Los Angeles, Ca
Fire burns through apartment building in Koreatown, leaving families displaced
Families are left without a home after a massive fire burned through an apartment building in L.A.’s Koreatown.
The fire occurred on Sept. 26 at a building on the 750 block of South Normandie Avenue in the early morning hours.
When firefighters arrived, smoke was billowing from the roof and the flames destroyed multiple apartment units, leaving families displaced and without a place to sleep.
“There are six units total that have suffered severe damage,” said Celeste Kessler with the Los Angeles Tenants Union. “What really blows my mind is that the L.A. Housing Department has declared this a habitable unit.”
Inside Maria Vargas’ apartment, the fire burned through her kitchen, bathroom, personal belongings and several walls, leaving the unit unsafe and uninhabitable. The ceiling was burned through where water can be seen leaking and a clear view into her neighbor’s apartment is visible.
Vargas said she’s frustrated over the lack of ability to do basic things like cook or bathe in her home while also worrying about taking care of her three children.
“I’m not doing very well,” Vargas told KTLA’s John Fenoglio through a Spanish translator. “I’m very worried. We need help to leave this apartment. We can’t stay here.”
Many of the displaced residents don’t have anywhere else to go.
“We spent the night in our car,” said Margarita Linares, a mother of two children whose apartment was also destroyed.
Frustrated tenants told KTLA they’ve tried contacting the building’s manager but he reportedly wouldn’t answer their questions or even speak with them until the following Monday.
“TDI Properties, the owner of this building, has been pretty negligent, I would say, in terms of responding to this fire,” Kessler said. “They have not been speaking with tenants. Tenants went to their office and they refused to open the door so the tenants are grasping at straws to find a place to go where they can live with their children and TDI is just ignoring them.”
Displaced residents are left scrambling and had asked for assistance with temporary housing but said they’ve been completely ignored.
“I can’t believe that this is the reaction I’m getting,” Linares said. “I always pay my rent on time and now that I need something from them, I can’t believe this is the reaction.”
“Council District 10 was on the scene, but so far they have not offered any recourse,” Kessler said. “They talked about hotel vouchers for tenants but at the end of the day, they told us they were out of them. So they truly haven’t been much help, either.”
“There should not be a circumstance where individuals are displaced due to a fire and they are unable to find housing in the short term,” an attorney, Ryan Kerns, explained of the situation. “If the landlord’s negligence was the cause of the fire, then the landlord is responsible for relocating costs and finding replacement apartments. If the landlord can find replacement apartments in the same unit that are of the same value as the apartments the tenants were already having, that can potentially constitute the replacement value of that property.”
On Saturday night, a spokesperson from Council District 10 told KTLA they are working on finding interim housing for the displaced tenants.
A GoFundMe page organized by the Los Angeles Tenants Union to help the affected tenants can be found here.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
KTLA has reached out to TDI Properties for a statement but has not heard back.
Los Angeles, Ca
About 20 detained after armed suspect call sparks LAPD response in Koreatown
About 20 people were detained Saturday during a large police response in Los Angeles’ Koreatown after authorities received reports of an armed man threatening people, officials said. Officers responded to the 3400 block of West 8th Street near Kingsley Drive on reports of an assault with a deadly weapon, according to the Los Angeles Police […]
Los Angeles, Ca
Man found guilty of sex trafficking victim along L.A.’s Figueroa Corridor
A former Riverside County man was found guilty of sex trafficking a female victim and forcing her to engage in commercial sex acts along L.A.’s notorious Figueroa Corridor.
Elias Abdul Shabazz, 34, formerly of Perris, was found guilty by a jury following a five-day trial, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
Prosecutors said Shabazz had led the victim to believe they were in a romantic relationship before he turned physically and sexually violent. He began demanding that the victim engage in commercial sex acts from May to October of 2021, court documents said.
He carried a handgun with him and, on occasion, was accused of using it to pistol-whip the victim. He also fired the gun at her feet while threatening to kill her, prosecutors said.
At trial, the victim said Shabazz demanded that she meet a daily quota of commercial sex proceeds and that she was terrified of the consequences of not meeting that quota.
She testified that Shabazz compelled her to work in the notorious Figueroa Corridor in South L.A., a dangerous area known for human trafficking and prostitution.
Shabazz had confiscated her identification card, Social Security card and birth certificate. He constantly monitored her cell phone to stop her from communicating with any friends or family.
“He also introduced her to addictive narcotics and controlled every aspect of her life, including when she ate, slept and showered,” prosecutors said.
In May 2025, Shabazz was arrested and has remained in federal custody. His last known address at the time was in Washington, D.C.
On June 26, 2026, Shabazz was found guilty of one count of coercing or enticing interstate transportation for purposes of prostitution.
A sentencing hearing is scheduled for Oct. 6, where he faces 15 years to life in prison.
“Sex trafficking matters rank among the most tragic cases our office prosecutes,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli. “This defendant will now face many years in a federal prison cell for his sick, disgusting, and disturbing behavior.”
“Elias Shabazz preyed on a vulnerable victim using physical and sexual violence and cruel psychological coercion to compel commercial sex acts for his own profit,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “There is no place for this type of conduct in civilized society. We deeply respect the victim’s courage to face her trafficker in court. The Criminal Division will continue to bring these cases and try them.”
Anyone with information about human trafficking can report tips to the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 888-373-7888
Los Angeles, Ca
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The star-studded feel-good giveback event of the summer has returned. KTLA 5 is teaming up once again with Project Angel Food for the annual “Lead with Love: Going the Distance” telethon to raise critical funds for medically tailored meals delivered to people living with serious illnesses throughout Los Angeles County. The seventh annual telethon airs […]
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