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Daily Local & Regional NewsWatch
LA Police Protective League

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Los Angeles
Police Protective League
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the union that represents the
rank and file LAPD officers

  Daily Local & Regional NewsWatch

Daily News Digest
from LA Police Protective League

November 8, 2021
Law Enforcement News

Judge Orders Killer Released After LA County Prosecutor Declines To Present Evidence At Hearing
A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge has ordered a convicted murderer to be released from custody after serving just six years of a 50-year prison sentence when a prosecutor refused to call witnesses during a disposition hearing, effectively keeping the case in the juvenile court system on orders from District Attorney George Gascón. Andrew Cachu originally was tried in adult court even though he was two months shy of his 18th birthday when he shot and killed 41-year-old Louis Amela outside a Palmdale restaurant in March 2015. Under changes in state law since then, however, he was entitled to a retroactive transfer hearing to determine if his conviction should be in juvenile or adult court. Because a juvenile cannot be held in detention past the age of 25 in California, the two-day hearing in the Michael Antonovich Antelope Valley Courthouse was necessary to determine if Cachu could continue to be incarcerated for the full length of his sentence. Judge Brian C. Yep indicated Deputy District Attorney Alisa Blair's decision not to present any evidence was intentionally aimed at securing Cachu's release, said Kathy Cady, an attorney for the victim's family. Los Angeles Daily News

One Pedestrian Dead, One Injured After Florence Hit-and-Run
Police are searching for the suspect in a Florence hit-and-run collision Friday evening that left one pedestrian dead and the other injured. On Friday, around 6:15 p.m., the suspect's car was heading east on Manchester Avenue and making a northbound turn onto Avalon Boulevard, the LAPD said in a statement. The suspect's car collided with another car traveling west on Manchester Avenue. That collision caused one of the vehicles "to rotate counterclockwise and collide with two pedestrians who were standing on the northwest corner of Manchester Avenue and Avalon Boulevard," the LAPD said. While one of those two pedestrians had only minor injuries, the other suffered from blunt force trauma and was transported to the hospital by the Los Angeles Fire Department. The pedestrian died from her injuries at the hospital, police said. The suspect in the case left the scene without attempting to give aid to the victims, police said, which is against the law. "Drivers are reminded that if they become involved in a collision, they should pull over and stop as soon as it is safe to do so, notify emergency services, and remain at the scene to identify themselves," the LAPD said. NBC 4

Woman Found Shot Dead In Vehicle Near Blue Line In South LA
Police found a young woman shot dead inside a vehicle near the Metro Blue Line in South Los Angeles, authorities said Sunday. Officers were sent to the 5700 block of Long Beach Avenue regarding a death investigation call at about 2:30 p.m. Saturday and found the woman inside the vehicle suffering from a single gunshot wound, the Los Angeles Police Department reported. Arriving paramedics pronounced her dead at the scene. The victim was about 20 years old. The motive for the shooting was not immediately known. MyNewsLA.com

Families Of Victims Gathered To Call For An End To Gun Violence
On Saturday, families of gun violence gathered to mourn the deaths of their loved ones at Grant AME Church in South Los Angeles. “It's painful but it's a really good memory for us to keep with us,” said Jessica Valdiva, as she carried a blanket with her brother, Ernesto Jimenez's picture printed on it. Jimenez was shot and killed in Pasadena last year on Nov. 13. Others in the crowd wore shirts or buttons with pictures of their loved ones during an event for the Gun Violence Memorial Project. For almost two years, Stop the Violence and Increase the Peace has collected shoes to commemorate those who have died from gun violence, some of whom were children. “I'm a mother,” said LAPD Chief Emada Tingrides. “I know that pain never goes away.” According to the Los Angeles Police Department, 600 shootings and 131 murders have been reported to the South Bureau. In some cases, the suspects used “ghost guns.” The prolific use of these virtually untraceable firearms throughout this past year has prompted the LAPD to declare them an “epidemic” in a recent memo. “We have to crack down on these ghost guns that are coming down in our communities,” said Mike Gipson.” Some of the families advocated for the community to help police solve some cold cases. “To the people that seen what happened,” said Courtlyn Bridges, whose daughter's case, Ky, remains unsolved. “You guys need to come forward.” CBS 2

Man Pleads Not Guilty In Deadly Hit-and-Run Crash In North Hills
A man pleaded not guilty Friday to murder and other counts stemming from a hit-and-run crash that left a woman dead in North Hills. Abraham EspinozaVelasco, now 30, was charged Oct. 8 with one felony count each of murder, vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence, hit-and-run driving resulting in death or serious injury to another person and driving or taking a vehicle without consent. The criminal complaint includes allegations that the defendant has a string of convictions dating back to 2016 that include unlawful driving or taking of a vehicle and evading a police officer. Los Angeles police said the collision occurred about 5:20 a.m. Oct. 5 when the driver of a black 2016 Range Rover speeding north on Hayvenhurst Avenue ran a red light and crashed into a 2018 Toyota Camry eastbound on Nordhoff Street. The Range Rover then crashed into a gray Honda Civic and a white Toyota Tacoma in the intersection before coming to a stop in the middle of the street. The 56-year-old woman driving the Honda was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics, police said. Her name has not been released. MyNewsLA.com

3 Hurt, Including Child, In Assault At Metro B Line Station In Hollywood
Three people, including a child, were injured Friday evening in an incident at the Hollywood/Western Metro B Line Station and police took two women into custody. The incident was reported around 4:48 p.m. at the Metro station, located at 5450 Hollywood Blvd. Three victims reported laceration injuries when a glass bottle was allegedly thrown at them. The Los Angeles Police Department requested ambulances for a 30-year-old woman, a 25-year-old man and a 5-year-old girl. Their injuries were said to be non-life-threatening. The two women face charges of assault with a deadly weapon and battery. Additional details were not immediately available. FOX 11

Probe Underway After Man Is Fatally Shot In Compton
Authorities on Sunday were investigating the circumstances surrounding the shooting death of a man in Compton. The incident unfolded around 7:45 a.m. in the 3100 block of E. Via Mondo. When authorities arrived on scene, they located a male victim who was pronounced dead at the scene. Anyone with information was asked to contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's Homicide Bureau at (323) 890-5500. CBS 2

Four Los Angeles County Men Among 34 Arrested In SB County Marijuana Busts
Four Los Angeles County men were arrested or cited during a seven-day marijuana enforcement operation in San Bernardino County that netted 34 arrests in all, authorities said Saturday. The operation was dubbed "Operation Hammer Strike" and was carried out between Nov. 1 and Nov. 7. Investigators from the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department's Marijuana Enforcement Team, along with deputies from several stations, served 26 search warrants in Lucerne Valley, San Bernardino, Twentynine Palms, Wonder Valley, Helendale, Newberry Springs, Pinon Hills, Phelan, Daggett, Barstow, and Rancho Cucamonga, the department reported. Authorities had received numerous complaints about large outdoor and indoor illegal marijuana cultivations in these areas. The suspects were cited or booked on charges of cultivation of cannabis over six plants, possession for sales of marijuana, illegal water discharge, and possession of a firearm with obliterated serial number. Those who were either cited or booked were Defu Zhou, 35, and Huang Quan Rui, 34, of Los Angeles; Armando De La Torre, 46, of Tarzana; and Alejandro Aguilar, 46, of Arleta. NBC 4

Canyon Country Father Arrested On Suspicion Of Murder In Death Of 2-Month-Old Daughter, LASD Says
A 26-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder and child abuse for allegedly killing his 2-month-old daughter last month in a Canyon Country apartment, authorities announced Sunday. Shortly before 3 a.m. on Sept. 26, deputies responded to the 18000 block of Grace Lane regarding a medical rescue call of a baby not breathing, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said in a statement. They arrived to find Marcel James Taylor performing CPR on his 2-month-old daughter. Paramedics rushed the girl to Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital in Santa Clarita and then transported her to Children's Hospital Los Angeles, where she was pronounced dead on Sept. 29. Authorities said an "exhaustive investigation" led to the arrest of the victim's father, a Canyon Country resident. Taylor was taken into custody Thursday at the sheriff's Santa Clarita Valley station, where he was booked on suspicion of murder and child abuse resulting in great bodily injury or death. Taylor remained in custody Sunday in lieu of $2 million bail. His arraignment is set for Monday at the Los Angeles County Superior Court in San Fernando. Anyone with information about the case is asked to call the sheriff's Homicide Bureau at (323) 890-5500 or Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-8477. ABC 7

LASD Seeks Man Allegedly Seen Fishing Out Deposit Slips From Bank
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department released surveillance video photos Saturday in an attempt to identify a man they believe committed petty theft at a bank in Westlake Village. On Oct. 28 at about 11:25 p.m., the suspect allegedly place a “fishing device” in a deposit box at Pacific Western Bank, 32111 Agoura Road, and extracted a white envelope containing three deposit slips, the sheriff's Malibu/Lost Hills station reported. The suspect was then seen leaving the location in a gray Mazda CX-7. The sheriff's Malibu/Lost Hills station urged anyone with information regarding the theft or the suspect to call them at 818-878-1808 or Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477. MyNewsLA.com

Murder Charges Await Fentanyl Dealers Whose Merchandise Kills
Alexandra Capelouto, 20, didn't die of an overdose, her father said. Neither did Alexander Neville, 14. Or Sam Doxakis, 22. Capelouto thought she was taking oxycodone. So did Neville. Doxakis thought he was snorting heroin. But they were actually taking cheap — but convincing — knock-offs packed with deadly fentanyl. These were poisonings, their parents say, not overdoses, and California law needs to treat them as such. Parents are pushing local legislators and law enforcement to handle these crimes more seriously — and local officials are listening. Riverside County District Attorney Mike Hestrin is prosecuting seven second-degree murder cases against alleged pill pushers on the theory of implied malice. Just as drunken drivers know that getting behind the wheel of a car while inebriated can be deadly, drug dealers know that the fentanyl-spiked drugs they peddle can kill, the theory maintains. San Bernardino County District Attorney Jason Anderson filed the department's first murder case against an alleged dealer who sold the fentanyl that killed a 17-year-old in July. And Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer will soon add an admonishment to plea deals in which dealers admit that dangerous fentanyl is in street drugs and can be deadly. If that dealer is involved in another fentanyl sale that results in death, second-degree murder charges can be filed. Los Angeles Daily News

Boston Cop Stabbed In The Neck On Domestic Call; Suspect Fatally Shot
A police officer is expected to survive after a man who cops then shot to death stabbed him in the neck, authorities say. Cops were responding to a domestic violence call at 27 Ingleside St. in Dorchester about 6:15 p.m. when two officers making their way up the stairs encountered a knife-wielding man, Superintendent-in Chief Greg Long told reporters at the scene a few hours later. The man attacked, Long said, and stabbed one officer in the neck. The other officer fired at the man, striking him. Both the injured officer and the man were taken to local hospitals, but the man who was shot was then pronounced dead. Long, who's the acting commissioner of the department, said the officer who was stabbed is expected to survive. Multiple other officers were taken to the hospital for observation, as is department policy following shootings by an officer. Little other information was immediately available about the suspect, the officers the knife — other than that cops said they found one on the scene — or what precipitated the call.  Boston Herald

Florida Cold Case From 1996 Solved With Beer Cans And DNA Evidence
A Florida man was arrested Tuesday and charged with a brutal 1996 murder where the victim was stabbed 73 times. Kenneth Stough, 54, is charged with first-degree murder and robbery with a deadly weapon in the death of Terence Paquette. Paquette was 31 years old when he was found dead Feb. 3, 1996, in the bathroom of the convenience store where he worked in Orlando, according to the Orange County Sheriff's Office. The store had also been relieved of all its cash. Paquette's killer's blood was found all over the store, but for years cops couldn't find a DNA match. With no suspects and no witnesses, the case went cold. The Orange County Sheriff first attempted to reopen the case in 2003, but got nowhere. Progress began only when a cold case squad was formed in 2019. A DNA specialist with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement determined that the blood at the crime scene came from one of three brothers, according to police. Cops narrowed that search to focus on Kenneth Stough because he lived across the street from the store in 1996. They tracked him to a parking lot, where he disposed of several empty beer cans. Police said the DNA on Stough's beer cans matched the DNA from the 1996 crime scene. New York Daily News

Public Safety News


Body Found At Base Of Seaside Cliff Near San Pedro: LAFD
Authorities are investigating after a woman's body was found near San Pedro at about 5:15 p.m. Saturday, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. The LAFD provided fireboats and and land units to assist law enforcement and the Los Angeles County Coroner with the “recovery of a person found lifeless at the base of a seaside cliff,” the LAFD said in an alert. The identity, age and other details about the body are not yet available, the department added, but authorities have said the body was found by a hiker. KTLA 5

L.A. Will Require COVID Vaccine Proof For Indoor Restaurants, Gyms, Malls, Movie Theaters Starting Monday
Starting Monday, Angelenos visiting restaurants, movie theaters, malls, salons and several other venues in Los Angeles will have to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a negative virus test to enter. The city's sweeping new vaccine verification requirements go into effect on Nov. 8, expanding on Los Angeles County's mandate, which on Thursday started requiring proof of full vaccination at only bars, lounges, nightclubs, breweries, wineries and distilleries. It's one of the nation's strictest vaccine mandates and means that vaccine verification is needed at many more locations within the city's limits than in surrounding areas. Under the ordinance passed by the L.A. City Council, patrons aged 12 and older will have to show proof of full vaccination at indoor areas including restaurants, bars, gyms, movie theaters, concert venues, convention centers, card rooms, play areas, museums, malls, play areas, spas, salons and indoor city facilities. KTLA 5

Monday Is Another No-Burn Day In SoCal
The South Coast Air Quality Management District on Sunday extended a mandatory prohibition on indoor and outdoor wood burning in much of the Southland until midnight due to a forecast of high air pollution in the area. The residential wood-burning ban now extends through 11:59 p.m. Monday for all those in the South Coast Air Basin, including Orange County and non-desert portions of Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino counties. Sunday was the fourth straight time the ban was extended. The original ban had been in effect through 11:59 p.m. Thursday. The order does not apply to mountain communities above 3,000 feet, the Coachella Valley or the high desert. Homes that rely on wood as a sole source of heat, low-income households and those without natural gas service also are exempt from the requirement. The no-burn rule prohibits burning wood as well as manufactured fire logs, such as those made from wax or paper. Gas and other non-wood burning fireplaces are not restricted, the SCAQMD said. Fine particles in wood smoke, also known as particulate matter or PM2.5, can get deep into the lungs and cause respiratory problems such as asthma. Residents can receive no-burn day notifications by signing up for Air Alerts via email or text at www.AirAlerts.org . NBC 4

Local Government News

LA City Council Panel Swaps Out Advisory Commission's Map With Its Own ‘Hybrid' Version
A seven-member Los Angeles City Council committee on Friday, Nov. 5, backed a new “hybrid” map that significantly revises the redistricting commission's recommended lines for drawing new City Council districts. The committee voted 6-1 to send the map, drawn up by the Chief Legislative Analyst using suggestions from around 20 different council motions, to the full City Council. The maps will then be heard at two public hearings, on Nov. 10 and tentatively on Nov. 23, before an ordinance is then drafted to be voted on as early as Dec. 1. The city charter calls for the redistricting process to be completed by Dec. 31. Councilwoman Nithya Raman casting the dissenting vote. Raman explained that her 4th district will lose 40% of her current constituents. “I think that if we'd had more time, a little bit more deliberation, we could have gotten to a map that respected everyone's wishes,” she said. The ad hoc committee also voted unanimously to approve a draft map redistricting the Los Angeles Unified School District's boundaries. The big revisions to the City Council redistricting commission's map came after Council President Nury Martinez, who also chaired the ad hoc committee, indicated deep dissatisfaction with it. Los Angeles Daily News

LA City Council Approves Nearly $2 Million For Homeless Outreach Teams
The Los Angeles City Council has approved nearly $2 million to fund homeless outreach teams and other positions related to its street engagement strategy designed to accompany enforcement of the city's new anti-camping law. The funding includes: $260,000 to fund new homeless engagement teams for three months; $750,000 to support six months of funding for 15 homeless outreach program coordinator positions, one per council district, to facilitate coordination of the council member's homeless outreach activities; $625,105 for City Administrative Officer positions to provide outreach coordination and oversight to meet ongoing homelessness-related activities; $306,675 to provide management oversight of the Bureau of Sanitation's homeless encampment cleanup services. The City Council on Oct. 20 began passing resolutions to enforce the city's law to prohibit sleeping, sitting, camping and obstructing the public right of way at several locations. The City Council on Friday approved 19 locations in Councilman Kevin de Leon's district for enforcement of the ordinance, including areas near parks, schools, public facilities and underpasses. ABC 7
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About the LAPPL - Formed in 1923, the Los Angeles Police Protective League (LAPPL) represents the more than 9,900 dedicated and professional sworn members of the Los Angeles Police Department. The LAPPL serves to advance the interests of LAPD officers through legislative and legal advocacy, political action and education. The LAPPL can be found on the Web at:

www.LAPD.com


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