Police Are Still Searching For The Drivers Responsible For Intentionally Running Teen Over

The LAPD South Traffic Division is still sorting through details after a deadly hit-and-run over the weekend left a 17-year-old dead. The teen was struck by two different cars in the middle of the street. Lauren a friend dropped by to pay her respects. Standing in the cluttered stretch of 62nd St. where Matthew Lobos' memorial now sits are dozens of candles and flowers. She told us she found out what happened on social media. "Teen party and a warehouse I said 'Oh my God Lobos,'" Lauren said. The LAPD says an argument broke out during a party here near the Avalon intersection early Sunday morning. In the chaos that followed someone drove down the street in a white sedan and intentionally hit the Santee High School senior. They then crashed into a light pole and ran away. A second car then exited a parking lot, driving over him two more times. "There were a number of people in the street at the time these cars were driving into the crowd," said Detective Jerry Gibson of the LAPD. 

NBC 4

Three Sought In Fatal Shooting At Gas Station Near Beverly Center

A 23-year-old man was shot and killed near the Beverly Center Friday night in the West Hollywood area. No arrests were reported Saturday afternoon in the shooting at about 5:30 p.m. Friday in the area of San Vicente and Santa Monica boulevards. Three people are sought in connection with the shooting. Deputies were flagged down by a bystander who led them to a man with a gunshot wound inside a black Cadillac Escalade SUV, according to Deputy Alejandra Parra of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. Paramedics were called to the scene and took the victim to a hospital, where he died. His name was withheld pending notification of next of kin. The victim was apparently driven to the second location by friends after the shooting near the shopping center. Lt. John Radke of the LAPD told reporters that the victim was in a group of people pumping gas when a white, four-door sedan with tinted windows approached from an alley, and three men exited the car and opened fire before getting back into the vehicle and fleeing east in the alley north of Beverly. The car was described as a white four-door sedan.

NBC 4

Police Investigating After Body Was Found In El Sereno

Los Angeles Police officers are investigating after a body was found in El Sereno Monday morning. According to the LAPD, officers responded to the 3800 block of Drysdale Avenue to reports of a body. Upon their arrival, officers located a 24-year-old man suffering from a gunshot wound. The Los Angeles Fire Department pronounced him dead at the scene. His identity was not immediately known and no other details have been provided. Homicide detectives were investigating. 

CBS 2

14-Year-Old Hospitalized After Bullet Ricochets Into Hollywood Foot Locker

A 14-year-old was hospitalized after a ricocheting bullet struck the victim while they were inside a Hollywood Foot Locker. The Los Angeles Police Department said that the shooting happened at 10 p.m. on the 6800 block of Hollywood Boulevard. The teenager was possibly shopping inside of a Foot Locker when a bullet ricocheted into the store and grazed the victim. Authorities took the 14-year-old to the hospital where the victim was stabilized. Police said they were still looking for a suspect but some people were seen in handcuffs.

CBS 2

Inside The World Of Violent Street Racing Mobs Taking Over Los Angeles

Violent street racing mobs are increasingly taking over streets across Los Angeles with deadly consequences, and some are blaming the city's widespread adoption of "woke" policies. Roving groups of young people in the hundreds block intersections and take over entire streets to watch the 2022 version of drag racing that often leaves innocent people injured and property destroyed. So far this year, 705 takeovers have occurred that left six people dead, the Los Angeles Times reported. Others have been luckier — like the 13-year-old daughter of David Castillo, who survived after being slammed into a window when her father’s car was struck on the way home from Walmart. “It’s like a warzone,” said Barbara Calhoun, a former Compton councilwoman. Los Angeles police say they are helpless to stop the mobs because of the sheer numbers. And now, the groups have a new thrill — invading local stores and picking the shelves clean after races are over. Last week, a surveillance video went viral showing looters vandalizing a store and assaulting a clerk.

Washington Examiner

Street Vendor Has Stolen Van Returned; Suspect Arrested

One man was arrested Monday for attacking and carjacking a street vendor in Hancock Park over the weekend. The incident happened at the 700 block of South Rimpau Boulevard just south of Wilshire Boulevard Saturday afternoon. Witnesses say the neighborhood fruit vendor, 58-year-old Esteban Venancio, was just doing his job when a homeless man punched him, then stole his keys. The van was recovered Sunday in West Covina. Now Venancio has his van back, thanks in part to the local community. Neighbors helped pay for his impound fee and then some. Venancio said Monday that he was "very happy." Venancio said he'd seen his attacker before, and never had a problem with him, adding that he gave the man food shortly before he punched him in the face. He also said that he's especially grateful for the woman who recorded the video because detectives say that helped in the hunt for the van and the suspect.

FOX 11

90 Percent Of Venice Home Burglary Arrests This Summer Homeless Related

A number is hitting home to residents in Venice; 90 percent of arrests made in burglaries in the past four months were homeless-related, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Police say there were 11 residential burglary arrests this summer, and ten of the 11 were persons experiencing homelessness. All arrests were made during the progress of the burglary or immediately after it happened. Police also note that four of the ten arrested entered the homes to shower or use utilities. Across LA gun crimes are still up, according to a new report by the non profit newsroom Crosstown. A July report shows that prevalence of weapons, including untraceable ghost guns, remains a pressing concern for Police Chief Michel Moore. During the Aug. 16 meeting of the Los Angeles Police Commission, Moore said that the number of robberies in the city is equivalent with the period before COVID-19.  “The stark difference is the number of robberies involving firearms are up 60% from that same period,” Moore stated. On the Westside, police say air guns have become a growing problem. Air guns have been used for almost all “gun”- related crimes this summer. Air guns are meant to look like real guns but have an orange device at the end. However, police say most people remove the orange piece—making it look like a legitimate weapon.

Westside Current

VIDEO: Street Takeovers In Compton Continue Despite Newly-Installed Botts' Dotts

Newly-installed Botts' Dotts are not stopping street takeovers in Compton. Video shows several street takeovers happening in Compton overnight. One took place around 2:30 a.m. near Wilmington and Caldwell, and a second one overtook the intersection of Central and Alondra for over an hour. The small yellow dots were recently installed at several intersections including Santa Fe Avenue and Compton Boulevard as well as Wilmington and Caldwell as seen in the video. Botts' Dotts were most recently installed on the Sixth Street Bridge to deter street takeovers that had plagued the bridge since its grand opening. The $588 million bridge, which opened to the public on July 10 and connects Boyle Heights and the downtown Arts District, was closed for several nights over what the Los Angeles Police Department characterized as "illegal activity."

FOX 11

Woman Shot At South LA Liquor Store

A woman was wounded in a shooting at a liquor store in the Florence-Firestone area of unincorporated South Los Angeles, authorities said Monday. The shooting was reported about 4:10 p.m. Sunday at 1766 Firestone Blvd., according to Lt. D. Martinez of the Century Sheriff’s Station. Paramedics took the woman to a hospital where she had stable vital signs, Martinez said. Suspect information was not available, he said.

MyNewsLA

Man Charged With Robbing 10 Stores In L.A. Area, Arizona

A Phoenix man was charged Monday with robbing 10 stores in Southern California and Arizona before accidentally shooting himself after a bullet-punctuated high-speed chase, federal prosecutors said. Samuel Sven Smith, 26, was charged with interference with commerce by robbery, brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence and assault on a federal officer, authorities said. He remained hospitalized and it wasn’t immediately clear whether he had an attorney to speak on his behalf. Smith used a handgun to rob 10 stores, including nine PetSmarts, over three weeks beginning on July 31, according to an affidavit filed with the federal criminal complaint, the U.S. attorney’s office said in a statement. Most of the stores were Los Angeles, Orange and San Bernardino counties but one was in Phoenix, and Smith stole about $7,000, prosecutors said. After robbing a PetSmart store in Rancho Cucamonga on Aug. 20, Smith noticed law enforcement approaching, shot at and hit an unmarked U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives car, then began a 20-minute chase through several cities during which he fired at law enforcement pursuers, prosecutors alleged.

KTLA 5

2 Oklahoma Sheriff Deputies Shot Serving Eviction Papers, 1 Fatally

An Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office deputy was shot and killed and a second deputy wounded while the two were serving eviction papers at a home on the southwest side of Oklahoma City, authorities said. Both deputies were transported to the University of Oklahoma Medical Center, where Sgt. Bobby Swartz died and the other deputy was in stable condition, Sheriff’s Office spokesman Aaron Brilbeck said. Sheriff Tommie Johnson said the two deputies were serving “lock-out papers," which is part of the eviction process, when one of the deputies went to the back door of the home and was shot. The second deputy was shot as he attempted to pull the first deputy to safety, Johnson said. A suspect in the shooting was taken into custody following a vehicle chase across the city, said Oklahoma City police Sgt. Dillon Quirk. The suspect’s name was not immediately released. “During that pursuit, the suspect was firing rounds at officers, and we had officers as well returning fire at the suspect," said Oklahoma City Police Capt. Valerie Littlejohn. She said neither the suspect nor the pursuing officers were hit by gunfire during the exchanges.

Associated Press

Video: Michigan Troopers, Off-Duty Firefighter Rescue Boy, 10, From Rushing Waters

Michigan State Police troopers and an off-duty Wilson Township firefighter rescued a 10-year-old boy from the waters of the Four Mile Dam in Alpena Township on Thursday evening, WPBN/WGTU reported. The boy was hanging on to a dam structure when the troopers arrived. They used a personal floatation device to help the boy, and the off-duty firefighter, Christopher Kinsey, used the device to swim to the boy and escorted him to shore. EMS providers assessed the child, who was later cleared to go home. 

PoliceOne

COVID Hospitalizations Drop Again In LA County

The number of COVID-positive patients in Los Angeles County hospitals continues to fall, dropping by another 10 people to 930, according to the latest state figures. Of those patients hospitalized as of Saturday, 94 were being treated in intensive care, up from 91 the previous day. County officials have said that roughly 43% of the COVID-positive patients were actually admitted for virus-related illness, while the others were admitted for other reasons, with some only learning they were infected when they were tested at the hospital. The latest numbers come one day after the county reported 4,274 new cases and 13 additional COVID-related deaths, bringing its cumulative totals to 3,375,907 cases and 33,003 fatalities since the pandemic began. The average daily rate of people testing positive for the virus was 10.1% as of Friday.

MyNewsLA

Monkeypox Cases Double Over 2-Week Period In L.A. County

Michael Harper recently recovered from the monkeypox virus. He describes the symptoms as mild. “I had a fever of 104°. That was the worst thing,” Harper said. “I did get an infection from one of the sores and that was taken care of with some doxycycline.” Harper believes he contracted the virus shortly before receiving the vaccine, but was unaware of it since symptoms often don’t start until two-to-three weeks after exposure. “I think having the vaccine is why I experienced such light results,” Harper said. “I didn’t get them covered all over my body because I had the vaccine in my system.” Others haven’t been so lucky. Those unable to get the vaccine have described painful lesions on the face, hands, rectum, and genitals. The disease is spread primarily through prolonged skin-to-skin contact with those sores. The virus is not believed to be fatal but does require upwards of four weeks of isolation. While anyone can contract monkeypox, the current outbreak is primarily affecting men who have sex with men.

KTLA 5

LA County Gets $3.78 Million In Wildfire Recovery Funds

Los Angeles County is receiving over $3.78 million in federal grants for rebuilding efforts from wildfires that devastated the state in 2018, with an additional $47,000 going to the city of Malibu. Overall, the state is receiving more than $317 million to assist seven jurisdictions that continue to recover from the 2018 federally declared disasters, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Friday. California remains committed to uplifting and supporting every community impacted by devastating wildfires as they work to rebuild,'' Newsom said. Rebuilding after communities are tragically destroyed due to extreme weather is an opportunity to restore economic opportunities and strengthen communities giving them an opportunity to heal.'' Wildfires burned more than 1.6 million acres and destroyed hundreds of homes and businesses in 2018, particularly in the town of Paradise, in Butte County. The Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery funds are for foundational infrastructure projects that must be completed as communities work to build and rebuild needed housing.

ABC 7