Local News
Manslaughter case against Torrance Police officers to proceed to trial – NBC Los Angeles
A Los Angeles Superior Court judge Friday denied a defense motion that called for the dismissal of manslaughter charges brought against a current Torrance Police officer and a former officer for the 2018 on-duty killing of Christopher Deandre Mitchell, clearing the way for the case to proceed toward a trial.
Judge Sam Ohta said he carefully evaluated a variety of issues raised by the defense, held more than a year of pretrial hearings and considered higher court opinions on matters related to police uses of force before reaching the conclusion that the grand jury indictment brought against Matthew Concannon and Anthony Chavez was lawful and valid.
“For the foregoing reasons, the motions are denied,” Ohta said, after reading his 36-page decision into the court record.
Ohta invited the defense attorneys to appeal the decision, and attorneys for both indicated they planned to appeal immediately.
Mitchell’s mother Sherlyn was in court to hear the decision, along with a number of supporters and members of Black Lives Matter, who’ve spotlighted the case as an example of injustice for years.
“The fact that in this case, it was clear that they did so many things wrong leading up to it, which was ultimately what led to them killing Christopher Deandre Mitchell, it’s incredibly important that we have cases like this that move forward,” Sheila Bates, an organizer with Black Lives Matter, said outside court following Friday’s hearing.
Concannon and former officer Chavez were indicted by a grand jury in March 2023.
The case was presented by LA County District Attorney’s Office special prosecutor Lawrence Middleton, who was hired by DA George Gascón to re-examine several police shooting cases that former DA Jackie Lacey had ruled lawful, including Mitchell’s death.
The officers shot Mitchell, who was seated in the driver’s seat of a suspected stolen car, had what appeared to be a gun on the floor of the car between his legs. The gun was an air rifle.
“Christopher was the best part of me. He was my everything,” his mother, Sherlyn Haynes, told the I-Team in 2019 when she said she hoped the officers would face criminal charges.
The DA’s office under Lacey concluded in 2019 that the shooting was lawful and wrote in a case-closing memo “although the weapon was later determined to be an air rifle, the officers’ belief that the weapon was a firearm was reasonable under the circumstances.”
Mitchell’s shooting was one of four cases specifically listed by Gascón for potential re-examination while he was campaigning for office, and Gascón wrote in a campaign statement that he was troubled by the fact neither officer reported seeing a weapon before the shooting began, and one officer switched off his flashlight before firing into the car.
“These facts raise multiple questions as to the objective reasonableness of their perceptions of an imminent threat and their corresponding decision to use deadly force,” he wrote.
Middleton, a defense attorney and former federal prosecutor known for convicting the LAPD officers responsible for the Rodney King beating, said he was unable to comment on the judge’s decision or the significance of the ruling.
The Mitchell case is the only prosecution Middleton has initiated since he was appointed as a special prosecutor by Gascón in 2021.
In their motions to dismiss the defense lawyers focused, in part, on Middleton’s introduction of the concept of “officer created jeopardy” in his presentation of evidence to the grand jury, or the idea that the officers’ pre-shooting conduct could weigh on the lawfulness of the use of deadly force.
The grand jury was presented with information that the officers rushed to confront Mitchell, rather than requesting assistance, failed to activate red and blue lights or spotlights, switched off a flashlight just before shooting, and that neither officer called out that they’d seen a gun before firing, according to the judge’s decision.
Concannon and Chavez argued that was improper, because the change in California law governing the use of lethal force that allowed the consideration of events prior to the shooting itself, didn’t go into effect until 2020, more than a year after Mitchell was killed.
Middleton referenced officer created jeopardy 4 times in his presentation to the grand jury, and called an expert witness to testify about it, according to Ohta’s ruling, which found the discussion of ‘OCJ’ did not invalidate the grand jury’s decision to indict.
The next pretrial hearing was set for October 3.
Local News
How to add California driver’s license to iPhone, Apple Watch – NBC Los Angeles
California driver’s license holders can now add their state ID to Apple Wallet on their IPhone and Apple Watch, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Thursday.
The digital IDs will be accepted at Transportation Security Administration (TSA) check points, including Los Angeles International Airport and San Francisco Airport, as well as select businesses.
“With this new integration, we’re working to better serve the people of California in the 21st Century,” Newsom said in a statement.
Here’s how to add your ID to Apple Wallet
- Go to Apple Wallet
- Click the + button on the top right-hand corner
- Under the “Add to Wallet” section, tap “Driver’s License or State ID” to select “California mDL Pilot.
- Scan the front and back sides of your California ID
- Scan your face
- Take a picture
- Wait for verification from the California DMV.
But there’s a catch
The mobile driver’s license (mDL) pilot program is currently only limited to 1.5 million participants.
If your license is expired or suspended, your mDL will be rejected.
Other factors that could impact your mDL applications are:
- Wearing headwear
- Not using plain background
- Lack of consistent lighting
- Other faces in the frame
- Wearing sunglasses
More tips can be found here.
Last month, the state announced the DMV addition of Google Wallet as an option to hold driver’s licenses and identification cards.
Local News
New LA City Council president begins leadership role – NBC Los Angeles
Los Angeles City Council President Paul Krekorian will hand over the position Friday to Council President Pro Tem Marqueece Harris-Dawson in a leadership shakeup for the 15-member panel.
First elected to in 2015, the 54-year-old Harris-Dawson represents Council District 8, where he won his first election with 62-percent of the vote in an area that includes Baldwin Hills, Chesterfield Square, Crenshaw, Jefferson Park and other communities.
Born and raised in Los Angeles, Harris-Dawson won his bid for the top council post in May and vowed to focus on the city’s homeless crisis. The chair of the city’s Planning and Land Use Management Committee co-authored Prop HHH, which was a $1.2 million bond measure to provide permanent supportive housing.
The council voted 14-0 to name Harris-Dawson as Krekorian’s successor as president.
As president, Harris-Dawson will preside as chair over council meetings, have the power to assign council committees and handle parliamentary duties such as ruling motions in or out of order. He was elected president pro tempore to replace Curren Price, who stepped down after he was charged in June 2023 with embezzlement, perjury and conflict of interest.
Harris-Dawson is expected to serve as president through mid-December. Following November’s election and once new council members assume their offices, another election will be held to elect a council president for a new term.
Krekorian received an ovation Thursday at his final meeting as council president. The Council District 2 representative will leave the body in December due to term limits. Councilman Bob Blumenfield unveiled plans to rename two sites in honor of Krekorian — the Victory Valley Child Care Center at 6451 Saint Clair Ave., and the Valley Plaza Sports Fields at 6980 Whitsett Ave. in North Hollywood.
Krekorian, whose district includes east San Fernando Valley neighborhoods, was first elected to the council in late 2009. He was elected council president in the wake of a leaked audio recording of colleagues, including then-President Nury Martinez, that shook City Hall.
Martinez resigned in 2022 after being heard in a recorded racially charged conversation with two other council members and a county labor official discussing the council’s redistricting process. The recorded conversation included racist comments about a colleague’s young Black adopted son.
Krekorian stepped into the council presidency during the tumultuous time at City Hall.
“I couldn’t do the work for the next 79 days and I couldn’t do the work as council president, and I couldn’t have done the work as an Assembly member or anything else without the support, guidance and love that I’ve received from my wife, Tamar, for the last quarter of the century almost,” Krekorian said.
He also thanked his staff.
“To all my staff, I hope you noticed that a number of members of this council specifically recognized you and that’s because you do extraordinary work — not only for me, our constituents, but for the entire city of Los Angeles,” Krekorian said.
Local News
Find Riverside County Airport Fire recovery assistance – NBC Los Angeles
Residents impacted by the Airport Fire in Riverside County can visit a local assistance center in Lake Elsinore.
Residents seeking assistance with food, health care support and more are welcomed to visit the one-stop resource center located at the Lake Community Center. The center will be open from noon to 9 p.m. Thursday and Friday, and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday.
The Riverside County Department of Public Social Services, Public Health, Housing & Workforce Solutions and other local agencies will be joined by representatives from the California Office of Emergency Services and several nonprofit organizations to provide information on how to get financial, medical and related aid.
Residents seeking help also can click here.
On Tuesday, the Riverside County Board of Supervisors approved an emergency declaration, enabling the county to seek state and federal allocations for infrastructure repairs or improvements and general recovery of expenses stemming from the blaze.
As of Thursday, the Airport Fire was 41% contained at more than 23,500 acres in Orange and Riverside counties.
For information about Orange County recovery resources, click here.
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