City of LA Records 300th Murder for the Year, Worst Mark in Over a Decade

The city of Los Angeles over the weekend counted its 300th murder, a grim statistic not seen after a decade of reductions in overall crime and street violence. “Our people are doing everything they can to stop the violence but we need your help," the Los Angeles Police Department posted on its headquarters Twitter account Sunday. The murders included the killing of a 17-year-old riding his motorcycle in the LAPD’s Southeast Division, a 20-year-old man shot to death in the neighboring 77th Division, and a half-dozen other shootings that left at least 7 wounded--all of the aforementioned incidents occurred between Friday and Sunday.

Killings In L.A. Spike Dramatically, Leaving Families Shattered, Communities Reeling

Killings are up 25% over last year and shootings are up more than 32%, mirroring increases in violence that are driving concerns in big cities across the nation. Last week, a pregnant woman was gunned down. Children and elderly residents have been killed. Of all the year’s victims, nearly 20% have been homeless. Gangs are suspected in many cases. Over the weekend, the violence played out as a weary L.A. fell under a new 10 p.m. limited curfew aimed at halting the spread of another killer: COVID-19. For Police Chief Michel Moore, the fact that there didn’t seem to be anywhere near the amount of concern for the violence was frustrating. “With the health pandemic, we don’t just cross our arms and say, ‘It is what it is.’ We’re taking all types of efforts to flatten the curve, to lower the impact, to save lives. And that’s what I’m asking for us to do with this violent crime,” he said. “We have a pandemic of crime right now.”

17-Year-Old Boy Fatally Shot While Riding Motorcycle In South L.A.

A 17-year-old boy was shot and killed while riding a motorcycle in South Los Angeles Saturday night, police said. The teenager was in the 1700 block of East Imperial Highway in the Willowbrook area around 8:30 p.m. when a vehicle approached and he was shot multiple times, the Los Angeles Police Department said. Paramedics arrived at the scene and transported him onto an ambulance to be taken to a hospital, but he died on the way, according to police. Authorities have not released the boy’s name. No information was available on the shooter or the vehicle involved. Police said the shooting did not appear to be gang-related. The boy’s killing comes as Los Angeles marked a sobering threshold, hitting 300 homicides in one year for the first time in over a decade. The teenager was one of four people to die in homicides this weekend alone.

Mother Of 24-Year-Old Pregnant Woman Shot To Death In Wilmington Searching For Answers

The mother of a pregnant woman who was shot and killed in Wilmington last weekend is speaking out about her daughter's death. Arlene Rodriguez, who was seven months pregnant, was sitting in her car on Nov. 15 while a man was working on her engine. That's when police say a gunman walked up and shot multiple rounds into the vehicle, striking Rodriguez and the man. The 24-year-old and her unborn baby did not survive. The man suffered non life-threatening injuries. Detectives know little about the suspect, who fled the scene. Rodriguez's mother, Jessica, who lives in Kansas, is desperate for answers and wants to know why her daughter was killed. "The gun violence has got to stop. The gangs have got to stop. It's not okay to be going out there and just killing innocent people for no reason," she said. Anyone with information about the shooting is urged to call Detective Coffee or Detective Tiffin at (310) 726-7887 or (310) 726-7884.

Woman Fatally Shot In South LA; Probe Underway

Authorities Sunday continued to investigate the circumstances surrounding the shooting death of a woman. The shooting unfolded around 7:45 p.m. Saturday in the 1400 block of West 106th Street. It was there that South LA station deputies responded to a call of a gunshot victim.

2 Vehicles Struck, Uber Passenger Hurt In Shooting On 110 Freeway In Downtown L.A.

A shooting on the 110 Freeway in downtown Los Angeles left one person injured, officials said Saturday. The California Highway Patrol reported receiving a call about a car-to-car shooting on the northbound 110, just south of Ninth Street, around 9:30 p.m. Saturday. Officers responded to the area and found victims from two vehicles waiting for medical help, according to the CHP. Video shows a Honda sedan and a Toyota Prius with bullet holes. Sajjad Kahn, who was driving for Uber in his Prius, told a videographer on the scene that his passenger had alerted him that the seat “blew up,” and that something hit her leg. He looked and saw that she was bleeding, Kahn said. Authorities temporarily shut down the freeway to collect evidence, according to the CHP. The agency said one of the victims captured footage of the incident. It’s unclear who opened fire, and the Highway Patrol has not confirmed any arrest as the case remains under investigation.

2 Women, 1 Man Found Dead Inside Sun Valley Home

Two women and a man were found dead inside a home in Sun Valley on Sunday. The incident unfolded at the residence on N. Kraft Avenue near Valerio Street. The LAPD says it received a call in reference to a possible drug overdose at 6 a.m. When they arrived, they located the deceased. Authorities say there were no obvious signs of trauma. An official cause of death has not been determined. No further details were immediately available.

Man Struck By 2 Vehicles, And Killed In Florence Area

A pedestrian who was struck by two vehicles in the Florence area of Los Angeles died, while both drivers fled, authorities said Monday. Jose Fuentes, 50, was a Los Angeles resident, according to the coroner’s office. The crash was reported at 7:42 p.m. Sunday at 77th Street and Central Avenue, according to a dispatcher in the Los Angeles Police Department’s Operations Center. The victim now identified as Fuentes was attempting to cross the street when he was struck by the two vehicles, she said. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Passenger Who Fell Out Of Moving SUV In Van Nuys Fatally Struck By Hit-And-Run Driver: LAPD

A man who fell out of the front passenger side of a moving SUV in Van Nuys Thursday night was then fatally struck by a passing driver who did not stop, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. The crash occurred about 7:15 p.m. when the driver of a Lexus SUV was heading west on Burbank Boulevard at Natick Avenue. The passenger “exited the moving vehicle and fell onto the roadway,” police said in a news release. Then, a light-colored sedan also heading west struck the victim on the roadway and did not stop. The Los Angeles Fire Department responded to the crash and pronounced the victim dead at the scene. He was only described as being 24 years old. The driver of the SUV was not injured during the incident, and no arrests were made at the scene, police said. Anyone with information about the crash is asked to call Garcia at 818-644-8117. A reward of up to $50,000 is available to anyone who provides information leading to the driver’s identification, arrest and conviction.

Assault Suspect Holed Up In Hollywood Surrenders To LAPD

An armed assault suspect holed up Saturday in a building in Hollywood but eventually surrendered to Los Angeles police more than five hours later, police said. The male suspect believed to be between 30 and 35 years-old barricaded himself a little after 4:20 a.m. in the 6700 block of Hollywood Boulevard, said Officer Jeffrey Lee of the Los Angeles Police Department’s Media Relations Section. He was wanted on suspicion of assaulting another person. Lee said a SWAT team was called out to the location. The suspect finally surrendered to LAPD officers at around 9:30 a.m., Lee said. His name was not immediately available.

Police Use Flash Bangs To End SWAT Barricade In South LA

A man was taken into custody after barricading himself in a car in South Los Angeles early Monday morning. The SWAT standoff began at around 3 a.m. at the intersection of Denker Avenue and West 41st Place. The suspect barricaded himself and refused to come out. Los Angeles police closed the area and called in a SWAT team. Just before 4:30 a.m., SWAT used flash bangs to get the man out of the car and take him into custody. It’s unclear if he was armed. There was no word on what prompted the standoff or what charges the suspect may face.

Deputies Probe Deadly Shooting In Compton

Authorities Sunday continued to investigate the circumstances surrounding a shooting death in Compton. The incident unfolded in the 12300 block of Wilmington Avenue around 7:30 p.m. Saturday. It was there that deputies responded to a call of a gunshot victim. When deputies arrived, they found the victim, who was transported to the hospital where he died. An investigation is underway. Anyone with more information was asked to call the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Homicide Bureau at (323) 890-5500.

9 People Accused In Southern California Foreclosure Fraud Scheme

Nine people allegedly involved in a $6 million scheme that claimed to prevent the foreclosure of properties throughout Southern California have been indicted, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra announced. The 136-count indictment handed up Oct. 30 charges Eduardo Toro and Filiverto Gomez, both 38; Ana Cecilia Toro, 36; Veronica Romero, 35; Veronica Toro, 46; Leticia Mora, 54; Maria Gil, 47; Emmanuel Lopez, 42; and Gladys Velasquez, 41, with crimes including grand theft, identity theft, filing of false or forged documents in a public office and conspiracy to commit grand theft. The indictment alleges that the crimes occurred in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Diego counties between June 2011 and March 2018. The defendants — who have pleaded not guilty — are accused of targeting distressed homeowners by claiming they could stop the foreclosure of homes if the defendants received monthly payments, and then delaying foreclosures and eviction actions by allegedly filing fraudulent bankruptcy documents, false court documents and false fractional interest grant deeds, according to the Attorney General’s Office.

Massachusetts LEO Wounded In Traffic Stop Shooting; Gunman Sought

A state trooper patrolling Cape Cod was shot in the hand after pulling over a vehicle and police are now searching for the "suspect or suspects," police report. "I've been shot! I've been shot," the trooper reported at 11:30 p.m. Friday night, according to a Cape news correspondent who recorded and then filmed the aftermath of the shooting on Camp Street in Hyannis. The trooper was rushed to nearby Cape Cod Hospital by a fellow trooper, and from there was transported by ambulance to a Boston hospital. His injury is non-life threatening, state police spokesman Dave Procopio said. The suspect vehicle fled after the shooting. Other troopers and Cape Cod officers quickly responded to the scene. A SWAT team was called in later, according to multiple reports, and the search remains ongoing. The injured Trooper is assigned to the State Police-Yarmouth Barracks.

Public Safety News

LAFD Extricates Driver In Head-On Lake Balboa Crash

Los Angeles firefighters used power tools Wednesday night to extricate one of the drivers in a head-on collision in the Lake Balboa area. LAFD responded around 8:15 p.m. to the scene on the 17300 block of Saticoy Street, where a Lexus sedan and a Ford sedan crashed. Firefighters used the “Jaws of Life” and other tools to extricate the driver of the Lexus. That motorist and another person were treated by paramedics and transported to a local trauma center. Authorities closed Saticoy Street between Louise and Encino avenues for more than an hour. LAPD’s Valley Traffic Division was investigating the crash, and it was unknown if drugs or alcohol contributed to the crash.

LA County Reports 4,522 Additional COVID Cases, Making New Stay-At-Home Order More Likely

Los Angeles County health officials on Saturday reported 4,522 new coronavirus cases. The increase in cases is part of a surge pattern the county has been seeing that prompted renewed warnings from officials against non-essential traveling and gatherings. As of Saturday, 1,391 individuals were hospitalized due to coronavirus in L.A. County. On November 18, L.A. County health officials said that should cases and hospitalizations continue to increase at alarming rates, the following actions will be taken: If the five-day average of cases is 4,000 or more or hospitalizations are more than 1,750 per day, outdoor and indoor dining at restaurants, breweries, wineries and bars will be prohibited and these businesses will only be able to offer pick-up and delivery services. If the five-day average of cases is 4,500 or more or hospitalizations are more than 2,000 per day, a Safer at Home Order will be mandated for three weeks. The Order would only allow essential and emergency workers and those securing essential services to leave their homes. In addition, a 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. curfew would be mandated, with essential workers exempt.

LA County To Shut Down All Dining Wednesday Amid COVID-19 Surge

Los Angeles County is shutting down dining at restaurants, breweries, wineries and bars for at least three weeks starting Wednesday amid a surge in coronavirus cases, health officials announced Sunday. The establishments will only be able to offer takeout, drive-thru and delivery services, and the restrictions will take effect Wednesday at 10 p.m. "To reduce the possibility for crowding and the potential for exposures in settings where people are not wearing their face coverings, restaurants, breweries, wineries and bars will only be able to offer take-out, drive thru, and delivery services," the county's Department of Public Health said in a news release. "Wineries and breweries may continue their retail operations adhering to current protocols. In person dining will not be allowed, at minimum, for the next 3 weeks." Officials had warned of more restrictions earlier in the week if the county's five-day average of new cases was above 4,000. Sunday's five-day average was 4,097 cases.

Daily California Coronavirus Cases Triple As Pandemic Dramatically Worsens

California’s average daily number of new coronavirus cases has tripled in the last month, a Times analysis has found, as pandemic conditions deteriorated dramatically around the state. The coronavirus is now infecting more Californians daily than at any previous point in the COVID-19 pandemic, raising concerns about a new peak in coronavirus-related deaths by Christmas. As of Saturday night, California was averaging more than 11,500 new coronavirus cases a day over the last seven days, more than triple the number a month earlier, on Oct. 21, which was nearly 3,200, according to a Times analysis. Even during the summertime surge, which led to the season with California’s worst COVID-19 death toll, the average daily number of coronavirus cases over a seven-day period never exceeded 10,000. COVID-19 hospitalizations have doubled in the last month, the analysis found. And COVID-19 deaths have suddenly begun to climb in recent days. In the last week, an average of 65 Californian deaths have been reported daily, a more than 50% increase from two weeks ago, when 43 fatalities were reported daily on average.