DA Nathan Hochman Provides Update
on Hate Crime Prosecutions
 Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman was joined by other law enforcement officials at a news conference to discuss combating hate crimes through multi-agency collaboration, community outreach and strong prosecutions.
“A hate crime is more than just a criminal act against one person; it tears at the fibers that hold our community together,” District Attorney Hochman said. “These crimes are meant to intimidate entire communities and weaken the trust that holds us together.”
One of the cases highlighted at the news conference involved Gerald Pitts, who was sentenced to life plus seven years in state prison with the possibility of parole for the attempted murder of Santos Tejas Gonzalez during a brutal, unprovoked hate crime attack aboard a Metro bus in March 2023.
A jury earlier this summer convicted Pitts of attempted murder and also found true allegations that Pitts personally used a knife, personally inflicted great bodily injury and committed the offense in whole or in part because of the victim’s actual or perceived nationality, race or ethnicity, making it a hate crime.
On March 25, 2023, Santos Tejas Gonzalez boarded a Metro bus and attempted to walk past Pitts to take a seat. Pitts immediately began shouting racial slurs at the victim. When Gonzalez tried to leave the bus at the next stop to avoid further confrontation, Pitts stabbed him multiple times in the abdomen, arm, hand and face. As the victim fell from the bus, Pitts kicked him repeatedly in the head while continuing to yell racial slurs.
Read the news release here.
Watch the full news conference here.
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  National Night Out
 National Night Out wasn’t just one night – it was recognizing the importance of partnerships with law enforcement agencies and the neighborhoods we serve to keep the public safe. From cadets to officers, children to older adults, the spirit shown at National Night Out events across Los Angeles County embodies the collaborative effort needed that will help improve public safety.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office was proud to take part in the National Night Out events.
Watch it on Instagram.
 LADA's Elder Abuse Section Partners with
St. Vincent Meals on Wheels
 The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office is proud to partner with community organizations to honor and support older adults during World Elder Abuse Awareness Month in June.
The Elder Abuse Section “Sweets and T-shirts” fundraiser raised more than $2,600 for St. Vincent Meals on Wheels, which prepares and delivers over 100,000 meals a month to homebound seniors who are at risk of hunger in Los Angeles.
Elder abuse can take many forms, including physical and emotional abuse, financial abuse, sexual abuse and neglect. The Los Angeles County Elder Abuse Hotline operates 24 hours a day at (877) 477-3646.
See it on Facebook.
Watch it on Instagram.
 Operation Adam's Watch Nets Arrests
in San Gabriel Valley
 LADA’s Bureau of Investigation took part in the U.S. Marshals Service’s “Operation Adam’s Watch” – a multi-week enforcement operation that resulted in the arrest of more than 330 fugitives nationwide who were wanted for failure to register as a sex offender, sex assault or other sex offenses.
BOI participated in operations out of Downey, El Monte and West Covina that resulted in nine arrests.
The effort is named in honor of Adam Walsh, a 6-year-old boy who was abducted and murdered in 1981 in Florida. This year, the operation recognized the 20th anniversary of the Adam Walsh Act, a federal law that established national standards for the registration of sex offenders and offenders against children.
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