Tag: los angeles

LA gangster who shot and paralyzed a 16-year-old girl now works for  California’s Department of Public Safety after Gavin Newsom slashed his 162 year sentence to just eight years

A former gangster who was sentenced to 162 years in prison for shooting and paralyzing a 16-year-old girl in 2012 is now working in the California capitol.

Jarad Nava, now 28, works as an assistant in the Department of Public Safety and is an advocate of prison reform. He was featured in a Los Angeles Times profile Thursday and credits California’s Democrat Governor Gavin Newsom for his early release.

In 2012, while drunk and high, he shot into a car carrying the relatives of a rival gang member. One of the victims was 16-year-old Yesenia Castro, who was shot in the back. 

The bullet severed her spinal chord and she was paralyzed from the waist down. 

Nava, who was 17 at the time, rejected a plea deal that would have sentenced him to 30 years in prison. 

After trial, he was sentenced to 162 years in prison on four counts of attempted murder. 

In the years that followed, he was featured in a prison reform documentary that highlighted his case and the plight of young offenders who the filmmakers felt had been unfairly represented. 

Yesenia, his victim, was interviewed for the film and said she wanted him to spend 50 years in prison. 

‘When they arrested him, I felt relieved. I don’t want him to be dead or anything, I just want him to pay a price,’ she said.  

Despite that, his sentence was commuted to 10 years by Gavin Newsom. He eventually walked free in 2020, eight years after the shooting.

Film maker Scott Budnick then introduced him to Erika Contreras, the secretary of the State Senate who encouraged him to apply for an internship. 

Now, he works as an assistant on a committee deciding on prison reform initiatives. 

Newsom, gushing over how he has turned his life around, told The L.A. Times that he ‘cried’ when he saw him ‘dressed up’ in his suit working at the state capitol.

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Wealthy LA father who pulled gun on masked intruders as they tried to break into his luxury home while his baby was inside reveals he has been STRIPPED of his firearm permit ‘because he yelled at cops when they arrived’

A Los Angeles father who pulled a gun on masked intruders when they tried to break into his luxury home has revealed he has been stripped of his firearm permit.

In a video for the National Rifle Association, Vince Ricci said his concealed carry license was ‘revoked’ after he was attacked by two men at his $2million house.

‘After successfully defending my home and my family and my five-month-old child, California has now decided to suspend my Second Amendment [rights],’ Ricci said.

The entrepreneur, who is the CEO of a photo studio, told Fox News the sheriff’s office called him on Thursday telling him it was due to him ‘yelling’ at officers.

He had previously blasted the LAPD for ‘sloppy police work’, including their alleged negligence in picking up casings scattered near his home as evidence.

DailyMail.com has reached out to the LAPD for comment.

On November 4 just after Ricci returned home to his gated LA home, two armed men jumped his fence and tried to force their way into his house.

Footage of the gunfight revealed the moment in which he is approached by one of the masked assailants at about 7.30pm.

In a swift attempt to defend himself, his wife, five-month-old and the nanny inside Ricci reached for his gun and started a shootout with the intruders.

Obtaining a concealed carry permit in California is more difficult than other states with Ricci telling Fox News Digital it took him months to process it.

In California residents over the age of 18 can legally carry firearms on private property and residences without a permit or license.

‘My situation is unique because it happened at my front door, all on camera,’ he said. ‘But this happens time and time again all over the country…

‘People sweep it under the rug because it doesn’t behoove their political agenda. The fact is, evil will always exist.’

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Suspect in Los Angeles Dismembered Torso Case Is Hollywood Scion, Whose Wife and In-Laws Remain Missing

The suspect in a Los Angeles case, where a dismembered torso was found in a dumpster, is reportedly a scion of a prominent Hollywood family whose wife and in-laws are missing.

Murder suspect Sam Haskell Jr., whose family is known for Christmas movies, was arrested after a homeless man found a headless body in a dumpster, according to a report by Fox News.

The Los Angeles Police Department said they responded to a dumpster at around 6:00 a.m. on Wednesday near the intersection of Ventura Boulevard and Rubio Avenue in Encino, where they found a woman’s torso.

Police said the victim has not yet been identified, but that the woman’s body may belong to the murder suspect’s wife.

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Shocking new videos lay bare violence inside LA jails: Guards are seen kneeling on inmate’s neck – and punching another while handcuffed

Shocking new videos have laid bare the violence inside L.A. County jails, with guards seen kneeling on one inmate’s neck. 

Deputies have been exposed as using excessive force and beating inmates in the newly released videos that a California Judge ordered to be released on Thursday. 

The videos, covering a time frame from October 2019 to July 2022, were released as part of a lawsuit brought by Alex Rosas and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). 

The suit has been brought against the Sheriff’s Department over their treatment of inmates, with the LA Times and WitnessLA requesting the release of the videos. 

In one video, an inmate is shown being pinned to the ground and swarmed by deputies who have applied what is known as the WRAP. 

Another is shown being grabbed by two deputies who pin him to the ground, while one of them kneels on the inmate’s neck.  

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Four L.A. Sheriff’s deputies killing themselves hours apart just a coincidence, says department

Four deputies with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department killed themselves yesterday, and the department issued a press release: just a coincidence.

Department officials refused to answer questions Monday afternoon after news of the death of Cmdr. Darren Harris was posted to the coroner’s office website. Sheriff’s Information Bureau officials referred information requests to the Homicide Bureau, which did not respond to requests for comment regarding the status of the investigations. Sheriff Robert Luna issued a prepared statement via email through a spokesperson Tuesday afternoon. “Our LASD family has experienced a significant amount of loss and tragedies this year,” Luna’s statement said. “We are stunned to learn of these deaths, and it has sent shockwaves of emotions throughout the department as we try and cope with the loss of not just one, but four beloved active and retired members of our department family. During trying times like these it’s important for personnel regardless of rank or position to check on the well-being of other colleagues and friends. I have the deepest concern for our employees’ well-being, and we are urgently exploring avenues to reduce work stress factors to support our employees’ work and personal lives.” 

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“The Sheriff’s Department is beyond saddened to learn of the deaths involving four LASD employees, one retired and three current members of the department. The Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau is investigating all four deaths. On (Monday) at approximately 10:30 a.m., Homicide Bureau responded to a death in Valencia. Later in the afternoon, detectives responded to a death at 12:53 p.m. in Lancaster and later in the evening at 5:40 p.m. in Stevenson Ranch,” read the statement shared Tuesday afternoon by Nicole Nishida, spokeswoman for the LASD.

One problem with so many LASD officers being in gangs or otherwise involved in criminal enterprises is that it invites a pervasive cynicism that extends far beyond the usual topics of misconduct, brutality and so on. Which is to say: sure.

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Los Angeles Spends $44,000 Per ‘Temporary’ Tent For Homeless Village

Los Angeles is reportedly spending $44,000 for each individual tent in a temporary tent village for homeless people in East Hollywood, The Messenger reports.

All told, it cost about $4 million to put up fencing, bathrooms, and staffing facilities for the village. Catering services and 24-7 staffing cost an additional $3 million per year, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Despite the high costs, the site is only temporary. It’s located on a parking lot that will eventually be turned into public housing. But because it will take years for construction to commence on that project, the city decided to fill the space with tents in the meantime.

San Francisco-based nonprofit Urban Alchemy maintains the encampment. Launched in 2018 with a small grant, the group hires mostly former prisoners because they have the “ability to read people in unpredictable situations.”

According to several lawsuits, however, some of those employees have engaged in abusive behavior.

After expanding to Portland and Austin, the group brought in $51 million in 2021.

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LOS ANGELES COMMITS ANOTHER $1 BILLION TO LAPD DESPITE FALLING VIOLENT CRIME

The Los Angeles City Council approved a contract with the Los Angeles Police Department’s union on Wednesday containing salary increases, increased healthcare pay, and bonuses that will cost the city an additional $994 million over the next four years.

The 12-3 vote followed an outpouring of opposition from Angelenos, who argued during public comment that the police have more than enough funding. Many pleaded with councilmembers to instead invest in other city services, like housing and infrastructure. Councilmembers who voted against the proposal voiced agreement with their constituents.

“When we allocate so much of our city money to just one department, we starve all of our other departments of the money, personnel, and resources that they need to serve Angelenos,” said councilmember Eunisses Hernandez at a press conference before the hearing. Hernandez voted no on the proposal, alongside councilmembers Hugo Soto-Martinez and Nithya Raman.

“It is unclear exactly how the city will pay for nearly $1 billion in salary increases over the next four years, despite the fact that we already allocated a quarter of our city’s general fund to the LAPD,” Hernandez added.

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REVEALED: BLM co-founder’s cousin’s death caused by enlarged heart, cocaine use after he ran from police pursuit following hit-and-run, was tasered

The Los Angeles County medical examiner-coroner announced on Friday that Black Lives Matter (BLM) co-founder Patrisse Cullors’ cousin Keenan Anderson’s death occurred due to the effects of an enlarged heart and cocaine use. 

“The Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner determined the cause of death for 31-year-old Keenan Darnell Anderson as effects of cardiomyopathy (enlarged heart) and cocaine use (death determined hours after restraint and conducted energy device [CED] use); the manner of death is undetermined,” the group announced in a news release. 

Anderson’s family filed a $50 million lawsuit against the city of Los Angeles for wrongful death and civil rights violations. According to NPR, the family said they still plan to continue with the lawsuit after the findings were released. 

“An unarmed Black man, in obvious mental distress, was savagely attacked and repeatedly tased, in clear violation of LAPD policy by several trained officers,” they claimed, adding that “the innocent life of a little five-year-old boy will be forever changed as a result.”

Cullors responded to the report by saying, “My cousin was alive when he flagged the police. And after his interaction with the police, he was dead,” she continued, “This idea that the coroner is unable to determine how he died is unacceptable. And to point to the substances and point to the enlarged heart and not to the tasers is very, very disturbing.”

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L.A. County Gives Crack Pipes to Homeless to Prevent Fentanyl Deaths

Los Angeles County has begun distributing pipes used for smoking crack, methamphetamine, and opioids to the homeless population, hoping to discourage them from overdosing by injecting themselves with fentanyl.

The Los Angeles Times reported on the grim phenomenon Tuesday, which has divided homeless advocates:

By a line of ragged RVs slung along 78th Street in South Los Angeles, a seven-member team passes out glass pipes used for smoking opioids, crack and methamphetamine.

Part of the front line of Los Angeles County’s offensive against the deadly fentanyl epidemic, the group hands out other supplies: clean needles, sanitary wipes, fentanyl test strips and naloxone, medication that can reverse an overdose.

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Fentanyl, which is laced in everything from weed to heroin and meth, was present in more than half of the nearly 1,500 overdose deaths of homeless people in 2020-21. In response, Los Angeles County this year increased its harm reduction budget from $5.4 million to $31.5 million. Most of the money covers staffing and programs; officials said that only a fraction of county funds — no state or federal money— goes to pipes.

Some believe that the pipes merely facilitate addiction; others argue that they slow the rate of drug intake.

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Los Angeles City Council approves ‘robot dog’ donation to police

A four-legged “robot dog” is the newest member of the Los Angeles Police Department after the City Council voted 8-4 to approve its acquisition on Tuesday.

The robot – a quadruped unmanned ground vehicle called “Spot” – is manufactured by Boston Dynamics and is valued at nearly $280,000.

Spot was first offered as a gift to the LAPD’s Metropolitan Division by the Los Angeles Police Foundation in March. The foundation is a nonprofit group that has “awarded more than $44 million in grants to the LAPD” since 1998, according to its website.

LAPD said the robot will be used in a limited number of scenarios including “incidents involving active shooters, assessment of explosives, hostage situations, natural disasters, hazardous materials assessment, barricaded suspects and search and rescue missions.”

Spot will not be equipped with any weapons systems, facial recognition software or analysis capabilities, officials said. It will also not be used for routine patrol duties or covert surveillance operations.

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