LAPD

In the desert around Scottsdale, Ariz., on Monday, police officers hunted for a member of an international heist ring suspected of swiping jewels and luxury goods from homes across Los Angeles. Using helicopters and drones, they eventually found him hiding under a tree. The wanted man, it turned out, was a 17-year-old from Chile.Authorities say the teenager and his two adult accomplices later admitted to breaking into multiple homes, part of a growing trend of “burglary tourism” from South America. The Los Angeles…

The Los Angeles Police Department wants the public to know that their home security systems may have a weak spot that tech-savvy burglars are starting to exploit. Most modern home security systems rely on a Wi-Fi signal for burglar alarms and surveillance equipment, including doorbell cameras. A jamming device emits a high-energy signal that is silent to the human ear, but drowns out the Wi-Fi signal to the security system, disconnecting the system from the network.A group of burglars who used a jamming device broke into…

The Chevy Camaro muscle car sitting abandoned at a South L.A. intersection looked suspicious enough.But then LAPD gang detail investigators spotted two teenagers running from the scene near Slauson Avenue and Broadway and were able to stop them.One of the youths was carrying an electronic device that police said provides a window into why thefts of the popular Camaros have shot up by more than 1000% in L.A. this year, with 90 vehicles stolen since the beginning of the year. Police said the spike comes at a time when…

Most die-hard sneakerheads wouldn’t think twice about waiting hours in line to be the first to score the Air Jordan 4 BRED Reimagineds — which retail for $200, but can resell for double that on the collectors market.Some write computer code to snap up pairs of limited edition Jordans and other coveted Nikes as soon as they go on sale online.And then there are those suspected of going to even greater lengths to get exclusive kicks. Los Angeles police are investigating a theft ring that allegedly swiped millions of dollars…

Les Moonves, the former president and CEO of CBS, tried to influence now-retired LAPD Captain Cory Palka amid a sexual assault investigation against the executive, new documents from the Los Angeles City Ethics Commission found. The legal documents, made public on Friday and obtained by NBC4, revealed that Moonves agreed to pay an $11,250 fine on Feb. 5 for violating the city’s ethics code by “inducing” a city official to misuse his position for Moonves’ benefit. The Ethics Commission found that…

The city of Los Angeles will have a new top cop, if only for the next six or so months.Three weeks after Los Angeles Police Department Chief Michel Moore’s said he will step down at the end of February, the city’s Police Commission announced Wednesday that Assistant Chief Dominic Choi would take over as interim chief effective March 1. Choi was selected in a unanimous vote by the five-member commission. The assignment is expected to last only until mid-summer, while a nationwide search is conducted to find a more…

Did race play a role in rapper Killer Mike‘s arrest at the 2024 Grammy Awards? That’s what the Los Angeles Police Commission contemplated on Tuesday. Rasha Gerges Shields, a commissioner for the department’s civilian watchdog, raised the issue during a meeting Tuesday morning, after police Chief Michel Moore‘s briefing on the rapper’s arrest. Shields said it seemed from her vantage point that Killer Mike’s race — he is Black — played a role in the officers’ decision Sunday to take him into custody and march him out of…

A Los Angeles police officer who was caught on video repeatedly punching a homeless man in Boyle Heights two years ago pleaded no contest to assault Thursday, authorities said.Frank Hernandez, 51, will not serve time in prison for the crime. He was sentenced to two years of probation, 80 hours of community service and a year of anger management classes under the terms of a plea agreement announced during a hearing in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom.Officers were responding to a trespassing call on Houston Street in…

Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore announced Friday that he will step down as head of the LAPD at the end of February, after which time the city and department officials will begin the process of finding a new leader to take over one of the most unique and challenging jobs in law enforcement.At a press conference with Mayor Karen Bass, Moore said he was proud of his career at the department and choked back tears.“During my tenure, I know I’ve made mistakes and missteps,” Moore said. “But I’m also confident that my…

The investigations into Matthew Perry’s death last year have concluded, People reports.  The Los Angeles Police Department confirmed its investigation had wrapped, while the Los Angeles County Medical-Examiner-Coroner’s website listed the case status for Perry’s death as “closed.” There was never any suspicion of foul play in Perry’s death, but at the time, LAPD detectives did launch a preliminary investigation because of the actor’s “celebrity status.”   Perry died on Oct. 28, 2023, after drowning at his Los…