Transnational jewelry theft ring busted after monthlong investigation, LAPD says

The Los Angeles Police Department announced Thursday it busted an organized crime group that targeted jewelry and retail businesses in the U.S. and abroad, including a theft in Los Angeles last month. A monthlong investigation led to the arrests of two people and the identification of six others sought in connection with a series of grand thefts, police said in a statement. Investigators believe the group has been active since at least 2016 and targeted businesses in several states including California, Michigan, Florida, Tennessee, Minnesota, Texas and Washington as well as others in the United Kingdom and Canada. The Glendale Police Department, Arcadia Police Department, Pasadena Police Department, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and the Jewelers’ Security Alliance also were involved in the investigation. During a Dec. 16 robbery, several suspects walked into Good Art HLYWD, a high-end jewelry store in Pico Union, and said they had an appointment to view jewelry, according to an affidavit submitted by LAPD officer Bryan Espinosa to establish probable cause in a search warrant executed after the incident. The men flashed a large sum of cash and said they were looking for a gift for their father, the shop’s owner, Josh Warner, told KTLA. The store typically accepts customers only by appointment.

Los Angeles Times

LAPD bloodhound K-9 treks through forest to find missing hiker

The LAPD has its very own bloodhound, a K-9 named Coco. Recently, Coco helped locate a missing hiker in the Angeles National Forest. It was Coco's first time in the area but she put her sharp skills to good use. "She just wants to go, go, go. There's no time where I'm standing in a room and she wants to lay down," said LAPD Officer Bardo Zavala about Coco. And that drive is exactly what officers look for in a bloodhound. So when a call came in on Jan. 7 about a person in crisis last seen in the Angeles National Forest, Coco got straight to work. "I deployed Coco, using one of the subject's clothing. Coco picked up a trail going, taking us into deep into the canyon," said Zavala, a K-9 handler for LAPD's Gang and Narcotics Division. Zavala says it was Coco's first time in that area. She crossed creeks, pushed through thick brush and over fallen trees - at one point even needing to be lifted over an 8-foot wall to stay on the trail. "Picking her up and putting over a wall that was something that we've never done," said Zavala. "She actually went through four to five creeks and she enjoyed going to the creek. She took a sip every time she would pass one and continued on the trail, which was amazing, amazing to see."

ABC 7

Upscale L.A. neighborhood overrun with prostitution, residents say

With much of the Los Angeles Police Department’s understaffed vice units focused on the illegal sex trade in the infamous Figueroa Street corridor, residents in the picturesque community of Larchmont Village say much of that business has spilled into their neighborhood. Neighbors who spoke to KTLA’s Rachel Menitoff said the problem isn’t new and that it’s been going on for a couple of years, but that lately, it’s escalated. Longtime homeowners in the neighborhood say that when the sun goes down, the sketchy, unwanted encounters begin and what’s left behind after the transactions is just as problematic. “They’re taking advantage of a human need in a disgusting way,” a resident identified only as Larry told KTLA. He said that he often wakes up to see barely clothed women walking across the street and finds used condoms, sanitary napkins, tissues and all kinds of remnants left behind from the illicit sex trafficking and prostitution. “I have to come out in the morning and scoop up used condoms with semen coming out of them,” he said. “You can’t imagine how disgusting it is and it’s daily. You have to do it every day. It’s quite remarkable.”

KTLA 5

LAPD warns of police impersonation phone scam

The Los Angeles Police Department is warning about a new scam in which criminals pose as police officers over the phone. Scammers have been calling people and asking for personal information, according to the department. They have even demanded payment through pre-paid debit cards, wire transfers or checks. Police say some callers are even spoofing real LAPD phone numbers to seem legitimate. The LAPD says it will never ask for money over the phone. If you receive one of these calls, hang up immediately and report it to the police. Anyone who has more information or believes they are a victim of the scam are urged to call detectives at (213) 922-8205 or (877) 527-3247.

ABC 7

Driver sentenced to 13 years in prison for DUI crash that killed Colorado officer

A former Colorado School of Mines professor was sentenced to 13 years in prison on Wednesday for causing a crash that killed Golden police officer Evan Dunn and injured three others. Stephen Geer, 44, pleaded guilty in October to vehicular homicide and assault for the drunken-driving crash on Colorado 58 the evening of Nov. 6, 2024, according to court records. Both counts are felonies. Prosecutors dismissed one count of vehicular assault, third-degree assault and driving under the influence as part of the plea agreement. Dunn, 33, and his partner Bethany Peterson – who previously went by Bethany Grusing – were responding to a crash on Colorado 58 near Washington Avenue at 5 p.m. when Geer hit them, trapping both under the vehicle from the initial crash. Peterson, along with a father and daughter involved in the initial crash, were all seriously injured. Dunn died at the scene. Geer smelled of alcohol when he was arrested after the crash and had a blood alcohol more than twice the legal limit when he was tested three hours later, according to Denver7.

The Denver Post

BWC: Man fires shots at Missouri police inside Walgreens before fatal OIS

The St. Louis County Police Department released body camera video showing an officer fatally shooting a man who fired multiple s ots at police. The Nov. 30, 2025 incident began when officers responded to a 911 call reporting an armed man inside a Walgreens, according to the release. Surveillance footage shows the suspect entering the store, shopping for a drink, and walking into the pharmacy section of the store. When officers arrived, the suspect was seated in the pharmacy area holding a handgun. Video shows the officers issuing multiple instructions for the suspect to drop the weapon. “I’m not dropping it,” the suspect can be heard saying. The officer then told the man to stop pointing the gun at him and to lower it. Gunshots can be heard as the suspect shot at an officer. One officer on the scene returned fire, before both officers backed away and radioed for backup. The officers again commanded the suspect to drop the weapon. Instead, the suspect fired two more shots at officers. An officer returned fire, striking the suspect. The suspect was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the release.

PoliceOne

Fugitive Olympic snowboarder Ryan Wedding taken into custody in Mexico

Olympic snowboarder Ryan Wedding, one of the FBI's most-wanted fugitives accused of a central role in an international cocaine trafficking operation, has been taken into custody in Mexico, the FBI said Friday morning. Wedding, 44, is charged with overseeing operations of a criminal enterprise, including witness intimidation tactics. In March, he was placed on the FBI's most-wanted fugitives list. A $15 million reward was offered for information in the case. In a statement Friday morning, the FBI said Wedding was arrested Thursday night in Mexico, where the Canadian national was believed to be hiding for more than a decade. He will be flown to the United States to face charges. Wedding's fall from Olympic glory unfolded over the course of two decades when he became a key figure in a violent and lucrative illicit drug operation, according to authorities. Wedding is suspected of orchestrating killings tied to the billion-dollar cocaine cartel, including the murder of a federal witness. Born in Thunder Bay, Canada on Lake Superior's north shore, Wedding represented Canada in the 2002 Winter Olympics in Utah. He was 24th in the parallel giant slalom, marking the height of his snowboarding career.

NBC 4

1 dead after house fire in Boyle Heights

A person was found dead inside a home Thursday after firefighters extinguished a blaze in Boyle Heights. LAFD firefighters responded to the single-family house fire along Soto Street near the 5 and 10 Freeway interchange. Firefighters discovered the deceased person after extinguishing the fire in about 19 minutes, the LAFD said. Details on the deceased were not immediately available. The LAFD says the blaze was an outside fire that reached one side of the house. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

NBC 4

Los Angeles hospital needs help identifying man found unresponsive

A Los Angeles hospital needs help identifying a patient who has been hospitalized for over a week. The male patient is around 30-35 years old, according to Dignity Health. He was found unconscious near West 6th and South Alvarado streets in the Westlake neighborhood of L.A. and has been hospitalized since Jan. 14. He is described as a possibly white or Hispanic man who stands around 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighs 155 pounds. He has green-blue eyes and is bald. He did not have any tattoos or distinct scars. He was not found with any personal belongings to help staff identify him or contact loved ones. Workers did not disclose the nature of his injuries. Anyone who recognizes the man is asked to call Dignity Health at 213-742-5589 or 213-876-3319.

KTLA 5

Tesla driver crashes into living room of Pacoima home, injuring 2

Emergency crews took two people to the hospital after a Tesla driver slammed into a home in Pacoima early Friday. The crash was reported just after midnight at a home at the end of the 5 Freeway offramp on the 13000 block of West Branford Street. Video from the scene showed what appeared to be a white Tesla that came to a stop inside the home after crashing through a fence and possibly hitting a traffic pole. Two patients were transported from the scene, according to a Los Angeles Fire Department spokesperson. The spokesperson said the vehicle had driven off the freeway exit ramp and into the living room of the single-family home. It was unclear whether the injured individuals were inside the vehicle or the home at the time of the crash. Crews were assessing the structural damage to the home, which did not sustain any fire or smoke damage.

KTLA 5

LAFD crews in Sepulveda Basin use firefighting robot to extinguish blaze in tunnel

Crews from the Los Angeles Fire Department used a firefighting robot to help extinguish a blaze inside a tunnel in the Sepulveda Basin on Thursday morning. Firefighters responded to the fire around 5:41 a.m. on the 17300 block of Oxnard Street. The LAFD said crews were using a firefighting robot to help extinguish hotspots in the tunnel and will also use heavy equipment to pull debris apart. SkyCal flew over the blaze, where dark smoke could be seen coming from the tunnel. The LAFD said a large amount of trash and debris was burning. As of 10:15 a.m., about 35 firefighters had been dispatched to the scene. Mayor Karen Bass released a statement thanking the firefighters for battling the fire.

CBS 2

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.