2 LAPD officers injured after pursuit ends in crash in downtown Los Angeles

Two Los Angeles Police Department officers were injured after a pursuit ended in a crash, causing them to slam into the side of a building in downtown LA on Wednesday morning. The LAPD said officers spotted a vehicle with temporary plates around Ninth Street and Grand Avenue. When they ran the plates, it came back to another vehicle that did not match. Officers attempted to pull over the vehicle, but the driver fled, and a short pursuit was initiated. It ended at Eighth Street and Francisco when another vehicle not involved in the pursuit allegedly cut off the LAPD patrol unit, resulting in a crash. Two officers suffered minor injuries, and no other injuries were reported from the driver in the other vehicle involved. The individuals wanted in the initial pursuit got away.

CBS 2

Prisoner gunned down outside MacArthur Park facility for state inmates nearing release

A California inmate was killed last week outside a facility near MacArthur Park where some prisoners are allowed to serve the final months of their terms in the community, authorities said. The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation did not announce the homicide, which occurred Sept. 2, and only acknowledged that an inmate in its custody was killed after receiving questions from The Times. Mary Xjimenez, a spokeswoman for CDCR, said two prisoners were shot outside a facility where inmates can serve the tail end of their sentences in a residential setting. Officer Drake Madison, a spokesman for the Los Angeles Police Department, said a male suspect approached the two victims at the corner of 6th and Park View streets around 9:30 a.m. The suspect exchanged words with the men before shooting them, Madison said. One of the victims, described only as a 56-year-old man, was hospitalized in stable condition, Madison said. The other died. The suspect fled on foot, Madison said. He hasn’t been identified by police. Xjimenez declined to disclose information about the victims, such as their names or why they were in prison, saying the LAPD told her it would “hamper” their investigation.

Los Angeles Times

Police seek public's help in solving man's murder in Sawtelle

Police sought more information from the public Tuesday after a man was found shot to death inside a car parked in a garage in the Sawtelle neighborhood of West Los Angeles. Greg Mkrchyan, 43, was found dead in a parking garage near Wilshire Boulevard and Bundy Drive at around 10:15 p.m. Friday. The Granada Hills man, a father and husband, was found with multiple gunshot wounds. Law enforcement sources told NBC Los Angeles the murder appeared to be unusual as it happened at an office building garage. Detectives were said to be searching for witnesses, evidence and video from the area. An unidentified suspect fired multiple rounds at the car Mkrchyan was in and fled the scene, police said. No description of the shooter was available. Mkrchyan, who worked in the finance and real estate world, was liked by everyone, one of his co-workers told NBC Los Angeles. Anyone with information regarding the death was urged to contact LAPD West Bureau homicide detectives at 213-382-9470. Calls during non-business hours should be directed to 877-527-3247. Tipsters who prefer to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477 or visit lacrimestoppers.org.

NBC 4

L.A. police investigating human remains found in car at another tow yard

A day after human remains were found in the trunk of a Tesla impounded at a Hollywood tow yard, police confirmed the discovery of another set of remains at a different tow yard. Detectives responded to a S&J Wilshire Tow in Chesterfield, a neighborhood in South L.A., around noon, and later requested two arson investigators and a police photographer, the Los Angeles Police Department confirmed to KTLA. The body of a partially burnt person was found inside a Honda Civic impounded in the yard, located at 1901 W. Gage Ave., around Aug. 25, according to a law enforcement source who spoke to the L.A. Times. Details are limited and investigators were still on the scene as of Tuesday afternoon, but the Honda is reportedly connected to a missing persons investigation and not tied to the Hollywood tow yard death investigation. Aerial footage of the South L.A. tow yard showed two canopies over the Civic with at least one detective on the scene, who appeared to be speaking with employees at the yard.  

KTLA 5

Authorities Release Info on the Identity of Man Fatally Shot in Westlake

A 32-year-old man who was fatally shot in the Westlake District of Los Angeles by an assailant on a scooter was identified by county authorities Wednesday. Levern Hill, who was identified as the victim by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s office, had been in a dispute with a suspect, which escalated into a shooting. The suspect fled the scene on a scooter, according to the LAPD’s Media Relations Section. The shooting occurred at 4:12 p.m. Saturday at 619 S. Westlake Ave., near MacArthur Park, a desk officer at the Los Angeles Police Department’s Operations Center told City News Service. Hill was taken by ambulance to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Anyone with information regarding the shooting was urged to call the LAPD’s Rampart station at 213-484-3400. During non-business hours or on weekends, calls can be directed to 877-527-3247. Those wishing to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers 800-222-8477 or visit www.lacrimestoppers.org.

MyNewsLA

Swing for the Officer Needs Help Fund!

Join us for the 43rd Annual Chief Daryl F. Gates Golf Tournament on October 6, 2025 at the beautiful Porter Valley Country Club. This is your chance to tee off for a cause. Every swing helps support the Officer Needs Help Fund. Enjoy a day of friendly competition, scenic fairways, and great company while aiming for exciting prizes and bragging rights. Whether you’re a scratch golfer or just out for the fun, you’ll be part of something truly meaningful. Sponsorship opportunities are available, giving you a chance to showcase your support for our law enforcement family. Don’t miss your shot! Register today and help us drive change, one hole at a time!

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L.A. County reinstates award that led to arrests in 3 cold case murders

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday reinstated an $80,000 reward that was previously offered to anyone who could provide information related to three homicides in East Los Angeles, but was never given to those who came forward to ensure a conviction. The case involves three slayings involving residents in a tight-knit neighborhood in East L.A., all of whom were connected to the same solitary man and his enabling father. For years, detectives suspected Anthony Velasquez and his father, Manuel Velasquez, were responsible for the killings. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department had ballistic evidence and a vehicle description potentially tying them to the crime, and the younger suspect had personal relationships with all three victims, according to the Los Angeles Times. But there was never enough concrete evidence to secure their arrest; not until the Board of Supervisors first offered the reward. In February 2014, 33-year-old Jesse Avalos was found shot to death in his SUV near the intersection of Telegraph Road and Arizona Avenue. He was in the area after receiving a call from an “acquaintance” to help jump-start a car.

KTLA 5

GirlsDoPorn boss, once one of FBI’s 10 most wanted, hears from victims at sentencing

The mastermind and owner of a porn website who exploited women on camera for profit and ended up on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted list has been sentenced to federal prison. Michael James Pratt, 42, who operated the website GirlsDoPorn, was sentenced in a San Diego federal courtroom Monday to 27 years in prison after pleading guilty in June to conspiracy to commit sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion; and committing sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion. Forty women, all exploited by Pratt and his accomplices, testified for roughly five hours Monday before his sentencing. According to federal prosecutors, the victims detailed how they were lured to San Diego hotel rooms with promises of well-paid modeling gigs but were instead coerced and forced to perform sex acts in front of cameras. One woman testified that when she was a 21-year-old law student, she was forced to perform in a video that later appeared on the GirlsDoPorn website. “I am not your victim. I’m your reckoning. … I am the girl who took you down,” the woman said in court, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. “Look around! We are an army of survivors sharing our truth and we have won.”

Los Angeles Times

Police seize 23 guns from home of 13-year-old who appeared to idolize mass shooters

A 13-year-old boy who police said appeared to be fixated on school shooters was arrested on charges of unlawful firearms possession and making a threat after they say they found social media posts about intentions to kill and seized 23 guns and ammunition from his home. The boy pleaded not guilty to a total of five charges, four of them felonies, in juvenile court on Monday, and he was ordered to remain in detention. A SWAT team raided his home and arrested him around 1 a.m. Saturday in Washington’s Pierce County, south of Seattle. His mother told a Seattle TV station their son had no intention of harming anyone. Tactical-style rifles were mounted on walls and handguns were found unsecured throughout the home. In the boy’s room — in a heavy backpack beneath a turtle habitat — were AR-style magazines with writing on them referencing mass shootings, including the 1999 shooting at Columbine High School in Colorado, according to a probable cause statement by the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office. Investigators said they also found “what appeared to be the face of a known mass shooter placed in a crude drawing,” and that in social media posts dating back to June he had displayed weapons and dressed in the attire of past school shooters. According to the probable cause statement, one post said, “when i turn 21 iam going to kill people,” and another said, “its over! my time is almost hear!”

Associated Press

LA Council Calls for `Know Your Rights’ Training For Homelessness Outreach Workers

In a unanimous vote, the Los Angeles City Council Tuesday instructed housing staff to facilitate a “Know Your Rights” training campaign for all homelessness outreach, interim housing or permanent housing service providers funded by the city. Tuesday’s motion was introduced by members Monica Rodriguez and Imelda Padilla. Elected officials also requested a report on a plan to distribute red cards, or wallet-sized cards designed to help immigrants understand their rights when approached by immigration officers, as part of regular outreach to people experiencing homelessness. The cards are expected to be printed in multiple languages. The Housing Department and city attorney will be tasked with working with immigrant rights groups such as the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights and Central American Resource Center to expand opportunities for homeless individuals to receive legal consultation. Such aid could serve as guidance on immigration status and legal rights, according to a city report.

MyNewsLA

About the LAPPL: Formed in 1923, the Los Angeles Police Protective League (LAPPL) represents more than 8,700 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.