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Million-dollar watch stolen in Beverly Hills holdup found after arrest in Miami – NBC Los Angeles

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Million-dollar watch stolen in Beverly Hills holdup found after arrest in Miami – NBC Los Angeles


Police said an emerald-encrusted Patek Philippe watch worth at least $1 million, stolen at gunpoint from a tourist in Beverly Hills, was found after the arrests of three men in Miami, Florida accused of being involved in organized thefts of luxury goods across the U.S.

The discovery of the Beverly Hills watch followed an investigation into another watch theft that happened in Miami in April, when a man was robbed at gunpoint and his watch, a different Patek Philippe model worth $50,000, was stolen.

Detectives from the Miami Police Department said they identified 25-year-old Yeison Jose Bolivar as the man who committed the April robbery, and on Sept. 5 he and two other men were arrested.

Police said they found the Beverly Hills watch and a stolen rifle and a stolen handgun.

Bolivar made an initial appearance in court last week and was ordered held without bail. He’s expected to return to court later this month to enter pleas to the local charge of robbery with a firearm.

The revelation that the watch stolen in Beverly Hills surfaced in Miami was no surprise to Miami area private investigator David Bolton, who has unique expertise investigating similar thefts.

“I know that a lot of watches are stolen in New York and California and up here because you don’t want to be showing the product in the same location as you’re stealing it,” he said.

Bolton said thieves who work together to spot, steal, and sell valuable watches often work in loosely organized teams, that troll social media posts and photos for clues to the locations and owners of high-dollar items.

“Well, I think these are organized, disorganized groups. They are groups of people that they know that they can work with. They come together as needed to work together,” he said.

The Beverly Hills Patek Philippe, that Bolton said could be worth even more than $1 million, was snatched from the wrist of a British citizen who was dining at a cafe at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel on Aug. 7.

An affidavit filed in federal court by a U.S. Department of Homeland Security agent said two other men suspected of carrying out the robbery had been given photos that showed the exact watch they were dispatched to steal.

“These are the 2 watches we are looking for, they are valued at 1.3 million dollars,” the men were told, according to the court papers.

The men charged with the Beverly Hills robbery, Jamer Mauricio Sepulveda Salazar and Jesus Eduardo Padron Rojas, were caught by police in Riverside, California after their car was identified by officers in Beverly Hills.

During a search of a short-term rental home allegedly used by the men police said they also found a Glock handgun once owned by ex-LAPD officer Christopher Dorner, who died after a killing spree in 2013.

LAPD Chief Dominic Choi said last month the gun was never one that was issued to Dorner by the Department, but it was still not clear how a gun once registered to Dorner ended up with the accused watch thieves.



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Events set to commemorate first anniversary of Oct. 7 attacks – NBC Los Angeles

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Events set to commemorate first anniversary of Oct. 7 attacks – NBC Los Angeles


Continuing events commemorating the one-year anniversary of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel, the Jewish Federation Los Angeles Monday will host a program at the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills billed as a way to “remember victims and honor the resilience of survivors.”

Organized by the Jewish Federation Los Angeles, Israeli-American Council, StandWithUs and Temple of the Arts, doors open at 6:30 p.m. Monday for “L.A. Remembers.” Among those expected to attend are actress Mayim Bialik, Israeli actress Moran Atias, Israeli performer Raviv Kaner, as well as more than 30 elected officials including Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Sherman Oaks.

There will also be a candle-lighting ceremony and speeches from relatives of hostages.

The event will be livestreamed at https://form.jotform.com/JFedLAForms/LARemembers-waitlist.

“Coming together to commemorate October 7th offers all of us an opportunity to gather strength as we share a sense of community that supports Israel and fights to keep the faces of the hostages front and center in everyone’s hearts until they all come home to their families,” Roz Rothstein, founder and CEO of StandWithUs, said in a statement.

Additionally, Beverly Hills community leaders, elected officials, religious leaders and residents will gather at 6 a.m. near the city’s Israel Flag installation to commemorate the one-year anniversary. Beverly Hills Mayor Lester Friedman and council members John Mirisch, Mary Wells and Craig Corman are expected to attend.

Meanwhile, IfNotNow Los Angeles will gather at downtown’s Gloria Molina Grand Park, which they say will be attended by “hundreds of American Jews” to honor the one-year anniversary of the Hamas attacks on Israel, and the ensuing “brutal collective punished by the Israeli government” over the past year. The event slated for 6 p.m. is intended to “remind elected officials and fellow Americans that violence is antithetical to Jewish values and that it will never keep any of us safe.”

On Sunday, the Jewish Federation Los Angeles held a reception and candle-lighting ceremony at the Museum of Tolerance Los Angeles.    

“It was not the last chapter of my life,” Andrey Kozlov, who was held hostage for eight months and a day, said at the event that coincided with the exact moment of the Oct. 7 attacks.

“Something better is coming, and here I am with lots of opportunities. I became some kind of voice of hostages, and I am able to speak.”

Mayor Karen Bass said “Today, we must continue our prayers for safety and peace. As conflict rises in the Middle East, we often see a troubling rise in antisemitism around the world, including here in L.A. So let me be unequivocally clear — antisemitism has absolutely no place in L.A.”



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6 arrested in connection with flash-mob style mall robbery in Woodland Hills – NBC Los Angeles

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Thieves ransack Nordstrom at Westfield Topanga Mall – NBC Los Angeles


Four adults and two juveniles were arrested in connection with a flash-mob style robbery at the Westfield Topanga Mall, authorities said Sunday.

Around 5:15 p.m. Friday, two stores in the mall, in the 21700 block of Victory Boulevard, were hit by 12 suspects who ran in and stole more than $90,000 worth of merchandise in under a few minutes, the Los Angeles Police Department announced.

Suspects wearing masks and hoodies, caught on video can be seen grabbing and running away with stolen designer handbags and clothes.

The LAPD’s Organized Retail Crime Task Force were able to identify the suspects and vehicles they believed were connected to the crime.

Around 9:40 p.m. Friday, LAPD Southwest area officers located and detained a vehicle with five occupants. They were alleged to be involved in the smash-and-grab.

Three adults and two juveniles were booked on robbery charges. They were identified as

  • Joshua Jones, 22, of Los Angeles, whose bail was set at $1,085,000
  • Amaya McDonald, 19, of Los Angeles, whose bail was set at $150,000
  • Justin Jones, 18, of Los Angeles, whose bail was set at $150,000

About two hours later, officers from the Huntington Beach Police Department located and detained a vehicle, with a female driver.

Officers found allegedly stolen items in the vehicle. Rajene Robinson, 26, of Los Angeles was arrested on suspicion of felony possession of stolen property. She was being held without bail.

The identities of two juvenile suspects were withheld. The case remained under investigation.

Anyone with information regarding the incident was asked to call the Commercial Crimes Division, Organized Retail Crime Section, Detectives at 818- 374-9437 or [email protected], and 877-527-3247 during non-business hours. Tipsters who wish to remain anonymous can call 800-222-8477 or visit lacrimestoppers.org.



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Nathan Hochman says he rejects Gascón’s ‘extreme policies’   – NBC Los Angeles

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Nathan Hochman says he rejects Gascón’s ‘extreme policies’   – NBC Los Angeles


Many voters in Los Angeles County, one of the most progressive and steadfastly Democratic counties in the nation, may be considering a former Republican for the Los Angeles County District Attorney in November general election as Nathan Hochman, a former federal prosecutor, is leading by double digits in a poll against the incumbent, George Gascón.

In an effort to reassure Los Angeles voters that he’s no hard-liner, Hochman, who became independent in 2023, said he too is against mass incarceration like Gascón. But the difference, Hochman said, is that if he is elected, he would look at each case individually.

“I reject extreme policies as any prosecutor actually does,” Hochman said, bashing what he called Gascón’s “blanket” policies. “You have to look at each case individually. Look at the defendant, the defendant’s background. Look at the crime committed and the impact on the victim to determine who the true threats are to our public safety and need to be behind bars and quite candidly the ones that aren’t.”

Despite the endorsements from Los Angeles police unions and law enforcement associations, criminal justice reform advocates including Black Live Matter and the American Civil Liberties Union may be concerned Hochman would try to reverse some of the reforms implemented by  Gascón.

But the one-time California attorney general candidate assured during an interview with NBC Los Angeles’ NewsConference that he too would free wrongfully convicted people and pursue police accountability – only more efficiently than the incumbent 

“I will be the first DA in history that not only has a prosecutorial background, but actually a defense attorney,” Hochman explained “I go into court every single day promoting the presumption of innocence, forcing the government to prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt to a jury at a unanimous level.”

When it comes to responding to campus unrest led by pro-Palestinian protesters as seen at UCLA and USC, Hochman said he would draw the line.

“A DA needs to say that proactively and say very clearly to the protestors, ‘Here are the lines, I’m going to enforce it, here are the real consequences. And if you cross those lines, yes, you will be held accountable and go to jail.’ Hochman said.

“My fervent goal as being DA is to promote deterrence. I will know I have created an effective criminal justice system if criminals are being deterred from committing crimes in the first place.”



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