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Two Men Are Found Stabbed To Death In South Los Angeles; Suspect In Custody

Two men were found stabbed to death in South Los Angeles early Saturday and a third man was taken into custody in the case, a police spokeswoman said. LAPD officers responded at 12:18 a.m. to the 300 block of West 77^th Street and found two men with stab wounds — one in his 30s, the other in his 60s, Officer Annie Hernandez said. Both were pronounced dead by paramedics at the scene. A suspect was taken into custody and the investigation is ongoing, Hernandez said. She did not name the suspect, identifying him only as a man in his 60s. Homicides were up by 1.5% in Los Angeles through Aug. 27, compared with the same period last year, according to LAPD statistics. In the LAPD’s 77th Street Division, homicides were up 2.7%.

Los Angeles Times

Dispute Between Neighbors Leads To Deadly Shooting, House Fire In Pacoima

Authorities are investigating a chain of events, in which one person was killed and a house was damaged in a fire, following a dispute among neighbors in Pacoima. The shooting occurred around 1:10 a.m. Sunday in the 10300 block of Rincon Avenue, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. The victim, identified as 39-year-old Daniel Garcia, was pronounced dead at the scene. The shooter fled the scene and remains outstanding. Police said hours later, a nearby residence believed to be that of the suspect was set on fire in apparent retaliation for the killing. Firefighters managed to extinguish the house fire in less than 30 minutes. No arrests have been made in either case. Anyone with information is urged to call investigators at (818) 374-9550.

ABC 7

Man Fatally Shot At Engagement Party In Northridge; Search For Suspect Underway

A 29-year-old man was fatally shot at a "pre-wedding" party in Northridge late Sunday evening, prompting a large scale manhunt for the gunman. The shooting is believed to have happened at around 11:15 p.m. during an engagement party located at a banquet hall on Parthenia Street, where an argument between two men escalated into the shooting. According to Los Angeles Police Department, event was attended by hundreds of people. They detailed that the altercation began inside the banquet hall before moving outside, at which point the victim was shot multiple times by the suspect, a man in his 40s, who fled from the scene. The victim, who was identified as Anaheim resident Edgar Rodriguez by family members, was pronounced dead at the scene. Police had set up a perimeter in the area following the shooting as they searched for the suspect. 

CBS 2

Passenger Dies After Being Shot In Vehicle Stopped In Vermont Knolls Neighborhood

A passenger sitting in a vehicle near the 77th Street police station was fatally shot early Monday morning. The shooting occurred around 12:18 a.m. near the intersection of Figueroa Street and West 73rd Street in the Vermont Knolls neighborhood. The victims were sitting in their car when someone opened fire, striking the passenger at least once, a Los Angeles Police Department spokesperson said. It was unclear if the shots came from a passing vehicle or someone on the street. The victim was driven about five blocks to the 77th Street police station where the driver asked for help. Emergency crews arrived at the scene and pronounced the passenger dead, police said. The victim was described as a 27-year-old man. No suspect information was available.

KTLA 5

Aspiring Rapper, Friend Critically Wounded In North Hollywood Follow-Home Robbery

Two men in their 20s, including aspiring rapper Wakko The Kidd, are in critical condition following a shooting that occurred during an overnight follow-home robbery in North Hollywood, officials said. The Los Angeles Police Department said the two victims were at a recording studio in Hollywood on Barham Boulevard late Thursday night and were apparently followed. When they returned home in North Hollywood to the 11100 block of Califa Street, near the intersection of Vineland Avenue and Oxnard Street, they were surrounded by a group of suspects wearing ski masks and were held up at gunpoint. LAPD investigators said the two victims were shot multiple times before the suspects drove away from the scene in a white SUV. When first responders arrived, the victims were taken to the hospital and were rushed into surgery. By Friday afternoon, the two men were out of surgery and remained in critical condition. Amid a crime wave, the LAPD has a Special Task Force for follow-home robberies.

FOX 11

One Man Injured In Shooting Near Community Fair In Pacoima

A shooting at a McDonald's restaurant in Pacoima across from a community fair sent people running from the scene and left one man injured Sunday night. The incident was reported at approximately 9:38 p.m. near the intersection of Glenoaks Boulevard and Van Nuys Boulevard. The shooting occurred across from a community fair that was set to take place this weekend through Labor Day in Pacoima. One person suffered a gunshot wound to the leg but was in stable condition, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. No further details were immediately available. 

NBC 4

Canadian Man Distributed Nearly $10 Million In Drugs From LA Area, FBI Says

A Canadian man was arrested this week by the Federal Bureau of Investigation on suspicion of distributing an estimated $9.8 million worth of methamphetamine and cocaine from the Los Angeles area to Canada through semi-truck drivers, federal officials announced Saturday, Sept. 3. Sam Nang Bou, 40, of Edmonton, Canada was arrested Thursday night and was being held without bail, spokesman Thom Mrozek of the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. Over the past year, Bou allegedly traveled to Southern California to “handle the delivery of large shipments of drugs to long-haul semi-truck drivers,” Mrozek said. In all, Bou was allegedly linked to seizures of more than 1,000 pounds of methamphetamine and 333 pounds of cocaine across eight deliveries. A more specific timeline of the deliveries was not disclosed by officials. Bou was accused of stashing the drugs in two separate Alhambra homes, Mrozek said, adding that most of the seizures started with Bou leaving one of the two homes.

Los Angeles Daily News

Authorities Searching For Mother Accused Of Abducting 3-Day-Old Son From Lancaster Hospital

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department is seeking the public's help in finding a 25-year-old woman investigators say abducted her own 3-day-old son from a Lancaster hospital. The sheriff's department said there was an immediate removal order from the Department of Children and Family Services when Alexus Simpson left the hospital with her son, Jack Evans, prior to the removal. "This is considered a parental abduction by his mother," said LASD in a press release issued on Saturday. Simpson and the baby were last seen around 1:20 a.m. in the 1600 block of West Avenue J in Lancaster. She's being described as a 5-foot Black woman with brown hair and brown eyes. The sheriff's department released a photo of Simpson Saturday afternoon. Anyone with information is urged to contact the Lancaster Sheriff's Station immediately. 

ABC 7

Drug Dealers Targeting Children With Candy-Colored Fentanyl Pills, DEA Says

Fentanyl is one of the deadliest drugs on the street — and now it’s also pretty. Drug traffickers are making rainbow-colored fentanyl that in pill form resembles candy — think SweeTarts — and in block form looks like sidewalk chalk, according to a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration alert. Federal officials say the candy-colored fentanyl is a deliberate attempt to market the drug to children and young adults. “The men and women of the DEA are relentlessly working to stop the trafficking of rainbow fentanyl and defeat the Mexican drug cartels that are responsible for the vast majority of the fentanyl that is being trafficked in the United States,” DEA Administrator Anne Milgram said in a prepared statement. Sheriff’s narcotics investigators in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties have not yet encountered rainbow fentanyl, but the drug has been seized in Northern California, Oregon and Arizona. Southern California narcotics detectives are now on the lookout for it.

Los Angeles Daily News

Brothers Could Face Death Penalty After Being Charged With North Carolina Deputy's Murder

A man charged with killing Wake County Deputy Ned Byrd will continue to be held without bail at the Wake County jail after a first court appearance Thursday. Alder Marin Sotelo, 25, stood before a judge at his first Wake County court appearance after he and his brother were indicted by a grand jury Tuesday. Both are charged with murder in the killing of Wake County deputy Ned Byrd, 48, this month. A magistrate denied Marin Sotelo bail earlier today, and Judge Rishad Hauter didn't change it during the Thursday hearing. Byrd, a K-9 officer and 13-year veteran of the sheriff's department, was found outside his unmarked Sheriff's Office SUV around 1 a.m. Friday, Aug. 12, near a gas station on Auburn Knightdale and Battle Bridge roads. He had multiple gunshot wounds. Marin Sotelo, who was handcuffed and shackled, wore a striped orange jumpsuit and answered "yes" and "no" questions through a translator. During the hearing, Hauter advised Marin Sotelo of the charge and appointed an attorney to represent him. About 30 people, including Sheriff Gerald Baker and other deputies, were in the courtroom. If the brothers are convicted of murder, they could face the death penalty or life in prison.

The Herald-Sun

Indiana Officer Taken Off Life Support Transferred To Hospice Facility

A Richmond, Indiana, police officer shot in the line of duty is fighting until the end after she was taken off life support on Thursday. Officer Seara Burton, 28, has been in critical condition at Miami Valley Hospital since she was shot in the head during an Aug. 10 traffic stop in Richmond. Richmond Police Chief Michael Britt on Friday said she remains off life support and that her condition did not change much overnight. "She is still with us this morning," he posted on social media. "Seara continues to remind us just how strong she is." Some TV stations reported Thursday afternoon that Burton had died. This prompted a statement a short time later from Britt, who said, "at this time Officer Burton is still alive and surrounded by family." Cruisers from Richmond and Dayton police and Wayne County ( Indiana) Sheriff's departments lined the streets near the hospital, where officers and deputies gathered in support of Burton and the Richmond Police Department. Burton's K9 partner Brev, who was not injured, is in the care of a Richmond police investigator who is a former K9 handler.

Springfield News-Sun

LA County Reports 5,055 COVID Cases, 29 Deaths

Los Angeles County Monday reported 5,055 new positive COVID-19 cases and 29 additional deaths since Saturday. The latest figures come as Los Angeles County’s public health director continues preaching caution against the spread of COVID-19 as holiday gatherings continue and an ongoing heat wave keeps many people indoors. “As we all look forward to celebrating Labor Day and expressing our deep appreciation to the many hard-working people throughout our county, we face the twin challenges this holiday weekend of ongoing circulation of COVID, plus very high heat across most regions of L.A. County,” Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said in a statement. “With the extreme heat, it will make sense for many to move gatherings indoors. When gathering indoors, you can maximize ventilation by opening windows and doors, using air filters, and setting HVAC systems to maximize fresh air exchange,” Ferrer continued. “It is also advisable to wear a mask if gathering indoors with individuals whose COVID status is unknown."

MyNewsLA

Firefighters Quickly Extinguish Fire In Koreatown Apartment Building

It took 32 firefighters 12 minutes to put out flames on the fifth floor of a six-story apartment building Monday morning in the Koreatown area of Los Angeles. The fire was reported at 3:10 a.m. in the center hallway of a building at 3918 W. Beverly Blvd., according to the Los Angeles Fire Department’s Nicholas Prange. Firefighters had the flames out at 3:22 a.m., Prange said. No injuries were reported. 

MyNewsLA

Fire In Pacoima Erupts Amidst SoCal Heat Wave

A home in Pacoima was engulfed in flames on Sunday, the Los Angeles Fire Department announced on Twitter. No injuries were reported. Firefighters were able to put out the flames in less than 30 minutes. The threat of fire danger increases as temperatures skyrocket in Southern California. Excessive heat warnings have been issued for areas in Los Angeles, Ventura, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties.

KTLA 5

LA City Council Approves $129,000 To Remove Graffiti From Sixth Street Bridge

The Los Angeles City Council approved $129,000 in funding Friday to remove graffiti and provide other maintenance efforts on the Sixth Street Bridge. The amount is a decrease from the originally proposed amount of $353,000, which the council's Budget and Finance Committee slashed last month due to the bridge seeing fewer incidents of graffiti in recent weeks. Crews spent an average of 14 1/2 hours combined each day in August removing graffiti from the bridge, down from an average of 23 total hours worked per day in July, city staff said at an Aug. 22 committee meeting. The bridge opened July 10 to much fanfare, which was soon overshadowed by those who came to perform street takeovers, spinouts and other activities blocking traffic, which resulted in several closures. However, officials have indicated in recent weeks that such activity on the bridge has decreased as more time has passed since it opened. Last month, the city council asked the city attorney to prepare an ordinance prohibiting people from conducting street takeovers, defacing the bridge and accessing areas outside its fencing.

NBC 4