In a massive downtown raid, members of the Los Angeles Police Department’s Heavy Metal Task Force arrested 82 people and seized 2,000 pounds of stolen copper wire, city leaders announced Tuesday.  

Formed earlier this year, the Heavy Metal Task Force, which includes members of the city’s Bureau of Street Lighting, have been working to combat the sharp increase of copper wire thefts and scrap metal crimes, especially in areas like downtown L.A., Boyle Heights, El Sereno and Lincoln Heights.  

“The city of Los Angeles is no longer your ATM machine,” Councilman Kevin de León said at a Tuesday press conference.  

De León and Councilwoman Traci Parks worked to form the task force after many streets in their district, including the recently renovated 6^th Street Bridge, went dark as a result of copper thieves.  

“Wire theft is not a victimless crime,” Parks said at the presser.  

According to officials, the city has spent tens of millions of dollars on repairing damage caused by these thieves, many of whom use handsaws to tear through the metal panels housing the copper wire.  

In January, De León said that in his district alone, some 3,700 streetlights were out. 

The problem, officials say, is not simply the cost of repairs, but that leaving neighborhoods and parks in the dark is a threat to the public.  

“It impacts the most vulnerable communities in the city of L.A., Black and brown neighborhoods,” he said Tuesday. “It impacts youth at parks, senior citizens, singles mothers at parks who get out of town by sundown because they’re in fear for their life when they have to walk home.”  

L.A. is not alone in dealing with these types of crimes. In Pasadena, officials are working to make it harder for crooks to access these metals, which are often inside unique and historic architecture throughout the city.  

The city’s streetlights are a major target for thieves.  

“Some of these currents are up to 3,000 volts, which could be lethal,” Pasadena Public Works Commissioner Garrett Crawford told KTLA. “They leave a dangerous condition out in the public right of way, and we need a remedy right away.”  

Pasadena is even offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the capture and conviction of these metal thieves.  

“We’ve all had enough,” Parks said. “We’re cracking down and people will, in fact, be held accountable for their conduct.”  

No information about the identities of those arrested was provided.

Gov. Gavin Newsom posted on X, formally Twitter, that he wants to sign legislation that would crack down on the use of artificial intelligence in campaign ads after Elon Musk reposted an altered ad of Vice President Kamala Harris.

On Monday, Newsom reposted a news headline that said Musk reposted an altered campaign ad of Harris, which appears to use an AI-generated voiceover from her.

“Manipulating a voice in an ‘ad’ like this one should be illegal,” Newsom wrote. “I’ll be signing a bill in a matter of weeks to make sure it is.”

Musk responded to Newsom’s post by saying “parody is legal in America.”

The latest disagreement between Newsom and Musk comes after Musk announced he would move the headquarters of X and SpaceX out of California.

The move was in response to Newsom signing a bill that bars California school districts from notifying parents of a child’s gender identification change.

Newsom’s spokesperson Izzy Gardon didn’t immediately specify which legislation Newsom was referring to but told the Sacramento Bee that Newsom’s administration is “working with the Legislature to ensure this issue is addressed in legislation already going through the legislative process.”

Several bills currently in play, such as AB 2839 and AB 2655, aim to address altered campaign materials on social media.

The final stretch of the current legislative session ends Aug. 31.

An officer with the Los Angeles Police Department has been temporarily relieved field duties after video captured him punching a 30-year-old man, who appears to be handcuffed and not resisting, in face as he was being detained.  

The July 28 incident occurred during what’s described as a traffic stop at East 113th Street near Graham Avenue in Watts.  

Cellphone of the incident shows the man, identified by community activists as Alexander Donta Mitchell, yelling, “What did I do?” as he was being detained when one of the officers punches him hard on the right side of his face.  

“This young man had his hands behind his back, handcuffed,” Civil Rights Activist Najee Ali told KTLA. “He was not a threat, but we saw an officer punch him in the face for no reason.” 

Ali, with Project Islamic Hope, said the incident is just the latest example of excessive force by police in the Black community.  

“That officer not only deserves to be on leave, he deserves to have his badge taken from him, handcuffs taken from him,” he added.  

It’s unclear what happened prior to the recording of the punch or Mitchell’s hands were both fully restrained, though in the video, he does not appear to be resisting the officers at all.  

A witness to the violence, who describes herself as a family friend of Mitchell’s and did not want to be identified on camera, said she’d never seen anything like that before.  

“They just opened the door and snatched him out,” she explained. “There wasn’t no reason. He was just sitting in the car.”  

Officials with the Los Angeles Police Department told KTLA that they’re looking into the matter, saying in a statement: 

“The incident is under investigation and the officer involved has been removed from field duties.”  

As for Ali, he says that nothing can justify the police officer’s actions.  

“The video speaks for itself,” he said.  

A press conference outside of LAPD headquarters with Mitchell’s family members and Civil Rights leaders is scheduled for Tuesday morning.