LA Sheriff Blames ‘Defund the Police,’ Progressive Policies for Spike in Violent Crime
Violent crime has soared in Los Angeles County this year because criminals have been emboldened by progressive law enforcement policies as well as the “defund the police” movement, the county’s sheriff says.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said the county recorded 60 homicides during the first two months of the year, compared to 21 in the year-earlier time frame, he told Fox News in an interview.
Villanueva specifically blamed new Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón, a Democrat who was elected to lead the nation’s largest prosecutorial office in December 2020, amid the widespread unrest and calls to “defund the police” following the death of George Floyd while in Minneapolis police custody.
Sheriff: Alleged Hate Incident at Protest Should Be Prosecuted
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Participants in the Diamond Bar rally. (NBC Los Angeles)
Rafu Wire and Staff Reports
DIAMOND BAR Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva expressed disappointment on April 9 that the District Attorney’s Office declined to prosecute a “hate incident” in Diamond Bar involving a motorist who shouted obscenities at a group protesting hate crimes against the Asian American-Pacific Islander community.
The sheriff said via Twitter, “I am disappointed charges were not filed by the DA’s office for ‘lack of sufficient evidence,’ though video clearly depicts the acts by the suspect contrary to his statement of being ‘scared.’ His social media posts further confirm his intentions. This should be heard in court!”
L.A. County Sheriff Calls on National Guard to Prepare, Prevent Riots
12 Apr 2021
Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva told an interviewer Monday evening that he would alert the California National Guard to be ready to prevent rioting after an officer-involved shooting in Minnesota on Sunday was followed by a second night of rioting.
Daunte Wright, 20, was shot by Officer Kim Potter in Brooklyn Center after he resisted arrest. He had been pulled over in a routine traffic stop when police discovered there was a warrant for his arrest on an outstanding weapons charge.
On Sunday evening, there was looting in the Minneapolis suburb, which was repeated again on Monday evening. Earlier Monday, local L.A. officials appealed for calm in an effort to avoid a repeat of the rioting that engulfed the city after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis last year.
Community leaders and law enforcement chiefs across LA are urging residents who plan to protest in the wake of tensions in Minnesota to do it peacefully.
The police shooting of Daunte Wright, a 20-year-old Black man who died Sunday in a Minneapolis suburb, sparked protests Monday night across other U.S. cities.