Los Angeles, Ca
Woman's teeth broken with gun amid violent robbery in Southern California
A serial robbery suspect from South Los Angeles, who reportedly smashed a victim’s teeth with his gun, is facing the possibility of life in federal prison after a nearly month long crime spree, officials with the U.S. Department of Justice announced Thursday.
In a news release, DOJ prosecutors say 21-year-old Oshae Pollard, a resident of L.A.’s Manchester Square neighborhood, targeted victims in parking lots, committing at least three armed robberies and one attempted robbery between Aug. 25 to Sep. 22.
In a brutal Aug. 25 robbery outside the Hustler Casino in Gardena, the 21-year-old allegedly shoved a woman to the ground and attempted to steal her purse as she screamed for help.
Prosecutors said Pollard pulled a semiautomatic pistol on the victim and shoved it into her mouth, breaking her teeth in the process and saying, “If you yell again, I’ll kill you.”
When a witness to the robbery began to yell, Pollard grabbed the victim’s purse and fled in a vehicle, getting away $1,000 – $2,000, the released detailed.
In the early morning hours of Aug. 26, the 21-year-old and accomplice robbed a taxi driver who was sitting in his car outside Winchell’s Donut House in Carson. The driver was beaten and held at gunpoint until giving up his wallet and cellphone.
The same evening, the pair struck again outside Fashion Island Shopping Center in Newport Beach.
They approached two victims standing near their vehicles, a Rolls-Royce and a Ferrari, and demanded their cash and jewelry. The owner of the Rolls handed over the keys to the car, a luxury watch and a wallet.
“When the other victim started the Ferrari and attempted to drive away, Pollard ran to the driver’s door of the Ferrari and fired one round from his pistol into the car, barely missing the victim,” prosecutors said. “The victim drove to a nearby gas station and asked the gas station clerk to call police, who later recovered one 9mm shell casing from the scene.”
In all, Pollard and his accomplice got away with $44,000 in property from the two victims.
About three weeks later, on Sep. 22, at South Coast Plaza shopping mall in Costa Mesa, the 21-year-old reportedly struck again, approaching a man as he was getting into parked car and demanding his property.
“When the victim didn’t comply, Pollard shot the victim in the left hand, then pointed his pistol at the victim’s chest and said, ‘You’re a dead man,’” prosecutors said. “Pollard then shot the victim in the left thigh as he began to remove his watch.”
Though he’d been shot twice, the victim kicked Pollard, who fell to the ground as the victim repeatedly kicked him.
“The violence alleged in this complaint shocks the conscience,” said United States Attorney Martin Estrada.
The 21-year-old eventually fled the scene in a Kia Forte. The victim, fortunately, survived the gunshot wounds.
Pollard, who was taken into custody on Dec. 4, was charged with interference of commerce by robbery and use of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.
If convicted as charged, he faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.
Los Angeles, Ca
LADWP begins long-term repairs after West Hollywood water main rupture
Crews worked overnight on what is expected to be a long-term effort to clean up and repair a broken water main that caused extensive damage in West Hollywood on Thursday.
Yellow tape remained in place Friday morning, blocking streets around Sunset Boulevard and Holloway Drive as crews continued pumping water out of the century-old trunk line.
Asphalt and soil were also being removed so crews could get a better look at the damaged 36-inch trunk line, a major feeder pipe serving the area.
“First and foremost is our crews’ safety,” a Los Angeles Department of Water and Power spokesperson said Thursday. “When we excavate, we are going to have to make sure the area is safe before we send crews in to proceed and start the actual repairs on the pipe.”
The water main ruptured around 3 a.m. Thursday, sending thousands of gallons of water rushing through West Hollywood streets, flooding dozens of garages and pushing parked cars into one another.
A Metro bus yard was also flooded, leaving several buses partially submerged.
The force of the water washed away dirt and gravel supporting the roadway, creating a massive sinkhole on Sunset Boulevard and a smaller one near Palm Avenue, where two people fell in.
“I’m astounded by the massive sinkhole that has just opened up before our eyes,” KTLA’s Annie Rose Ramos reported Thursday from Palm Avenue.
The two men appeared to be uninjured.
As for the larger trunk line that burst beneath Sunset Boulevard, KTLA’s Carlos Herrera reported it was scheduled for replacement in 2031.
LADWP officials now hope to establish a repair timeline after getting a closer look at the damage Friday. For now, the intersection is expected to remain closed for anywhere from several days to several weeks.
The cause of the rupture remains under investigation.
Los Angeles, Ca
Arrest made in deadly shooting at 4th of July gathering in Compton; search for 2nd suspect continues
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna gave an update Thursday on several shootings over the Fourth of July weekend that left three people dead and several others injured.
Police arrested Antoine Jones, a 50-year-old man from the Los Angeles area, who they believe is responsible for the murder of a 19-year-old woman and the attempted murder of two additional surviving female victims who were attending a large community block party in Compton.
On July 4 at approximately 11:40 p.m., deputies from the Compton station responded to an apartment complex on the 700 block of West Laurel Street following reports of multiple people being shot.
Meah Bordenave-Jenkins, a 19-year-old nursing student at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, was killed when gunfire broke out at the party.
Deputies located Bordenave-Jenkins and the two other women suffering from gunshot wounds outside of the apartment complex.
“While today’s announcement represents an important step towards justice for Meah and her family, our work is very far from being over,” said LASD Sheriff Robert Luna.
The LASD is also seeking the public’s help in identifying those responsible for the murder of Eric Washington, 37, a beloved community activist and former government staffer, and the attempted murder of another surviving man injured that same night at the same party.
Washington was reportedly killed while trying to deescalate a conflict at the party, his family said. Deputies found victim Washington suffering from a gunshot wound inside the complex.
Investigators later learned that another man had also been shot at some point during the incident.
Bordenave-Jenkins and Washington both died from their injuries. The remaining victims, two women and a man, sustained non-life-threatening injuries and have been released from the hospital. They have not been identified by police.
Detectives determined the two shootings happened moments apart at the party but appear to be separate and unrelated.
Detectives identified Jones as the suspect responsible for Bordenave-Jenkins’ death and the attempted murder of the two surviving women. Authorities located Jones on July 14 in Los Angeles and took him into custody.
The LASD is still searching for the suspect or suspects responsible for the murder of Washington and the attempted murder of the surviving male victim.
“Although today’s arrest is significant, this investigation remains extremely active,” Luna said.
“There were hundreds of people at this gathering,” Luna said. “Somebody knows, somebody saw or somebody heard what happened.”
The LASD also announced they’re searching for a suspect in a separate shooting at a different Fourth of July gathering that occurred in the early morning of July 5.
At approximately 12:10 a.m., Compton deputies responded to the 2100 block of North Grandee Avenue, where they located a 30-year-old victim, Thaddeus Clark, and a second victim suffering from gunshot wounds at the gathering.
Clark, a father of three, did not survive his injuries, Luna said.
The LASD is urging anyone with information about Clark’s murder and the attempted murder of the surviving victim to contact the LASD Homicide Bureau.
Although these shooting incidents occurred at gatherings less than an hour apart, investigators found no evidence that the two were connected, Luna said.
Luna also announced three suspects have been arrested in connection with a shooting in East L.A. on July 5. It happened as crowds crossed the intersection near Whittier Boulevard and Leonard Avenue during a World Cup match.
Four people were hit by gunfire, including two men, one woman and a boy. None of the injuries were life-threatening.
The sheriff said the alleged shooter, a 15-year-old known gang member, was arrested. Two female suspects, ages 21 and 38, have been arrested in the Lancaster and Palmdale areas for their alleged roles in luring the primary victim to the location and assisting the shooting suspect in evading arrest.
They’re all facing four counts of attempted murder.
Los Angeles, Ca
Water main break floods West Hollywood streets, traps cars
A broken water main sent water gushing from an apartment building and turned nearby streets into rivers in West Hollywood early Thursday morning. The break was reported around 3 a.m. near Holloway Drive and Sunset Boulevard. “It’s a rupture of one of the significant mains that goes through here. West Hollywood, as it turns out, […]
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