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Law Enforcement News
Probation officers only visited El Monte cop killer once in 16 months
In the weeks before Justin Flores shot and killed two El Monte Police officers, Los Angeles County probation officials received multiple reports that he was using drugs, had obtained a gun and attacked his girlfriend, all probation violations that were never reported to local law enforcement, officials said Thursday.
Murder Suspect Wanted In LA Killed By Deputies In Victorville
A murder suspect wanted in Los Angeles was fatally wounded when he allegedly pointed a handgun at deputies, who fired upon him while he was holed up at a home in Victorville, authorities said Sunday. Deputies from the San Bernardino County Sheriff Department’s Specialized Enforcement Division assisted the LAPD at about 4 p.m. Thursday in the apprehension of Byron Hayes, who was in the 12600 block of Westway Lane in Victorville, the sheriff’s department reported. Hayes barricaded himself in a home as deputies arrived at the location. The 33-year-old Victorville resident pointed a handgun at deputies after more than 30 minutes of negotiations, authorities said. Deputies then fired rounds at Hayes, who retreated inside the residence. Deputies forced their way into the residence and rendered medical aid. Paramedics rushed Hayes to a hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. A spokesperson with the LAPD’s Media Relations Division had no immediate information on any murder investigation involving Hayes. Anyone with information regarding the case was urged to call the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department’s Specialized Investigations Division at 909-890-4908 or the We-Tip Hotline at 800-782-7463.
LA's First Genealogical DNA Cold Case Murder Goes To Jury
Jurors in downtown LA began to hear closing arguments Friday in the trial of a man accused by prosecutors of being a serial killer, who was arrested after genealogical database searches allegedly linked him to the murders of two young women in the 1980s. "He's a man who brutalizes and dehumanizes women," LA County Deputy District Attorney Beth Silverman told jurors of Horace Van Vaultz, Jr., now 67, who faces two counts of first degree murder with special circumstances. "He's someone who derives pleasure from inflicting pain and suffering," Silverman said as she led jurors through the evidence and testimony presented over the last few weeks. Vaultz, who testified in his own defense during the trial, is charged with the murders of 21-year-old Selena Keough in 1981 and 22-year-old Mary Duggan in 1986. He has denied he killed the women but his lawyer did not dispute that it was Vaultz's DNA found on their bodies. "No sir!" he answered when his defense attorney asked if he was guilty of killing Keough and Duggan. The defense suggested Vaultz's DNA might have been found on the victims because Vaultz described himself as having a voracious sexual appetite and claimed he had been with dozens, if not hundreds, of different women in the 1980s.
'Instincts Kicked In': Man Shoots At Would-Be Robbers In His Sherman Oaks Home
A Sherman Oaks homeowner says survival instincts he didn't even know he had kicked in Saturday morning when he came face to face with robbery suspects inside his home. "So I open my bedroom and there's a guy literally six feet in front of me," said Remi. "He's in my house already coming towards my bedroom so as soon as he sees me with a gun he starts yelling, I pull out my gun and I start firing inside my own house." The attempted robbery happened around 1:30 a.m. Saturday at the home on Beverly Ridge Drive in Sherman Oaks. Remi was asleep and was woken up by noises outside. He thought it was raccoons - they'd been breaking into the garbage lately. Instead, Remi saw two men, and one of them had a gun. So Remi grabbed his own gun, and fired at the two men. The suspects ran away, but Remi, fearing they'd find another way into his house, ran out of his bedroom to chase them down. That's when he found a third man, this one inside his home. Remi fired at him too. That suspect ran as well, while Remi went back to his room to get more bullets. "Instincts kicked in at that moment," Remi said. "I don’t know if I could ever do it again. It was just very instinctual."
LAPD Seeks Help Finding Accomplice Who Helped Speeding Teen Driver Evade Officers
Investigators with the Los Angeles Police Department sought the public’s help with identifying a passenger who they say guided and helped a driver evade officers. The incident occurred in several locations on May 29 around 9:25 p.m., including the intersection of Florence and Vermont avenues in South Los Angeles. Video obtained by the LAPD from one of the passengers who live-streamed the event shows a driver and his accomplice in action as they sped through the city streets and freeways in 2018-21 charcoal gray Dodge Challenger while eluding officers by conducting what authorities called "evasive maneuvers to evade a traffic violation." LAPD investigators identified the driver as 19-year-old Izeal Rachal of Los Angeles. On July 25, the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office issued a $75,000 reward for Rachal for felony evading. On Aug. 11, he was arrested by Los Angeles County deputies in He was booked at the Lakewood Sheriff Station Jail and was later released after bonding out. The passenger seen on the video giving Rachal tips on how to evade LAPD officers is considered an accomplice and is wanted for felony evading. Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Juan Campus at 213-833-3713. Those who wish to remain anonymous can submit tips online.
LAPD Ends Investigation Into Anne Heche Car Crash
Los Angeles police have officially ended their investigation into the crash that resulted in the death of actress Anne Heche and a fire that destroyed a two-story home in Mar Vista. This comes a little over a week after Heche was declared brain dead after suffering severe injuries when Los Angeles authorities said she crashed her vehicle into the Mar Vista home. Her representatives told FOX 11 that the Daytime Emmy Award-winning actress and mother of two was declared brain dead on Thursday night and has been kept on life support for organ donation. "As of today, there will be no further investigative efforts made in this case," the department announced Friday, the same day the 53-year-old actress was pronounced brain dead. "Any information or records that have been requested prior to this turn of events will still be collected as they arrive as a matter of formalities and included in the overall case. "When a person suspected of a crime expires, we do not present for filing consideration." Although Heche is legally dead under California law, she remains on life support for evaluation of possible options for organ donations.
Police Investigate Possible Connection Between Street Takeover And Burglary
Police are investigating if a street takeover in Harvard Heights and the destructive burglary of an AutoZone store are connected. The street takeover took place on the corner of Western Ave. and Washington Blvd. in the early morning Saturday. Police were called around 2:40 a.m. where around 30 to potentially 50 cars were involved in a street takeover. Soon after police responded to the takeover a burglary occurred at the AutoZone store at the same intersection. The individuals involved in the burglary entered the store from the back of the building and once they were in there they ransacked multiple aisles, according to police. A lot of property appears to have been taken although the exact amount is currently unknown. No arrests have been made in the burglary. Police are still investigating both incidents and are trying to determine if they are connected.
L.A. Man Arrested For Deadly Stabbing In Pasadena
Police have arrested a Los Angeles man on suspicion of stabbing and killing a man in Pasadena Friday night. The stabbing happened around 10:55 p.m. on the 600 block of North Lake Avenue, according to the Pasadena Police Department. Arriving police found a man in the street suffering from multiple stab wounds. The unidentified man was pronounced dead at the scene. Within a few minutes after they arrived on scene, police located and arrested a suspect in the stabbing. He’s been identified as Sadarius Lawson, 26, of Los Angeles. Lawson has since been booked into jail to await charges for murder. The Pasadena Police Department Robbery Homicide Unit is investigating the circumstances leading up to the deadly stabbing. The identity of the victim will be released once his family has been notified of his passing. Anyone with information about the case is urged to contact the Pasadena Police Department at 626-744-4241. You can also submit an anonymous tip online.
Smash-and-Grab: Thieves Crash Car Into Beverly Hills Department Store, Take Off Before Police Arrive
Police in Beverly Hills are searching for thieves who they say crashed a car into a luxury department store in the latest smash-and-grab incident to hit the upscale city. The suspects struck just before 5 a.m. Saturday, taking off with an unknown amount of merchandise from the Neiman Marcus on Wilshire Boulevard. Police responded within three minutes but the suspects were already gone. "It's very disappointing and it's very frightening... the fact that the police department arrived in three minutes and they were already gone, and had a getaway car planned, it just seems organized on a very high level," said Courtney Baillie. It was the latest smash-and-grab crime in the upscale city. Beverly Hills Police Chief Mark Stainbrook promised swift action, saying he's confident the department will arrest those involved due to evidence left at the scene. The city has added more officers to the department and private security guards to patrol the streets. But with thieves continuing to strike, many in the city say more needs to be done. "My thoughts are helplessness. How did we let the country get to this point where that's normal? That in a really safe neighborhood like this we have people driving cars into buildings to loot the place. It's terrible.The city needs new leadership," said David Thomson.
30 Felony Arrests Made In San Bernardino Gang Sweep
Dozens of arrests were made in San Bernardino Friday during a multi-agency gang sweep. Law enforcement officers from the San Bernardino Police Department, Sheriff’s Department, as well as police departments in Rialto, Fontana, Redlands and beyond, served warrants in San Bernardino as part of an operation called “SMASH” — San Bernardino Movement Against Street Hoodlums. The sweep was held in response to “increasing criminal gang activity in the city of San Bernardino,” according to San Bernardino Police Chief Darren Goodman. “Recently, a beautiful, innocent, 8-year-old girl was shot in the face by gang members as she played in front of her home,” said Goodman in a news release. That crime, as well as several recent murders, have all been determined to be gang-related, authorities said. Police say there have been more than 50 homicides in the city this year. On Friday, more than 80 law enforcement officers converged in San Bernardino to take part in the gang sweep.
Officer Saves Gunshot Victim's Life After He Was Rushed To Police Station
An East St. Louis man who was hit with a bullet in an artery in his arm is alive thanks to a female medic's quick action to stop the bleeding, police say. The man was shot Wednesday afternoon, but police have not established an actual crime scene. The victim, whose name has not been released, drove himself to the East St. Louis Police Department. An emergency call made at about 4:30 p.m. reported that the man was shot in the 1200 block of State Street, said Illinois State Police Zone 6 Investigative Commander Mike Lewis said. "He drove to the East St. Louis Police Department and came to the back door., Lewis said. "He tried to let himself in saying he had been shot and needed help." Agents with the state police's Public Safety Enforcement Group were working upstairs at the East St. Louis Police Department and heard the emergency radio broadcast. When they reached the victim at the lower level, they saw he had lost "an incredible amount of blood," Lewis said. The man had been shot through an artery in an arm, which was spurting blood. "One of our PSEG agent is a medic," Lewis said. "She went down there, grabbed her tourniquet, applied pressure, and stopped the bleeding." Lewis credited a joint effort between East St. Louis Police officers and the state police agents with saving the man's life.
Public Safety News
Fire Damages Home In Westlake Community Of Los Angeles
A fire damaged a single-story home Sunday in the Westlake community of Los Angeles, authorities said. Firefighters dispatched at 12:36 p.m. to 200 N. Dillon St. had the blaze out within 20 minutes of their arrival, the Los Angeles Fire Department reported. No injuries were reported. The cause of the fire was under investigation.
A Large L.A. Homeless Camp Gets Swept Away. The Big Question Is What Comes Next
The man who lived in the manhole was gone. After weeks of visits by outreach workers and last-minute persuasion by police, the row of shanties was abandoned. By 8 a.m., a bulldozer and a grader were circling the 10-acre vacant lot in Watts, scraping 3-foot-tall weeds and the detritus they concealed into piles. A smaller tractor sifted out clothing, TV and computer parts, infant car seats and broken concrete. A fourth machine with a scoop lifted the concentrate, along with several loads of abandoned tires, into three giant trash containers. The cleanup Thursday of the city’s troubled Lanzit property was a huge boon to a downtrodden neighborhood, said community activist Germán Magaña, who acts as unofficial spokesman for nearby business owners, residents and even the people who lived on the lot. But it was just the beginning of a new phase that will require vigilance to keep the property from falling back into tatters. It will take drive and creativity to overcome 28 years of failure that marked the city’s plans to develop it.
LA County’s COVID Hospitalizations Continue To Stabilize
Los Angeles County’s coronavirus hospitalizations have dropped by six people, with 1,059 COVID-positive patients in local hospitals, according to the latest state figures. Of those patients hospitalized as of Saturday, 118 were being treated in intensive care, down from 120 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 3,995 new infections and 19 additional COVID-related deaths, raising its cumulative totals to 3,351,082 cases and 32,922 deaths since the pandemic began. The number of new COVID infections reported each day by the county is believed to be an undercount of actual virus activity, since many people use at-home tests, the results of which are not always reported to the county.
US Surpasses 10,000 Monkeypox Cases; Double Over Last 2 Weeks
The number of monkeypox cases in the U.S. is now topping the 10,000 mark, roughly doubling in the last two weeks. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's latest data shows 10,392 cases of monkeypox that have been reported across the country. Los Angeles County Health Department officials say the county's monkeypox profile is similar to the national spread. "To date, there have been 738 cases of monkeypox identified in L.A. County, which is double the number of cases we had 12 days ago," said Dr. Rita Singhall of the L.A. County Public Health Department. "Additionally, there have been 33 cases reported in Long Beach and eight cases reported in Pasadena." Nationwide, the rapid spread has led to long lines of people seeking the hard-to-get monkeypox vaccine in many cities and prompted the Food and Drug Administration to squeeze five doses out of what used to be just one dose. The FDA says this move should increase the number of vaccine doses in the national stockpile from 441,000 to more than 2.2 million. The FDA added the doses are delivered with a shorter needle and has resulted in more redness, firmness, itchiness and swelling at the injection site, but the agency says those who have been studied had less pain, and the side effects were manageable.