In honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, which is observed throughout the month of May, we are featuring stories of DA employees, what inspired them to pursue a career in public service and their contributions at the DA’s Office. In this video, you will meet Deputy District Attorney Garret Wong, whose parents instilled in him the value of public service.
Our final 2024 Citizens of Courage are a mother and her two young daughters who survived an attempted murder by someone they trusted to look out for them. When everyone in the household was asleep, Natalie Ortiz’s boyfriend and the father-figure to her two daughters, Rachel and Sophie, attempted to kill all three of them. But he did not count on their survival instincts and their will to live. Deputy District Attorney Alexandra Lorens prosecuted this case.
Being a security guard is not easy and is often a dangerous job. Our next 2024 Citizens of Courage was working as an unarmed security guard for an apartment building in Downtown San Diego. On the night of the incident, a woman visiting one of the residents of the apartment building was brutally stabbed but managed to escape. When the attacker came after her, Security Guard Tiffany Murphy put herself between the stabber and the victim, endangering her own life but ultimately saving the victim and helping law enforcement arrest the attacker. Deputy District Attorney Yoni Fraenkel prosecuted this case.
What would you do, if you saw someone being brutally attacked as you are out walking your dog? 2024 Citizen of Courage Melissa Spinelli didn’t hesitate. She heard the cries of a young neighbor who was being stabbed on a sidewalk. As she approached, she was able to take a good look at the attacker and his car before he fled, and she called the police. Thanks to Melissa’s actions, law enforcement was able to arrest the attacker, who was identified as a former classmate of the victim. Perhaps most importantly, Melissa was able to stay with the victim and sadly, pass along his dying words to his family. Deputy District Attorney Helen Kim prosecuted this case.
In this week’s DA News, District Attorney Summer Stephan talks about the 38th Annual Law Enforcement Officers’ Memorial Ceremony and how crimes against police officers often involve domestic violence crimes.
This 2024 Citizen of Courage witnessed a fatal hit-and-run incident that took the life of a 19-month-old toddler. If you’ve ever witnessed a hit and run, you know that sometimes it can leave bystanders in shock and paralyzed. Not Antonio Jasso. He had the courage to act fast and at his own peril, he carefully followed the driver and even got him on camera to make sure the driver was held accountable. It’s very possible that police may never have located the driver, whose criminal and reckless actions were so devastating to the victim’s family and the community. But Antonio’s decision allowed police to quickly identify and arrest the DUI driver who caused so much pain. Deputy District Attorney Hailey Williams prosecuted this case. Watch his story in the video.
Keeping up with this year’s theme for National Crime Victims’ Rights Week “How would you help? Options, services, and hope for crime survivors,” it is a little-known fact that the DA’s Office is the largest provider of victim services in San Diego County. There are currently 20 Victim Advocates in the San Diego County District Attorney’s Victim Assistance Program. In 2023, they assisted 9,942 new crime victims. This assistance included 814 crisis interventions and 11,865 resources and referrals. See what they do, in this video!
In this week’s DA News, DA Summer Stephan talks about Child Abuse Prevention and Awareness Month, and the importance of mandated reporters’ duty to report suspect child abuse. She also reminds us all about keeping our homes safe for children. To learn more about Mandated Reporters, CLICK HERE.
In this week’s DA news, District Attorney Summer Stephan talks about an important conference where the FBI, local law enforcement and schools coordinate how to detect, report and prevent school threats.
What is a school threat? How do you report it? What are local law enforcement agencies and schools doing to prevent targeted violence?
In this video, District Attorney Summer Stephan explains what is being done locally about school threats and acts of violence, what is considered a school threat and what you can do if you think someone is threatening targeted violence at a school. This was also the focus at the 2024 San Diego School Threat Assessment Conference, organized by the FBI and the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office at Qualcomm headquarters today.
This two-day conference will provide information, tools, and resources to assist San Diego-area educational institutions in preventing acts of targeted violence. The target audience for this conference includes school safety and student services directors and managers, mental and behavioral health professionals, and law enforcement personnel, particularly School Resource Officers and University or College Police investigators. Attendees are provided with resources and information to take back to their schools, districts, and departments to share.