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Deputy Walking, Talking Again After Being Struck By Gunfire During Ambush Outside PD

A deputy who was wounded after being ambushed outside a police station last month is now on the road to recovery. Surveillance video showed Nicholas Mitchell, 42, walking toward the Ross County (Ohio) Sheriff’s Office and knocking on the back door window. After Sgt. Eric Kocheran opened the door, Mitchell told the officer he needed help because somebody was threatening his family and they wanted him to hurt children. He then said he can't do that, so he “has to do this” and pulled out a gun, shooting the deputy in the chest. Kocheran then returned fire, fatally wounding the suspect. According to FOX 28 News, Kocheran is now talking and starting to walk again less than a month after the incident. The news station spoke with Kocheran's sister, who says the sergeant is out of the ICU. He’s been making progress, taking a few steps with a walker and making jokes with people who visit him in the hospital. The community’s support has been key to Kocheran's recovery, according to the report.

PoliceOne

Man Sentenced To Life For Rape, Murder Of Teen Girl And Young Woman In Los Angeles

More than a decade after abducting, raping and killing a teen girl and a young woman, 38-year-old Giovanni Borjas was sentenced to life in prison Monday in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom. Borjas appeared emotionless as the judge read his sentence, proclaiming that the 38-year-old will spend his life in prison without the possibility of parole. The verdict brought one level of closure for the families of the girls he murdered. “This is just a chapter that is going to close right now, and I can begin my grieving because I was on a mission. I was on a mission. I’m the mother who needed to know who hurt my daughter,” Darlene Duran, the mother of one of the victims, Bree’Anna Guzman, told KTLA’s Chris Wolfe. Guzman was just 22 years old, a young mother of two girls, when she stepped out to buy cough drops in Dec. 2011, and never returned home. Her remains were discovered in Silver Lake near an on ramp to the 2 Freeway.  

KTLA 5

LAPD Seeks Public’s Help In Hit-and-Run Fatality

Authorities Monday sought the public’s help in locating the person responsible for the hit-and-run death of a pedestrian who died three days after being struck. The Los Angeles Police Department said the hit and run happened on Dec. 2 around 3:05 a.m. on Vermont Avenue, north of Venice Boulevard. Officials said that a vehicle police believe to be a silver Mercedes C Class, four-door sedan was traveling north Vermont Avenue and struck the pedestrian. The driver allegedly fled the area the LAPD said. Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics rushed the pedestrian to a hospital, but the victim died three days later. No additional information was immediately available, including the identity of the person struck. Anyone who may have witnessed the incident is urged to contact West Traffic Division Detectives at 213-473-0222. Anonymous tips can be made by calling 800-222-8477.

MyNewsLA

Police Investigating Stabbing on Lincoln Boulevard

A stabbing occurred Monday afternoon on Lincoln Boulevard near Lake Street. A third party witness reported the altercation between two people experiencing homelessness. There was a struggle and the suspect, a black female, fled on foot after the incident. The victim was transported to a local hospital and is reported to have suffered a 5-6 inch cut to his neck. He is in stable condition. LAPD Pacific Division detectives are requesting any additional information from members of the community who may have witnessed the incident. Please call 310-482-6313. 

Westside Current

French Bulldogs Stolen From Pregnant Woman In Studio City Return Home

Two French bulldogs that were stolen at gunpoint have been reunited with their pregnant owner. Cindy Nelson was walking her dogs when an armed man approached and pointed a gun at her around 10 a.m. Friday in the 4100 block of Kraft Avenue, just south of Ventura Boulevard and west of Tujunga Avenue, the Los Angeles Police Department's North Hollywood Division reported. “A man jumped out of the car with a gun in his hand and held it in front of my face and grabbed my dogs. I was screaming ‘please, no,’” Nelson, who is nine months pregnant, said. “It happened all so fast. And he just got in the car carrying them in the air and left”. “Who steals dogs from a nine-month-pregnant woman?" Nelson asked reporters after Gizmo and Milo were returned. LAPD released surveillance images of the suspect vehicle as they continue searching for the suspect. It is described as a silver vehicle, possibly a late model Honda.

NBC 4

Police Searching For Suspect Who Attempted To Kidnap Teenage Girl In Inglewood

Inglewood police are searching for a man who was spotted on camera attempting to kidnap a teenage girl last week. According to a statement released by Inglewood Police Department, the attempted kidnapping occurred on Dec. 2, when the girl was walking near 109th Street and Doty Avenue at around 4:15 p.m. The suspect can be seen approaching the victim, grabbing her by the arm and attempted to walk her to his vehicle — a gray 2010 Nissan Pathfinder SUV with no front license plate. The girl was able to pull herself away from the suspect and run away from him before he got back into his car and fled from the area towards Prairie Avenue. The man is described as a medium build, possibly Hispanic male in his late 20s or early 30s. He is said to be around 5'9."

CBS 2

Santa Monica Police Arrests Homeless Man Linked To Adult - Themed Store Robberies

The Santa Monica Police Department arrested a 47-year-old homeless man they say is connected to two counts of robbery at adult-themed stores. Kelly Blake Carr was arrested on Tuesday after police say he robbed a store on Santa Monica Blvd. The first incident occurred on December 3 at about 4:30 p.m.. Police say officers responded to an armed robbery at 1319 Santa Monica Blvd (Adult Love Boutique). The employee indicated the suspect was armed with a handgun and stole money before he fled. SMPD Officers arrived in less than two minutes and noticed a male changing his clothing near the crime scene and attempted to detain him. The male, later identified as Carr, disobeyed the officers’ commands and fled on his bicycle. Officers gave chase and eventually detained Carr in the BMW dealership parking lot at 12th and Santa Monica. While he was fleeing from officers, Carr discarded his backpack and the replica handgun used in the commission of the robbery, however those items were recovered.

Westside Current

Culver City Carjacking Victim Injured; Suspects Escape

One person was injured in a carjacking in Culver City early Tuesday morning and police believe at least two suspects got away from the scene. A Mercedes SUV was carjacked at a Mobile gas station located at 5776 Washington Blvd. at about 1:37 a.m. The driver was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries, according to police. Culver City Police set up a perimeter in the area of Jacob Street, Caroline Avenue and Sherbourne Drive and located the vehicle, which had been damaged in an unspecified collision. Officers were conducting a yard-to-yard search for suspects.

CBS 2

California Man Arrested After Officers Recover Over $500,000 In Stolen Best Buy Merchandise

A man was arrested after law enforcement recovered over $500,000 in stolen Best Buy merchandise. On Dec. 1 California Highway Patrol's Central Division Organize Retail Crime Task Force responded to a call regarding suspicious activity in Fresno County. The caller reported what he believed to be a commercial load inside a tractor trailer being stolen. When CHP officers arrived on scene, they saw two semi-trailer trucks backed up against each other docked to unload the stolen merchandise. Jaspreet Singh, 59, was arrested and booked into the Fresno County Jail. Anyone with information regarding this case is urged to call the CHP Central Division Office at (559) 603-7740.

FOX 11

Coyote That Attacked 2-Year-Old In Woodland Hills Euthanized, Officials Say

A coyote that attacked a 2-year-old in the front yard of her family’s Woodland Hills home earlier this month has been captured and killed, officials said Sunday. Home security video captured the coyote attacking the toddler on the afternoon of Dec. 3 while her father was busy unloading the family’s SUV. The coyote knocked the child down and began to drag her away while she screamed. The girl’s father quickly picked up the child and chased the coyote away. Since then, California Department of Fish and Wildlife officers have been attempting to capture the coyote. On Friday, officials captured the animal “in the immediate vicinity of the street where the attack occurred,” Patrick Foy, a public information captain in the department, said in a statement. They were able to confirm it was the same coyote by using DNA samples, Foy said in an email.

Los Angeles Times

LA County Reports 7,845 New COVID Cases, 39 Deaths Since Saturday

With coronavirus infections continuing their upward trend in Los Angeles County, health officials Monday reported 7,845 new COVID-19 cases and 39 additional virus-related deaths since Saturday. Updated virus-related hospitalization data was not immediately available, but the latest state numbers, released Saturday, showed 1,267 people in the hospital, down by 41 from a day earlier. Of those patients, 146 were being treated in intensive care, up from 137 the previous day. The LA County Public Health Department said 1,986 new cases were reported on Monday, along with 2,101 Sunday and 3,758 Saturday. That total of 7,845 brought the total number of COVID cases in the county since the pandemic began to 3,585,468. The 39 additional deaths upped the county's pandemic total to 34,334. According to the health department, nine virus-related deaths were reported Monday, along with 13 Sunday and 17 Saturday.

NBC 4

Mayor Karen Bass Declares State Of Emergency On Homelessness

In her first official act since being sworn into office, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass declared a state of emergency on homelessness Monday. Bass said the declaration shows the people of Los Angeles that "we are united and serious about the city's crisis of homelessness." The effort will help city agencies cut through red tape, she said, as she plans soon to unveil proposals to clear homeless encampments and get people living on the streets into shelter and housing. "I will not accept a homeless crisis that afflicts more than 40,000 Angelenos and affects every one of us. It is a humanitarian crisis that takes the life of five people every day," the mayor said just prior to officially signing the declaration. "It must stop, and change starts now...There will be no holding back on my watch."

ABC 7

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