Email from Los Angeles Police Protective League Daily News & Updates Law Enforcement News Man killed in South L.A. hit-and-run; police searching for suspect Police are searching for a hit-and-run driver who killed a man in South Los Angeles. The victim was identified as Jose Martinez, 40, by the Los Angeles Police Department. On Jan. 7, Martinez was crossing the street in a marked crosswalk near 53rd and Figueroa Streets at around 7:21 p.m. That’s when a driver in a silver Porsche Cayenne driving north on Figueroa Street struck Martinez. The suspect continued speeding away and did not stop to check on the injured pedestrian. Martinez was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics. Police provided photos of the suspect’s SUV but the license plate was unavailable. “Drivers are reminded that if they become involved in a collision, they should pull over and stop as soon as it is safe to do so, notify emergency services, and remain at the scene to identify themselves,” LAPD said. A reward of up to $50,000 is available to anyone who provides information leading to the suspect’s identification, apprehension, and conviction. Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Flannery or Detective Moreno at 323-421-2500. The public can also call the LAPD at 1-877-527-3247. KTLA 5 67-year-old man injured by hit-and-run driver in North Hollywood Police are searching for the alleged hit-and-run driver who injured a 67-year-old man in North Hollywood early Friday morning. They say it happened at around 1:30 a.m. at the intersection of Cahuenga Boulevard and Burbank Boulevard, when a pedestrian was hit by a silver car that police say may have been an SUV or crossover, according to a statement from the Los Angeles Police Department. Paramedics took the victim, who has not been identified, to a nearby hospital for treatment on injuries suffered in the crash. His condition was not immediately known. As with any unsolved hit-and-run that causes injury in Los Angeles, the city is offering a standing reward of up to $25,000 for information that leads to the identification, arrest and conviction of the alleged hit-and-run driver. Anyone who knows more is asked to contact LAPD at (818) 644-8116. CBS 2 SF Valley Man to Plead Guilty to Alleged $5.9M Ponzi Scheme A San Fernando Valley man who uses the surname of a dynasty that once ruled Austria is expected to plead guilty Friday to a federal charge alleging he swindled elderly church parishioners and others in a Ponzi scheme that took in more than $5.9 million and falsely claimed Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan among investors. Sylvein William Maximilian D’Habsburg XVII, 48, of West Hills has agreed to plead guilty in downtown Los Angeles to one count of wire fraud, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. From at least January 2018 to June 2023, D’Habsburg hired recruiters to identify potential investors for his two companies, Wild Rabbit Technologies LLC and BAI Intelligence LLC, targeting the local Filipino community, including elderly church parishioners, according to his plea agreement filed in L.A. federal court. D’Habsburg had his name legally changed to resemble that of the famous European family and is not a descendant of nobility, a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office told City News Service. MyNewsLA Investigators seek public's help in search for CalArts student's murder suspect Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department homicide detectives are asking for the public's help to identify a person of interest in connection with the murder of 23-year-old Menghan Zhuang, who was a student at The California Institute of the Arts. On Feb. 4, Santa Clarita deputies and fire personnel responded to a condominium complex in the city of Newhall for a person unresponsive call around 6:47 p.m. Lt. Michael Modica said deputies found Zhuang inside her condo in the 21000 block of Nandina Lane with several injuries to her upper body. Fire personnel responded with medical aid, but she died at the scene. Investigators said a man had arrived with Zhuang at the condo the night before on Feb. 3., and there is video of the same man exiting the condo through the second-story bedroom window on the afternoon of the day she was discovered. During a Thursday news conference, investigators released a photo of the man they hope to identify and locate. Modica said he couldn't confirm if the suspect is a CalArts student or not. Homicide investigators believe that people in the area may have seen this person of interest. CBS 2 Philadelphia officer shot in chest saved by bullet-resistant vest Police have identified the Philadelphia man they say shot a police officer in the hand and chest in North Philadelphia on Tuesday night before fleeing and fatally shooting himself, authorities said. Brandon Williams, 29, was stopped by two officers who tried to conduct a traffic stop near 23rd Street and Lehigh Avenue just before 9 p.m. , but he sped away, police said. Williams then crashed his vehicle into a parked car in the area of 23rd and Clearfield Streets and got out and took off on foot, police said. Two highway patrol officers later spotted Williams at 23rd Street and Indiana Avenue , where he fired multiple shots at them as they were getting out of their vehicle, striking one in the right hand and in the chest, police said. The bullet that struck the officer in the chest hit his ballistic vest, sparing him injury, they said. Williams ran to 23rd and Cambria Streets, where he fired at responding officers, striking two vehicles, police said. Police later found Williams on the 2900 block of North 23rd Street with what they believe was a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the left side of his head. He was taken to Temple University Hospital , where he was pronounced dead. Police recovered Williams’ weapon, a Glock model 17. Philadelphia Inquirer Public Safety News LAFD member escapes truck swept into the ocean by mudslide during heavy downpours in Malibu Mud and debris poured off the fire-scarred hillsides during the heavy downpours on Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu Thursday, even sweeping a Los Angeles Fire Department SUV with a member inside into the ocean. It happened right after 5 p.m. Thursday on PCH as the rain slammed the area. Video captured the moment the LAFD member made it to safety and back onto the highway after the force of the runoff pushed the SUV into the surf. "Fortunately, the member was able to exit his vehicle and reach safety with minor injuries. He was transported to a local hospital as a precaution," said LAFD Capt. Erik Scott. The wrecked SUV, however, was still sitting in the ocean as of 11 p.m. Thursday with the waves crashing against it. A few miles to the west on PCH there was another small mudslide at Las Flores Canyon Road. ABC 7 Drones provide public safety eyes in the sky during LA County storm The Los Angeles Sheriff's Department is using drones to keep a watchful eye during emergency missions, including search and rescue, fire response and rain storms. The drones were used during the Eaton Fire to relay information back to officials. The department is creating a Looter Suppression Team that combines on the ground patrols, their helicopters and drones to check on homes targeted by looters. “[We] not only receive information that patrol deputies see on the ground, but we can confirm that from what we see from up above, too, or provide any additional intelligence that we see that they can't,” said David Vaca with the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department Special Enforcement Bureau. And, with the rain on the way to Southern California, the county Department of Public Works will have crews monitoring the showers from midnight Thursday through Friday, when the rain is expected to diminish. Additionally, the drones will help with evacuation safety. “We will be able to monitor the areas that may be evacuated, make sure those are done safely,” Vaca said. The drones do not have a recording camera and fly at the required height under federal aviation administration requirements. NBC 4 Mudslides, flooding, rescues, possible tornado as storm batters Southern California The biggest storm of the winter walloped Southern California on Thursday, forcing the closure of Pacific Coast Highway, damaging homes and vehicles and bringing with it the possibility of “life-threatening” debris flows just a month after fierce Santa Ana winds propelled a firestorm across L.A. County. Street flooding and mudslides were reported across the region as the storm moved through late Thursday, with some of the worst damage taking place along PCH. Mud flows and flash floods have also been reported in the Eaton fire burn area in Altadena and on Mulholland and Outpost drives in the Hollywood Hills. By Friday morning, conditions were improving as the storm subsided. “The atmosphere will dry through the day and both the clouds and showers will decrease,” the National Weather Service’s Oxnard office said in a morning update. “Saturday will be quite the pleasant day.” Los Angeles Times Hospitalizations, deaths from foodborne illness exploded in 2024 The number of people in the U.S. hospitalized or who died from contaminated food doubled in 2024, according to the U.S. Public Interest Research Group. Recalls due to salmonella, listeria and E. coli increased by 41% last year, the study found. Researchers analyzed data from the FDA and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, finding that one-third of food recalls last year were due to undeclared allergens or other ingredients. The report states that some companies are not doing enough to prevent bacterial contamination, and when contamination occurs, companies often fail to conduct proper testing to detect it before it reaches consumers. KTLA 5 Local Government News Los Angeles considers package to create domestic violence task force The Los Angeles City Council will vote Friday morning on a domestic violence services package that would include the creation of an enforcement task force. “This is the largest investment in domestic violence services in Los Angeles history, expanding shelter and housing support for survivors who too often have nowhere to turn,” Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky said. The proposal brought by Yaroslavsky would also create the Domestic Violence Restraining Order (DVRO) Enforcement Task Force to remove firearms from abusers and strengthen restraining order enforcement, a news release from the councilmember’s office stated. “This package is about making sure survivors have both the resources to escape abuse and the enforcement to prevent further harm,” Yaroslavsky said. KTLA 5 Los Angeles City Council Delays Fire Safety Bond Measure Analysis The Los Angeles City Council voted 10-5 on Wednesday to include an analysis of a proposed fire safety bond measure in a broader list of 12 potential ballot items, a move that Councilmembers Traci Park and Monica Rodriguez argue diminishes the urgency of addressing the city’s fire safety needs. In a joint statement following the vote, Park and Rodriguez condemned the council’s decision, calling it “deeply disappointing and a disservice to every Angeleno who depends on LAFD’s ability to respond in an emergency.” “Despite these frightening conditions, the City Council today failed to act with urgency by voting against expediting an analysis of a dedicated fire safety bond measure. Instead, it chose to postpone critical action,” they stated. The bond measure was first introduced by Park and Rodriguez on January 14, aiming to address the city's outdated fire safety infrastructure and provide necessary resources for the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD). Westside Current About the LAPPL: Formed in 1923, the Los Angeles Police Protective League (LAPPL) represents more than 8,900 dedicated and professional sworn members of the Los Angeles Police Department. The LAPPL serves to advance the interests of LAPD officers through legislative and legal advocacy, political action and education. Listen To Our Podcast Los Angeles Police Protective League | 1308 W 8th St | Los Angeles, CA 90017 US Unsubscribe | Update Profile | Our Privacy Policy | Constant Contact Data Notice