Tag: los angeles

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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Sheriff orders deputies to obey watchdog request to reveal gang tattoos

Less than a week after the county watchdog ordered dozens of deputies to show their gang tattoos and answer questions about violent cliques within the department, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna on Thursday sent a department-wide email commanding his staff to comply with the inspector general’s request.

“Please be advised that all Department personnel who received such a request are hereby ordered to appear and cooperate in such interviews,” Luna wrote in the firmly worded email. “All statements made by Department personnel shall be full, complete, and truthful statements.”

Any employees who obstruct or delay an investigation, the email went on to say, could be disciplined or fired under current county policies.

Luna’s response represents a major shift from the prior administration, which was often at odds with oversight officials and consistently resisted outside investigations. Before he was voted out of office last year, former Sheriff Alex Villanueva defied subpoenas from the Civilian Oversight Commission, blocked independent oversight of department databases and made Inspector General Max Huntsman the target of a criminal investigation.

Huntsman — who signed the 35 letters sent Friday to deputies suspected of sporting Banditos or Executioners gang tattoos — lauded the change of direction that Luna’s email represents.

“We appreciate the support of the sheriff and look forward to continuing with our investigation,” Huntsman told The Times.

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Healthcare Non-Profit Supplies L.A. Homeless With Government-Funded Meth Pipes

Los Angeles nonprofit workers passed out boxes of government-funded crystal meth pipes to the homeless population living on Skid Row, allegedly assuming it helps prevent fatal drug overdoses.

Bodycam footage reported by local media shows workers from the Homeless Health Care Los Angeles nonprofit organization distributing the drug paraphernalia while driving around the neighborhood in a golf cart, which witnesses said only enables addicts.

“If you walk down Skid Row and see the people that are on methamphetamine … and got sores all over their body, their teeth falling out, bumps all over their face, running down the street butt naked, that’s no safety,” Tony Anthony, resident, told Fox 11 Los Angeles. “They don’t need to be coming down here passing out these glass pipes.”

The news outlet reported that the nonprofit’s executive director turned down an interview and has yet to issue a statement.

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