November 2007 Archives
The Los Angeles Police Department is hosting a blood drive
today on behalf of Officer Tony Salazar, who was hit by a car
during an undercover drug investigation in Boyle Heights last week.
The drive will take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the LAPD’s Parker
Center, 150 N. Los Angeles St. downtown.
The donation will benefit Salazar as well as other patients at USC
University Hospital, Kenneth Norris Cancer Center and USC Medical
Center. Blood donations this time of year are critically low.
Salazar broke both legs when he was hit by a car driven by Joe G. Ortiz,
23, of Boyle Heights. Ortiz later turned himself in. Salazar remains
hospitalized.
For more information on the blood drive, call Patty Hunt at 818-451-9212.
I bet there are a few happy cops out there saying that justice is sweet. A thorn in the side of LAPD and other local police agencies, Stephen Yagman was sentenced to three years in prison for tax evasion.
Apparently, Yagman, who made a career out of suing law enforcement, was sporting some serious theatrics in court.
From LA Times:
In an unusual courtroom hearing that spanned three days, Yagman and his attorneys painstakingly went over the evidence in the case and accused the U.S. attorney of targeting him because of his long and confrontational history with the federal government.
"A cage went in search of a bird," Yagman told U.S. District Judge Stephen V. Wilson, quoting from Franz Kafka's book "The Zurau Aphorisms." "I'm the bird, and they got me."
Wearing a blue suit and a sailboat-decorated tie, Yagman also quoted from, or referred to, Woody Allen, Abraham Lincoln and Socrates during more than four hours of oration. At times, he was remorseful, but for the most part, he was defensive.
Due to a family emergency, I will not be posting as often. Meantime, though, check out Tony Castro's piece today about a guy named Paul Gelb, a Holocaust survivor who became involved with the Mafia, running New York strip joints and a money-skimming operation that ultimately landed him in a California federal prison in the 1990s. If that doesn't get your day going, I don't know what will. dailynews.com
Notorious BIG's family has long maintained that the LAPD covered up key evidence in his murder. And yesterday the U.S. District Court Judge Florence-Marie Cooper ruled that Detectives Stanley Nalywaiko and Stuart Maislin of the Los Angeles Police Department's Risk Management Group, along with Detective Steven Katz can be added as defendants in the Wallace family's wrongful death lawsuit against the City of Los Angeles.
"Judge Cooper's ruling today gives the family a chance to prove to the world that police were involved in the murder -- and that high officials have covered up for those officers," said Wallace family's lead attorney, Perry R. Sanders, Jr.
The estate of Christopher Wallace, A.K.A Biggie Smalls sent out a press release.
Whatever way it ends up, it's a shame that such a great voice was lost. It's just one of hundreds of violent murders that occur everyday in the streets but so many of those stories don't get told.
Here's a little tribute to Biggie. And one of his most memorable songs, Big Poppa.
"If you got a gun up in your waist please don't shoot up the place
Cause I see some ladies tonight who should be havin' my baby
Bay-bee" _ lyrics from Big Poppa
Could it have been love that caused a boyfriend and girlfriend duo, both members of the Clanton Street gang, to allegedly jack a 2000 Saturn the other night in North Hollywood and take the jewelry from the motorist and his female passenger? Or was it spur of the moment? Leo Vasquez, 30, and Angelia M. Langley, 28, are accused in the Nov. 24 heist at Saticoy Street and Coldwater Canyon Avenue in North Hollywood, police said. The two will now spend time apart, housed in separate county jail facilities, facing carjacking charges, with bail set at over $1 million, said Los Angeles Police Detective Sean Mahoney. Langley, unemployed from Torrance, and Vasquez, a driver from the Rampart area, were arrested by, get this, school police who were flagged down by a friend of the owner of the Saturn, who happened to spot the car rolling on Norris Avenue in Pacoima last night, Mahoney said. Apparently, Mahoney said, the duo were on their way to Langley's sister's house in Pacoima when they were arrested. Smart move, huh?
There were a couple of noteworthy incidents from overnight:
- A robbery was reported just after noon yesterday in the 22700 block of Hatteras Street in Woodland Hills. The suspect approached two construction workers at their construction site. The suspect displayed a gun and demanded money. The victims complied and the suspect took off south on foot.
- A robbery was reported last night before 11 at a Mobil gas station in the 4300 block of Vineland Avenue in North Hollywood. In this case, a female suspect entered a location, pulled a gun, pointed it at the employee and demands the money in the cash register. A second suspect, meanwhile, did not enter the location but stood outside the front door and acted as a look out. The employee complied and gave the suspect money from the cash register. Both suspects took off on foot with $400 cash.
Pat Aidem out in Santa Clarita follows up today on the death of 20-year-old Joshua Pipho, an audio technician planning to go to college, who was rammed by a car, stabbed and then run over again about 12:15 a.m. Saturday while trying to stop a group from vandalizing a friend's truck, his friends and family said Monday. A friend, Chad White, also 20, was stabbed multiple times and remained hospitalized Monday in critical condition.
Beth wrote a piece today looking at the fact that there are too few park rangers to actually patrol all the hillside parks in the Malibu area. And the question remains whether if they had enough rangers, would they have been able to prevent this last fire, likely sparked by some jerks who apparently gave no thought about their actions. The fire was one of the worst in the area's history and it left 53 homes burnt to the ground and caused more money out to be taken out of the pockets of California taxpayers for fire response. It's unlikely that there will be increased funding for park rangers next year as the state is facing a $10 billion structural deficit.
Los Angeles Police Department just forwarded over a couple of recent incidents for the blotter:
- A carjacking was reported Nov. 21 at 8:45 p.m. at Amestoy Avenue and Saticoy Street in Van Nuys. It began when the victim had given the two suspects a ride. One suspect told the victim to pull over and then tried to convine him to sign a bill of sale for his truck. The victim refused, so the suspect struck him in the head with a Mag flashlight and a struggle for the car keys ensued. A second suspect grabbed the victim around the neck, but the victim was able to escape with a bruise and a cut to the eye. The suspects took off in the victim’s vehicle.
- A robbery was reported on Nov. 22 at 7:25 p.m. at Sherman Way and Independence Avenue in Canoga Park. It began when a man approached the victim outside a restaurant and pointed a gun at him, then demanded the victim’s property. The victim complied out of fear for his safety. And the suspect fled to a waiting vehicle, where a second suspect was waiting. The suspects fled north on Independence. No injuries were reported.
Keeping you up to speed on a police pursuit that traveled through the Valley this morning. On TV news, you could see the guy jump out of the stolen car at one point, hop over the Ventura Freeway center divider near Laurel Canyon Boulevard and manage to run across several lanes of freeway traffic before hopping into some underbrush, and then getting caught by police in an anticlimactic ending to something that could have gone badly.
Here's the story.
STUDIO CITY - A suspected carjacker reportedly driving at more than 100 mph led police on a freeway chase in the San Fernando Valley today before he abandoned his vehicle, ran across lanes and was finally captured, authorities said.The suspect, who was driving a maroon Toyota Camry, was going east on the Ventura (101) Freeway when he ran over a median near the junction with the 134 Freeway, then abandoned the car near Vineland Avenue, according to a live TV broadcast.
Our own Lisa Friedman out of Washington has a story today about Rep. Laura Richardson who wants to criminalize the hanging of nooses. Richardson says this is a "horrible symbol of racism" and hanging one in public should be a crime. It is the Long Beach Democrat's first legislative act of her congressional career. Some civil rights organizations and Democratic leaders say the legislation pits protection from hate crimes against freedom of expression - and some are holding back from endorsing the bill.
We've got some wire copy up on Dailynews.com regarding the mysterious Santa Clarita brawl. What a horrible tragedy:
SANTA CLARITA - A candlelight vigil was held last night for a 20-year-old former high school athlete who was fatally stabbed while trying to break up a fight in a Stevenson Ranch parking lot, and another young man who was critically injured.
About 200 friends and family members were at the vigil for Joshua Pipho.
"He's gone and he's too young and he's not going to get to fulfill the dreams that he had," his mother said.
"He was a good person, the best boyfriend ever," Brianna Castaneda said.
Pipho, 20, of Canyon Country, was stabbed in a parking lot of a condominium complex in the 25200 block of of Steinbeck Avenue, near Stevenson Ranch Parkway, about 12:15 a.m. Saturday, said coroner's Lt. John Kades.
About 10-15 people were gathered at the location when the altercation occurred, said Deputy Hugo Macias of the Sheriff's Headquarters Bureau.
Josh's friends told the TV station that he showed up at the location to stop a fight, but things escalated.
"The driver hit Josh and got out of the car and started stabbing him, and then got back in his car and ran him over. And then he started chasing after everyone else and ended up hitting my friend Chad, then he got out of the car again and started stabbing my friend Chad," Matt Hager told the TV station.
Chad remained in critical condition tonight, according to the TV station.
No suspect information was immediately available, Macias said.
It was unclear what the altercation was about, he said.
Anyone with information about the fight was asked to call sheriff's homicide detectives at (323) 890-5500.
I ran across this late on Dailynews.com.
TOLUCA LAKE -Two Los Angeles police officers remained hospitalized tonight after their patrol car collided with another vehicle in Toluca Lake while they were responding to a burglary call, authorities said.
The officers' car reportedly overturned at Riverside Drive and Cahuenga Boulevard at 3:15 a.m., officials said.
Both suffered various lacerations and other injuries, an LAPD spokeswoman said.
It was unclear if the motorist in the other car was injured.
An investigation into the collision is continuing.
No details yet, but it definitely sounds like an unfortunate evening. Hopefully, all involved will end up OK.
Wow. I can't imagine what it would be like to put together a story like this.
Even after Addie and I split, I would still drop in on Li’l Mike. When he saw me walk in the door, he’d get this really big smile on his face, rush over and punch me in the leg. But eventually the visits faded, and the last time I saw Mike he was maybe 6 or 7 years old. Then last summer, Addie called. I hadn’t spoken to her in years. Michael, now 19, had been arrested and charged with a gang-related murder.
Michael Krikorian, formerly of the Times, now an aspiring novelist, wrote this searingly memorable first person piece in the New York Times Magazine about his ex-girlfriend's son who turned out not to be his kid. It's a hell of a story, but I'm sure glad I'm not writing it. Well done, Mr. Krikorian.
I saw this one in our regional roundup today and it left me scratching my head.
STEVENSON RANCH - Deputies found one man dead and another suffering from critical stab wounds in a parking lot in the 25200 block of Steinbeck Avenue early today, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said.
Witnesses say the stabbings happened after a melee involving 10 to 15 men.
Deputies were responding to a report of an assault about 12:15 a.m. when they found the victims, officials said. They identified both victims only as white men. Paramedics pronounced one dead at the scene and rushed the other to a local hospital.
Deputies ask anyone with information on the assault to call the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500.
I didn't make the call, so I'm not sure what spurred this, but golly, that sounds like a big fight for a sleepy, little subdivision. I had a girlfriend in college who lived up there and all her neighbors were cops.... I'll see if the sheriff's deputies would care to share more later on when this fire calms down a bit.
6:05 p.m. UPDATE- (or lack thereof)... Nope. I talked to Lt. Gump and a deputy down in homicide. The investigators are still on scene and have no updates. If we get anything more, I'll post it here later.
The headline above came from a long-ago three-day weekend, where a copy editor judged the death toll to be somewhat minor. I thought it was an interesting phrase at the time, cut it out and taped it to my old desk. It's probably still there with all the other stuff I left when they moved me over with the rest of the Metro folks.
A news item out of El Sereno caught my eye and reminded me of that odd concept. I'll paste it below.
A 27-year-old man turned himself in to police early this morning after allegedly shooting his brother-in-law to death following a Thanksgiving celebration, according to a detective.
Mario Gutierrez, 37, died after being shot in the chest around 8:40 p.m. as he left a family gathering in 4400 block of Verdemour Avenue in El Sereno, said Los Angeles Police Department Detective Scott Smith.
Gutierrez was declared dead at the scene, Smith said.
The shooting followed a dispute that took place as the victim was leaving the party, the detective said.
Police were continuing the investigation.
The suspect, whose identity has not yet been released, turned himself in around 2 a.m., Smith said.
Formal murder charges were pending, Smith said.
This is apparently not all that uncommon. Hans and I rode with the Southeast gang unit for a story around this time last year and the officers were remarking at the time that holidays are magnets for homicide.
I suppose it's not that hard to fathom. You're packed together with your relatives, there's holiday stress, old family arguments and a new boyfriend, aunt, brother, whomever to change the family dynamic. Add in some alcohol and, pretty soon, shouting turns to pushing, then pushing turns to punching. Then someone grabs a knife, someone else goes for their gun and, all of a sudden, you have one of the most horrible things you could imagine.
Even if the killings are infrequent and the holiday seems relatively untragic, that doesn't matter if it's your relative who got toe-tagged and taken to the morgue. Our condolences, as always, go out to the Gutierrez family. Talk about a rotten way to remember the holiday every year going forward.
Just when you thought you heard it all, there's something new. This is downright bizarre.
A drunken man broke into a central London park and attempted to have sex with a fence, a court heard. Daniel French, 24, made "sexual motions" towards metal railings in Leicester Square Gardens after being challenged by police in the early hours of Sunday morning, Westminster Magistrates' Court was told.
Nothing like a little dust up to get Black Friday started right. Just after midnight apparently outside a Northridge Circuit City, cops were called out to respond to pushing and shoving among shoppers angling to get a better spot in line.
NORTHRIDGE - Tempers flared early this morning among shoppers camped in line outside a Circuit City store in Northridge and police were called to clear the parking lot.Police said that shoppers had camped out there all night to be first in the door and that apparently they were arguing in line.
The first officer who responded to the store parking lot at 12:10 this morning tried to disperse the crowd, but encountered resistance from the shoppers at the store, which is near the intersection of Plummer Street and Tampa Avenue.
Private security officers apparently didn't want any shoppers lined up before 3 a.m., police said. But some people started waiting before midnight because of a special sale at the store, Mills said.
When some shoppers began arguing about their positions in line, security officers called police.
There were no reports of physical altercations.
"Apparently they're all happy now," said Lt. Lydia Mills. "They're back in line and waiting."
Mills estimated there were 150 to 200 people in line outside the store.
I'm still recovering from all the food yesterday and I bet you are too. I hope you had a good holiday. Just a little observation. On the way in to work this morning, I spotted a line snaking halfway around Fry's in Woodland Hills, eager holiday shoppers who braved standing in chilly temperatures overnight for first dibs on HD TVs, no doubt. A news chopper hovered overhead documenting the action. I can't wait to get mine. You'd have to pay me to stand in line.
Back to work today. The Times had an interesting piece about the low number of claims made on the rewards offered by police for information in unsolved crimes. Fewer than 10 percent are given out. latimes.com
I did a similar story in 2004 (below) under the headline 'Silence is its own reward.'
Sixteen days after Naif ``Nick'' Sahoum was gunned down in a stickup at the Lankershim Mini Market in North Hollywood, police posted a $50,000 reward for information leading to his killer.There have been no takers in the three weeks since it was offered.
This comes as no surprise to Los Angeles officials, who in the last five years have offered nearly $8.4 million for help in solving 337 crimes, but paid only $533,500 as rewards in just 21 cases - most of them homicides.
``Usually, a reward is a last resort,'' said LAPD Detective Mike Coffey of the North Hollywood Division, who solved the March 1999 murder of Andres Munoz Castillo based on an informant's tip spurred by a $25,000 reward offer.
``When it pays off - probably only one out of 10 times - it's very gratifying. It's welcome news. No matter what it takes to solve a case, whether it's a reward or not, most of the time, we can't do it without the help from other people.''
Although information provided by a tipster has resulted in convictions in just 6 percent of the cases in which a reward was offered, detectives and city officials say the money often is their last hope in solving a case that has gone cold.
``In most cases, you know that the money is not going to matter,'' said Detective Rick Swanston, of the Los Angeles Police Department's West Valley Division, who in his 22 years has only seen reward money paid out in one murder case.
``You've got to try it anyway. The chances are, the money isn't going to be what pushes somebody over the edge. But there's always a chance it could.''
To help persuade more informants to come forward, the City Council voted in June to increase the reward from $25,000 to $50,000 for homicides, rapes, robberies, hate crimes and other serious offenses. The reward for shootings at police officers was raised to $75,000
It's too early to say what effect the increase will have, but one critic believes it won't have much.
``It doesn't make any difference what amount of money you wave in front of their faces,'' said Gilbert Geis, an emeritus professor of criminology at the University of California, Irvine. ``It's not the amount of the money; it's the strength of the impulse to turn somebody in.''
The typical reward offer is good for 60 days but can be renewed. The amount paid out depends on the quality of the information, and whether it leads to a conviction in the case. Police officers, news reporters and accomplices in the crime cannot receive rewards.
The City Council determines how much the informant ultimately receives.
``There doesn't have to be a conviction to receive the reward,'' said Detective Jim Dawson of the LAPD's Investigative Analysis Unit, which coordinates reward offers with detectives and the City Council.
``We can't control what a jury will do. They can be anonymous. If they want to keep their information confidential, we will keep them confidential.''
City Councilman Dennis Zine, a retired LAPD sergeant, said the city will do whatever it needs to get information to solve serious crimes.
``We're looking for justice,'' he said. ``We know that there's at least one witness to most crimes. We have to somehow bring these witnesses forward.''
But many witnesses do not come forward - reward offer or not - out of fear, intimidation or the stigma of being a snitch.
``Nine times out of 10, I don't get any results from rewards,'' said Detective Luis Romero, of the 77th Division's homicide unit. ``One time I had a guy who came forward but didn't want to go to court. He didn't want to be a snitch. Without his testimony, there was no way that case would be prosecuted.''
Mayor James Hahn called on witnesses to stand up to the crime running rampant across the city. He believes that increasing the amount of the reward offers bolsters crime fighting efforts to take back the streets.
``Increasing rewards tells our community partners that the city of Los Angeles appreciates their courage and conviction to make our neighborhoods and our police officers safer,'' he said.
Police have high hopes of solving the fatal shooting of Sahoum, who was killed June 29 by a long-haired white man in a baseball cap. The slaying was captured by a surveillance camera in his store.
Officials have publicized a blurry image from the surveillance video and hope the reward will convince someone who knows the suspect to come forward and identify him.
``The pain will never go away,'' said Zaher ``Jeff'' Hawara, 39, Sahoum's friend and co-owner of the Lankershim Mini Market. ``Fifty thousand dollars is a lot of money. It will help. I'm not saying it will solve the problem. But I'm pretty sure it will help.''
Something looked unusual as LAPD Sgt. Christopher Crosby swung 19 George 80 down Nordhoff Street onto Columbus Avenue. The streets once prowled by homeboys were now walked by women, strolling unaccompanied down the street with groceries and strollers.
"Man, look at that -- ladies walking their dogs," Crosby marveled. "You never used to see that."
Long a problem area, even with the federal and city-funded Safer City Initiative officers on patrol, North Hills was quiet Tuesday night. Crime rates leaped earlier this year in spite of the dozens of extra officers, but as Crosby pointed the Crown Victoria left on Rayen Street, then right on Kester Avenue, things looked downright placid.
"We came by here," he said, pointing at the Sepulveda Recreation Center, "late last night, around 2, and people were playing tennis. Tennis! But if we don't keep it up, the gangs will come right back."
Crosby, a surfer, martial artist and dog enthusiast, serves as the Mission Division's gang sergeant. He's friendly, laid-back and looks pretty much like you'd expect a cop to look.
As a kid, he was a trim baseball player, but at 18, he grew five inches to his present 6-foot-3 and hit the weight room. He topped out at 285 pounds and in his vest, gunbelt and blues, he cuts an imposing figure.
The streets were pretty empty and the radio was all but silent as Crosby eyed dark streets and peered into cars. Shrugging off the cold that blanketed the late November air, he stopped for a cup of coffee.
"I'm gonna order the manliest drink there is," he said, voice dropping an octave.
A few minutes later, he had his peppermint Frappuccino, with extra mint and whipped cream, in hand and his slick-top was headed northeast toward Sylmar. He called out the demarcation between Astoria Garden Locos and San Fer territory along the way, pointing out the liquor stores and motels they use to meet and scheme.
There was a call of a 459 Hot Prowl on the outer edge of the 28-square-mile division and the gang units headed up to see what was afoot. Turned out to be nothing. As did a door knock on a Paca with a drug charge who wasn't home. Up and down the streets, all around the territory, everything was sleepy.
By 10:15 p.m., the soccer games back on Columbus had died down, but the cars kept churning, looking for anything suspicious. A few gaunt, wild-eyed men scurried around, couples kissed goodnight and men tried to jump start their cars back into working order.
Eventually, a Valerio Street gangster turned up on Kester and Rayen. He was 19 and skinny, known as Silent. He wore a Saints jersey, Raiders jacket, baggy jeans and low-top Reeboks. A pair of young gang officers, just off their probation in 77th, had him hooked on the edge of the soccer field. Everyone was calm.
"So what's going on, man?" Crosby asked.
"Nothin'," Silent said. "Just tryin' to visit my kid."
His high school girlfriend and baby son lived across the street. He'd run from the cops before and they'd busted him for meth possession in the past.
"Are you on probation?" one officer asked him.
"Not that I know of," Silent replied.
"You don't recognize us?" the cop said. "That hurts."
"Man, and we were the ones who arrested you, too," his partner said.
"Your name's all over the neighborhood," Crosby chimed in. "Why do we see 'Silent' on the walls?"
"I don't do that no more," Silent said. "Since I got out. Since my son was born."
"Oh, well is there another Silent?" Crosby asked. "A Big Silent? A Little Silent? How about Very Silent?"
While awaiting for a probation officer attached to the unit to arrive, Crosby shot the breeze with the gangster, advising him to go back to school and find a career. He slipped in questions about VST's activities, asking who was beefing with who and who was friendly. Silent did not live up to his name.
"If you guys were to take me in for some reason, could you take me to say goodbye to my girl and my son?" he asked.
"Absolutely," Crosby told him.
Silent shifted and yawned nervously in the cold, his eyes a little watery. The gangster's cell phone rang and his girlfriend wondered why he was taking so long. But he came up clean, with no outstanding warrants or drugs in his pockets, so they searched him and Crosby wished him a good night.
A couple blocks later, the unit pulled over a couple more gangsters. They claimed they were on their way to church, but, given the fact that the clock was close to midnight, it seemed rather unlikely. One ended up in a squad car and by the time the cops and probation searched his home for a weapon, his father was very, very disappointed in the way his son's evening finished out.
By the time the unit circled back to the station, things were even slower. No shootings, no foot pursuits, barely even any lawbreakers out on the streets. And that seemed just fine with all involved.
Photos by Hans Gutknecht, staff photographer
The best laid plans of mice and men -- three men tied up a Poquito Mas employee and forced him to give up the restaurant's alarm code. But after getting inside the restaurant they got a little skittish and decided to cancel the job and disappear.
- The incident was reported about 6:20 yesterday morning when an employee was about to open the restaurant in the 21000 block of Ventura Boulevard in Woodland Hills. The employee had just parked his car and was approaching the business when the suspects approached. One man, armed with a knife, ordered the victim to enter their vehicle where he was tied up. The suspects demanded the alarm code to the restaurant then two of the men attempted to disarm the alarm and entered the business. Once inside, they apparently got a little nervous fearing they did not disarm the alarm. So they took off without having taken anything. The suspects took the victim’s wallet and fled in their vehicle. The victim was not injured.
- In other crime related news, police received a call about a robbery just after midnight this morning in the 4900 block of Haskell Avenue in Sherman Oaks. A female victim pulled into her driveway and was sitting in her vehicle with the door ajar when the suspect approached. The suspect with a gun at his hip demanded the victim’s purse but she refused to give it up and instead they struggled over it. The suspect then demanded her cell phone that she gave to him before he took off.
There's a great piece in Chicago Magazine about the old story of the CIA/Mob tale of the attempt to try to get Fidel Castro whacked. The CIA courted a former FBI agent turned private eye to recruit members of the Mob to target Castro in 1960 to be timed to coincide with the failed Bay of Pigs Invasion. What follows is the tale as told by that former private eye, Robert Maheu, who is now 90-years-old and lives in Vegas. He just may be the last living major player in the CIA's efforts to assassinate Castro, Chicago Magazine says.
The CIA. In bed with the mob. With him as the matchmaker? It was . . . crazy. How could an arm of the federal government team with Murder, Inc.?The two men acknowledged his discomfort, shared it, even. In a perfect world, they would never have asked this of him or any citizen. But in this case, the interests of national security justified it. Think of Hitler, the lives that could have been saved had he been taken out before the launch of World War II, they said.
The analogy pricked The Fixer's conscience. Still, he said, "I have to think about it, think very deeply. I'll give you my answer tomorrow."
Every gangster I've ever met, repentant or otherwise, tells variations on the same story. Usually, they're poor, their parents are either split up or both working and they have no one to look out for them after school lets out. And so, without anyone to fill the void, they hang out with a bunch of other kids, get into trouble and, pretty soon, it's too late to get out of the lifestyle.
Ten years ago, after a particularly sad gang shooting that killed a little girl, the City of Los Angeles tried to step in where parents could not. It funded the Bridges program, a series of after school programs to help kids who might fall in with gangs. Rather than hanging out and getting in trouble, they brushed up on their studies, played sports and went on trips.
There are basically two kinds of stories told about programs like this:
1.) "I could have joined a gang, but instead I joined a team," said a student.
2.) "This is a waste of my taxpayer dollars," complained someone somehow connected to politics.
I joined the long list of chroniclers when I went to Sutter Middle School on Thursday night. I'm not sure where my story fits in the cavalcade of pieces over the years, but I hope it showed that the program got through, at least to some of the 3,000 or so kids who've passed through it over the years.
And I will say this: after a long day at the office, dealing with not-very-cooperative people on the phone, crimes and corporate greed, it was nice to see a bunch of kids having a good time. Will programs like Bridges cut off gangs' recruiting base for the next generation? Probably not all on their own, but it certainly seems like a good start.
Don't yet know if these two following robberies are related. But they both involved at least two guys, one with a getaway driver, and both were in Van Nuys.
Police reported a robbery last night just after 9 last night at Victory Boulevard and Fulton Avenue in Van Nuys. Two male Hispanics approached a man as he was walking to his car when a third suspect pointed a gun at him. Another suspect held the victim and the gunman picked his wallet before taking off in a car. No other details were immediately available.
Another robbery was reported Saturday about 7 p.m. at Van Noord Avenue and Sarah Street in Van Nuys. This is the way police say it went down. The victim was walking north on Van Noord approaching Sarah when two, male Hispanics approached him from behind. One of them pointed a gun at the Victim’s head demanded him move closer to the house where it was dark, then asked him what do you have. The victim, in fear, complied and told them what property he had. Then a second suspect picked the victim’s pockets and took his property before both suspects ran away.
On Sunday, just before 1 a.m., a guy was shot in the chest in the 6700 block of Sepulveda Boulevard in Van Nuys. Police responded to Valley Presbyterian Hospital from a call of a victim of a gunshot wound to the right side of his chest. The victim was at a Bar outside the front with friends when all of a sudden he heard a single gun shot and noticed he had been shot. The victim’s friends took him to the hospital where he is listed in stable condition. Officers responded to the location of the shooting and were unable to locate any witnesses or evidence.
The number of hate crimes reported in L.A. was 211 in 2006, compared with 219 the year before. The Los Angeles Times reports a jump of 8 percent nationwide. dailynews.com latimes.com
The rice has fallen, the doves have flown away, The Wedding March has faded away and the Newlywed Bandits will rob no more.
Mr. Blackmoore at LA Noir caught this off CBS-2: it seems that Rayceana and Paul's alleged crime spree has come to an end.
The so-called Newlywed Bandits, suspected in five Los Angeles-area bank robberies in a three-week span, were arrested in Las Vegas at the end of a police pursuit, authorities said.
Rayceana Rachael Rocha, 22 and Paul Harlen Meyercamp, Jr., 26, allegedly robbed a pedestrian and carjacked a vehicle in Las Vegas, then led police on a pursuit, said FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller.
Rocha, who was driving, crashed the vehicle and was taken into custody at the scene. Meyercamp was taken into custody following a brief foot pursuit, she said.
As Mr. Blackmoore so aptly puts it: who says romance is dead?
California is second behind Pennsylvania for having the second highest number of juveniles sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole, the Los Angeles Times reports.
California currently has 227 inmates serving such sentences for crimes committed before they turned 18; Pennsylvania has 433, according to a new study by the University of San Francisco's Center for Law and Global Justice.
Fog rolls in
Bob Hope Airport was shut down this morning because of thick fog. dailynews.com
'Newlywed Bandits' nabbed
The so-called Newlywed Bandits, believed to be responsible for five Los Angeles-area bank robberies in a three-week span, were in custody today in Las Vegas. dailynews.com Earlier
Where are the Ski Mask Bandits?
Where'd they go? The Ski Mask Bandits hit 52 restaurants, left a trail of violence, national attention, caused the cops to put out a $75,000 reward, then, in September 2006, they disappeared. "They've been quiet for a year, knock on wood," said LAPD Deputy Chief Michel Moore, head of the Valley Bureau. "Don't wake them up, OK?" dailynews.com
New cop shop coming to Valley
New Valley station coming. dailynews.com
Mr. Becerra at our downtown competitor went cruising with the South Bureau gang unit in Southeast division.
Saturday night, July 21, and it's been slow in South Los Angeles, scary slow. Two Los Angeles police officers stop a pair of young gang members for jaywalking, a good excuse to ask some questions.
When was the last shooting in the neighborhood? Officer Brandon Valdez asks. One of the gang members tells him it was probably "when my boy" was killed about a month ago, there by the church.
Valdez scribbles on a field interview card, which will be used to update the young man's gang profile.
The gang member, a lanky 20-year-old who goes by the name Mally, chews coolly on a toothpick. A large gilded crucifix dangles from his neck as he and a friend slouch, handcuffed, against a rusting gate on a street corner just west of the Nickerson Gardens projects.
Much like the night itself, the full story starts slowly and builds in dramatic intensity when violence breaks out. It's a great piece, well worth the time to read the whole thing. Rick Loomis compliments the words nicely with some great photos.
The most chilling moment to me didn't come during the actual shooting, however, but when a 14-year-old tries to confess to possessing a gun, so his big homie won't get arrested. I always want to believe in people's ability to turn themselves around, but if you're volunteering to pick up a case at an age where you should be still learning algebra, the future does not look bright.
And Mr. Becerra does a great job of showing exactly that.
Hans and I spent some time in the Southside while working on our series on Kristina Ripatti and
There are a lot of guns and there's a lot of anger down there. It's not surprising. When you're stacked into rundown apartments and your neighbors were shooting at you, it's not hard to see why you might be tempted to pick up a gun. Then a fight breaks out, another young kid who happens to be walking past gets killed and the cycle begins anew.
The thing that's most striking is the crowds that gather 'round. The story and its companion slideshow capture that really well. Cops wade into these disputes, sometimes with a kid bleeding his life away in the middle, and they're surrounded by dozens and dozens of onlookers.
Some are just curious, some have more malicious intents. Even on minor traffic stops, you can have 50 people clustered around, watching and offering commentary. And yet, when it comes time to ask who pulled the trigger, miraculously, no one saw nothin'. Some other mother's son goes to the morgue and everyone else goes on with their lives.
Well, so much for that one... the controversial mural on the side of the liquor store at Saticoy and Hesperia got the boot. Rick's got the story.
RESEDA - After pressure from community residents and city officials, a controversial liquor store mural, which sparked heated debate over whether it was art or graffiti, has been removed.
The mural, dedicated to former tagger and tattoo artist Anthony "Ohjae" Sena, who was shot to death in May 2006, was in violation of city code and was painted over Thursday with the permission of the property owner, officials said Friday.
"The community in Reseda was very upset about the mural," said Jose Maldonado, a senior lead officer with the Los Angeles Police Department's West Valley Division.
It seems Jeff Measles, who helped put the mural together in honor of his late friend, didn't get his permits in order, nor did he expect the controversy it would cause. He remains undaunted: "I'm planning on doing another mural, probably next year, and, this time, do it right," Measles said..
Sounds like a good compromise. Hopefully, he can find a good place for to pay tribute to Mr. Sena where people can enjoy it, rather than fight. And the people of Reseda get their liquor store wall back, too.
Previously, Community paints Reseda mural controversy.
Gangs, libraries and Ohjae, too.
The FBI is on the hunt for a pair of brigands known as "The Newlywed Bandits". Touching name, huh?
The feds suspect Rayceana Racheal Rocha, left, and Paul Harlan Meyercamp Jr., right, in a string of bank robberies last month ranging from La Habra to Claremont. After the bureau released pictures of the duo in action last week, they got tips that led them to publicly accuse the two.
Paul's a parolee, Rayceana is a student at Rio Hondo Community College in Whittier. That's particularly noteworthy, in that Rio Hondo has a prominent Police Academy. If she's guilty of the alleged crimes, something tells me she might want to ditch classes for awhile, lest some of her fellow students in the law enforcement department happen to notice her.
LAPD consent decree in the news
The Los Angeles Police Department continues to need to improve its investigation of use-of-force cases - particularly officer-involved shootings - to satisfy the terms of a federal consent decree, a court-appointed monitor reported Thursday. dailynews.com
Phony art
A family of art dealers faces civil charges for allegedly selling cheap and unauthorized works as authentic, fine art reproductions for thousands of dollars. dailynews.com
Death sentence urged for gangster
A Canyon Country gang member who recruited gang associates to kill a Rancho Dominguez businessman at the behest of the victim's sister should get the death penalty, a jury has recommended. dailynews.com
Something completely different
Two Vietnamese police officers have been imprisoned for helping a woman on Death Row become pregnant so she would not have to face the firing squad. dailynews.com
Greetings, dear readers. After a few days of technical difficulties, we seem to have everything, including the comments issue, ironed out. Thank you for your patience as we got our affairs in order and we'll have more good stuff for ya soon.
The latest news this morning here in the Valley is about the arrest of a man in connection with a stabbing from this summer. In short, a group of folks were hanging out drinking. A fight broke out. A stabbing occurred. Here's the story.
A 35-year-old laborer was arrested yesterday in connection with the alcohol-fueled fatal stabbing of a 25-year-old Panorama City man this summer, police said.Alberto Carrillo Deisidro, a 35-year-old laborer from Sun Valley, was arrested before noon yesterday at his work at a marble countertop cutting place in Palmdale, said Los Angeles Police Department Detective Jim Freund.
He was being held at the Los Angeles County Jail on a murder charge in connection with the slaying of David De La Cruz, who was found suffering from multiple stab wounds in the hallway of a three-story apartment building around 5:20 a.m. July 22 in the 8900 block of Tobias Avenue.
Our own Dennis McCarthy today writes a column about former Los Angeles County District Attorney Gil Garcetti, whose passion comes to life in moving photographs of the difficult lives led by women and children in villages of West Africa. Garcetti's photographs are on display at UCLA's Fowler museum at the same time his old nemesis, O.J. Simpson, was ordered to stand trial on kidnapping, armed robbery and other charges in Vegas. Garcetti's not surprised. Go figure. dailynews.com
Three Pacoima gangsters have been charged and a fourth person was being sought in connection with an hours-long carjack and robbery spree that spanned the northern part of the San Fernando Valley, police said this morning.
The case began Nov. 3 when the suspects took a car at gunpoint in the 16900 block of Devonshire Street in Granada Hills, then crashed it, police said. They then tried to steal another car, but failed and instead robbed the victim, said Los Angeles Police Department Detective Dave Peteque. They then robbed somone else before going to a gas station where they approached three women in a Mitsubishi Montero, and asked them if they wanted to party before ordering them at gunpoint them to drive to another location where they picked up a friend, Peteque said.
Brent wrote a tale of a modern-day Robin Hood, Julio Cesar Rodriguez, an Arleta man who purportedly told cops he stole from banks since 2004 to pay himself cash and to take some of it to Skid Row in downtown L.A. (Yeah, that's what I'd tell the cops too if I were facing more than dozen counts of bank robbery.) You know, Al Capone once described himself as Robin Hood too, even donating money to soup kitchens during the depression.
Riverside County sheriff's Deputy Ron Johnson stands near a home in Temecula, Monday, Nov. 12, where five people were fatally shot Sunday. Four died on the scene and one died later in a hospital. (AP Photo/The Press-Enterprise, Ed Crisostomo)
The Times today follows up on the dark story of the murder suicide that left five dead in Temecula on Sunday. The story describes the victims - a hardworking single mother who was raising twin 15-year-old daughters, who she hoped one day would become responsible, churchgoing adults.
"I love my mom! She's the coolest ever," Nikita Williams wrote on her Web page. "My mom is truely who i look up to."By all accounts, Naomi Grangroth was a hardworking single mother devoted to her 15-year-old twin daughters. Her hope, she told friends, was to raise them to become responsible, churchgoing adults.
On Tuesday, however, friends and relatives were struggling to understand how this 34-year-old mother's dream could end so suddenly, and so violently.
Grangroth, Nikita and her sister, Narissa, died Sunday at a Temecula house -- apparent victims of a murder-suicide shooting that took the lives of five people in a quiet cul-de-sac. Also found dead were Grangroth's boyfriend, Jeffrey Blixt, 45, and his 17-year-old son, Matthew.
Authorities are still trying to determine who fired the gun that killed all five people in Blixt's home near Temeku Hills Golf and Country Club. Sheriff's spokesman Dennis Gutierrez said that news reports indicating Matthew Blixt was the shooter "can't be confirmed at this time." Autopsies will be performed today or Thursday and could reveal who the killer was.
Jason beat me to the punch in posting this