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LA County DA Takes Keen Interest In John Legend Car Theft Case, Prosecutor Calls It Insult To Crime Victims

The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office has taken an interest in a case in which singer John Legend almost had his luxury car stolen this week in what some prosecutors in the office are calling blatant special treatment for a high-profile supporter of District Attorney George Gascón. "An attempted vehicle theft is a crime which George Gascón barely seems interested in prosecuting," Deputy District Attorney John Lewin told Fox News Digital about his boss's priorities. Legend was at a recording studio Monday when a suspect attempted to steal his Porsche, TMZ reported. The Los Angeles Police Department told the celebrity news outlet that a man walked up to the vehicle, sat inside, and was looking for the keys or another way to start it. Security personnel at the studio saw what was happening and called the police. When officers arrived, the suspect allegedly claimed the car was his. He got out and began walking. He was arrested after a short foot chase on suspicion of attempted grand theft auto. 

FOX 11

19-Month-Old Girl Found Safe, Mother Arrested After Alleged Abduction In The San Fernando Valley

A 19-month-old girl has been found safe and her mother was arrested after she allegedly abducted the child in the San Fernando Valley, authorities confirmed Thursday. Kyra Mangayayam was taken by Diana Robles Hernandez Monday afternoon from the 20200 block of Keswick Street, prompting a search by Los Angeles police. Robles does not have custody rights of the girl, police said. Additional details about where they were both found were not disclosed, but police said the Endangered Missing Advisory has been deactivated. 

ABC 7

Pedestrian Killed On I-5 On-Ramp In Boyle Heights

CHP officers responded to a call of a pedestrian stuck and killed by a tractor-trailer on the southbound Interstate 5 Freeway on-ramp at Mission Road in Boyle Heights at 3:53 a.m. Thursday. L.A. Fire Dept. personnel declared the person dead at the scene. A Sigalert was issued for the on-ramp while authorities investigated. The Sigalert remained in effect as of 6 a.m. The Sigalert was canceled at 6:22 a.m.

CBS 2

Mongols Biker Who Killed Cop During Raid Agrees To Manslaughter Plea After 2 Murder Acquittals

A member of the Mongols motorcycle gang who killed a Pomona police SWAT officer serving a search warrant more than eight years ago pleaded no contest Wednesday to voluntary manslaughter after twice being acquitted of murder. David Martinez, 44, had been found not guilty of first-degree murder and second-degree murder in two separate trials over the fatal shooting of Officer Shaun Diamond during the October 2014 raid on his San Gabriel family home. Martinez insisted he did not know it was the police making a forced entry to his home when he fired a shotgun once, telling one of the juries he believed it was members of the Mongols biker gang coming for him. Last month, jurors in the most recent trial deadlocked on two lesser charges of voluntary manslaughter and assault with a firearm on a police officer. On Wednesday, Martinez opted to plead no contest to both charges. He is slated to be sentenced Jan. 17.

Los Angeles Times

Attorney Recalls Being Drugged, Robbed By Two Women In The Hollywood Hills

A local attorney is speaking out about the terrifying night he was drugged and robbed by two women he met at a bar in Beverly Hills. He says the women drugged him, then ransacked his Holywood Hills home, running off with thousands in cash and jewelry. He also suspects this wasn’t the women’s first time committing a heist like this. KTLA’s Pedro Rivera speaks to the victim, a local attorney, who wanted to remain anonymous. The victim says the alleged robbery happened a few months ago on July 25 when he met the two women at a local bar in Beverly Hills. He’s hoping that by sharing his story, someone will recognize the women involved. He also hopes to prevent something like this from happening to others. “It’s embarrassing,” says the man. “I feel like a victim, I feel helpless.”

KTLA 5

Burglars Take Thousands In Merchandise From San Pedro Shoe Store Day Before Scheduled Reopening

A shoe-store owner in San Pedro is heartbroken after burglars broke into his business and stole thousands of dollars in merchandise just days before he was set to reopen. Street Sole had been closed during the pandemic, operating through online sales only. But the store's owner tells Eyewitness News he was planning to hold the reopening on Thursday. Burglars broke into the building early Wednesday morning and stole more than $100,000 worth of merchandise, including items that had already been ordered by customers. "It hurt a lot," owner Jean Grisard said about the burglary. "It's devastating to me. We have three kids." Security-camera footage shows at least two individuals dressed in hoodies rummaging through the store, removing items from the racks and loading them into a truck parked out front. It appears the burglars pried open a metal gate covering the front door and then smashed through the glass to get inside. They also cut wires to some of the security cameras.

ABC 7

Dog Owner Shares Photo Of Missing English Bulldog With Man Holding 'For Sale' Sign

A dog owner is hoping the public can help him find his missing dog. Charlie, the man's 3-year-old English Bulldog, was stolen during a trip to a bank's ATM in the East Los Angeles area. According to the owner, Charlie was swooped up by the dognapping suspect and jumped into a getaway car. Charlie is known amongst dog lovers in the Boyle Heights community. He is seen on social media riding alongside his owner's motorcycle in a sidecar. Moses, the owner, believes the suspect had specifically been targeting Charlie to dognap. A $5,000 reward has been offered to anyone who can help find the missing English bulldog. The initial reward was set to $2,500, but the community has pledged to double the reward pool. On Wednesday, the owner shared a photo of what he believes is Charlie with a stranger holding up a "For Sale" sign in Hollywood. The photo was taken last Friday, the owner tells FOX 11.

FOX 11

Man Fatally Shot In Unincorporated Florence

A man was shot and killed Wednesday on the border of the unincorporated Florence area and Los Angeles. The shooting occurred around noon in the 5800 block of Compton Avenue, near Slauson Avenue, according to the Sheriff’s Information Bureau. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene, the sheriff’s department reported. Anyone with information about the fatal shooting was encouraged to call the Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500. Anonymous tips can be made by calling 800-222-8477.

MyNewsLA

Mistrial Declared In Actor Danny Masterson’s Rape Trial

A judge declared a mistrial Wednesday after jurors said they were hopelessly deadlocked at the trial of “That ’70s Show” actor Danny Masterson, who was charged with three rapes. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Charlaine F. Olmedo had ordered the jurors to take Thanksgiving week off and keep deliberating after they told her on Nov. 18 that they could not come to a consensus about the rape allegations after a monthlong trial in which the Church of Scientology played a supporting role. Masterson, 46, was charged with the rape of three women, including a former girlfriend, in his Hollywood Hills home between 2001 and 2003. He pleaded not guilty and his lawyer said the acts were all consensual. All three women were members of the church at the time, and Masterson remains one. “I find the jurors hopelessly deadlocked,” Judge Charlaine Olmedo declared after inquiring whether there was anything the court could do to move them closer to reaching a unanimous decision. She set a March date for a retrial.

KTLA 5

Paramount Clothing Company To Plead Guilty To Customs Fraud Scheme

A Paramount clothing company is expected to plead guilty Thursday to federal charges of undervaluing imported garments to dodge millions of dollars in customs fees, and will also admit doing business with a woman in Mexico tied to the Sinaloa drug cartel. Ghacham Inc. — doing business under the name Platini — was charged in Los Angeles federal court with conspiracy to pass false and fraudulent papers through a customhouse, along with conspiracy to engage in a transaction or dealing in properties of a specially designated narcotics trafficker. Company executive Mohamed Ghacham, 38, of Bell, is expected to plead guilty to a single count of conspiracy to pass false and fraudulent papers through a customhouse. Prosecutors say the company undervalued shipments of clothing from China by more than $32 million between July 2011 and February 2021 to avoid paying nearly $6.4 million in customs fees.

MyNewsLA

Video: Florida Officer Leaps Into Canal To Save Woman Trapped In Sinking Car

Intense body camera footage caught the moment a Florida officer jumped into a canal to save a woman who was trapped in her sinking car. Without hesitation, Cape Coral Police Department officer Kwesi Johnson jumped into the dark water and busted out the driver’s side window to rescue the woman, Local10.com reported. Another officer helps Johnson pull the woman out of the water onto land. “Is there anyone else in the vehicle,” an officer asks. “No, there’s nobody else but me,” the woman responds. The woman was scared, but uninjured. “My car,” the woman says as the vehicle sinks. “It’s just a car,” the officer responds.

PoliceOne

Los Angeles County Reports Over 4,300 New Cases Of COVID-19

Los Angeles County reported 4,353 new cases of COVID-19 in its latest data, a big spike in daily infections that underscores the seriousness of the latest cold-weather surge in transmission. The rate of daily cases has been steadily rising in recent weeks, but Wednesday’s number was by far the largest single-day total in quite a while, and follows Tuesday’s total of 2,370 cases. The county has now logged 3,542,744 infections since the pandemic began in early 2020. Overall official case numbers are believed to be artificially low, due to residents who use at-home tests and do not report the results to the county, and others who do not get tested at all. The county also saw another sizeable increase in its number of COVID-positive hospital patients, which rose by 92 people to 1,132, with 122 being treated in intensive care.

MyNewsLA

COVID Hospitalization Rates In Babies As Bad As For Seniors Amid Omicron Wave, Study Shows

Infants younger than 6 months had the same rate of hospitalization as seniors age 65 to 74 during this summer’s Omicron wave, according to a new report. The findings, published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, show that COVID-19 can still cause severe and fatal outcomes in children too young to be vaccinated. “These findings underscore the continued risk for COVID-19–associated hospitalization among infants [younger than] six months who are ineligible for vaccination,” the report said. “Multiple factors likely contributed to high COVID-19–associated hospitalization rates among young infants during the Omicron variant–predominant period,” the authors explained, “including the high infectivity and community transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant and the relatively low threshold for hospitalizing infants for signs and symptoms consistent with COVID-19 (e.g., fever) relative to that in older children.”

Los Angeles Times

Venice Ramada To Become Permanent Homeless Housing

A Project Roomkey site in Venice is going through renovations to become a permanent homeless housing. Transformations at the Venice Ramada Inn, located at 3130 Washington Boulevard, began at the end of October to make the former hotel rooms into 33 studio apartments. Work being done on the rooms includes the installation of kitchenettes, office space for services, a new patio area, and a central laundry room. The former Ramada is one of three permanent supportive housing (PSH) projects within a half mile of one another currently being developed in Venice; the other two are Thatcher Yard, three blocks south, and Lincoln Apartments, four blocks north, for a total of 171 PSH units that are due to open by the end of 2024. Just a little further down the road, 34 permanent housing doors were opened this past April on Rose Avenue. The City Council authorized Project Home key funds to purchase the 33-room motel in December of 2020 for roughly $10 million. The authorization was done without community knowledge or input. Additional funds -- provided through state grants -- were spent to renovate the building and pay PATH $1 million per year to run the facility. The building was ultimately gifted to PATH.

Westside Current