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LAPD Facing Challenges As Department Is Down 800 Officers, City Sees Rise In Homicides, Robberies

The Hollywood Walk of Fame – known across the globe as one of the most famous streets, adorned in the names of the rich and famous. But lately, Hollywood is beginning to become synonymous with crimes. On Monday, we buckled up with LAPD to find out what's really going down. "For the most part, Hollywood is relatively safe," said Los Angeles Police Department Captain Ray Valois. Capt. Valois broke down crime stats in the Hollywood area for FOX 11. He said rapes and aggravated assaults are down compared to last year. On the other hand, homicides have doubled and robberies have become a consistent theme of Hollywood – up about 15%. "You’ll have a victim walking back to their car, maybe from a night out, and a suspect will come up behind them with a gun and say, ‘Give me all your money.’ Those are the ones that concern me the most and those are what I believe we had a spike in," Capt. Valois said. Capt. Valois says it's important for Angelenos and visitors to be aware of street lighting, especially at night. "There’s not a great deal of lighting on this street. So you’ll have people who enjoy the clubs but then when they walk back to their cars it is dark, they’re by themselves," He said, describing parts of Selma Avenue. "Be aware of your surroundings. Have your situational awareness."

FOX 11

Homeless Man Arrested, Dog In Custody After Officer Attacked

The Los Angeles Police Department arrested a man on Tuesday after his dog attacked a police officer, according to the LAPD. This would be the third documented attack by the dog and the second on a police officer, according to police. Irvin Harrison was arrested in Westchester Park after a witness said police and a social worker tried to speak with him. There was a foot pursuit before the dog bit the officer in the arm, puncturing him, according to police. This is the second time in a little more than a week that the dog–provoked by his owner–attacked someone. Harrison was kicked out of the Cadillac Hotel on August 15 for violating Project Room Key Rules. A witness said a LHASA worker was assisting in removing Harrison from the hotel when he told his dog to bite the worker. Police say they had searched for Harrison before locating him in Westchester Thursday. According to arrest records, Harrison was arrested and released on Thursday for time served.

Westside Current

Family Seeks Justice For Father Of Two Killed In Harbor City

It was after midnight, June 17, 2017 when Kristen Turman heard a knock on the door. She thought her son had misplaced his keys after a night out. “When I said who is it and they said LAPD homicide,” she recalls, “my whole life was just flipped upside down.” Her son, 20-year-old Anthony Iniguez, had been found shot in the head in the middle of the crosswalk at 252nd Street and Normandie in Harbor City. “I remember just screaming trying to wake up my whole house,” she says, “I remember standing in the hall and just screaming.” LAPD South Bureau Homicide has been investigating this since the day the call came into 911. Numerous neighbors calling to say they only heard one gunshot. But no surveillance video and five years later, there still isn’t enough information to make an arrest. “It’s just been so hard,” Turman says through tears that haven’t dried in five years of grief, “it doesn’t ever get easier. Every day is a struggle to wake up in the morning.” Anthony was a dad to two little boys. The youngest, only months old when his father was killed. 

NBC 4

16-Year-Old Hospitalized After Arriving At Family's Doorstep In South LA With Gunshot Wound To Neck

A 16-year-old boy was hospitalized with a gunshot wound to the neck after arriving at his family's doorstep and collapsing, authorities said. Officers responded shortly after midnight to a home in the 200 block of West 88th Place, according to Los Angeles police. The injured teenager was transported to a hospital in critical condition, an LAPD spokesperson said. Details of the shooting were unknown. Family members told investigators that the boy did not provide any information about the incident before he collapsed, police said. 

ABC 7

LAPD Bomb Squad, ATF Investigating Suspicious Item In Downtown

The ATF and LAPD are investigating a suspicious item on 8th and Figueroa Streets.

Yahoo! News Video

3rd Suspected ‘Follow Away Robber’ Arrested While In Court On Different Case: Police

A Compton man was arrested in connection with a so-called “follow away robbery” while he was in court for another case on Friday, police said. Deantone Guillory, a 24-year-old man from Compton, had been released on bail for four different cases before he was taken into custody Friday, the Los Angeles Police Department said in a news release. Three of those cases involved the illegal possession of firearms and another was related to an unrelated robbery, police said. Guillory is the third person who has been arrested in the July robbery of three men who were followed from a Hollywood gentlemen’s club to a gas station on Melrose and held up at gunpoint. On Monday, 27-year-old Michael Isiah Moore of Fairfield and 21-year-old Amough Keyana Bonton of Sacramento were arrested. They were each charged with three counts of robbery, police said. Moore and Bonton were also out on bail for gun charges, police said, and their bail was set at $230,000 and $175,000, respectively.

KTLA 5

4-Year-Old Left In Car In Echo Park As SoCal Braces For Triple-Digit Temps

A four-year-old child was left in a car in Echo Park Monday, according to the Los Angeles Police Department, as Southern California braces for one of the biggest heat waves of the season. Radio calls came in just after 2 p.m. Monday for a child left in a car in the 1600 block of Bellevue Avenue, in the Echo Park neighborhood of Los Angeles. LAPD requested an ambulance to check on the child, but did not provide any information about the child's condition. Monday's incident comes as Southern California is anticipating a major heatwave ahead of the Labor Day Weekend, with temperatures well into the triple digits in parts of Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Riverside counties. Leaving a child in a hot car has been illegal in California since then-Governor Gray Davis signed Kaitlyn's Law. The law prohibits anyone from leaving a child six years old or younger in a vehicle "[w]here there are conditions that present a significant risk to the child’s health or safety, or [w]hen the vehicle’s engine is running or the vehicle’s keys are in the ignition, or both." People charged with breaking the law can face a $100 fine. 

FOX 11

Religious Statue Of Mary Vandalized Outside Of North Hollywood Church

Church-goers at in North Hollywood are hoping that the surveillance cameras right above their statue of Mary will lead police straight to the person who vandalized it. At the corner of Lankershim Blvd. and Moorpark St. just across the street from St. Charles Borromeo Parish Church the first thing you'd see is a holy statue of Mary. But on Friday that statue didn't look as it did before. "I come to this church quite often and I’ve never seen anything like this here. It’s quite disturbing," said April Davis from Toluca Lake. Deacon Louis Roche says he was cleaning up trash on the property when he first saw that someone jumped over the fence to do it. "Who would deface a statue like this? I mean, it’s just like the wild west out here now. So, we’re pretty upset about it," Roche said. He thinks it happened overnight or early Friday morning. Her face and hands have been painted black. An LAPD officer came out to the church to take down a report. "It is always disheartening and concerning when a place of worship is targeted by an act of vandalism," said the Archdiocese of Los Angeles in a statement.

NBC 4

Transient Causes Tens Of Thousands In Damage To Mid-City Neighborhood, Leaving Angelenos On Edge

Residents of a Mid-City neighborhood are angry and fearful as a transient has repeatedly vandalized the area in recent weeks, causing tens of thousands of dollars in damage. “I want to be safe in my own house, but I don’t feel safe going outside in the middle of the night because I know he’s roaming around,” homeowner Melissa Chin told KTLA. Neighbors say the man, whose identity was not released, has been captured on video cutting electrical and internet wires, starting fires and breaking outdoor faucets and pipes in the area near 21st Street and Longwood Avenue. “I hear something swoosh, the water was jumping up…higher than the building,” said homeowner Velvia Cruz. Then, a few weeks ago, the man destroyed Astro Garmemdia’s solar power system, causing more than $45,000 in damage. “He went on top of roof to disconnect and cut the wires, and also my plumbing,” Garmemdia said.

KTLA 5

Firefighters Put Out 10-Acre Brush Fire In Chatsworth

It took less than 50 minutes for firefighters on the ground and in the air to put out a 10-acre brushfire along the Ronald Reagan (118) Freeway in Chatsworth Saturday afternoon. The fire was reported at 3:31 p.m. along the westbound 118 Freeway at De Soto Avenue, described as one acre in light to medium brush, said the Los Angeles Fire Department's Margaret Stewart. The fire was reported out at 4:18 p.m. and air resources were released, leaving firefighters on the ground to make sure to put out all hot spots, Stewart said. The burn area had grown to 10 acres. No structures were damaged, no evacuations were ordered and no injuries were reported, she said. The California Highway Patrol issued a SigAlert at about 3:30 p.m. shutting down the De Soto Avenue off-ramp from the westbound 118. It remained in effect during mop-up operations. The SigAlert was canceled about 7:20 p.m. 

ABC 7

Fire Damages Two-Story Home In North Hollywood

Fire Sunday damaged a two-story home in North Hollywood, authorities said. The 26 firefighters dispatched at 11:53 a.m. to 10347 W. McCormick St. had the blaze out in approximately 12 minutes, said Margaret Stewart of the Los Angeles Fire Department. The incident was originally dispatched as an “injury” call, Stewart said, with an ambulance standing by at the address. No injuries were reported, however, and the cause of the fire was under investigation.

MyNewsLA

LA County Monkeypox Vaccination Sites Now Taking Walk-Ups

Los Angeles County is now offering monkeypox vaccinations on a walk-up basis to eligible residents. People must attest to their eligibility to receive a monkeypox inoculation and can receive it if doses are available. For those who want to ensure they receive the vaccine, appointments can still be made at myturn.ca.gov. A listing of Los Angeles County vaccination sites offering walk-up shots is available online here. As of Thursday, there were a total of 1,349 confirmed or suspected cases of monkeypox in Los Angeles county. More information is available online at ph.lacounty.gov/monkeypox.

CBS 2

Omicron COVID-19 Booster Shots Are Coming: Will They Be A Game-Changer?

The next generation of COVID-19 booster shots — tailored specifically to combat the super-infectious family of Omicron subvariants — could roll out early next month. The long-in-the-works offering would mark an ambitious new phase in the nation’s vaccination campaign and, officials say, give residents another option to protect themselves ahead of a possible coronavirus resurgence in the fall and winter. But who will be able to roll up their sleeves this time? And do those who have already received a booster, or two, really need to get another one? Here’s what we know. The new booster could be available sometime in September, White House COVID-19 response coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha said at a recent forum. But the shots will first need to be OK’d by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In a signal that the agencies may be close to an unveiling, the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices has scheduled a meeting Sept. 1-2. The committee typically meets to offer recommendations to the CDC director, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, before she offers recommendations on who should get the vaccine.

Los Angeles Times

With Fire Season Here To Stay, How To Best Prepare For Evacuation Orders

The California Neighborhood Watch hosted a mock evacuation drill Sunday for residents of the canyon communities for the event of a fire taking place near their home. With warm temperatures here to stay, the threat of fire danger is always a cause for concern for most Southern California residents. Fire season is not going away anytime soon and it's hard to predict when and where a fire will take place. That is why Stone Canyon resident Kevin Sullivan is not taking any chances when it comes to preparing for what will happen when a fire breaks out near his home. "Birth certificates, social security cards, insurance policies. ...," Sullivan said in regard to what has packed and ready to go in the event of an evacuation order. "We got three days of clothes we have dog food ready .We just grab the dogs, leashes, ready set go box and we're out." However, it's unlikely that all residents in the Sherman Oaks and Stone Canyon area are as prepared as Sullivan is. 

CBS 2

LA City Council Approves Additional Funding To Wind Down Project Roomkey Sites

The Los Angeles City Council authorized $2.9 million in additional funding Friday for the demobilization of Project Roomkey, a housing program created during the coronavirus pandemic that is winding down. The council also voted to temporarily extend the program at its three remaining sites: the Highland Gardens in Hollywood, Airtel Plaza Hotel in Van Nuys and the LA Grand Hotel in downtown LA. The Airtel Plaza and Highland Gardens sites will shutter on Oct. 31, and the Grand Hotel site will close at the end of January. The council previously authorized $2.5 million to provide housing navigation services to program participants. As of last week, 725 people remained in the program. On Thursday, housing officials provided the council's Homeless and Poverty Committee with a report on helping those remaining residents find permanent housing elsewhere, including the use of a demobilization tracking tool and housing fairs. The committee chose not to approve an additional $3.1 million requested by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority to support the navigation and placement of residents exiting the program.

NBC 4