angeles' Jefferson Park. Los Angeles County Registrar of Voters Dean Logan confirms to Eyewitness News that investigators are examining security video of a woman who allegedly collected ballots from seniors at the Westminster Arms low-income housing complex. "I think what was particularly concerning about this allegation is that it seemed to, at least potentially, to prey on a vulnerable population," Logan tells Eyewitness News. "Non-English speaking, or at least limited-English speaking, voters who I think are easily susceptible to being duped in a process like this." The allegation stems from reports that a woman went door to door at the senior living complex, steered the seniors to vote for Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, then collected their ballots and said she would fill in the rest.

South L.A. Rehab Owners Plead Guilty To Healthcare Fraud

Two Inglewood women who operated a drug and alcohol abuse treatment program in the Vermont Knolls neighborhood of South Los Angeles pleaded guilty to running a fraudulent healthcare billing scheme that claimed at least $500,000 for ineligible services, authorities announced Tuesday. Mesbel Mohamoud, 47, and Erlinda Abella, 66, each pleaded guilty to one count of health care fraud in separate hearings Tuesday for submitting fraudulent Medi-Cal claims for services that did not qualify for reimbursement or were never provided, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California said in a news release. Mohamoud was the owner and executive director of The New You Center Inc., while her mother-in-law, who co-founded the company in 2005, is the firm’s program director.

Man With Machete Breaks Oceanside Patrol Car Windshield, Stabs Police Dog

A man armed with a machete broke the windshield of an Oceanside police patrol vehicle and stabbed a police dog Tuesday, a police official said. The incident started about 5 p.m., when the man broke the windshield of the vehicle, which was near the Department of Motor Vehicles office on Thunder and Hacienda drives, just south of state Route 78, Lt. Travis Norton said. The attack, which police said was unprovoked, left the windshield shattered, Norton said. The officer was struck by shattered glass, and the man fled, Norton said. Police searched the area, and the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department sent a helicopter to assist in the manhunt. The man was found in the river valley west of College Avenue and south of the freeway. He was taken into custody, but stabbed a police dog during the arrest. The dog was taken to a veterinarian, Norton said.

Public’s Help Sought To ID Man Who Threw Food At Drivers During Political Rally Caravan In Glendale

The Glendale Police Department is asking for the public’s help to identify a man who allegedly hurled food at motorists who were part of a political caravan last month. The caravan was traveling in the area of Brand Boulevard and Lexington Drive on Sunday, Oct. 4 around 3 p.m., when a man allegedly threw a platter of food at one of the vehicles striking the victims, police said in a news release on Tuesday. Police described the wanted male as Black, between the ages of 23 and 27 with a thin build. He was in the company of a Black woman who is between the ages of 22 and 27, police said. Images released by the Police Department show the man and woman wearing face masks and casual clothing. The pair was last seen in the area of Orange Street and Lexington Drive.

Burglars Steal Riot Gear From Army National Guard Armory In Ontario

Someone cut through a fence and burglarized the Army National Guard armory in Ontario on Tuesday afternoon, Nov. 3, getting away with riot gear and other equipment but apparently no firearms. The burglary was discovered sometime after 4 p.m. The armory is at 950 N. Cucamonga Ave. Ontario police Officer Eliseo Guerrero, a department spokesman, said the stolen items included expandable batons, shields, face shields, body restraints and megaphones. But he said early indications were that no firearms or ammunition were taken. An employee of the armory noticed the cut fence and alerted police, Guerrero said. The riot gear and equipment were kept inside a large metal storage container. National Guard staff were doing an inventory to understand how much equipment was stolen, Guerrero said.

Golden State Killer Arrives In Prison To Start Life Sentence

A former police officer who eluded authorities for years as the Golden State Killer arrived in state prison Tuesday to begin serving multiple life sentences for rapes and murders that terrorized much of California in the 1970s and 1980s. Joseph James DeAngelo, 74, arrived at North Kern State Prison, a reception center in the Central Valley about 140 miles north of Los Angeles. Officials there will decide his permanent prison destination based on his security, medical, psychiatric and program needs, said California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation spokeswoman Terry Thornton. DeAngelo pleaded guilty in June to 13 murders and 13 rape-related charges that spanned much of California between 1975 and 1986. The plea deal spared him the death penalty. He admitted victimizing at least 87 people at 53 separate crime scenes spanning 11 California counties, though some of the crimes were too old to be formally charged.

Local Government News

Two Council Races Highlight Los Angeles 2020 City Elections

Two Los Angeles City Council seats will be decided in Tuesday's election -- one representing the Hollywood Hills and portions of the south San Fernando Valley, and another covering Koreatown and parts of downtown. In the Council District 4 race, challenger Nithya Raman, a homeless advocate and former executive director of Time's Up Entertainment, a nonprofit that works against sexual harassment and abuse in the workforce, faces incumbent David Ryu, who has championed himself as a reformist on the council and has pushed for more transparency in government. In the Council District 10 race, county Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas is facing Grace Yoo, an attorney and community advocate, in a contest to replace Councilman Herb Wesson, who is running for Ridley-Thomas' county seat.

LA To Consider Allowing Businesses To Refuse Service To Customers Not Wearing Masks

The Los Angeles City Council on Wednesday will consider giving authority to business owners to refuse service to patrons who do not wear masks on their premises. "Small business owners and their employees are risking their lives to stay afloat in the midst of this economic and public health crisis," said Councilman Herb Wesson, who authored the proposed requirement in July. "Wearing a mask saves lives, and this simple, common-sense law will save lives and allow us to beat this virus sooner rather than later." Wesson said his motion came after "major setbacks" in July regarding COVID-19 and the response to it in Los Angeles and the state of California. Since then, Los Angeles County has surpassed 7,000 deaths related to the novel coronavirus. "Koreatown's small business owners should not have to choose between going to work and their safety," said Laura Jeon, president of the Korean American Federation Los Angeles.