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Los Angeles Police Chief William Bratton has been awarded the honorary title of Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire -- one step below knighthood -- for his help with policing throughout Britain. The rare honor by Queen Elizabeth was announced Thursday.

Foreclosure fraud is hitting the San Fernando Valley hard, said a LAPD detective recently at a community meeting in Porter Ranch. Scammers read through public default notices and contact people by mail or in person.

Scammers take advantage of homeowners who are already feeling vulnerable as they face default, the detective said. Read the full article in the San Fernando Valley Sun.

A new study from Harvard looks at the changes in the Los Angeles Police Department over the last nearly 20 years. Today, 53 percent of new graduates were Latino, compared with 45 percent in 1990.

dailynews.com

Police arrested a 26-year-old man in connection with attempting to kidnap a girl.

José Maldonado was arrested at his house in the 13000 block of Montague Street in Arleta.

He tried to snatch a girl at knifepoint in Arleta, on May 18, 2009, at 4:30 p.m.

The victim told police she was walking home when the suspect got out of a parked car and approached her, wearing a white T-shirt that obscured the lower portion of his face. According to the victim, he then grabbed her, threatened her with a six-inch folding knife and told her to get into the car. At that point, a struggle for control of the knife ensued.

From a distance, the victim's father saw what was happening, so he began yelling and running toward the scuffle, which caused Maldonado to stop what he was doing, get back into his car and drive away.

Detective investigation and resources led to the identification of Maldonado, and he was arrested without incident. He has been booked for attempted kidnapping and is being held on $1 million bail.

Anyone with more information about the incident or who has been a victim of a similar crime is urged to contact Mission Division Detectives Bishop or Gonzales at (818) 838-9810. After hours or on weekends, calls may be directed to a 24-hour, toll-free number at 1-877-LAPD-24-7 (527-3247). Callers may also text "Crimes" with a cell phone or log on to www.lapdonline.org and click on web tips. When using a cell phone, all messages should begin with "LAPD." Tipsters may remain anonymous.

Los Angeles police officers issued hundreds of citations to motorists who failed to yield to pedestrians during a sting operation in Northridge.

The traffic enforcement operation took place on Friday, May 8, 2009 between 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Reseda Boulevard and Vincennes Street.

Although there has been a 17% reduction of auto vs. pedestrian traffic collisions in the San Fernando Valley, there has been a 30% increase of these types of collisions in Devonshire Area, thus far this year. In an effort to increase pedestrian safety, officers from Devonshire Area and Valley Traffic Division conducted aggressive enforcement on the state's pedestrian safety laws, specifically, laws requiring drivers to yield to pedestrians within crosswalks.

The enforcement resulted in 187 motorists being cited primarily for drivers failing to yield to pedestrians crossing within a marked crosswalk. Police officers, in plain clothes, walked across Reseda Boulevard and when motorists failed to yield to the pedestrians they were stopped and cited.

California has a right-of-way law for pedestrians within crosswalks, either marked or unmarked, which requires drivers to yield to pedestrians and exercise due care for their safety.

The Los Angeles Police Department would like to remind motorists and pedestrians to be extra cautious when driving or walking across streets.

For further information contact Detective William Bustos, Valley Traffic Division, at (818) 644-8020.

On Monday evening a man was killed in the parking structure at the Beverly Center. Los Angeles Police Department homicide detectives are investigating the murder.

On May 18, 2009, at 3:11 p.m., officers from Wilshire Area responded to a call for service at the Beverly Center, located at 8500 Beverly Boulevard. When they arrived, the officers found an adult male suffering from several gunshot wounds.

The Los Angeles Fire Department was notified and transported the victim to a local hospital where he died a short time later.

During the investigation, homicide detectives identified the suspect who left the scene before the officers arrived. The suspect, Aubrey Louis Berry, a 23-year-old male, from Georgia was arrested for the murder at the Los Angeles International Airport. Berry is being held on $1 million bail.

Wilshire Area homicide detectives are handling the investigation and are still looking into the motive for the murder.

The victim's identity has not yet been confirmed, pending verification from the Los Angeles Coroner's Office. The victim was identified by friends, family and his publicist as the rapper Dolla, whose real name was Roderick Anthony Burton II.

Anyone with information about the incident is encouraged to contact Wilshire Homicide Detective Frank Carrillo at (213) 473-0446. During off-hours, calls may be directed to a 24-hour, toll-free number at 1-877-LAPD-24-7 (527-3247). Callers may also text "Crimes" with a cell phone or log on to LAPD and click on Web tips. When using a cell phone, all messages should begin with "LAPD." Tipsters may remain anonymous.

Sometimes you gotta wonder what people are thinking.

VAN NUYS - A man accused of firing several rounds from an assault weapon into a parking lot following a domestic dispute pleaded today, the District Attorney's Office announced.

Deputy District Attorney Isidoro Baly of the Van Nuys Branch Office said Amir David Tamado Nejad, 28, of Woodland Hills pleaded no contest to two counts of assault with an assault weapon and admitted special allegations of personal use of an assault weapon. The defendant also admitted a prior strike, a 1998 conviction for conspiracy to commit a drive-by shooting.

Judge Richard Kirschner ordered the defendant to return for sentencing on June 15 in Department G of Van Nuys Superior Court. Nejad is expected to be sentenced to 26 years and eight months in state prison.

Following a domestic dispute between Nejad and his girlfriend on May 25, 2008, the defendant fired five rounds into a parking lot where his girlfriend and a security guard stood. During a search of his apartment, police discovered 12 firearms and more than 200 pounds of ammunition.

Los Angeles police detectives are asking for the public's help in identifying the suspects responsible for the shooting deaths of 25-year-old Alejandro Robleos Perez and 19-year-old Javier Cordero Gonzalez.

The men were killed Saturday, May 16, 2009 about 4:30 a.m. near 2909 West Hyde Park Boulevard. The victims were standing on the sidewalk when the suspects approached them. The suspects suddenly began shooting multiple rounds, killing Perez and Gonzales.

Detectives have not determined whether the shooting is gang related.

Anyone with information regarding this murder investigation is asked to contact Criminal Gang Homicide Group Detectives Kenneth White and Refugio Garza at (213) 485-1383. After hours or on weekends, calls may be directed to a 24-hour, toll-free number at 1-877-LAPD-24-7 (527-3247) or by texting CRIMES (274637) and beginning the message with the letters LAPD. Tipsters may also submit information on the LAPD website: www.lapdonline.org. All tips may remain anonymous.

Los Angeles firefighters say they are continuing to assess nearly 500 square mile jurisdiction from the ground and air.

But so far, there are no major fires, nor major structural damage. No serious injuries have been noted.

A 46-year-old man accused of stealing $100,000 from the Union Rescue Mission, then setting a fire to cover up the crime, pleaded, six days into his on-going jury trial.

Deputy District Attorney Sabrina Corsa said Alvin Synder pleaded no contest to one count each of first-degree residential burglary, grand theft of personal property, arson of property and attempt to burn a structure.

The defendant additionally admitted the allegation that a person was present in the dwelling at the time of the burglary and that the dollar-amount of property taken exceeded $65,000. Synder also admitted one prior strike conviction and four prison priors.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Monica Bachner ordered the defendant to return for sentencing on June 30, 2009, in Department 129 of the Foltz Criminal Justice Center. The defendant remains in custody and is being held without bail.

Synder pleaded open to the court, meaning the plea agreement was not part of a negotiated settlement with the District Attorney's Office. The defendant faces a maximum prison term of 21 years.

The charges stem from an incident on December 2, 2007, during which Synder broke into a safe in the cashier's office of the Union Rescue Mission and took $100,000 in cash and jewelry. A fire was set in a backroom of the office to destroy evidence, according to authorities. The defendant was arrested the next day.

The Union Rescue Mission - a homeless shelter, temporary residence and church for hundreds of individuals and families - houses a safe where clients deposit money and jewelry for safekeeping. The Union Rescue Mission accommodates up to 800 people on a given night.

An anticlimactic end to a violent incident went down yesterday when a man who had just shot and mortally wounded his ex-girlfriend led police on a pursuit that started in the San Fernando Valley and ended with his arrest in Corona.

On Wednesday, May 13, 2009 at around 12:05 p.m., Mission Area Patrol Officers were dispatched to a radio call of a shooting that had just occurred in the 8300 block of Van Nuys Boulevard. Officers found the victim, a female, Hispanic, 27-years-old, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.

Witnesses described seeing the suspect, identified as 27-year-old Jasper Stallings, force the victim into a red Dodge Ram pickup truck that was parked in the Rite-Aid parking lot in the 8400 block of Van Nuys Boulevard. They then heard gunfire as the truck drove away, across the parking lot. As the truck neared the 24-Hour Fitness Center the victim either fell, or was pushed out of the truck. Witnesses heard at least one additional gunshot.

Stallings drove away headed south through the parking lot, got onto the Hollywood Freeway, and eventually headed to Corona. There, the suspect stopped and was arrested.

During the investigation detectives discovered that the truck Stallings was driving had been taken in a kidnapping/carjack incident that had occurred earlier in the day in the northeast area of the San Fernando Valley. The victim of that incident was forced at gunpoint to get into the passenger seat and was driven to Victorville where he was robbed and left at the side of the road, unharmed.

The shooting victim, whose identity is being withheld until her family can be notified, was pronounced dead at a local hospital at about 2:50 p.m.

Stallings was booked into jail on a murder charge and is being held without bail. He faces charges including, domestic violence, kidnap, robbery, and carjacking.

Anyone with additional information is encouraged to contact LAPD Mission Detective Jim Freund at (818) 838-9810. After hours and on weekends, calls may be directed to a 24-hour, toll-free number at1-877-LAPD-24-7 (527-3247). Callers may also text "Crimes" with a cell phone or log on to www.lapdonline.org and click on Web tips. When using a cell phone, all messages should begin with "LAPD." Tipsters may remain anonymous.

The Chicago School of Professional Psychology will honor the late LAPD Deputy Chief Kenneth O. Garner with the inaugural President's Award for Visionary Leadership.

The award will be presented to Assistant Chief of Police, Sharon Papa on his behalf, by Dr. Michael Horowitz, president of The Chicago School.

Garner, who died March 1 at age 53 is recognized for his dedication and service to the greater Los Angeles community, "for his belief that within each person resides the ability to change, and for his willingness to break down barriers, open communication, and seek unity through collaboration."

His LAPD bio.

Paul M. Weber, president of the Los Angeles Police Protective League, issued the following statement today regarding the release of the SWAT report to the media:

Our legal advisors have expressed serious concerns over the LAPD's decision to release to the news media such a detailed report containing opinions of officers' performance and describing in detail safety tactics used by our officers during this tragic event. Nevertheless, the report from the Chief of Police supports what the LAPPL has always said about the February 7, 2008 SWAT incident in West San Fernando Valley - the officers involved are heroes in every sense of the word. Their bravery and courage under fire epitomizes what it means to be a police officer and it is no wonder the President of the United States recognized these officers.

The Times' Joel Rubin follows the inquiry into last February's fatal killing of LAPD SWAT Officer Randal Simmons during a standoff in Winnetka.

An internal investigation found that the officers involved acted appropriately, the officers were not perfect, LAPD Chief William J. Bratton said.

Although the officers' conduct, including their decision to use deadly force, was within department rules, the review panel and Bratton expressed concern about some aspects of the response. For example, communication among the officers was imperfect at times, as inaccurate information about the situation was relayed to responding SWAT officers.

L.A. Now.

Read the Daily News' complete coverage of the incident.

LAPD Chief William Bratton put out a press release responding to proposed cuts by a Los Angeles City Council committee that proposes spending for police hiring beginning July 1, 2009.

He writes:

I am gravely concerned that the City Council's Budget and Finance Committee approved a proposal late today that calls for an end to police hiring beginning July 1, 2009. While I appreciate the severity of the city's financial situation and the difficult decisions city council members will be forced to make, it is shortsighted to consider stopping all police hiring, including hiring to replace retiring LAPD officers. Public safety should never be sacrificed.

If the entire city council approves this proposal, there is a strong potential that the eight straight years of crime decreases the LAPD has worked so hard to achieve, could come to an end.

The Department has proven that cops count, police matter. Sufficiently resourced, we can and do save lives and make the city of Los Angeles safer.

PASADENA - A truck driver charged with vehicular manslaughter last month in connection with a fatal traffic collision on Angeles Crest Highway faces new charges today, the District Attorney's Office announced.

Deputy District Attorney Carolina Lugo of the Pasadena Branch Office said Marcos Barbosa Costa, 44, was arraigned and pleaded not guilty today to three new counts of reckless driving causing specified injury.

Costa was originally charged on April 3 with two counts of vehicular manslaughter.

The complaint alleges that the defendant killed Angelina and Angel Posca, father and daughter, while driving a vehicle in the commission of an unlawful act with gross negligence.

The complaint further alleges that Costa unlawfully drove a vehicle upon a highway in willful and wanton disregard for the safety of persons and property and caused great bodily injury to three additional victims.

The defendant is due back in court on June 19 in Pasadena Superior Court.

The city of Los Angeles is offering a $50,000 reward to help locate a murder suspect.

On January 25, 2008 about 11:30 p.m., Alvaro Ely Calderon was walking near the intersection of Strathern Street and Bellaire Avenue in North Hollywood when someone shot him. Witnesses saw a white, four-door Toyota, Honda or Nissan speed away from the scene.

Cops are asking that anyone with information about this crime call North Hollywood Homicide Detectives at (818) 623-4075. After hours or on weekends, calls may be directed to the North Hollywood Watch Commander at (818) 623-4016, or a 24 hour toll-free number at 1-877-LAPD-24-7 or by texting CRIMES (274637) and beginning the message with the letters "LAPD." Tipsters can also submit information on the LAPD website www.lapdonline.org. All tips may remain anonymous.

Police announced the arrest of a man and an accomplice believed responsible for the murder of a 24-year-old man named Victor Solis.

Solis was killed May 2, 2009, at 1:45 p.m. at Pepper Street in Cypress Park. He was discovered shot inside a vehicle. He was taken to a local hospital but he died.

Detectives identified two suspects, 21-year-old Adrian Martinez and 18-year-old Joshua Ricardo Galindes. Both men were believed to be gang members. Detectives believe Galindes was the triggerman.

Martinez late last week. Police found Galindes Monday afternoon in an area he was known to hang out in and saw him getting out of a car carrying a gun. Galindes tossed his weapon and tried to run away but was caught a short time later. His gun was also recovered, although it was not the same caliber as the weapon used in the killing, police said.

Police are asking that anyone with additional information is encouraged to contact LAPD Northeast Division detectives at (213) 847-4261. After hours and on weekends, calls may be directed to a 24-hour, toll-free number at1-877-LAPD-24-7 (527-3247). Callers may also text "Crimes" with a cell phone or log on to www.lapdonline.org and click on Web tips. When using a cell phone, all messages should begin with "LAPD." Tipsters may remain anonymous.

An office worker cleaning a fridge full of rotten food created a smell so noxious that it sent seven co-workers to the hospital and made many others ill. Firefighters had to evacuate the AT&T building in downtown San Jose on Tuesday, after the flagrant fumes prompted someone to call 911. A hazmat team was called in.

pasadenastarnews.com

A Florida woman is accused of making more than $8.5 million from an online prostitution business that claimed to employ porn stars and fashion models.

Michelle Braun appeared Monday in federal court in Orange County and was allowed to remain free pending her next pretrial hearing next month.

The Boca Raton woman is accused of charging clients $50,000 or more to spend the night with adult film stars, models, and actresses. Prosecutors say she used her travel business, Global Travel Network Inc., to launder the money.

pasadenastarnews.com

LAPD Deputy Chief Charlie Beck and Lt. Fred Booker marvel at a throw-back of a weapon - the Thompson submachine gun, made famous, or infamous, in one of a score of movies about mobsters terrorizing American streets during Prohibition.

This gun was one of almost 1,700 guns which were turned in to the LAPD over the weekend as part of a gun buyback program. Residents could turn in their weapons with no questions asked and receive a coupon for $100 worth of groceries.

A 44-year-old Glendale man on probation for arson pleaded no contest today to arson in connection with a series of fires in Griffith Park last year, the District Attorney's office announced.

Gary Allen Lintz pleaded no contest to one count of arson of a structure or forest and admitted the special allegations of great bodily injury to a firefighter and of having a prior arson conviction, said Deputy District Attorney Frances Young with Target Crimes.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Norm Shapiro sentenced Lintz to 16 years in state prison. In return for his plea, three felony counts of arson in Griffith Park were dismissed.

Lintz was arrested Aug. 23, 2008 after hikers allegedly saw him near Griffith Park Drive shortly after a brush fire had broken out. He was charged with four arsons that occurred on July 27, Aug. 4, Aug. 16 and Aug. 23 in the park. At the time of his arrest, he was on probation for a 2007 arson fire conviction.

Relatives of a 17-year-old youth slain by an illegal alien -- sparking an unsuccessful drive to put what became known as "Jamiel's Law" on the city ballot -- have sued the county for wrongful death.

It's unusual for authorities to reveal an undercover operation in advance, but Los Angeles police announced today they will send minors to ask adults to buy alcohol for them near Los Angeles high schools later this month.

The 11th annual Safe & Sober Graduation Operation, which will begin May 23, is an attempt to reduce the availability of alcohol to minors, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

Forty one officers died in the line of duty in 2008, according to statistics released today by the FBI.

The FBI broke the stats down by region - 20 police officers were killed in the South, nine in the Midwest, nine in the West, and three in the Northeast.

The number of officers killed was 17 fewer than in 2007.

The FBI is on Facebook. The official page shows updates on cases and seeks information on unsolved cases. Check it out here.

So what do you do when you put out a call for guns in exchange for gift cards during a recession but run out of gift cards in the first two-hours of the event?

Call in the calvary.

Los Angeles' citywide gun buyback program was called an unexpected success after nearly 1,700 firearms were collected Saturday from owners who'd been promised anonymity, "no questions asked" and - very important - $100 gift cards.

In a way, the effort proved too successful: So many people showed up at collection sites with handguns and rifles in their trunks that organizers ran out of the Ralphs and Visa gift cards in the first two hours.

Some people went ahead and turned in weapons without the financial incentive. But an untold number of drivers left in a huff.

Burbank police just released results that clears two of their officers who were involved in a recent shootout with a man who opened fire at them a couple months ago at Foy Park:

On March 8, at 9:20 p.m., officers Neil Gunn and Ryan Benavidez contacted a suspicious subject in Foy Park. As the officers maneuvered the patrol vehicle toward the subject, he began firing at them with a 357 magnum. Officer Neil Gunn returned fire and the subject was taken into custody a short time later on Hollywood Way.

Rashammond Mapp, 32, of Burbank, was booked for the attempted murder of two police officers. His bail was set at $1 million. The suspect was arraigned on March 11. His preliminary hearing is set for July 27.

Burbank Police Department policy requires that a shooting board be held regarding the discharge of firearms by our officers. The board was comprised of a captain, a sergeant, the department training coordinator, and the senior rangemaster.

After a thorough examination of the evidence, reports, and exhibits, the board determined that the shooting was within policy as the officer was defending himself from death or serious injury from an armed attack.

English poster

Spanish poster

A Canoga Park man faces arraignment later this month on a murder charge stemming from the alleged fatal shooting of his older brother, whose body has not been found, the District Attorney's office announced.

Deputy District Attorney Beth Silverman of the Major Crimes Division filed the case on Monday against 34-year-old Hossein Shirazi. Shirazi was charged with one count of murdering his 49-year-old brother, Mohammad Shirazi, sometime between April 12, 2008, and May 2, 2008. The complaint alleged Hossein Shirazi personally used a handgun to commit the crime.

Authorities alleged that Hossein Shirazi shot his brother at the family home in Canoga Park while the men's parents were on vacation in Iran.

Silverman said Hossein Shirazi is scheduled to appear for arraignment on May 13, in Department 100 of Van Nuys Superior Court. He is in custody on $2 million bail.

The defendant was arrested by detectives from the Los Angeles Police Department's West Valley Division on April 30. The case was filed on Monday and the arraignment postponed after a brief court appearance in Van Nuys that day.

If convicted, the defendant faces a possible life-with-parole sentence.

This afternoon at 12:30, Los Angeles City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo is holding a press conference to announce his latest crack down with a gang injunction against Barrio Van Nuys.

"BVN or Barrio Van Nuys gang is as dangerous or as potent as MS-13, 18th Street or any gang in the city," Delgadillo said Wednesday after filing paperwork seeking the injunction in Los Angeles Superior Court.

Cops this morning are saying they're waiting for an autopsy to be conducted on two men who drowned yesterday in a Sylmar pool before they rule the case out as a crime.

Paramedics were sent to 13378 N. Borden Ave., near Tyler Street, at 7:07 last night, said d'Lisa Davies of the Los Angeles Fire Department.

Firefighters found the men, thought to be in their 30s, at the bottom of the pool, pulled them out, and pronounced them dead, Davies said.

A brush fire threatened about 2,000 homes in Santa Barbara as strong winds drove the fire closer to neighborhoods.

About 1,200 homes were ordered evacuated in the fire on Tuesday but no structures have been lost. venturacountystar.com.

I just got this press release about a crash on Sepulveda Boulevard last night that killed a man:

On May 5, 2009, at approximately 6:10 PM, a 2004 Blue Mazda RX 8, driven by Christopher Smith, 32 years of age, resident of North Hills, was travelling south on Sepulveda Boulevard. Smith collided with a 2000 Nissan Altima, driven by Maria Gallardo, 50 years of age, resident of Van Nuys, who was in the process of negotiating left hand turn from northbound Sepulveda Boulevard to westbound Lanark Street.

The impact occurred when the front of the Altima struck the driver side of the Mazda, which caused the Mazda to continue out of control in a southwest direction. The Mazda then collided with a pedestrian waiting at the southwest corner to cross eastbound on Lanark Street.

The pedestrian, a male Caucasian in his 60's, died at the scene as a result of his injuries suffered during the collision. Identification of the victim is being withheld pending notification of next of kin.

Valley Traffic Division reminds all drivers to obey all traffic laws, including yielding the right of way to on-coming traffic while negotiating a left hand turn.

If anyone witnessed the collision, or has information regarding this incident, is asked to call Valley Traffic Division at (818) 644-8033 or (877) LAPD-247. This investigation is being handled by Detective Russell.

More of Jason Kandel's Links

Dear loyal readers of Mean Streets,

We apologize for the absence of posts to this blog. We are going through a transition, looking to replace our crime reporter. The blog will be on hiatus until after the new year. Please be patient with us and we'll be back.

Thank you,
Jason Kandel
Online News Editor
dailynews.com

Good morning. Here's what's new in crime this morning.

• Los Angeles police detectives are looking for clues in a North Hollywood weekend shooting that left one man dead and another behind bars. dailynews.com

• A Los Angeles County Sheriff's Deputy was arrested on Monday night, accused of attacking his wife and her male acquaintance. abc.com

• Two people were sent to the hospital after a wild pursuit and crash in the Athens area of Los Angeles. abc.com

dailynews.com

Cops put out this release about a homicide in Pacoima.

Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) detectives are asking for the public's help to find the persons responsible for the shooting death of 19-year-old Samuel Trujillo of Pacoima.

On Wednesday, September 10 at about 8:40 p.m., Foothill patrol officers responded to a radio call of a shooting that occurred in the 11600 block of Woodcock Avenue in Pacoima. When officers arrived, they found a victim of a gunshot wound.

The victim was transported to a local area hospital where he later died of his injury.

Investigators believe that unknown suspects approached Trujillo and exchanged words concerning gang affiliation. The suspect, who was accompanied by several others, shot the victim.

The suspects are described as male Hispanics, in their 20s, wearing dark clothing.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Foothill Homicide Detectives Jose Martinez and Joshua Byers at 818-834-3115. After hours and on weekends calls may be directed to the 24-hour, toll-free number, 1-877-LAW-FULL (529-3855).

Cops just put out this update about two USC students being sexually assaulted.

Two USC students were sexually assaulted near the University of Southern California campus and the Los Angeles Police Department warns students and residents to be aware of their surroundings and to take extra precaution when walking.

The first assault occurred on September 5, 2008, at about 1:30 a.m., in the 3000 block of McClintock Avenue. A man approached a female student from behind as she walked along the sidewalk. He grabbed the victim from behind, groped and sexually assaulted her, and ran away.

The second attack took place on September 6, 2008, at around 1:00 a.m., when a female student walking alone off campus in the 2300 block of Hoover Avenue, was approached by three men. One of the men, under the false guise of an escort walked the victim to her apartment. Once inside, the suspect sexually assaulted her and fled.

In the first attack, the suspect was described as a male Black or a dark complected Hispanic in his mid-20's and clean cut. The suspects in the second attack were described as male Hispanic in their early 20's.

No arrests have been made.

The Los Angeles Police Department and USC Campus police have increased patrols in the area around the campus. Students have been cautioned to walk in well-lit areas and to walk in groups.

It is unknown if the incidents are related. Anyone who has information about these incidents is asked to call Southwest Division Sexual Assault Unit at 213-485-6570 or 485-2585. On weekends or during off-hours, call the 24-hour toll free number at the Detective Information Desk at 1-877-LAWFULL (529-3855).

Two months after he took over the city's anti-gang programs, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa on Monday attributed a sharp drop in gang violence in some of the city's worst neighborhoods to a late-night summer program that offers sports, movies and marble tournaments in eight city parks. dailynews.com

We have an update to yesterday's story about a stabbing in Sunland. Today police identify the man stabbed as 23-year-old Peter Stewart. The man accused in the stabbing, David Curry, might have been arguing with him over tools or money. The stabbing broke out at a mobile home park in the 10700 block of Sherman Grove Avenue about 5:45 a.m. Tuesday. Stewart was in stable condition.

dailynews.com

This morning a man stabbed a man in Sunland. Details are still trickling in. Here's the skinny.

SUNLAND - A man in his 20s was found stabbed this morning on Sherman Grove Avenue in Sunland and a man in his 50s surrendered to police in connection with the assault

dailynews.com

Good morning. Here are crime headlines around Los Angeles this morning.

• Two Los Angeles men were arrested this morning on federal charges of defrauding Medicare and Medi-Cal by providing unnecessary health services to homeless people who were recruited from "Skid Row" with promises of payments.
  dailynews.com
  
• A USC football recruit has been convicted of robbing a man at gunpoint in Compton earlier this year.
  cbs2.com
  
• More details are becoming public about a man police say may be linked to an unsolved San Marino killing.
  knbc.com
  
• The mothers of three young boys who were allegedly kidnapped by their fathers made tearful pleas Wednesday for their children's return.
  abclocal.com
  
• Federal prosecutors have dropped the Heath Ledger drug probe.
  abclocal.com
  

We honor a local hero today who died fighting in Afghanistan.

Good morning. Here are a few stories happening in crimeland now.

• Authorities tried to determine today if a Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy's job guarding some of the county's most dangerous inmates was a factor in his gunshot slaying in Cypress Park over the weekend. Deputy Juan Escalante, 27, was shot outside his home about 5:40 a.m. Saturday as he was on his way to work at the jails. He was not in uniform. dailynews.com

• Deputies are now not sure whether a 19-year-old woman was shot before plunging from a second-story window to her death in Altadena so coroner's officials hope to learn more during a scheduled autopsy today. Jasmine Denson was found in the 2400 block of Lincoln Avenue about 5:30 p.m. Saturday and declared dead at Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena. dailynews.com

• A 16-year-old Sun Valley boy who played football for John Francis Polytechnic High School was killed behind a North Hollywood restaurant, the second Poly High football player shot to death in two months. dailynews.com

A hearing on papparzzi called by Councilman Dennis Zine is a "farce," LAPD Chief William Bratton said this morning, and said he won't be attending and wasting city resources.

"Since Britney started wearing clothes and behaving, Paris is out of town not bothering anyone anymore, thank God, and evidently Lindsey Lohan has gone gay, you don't seem to have an issue," he told Channel 4 KNBC news this morning. "If the ones who attract the paparrazi behave in the first place like we expect of anyone, it solves 90 percent of the problem. The rest we can deal with."

Bratton went on to blast Zine, a fomer LAPD officer, for "grandstanding."

"LAPD has no intention of dealing with this farce," he said.
It appears that he was a morning run or some kind of workout when he spotted the cameras and walked over to "set the record straight." Check out the video.
Bratton has butted heads with Zine before, most recently over Special Order 40. Zine proposed changing the longstanding policy intended to encourage immigrants to report violent crimes, but Bratton firmly opposed changing a single word.

CENTURY CITY -- Police searched today for a man who stabbed a woman to death in the parking structure of a Century City high-rise office building.

Pamela Fayed, 44, had her throat cut in the garage at 1875 Century Park East about 6:35 p.m. Monday, according to police and coroner's spokesman Ed Winter.

Fayed, of Camarillo, was the wife of James Fayed, who operated eBullion and Goldfinger Coin and Bullion, which has an office in Camarillo and is one of the largest gold trading sites on the Internet.

A neighbor and friend of the woman, Mike Nelson, told local media that the couple were in the middle of a bitter divorce and Fayed was afraid of her estranged husband.

dailynews.com

Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputies shot and killed a man last night in Lennox. Sheriff's officials say the shooting occurred shortly before midnight Wednesday, and the suspect was pronounced dead at the scene. No deputies were hurt. Officials would not yet say what prompted the shooting. Lennox is an unincorporated area, about 10 miles southwest of downtown Los Angeles.

Channel 4 news is reporting that the man, tentatively identified as Christian Cortillo, who is between 33 and 35-years-old was not armed, but possibly had been reaching under a seat for something when at least three deputies approached his vehicle.

The deputies were investigating a narcotics dealer who was selling drugs on the street when they saw the suspect sitting in his car. When he reached under the passenger seat, a deputy thought he was reaching for a weapon and fired at least one shot, striking the man in the upper torso.

A stray bullet struck and killed a 9-year-old girl in South Los Angeles Wednesday night.

Two male teens opened fire on a group of people near East 76th and South San Pedro streets around 8:45 p.m., and "a stray bullet struck a girl in the chest," Officer Jason Lee of the Los Angeles Police Department's Media Relations Section said.

9-years-old ...

dailynews.com

Batman star Christian Bale was arrested Tuesday on allegations of assault, police said. dailynews.com

The jury in the Juan Alvarez Metrolink train death case has spoken - He'll get life in prison without the possibility for parole. Readers of Mean Streets have also spoken through the nifty survey I set up here last week. So far 71 people have responded, 45 people saying Alvarez should be sentenced to death, 26 saying he shouldn't.

Thirty one people took the time to write comments about the case. Here they are:

• thery (should) carry not the sword in vain :New Testament Wed, 7/16/08 7:37 AM
  
• One thing for sure - he wont kill again! Wed, 7/16/08 5:15 AM
  
• There is no forgiveness from the grave !!! Tue, 7/15/08 9:08 PM
  
• Got to make an example of train wreckers or we'll have trains crashing everywhere Tue, 7/15/08 7:32 PM
  
• he deserves the same treatment as he gave to his victims Tue, 7/15/08 7:23 PM
  
• he had no right to take a life, but now is the time to heal! Tue, 7/15/08 10:17 AM
  
• life in prison Mon, 7/14/08 4:15 PM
  
• Cops are gang members too!So is Bush he's a skull & bones gang member! Mon, 7/14/08 1:55 PM
  
• It was not premeditated Mon, 7/14/08 1:51 PM
  
• He was being selfish when he decided to leave the vehicle on the tracks and had disregard for others. Mon, 7/14/08 1:46 PM
  
• As an excon I know how difficult life in prison is. You are not in control of your daily life's activities, you live with people that are not of your caliber, sleep, eat (explitive), shave,and shower when some (explitive)(that is more than likely younger than you} uses their tranical dictitorial demeaner towords you , etc...... Is killing Alvarez going to bring back the 11 people? Does 11 wrongs make 1 right? Alsoif yeah are without sin cast the first stone!!!!!! Mon, 7/14/08 1:46 PM
  
• he wanted to kill himself so now he can get his wish. Mon, 7/14/08 1:04 PM
  
• death will not make him suffer, hard labor will,that what they give you in the millitary for killing someone Mon, 7/14/08 11:32 AM
  
• pig Mon, 7/14/08 8:46 AM
  
• harvest his parts so that those with failing organs can get a second chance at life Thu, 7/10/08 5:15 PM
  
• I don't believe a life is justified by taking another life. Thu, 7/10/08 4:01 PM
  
• It cost more to execute him then to keep him alive. Thu, 7/10/08 12:03 PM
  
• his life is already destroyed why would you kill him on something he didn't really try to do? it will not bring back any of those lives. there gone face it. he will have to deal with it for the rest of his life that he killed people unjustly. people need to get a clue. people are always talking about when someone is put on deathrow or put to death how they have closure. what type of person are you then. my mother was killed brains blow out. if i had or the officials killed him would that make my pain easy? no i am a more compasionate person. because it really lets me know how precious life really is. Thu, 7/10/08 9:03 AM
  
• give the idiot what he is a little prick... Wed, 7/9/08 1:36 PM
  
• Grant his original wish and tie him to the tracks. Wed, 7/9/08 12:39 PM
  
• If he was suicidal, maybe just a prison sentence will serve him good Wed, 7/9/08 11:51 AM
  
• Wasn't he trying to kill himself in the first place? No, he should be kept alive to feel even a tiny bit of the torment the families are feeling. Wed, 7/9/08 9:42 AM
  
• Costs more to keep him imprisoned. Wed, 7/9/08 9:41 AM
  
• He won't be able to do it again to anyone. Wed, 7/9/08 7:15 AM
  
• Let him suffer in prison (alive), since the victims families are all suffering without them. Wed, 7/9/08 7:13 AM
  
• he is responsible for 11 deaths Tue, 7/8/08 8:31 PM
  
• won't bring them back and killing is wrong and it's one of the ten commentments Tue, 7/8/08 8:24 PM
  
• But only if the necessary elements for its imposition are met. Tue, 7/8/08 6:13 PM
  
• Give him "Life" (Last part deleted by editor) Tue, 7/8/08 3:01 PM
  
• All gang members should be sentenced to death. Tue, 7/8/08 12:51 PM
  
• Let him suffer in prison. Tue, 7/8/08 12:45 PM

  Feel free to take the survey by clicking here.

My colleague, Larry Altman, over at the Daily Breeze in Torrance got the scoop today of a ring of burglars busted in some 40 cases from the South Bay to Tarzana. Check out the Crime and Courts blog for more.

There's a police angle to the IndyMac takeover deal.

Police ordered angry customers lined up outside an IndyMac Bank branch to remain calm or face arrest Tuesday as they tried to pull their money on the second day of the failed institution's federal takeover.

Rachel Uranga takes us into the streets with the LAPD's domestic violence unit.

Ex-LAPD cop, Danny Mastro, spent 26 years seeing firsthand what gangs can do to the city of Angeles. Now as a retiree, he's planning anti-gang efforts in Simi Valley to make sure that the gang problem doesn't come over the hill into Simi from L.A. by expanding schools' intervention and prevention programs.

I've created a Web survey to gather responses on whether Juan Manuel Alvarez, who was convicted of killing 11 in the 2005 Metrolink train disaster.

Click Here to take survey

The FBI gathered investigators, psychologists and crime analysts from across the country to come up with profiles of serial killers.

Their study released today from the Behavorial Science wing of the bureau is supposed to help cops detect those killers. Along the way it busts some of those myths that serial killers are freaky loners like Hannibal Lecter, or that they simply want to get caught, like the Zodiac Killer.

It's an interesting read, with background on where the phenomenon of serial killers began and even a letter from Jack the Ripper.

Dear Boss I keep on hearing the police have caught me but they wont fix me just yet. I have laughed when they look so clever and talk about being on the right track. That joke about Leather Apron gave me real fits. I am down on whores and I shant quit ripping them till I do get buckled. Grand work the last job was. I gave the lady no time to squeal. How can they catch me now. I love my work and want to start again. You will soon hear of me with my funny little games. I saved some of the proper red stuff in a ginger beer bottle over the last job to write with but it went thick like glue and I cant use it. Red ink is fit enough I hope ha. ha. The next job I do I shall clip the ladys ears off and send to the police officers just for jolly wouldn't you. Keep this letter back till I do a bit more work, then give it out straight. My knife's so nice and sharp I want to get to work right away if I get a chance. Good luck. Yours truly Jack the Ripper

Here's the report.

......And a few "myth busters" from the press release:

1) Serial killers are not all dysfunctional loners: some have had wives and kids and full-time jobs and have been very active in their community or church or both.
2) Serial killers are not all white males: the racial diversification of serial killers generally mirrors the overall U.S. population.
3) Serial killers do not want to get caught: over time, as they kill without being discovered, they get careless during their crimes.

From the AP:

LOS ANGELES (AP) A policeman who made anti-gay remarks during off-duty hours as a pastor is suing the Los Angeles Police Department, alleging religious discrimination.

Sergeant Eric Holyfield, dressed in clergy attire, told mourners during a 2006 eulogy for a fellow officer that homosexual acts were "sinful" and an "abomination" and would lead to eternal condemnation.

Deputy Police Chief Charlie Beck, who was among the mourners, filed a formal complaint against Holyfield after the funeral.

The lawsuit says LAPD brass then passed him up for promotions and pay raises in retaliation.

A Vineland Boyz member will spend the rest of his life in prison for shooting to death a 16-year-old girl who had testified against one of his fellow gang members. Raul Robledo was sentenced to the life term in a closed hearing Monday. The 30-year-old shot Martha Puebla outside her San Fernando Valley home on May 12, 2003. Days earlier she had testified at a hearing against Jose Ledesma, a fellow gang member of Robledo's. Ledesma and another member, Javier Covarrubias, admitted their roles in Puebla's death and are serving life sentences.

I wrote about Puebla in the pages of the Daily News in 2003. Her family told me she was a caring aunt to a then-7-year-old nephew who, admittedly, associated with troublesome friends.

She was shot across the street from her home in the 7600 block of Case Avenue. She was standing in front of her house, talking to friends when a man walked up to her and fired several shots from a pistol, then took off in a dark blue midsize sedan.

Family members told me that before the man fired the gun, he asked her sister, ``Do you know me?'' and Puebla responded no.

Police said then that the case was a "slap at the fiber" of the criminal justice system because they rely on witnesses to come forward and they promised to pursue the case with "great vigor."

Three LAPD officers were placed on home assignment and prosecutors are looking into possible charges after a judge abruptly ended a trial and exonerated a man accused of cocaine possession after a defense attorney produced a video that contradicted the cops' statements.

LA Times reporter Jack Leonard broke the story and suggested in his article that the story reeked of the 1990s Rampart scandal that wound costing the department millions and forced them into a federal consent decree. It also exposed what federal officials said was a pattern or practice of excessive force, false arrests and unreasonable searches and seizures.

LAPD Chief William Bratton told the civilian Police Commission this morning, "We won't tolerate breaking the law to enforce the law."

The department's own internal affairs has launched an investigation, and the LAPD turned over information to federal monitors.

"There will be a full, comprehensive and speedy investigation involving all the players," Bratton said. "(The investigation) will move forward very quickly and very forcefully."

You'll like this one. Cops in a small Georgia town are charging motorists caught in a police pursuit a surcharge to help cover the police officers' fuel costs. They hope to genterate an additional $26,000 a year. Apparently this isn't the only police force changing habits due to high gas prices. Other agencies like Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, are getting out of their cars and hoofing it or hopping on bikes.

In South Fayette, also in Pennsylvania, officers have been told not to sit parked up with air conditioning on.

The local police chief told his patrols: "If you want to stay cool, park under a tree."

A check a while back to see if the LAPD has followed suit. Nope. LAPD officers have not gotten out of their cars due to the rise in gas prices. But stay tuned. The city still is in a big budget crunch.

Cities and counties are battling manhole-cover thefts, a crime spree that police tie to the weak economy. Hundreds of 200-pound covers have disappeared in three months in California, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and Georgia as scrap metal prices pop up.

If you haven't checked out our new Valley Crime Map, you should. It's a list of 92 significant crimes - from homicides, to assaults to shootings, to robberies and burglaries - in the Valley since May. I've been compiling the data and uploading it into a new online database that maps the crimes out by street and allows you, the viewer to, search by neighborhood and get up-to-date information about crime near you.

Thanks to the Los Angeles Police Department's Valley Bureau, the information comes to me about daily. I'd like to know what you think about the map and how we can make it more useful. E-mail me with your thoughts.

A judge approved a preliminary injunction against the San Fers gang this morning, a move that now restricts the movement of hundreds of gang members over a 9.5-mile stretch of the Northeast Valley and gives police broader arrest authority.

In a hearing in Los Angeles Superior Court that lasted just a few minutes, Judge David P. Yaffe granted the request from the City Attorney's Office and District Attorney's Office. Nobody voiced opposition in court.

Previously, community members have complained the injunction, one of the city's largest, spreads too far, folding in middle class neighborhoods in Sylmar and San Fernando untouched by daily violence.

But after several town hall meetings, both the Sylmar and Mission Hills neighborhood councils backed the injunction even as some argue police and prosecutors pushed it through without consulting the community.

Check out the DN story.

There seems to be a bit of a disagreement among the region's top cops about the root causes of gang violence; racial tensions versus gang loyalty.

Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca believes serious inter-racial tension fuels the city's gang problem and he made a strong case for it an LA Times opinion piece that ran a few weeks ago. In doing so, he directly took on LAPD Chief William Bratton, who has repeatedly pointed out that violence emanates from gang affiliation, not skin pigmentation. To clarify his point, head of LAPD's detective bureau and 30-year veteran Charlie Beck laid out his argument in the LATimes Opinon section today.

It is true, of course, that many of L.A.'s gangs are organized along racial lines. Gangs almost always have been. You name the race or ethnic group and, during some time in history, some of their number have resorted to forming gangs to leverage their power in society. The Italians and the Irish come to mind in the 20th century. But being made up along racial lines doesn't mean that every crime is racially motivated. Mostly, the gang violence we see on the streets of Los Angeles is committed for other reasons -- over turf control, over traditional gang rivalries, over drug deals, over who disrespected whom, and over women. These are not racially motivated killings.

The danger of overstating racial conflict, thereby turning a discussion into a self-fulfilling prophesy, is very real. As our city grows and as demographics shift, cross-racial contacts increase, along with opportunities for conflict.
IT sho

Of course, you have to keep in my mind that the two men see gangs from very different places. Beck works the streets where gang members' first loyalty is to their neighborhood or close friends. With freedom, gang members can pick and chose who and when to fight.
Baca oversees the county's overcrowded jail system, where loyalty is not so clear cut and alliances are key to survival. There, race constantly bubbles to the surface. Inmates are often separated not only along gang lines but race, because in a place that nobody can call home, it is easier to define loyalty by skin color.

Last night, the Sylmar Neighborhood Council held a community meeting on a proposed 9.5-square-mile gang injunction zone, one of the largest in the city.

Under the injunction -- the fifth in the San Fernando Valley and 37th citywide -- those identified as San Fers gang members would not be able to associate in public places or stay out past curfew and could not act as lookouts or be in the presence of controlled substances in the area, which covers all of San Fernando and Sylmar.

I didn't get a chance to go but I am told the auditorium at Sylmar High School was packed with residents.

The gang coordinator at the City Attorney's Office, police, and representatives from city Councilman Richard Alarcon's office and gang experts all took questions.

Luis Rodriguez, who lives in the injunction zone and is the author of "Always Running," a memoir of growing up in gangs, said it was one of the most informative and frank meetings he has been to about the injunction, but he still left feeling that everyone was circling around the problem.

"We have to deal with the roots," he said. "Right now we are squeezing the gangs out of the L.A., but we are not stopping it. All we are doing is spreading."

Read past jump to see Alarcon's letter.

So I updated the Valley Crime Map, compiling a month's worth of information provided by the LAPD's Valley Bureau. You can search by neighborhood to see what crimes have been going near you. Check it out here. And tell me what you think.

While LAPD Chief William Bratton said that media has been playing up the city's race problem, his counterpart at the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department has a completely different view.

So let me be very clear about one thing: We have a serious interracial violence problem in this county involving blacks and Latinos.

Some people deny it. They say that race is not a factor in L.A.'s gang crisis; the problem, they say, is not one of blacks versus Latinos and Latinos versus blacks but merely one of gang members killing other gang members (and yes, they acknowledge, sometimes the gangs are race-based).

But they're wrong. The truth is that, in many cases, race is at the heart of the problem. Latino gang members shoot blacks not because they're members of a rival gang but because of their skin color. Likewise, black gang members shoot Latinos because they are brown.

Here is his full editorial in the LATimes

The summer season of violence got off to an early start with 14 people killed across the county this weekend, six of which were in the Valley.

The LAPD is updating its Web site with some of the latest shootings. Here's one from South L.A.

One man died and one escaped injury during what detectives believe was a gang related shooting.

On June 7, 2008, at around 6:25 p.m., Michael Smith, 20-years-old, was walking with his friend near the corner of 95th Street and Vermont Avenue. Smith and his friend had just walked a female companion to a nearby bus stop.

The suspect who was described only as a male Black, approached Smith and the other man from the opposite corner and began firing a handgun at them. Smith was hit by gunfire in the upper body and staggered a short distance before collapsing in the center median on Vermont Avenue. The other intended victim was not injured.

Anyone with information about this crime is asked to call South Bureau Homicide Detective Sal LaBarbera at 213-485-4341. On off hours, weekends, and holidays call the toll free number 1-877-LAWFULL (529-3855).

In a bloody weekend of violence, a dozen people were killed - six in the San Fernando Valley in mostly gang-related crimes.

The victims were killed in five incidents in the central-eastern parts of the San Fernando Valley. Two were gang related, two were unknown and one was a bizarre rear-ender car crash that left the driver and a passenger dead and resulted in the arrest of a DUI suspect.

dailynews.com

The New York Times today has a story about how the medical marijuana law is unintentionally allowing big-time pot growers a good cover.

The Times today has a fascinating story about a new movement called OpenCarry.org, a group founded by a couple of Virginia-based gun owners tired of concealing their weapons and encouraging gun owners to openly carry their pistols. Many consider it a badge of honor and feel quite brave, even when encountered by armed cops ready to fire their weapons. Well, I don't know about that. But the story reminds me of an old Johnny Cash tune that offered a bit of sage advice,

Don't take your guns to town, son
Leave your guns at home, Bill
Don't take your guns to town.

Police are looking for a man who has gone on a string of cash tray robberies at five businesses.

A serial robber is on the loose, and police are asking for the public's help tracking the suspect down.

The bandit is believed to be responsible for at least five robberies over the past two months in the Mid-City Wilshire and Hollywood area. The robberies occurred at various times of day, and the man pointed a handgun at the clerk each time.

The suspect is described as a White male 25-30 years of age with brown hair. He stands between five feet seven and five feet nine inches tall.

* April, 29, 2008 - At 10:20 p.m., a man wearing a camouflage cap and a grey hooded sweatshirt, walked into the Ardmore Liquor store located at 3rd Street and Ardmore Avenue, picked up a pack of gum and took it to the counter. When the cashier opened the register, the man removed a gun from his waistband, grabbed the entire cash drawer and fled in a burgundy 80's Toyota Camry.

* May 1, 2008 - At 2:50 a.m., the suspect entered a Denny's restaurant located at Wilshire Boulevard and Western Avenue, where he pointed a handgun at the clerk and demanded money. The suspect grabbed the entire cash register drawer and ran.

* May 3, 2008 - At 3:20 a.m., the suspect walked into the same Denny's restaurant, this time wearing a wig. He pulled out a handgun, demanded the employee to turn over the money and again took off on foot with the cash register tray.

* May 31, 2008 - At 11 p.m., the suspect walked up to a parking lot attendant near the Beverly Center at La Cienega Boulevard and 3rd Street and robbed the employee at gunpoint once again, the suspect got away with the entire cash register tray.

* June 2, 2008 - At 2:45 p.m., the bandit entered a Chinese restaurant at 2nd Street and Western Avenue. As before, the suspect pulled out a handgun, ordered the clerk to hand over the money and fled with the cash register tray.

Anyone with information about these robberies is urged to call Wilshire Robbery Detective Luis Corona at (213) 922-8266. On off hours, weekends, and holidays calls may be directed to the toll free number 1-877-LAWFULL (529-3855).

Good morning. Had a SWAT callout last night in Sunland ... Ended with the arrest of the barricaded suspect.

SUNLAND - LAPD SWAT team officers blasted tear gas canisters into a Sunland home today to flush out a 61-year-old man who had threatened his ex- girlfriend with a handgun, then barricaded himself inside for roughly five hours, police said.

The incident began when the man showed up at his ex-girlfriend's house in the 10800 block of Leolang Avenue near Jayseel Street around 8 p.m. Thursday, said an officer at th Los Angeles Police Department's Foothill Station.

dailynews.com

SUN VALLEY -- With police still searching for the killers of a 17-year-old Polytechnic High School football player shot to death at a house party, officials announced Wednesday they will be seeking a $50,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.

Police say Jesus Florian, known as "Chimpo," was not associated with gangs but confronted gang members who crashed the party after midnight Saturday. He was shot several times in his upper torso.

It's unclear why he confronted the shooter, but the high school graduation and birthday party near Neenach Street and Amboy Avenue had just been winding down. Police say teens had been dancing, and the person who threw the party was not involved.

City Councilman Tony Cardenas, who represents the area, introduced the reward motion to the council Wednesday. It is expected to be approved next week.

"This is another tragedy involving a promising student who had a wealth of opportunities and a bright future brutally taken away from him," he said.

The suspect is described as a Latino in his late teens or early 20s with a shaved head and a thin mustache, 5 foot 8 to 5 feet 9 inches tall with a stocky build.

Anyone with information is asked to call LAPD North Hollywood detectives at 818-623-4045.

Good morning. Cops are looking this morning for a hit-and-run driver who killed a 9-year-old boy in East Los Angeles.

Jesus Sanchez and his family were crossing Ford Boulevard just south of Cesar Chavez Avenue at 12:04 a.m. Sunday when a vehicle going northbound at a high rate of speed struck him, CHP Officer Luis Mendoza said.

The red, late 1990s to early 2000s two-door Honda with tinted rear windows and a spoiler with brake lights did not slow or stop after hitting the boy, Mendoza said. The car then ran a light at Cesar E. Chavez Avenue at Ford and turned left.

dailynews.com

This just in, from Foothill Division ...

PACOIMA - A suspected carjacker got a taste of his own medicine Tuesday morning after stealing a GMC truck and crashing it into parked cars including a mail truck, before being beaten and detained by citizens on the street, police said.

dailynews.com

On the 40th anniversary of Robert Kennedy's slaying at a Los Angeles hotel, The San Francisco Chronicle writes about the conspiracy theories that abound in the case.

Examples:

-- Sirhan fired his .22-caliber revolver from a few feet in front of Kennedy, according to police, yet Los Angeles County coroner Thomas Noguchi reported that the fatal shot was fired less than one inch from Kennedy's head, behind his right ear. Of the four shots fired at Kennedy, all came from the rear. None of this was raised at Sirhan's trial because his defense was based on the theory that he suffered from "diminished capacity" rather than on any challenge of prosecutors' evidence.

-- Sirhan's revolver held eight rounds; a radio reporter's tape recording of the shooting has sounds of what one audio expert describes as 13 shots. Sirhan never had a chance to reload before bystanders tackled him. Two of the sounds on the tape are what forensic experts call "double shots," which means two shots so close together that they couldn't have come from the same revolver.

-- Several witnesses saw a security guard just behind Kennedy draw his revolver, and one reported seeing him fire it.

-- Over the years, Sirhan has told investigators who interviewed him in prison that he was in a hypnotic trance during the shooting and can't remember it at all. He said he could not remember writing, "RFK must die." He did not respond to an interview request for this story.

sfgate.com

Our sister paper, the Long Beach Press-Telegram analyzed arrests of juveniles in Long Beach. They find that while the country has been seeing a decline in juvenile crime, Long Beach has been steady, among other findings. I haven't gotten through it all yet, but check it out here.

Los Angeles Police detectives are asking for the public's help to identify the person responsible for the shooting death of a 17-year old teen.

On Saturday, May 31, 2008, just after midnight, North Hollywood patrol officers responded to a shooting call in the 12000 block of Neenach where they found the victim lying on the ground with multiple gun shot wounds to his torso. Los Angeles Fire Department responded and immediately rendered medical treatment. The victim did not respond to their efforts and as result they pronounced him dead.

The preliminary investigation revealed that both the victim and the suspect had attended a party and had been engaged in a heated argument with each other. The suspect produced an unknown caliber handgun and fired multiple shots at the victim from close range, striking the victim in his upper torso. The victim fell to the ground and the suspect fled from the location.

The victim's identity is being withheld pending notification of his family.

Suspect and weapon are still outstanding.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to call North Hollywood Homicide Detective Richard Wheeler at (818) 623-4075. After hours and on weekends, call the 24-hour toll free number at the Detective Information Desk at 1-877-LAW-FULL (529-3855).

NPR is taking a deep look at rising gang violence in Los Angeles, starting out in South L.A. during a ride-along with veteran LAPD Sergeant Herb Cirilo. npr.org

From the LAPD blog:

A police officer's weapon accidently discharged while attempting to pull over a vehicle with armed suspects inside on May 26, 2008.

The incident unfolded at around 6:30 p.m., when an undercover police unit working a detail to apprehend career criminals was conducting surveillance on an armed and dangerous vehicle in the 9000 block of Telfair Avenue, in Pacoima. The plain clothes unit needed uniformed officers to make the stop and summoned for a patrol unit.

After the suspect's vehicle turned into a driveway of a nearby home, Officer Claudia Avila and her partner pulled behind them exited the vehicle and drew their weapons to conduct a high-risk stop. While holding her duty weapon with her right hand, Officer Avila attempted to put the vehicle in park with her left hand and accidently discharged her weapon.

Neither the officers nor the suspects were injured. Both suspects were taken into custody and charged for a crime unrelated to the officer involved shooting.

Force Investigation Division will handle the incident. Officer Avila has been with the Department for two years and one month.

Earlier, I mentioned the story of the rise in thefts of gas from cars. Today, the New York Times has a piece about the rise in thefts of discarded frying oil from restaurants. Things are getting weird out there, my friends. Anyone got anything more bizarre, let us know.

Good morning. Here's the latest plan on gang crackdowns - evicting gang members from apartments and seizing cars. Reminds me of a plan that City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo had for people who street race.

In an effort to crack down on gun violence that last year alone killed or wounded more than 2,000 Angelenos, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and top law enforcement officials unveiled a plan Thursday that would allow officers to evict gun-wielding gang members from apartments and seize their cars.

dailynews.com

Read the story I wrote in 2003 about the city's plan to seize cars of street racers.

We had a story today about a spike in gas thefts from cars, a la the trend that hit back in the 70s during the days of gas rationing. I wanted to tell you that I was a victim years ago. Someone sucked the gas out of my pickup truck. Pretty ticked off I drove over to Pep Boys to get one of those locking gas caps and haven't had a problem since. But, now, it seems that the crooks are going further by busting into gas tanks, bypassing the gas caps. Desperate times, my friends.

A 28-year-old felon who allegedly fired a rifle during a domestic dispute early Sunday, prompting a police standoff, has been charged with attempted murder and possession numerous firearms and ammunition, the District Attorney's office announced.

Amir David Tamado Nejad is suspected of firing an assault rifle at his girlfriend during a domestic dispute and also allegedly firing numerous shots at a security guard. No one was hit or injured during the incident. Police responded to a domestic dispute call about 3 a.m. Sunday in the 22100 block of Burbank Boulevard. The California Highway Patrol shut down the westbound 101 Freeway for more than eight hours during a standoff with the suspect.

dailynews.com

At the top of the dailynews.com list today, Brandon has a story about officers being honored for their bravery.

It began just like any other ordinary traffic stop in North Hollywood.

Just before midnight on July 12, 2005, near Sherman Way and Woodman Avenue, Los Angeles police Officer Humberto Franco pulled over a Nissan with three people inside for driving with high beams on.

Franco saw them trying to hide something - maybe drugs or a weapon, he thought - so he flagged down a passing patrol car for backup.

When the officers ordered the three out of the car, one of the passengers pulled a gun, fired at them and ran into a busy street toward a hotel.

dailynews.com

Good morning Mean Streets readers. I'm back from a trip to NYC. Was cruising the wires this morning and found this piece from Chicago.

CHICAGO (AP) -- DNA testing has exonerated a man of a rape conviction that had kept him in an Illinois prison for more than 12 years.

The New York-based Innocence Project says Dean Cage is the 29th person in Illinois exonerated by post-conviction DNA evidence.

usatoday.com

Here's a funny one. It wasn't exactly pistols at 30 paces, but police say a security company supervisor and a restaurateur
shot each other with Tasers in a "bonehead" confrontation over parking. Officers said neither man needed medical attention after the Saturday confrontation, but Harvey Epstein, co-owner of Mamacitas restaurant, was arrested on suspicion of felony menacing and using a stun gun.

A parolee wielding a semiautomatic rifle walked into a church festival filled with children Saturday morning and opened fire, wounding the mother of his child and two bystanders and shattering this normally quiet suburban neighborhood. Police said Fernando Diaz Jr., 33, of North Hollywood, walked into the festival at St. John Baptist de la Salle Church, kissed his son, pulled the rifle out of a tennis bag and fired several rounds at his ex-girlfriend and festival volunteers before school parents tackled him to the ground.

A Superior Court judge on Monday upheld the murder charge against Ara Grigoryan, the man charged in the July 2007 hit-and-run death of Elizabeth Sandoval. Grigoryan's defense team had sought to reduce the murder charge before going to trial, arguing that prosecutors made certain assumptions about the incident and had overblown the 20-year-old's prior driving infractions to infer a "wanton disregard" for human life -- a key finding for murder.

Update: Video footage of suspect and his vehicle available for download at www.lapdonline.org-"Solve a Crime" Navigation bar on home page

Los Angeles Police Department have released a sketch of a man who attempted to sexually assault two young girls in separate incidents.

The first assault occurred on April 30, 2008, at around 7:30 a.m., when a Latino man approached an 8-year-old girl walking in the 600 block of Burlington Avenue. The man lured the girl into a secluded area of an apartment building located at 625 South Burlington Avenue and attempted to sexually assault her.

On February 29, 2008, at 9:00 a.m., the same suspect approached a 9-year-old girl walking near James M. Wood Boulevard and Hoover Street. The suspect initiated a conversation with the girl and pulled her into an apartment building where he attempted to sexually assault her.

The suspect is described as Hispanic, 25-30 years of age with black spiked hair. He's about 5 feet six inches tall and weigh 170 pounds. He was last seen driving a blue unknown make and model vehicle. A composite sketch of the suspect is available through Media Relations Section.

Anyone with information is asked to call Rampart Sexual Assault Detective Sofie Toledo at (213) 207-2031 or Robbery Homicide Detective John Wong at (213) 485-2921. After hours and on weekends, please call the 24-hour Detective Information Desk at 1-877-LAW-FULL (529-3855).

Councilwoman Janice Hahn has been taking a lot of heat for a Fox news report that alleged she funded some dubious gang intervention workers but our sister paper, the Daily Breeze, calls the allegations flawed.
The report largely based on two cops comes as Hahn, who represents some of the most violent areas of the city, is pushing a $30 million anti-gang tax measure on November's ballot. The parcel tax which would cost about $30 or $40 a household would pay for intervention and prevention but political insiders have been yammering that this report could damage the ballot's prospects.

Los Angeles Councilwoman Janice Hahn continues to take fire from talk radio hosts and conservative bloggers, two weeks after a television news report accused her of providing city funds to active gang members under the auspices of gang intervention programs.

But a review of the Fox 11 News story found major flaws that undermine its central allegations. Most notably, records and interviews show that the gang intervention workers identified in the report have not received city funding. Additionally, a convicted rapist was wrongly identified as a gang intervention worker, and Hahn was mistakenly accused of providing funds directly to gang workers.

The story was largely based on the allegations of two Los Angeles Police Department officers who contend that Hahn pressured the department to remove them from their foot beats in Watts due to complaints about their aggressive tactics.

The conflict between Hahn and the two officers - Ryan Moreno and Chuck Garcia - dates to late 2005, when she responded to a spate of violence in Watts by starting a gang task force.

Police today are going to offer a reward in conjunction with the killing of a Northridge homeless man.

At 8 a.m. at the Devonshire Community Police Station, 10250 Etiwanda Ave., Northridge, Los Angeles City Councilman Greig Smith, and Los Angeles Police Department homicide detectives will ask for the public's help to identify a suspect who accosted an elderly homeless man, causing him to suffer fatal head injuries. For additional information, contact Matt Myerhoff, Communications Director, Council District 12, Cell: (818) 613-2248. Matt.Myerhoff@lacity.org.

A Latino in his 20s punched Harold Gene Loftis, 69, at Roscoe and Reseda boulevards about 10 p.m. April 14

A Santa Barbara prosecutor who consulted in the making of the movie "Alpha Dog," about an accused killer facing the death penalty, may stay on the case, the California Supreme Court decided unanimously today. Ruling against the capital defendant, the state high court said a prosecutor may be removed from a case only if it is determined that his or her actions created a conflict of interest that made it unlikely for the defendant to receive a fair trial.

Rocky Delgadillo is cracking down on prostitutes and pimps by using the same kind of enforcement he uses with gang injunctions. Here's the press release.

Los Angeles City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo, the City's chief prosecutor, today joined with representatives of the Los Angeles Police Department to announce the filing of a groundbreaking lawsuit seeking to prevent five pimps and 36 chronic prostitutes from operating in the Figueroa Corridor. He is also unveiling a diversion program to educate prostitutes and "Johns" about the legal consequences, health risks, and community impact of their illegal conduct.

"We're launching the injunction for chronic offenders and the
diversion program for first-time offenders at the same time because
fighting crime in the 21st Century means getting smarter - not just
tougher - with our public safety initiatives," said City Attorney
Delgadillo.

The Pimp and Prostitution Injunction

The nuisance abatement action brought by the City Attorney's Safe
Neighborhoods Division seeks to exclude five pimps and 36 chronic
prostitutes from the Figueroa Corridor - an area defined as 100 yards
to each side of Figueroa Street between Vernon Avenue and El Segundo
Boulevard in South Los Angeles. The defendants have repeatedly returned
to the Figueroa Corridor despite law enforcement efforts to stop them.

All 36 prostitutes named in the injunction have been convicted at least
twice for engaging in prostitution in the Figueroa Corridor, and account
for 127 prostitution arrests in the Figueroa Corridor and more than 300
prostitution arrests throughout Southern California.

Four pimps named in the injunction are affiliated with gangs including
the Shotgun Crips, Front Hood Crips and Denver Lane Bloods.

Pimps named in the injunction are excluded from the Figueroa Corridor
and are prohibited from associating with or assisting prostitutes; using
intimidation; interfering with traffic or possessing weapons. They must
also report any vehicle and residential information to law enforcement.
Prostitutes named in the injunction are also excluded from the Figueroa
Corridor. Violations of the injunction could result in criminal
prosecution.

We have included within this injunction an opt-out provision which
provides those who can demonstrate they are no longer engaging in
criminal activity - and have met certain court-ordered requirements --
with a way out.

The Prostitution Diversion Program

The City Attorney also today announced the launch of the Figueroa
Corridor Prostitution Diversion Program. The program is designed to
reduce the number of prostitutes and "Johns" along the Figueroa
Corridor.

The Diversion program is open to first-time offender prostitutes and
"Johns" who have no prior convictions for drugs or violence.
Program participants must enroll in, and complete, an eight hour seminar
and must submit to an AIDS test and follow-up support services. If the
offender completes of the seminar and appropriate referral services, no
charges will be filed.

The Figueroa Corridor suffers more from the harmful actions of pimps,
prostitutes, and those seeking prostitutes than any other part of the
City. The LAPD has devoted vast resources to attacking this problem,
including conducting undercover operations, and providing dedicated
patrols and foot patrols. Since 2002, more than 1,000 prostitutes have
been arrested in the Figueroa Corridor and prosecuted by City Attorney
Delgadillo's Neighborhood Prosecutors. The City Attorney targeted 20
nuisance properties for abatement because of vice and drug activity
linked to prostitution, resulting in the reduction of
prostitution-related crimes at these locations by 65%.

Deputy City Attorney Dan Whitley is the City prosecutor assigned to the
litigation and Neighborhood Prosecutor Sonja Dawson created the
prosecution diversion program in cooperation with LAPD and our service
provider partners.

Earlier we posted a story that talked about LAPD Chief William Bratton taking a consultancy job to help drop London's crime rate. Bratton responds ...

There have been several recent news articles indicating that I have been approached and accepted a position to act as an advisor to the new Mayor of London, Boris Johnson.

I have had no conversations with Mr. Johnson, I have not spoken with any members of his administration and I have not been approached to act as an advisor as it relates to matters of crime reduction.

As a law enforcement executive I am often asked to share my thoughts and opinions on reducing crime and making communities safer. I have long supported the "Broken Windows" theory of policing that by focusing on minor crimes, more serious offenses can be prevented.

In the past I have provided advice to former Mayor Ken Livingston and have consulted for both the city of London and the national government. I would certainly be willing to do so, if asked, for the new Mayor in my official capacity as Chief of the Los Angeles Police Department.

William J. Bratton
Chief of Police
Los Angeles Police Department

Gunmen killed the head of Mexico's federal police force early Thursday in a brazen hit against the man who had become the public face of the country's war on drug cartels.

What's wrong with this picture?

Police right now are holding a press conference, announcing the arrest of a child sexual predator identified as Pedro Ortiz has allegedly sexually assaulted at least two juvenile victims and investigators believe there could be others. For further information, contact LAPD Media Relations Section, (213) 485-3586. More to come.

This just in from John Balian, Glendale Police Department spokesman:

The Glendale Police Department has arrested two suspects in connection with several residential burglaries and thefts in the City of Glendale where elderly victims where targeted. After a month-long investigation, Glendale Police Detectives arrested Christopher Nicholas and Mary Dell on 05/04/08 in Riverside, CA. Nicholas and Dell would gain the confidence of elderly victims in order to gain access to the victim's home. Once inside the victim's home, one suspect would distract the victim, while the other suspect ransacked the home for cash, credit cards, jewelry and other valuables.

Both suspects are suspected of committing similar crimes in the cities of Long Beach, Pasadena, Crescenta Valley, and have ties to Las Vegas, Nevada. If you believe you may be a victim, please contact: Det. Keith James at (818) 548-2097 OR Sgt. Vahak Mardikian at (818) 548-4047.

NICHOLAS, CHRISTOPHER
A.K.A.'s:
Miller, Chris / Nichols, Christopher /
Nicholes, Christopher

DELL, MARY ANN
A.K.A.'s:
Stevens, Janet Laura / Evans, Janet /
Evans, Mary / Marks, Janet

A Glendale man was taken for $100,000 by a scam artist in return for a deed of trust in the home at 5541 Calera Avenue in Covina. Frank Girardot, over in the San Gabriel Valley, has the scoop.

U.S. border authorities no longer apprehend illegal immigrants only as they enter the country. Now they're catching them on the way out. At random times near the Tijuana-San Diego border, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers have been setting up checkpoints, boarding buses destined for Mexico and pulling off people who don't have proper documentation, latimes.com.

More on the death of a 14-year-old boy, Alejandro Villa ...

PACOIMA - In one of the last photos taken of Alejandro Villa before he was shot to death less than a block from his home, he is smiling, sitting in the back of a limousine.

The snapshot is from a quinceañera, where the 14-year-old boy danced so much and had such a good time that he promised to dance more often, his sister said.

And for months, he had been telling his mother he was going to stay out of trouble. He even had joined a boxing class through the gang intervention group Communities in School.

But Alejandro teetered on the edge, sometimes mixing with the wrong crowd. And in the end, his words to his family weren't enough.

dailynews.com

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Police would soon decide whether to provide extra security at federal courthouses in light of an explosion that damaged a federal courthouse in San Diego.

Nobody was hurt in the blast, caused by a pipe bomb about 1:40 a.m. Sunday.

Los Angeles police don't yet have plans to provide extra security at federal courthouses in the city, but that could change, said Karen Smith of the Los Angeles Police Department.

I wonder where the money might come from. I know the overtime costs are huge and the city is grappling with cutbacks... We'll see.

chinaview.com

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HOLLYWOOD - A multi-million-dollar home in the Hollywood Hills, apparently owned by Internet entrepreneur and MySpace founder Brad Greenspan, was burglarized, police said today.

dailynews.com

Remember the fat boy program, boot camp for military men with pork bellies? ... Well, my colleague Brandon Lowrey found the antedote to that. He writes today in the dailynews.com about the LAPD dietitian (yeah, you read that right). Yeah, a kinder gentler LAPD ... What's next, cop yoga?

The Los Angeles Times looks at the costs of adding 1,000 cops to the LAPD at a time when the economy is in the dump.

Things so far downtown during the May Day event seem to be quiet, but it's early still...

We've got a couple reporters in the field reporting on today's event. Here's what we got so far.

Jose Macias laid out a giant white poster this morning along Broadway in downtown Los Angeles with the words "The sun shines for everyone." The Brazilian immigrant, who runs his own clothing company, said he designed the logo as a small contribution toward the fight for immigration reform.

dailynews.com

Officer Ryan Whiteman is in the vanguard of a push to target hard-core gangs, not with sweeping paramilitary force but with aggressive, targeted enforcement by officers who know the players in the hood, the The Times reports.

SAN DIEGO -- Authorities say a woman who escaped from a Detroit prison 32 years ago has been arrested in San Diego, where she was a wife and mother living under a false name. U.S. Marshals say 53-year-old Susan Lefevre was taken into custody Thursday in the Carmel Valley area.

Los Angeles Police Department cops investigated more than 300 complaints of racial profiling against officers last year and found that none had merit -- a conclusion that left members of the department's oversight commission incredulous. It is at least the sixth consecutive year that all allegations of racial profiling against LAPD officers have been dismissed, according to department documents reviewed by The Times.

Facing a civilian oversight commission skeptical about LAPD's investigation of racial profiling complaints, Chief William Bratton said Tuesday he will launch a wide-ranging review of police practices, Rachel writes at dailynews.com.

For the first time in more than a decade, the proposed city budget provides the Los Angeles Police Department with more funding to cover officer overtime costs, Chief William Bratton said Monday. The chief addressed the council's Budget and Finance Committee during a daylong hearing at City Hall to discuss the $7 billion spending plan proposed for 2008-09.

knbc.com

From the LAPD. A homicide in South L.A.

On April 19, 2008, at about 4:15 a.m., 31-year-old Charles Corey was in front of his apartment building at the 3200 block of West 60th Street when a suspect in a tan, newer-model car, possibly a Toyota Corolla, drove by and fired multiple gunshots. Corley was hit several times and collapsed on the street. The vehicle and suspects proceeded eastbound on West 60th Street toward 8th Avenue.

Los Angeles Fire Department personnel responded to the incident and the victim was transported to a local hospital where he underwent surgery and was placed on life-support systems until his recent death on April 23, 2008, at 12:50 p.m.

The motive for the murder is unknown and the suspects, their vehicle and weapons remain outstanding.

Anyone with information is asked to call South Bureau Homicide Detectives Bill Ritch or Bertha Durazo at (213) 485-1383. After hours and on weekends, calls may be directed to a 24-hour detective information desk at 1-877-LAW-FULL (529-3855).

Woman kills live-in boyfriend ... This from the LAPD ...

Los Angeles police have arrested a woman who murdered her live-in boyfriend yesterday afternoon in South Los Angeles.

Just before 4:30 p.m., Reginald Wilson, 44, and Elizabeth Shields, 52, were involved in a heated argument at their residence in the 5200 block of south Van Ness Avenue. The dispute turned violent when Shields picked up a kitchen steak knife and brutally stabbed Wilson in the chest, authorities said.

After the victim staggered to the living room area where he subsequently collapsed, the suspect called 911and waited for police to arrive.

Paramedics rushed the victim to a local hospital where he died of his injuries, and Shields was taken into custody and charged with murder. Her bail was set at $1 million.

Both the victim and the suspect have been involved in an ongoing feud, investigators said.

Anyone with information is asked to call South Bureau Homicide Detectives Roger Guzman and Eric Crosson at (213) 485-1383. After hours and on weekends, please call the 24-hour Detective Information Desk at 1-877-LAW-FULL (529-3855).

This morning you read about a man who held up a McDonald's in the Valley, now we've got the great Karaoke thieves. A little robbery potpourri.

Los Angeles police are looking for two men who were caught on a surveillance camera robbing a Karaoke business at gunpoint on April 14.

The robbery occurred in broad daylight, shortly after 3 p.m. when the pair entered the DJ Karaoke Box located at 4121 West Olympic Boulevard. One of the bandits approached the counter posing as a customer and acted as a lookout. Moments later, the other bandit walked up to a female employee standing behind the counter, showed a handgun, and demanded she open the cash register and turn over the money. The cashier complied with the suspect’s orders because she feared for her life, police said. The suspect grabbed an undisclosed amount of cash, a carton of Marlboro Light cigarettes, and a personal cell phone, and placed them in a white shopping bag with handles.

After taking the personal items and cash, both suspects walked out the back door and fled in a 2002-2005 grey, four-door Nissan Altima.

The gunman was described as a 20-25 year old Korean, and was wearing a white long- sleeve shirt and black pants. The second suspect, also described as Korean, was wearing a blue flannel shirt that he used to shield his face and conceal his identity.

No shots were fired and the cashier was not injured.

Surveillance footage and still photographs of the suspects are available through Media Relations Section.

Anyone who recognizes the suspects is asked to contact Wilshire Robbery Detectives Tae Hong or Webster Wong at (213) 922-8205/8231. During weekends and off-hours, call the 24-hour toll free number at 1-877-LAWFUL (1-877-529-3855).

ENCINO - There was a robbery at a McDonald's in Encino overnight and cops were looking for the culprit who dropped some of the loot on a nearby sidewalk as he fled from the scene, authorities said.

The robbery in the 15700 block of Ventura Boulevard near Haskell Avenue was reported around 11:10 p.m. Wednesday, a sergeant from the Los Angeles Police Department's West Valley Station said.

dailynews.com

An inter-agency police auto theft task force uncovered a cache of machine guns, stolen cars and motorcycles and a hunting dog breeding operation run out of a home in Sylmar and didn't publicize it when the story broke in 2006.

Here's the story in a nutshell, given to me by the good folks from the Task Force for Regional Auto Theft Prevention (TRAP) - West Team. TRAP is a team of cops which investigates commercial vehicle theft and fraud countywide.

The case began July 27, 2006, at 9 p.m. when LAPD Mission Division patrol officers found a stolen Nissan Altima parked in front of a home in the 13000 block of Parkland Circle in Sylmar. The thief had stolen the car by stealing someone's identity from a lost wallet. And the suspects used his information to purchase vehicles.

The next day, at 8 a.m., TRAP detectives saw the suspect, identified as Don Park, leave his residence, get into a Nissan Maxima - which turned out to be stolen - remove the sun shade and back out of the driveway.

Detectives confronted Park and later determined that five other vehicles at the residence were also stolen.

Park faces auto theft, making a false financial statement and identity theft charges at a court hearing set for next month.

A search of Park's residence turned up 45 firearms, large amounts of ammunition, ballistic vests, police scanners, and 11 automatic assault weapons/machine guns in an upstairs bedroom that had been converted into a storage room.

Police found an additional cache of ammunition in the living room cabinet. Additional weapons charges were also filed against Park.

In the garage of the home, detectives discovered three stolen motorcycles, taken from a locked motorcycle dealership on Hollywood Way in Burbank. The suspects had cut the chain to a locked gate in August 2004 afterhours.

Police also found that Park had been allegedly illegally breeding hunting dogs at his residence and had previously been cited by Animal Regulation officers for the activity.

Eleven dogs were confiscated and held pending the investigation.

Park has a prior felony conviction for robbery with a gun and was sentenced to 92 months in the state prison. Park had previously been deported to Korea after completing his sentence. Park entered the country and illegally set-up residence, police said.

Cops are going to hold a press conference this afternoon to alert the public about crooks who are posing as DWP workers and ransacking houses. Today at 3:30 p.m. at Louise Park, which is on the southeast corner of Louise Avenue and Sherman Way, in Van Nuys, LAPD Deputy Chief Michel Moore, the Valley's top cop, Capt. Jim Miller, who heads Van Nuys Division, and Lt. Steve Harer, who heads detectives at Van Nuys, will join the city's aging chief, James Don, to raise awareness about the issue.

LAPD investigators want to reveal how these suspects are operating. They also hope to enlist the public’s help in apprehending them. The suspects’ mode of operation is as follows: Two men show up at the front door of a residence claiming to be from the LADWP with a need to check exterior electrical wires. As the victim and one of the suspects remain outside for the alleged wire check, the other suspect enters the victim’s home and removes property.

I wrote a story about this late last year ...

Not a whole lot of fun at the crazy chicken last night...

CANOGA PARK - Chicken was on the menu, but last night at an El Pollo Loco a restaurant employee and a pregnant woman got a little more after a hit-and-run driver lost control of her vehicle and crashed into the side of the fast food restaurant, leaving them injured.

The crash occurred on the southwest corner of Topanga Canyon and Roscoe boulevards around 11:15 p.m. Monday.

A female driver in a dark-colored sport utility vehicle was traveling southbound on Topanga Canyon Boulevard, and apparently lost control while trying to turn westbound onto Roscoe Boulevard, Brady said.

dailynews.com

Anyone out there know this kid, a 15-year-old shot in a gang related incident? Anyone else out there as outraged?

Police say a young teenager was shot to death amid gang related shooting yesterday evening in North Hollywood.

The shooting happened around 7:15 p.m., in the 7000 block of Ethel Avenue. When police arrived they found the body of 15-year-old Victor Fajardo lying on the sidewalk suffering from gunshot wounds.

Paramedics rushed Fajardo to Holy Cross Medical Center where he died.

According to investigators, two Latino men confronted Fajardo as he walked along the sidewalk. One of the men pulled out a handgun and brutally shot Fajardo. Both suspects drove off in a 2000 or 2004 black Mustang.

Detectives have few leads and described the gunmen only as Hispanic.

Anyone with information regarding this shooting is asked to contact North Hollywood Homicide Detective Richard Wheeler at 818-623-4075. During off-hours or on weekends, call the 24-hour toll free number at 1-877-LAWFULL (529-3855).

Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley will fete a woman tomorrow for her bravery at his annual Courageous Citizen Awards event to honor citizens who are making a difference. Here's to you Mireya Arias.

When Mireya Arias of Los Angeles reconnected with a childhood friend on a social networking Web site, the 22-year-old never imagined the exchange would lead to one of the most challenging decisions of her life.

As children, the friend confided in Arias that she was a victim of sexual abuse. A decade later, the friend filed charges against her abuser and Arias came forward as a witness. Setting aside all apprehension, Arias courageously took the witness stand. The young woman’s testimony helped prosecutors secure a conviction and the defendant was sentenced to 12 years in state prison.

For her valor, Arias and others who have demonstrated courage under duress will be honored with Courageous Citizen Awards at a luncheon ceremony Wednesday, April 23, from noon-1:30 p.m. at the Pasadena Hilton, 150 S. Los Robles Ave. The event is sponsored by the Rotary Club of Pasadena.

“In my nearly eight years as District Attorney, one of my favorite duties has been taking part in these Courageous Citizen Awards ceremonies,” District Attorney Steve Cooley said. “This is a great opportunity for me to personally thank heroes who have testified in court, knowing that it might put them in peril, helped a crime victim in jeopardy or faced danger and stared it down.”

Other honorees include David H.P. Lee, 44, of South El Monte and posthumous award recipient Christopher N. Chavez, who was 42 and lived in Rialto when he died.

Lee witnessed an armed robbery in progress and attempted to aid the victim. Lee first used his car to block the suspect from escaping and then tried to wrestle the suspect off his motorcycle. During the struggle, the suspect threatened Lee with a knife and then fatally stabbed the robbery victim before fleeing. Ultimately identifying the suspect and testifying in the murder trial, Lee helped send the defendant to prison for life without parole.

Chavez and three co-workers were riding motorcycles on Interstate 10 in the San Gabriel Valley last July when an aggressive SUV driver veered into the riders, injuring one of them. When the driver fled the scene, Chavez followed the vehicle and tracked it to a residence. He summoned police and the driver was arrested. As a result of his selfless acts, the defendant is awaiting trial on the charge of attempted murder. Several weeks later, Chavez died in a separate traffic incident.

A walk through history as told through LAPD photographs ...

The Los Angeles Police Department has embarked on an ambitious plan to catalog and preserve nearly one million photographic negatives accumulated during decades of police service in the city of Los Angeles. The images constitute a visual record dating primarily from the early 1920s to the late 1960s. “Our agency has a rich heritage that parallels and reflects the history of the city,” said Mary Grady, Public Information Director for the LAPD, whose Entertainment Trademark Unit will coordinate the undertaking. lapdblog

Good morning. Welcome back to Mean Streets. Here are some crime headlines from over the weekend ...

• With the death of her 18-year-old son still a vivid memory, Martha Torres released a balloon with his name on it Sunday to bring attention to those who have died at the hands of another. "This is a new experience for me," said the Burbank woman, whose son, Oscar, was killed in 2005 in Glendale by a driver who was later convicted of second-degree murder. "At least we know that somebody will remember them." Torres joined dozens of other families at Rose Hills Memorial Park and Mortuary on Sunday to pay tribute to their slain loved ones and advocate for the rights of victims' families in the judicial process. dailynews.com

• My colleague Susan Abram reports that the number of psychiatric beds in public hospitals has fallen dramatically across California and the nation - with the Golden State now dedicating just 17 beds for mentally ill patients for every 100,000 residents, according to a newly released report. dailynews.com

• The Schwarzenegger administration proposes $7 billion for state prisons, to bring care up to constitutional standards. latimes.com

• Los Angeles police arrested a 19-year-old Wilmington man Wednesday afternoon who was responsible for a hit-and-run accident that left a young teen seriously injured and the other fighting for her life. lapdblog

• Residents and city officials are concerned over a plan to open a new jail at the Mira Loma Detention Center, believing it could lead to increased crime and other problems for local neighborhoods. dailynews.com
  

At least one angry parent called me this morning about yesterday's massive truancy sweep.

I haven't talked to the parent yet but apparently she felt her son or daughter was treated like a criminal when police rounded truants up and held ditchers for most of the day in a recreation center turned into a detention facility.

Law enforcement's idea was to provide the kids, deemed "at-risk," with an early warning that they can't ditch or else they will have to pay the price. In this case, it was a $250 ticket and a day of humiliation. they also hooked the children and parents up with service agencies including job services and the department of mental health specialists.

But there were a handful of parents who were angered that their teens were needlessly caught up in the roundup simply because they were late for class or attended an off-track school.
One family told me it was "stupid" since their kids were merely late to class well another father said he was "annoyed" with officers who took his son in without calling him.
The 16-year-old Catholic school boy had explained to officers he attended a Catholic school that did not begin until 2 p.m and that he was on his way to practice for a play.

Wonder what this guy's nickname's going to be in prison ...

A Long Beach man has been convicted of federal smuggling charges for bringing into the United States several extremely rare iguanas after stealing them from a nature preserve in the Republic of the Fiji Islands.

Jereme James, 34, was found guilty yesterday of one count of smuggling and one count of possessing the endangered animals. The evidence presented during a three-day trial showed that James stole three hatchling Fiji Island banded iguanas (Brachylophus fasciatus) and brought them to the United States in violation of federal and international law.

dailynews.com

Some people have money. Others might never have it. Here's a couple accused of stealing other people's money, going 'shopping' and then getting caught in a police sting. Now, we all pay for their stay in jail. It's the American way.

A husband-and-wife were in custody in connection with operating a organized crime ring that stole credit card information, created forged credit cards and going on a trans-continental U.S. shopping spree, buying computers, other high-tech devices and gift cards, police announced this morning.

dailynews.com

Calling around to the Mission Division yesterday, cops told me the story of a group of young gangsters who went on a robbery spree in Sylmar. The youngest suspect is 16 and he's accused of wielding the weapon during the hold-ups. It wasn't some gang initiation rite either. They were doing it for the thrill.

SYLMAR - Five suspected gang members, including a 16-year-old boy, were arrested in connection with a string of at least seven street robberies over the last couple of weeks in the Sylmar area, police said today.

Sunland residents, Miguel Ramos Jr., an 18-year-old auto bodyshop worker, and Melissa J. Graciano, also 18, were arrested April 8 after a hold-up at a Sylmar smoke shop, said Los Angeles Police Officer Christine Mondell. They are accused of stealing a vaporizer used to smoke pot, Mondell said. Both allegedly are members of the Toonerville gang, police said.

They and three others, Francisco J. Carranza, a 20-year-old gardener from Sylmar, Sylvia Medina, 21, a customer service rep from Pacoima, and an unidentified 16-year-old boy are accused of ripping off a couple thousand dollars from at least seven people at gunpoint on the streets of Sylmar over the last two weeks. The 16-year-old is accused of wielding the gun during the heists, Mondell said. He is an alleged member of an up-and-coming gang known as 2XL.

dailynews.com

All the talk recently about the thefts of classic cars and I spotted this old column from The Los Angeles Times about an unusual used car customer who wanted a custom sports coupe with Corvette engine, and he wanted it now. The Daily Mirror

The operator of two English language schools was charged Wednesday with running a scheme that allowed foreign nationals, including several Russian prostitutes, to fraudulently obtain student visas to enter and stay in the United States, The Los Angeles Times writes. Bezhad "Ben" Zaman, 50, of Beverly Hills, a naturalized U.S. citizen from Iran, was arrested by federal agents without incident in what investigators believe is the largest student visa fraud scheme ever staged on the West Coast, authorities said. He was charged with seven counts of fraud and misuse of visa, one count of conspiring to money-launder and six counts of concealment for money laundering.

Here's a roundup of public safety items in yesterday's paper: victims, shootouts and of course the bureaucracy of public safety policy.

The grieving parents of a Los Angeles teenager who recently lost his life to gang violence pleaded with city officials Tuesday to take aggressive steps to boost city safety. Rick Orlov reports.

And Los Angeles police are drawing their guns less often than last year. But when they do, they're killing more criminal suspects than before, according to an LAPD report released Tuesday. Rachel Uranga reports.

Politicians continue to wrangle over a gang policy. Kerry Cavanaugh reports.

Cops busted a classic car theft ring, arrested its ringleader, recovered six cars and trucks, including the Chevy, left, and exposed what looks to be a new trend. Cops accuse Jerry Thompson of stealing the vehicles, switching out the vehicle identification numbers and reselling them. They are worth 10s of thousands of dollars. One car that police recovered, a 1957 Chevy Belair, that was worth $150,000, belonged to rapper Mack 10.

There are a couple of good Web sites that address this issue. Check them out: wsati.org and livecarshows.com

A little more from the homicide from Sunday in North Hollywood ...

A shooting that left a 23-year-old man dead outside of a liquor store Sunday stemmed from a dispute the victim had with an associate of the same gang, police said this morning. Dennis Runner, of Canoga Park, was killed as he sat in the passenger seat of his girlfriend's car outside a liquor store about 9:30 p.m. Sunday at Sherman Way and Lankershim Boulevard, police said. He was hit in the head and died later at a hospital. Los Angeles Police Detective Martin Pinner said he was just out of prison six weeks.

dailynews.com

Here's a few headlines from the Daily News crime pages ...

• I'm chasing down some more details on a homicide from Sunday night in North Hollywood. Here's what we have so far. A man was fatally shot as he sat in the passenger seat of a car parked outside a liquor store, authorities said Monday. The shooting occurred about 9:30 p.m. Sunday at Sherman Way and Lankershim Boulevard, said Officer Sara Faden of the Los Angeles Police Department's Media Relations Section. North Hollywood has seen more than five homicides so far this year, appears to be the the highest number in the Valley. dailynews.com

• In case you missed it, I wanted to throw some props to my colleague Troy Anderson who wrote about court security problems as threats against judges and other officials has skyrocketed.

  Even as Los Angeles County's sprawling court system seeks to mete out justice, security is becoming a growing concern as the number of threats against its 600 judges, commissioners and referees has more than doubled in the past two years. Threats against court personnel surged from 99 in 2006 to 267 last year, according to court records. And as violence and threats have risen, security costs have soared from $132 million three years ago to $169 million.

  dailynews.com

• And a promotion at the LAPD ... Terry S. Hara became the highest ranking Asian- American in Los Angeles Police Department history as he was promoted to the rank of deputy chief during a ceremony at the Police Academy.

Cops in Athens-Clarke County, Ga., arrested a suspected career robber who allegedly robbed a convenience store Wednesday after filling out a job application. Demetrius Robinson, 28, was arrested about 2 a.m. Saturday at a friend's apartment, about a block from the Golden Pantry store Robinson allegedly robbed, according to a police report. Robinson filled out the job application to pass time until he and the clerk were alone in the store, according to police. After the last customer left, about 11:20 p.m. Wednesday, he went behind the counter, pressed a steak knife into the clerk's side and made off with the contents of her register, police said. Robinson left his real name on the application along with his uncle's phone number, police said.

onlineathens.com

LAPD officer Manuel Tarango uses a microscope to look at a .380 bullet shell casing at the Hertzberg-Davis Forensic Science Center/LA Regional Loboratory. The shell casing comes from the gun of a suspect in a shooting in the Valley.

Rachel takes us into the offices of the LAPD's ballistics unit for a story about how cops piece together bullet fragments and shell casings found on the streets to the people responsible for pulling the trigger.

She writes that the unit is the backbone of law enforcement and can make or break cases.

dailynews.com

I just got this press release from Glendale Officer John Balian in my e-mail inbox. It is an update on the Glendale police shooting last night at Forest Lawn that left a gunman wounded.

On 4-3-08 at approximately 9:45 pm, Glendale Police Department officers were dispatched to Forest Lawn, located at 1712 South Glendale Avenue, regarding a report of possible shots fired at the location. Forest Lawn security advised the arriving officers that there was a suspicious vehicle (black Cadillac Escalade) parked at the top of the cemetery.

As officers approached the vehicle, a shot was fired in their direction. The officers were unsure if they could safely exit the area so responding officers brought the armored “Bearcat.” Officers established a perimeter around Forest Lawn Cemetery, with the assistance of LAPD.

A short time after the perimeter was established; Officers were contacted at the Forest Lawn entrance by a family friend who reported that the subject in the black Escalade was suicidal and armed with a firearm.

A team of Glendale Police Officers approached the Cadillac Escalade in the Glendale Police Bearcat (armored vehicle) and attempted to block the vehicle from being able to leave while negotiations began.

The suspect and his vehicle were in the City of Los Angeles portion of the cemetery. LAPD SWAT was requested to respond to the scene.

During the telephonic negotiations, LAPD reported that the suspect is possibly involved in a murder that occurred on 4-3-08 at approximately 8:19 pm, in the Wilshire District of LAPD.

Prior to SWAT’s arrival; the suspect drove forward and attempted to flee at a high rate of speed. Glendale Police Officers had blocked the roadway with two empty patrol vehicles, in an attempt to keep the Escalade from leaving the cemetery into the community after shooting at officers. The suspect crashed his vehicle into one of the patrol vehicles, coming to a stop. At this time, an Officer Involved Shooting took place. The suspect, who sustained a gunshot wound, was taken into custody. Los Angeles Fire Department transported the suspect to Los Angeles County Medical Center where he is in serious but stable condition. The identity of the suspect is not being released at this time. Refer all media inquiries regarding the homicide to LAPD.

Earlier 'Gangster killed by cops had fatally shot friend'

The LAPD said officers will use lessons they learned from last year's flawed crowd control plan at the May Day rally to better-police this year's march. During a City Hall briefing with journalists, police brass reviewed the problems Los Angeles police encountered - and created - during last year's May 1 rally at MacArthur Park, including poor coordination, planning and communication and too many decisions left up to individual officers.

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The Los Angeles Times today has a piece chronicling the life of a part of South Los Angeles reeling from violence, a neighborhood where shootings occur, where residents try to get cops to tackle the problem of mobile prostitution vans and to crack down on unscrupulous landlords who run slum apartments where many of his students live in dangerous and unsanitary conditions. One resident doesn't bother calling the cops. "No one does, she explained, not so much because the police are feared but because you will become a target yourself if you are known to have ratted out a criminal."

latimes.com

Steven L. Gomez has been named Special Agent in Charge (SAC) of the Counterterrorism Division in Los Angeles. Director Robert S. Mueller, III appointed him to this position to replace Janice K. Fedarcyk, who was selected as SAC of the Philadelphia Division. Most recently, Mr. Gomez served as a Section Chief in the FBI’s Directorate of Intelligence.

fbi.gov

A little more about the story of the man who was found shot in the head in a crashed car on the 101 Freeway this weekend in Sherman Oaks.

Shortly before Marlon Gordillo Sical sped down the Ventura Freeway and apparently shot himself, he sent a text message to one of his best friends, Stacy Blanco, who was sitting next to the hospital bed of his dead girlfriend.

"If you can just tell ma parents goodbye ... stacy take care of ma baby OK," he wrote.

dailynews.com

SHERMAN OAKS - A man whose body was found with a gunshot wound to the head Sunday in a car on the Ventura Freeway was despondent over the suicide of his girlfriend and might have killed himself, police said this morning. Marlon Gordillo Sical, 20, had been arguing with his girlfriend, Virginia Castillo, 19, when he disappeared and she hanged herself, police said. "He was apparently despondent," said Los Angeles Police Capt. James Miller, adding that police still are calling the case an undetermined death until the results of an autopsy tomorrow.

dailynews.com

I went out to the scene yesterday of a freeway shooting in which a 20-year-old man was found with a bullet to his head in his crashed car. The man's smashed up white car was found near the center divider on the eastbound Ventura Freeway between Van Nuys Boulevard and Woodman Avenue in Sherman Oaks at 8:14 a.m. yesterday.

Paramedics responding to what they thought was a crash saw the victim with the bullet and was taken to UCLA Medical Center where he died later. The man's car struck the eastbound freeway’s right sound wall, crossed all five lanes and slammed into the center divider. Los Angeles Police Capt. Jim Miller said police had no witnesses and few leads. Not much was known about the victim, identified as Marlon Gordillo Sical.

This was the second deadly freeway shooting in the Fernando Valley this month. About 2 a.m. March 1, Bunthan Roeung, 26, of Sylmar died after being shot on the 101 near Barham Boulevard.

In that case, Roeung and some friends had gotten into an argument with a group of black men in a Chevrolet Monte Carlo on Hollywood Boulevard.

A chase ensued on the 101, and the shooting occurred a few miles away. No arrests have been made, and police and city officials have offered a $50,000 reward for information.

Anyone with information on that shooting can call the Los Angeles Police Department's North Hollywood Division homicide detectives at 818-623-4075.

Detectives are looking into whether the two shootings are connected, but it appears unlikely, Miller said.

dailynews.com

Los Angeles City Councilwoman Wendy Greuel held a press conference yesterday to announce that her office, local residents in the North Hollywood area and police have helped increase the number of graffiti paint outs and cut gang-related crimes as part of a year-long community empowerment plan.

"Last year our valley neighborhoods saw graffiti rise, gang crime increase and illicit activity spread," Greuel Greuel said, joined by LAPD Deputy Chief Michel Moore and local residents. "We launched an aggressive campaign to take back our streets. One year later our success is clear. Thanks to an unprecedented level of community engagement and an influx of city services, we are keeping our streets safe and clean."

Greuel noted that since March 2007 the program has helped increased graffiti removal in her district by 52 percent and kicked up the number of Neighborhood Watches by 25 percenty.

Gang-related assaults in the southeast San Fernando Valley dropped by 46 percent in the first three months of 2008 compared to the previous year, she noted, without providing the data. As part of her effort to clean up neighborhoods, Greuel has sponsored seven town-hall style meetings on public safety, that saw over 1,000 residents and a mural program for 300 elementary and middle school students.

In addition, she has led residents to adopt over 40 graffiti hotspots, sponsored, installed 100 new street lights in alleys and secured funding for 10 cameras.

Greuel kicked-off her public safety campaign after LAPD announced that gang crime had risen in the San Fernando Valley by 40 percent over the previous year and graffiti had increased 300 percent in Council District 2.

The "Broken Window" theory states that in order to fight violent crime, it is necessary to also crack down on minor crimes like vandalism. All urban blight contributes to the progressive deterioration of neighborhood safety, but no vandalism is more inherently tied to violence and gang activity than graffiti, she said.

"We know that the safest neighborhoods are the most engaged neighborhoods," said Moore, the Valley's top cop. "Councilwoman Greuel and her engaged residents have provided critical support to our police work in the Valley."

New Neighborhood Watch signs for the Teesdale Neighborhood Watch were put up. It became one of the 24 Neighborhood Watches under the effort. Since its inception in early 2007, the Teesdale Neighborhood Watch has worked with Councilwoman Greuel to purchase and install a Q-star camera in a nearby graffiti hot spot, condemn a local abandoned building, eliminate illegal dumping in local alleys and increase graffiti reporting.

"This neighborhood has really turned around in the last six months thanks to the community's work and the support of Councilwoman Greuel," said George Characky, a founding member of the Teesdale Neighborhood Watch. "We used to have huge issues with illegal dumping and graffiti. Now my wife and I drive through the neighborhood and we are just thrilled."

As part of her effort to reduce gang violence across the City of Los Angeles, Councilwoman Greuel recently introduced measures that will implement the Controller's reforms of the City's anti-gang efforts. The recommendations include institutionalizing evaluation criteria to measure the success of city-funded anti-gang programs, re-procuring all current gang prevention contracts and re-programming $19 million of City funds to more effective gang prevention programs.

The buzz this morning is over the big front page mea culpa The Los Angeles Times wrote over a recent story about a brutal 1994 attack on rap superstar Tupac Shakur.

They were hoodwinked by a con artist informant who faked up documents to look like legitimate FBI file papers. Today, The Times' reporter Chuck Philips and his supervisor, Deputy Managing Editor Marc Duvoisin, who were responsible for the story, apologized as they took the heat.

The Shakur article appeared on latimes.com last week and two days later in the paper's Calendar section. The criticism came first from The Smoking Gun Web site, which said the newspaper had been the victim of a hoax, and then from subjects of the story, who said they had been defamed, The Times reported today.

"In relying on documents that I now believe were fake, I failed to do my job," Philips said in a statement yesterday, according to The Times. "I'm sorry."

In his statement, Duvoisin added: "We should not have let ourselves be fooled. That we were is as much my fault as Chuck's. I deeply regret that we let our readers down."

Times Editor Russ Stanton announced that the newspaper would launch an internal review of the documents and the reporting surrounding the story.

The Shakur article described a Nov. 30, 1994, ambush at Quad Recording Studios in New York, where the rap singer was pistol-whipped and shot several times by three men. No one has been charged in the crime, but before his death two years later, Shakur said he suspected allies of rap impresario Sean "Diddy" Combs.

The assault triggered a bicoastal war between Shakur and fellow adherents of West Coast rap and their East Coast rivals. One such rival, Notorious B.I.G., whose real name was Christopher Wallace, was shot to death, as was Shakur.

The Shakur story said The Times had obtained FBI records in which a confidential informant accused two men of helping to set up the attack on Shakur -- rap talent manager James Rosemond and James Sabatino, identified in the story as a promoter. The story said the two allegedly wanted to curry favor with Combs and believed Shakur had disrespected them.

The purported FBI records are the documents Philips and Duvoisin now believe were faked, The Times reported.

The story prompted vehement denials from lawyers for Combs and Rosemond, both before and after publication, according to The Times.

latimes.com
dailynews.com

For weeks, LAPD Chief William Bratton has been saying it appears none of the high profile killings/shootings this year were racially motivated. The LAPD even released a report analyzing homicides last week. The agency came to the conclusion that most killings are Latino on Latino or African-American on African-American, not inter-racial. But he and Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa went off message Wednesday admitting that in Los Angeles (the city that spawned the movie "Crash") it's hard to deny there could be racial tension.

``In a city as diverse as this one, is there conflict among races? Of course. Is it increasing? It may be. But I can tell you this, it's nowhere near what we've heard, frankly, from some of the media sources when these incidents occur,'' Villaraigosa told a crowd of reporters gathered for a press conference with U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey.

Bratton followed with, ``Do I personally suspect that race might have been a factor underlying
the gang issues? I do. Can I prove it? I cannot.''

Their comments ended up being some of the most interesting during a press conference to announce the capture of a top 10 gang member, the indictment of 13 Grape Street Crips and associates who allegedly ran a PCP ring and to assure the public the feds and the city are working hard to fight gangs.

Even Mukasey jumped in.

``When somebody is murdered, whether they're African-American or Caucasian or Asian or Hispanic, that is a tragedy and it's a tragedy we don't want to suffer," he said.

From yesterday's LAPD incident report, a man jewelry carrier was robbed yesterday at 3:45 p.m. at Ventura Boulevard and Matilija Avenue in Sherman Oaks as he was walking from an unknown store to his car when two men - no descriptions were immediately available - drove, simulated a handgun, smashed his rear window and took jewelry that was in backpacks before disappearing.

Detective Dan Nee, who specializes in these kinds of heists tells me that could be part of an ongoing trend of Colombians and others from South America who have been targeting jewelry salesmen and stealing their jewelry. Nee said it appears to be the same M.O. although he will need to see the crime report before he can make a more educated guess.

Nee is investigating at least two other recent incidents nearby, one in Studio City and one in North Hollywood. I wrote about them earlier this year.

NORTH HOLLYWOOD - A burglary from a car recently at a gas station in North Hollywood has been tied to a South American jewelry theft ring that has been targeting the San Fernando, San Gabriel valleys and Los Angeles areas in recent years, a detective said today.

The latest incident took place just before 11 a.m. on Jan. 31 at a gas station in the 12500 block of Ventura Boulevard, said Los Angeles Police Detective Dan Nee. Two men, described as Latino, and one wearing a hat pulled low on his head, smashed through a vehicle window and stole from the backseat a case containing between $40,0000 and $50,000 in finished gold jewelry.

They had likely targeted the jewelry salesman and followed him from his home as he set out on his sales calls in the downtown Los Angeles Jewelry Mart for the day, Nee said. It wasn't the first time the victim had been targeted. Last year about the same time, thieves stole about the same amount of jewelry from him, Nee said.

"As a result, he's retiring from the business," said Nee.

No suspects have been arrested. A surveillance video from the gas station caught two suspects in a late 90s Nissan Maxima with no license plates.

Nee said he believes the thieves are among one of several crews from Colombia targeting the San Fernando Valley. Trained as pick-pockets in their home country, then graduating to jewelry thefts, Nee said he has seen several groups follow jewelry salesmen from their homes then rob them for 10s of thousands of dollars in loot.

A jewelry salesman was robbed in December outside a Starbucks in the 12800 block of Ventura Boulevard in Studio City.

Just when you thought you've heard it all ... here's one from a corner of North Hollywood where a man was accused of sexually battering a woman at a convalescent home.

A 36-year-old man was arrested in connection with sexually battering a female who lived at a North Hollywood-area convalescent home, police said this morning.

Jose "Sonny" Baltazar, was arrested Feb. 27 after an extensive investigation by North Hollywood detectives.

He had been working as a phlebotomist for LLC Laboratories located in Monrovia. He is currently being accused of sexually battering a female who resides in a North Hollywood-area convalescent home.

Police allege that Baltazar would visit 20 to 30 patients a day in private homes, board and care facilities and convalescent hospitals throughout Los Angeles city and County.

Detectives believe there could be other outstanding victims and are making the suspect's booking photograph available. Potential victims and anyone with information is asked to contact North Hollywood Detectives Makarenko or Kimrey at (818) 623-4090. On weekends or during off-hours, calls may be directed to a 24-hour toll free number at 1-877-LAWFULL (529-3855).

Years ago, while combing through the Los Angeles Police Department's voluminous budget, I spotted a line that said simply - Wrong Doors. I had to write about it.

The photo above is of LAPD carpenters, left to right, Raul Juarez and Mark Jenkins carrying Mae Phillips's new front door in Venice, after LAPD officers broke down her door while looking for a relative. (Tina Burch/Staff
Photographer)

A man takes off to Peru then comes back to Arleta for some reason recently, into the awaiting arms of a fugitive task force tracking the movements of a dope rip off ring that left a drug dealer for dead and supplied a lethal dose of drugs to a minor last summer.

The noose tightens around the suspects.

Here's the latest story.

NORTH HOLLYWOOD - The suspected triggerman in a violent dope rip-off ring that left a drug dealer for dead and supplied a lethal dose of drugs to a 15-year-old girl was arrested this week after resurfacing from his native Peru where he is suspected of hiding out for six months, police said this morning.

Oliver Rene Franco, 25, was arrested at his Arleta home on Monday. He was being held on attempted murder charges at the Los Angeles County Jail, said Los Angeles Police Detective Martin Pinner.

Franco had been the center of an international manhunt by members of an FBI and LAPD fugitive task force tracking the movements of a violent L.A.-based ring that arranged meetings with drug dealers, then robbed them of drugs and cash.

"Unchecked this would have resulted in other people being injured or killed," Pinner said.

Franco admitted shooting Jeffrey Jenkins in April at Laurel Canyon Boulevard and Mulholland Drive during one of these drug rip offs, Pinner said. Jenkins was shot in the neck and survived. The suspects took Jenkins' Jaguar that contained a duffel bag full of marijuana, Pinner said.

Patrol officers found the abandoned car the next day parked near one of the suspect's homes at Oxnard Street and Whitsett Avenue in North Hollywood, Pinner said. Police recovered the revolver believed used in the case in December from a home in South Los Angeles and are awaiting the results of fingerprint tests to determine whose prints are on the weapon, Pinner said.

Four other men have been arrested in the case and two others are being sought.

Rafael Barlev, 21, and Alfonso Bardales, 27, of Sherman Oaks, have been in custody since July.

Vatche Touresian, 21, of North Hollywood, was arrested Dec. 12 when he showed up in a Van Nuys courtroom in connection with an earlier case of vehicle tampering.

Juan Carlos Balarezo was arrested in July but was released due to a lack of evidence. He is now wanted for questioning, along with the owner of the Audi that the suspects are believed to have driven to the scene of the Jenkins shooting, Pinner said.

Police are also searching for Arcesio Escobar, a 49-year-old laundry cleaner worker, who is accused of supplying drugs to juveniles, one that resulted in the overdose of a 15-year-old New York girl.

The partially nude body of Jennifer L. Elias was found June 27 in Escobar's North Hollywood converted garage, officials said.

The coroner said she overdosed from a combination of morphine, heroin and other drugs. Escobar called 911 to report her death while on the run 36 minutes after she died, court records reveal.

The FBI traced Escobar's cellphone calls to Tijuana on June 29 and south of Valley De Las Palmas on Route 3 on July 8 at 2:29 p.m., court records show.

On July 3, police had a warrant issued for his arrest, charging him with one count of selling or furnishing a controlled substance to a minor and furnishing marijuana to a minor.

dailynews.com

We have a new name and a new look and thanks go to my colleagues Steve Rosenberg, a new addition to our Web team, and Tom Gapen, our paper's design guru. Both men have been working tirelessly over the weeks to upgrade all our blogs to give them a consistent style and to allow for more ads. Thanks also go out to readers of the crime blog for helping make this place the hub for crime news in the San Fernando Valley.

LAPD Chief William Bratton opened the National Counter-Terrorism Academy, where experts will train local law enforcement about the roots of terrorism and how to combat it nationally.

dailynews.com

16-year-old Stoney Point High School student Michael Fabian was shot and killed Sunday after a fight broke out at a Northridge birthday party that gang members might have crashed. Stoney Point Principal George Padgett said that it is a tragedy that, "all around the Valley, students are being killed."

It's unclear what started the fight, but it involved someone who might be a gang member. A second person, whose name was not released, was also shot in the fracas, suffering a gunshot wound to the shoulder.

Michael wasn't a gang member, Padgett said.

Yet another act of senseless violence takes the life of a young man.

dailynews.com

Here's an update to yesterday's post about the Green Skeleton Bandit being shot in North Hollywood by a U.S. marshal.

NORTH HOLLYWOOD - Police this morning identified the man shot to death by a U.S. marshal outside an auto-parts store. Lawrence Dean Smith Jr., 24, of Palmdale was the robber local police called the Green Skeleton Bandit, responsible for six holdups in the North Hollywood area since Feb. 28.

Smith was fleeing the scene of a robbery holding a knife and $600 in cash Tuesday evening when he was shot by a marshal escorting a Central American official into AutoZone, police said.

dailynews.com

So it appears the activities of the Green Skeleton Bandit come to an end. Cops say a U.S. marshal shot him as he was running out of an AutoZone. The marshal was escorting a Central American official in town for a gang summit and who happened in on the shop when the heist occurred. Weird timing, huh?

NORTH HOLLYWOOD - A United States marshal shot and killed a man believed to be the "Green Skeleton Bandit," responsible for six robberies in the North Hollywood area since Feb. 28, police said this morning.

The man happened to be fleeing the scene of a robbery holding a knife and $600 cash Tuesday evening when he was shot by a marshal who was escorting a South American official into an auto parts store, police said.

The man, who has not been identified, was taken to a local hospital with unspecified injuries where he later died, police said.

The marshal was one of two U.S. marshals escorting a police official from the Central American country of Belize who was in town for a gang summit.

They stopped in at the AutoZone, in the 5100 block of Vineland Avenue, about 5:45 p.m. because the Belize official wanted to shop there.

"Basically, he walked into a robbery," Harding said of the marshal. "He sees a man walking out with a large amount of cash and a butcher knife."

A source close to the investigation said the man was the "Green Skeleton Bandit" who robbed North Hollywood fast food restaurants and mini-markets since Feb. 28. He was responsible for taking possibly as much as $689. In one heist, the source said, he took $9 from an H&K Mini Market on Sherman Way. In two others, he wasnt' able to get anything because the clerks could not get the cash registers to open, the source said.

He was dubbed the "Green Skeleton Bandit" because he was seen on at least one surveillance camera with a sweatsuit with a green skeleton outline on front and back and a hood with an outline of a green skull that zipped up to conceal his face.

dailynews.com

Machine guns. Rocket launchers. High-powered weapons. A police light bar. A public address system. A Taser gun. Cops in Torrance found the cache and displayed it yesterday for the media. Our sister paper, the Daily Breeze, has the scoop.

This is one of two homicides that were recorded over the weekend in North Hollywood. The total number of homicides in North Hollywood so far is five. One is solved.

NORTH HOLLYWOOD - Police continued this morning to search for the men responsible for a weekend Hollywood Freeway road rage shooting that left a 26-year-old man dead.

Police said the incident started about 2 a.m. Saturday on Hollywood Boulevard near the Hollywood Freeway when a group of men in a black Chevrolet Monte Carlos asked a group of Asians in a Honda, "Where's the party, boys?"

One of the males in the Honda, accused of being drunk, responded by shouting profanities at the men in the Monte Carlo and the Monte Carlo began tailgating the Honda.

The Monte Carlo followed the Honda onto the northbound 101 Freeway, driving onto one side of the car, then another, before getting in front of the Honda, forcing it to pull off to the shoulder near Barham Boulevard, said Los Angeles Police Detective Rich Wheeler.

Once the cars pulled over, the Honda then went around the Monte Carlo and tried to drive away. The Monte Carlo followed again. As the Monte Carlo pulled alongside the Honda's driver's side, someone inside the Monte Carlo fired a shot, shattering the left-rear passenger's side window.

A bullet struck Bunthan Roeung in the upper left back, Wheeler said. The passenger sitting on his right was cut by glass.

The victims in the Honda did not see where the Monte Carlo went. They pulled off the freeway at Lankershim Boulevard and drove to Hesby Street, where they called paramedics.

Roeung was taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center where he died at 2:29
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a.m.

At the time of the 911 call, Wheeler said, the friends of Roeung thought he was going to be OK. He was talking and coherent. Wheeler commented that the case was extremely unfortunate because the person who instigated it was in the victim's car and was not the person who ultimately paid the price.

"This is another wasted life, a needless homicide," Wheeler said.

Initially, police believed the four black men they were looking for were in a newer Chevy Impala. Now police say the car is a black 2005 Chevrolet Monte Carlo.

Anyone with information is asked to call North Hollywood homicide detectives at (818) 623-4075.

Former California Insurance Commissioner Chuck Quackenbush, who resigned the California post amid corruption allegations and is now a Florida sheriff's deputy. He is accused of shooting and critically injuring a man while attempting an arrest.

latimes.com

A good meal for a hell of a good cause. Come out if you can.
(Saturday, March 1)

CANOGA PARK — A local restaurant will hold a 12-hour fundraiser Saturday for the families of fallen LAPD Officer Randal Simmons and critically wounded Officer James Veenstra.

The California Pizza Kitchen restaurant located in the Westfield Topanga Plaza will donate 20 percent of some of the proceeds to the families from all dine-in and takeout orders between 11 a.m. and 11 p.m.

Simmons was killed and Veenstra wounded in a shootout with a Winnetka man who had earlier killed his father and two brothers. The man was later killed by police.

The Westfield Topanga Plaza is located at 6600 Topanga Canyon Blvd. in Canoga Park.

We have the scoop this morning from the LAPD's North Hollywood Division about a series of raids on Vineland Boys gang members, the ones you may recall were responsible for the shootout in 2003 that left rookie Burbank Officer Matthew Pavelka dead and wounded his partner Gregory Campbell. I bet the gangsters are wishing they had chosen a lower-profile enterprise.

NORTH HOLLYWOOD - Nearly 200 cops blitzed the North Hollywood area this morning, arresting nine suspected members of the Vineland Boys gang on narcotics and gun possession charges in an operation dubbed 'Wild Card,' a detective said this morning.

LAPD Metro officers, gang cops, and school police fanned out during pre-dawn raids at 15 homes mostly in the North Hollywood area where the Vineland Boys claim as their turf, police said.

Wild Card is the police department's effort to challenge a particularly active and violent clique of Vineland known as the Jokers, police said.

dailynews.com

A Dallas family is mourning the loss of their father, motorcycle cop, Victor Lozada, who was killed in a crash Friday while escorting Democratic Presidential candidate Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton.

While we honor the extraordinary life of police officers like LAPD SWAT Officer Randal Simmons, we shouldn't forget about those officers killed in the line of duty in less spectacular form.

Lozado, it turns out, earned more than 135 commendations during a 20-year career, reports the Dallas Morning News, and once saved the life of a baby choking on a toy. On top of that, he coached his son's soccer team and worked extra hours at a local Target stores to earn money to pay for his daughters' quinceañera ceremonies.

Lozado's son, Victor Lozado Jr., 22, is a studying classical singing at North Texas University.
He offered this as the best advice his father ever gave him:

"When choosing whether or not you're going to do something, don't choose it because of money. Don't choose it because of pride. Don't choose it for anything else but one thing -- that it will make you happy."

"My father was very happy being a motorcycle cop, and that is what he wanted to do," Lozado said. "He died doing what he wanted to do."

A year after Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and LAPD Chief William Bratton declared gangs public enemy No.1, crime has plummeted, homicides are at 30-year lows, and for the first time cops are working with hard-core gang interventionists to quell rivalries. Despite the gains, though, some of the boldest initiatives of Villaraigosa's anti-gang plan are barely getting off the ground, while other efforts that have been touted as "successes" aren't so clear-cut. A gang czar appointed in June who was supposed to bring the problems into sharper citywide focus so far has little power.

dailynews.com

While I'll let L.A. Times columnist Tim Rutten take Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa for task for hypocrisy and poor taste for comments he made at Officer Randal Simmons funeral last week, when the mayor said "the newspapers" only "tell the truth" about LAPD officers in obituaries, Rutten wrote.

I on the other hand will give the mayor the benefit of the doubt, and assume that he, like many others, doesn't particularly like to read good news about cops, or anyone else for that matter.

How else can he explain his comments?

My colleagues and I here at the Daily News have written countless stories about the good deeds of officers and to suggest otherwise is both unfair and untrue.

Of course, it is our job to write about when individuals in the department are less than stellar, such as the May Day incident - In fact, it's our job to cover the job that police (and politicians) do. Good, bad and everything in-between.

Still, if the mayor glosses over the good news for perhaps its lack of carnage, he's not alone.

Check out our Top 10 story list online. It's a lot like the City's Top 10 gangs list, full of decrepit individuals who do bad things -- mixed in with stories about all things related to USC football, the state of Britney Spears' mind, and more recently, stories that display an unusual fixation with Kobe's right pinkie finger.

This suggests that while people might clamor for good news, they're not necessarily lining up to read it. It's human nature, I suppose. Nobody pays attention to the young man who helps an elderly woman to cross the street, but if he suddenly stopped to beat the hell out of her, that would be something folks would watch -- and hopefully intercede with.

So, if you (or the mayor) are looking for good stories to read about good people, including cops, take a peak under the Top 10 stories on our Web site. You'll usually find a story about somebody doing something good.

Yesterday, I rode along with LAPD Detective Michael Coblentz, and his son, Officer Mike Coblentz Jr., a 3-year veteran who normally works out of the 77th Division in South Los Angeles. He came to Van Nuys Tuesday night to work patrol with his father, who's retiring next month. The article is in today's paper.

Mary Coblentz, wife to big Mike and mom to junior, wrote a note on the Web site thanking me for the article, especially in light of the recent tragedy the LAPD family suffered.

It was a nice, classy comment.

I wonder if the mayor read it?

Wilfredo Rivera holds a press conference in downtown Los Angeles, where he apologized on behalf of his family for the death of Los Angeles Police SWAT Officer Randal Simmons and the injuries to James Veenstra during a raid on the Riveras' home in Winnetka earlier this month.

NORTH HOLLYWOOD - A burglary from a car recently at a gas station in North Hollywood has been tied to a South American jewelry theft ring that has been targeting the San Fernando, San Gabriel valleys and Los Angeles areas in recent years, a detective said today.

The latest incident took place just before 11 a.m. on Jan. 31 at a gas station in the 12500 block of Ventura Boulevard, said Los Angeles Police Detective Dan Nee. Two men, described as Latino, and one wearing a hat pulled low on his head, smashed through a vehicle window and stole from the backseat a case containing between $40,0000 and $50,000 in finished gold jewelry.

They had likely targeted the jewelry salesman and followed him from his home as he set out on his sales calls in the downtown Los Angeles Jewelry Mart for the day, Nee said. It wasn't the first time the victim had been targeted. Last year about the same time, thieves stole about the same amount of jewelry from him, Nee said.

"As a result, he's retiring from the business," said Nee.

No suspects have been arrested. A surveillance video from the gas station caught two suspects in a late 90s Nissan Maxima with no license plates.

Nee said he believes the thieves are among one of several crews from Colombia targeting the San Fernando Valley. Trained as pick-pockets in their home country, then graduating to jewelry thefts, Nee said he has seen several groups follow jewelry salesmen from their homes then rob them for 10s of thousands of
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dollars in loot.

A jewelry salesman was robbed in December outside a Starbucks in the 12800 block of Ventura Boulevard in Studio City.

dailynews.com

A purse snatcher is now a attempted killer after he squirted pepper spray at her in Westminster. She's on life support. at a hospital and police are looking for the culprit, a woman about 20 wearing a gray sweater or sweatshirt.

The victim at first seemed OK, police said, then she had a stroke.

On top of it all, the would-be purse snatcher grabbed a bag that contained the woman's lunch.

Anyone with more information was asked to call Detective Kevin MacCormick at (714) 898-3315, ext. 340.

dailynews.com

A violent roller coaster ride with injuries today for one LAPD cop in Pacoima.

A police sergeant was hospitalized after his patrol car was struck by a suspected drunk driver making an illegal U-turn near the LAPD station in Pacoima, a lieutenant said today.

The crash occurred on San Fernando Road, just north of Osborne Street, about 10:30 p.m. yesterday, said Lt. Ingrid Braun of the Los Angeles Police Department's Foothill Station, located on the corner of San Fernando and Osborne.

The LAPD sergeant, whose identity was withheld by the department, was traveling northbound on San Fernando when his patrol car was hit head on by a compact car with the headlights off. The collision forced the officer's vehicle into two parked cars, Braun said.

The driver of the other auto, a man 25-30 years old, had just made an illegal U-turn mid-block, she said.

The sergeant -- the sole occupant of the patrol car -- was transported to a local hospital with a bruised leg, Braun said, adding that the other driver was also transported after complaining of back pain. The unidentified driver was treated at the hospital and then released.

He was then transported to the LAPD's Foothill Station, where he failed a sobriety test. He was expected to be booked for felony DUI, Braun said.

The suspected drunk driver also had two other passengers in his car at the time of the accident. But Braun said the other two people were not injured.

dailynews.com

My esteemed colleague Rick Coca today writes about an unusual 911 prank call - swatting, in which someone rigs a phone to call from a location not their own and reports an emergency, trying to provoke a SWAT callout. These are the kinds of people who didn't get enough attention growing up ...

dailynews.com

While, rightfully so, the media has and will concentrate on why Steven P. Kazmierczak opened fire on students at Northern Illinois University, let's not forget the victims. More than one of them hoped to be a teacher and they include an only child, a veteran and girl whose family came from Mexico. Thoughts and prayers to their families, thoughts and prayers.

Read about victims here.

Simmons' former partner, SWAT Officer James Hart, who worked with Simmons for eight years, shared a number of personal, on- and off-duty memories.

dailynews.com

Update at 12:03 p.m.

Holding back tears, LAPD Chief William Bratton spoke at length about Simmons' tireless contribution to the LAPD, the community, church life and especially to children.

"He had been given the opportunity to make his life as a cop count and he has succeeded far beyond anyone's expectations," Bratton said.

Bratton praised Simmons' extensive involvement with at-risk youth, including taking inner city kids on horseback riding outings for their first time.

"It is said no man stands so tall as when he stoops to help a child. If that's so, then Randy was truly a giant.

"No man ever brought so many childten to God. That was his true passion in life.

dailynews.com

Child homicide was a hate-crime

The 14-year-old boy who shot a classmate in the head at an Oxnard middle school is facing murder charges with gun and hate-crime enhancements. Prosecutors are also looking to try the boy as an adult.

Classmates said that Lawrence King, the 15-year old boy shot, sometimes dressed in "feminine attire," and that caused some friction with other boys at his school.

LA Times

Another campus, another shooting

And this tragic story about yet another calculated shooting at a college campus, this time Northern Illinois University. Apparently, the gunman was a former student.

Wasn't there supposed to be some reform following the Virginia Tech shootings in how administrators and staff deal with students with mental-health issues?

That's not to say this particular shooting could have been avoided. Some people do in fact, "just snap."

Police, friends and others pay their respects for LAPD Officer Randy Simmons today at the Glory Christian Fellowship International Church in Carson.

dailynews.com

A little catching up this afternoon ...

Four men were in custody today in connection with a credit card theft ring that used a portable scanner the size of two fingers to swipe credit card numbers at at least two gas stations in Sylmar and Newhall, police said this morning.

The scheme is alleged to have occurred Tuesday when a trio of men paid a $200 bribe to a Sylmar Mobil gas station clerk to have him use their portable scanner to steal customers' credit card numbers in transactions, said Los Angeles Police Lt. Loren Farell, who heads the Valley Forgery Section.

The men are believed to have also attempted to use the device at another gas station near Magic Mountain, Farell said. An employee at that gas station became suspicious and notified police, Farell said. The manager of the Sylmar gas station happened to be reviewing surveillance video and saw the suspects hanging around his station on Tuesday and police connected the suspects to the crime there, Farell said.

The suspects were identified as 18-year-old Tigran and Gevorg Vardanyan, 20, and Armen Sukiasyan, 19. All are from Van Nuys. All were being held on credit card theft charges at the Los Angeles County Jail.

The name of the clerk who allegedly took the bribe was not immediately available.

A check of Los Angeles County Superior criminal court records online shows that Gevorg Vardanyan was arrested in 2006 in connection with a vandalism case, charges that were later dropped. Farell said he believes the arrest occurred at a school, but had no details.

Forgery detectives are investigating the scope of the scheme, whether the men were involved in other similar cases around the region and who might have put them up to it.

Farell said that this was the first case he has seen in which someone has used a device that is so small, saying it was the size of two fingers.

dailynews.com

My competitor over at The Times, Richard Winton, a prolific writer and stand-up all around guy, wrote a story today about a raid in which Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputies nabbed a prolific tagger said to be responsible for over $100,000 in vandalism. In this photo above is Sheriff‘s Deputy James Johnson leading Gustavo Romero, 23, to a patrol car. The arrest warrant named Romero in 72 acts of vandalism, resulting in $108,000 of property damage.

latimes.com

A former Daily News reporter who's now covering crime at the San Francisco Chronicle had this bizarre tale today that reminded me of a similar case we wrote about here back in December in which police and firefighters overlooked the body of a woman who was found under an airbag after a crash in Tarzana.

The Chronicle writes:

The bizarre case of a San Francisco computer software developer who was apparently slain in December - and whose body lay undiscovered in the back of a van in a police impound yard for a week - finally became public Tuesday, as investigators said they were looking for two suspects who shared a home with the victim.

Leonard Milo Hoskins, 49, was reportedly attacked with a piece of lumber Dec. 23 at or near his home at 60 Lamartine St. in Mission Terrace, authorities said.

From the Daily News Dec. 18:

Coca went out last night to cover an event at the West Valley Division in Reseda at which Chief William Bratton and the mayor praised the work of officers during last week's deadly SWAT raid in Winnetka.

RESEDA - Police Chief William Bratton and Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa thanked Los Angeles police officers from the West Valley station Tuesday for their heroism during last week's bloody shootout in Winnetka that left five dead, including one SWAT officer.

At a somber roll call attended by about 30 LAPD officers and a handful of Los Angeles Fire Department officers, Bratton praised their response.

"So many of you the other night contributed so much - bravery, heroism. ... Thank you for all you did that night and thank you for all you do day in and day out."

dailynews.com

Keeping you up to date on last summer's slaying of 31-year-old Eric Perez, a suspected gang member from Arleta. A man who was arrested last month was re-arrested last Thursday after a short search in the Sylmar area.

Murder charges have been filed against Santos Anthony Topete. He was arrested Feb. 7 at a gas station near Foothill Boulevard and Maclay Street, after a roughly 30-minute search by police, said Los Angeles Police Lt. Ernie Eskridge.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office has filed murder charges with gang and gun enhancements against Topete in connection with the death of Eric Perez, 31, a suspected gang member from Arleta, police said. Perez was shot at 12:30 a.m. July 1 after leaving a party in the 16000 block of Los Alimos Street in Granada Hills, police said. Topete was previously arrested Jan. 8 in connection with the slaying, but the DA's Office declined to file murder charges then for a lack of evidence.

A woman who said she was Topete's fiancee said the incident occurred before she was in the picture, but that, "he was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

"He's a good person," said the woman.

Los Angeles County Superior Court records online show that Topete was convicted in November 2005 of engaging in a speed contest and being an unlicensed driver.

dailynews.com

At 9 p.m. last Wednesday, the clapping of a helicopter could be heard circling over Welby Way in Winnetka. The house across from Roxana's was awash in lights. Over a loudspeaker, she heard voices, saying something she couldn't make out.

She didn't pay much attention at first, instead focused on cooking quesadillas for her daughter. Later she went to her room to go to sleep. The house was quiet. Then she heard a helicopter again and the loudspeaker more clearly - "This is LAPD. Edwin come out. We're trying to help you."

It was the early stages of last week's predawn raid that left five people dead, including SWAT Officer Randal Simmons and Edwin Rivera who had called police out to his home saying he had killed several members of his family and to "Come get me."

Neighbors were under seige. One of them, Roxana, agreed yesterday to talk with me with the understanding that I'd not use her last name. She's still afraid.

As she tried to sleep, figuring the police would take care of the problem across the street, she was annoyed at the helicopter that never stopped circling. She looked out the window and didn't see police cars, but the house was awash in bright light.

She got out of bed and went to the living room window that looks directly on the street. She saw police with guns drawn and aimed at the house.

"Then I got really scared," She said. "There was a hostage situation and it was close to home, too close."

She told her brother-in-law to lock his door. She checked the doors and front and back windows to make sure they were closed.

"I was thinking maybe someone was inside the house," she said, recalling a case about a year ago in which cops came to the neighborhood to quell a neighborhood disturbance.

She went to check on her son. He appeared to be asleep. She took her young daughter into her room. "Everybody was OK. So I went back to bed ... Then, 'Oh my God, here we go again."

Daughter slept with Mom. Then mom began to worry about bullets coming through her walls, but she was hopeful police would break it up before it went that far. But just in case, she put herself between the wall and her daughter in case bullets came flying through.

They tried to sleep. The helicopter pounded. The police kept telling Edwin to come out, to answer his phone, to release the hostages. They wanted to help injured people. Over and over again the helicopter. Roxana tried to close her eyes.

11 p.m. she looked through her bedroom window. Police were still there, standoff.

She dozed off a little while.

At midnight, noise woke her up. Looking through her bedroom window again, she saw SWAT all in black from head to toe.

"Thank God the SWAT team's here," she said, "so they could stop this."

She saw more police. Two officers ran back and forth in the street. She saw SWAT in the rear side of her house. In the doorway of the house across the street, officers prepared to enter the house, one on one side of the door, another on the other side.

Some of them stood by the side of the house by a window, with guns drawn. One of them kicked the door open. One of them went inside. Gunshots.

"I grabbed my daughter and rolled over the bed and onto the floor and I was hugging my daughter, trying to crawl out of the room, thinking that bullets were going to come through my room."

More gunshots - "Pop pop, "really ugly, really bad."

She checked herself and her daughter for bullet wounds.

"She was hugging me so tightly, clinging to my shoulders, hugging me really tight."

When it stopped, she went to her son's room to check on him. He was quiet. She checked walls for holes. She heard an ambulance.

"Thank God it was over."

She went back to bed and tried to get her daughter to bed.

2 a.m., helicopter. She checked the window. Police were still there.

She went to sleep.

Gunfire awoke her at 5 - pop, pop, pop, pop. She grabbed her daughter, and threw themselves onto the floor, crawling out from the room.

Back to her son's room. All three climbed into bed.

The brother-in-law tried to go to work, but cops blocked off the street.

"Mommy, did you hear that? Bombs," her daughter said.

7 a.m., things quieted down. But the house across the way was on fire.

And it would be the beginning of a lengthy investigation and the extensive coverage by a long line of media crews that would descend on Welby Way.

Today, officers are gone and the yellow police tape has been removed. The tree-lined street began returning to normal, five days after the 10-hour standoff left three people wounded and five dead.

dailynews.com

As we get closer to the date of Officer Randal Simmon's funeral set for Friday, check the blog as we are talking with SWAT officers and others who knew the selfless veteran cop and use this space for remembrances. On Friday I talked with retired SWAT Officer Rick Massa who recalls the day back in 1988 or so when he first saw the man come through the door at Elysian Park for his first day on the SWAT team after having been transfered from the South side of Los Angeles.

Massa was in awe of Simmons the first time he saw him.

He had come to SWAT from patrolling the Southside of Los Angeles. The former football player was a weight lifter, a muscle builder. He was well defined, fast, athletic, the perfect fit for the rigors of SWAT.

“We used to talk football from day one,” Massa said last week recalling his friend over the phone. “We immediately clicked.”

He was always there, always wanted to do more, always wanted to put time in.

Not only was he physical, but he also could shoot well and was mentally tough.

“When I say he's well-rounded, Randy was it.”

Tense times for LAPD out there. We're still piecing together stories as quickly as we can get them going about the death of Officer Randal Simmons and the wounding of his partner James Veenstra. Meanwhile, check out these comments coming in from across the country, paying tribute.

Daily News readers from across the country expressed their appreciation and their sorrow for SWAT Officer Randal Simmons' death on the newspaper's Web site.

"Randy Simmons is a hero to all of us in this community," wrote Nasiha, a Winnetka resident. "I live across the street from the crime scene and I cannot express my gratitude and my sincere condolences to his family and fellow SWAT team members.

"God bless Randy Simmons. May he be blessed and rewarded in Paradise for his sacrifice."

Michele Gardiner, another Winnetka resident, sent her appreciation and her sympathy.

"I want to thank Officer Randy Simmons for his unique bravery - over 20 years of dangerous duty until the end, when he risked (and gave) his life to save others," she wrote. "This sort of courage is needed more than ever these days.

"As someone who lives in the very community he helped to defend, I want his family and fellow officers to know he and his service will be greatly missed."

Other tributes came from Escondido, Calabasas, Inglewood, Moorpark, Brea, Victorville, Downey, Tehachapi, Cypress, Lytle Creek and other California communities, and even from as far away as San Antonio, Texas, and St. Louis, Mo.

"Thank you for protecting and serving my community I used to live in," wrote Frank Reyes, who now lives in Texas. "God bless you."

"I read that (Simmons) ministered (to) youths and I cried," wrote Kevin Childress of Inglewood. "We try to make sense that he was doing the
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Lord's will and (he) should be here now, but everything is in God's divine plan and he was needed in the 'Upper Room.' May God bless his family and comfort them in this tragic time."

"While I did not have the honor to ever meet Randy Simmons, he is a true hero and I thank him for all his work in this community and giving his life to make the streets safer for us," wrote Michele Willer-Allred of Moorpark. "He will not be forgotten."

Some writers addressed Simmons directly.

"Thank you, sir, for a job well done," wrote Jeff Klepp of Calabasas. May God comfort your family, friends and fellow officers. Our world needs more people like you."

"This is never a good time when we lose a hero," wrote Terry Riestra of Lytle Creek. "You touched many lives; it's time to rest."

Leave a tribute.

dailynews.com

A SWAT officer was killed and a second was injured in a gunbattle with a barricaded suspect this morning in Winnetka. We're following this one closely. We've got a photographer at the hospital where cops are gathered and a reporter is heading out to the scene of the home where we're hearing that the suspect is still inside the home. Don't know if he's dead or alive. We'll keep you posted.

WINNETKA - A man who had telephoned authorities to say he had killed three family members shot to death an LAPD SWAT officer today and wounded another during a gunbattle inside a Winnetka home, police said.

It was the first fatality in the history of the elite LAPD SWAT team, which was created in 1967.

Officer Randy Simmons died at 1 a.m. James Veenstra was injured, police said this morning. Both worked on the SWAT team for 20 years.

At 5 a.m., the man remained barricaded inside the home in 19800 block Welby Way, First-Assistant police Chief Jim McDonnell said in a briefing outside Northridge Medical Center on Roscoe Blvd. in Northridge.

Some 200 officers, included SWAT team members, surrounded the residence in a standoff that McDonnell referred to as an ongoing "dynamic tactical situation." An armored SWAT vehicle was at the scene and helicopters circled overhead.

Police did not immediately confirm that three civilians had been killed, as the suspect said when he called police last night, but people familiar with the operation told camera crews at the scene that two bodies were inside the residence in addition to the one that could be seen on the front lawn.

McDonnell said SWAT officers entered the residence shortly after 12:30 a.m., triggering an exchange in which two veteran officers were wounded. One died at Northridge Medical Center shortly after 1 this morning, and the other was in surgery as of 5 a.m., he said in a briefing also attended by Los
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Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.

Each of the two officers who was shot spent more than 25 years in the Los Angeles Police Department, more than 20 in the SWAT team, McDonnell said.

Even though the SWAT team has been involved in thousands of incidents, this was the first to have claimed the life of one of the unit's members, he said.

"I want to say how deeply saddened we are this morning that we lost a member of our LAPD family," McDonnell said. "Our hearts and prayers go out to these families at this tough time."

Villaraigosa said the officer's death was a reminder of how perilous the work performed by police.

The incident began around 9 p.m. yesterday when a man locked himself up inside a home near Vanowen Street and Oakdale Avenue, according to an officer at the Los Angeles Police Department's West Valley Station.

dailynews.com

Readers of It's a crime and dailynews.com have seen these stories crop up from time to time. Groups of folks getting together, buying medical clinics, and setting themselves up as providers of federal and state health care programs. They then forge documents saying they've performed medical tests when in fact they haven't. Then they get reimbursed by the government for those purported services. And then with the money, pay off associates, buy real estate, more phony clinics and stash money away for "retirement" in bank accounts overseas.

Pretty smart, right? Well, check out how one accused fraudster was caught - during a routine traffic stop. Go figure.

GLENDALE - An ex-con on probation for attempted extortion and who was wanted by the FBI in a federal health care fraud case was arrested last week after Glendale police spotted him driving a sport utility vehicle without license plates and straddling a lane, police said.

Sarkis "Sako" Militonyan was arrested Jan. 27, the day before his 44th birthday, at West Glenoaks Boulevard and Sonora Avenue, after police noticed the white Chevrolet Tahoe he was driving was straddling lanes and had no plates, said Glendale Police spokesman John Balian.

Police discovered he was a fugitive and a search of his SUV turned up several copies of purportedly stolen California drivers licenses, social security numbers, and banking routing and account numbers, Balian said.

A search at his Los Angeles home turned up two boxes of .380 caliber automatic pistol rounds, which, under the terms of his probation, he was barred from possessing, police said.

Militonyan was being held in federal custody, Balian said.

In December, a federal grand jury charged Militonyan and a doctor identified in court papers as Michael Streams with health care fraud.

Militonyan is accused of financing and operating at least two illicit medical clinics in Los Angeles, according to the indictment. Using the doctor's legitimate Medicare provider number, the men are accused of billing the taxpayer-funded federal Medicare program for services and tests that were not necessary or were not provided, then taking the cash for themselves, according to the indictment.

Between July 2001 and March 2003, the men are accused of billing Medicare for some $5 million and receiving $1.5 million, court papers say.

Neither Militonyan's attorneys nor FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller immediately returned calls seeking comment for this story.

Militonyan was convicted Jan. 7, 1998 of property theft. On Aug. 1, 2005, he was convicted of attempted extortion, according to Los Angeles County Superior Court records online.

Details about the attempted extortion case could not immediately be confirmed.

Federal, state and local police say health care fraud is a massive problem in Southern California and is being perpetrated by a large number of individuals from Armenia and other former communist countries, some with murky ties to organized crime.

Last year, five members of a Russian-Armenian organized crime ring were convicted after pleading guilty in connection with a $20 million Medicare fraud conspiracy that operated out of clinics and labs in L.A., Glendale, Van Nuys and Pasadena.

It was a case that Assistant U.S. Attorney Bruce Searby said was "representative of a major problem in the area."

"It's widespread. Medicare expenses generally are busting the federal budget."

Last June, a husband and wife from Glendale and two female accomplices from the San Fernando Valley were charged in connection with running an adult day health care center out of a church community room, endangering senior citizens by having uncredentialed social workers conduct home assessments and filing false claims to the state's Medi-Cal program, state officials said.

dailynews.com

Of course, it's not really a crime not to vote, unless you look at it the same way your momma did when she used to coerce you into eating your (canned) vegetables (found out years later I love vegetables, just not in a can).

Anyway, moms all across America would remind me us that "starving kids in China" would love to eat said canned vegetables. I don't know why it was always Chinese kids and not say, Italian kids or Canadian kids.

The point is this: Voting is a lot like eating your vegetables, canned or otherwise. They might not always leave a great taste in your mouth, but it's good for you. And there are people all over the world, who unlike the "alleged" starving kids in China, really are quite hungry to have the opportunity to vote in a democratic election.
When they don't, as in Kenya bad things happen, including people dying.

It's nice that at about 9 million Californians, representing about 57 percent of registered voters, are expected to vote today, which would be a record for a presidential primary, but still that's 43 percent that aren't participating.

So, if you didn't participate this time, next time around, get your political spoon out, wipe off the dust, hold your nose (you might have to) and take a big bite.

Police released a sketch of a man they say tried to kidnap a boy from a Saticoy Elementary School about 2 p.m. on Jan. 17 by posing as the child's father. The man claimed to be the father of a 5-year-old student and said he was there to pick the boy up from class. Once at the classroom, he told the boy in Armenian that he was a friend of his father's, and told the teacher in English that he was in fact the boy's father. The teacher told him to wait because the boy needed to finish some school work. The man left when the boy's grandmother showed up.

The family did not send anyone to pick up the child and didn't recognize a composite sketch of the suspect, who's described as an Armenian, 35-40 years old, about 6 feet tall with a husky build. He has brown eyes and short black hair with gray in the temples and thinning in the back. He was seen driving a black Mercedes Benz.

Anyone with information is asked to call LAPD detectives at (818) 623-4075. After business hours and on weekends, call tollfree (877) 529-3855.

This one could go under the heading, "Stupid Crooks Stories:"

The guy pictured is accused of impersonating a cop, and of all things, falsely pulling over a motorist who turned out to be a real cop.

"That one-in-a-million scenario actually occurred over the weekend, Fairfax County police said yesterday, resulting in the arrest of a 19-year-old man at his Annandale home and relocation to the Fairfax jail with no bond and no court date for two months."

washingtonpost.com

We've had our own cop impersonators:

Something folks don't want to think about while enjoying a game, but this weekend's Super Bowl in Glendale, Arizona will feature more than the top two professional football teams battling for the coveted Vince Lambardi trophy.

With the Super Bowl designated a level one national security event, hundreds of FBI employees and other law enforcement officers will also be in town, albeit with less fanfare.

In 1977, Bruce Dern scared the hell out of the nation with a blimp in John Frankenheimer's "Black Sunday," when he played a demented war veteran bent on wiping folks out at the Super Bowl.

But like "Jaws," which could only scare people out of the ocean for so long (by "Jaws 3-D," we were completely cured), the fear of a terrorist attack at a major American sporting event eventually died down -- that is until Sept. 11, 2001.

Since then the possibility of an attack has hung in the atmosphere like Dern's lumbering blimp -- seemingly far off, but still within our view.

For Americans -- Janet Jackson's boob aside -- the Super Bowl is sacred. Let's hope it stays that way.

So, here's to a fun, competitive game, in which the only losers are men who play a child's game for a living, and in doing so, help the rest of us forget about the seriousness of the world, if only for a few brief hours.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that when you have pot and cash at unsecured businesses - pot clinics - you're going to have a cottage industry of takeover robberies. The violence is making life hell for pot clinic employees, giving police more work, and in return forcing taxpayers to fork over more money to combat the problem. Talking with Joe Esquivel, a LAPD North Hollywood Division robbery detective, this morning, he gave me the tip about this latest pot clinic heist in Studio City.

STUDIO CITY - Police today were searching for two men involved in an armed takeover robbery of a Studio City medical marijuana dispensary that netted the crooks $4,500 in cash and an unknown amount of pot, police said this morning.

Two men, described as African American, one armed with a shotgun, the other with a pistol, entered Wellness Caregivers on Ventura Boulevard about 1:30 yesterday, and ordered three employees to the floor, said Los Angeles Police Detective Joe Esquivel. One gunman tied up two employees with duct tape and locked them in a back room, while the second gunman took the manager room-to-room, seizing cash and pot, before taking off, Esquivel said.

No one was injured in the heist and no description of the gunmen was available. Nobody saw a getaway car. Police were hoping to retrieve surveillance video today.

dailynews.com

The photo is of actor Josh Hartnett posing with murder victim Jose Carrillo, who was a caterer to the stars on movie shoots. Carrillo was strangled Jan. 12 in a Sylmar motel room. He was killed after allegedly being set up to be robbed by his stepdaughter and three other alleged accomplices. Here's the story.

SYLMAR - A fourth suspect has been arrested in connection with the murder of a 45-year-old chef whose strangled body was found earlier this month inside a Sylmar motel.

Erika Denisse Rodriguez, a 25-year-old resident of Sylmar, surrendered to police last night at the LAPD's Mission Hills police station in the death of Jose Eugenio Carrillo, whose body was found at 9:30 a.m. on Jan. 12 at the Country Side Inn, at 14955 Roxford St., in Sylmar, police said.

She was booked into the Los Angeles County Jail on a murder charge, with bail set at $1 million.

Carrillo was a veteran chef at Hollywood Caterers, a company that catered to the film industry. He catered for such hits as "A Simple Plan" and met actors Billy Bob Thornton and Bill Paxton and "Here on Earth" with Josh Hartnett, with whom he posed for a photo.

"Film crews from Minnesota and L.A. are going to miss him," said Deb Staloch, a longtime friend who worked with him for years. When she heard the news of his death, "I didn't believe it. I can't even describe it. He'd give you the shirt off his back. He'd do anything for you. If you needed money, he'd give it to you. He was like a big brother to my kids. He was my best friend."

Carrillo left behind a wife and two young daughters.

"He was a great father and loved his kids and the kids couldn't wait for him to get home," said Staloch. "They loved their daddy."

Police believe Carrillo had been set up by his own stepdaughter, Itzel Ponce Gutierrez, a
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19-year-old waitress from Sylmar, to be robbed, but for reasons police did not reveal, the man was killed. Gutierrez faces one count of robbery conspiracy, police said.

She allegedly set up the robbery in which she and two alleged accomplices took Carrillo's Chevrolet Avalanche to ATMs and used his credit cards to withdraw cash, police said.

The day after Carrillo's death, police quickly identified two suspects, caught in their neighborhood in the 14200 block of Calvert Street in Van Nuys, stripping the Avalanche. Its seats, radios, speakers, and wheels all had been stripped, police said.

"They were stripping," said Los Angeles Police Detective Gene Parshall. "When police came in, the two guys ran from where the car was."

Parshall said the two kicked in a door to an occupied apartment nearby to try to hide, forcing a brief standoff with police before surrendering. There were no injuries.

The suspects, Armando "Tripps" Torrez, 23, and 17-year-old Anthony Hernandez, aka "Little Shadow" or "Habit," are accused members of Barrio Van Nuys. They have been charged with murder, robbery, burglary, lying in wait, and a gang enhancement, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.

Torrez is an ex-con who spent two years, eight months in state prison custody stemming from two convictions in 2002 - assault with a deadly weapon and grand theft, according to the California Department of Corrections.

The two female suspects were described as acquaintances of the two males, police said.

Alex Dobuzinskis picked this story up this morning and posted it onto the dailynews.com breaking news section. Here's the story in full, for our friendly readers of "It's a crime":

GLENDALE - Police arrested three men and a juvenile who tried to use a shotgun to carjack a pick-up truck in Glendale, an officer said Tuesday.

Josue Alvarado, 24, Ronald Corena, 18, and Raul Reinoso, 18, are expected to be arraigned within a couple of days on carjacking charges, officials said.

The fourth suspect, a 17-year-old who was not identified because of his age, faces carjacking and attempted murder charges, said Officer John Balian, a spokesman for the Glendale Police Department.

The men approached a man in a pickup truck at Pacific Avenue and Vine Street in Glendale about 8 p.m. Sunday, Balian said.

The man planned to play basketball nearby and he was sitting in the truck to keep warm, waiting for friends to arrive, when one of the suspects tapped on his window with the barrel of a shotgun, Balian said.

A suspect fired at the frightened driver as he took off in his truck, and shotgun pellets hit the back of the truck, Balian said.

After the suspects drove off, the victim followed them and called police. Officers arrested the suspects near where the carjacking occurred, Balian said. The victim was not hurt in the attempted carjacking.

This has been a case that I've been tracking for a while. Talking with the robbery detectives over at the North Hollywood division this morning looking for news, I got the tip that arrests were made in a violent robbery that left a jewelry store owner injured in October. The male and female suspects are from South Los Angeles and came up to the Valley allegedly to commit their crime. They are now facing robbery and assault charges. The female suspect apparently told cops that her male accomplice recruited her into the scheme. Here's the story in full today.

STUDIO CITY - A male and female duo from South Los Angeles were in custody this morning in connection with a violent jewelry store robbery that left the owner injured and the suspects with $30,000, police said this morning.

Eric Jackson, a 37-year-old convicted robber, and Tranika Rispress, 20, were being held on robbery and assault charges at the Los Angeles County Jail.

They are believed responsible for the Oct. 11 robbery at Dana Kathryn Jewelry on Ventura Boulevard in Studio City, police said.

The suspects allegedly entered the store about 4:30 p.m. and began to browse and ask questions about jewelry inside the cases, police said. Five minutes later, the male suspect pulled out a blue steel pistol and pointed it at the face of the 17-year-old son of the owner while the female suspect grabbed his arm and pushed him against the wall, according to a police report.

The suspected gunman then ran behind the jewelry case and began punching and kicking the female owner in the face and neck, knocking her down, after she tried to trigger the silent alarm, police said. He then hopped the case, used the butt of the gun to smash it, and took a bracelet from inside, police said.

Both suspects then ran to the back of the store, grabbed a box of jewelry, ran out the front door and across Ventura to a Staples parking lot. There, they were seen getting into a silver Dodge Charger with tinted windows and after-market rims, police said.

The 46-year-old female store owner suffered injuries to her head and neck and was taken to a hospital. She has since recovered, police said.

In early November, police put out images from surveillance video taken at the store to the news media. In December, an anonymous caller identified the suspects, said Los Angeles Police Department Detective Mark O'Donnell.

Rispress was arrested at her home Thursday. She told police she grew up in the same neighborhood as Jackson and he recruited her to participate in the scheme, O'Donnell said.

Jackson was already in custody Jan. 26 in connection with violating terms of his parole in connection with an earlier robbery conviction when police served him with a warrant in connection with the Studio City robbery, O'Donnell said.

Police in Glendale and Whittier are combing through robbery reports to see whether these two were involved in other similar cases, O'Donnell said.

dailynews.com

There was a gang-related homicide in North Hollywood Friday night. I just spoke with Detective Rich Wheeler, a supervisor over at the Los Angeles Police Department's North Hollywood station about it. No arrests have been made. Here's what I've got so far.

NORTH HOLLYWOOD - A 31-year-old man with no apparent gang ties was fatally wounded Friday night in a drive-by shooting two blocks away from his North Hollywood home, police said.

Alvaro Ely Calderon was on his way home from an am/pm mini market with a 40-ounce bottle of Miller Lite when somone inside a white vehicle fired shots, striking him at least four times before 11:40 p.m. on Bellaire Avenue near Blythe Street, said Los Angeles police Detective Rich Wheeler.

Calderon died later at a local hospital.

The gunman was inside possibly a Honda or Nissan car with as many as four people in it, Wheeler said.

Calderon, who is divorced and has a child has no known gang ties, nor any gang-related arrests, Wheeler said. He was living with his mother and father who were asleep at home at the time their son was shot.

"This is a murder you hate to get," Wheeler said. "There's not a lot of good, juicy clues to follow up on."

Anyone with information is asked to call Wheeler or Detective Martin Pinner at (818) 623-4075.

dailynews.com

I got this story late Friday and expect to be checking with the District Attorney's Office today to see whether or not charges are being filed. Stay tuned.

NORTH HILLS - A former employee with the Penny Lane Family Center in North Hills has been arrested in connection with having unlawful sex with a 16-year-old girl, police said this evening.

Eugene Portis Jr., 37, of Victorville, was arrested Jan. 15 at the North Hollywood Division police station in the 11600 block of Burbank Boulevard, according to the arrest blotter. Details about the arrest were not immediately available.

Portis was booked into the Los Angeles County Jail on suspicion of having unlawful sex with a minor and has since bailed out of jail after posting $20,000 bond. No charges have yet been filed, said Sandi Gibbons, a spokeswoman with the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office. But they could come before his sheduled court appearance on Feb. 5, Gibbons said. Since he has bailed out of jail, she said, police have more time to file their case with the D.A.

In a press release released Friday night, police said that Portis was previously employed by Penny Lane's Foster Care/Foster Family Agency. A 16-year-old Latina reported to police that while seeking drug counseling, Portis engaged in a sexual relationship with her, said Los Angeles Police Detective Karen Crawford. No other details were immediately available.

No one answered calls to Penny Lane late Friday.

It appeared Portis had been working at Penny Lane for about three years, according to a spring 2005 Penny Lane online newletter.

Police are asking that anyone who has information about Portis to call LAPD detectives Makarenko or Kimrey at (818) 623-4090.

dailynews.com

Here's a big shout-out to all the kids at Lanark Park for their "Extreme Teen" program, which is designed to give young kids positive alternatives for "things to do" on a Friday night. The staff down there deserves a lot of credit, as does the San Fernando Coalition on Gangs and the great community orgs that sponsor their chow time.

Van Nuys Rec started a similar program and (I hear) Sylmar Rec is looking to do something in the same vain.

Let all the naysayers "naysay" all they want. The reality is a lot of these kids have to elude gangs and drugs on a daily basis, and programs like these can only help - at the very least, it gives them a safe place to go.

Keep it up kids, but remember, think college, collEGE, COLLEGE!!!

Read their story here.

I got this story about the conviction of a man for a botched kidnap for ransom case that has been dragging out over the last six years. It was prosecuted out of the organized crime section and was handled by Glendale cops. I posted the story onto dailynews.com late last night. But here it is in full, in case you missed it. I'll try to tease out a few more details when I get settled in again tonight as I'm covering for a colleague.

GLENDALE - A 40-year-old ex-con has been found guilty of orchestrating a botched kidnapping for ransom conspiracy that backfired when both the intended target and the would-be kidnapper engaged in a gun battle and were wounded on the streets of Glendale six years ago.

In a downtown Los Angeles Superior courtroom, Arutyun "Gordo" Khrayan was found guilty Tuesday of three counts, including conspiracy to commit kidnap for ransom, attempted kidnap for ransom and assault with a semi-automatic firearm, said Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney Marcia Daniel. Khrayan, who has been in jail since his June 2003 arrest, faces life in prison with the possibility of parole when he is sentenced March 28.

It was an unusual scheme concocted in the most unlikely of places by two men who were recovering drug users at the Tarzana Treatment Center in January 2002.

It began when an associate of Khrayan asked a parolee and admitted heroin user if he would kidnap an Armenian businessman in exchange for a new car.

It ended when the would-be kidnapper, James Patlan, and his intended target, Armen Mkrtumyan, were injured in a gunbattle on Los Feliz Boulevard in Glendale, court records show.

In an odd twist, after the shootout, both victim and assailant were taken to the same hospital for treatment of gunshot wounds. Oddly, Mkrtumyan happened to see Patlan being wheeled by his room and identified him as his assailant to police, Daniel said.

Mkrtumyan, who was in the bread distribution business, was legally carrying a gun the night he was attacked, Daniel said. He had a permit to carry a gun between his business and his car because he was the victim of a previous kidnap attempt a few months earlier, Daniel said.

Khrayan's associate Karapet "Gary" Davtyan was at the Tarzana Treatment Center as part of a court-ordered visit when he met and befriended Patlan, Daniel said.

Patlan admitted in court testimony that he was voluntarily at the center and the only reason he checked out was to join Davtyan in a criminal enterprise, Daniel said.

Phone records linked Davtyan with Khrayan. Davtyan has been convicted previously in the conspiracy and is serving a state prison sentence, Daniel said.

Khrayan was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in 1992 and joyriding in 1994, officials said.

"It was a difficult case in that my star witness had been a state prison inmate who was an admitted heroin addict and then to connect the defendant to the crime itself absent the identification by James Patlan was all primarily circumstantial evidence," Daniel said. "Yet the jury followed my request to reject the unreasonable and accept the reasonable in their findings that Arutyun Khrayan was indeed the man known only to Patlan as "Gordo" who had directed him on the night of the kidnapping to get the victim into the car using the gun."

For any of you who have no clue what I am talking about when I say "financial disclosure," it's basically the LAPD's anti-corruption plan as required by the feds who after the Rampart Scandal demanded the
department undertake major reforms.

The LAPD wants the department's 600 gang and narcotic officers to provide detailed reports of their bank accounts, major debts and other properties they own both jointly and by themselves. The idea is that if any rogue cops are squirreling away money in these accounts, these reports will be red flags for auditors. So last year, the civilian Police Commission voted to implement the program.

Only problem is that the union, District Attorney Steve Cooley and even Sheriff Lee Baca oppose the plan, saying it won't root out corruption and could leave cops vulnerable to identity theft. Worse is that 600 officers are threatening to walk away from their positions in gangs and narcotics if they are forced to do this.

But Councilman Jack Weiss (head of the City Council's Public Safety Commitee) argued the council should have jurisdiction over it, and on Thursday brought it to his committee to decide whether the LAPD should
move forward with the plan.

Police announced the arrests of eight gang members in connection with the slaying of a 23-day-old baby - you read it right, a 23-day-old baby - killed during a likely extortion attempt near MacArthur Park in September. The baby Luis Angel Garcia, was shot at Sixth Street and Burlington Avenue. Francisco Clemente, 37, also was shot and critically injured. Police said they believe Clemente was the intended target of an extortion attempt. This case is one of the most egregious that we've seen in a while. Wonder if this is the youngest murder victim. There's really not a whole lot more to say about this case. Stunned.

Just wanted to pay my respects to Dr. Martin Luther King on this, his national holiday. Although his life was ended prematurely by an assassin's bullet on April 4, 1968, he left a mark on this country that will last forever.
As Americans, we owe a great debt to Dr. King. He asked us to honor the values we held dearest - that all people be treated as equals in their quest for "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."
Thank you, Dr. King.

Here's the very latest on the body found under the freeway. We don't have a whole lot more than we had previously, but at least it's something. Stay tuned.

PORTER RANCH - The body of a man believed to be in his 20s that was found below a Ronald Reagan (118) Freeway overpass early Saturday morning has yet to be identified.

Caltrans workers picking up trash under the freeway overpass at Topanga Canyon Boulevard about 8:30 a.m. Saturday discovered the decomposing body in some twigs, thinking he was asleep, said Los Angeles Police Detective Mike Fesperman.

After taking a closer look, the workers noticed the man was dead and called police.

The man, who was wearing jeans and a jacket and had no ID, appeared to have been stabbed repeatedly in the chest area and dumped under the overpass, Fesperman said.

Fesperman said he could not tell the race of the victim and said the body had no tattoos.

An official cause of death will be determined by an autopsy.

SYLMAR - The stepdaughter of man whose body was found asphyxiated over the weekend in a Sylmar motel room has been charged along with two accused gang members in a robbery conspiracy in connection with the case, officials said today.

Itzel Ponce Gutierrez, a 19-year-old waitress from Sylmar, was charged in connection with the death of her stepfather, Jose Eugenio Carrillo, 45, whose strangled body was found Saturday at 9:30 a.m. at the Country Side Inn, at 14955 Roxford St., in Sylmar.

She faces one count of robbery conspiracy in a case in which Los Angeles Police Department Detective Gene Parshall said she allegedly set up a robbery in which she and two alleged accomplices took Carrillo's Chevrolet Avalanche to ATMs and used his credit cards to withdraw cash.

Parshall did not say why Carrillo was killed or offer details about the slaying.

"They planned to rob this guy for his car and money," Parshall said. "The sad thing is that the stepdaughter set up her stepdad who raised her her whole life."

Police quickly identified two suspects who were caught in their neighborhood in the 14200 block of Calvert Street in Van Nuys the day after the slaying, said Los Angeles Police Detective Jim Freund.

They were identified as Armando "Tripps" Torrez, 23, and 17-year-old Anthony Hernandez, aka "Little Shadow" or "Habit." They are accused members of Barrio Van Nuys.

They have been charged with murder, robbery, burglary, lying in wait, and a gang enhancement, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.

Torrez is an ex-con who spent two years, eight months in state prison custody stemming from two convictions in 2002 - assault with a deadly weapon and grand theft, according to the California Department of Corrections.

Cops found anti-Semitic scrawlings on residential walls in a predominantly Jewish neighborhood in Tarzana Thursday morning. The vandalism follows several high-profile anti-Semitic crimes last year. In May, Councilman Jack Weiss' Sherman Oaks office was defaced with swastikas and anti-Semitic writing. In August, several orthodox Jews were attacked in pellet gun shootings around Los Angeles. latimes.com

A roundup of crime stories around the region ...

Suspected rapist nabbed
A suspected rapist who is charged with invading a home in the Wilshire area New Year's Day is behind bars. abc7.com

Man pleads in murder case
A state prison inmate has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder for the nearly 35-year-old killing of an elderly woman severely beaten in her Los Angeles home following a burglary. Jesse Clifton Wimberly was immediately sentenced to five years to life in state prison in the killing of 86-year-old Anna Lockner. KESQ.com

Arrest in threat at Loyola
Loyola Marmyount University had a day of heightened security after a shooting threat appeared online. The Los Angeles Police Department arrested Carlos Heurta, 21-year-old student at Loyola Marymount University, near his apartment on campus for suspicion of making criminal threats. The suspect allegedly posted, "I am going to shoot and kill as many people as I can until which time I am incapacitated or killed by the police." theloyolan.com

Case continues in rogue cop robbery ring
A former Long Beach police officer took the stand in his own defense Wednesday, describing himself as an unwitting participant in a home-invasion robbery ring that victimized suspected drug dealers and their families between 1999 and 2001. Testifying on his own behalf, Joseph Ferguson, 33, said he was hired to do surveillance work by former Los Angeles Police Officer Ruben Palomares - who since has pleaded guilty to orchestrating the criminal ring and has corroborated the government's case against Ferguson. presstelegram.com

Getting back into the morning crime roundup to get your day started ...

Putting a face on a homicide
My night counterpart, Rick Coca, writes today about the Oct. 20 murder of Kevin Lopez, a 23-year-old musician with a wicked sense of humor, gunned down too early after agreeing to meet friends outside the home he shared with his wife, Jennifer, and his then-13-month-old son. dailynews.com

Como?
LAPD has a new translation device. latimes.com

This'll get your blood boiling
NEWPORT BEACH - Two teenage girls have been arrested on suspicion of participating in the videotaped beating of a mentally retarded girl which was later posted on the social-networking Web site MySpace. dailynews.com

A nod to laobserved for catching this one. Los Angeles Police Chief Wililam Bratton is touted as "the most influential crime fighter in recent history" in the February issue of Playboy, on sale starting today.

Joe Domanick, a long-time chronicler of the nation's second-largest police force in the nation, pens the piece with the headline "Supercop."

Bratton is rumored to be on the short list to head the Department of Homeland Security or the FBI in a Hillary Clinton administration. He’s so influential that his archnemesis, former New York City mayor and now Republican presidential hopeful Rudolph Giuliani—the man who fired him—twice made pilgrimages to L.A. last year in thinly veiled attempts to neutralize Bratton in the 2008 elections. laobserved.com

In 2004, I shadowed Bratton for a story of the 12-hour day in the life of the celebrity chief.

The day started at 7:45 a.m. at KTLA studios where Bratton was making a pitch for the half cent sales tax for more cops. Here's an excerpt from that piece, a look inside the chief's office at Parker Center:

His sixth-floor office in Parker Center is filled with police memorabilia: shiny New York City police badges displayed in boxes; baseball caps; British police-style bobby hats; toy police cars.

Bratton picks up a 1954 book called ``Your Police,'' about the New York Police Department. He used to check the book out from the Boston Library as a kid. Now a tattered copy sits on a shelf next to his meeting table. It cemented his views about becoming a cop.

On the floor next to a leather executive sofa sit several framed magazine covers such as Time and other general interest newsmagazines and assorted trade magazines that feature him on the cover. Assorted books about crime fighting line the shelves, along with pictures of Theodore Roosevelt.

On one wall is a shadow box with a photo of Theodore Roosevelt and a quote, ``The Best Executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants done, and self-restraint enough to keep from meddling.''

On another shelf are photos of Bratton shaking hands with FBI Director Robert Mueller. Bratton with the elder President Bush. Photos of his wife, trial attorney and Court TV anchor Rikki Klieman, hang prominently above his desk.

There will likely be a lot of fireworks in this one. We'll be watching this closely.

Looks like the City Council will get into an arm wresting match with those involved in the federal consent decree set up to prevent the same abuses of those cops in the Rampart Division years ago.

Our veteran expert downtown, Rick Orlov, today writes ... In a showdown that could determine the fate of a federal consent decree governing the Los Angeles Police Department, the City Council today will consider overturning a rule requiring officers in critical units to disclose information about their personal finances.

Councilman Jack Weiss, with backing from the Los Angeles Police Protective League, has asked the council to overturn a Police Commission recommendation that officers assigned to anti-gang and narcotics units file financial disclosure statements as part of an effort to comply with the consent decree.

"I have been one of the biggest supporters of the consent decree, but I have a lot of concerns about this," Weiss said.

"I don't know how the vote will come out ... but I do believe a number of council members have questions about whether this proposed policy will in fact track down dirty cops.

dailynews.com

Busy day on the crime front. This was a case I originally wrote about in August after reading the LAPD blotter.

NORTH HOLLYWOOD - A 34-year-old convicted forger and health care fraudster and his accomplice pleaded guilty to identity theft and other charges in connection with a case in which they used stolen credit card information to try to wire themselves cash from Western Unions at several 7-Eleven stores in North Hollywood.

dailynews.com

Beleaguered Orange County Sheriff Mike Carona signs off ...

With a heavy heart, I therefore announce my retirement as Sheriff, effective today. Although this is one of the most difficult decisions I have ever made, my family, my staff and my lawyers all believe that this is the right time to take my retirement. This action will permit me to focus on vindicating my name and refuting the false charges which have been made against me and my wife.

Carona sign off

Orange County Sheriff Mike Carona will make his announcement on the department's Web site, saying he will retire for the good of the department because he doesn't want to be distracted while preparing for a June trial.

ocregister.com

San Fernando Valley gang homicides fell nearly 40 percent in 2007 to 29, down from 48 the year before, the Los Angeles Police Department reported. Overall gang crime was down about 5 percent in the Valley and around 4percent citywide. Citywide, gang homicides fell to 216 from 294 in 2006, a 26.5 percent decline, the LAPD reported. Aggravated assaults citywide and in the Valley fell by about 9percent. But gang-member attacks on police officers jumped from 16 to 23 in the Valley, a 44percent increase. In contrast, gang attacks on officers fell citywide to 89 from 91, the LAPD said.

dailynews.com

A long-awaited court case looks like it could be moving forward today involving three accused members of the Armenian Power street gang who are charged in a shooting that wounded a rival Latino tagging crew member in Glendale in 2006 after an alley fight between the two groups.

It looks like both the victim's gang and the suspects' gang were flexing their muscles over turf.

The boys who were 15 and 14-years-old at the time of the April 17, 2006 shooting at Adams Street and Elm Elk Avenue are being tried as adults and police are still seeking an additional suspect, whose fingerprint was allegedly found on the revolver that was believed used in the shooting.

According to transcripts of the March 2007 preliminary hearing, Boris Voskanyan, Karapet Tumanyan, and Sevak Mehrabian were allegedly in a car and pulled up alongside Augustin "Icer" Rodriguez and his friends on Adams Street and Elk Avenue. Someone inside the car allegedly fired between three and four shots, wounding Rodriguez, who testified in court as belonging to a tagging crew called Krazy Demons.

The shooting capped a fight apparently that broke out earlier between Armenians and Latinos, according to court testimony. One shot was fired in the air in an alley during the scuffle, sending people scattering. Later the group of Armenians in the car pulled up alongside of a group of Latinos, shouted "Westside A.P." - for Armenian Power - then fired.

Rodriguez suffered a bullet wound to his left thigh and has since recovered.

Testifying at the preliminary hearing, Rodriguez said he believed there were two males in the front seats and three in the back. He said he did not get a good look at the triggerman who he believed was sitting in the back seat and wearing a black hood over his head.

“I didn't get a good look at him, because when I looked over, I saw the gun and he had his hood on and I went to the floor,” he testified.

Witness Victor Escalante couldn't identify the shooter either.

“I just saw a gun come out, and it just shot,” he testified. “I just saw my friend, Augustin, just limp across the street ... We pulled up his pants and it was all bleeding.”

Police recovered a silver Taurus .38 caliber revolver with wooden grips believed used in the shooting, the court papers said. It was found a day after the shooting inside a box in the carport area at the Glendale apartment complex where Tumanyan lived.

During an interview with police, Mehrabian told detectives he was in the car, in the front passenger seat, at the time of the shooting and fingered Karapet “Violent” Tumanyan as the driver. He identified Boris “Shades” Voskanian and Hayk Antonian, the fugitive, as sitting in the backseat.

He said that if any shooting happened inside that car, it “came from the back of the car.” Antonian was arrested the next day and police said he gave them a key bit of information, telling them that when he and his associates typically hide guns, they keep them in a covered toy wagon in the carport area of Tumanyan's home, Glendale Police Detective Matt Irvine testified.

Police did not find the gun there, but did later found it in one of two boxes in the carport area, Irvine testified.

Antonian, who was detained for questioning, was released for a lack of evidence, a mistake, Irvine acknowledged in court.

After police had the gun analyzed, they found only one print – belonging to Antonian and police issued a warrant for his arrest.

“At the time, a day after the shooting, our belief was that Hayk was neither the driver or the person who brandished the gun in the initial confrontation, nor the person who actually shot Rodriguez,” Irvine testified. “And therefore, we felt at the time that he was more useful to us as a witness than as a suspect. In retrospect, that thinking was incorrect.”

Tumanyan, Mehrabian and Voskanian face attempted murder and other charges. Stay tuned for updates about the status of the case.

Walter Garcia, 37, was the man identified as stabbing his ex-wife and ex-mother in law to death in Tujunga yesterday morning, then killing himself in a very public way by plunging off a bridge over the Arroyo Seco in Pasadena. His ex-wife was 35-year-old Damaris Quiles. Her mother was identified as Carmen Quiles, 73.

The stabbings occurred around 8:45 a.m. yesterday in the 6800 block of Quinton Lane.

Garcia and Damaris Quiles were likely arguing over a restraining order that Quiles requested a couple weeks ago. And it boiled over into the streets of Tujunga, outside the home. The mother, Carmen Quiles was stabbed apparently when she came out to intervene.

Keeping you posted on the unfolding situation with a gruesome murder/suicide this morning that started in Tujunga and ended in Pasadena. This comes on the heels of the grim discovery yesterday in Sun Valley of a woman who had been shot in the head.

A man stabbed his ex-wife's mother to death, injured his ex-wife and then killed himself by jumping off a bridge in Pasadena this morning, police said.

Police got a call of a stabbing at 8:43 a.m. in a residential area in the 6800 block of Quinton Lane and Haines Canyon Avenue, police said.

The man, whose identity was not immediately available, was arguing with his ex-wife, and when her mother intervened, she was stabbed to death, said Los Angeles Police Officer April Harding.

The ex-wife was injured in serious condition at a local hospital, Harding said.

After the stabbing, the man drove to a historic bridge on Colorado Boulevard over the Arroyo Seco in Pasadena and jumped to his death, Harding said.

It was the second homicide in as many days in the Northeast San Fernando Valley.

At 2 a.m. Wednesday in Sun Valley, police discovered the body of a woman who was found with a gunshot wound to the head in the dirt along La Tuna Canyon Road.

Someone driving by spotted the body face-down on the shoulder of La Tuna Canyon Road about a half-mile west of the Foothill Freeway, Los Angeles police Capt. Joe Curreri said.

Coroner's officials spent the day conducting an autopsy and trying to identify the woman. She appeared to be 35 to 40 years old, possibly white, about 5 feet 4 to 5 feet 6 inches tall and heavyset, police said. She was wearing black pants and a white shirt.

dailynews.com

Police made an arrest in a gang murder case.

GRANADA HILLS - A 20-year-old man was arrested in connection with a gang-related shooting that left a 31-year-old man dead and wounded another man this summer, police said.

Santos Anthony Topete, unemployed from Sylmar, was arrested Tuesday at his home in connection with the July 1 killing of Eric Perez, a suspected member of the San Fer gang, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

The shooting occurred at 12:30 a.m. as two men were leaving a party in the 16000 block of Los Alimos Street in Granada Hills, police said. The suspect fired multiple rounds striking each victim numerous times. Both victims were transported to a local hospital in separate, private vehicles.

Perez, of Arleta, died shortly after his arrival at the hospital. The second victim, an unidentified 25-year-old resident of Sylmar, was treated for his injuries and later released. Mission gang unit officers LAPD homicide Detective Terence Keyzer said Perez was a member of the San Fer gang a Pacoima gang.

Topete was in jail awaiting a court hearing.

Dennis McCarthy pens a piece today about a man named Kenneth Russell, who died at age 27 two months ago when a driver of a dark-colored Jeep Grand Cherokee slammed into Russell's motorcycle. Russell was on his way home from a job he had just finished at a Santa Ana mall. He was a lighting technician and had just put the finishing touches on a 30-foot-tall Christmas tree welcoming in the holidays at the shopping center. After he made sure all the lights worked, he headed home to Arleta. He never made it past North Hollywood.

Detective Doug Larkin is frustrated.

"Witnesses said the driver looked back when he hit him," says Larkin, shaking his head. "He knew what he had done, but he still had the callousness to accelerate and leave the scene.

"We had numerous leads, but nothing panned out. Witnesses didn't get as good a look at him as they thought they did. It's extremely frustrating."

dailynews.com

Rick writes about a couple who scammed 10,000 people out of $20 million after selling them phony art they said was the work of Picasso, Chagall and Dali via their San Fernando Valley-based TV show "Fine Art Treasures Gallery." These two people aren't the only con artists out there. Coca writes that art fraud is a big problem around the world, jumping 300 percent in 2006. The Internet is a big culprit. Sellers are able to set up accounts that make it difficult to track, and gullible buyers are unable to get a firsthand look at what they're buying. While no data exists to track the amount of money lost to art fraud, it's millions upon millions of dollars. The problem has become so prolific locally that the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office has begun investigating cases.

dailynews.com

The cops threw the book at these guys.

Five people have been charged with attempted murder and other counts in connection with a takeover robbery of a San Fernando Valley medical-marijuana dispensary that sparked renewed concern about the safety of the facilities and forced the owner to shut down out of fear.

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Two cops this morning saved a baby from the clutches of a man high on meth who dangled her over a railing. This is the kind of thing cops tell me all the time that they get into policing for in the first place.

SYLMAR - Officers Jake Fernandez and Ruben Gonzalez were patrolling the south end of the Mission Division early this morning when a call of a kidnapping attempt in progress came out at 1:05 a.m. up in Sylmar.

Initially the two officers didn't think much of it. Routine call. They get them all the time.

But then they read over their squad car computer that the suspect was dangling a baby over a railing and the call took a more ominous tone.

"This is going to be more serious than we thought," said Gonzalez, four months on the job.

Fernandez, a training officer, prepped Gonzalez on what to expect. Taser ready, they were the first ones to arrive at the scene, the Del Monico Motel, 13055 San Fernando Road, six minutes after the call came out.

On a second-floor balcony was a man wearing only boxers and possibly high on meth, Gonzalez said. He was dangling over the railing an 18-month-old baby girl wearing a pink jumper, the officer said.

dailynews.com

Our sister paper to the north has an interesting piece today about death row. Their story says fewer juries are sending murderers to death row, but the state nevertheless now has nearly 670 of them awaiting execution, nearly double the number of Texas or Florida. California would have to execute one inmate a day for nearly two years to clear its death row.

mercurynews.com

A Los Angeles police officer slipped and fell, accidentally discharging one round from his weapon as he attempted to stand during a search for a suspected burglar in the backyard of a home on Sarbonne Road. The incident went down Saturday, January 5, at 10 p.m. Officer Jorge Barrientos and his partner responded to a possible burglary call in the 700 block of Sarbonne Road. While searching the backyard, Barrientos slipped. A bullet struck a wooden balcony and there were no injuries.

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Here's the latest news on the $10,000 theft from a Granada Hills medical marijuana dispensary from Friday. Looks like cops have been seeing a spike in crimes around these places. Go figure. What are you, high?

GRANADA HILLS - Two men and two women were arrested in connection with the theft of some $10,000 in cash and thousands of dollars worth marijuana during a takeover robbery Friday at a medical marijuana clinic in Granada Hills.

The robbery occurred at the Golden State Collective, 10369 Balboa Blvd., around 8:30 p.m. Thursday, police said.

During the heist, one shot was fired, ricocheting off the floor and breaking a window. No one was injured.

The robbers took some $10,000 in cash and up to four pounds of marijuana before taking off in a 4-door SUV, police said.

During the investigation police recovered a sawed off double-barrel 12- gauge shotgun from the scene.

Arrested Sunday on Roxford Street were Jose Carlos Meza, 20, from Arleta; Carlos Rodriguez, a 21-year-old tattoo artist from Arleta; Stephanie Avila, 19, unemployed from Panorama City; and Lisa Annette Gutierrez a 22-year-old office manager from Mission Hills. The women were being held on charges of transporting cocaine for sale. The men were being held on attempted murder charges because they threatened their victim, said Los Angeles Police Lt. Tom Murrell.

An explosion of dispensaries and patients has cities and scrambling to regulate the operations, and police say they have seen a spike in crimes.

On the same day as the heist at the Golden State Collective, Murrell said, another takeover went down at a marijuana dispensary on Cahuenga Boulevard in North Hollywood.

dailynews.com

GLENDALE - A Glendale man accused in a hit-and-run crash this summer that left a 24-year-old woman dead pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder and other charges, officials said.

Ara Grigoryan, 21, entered his plea yesterday in a Pasadena courtroom. He also pleaded not guilty to one count each of vehicular manslaughter and felony hit-and-run involving a death in connection with the July 10 crash that left Elizabeth Sandoval dead.

Grigoryan was driving a black Mercedes-Benz S430 at highway speeds when he hit Sandoval at 9:40 that night at South Glendale Avenue near Windsor Road, police allege.

Four days after the crash, by activating the vehicle's tracking device, police found the Mercedes-Benz near a Van Nuys body shop, with signs of fresh body work on the vehicle, police said.

The car was registered to a relative of Grigoryan's and he became the subject of a weeklong international manhunt that ran through Tijuana before he was arrested July 18 in Mexico City. He was detained while trying to flee without proper travel paperwork to Spain, Glendale police Chief Randy Adams said at a news conference when he announced Grigoryan's arrest.

Spain was believed to be a pit stop on the way to Russia, then Armenia, where Grigoryan was born, police spokesman John Balian said.

Grigoryan has been cited for seven traffic violations over two years while driving the car, police said. They include failure to yield to pedestrians and three incidents of speeding.

Grigoryan is in jail, awaiting another court hearing set for Feb. 13.

dailynews.com

Earlier

Here's the latest on that bar fight that left a man dead at the Red Square bar from November:

WOODLAND HILLS - Two Hoover High School friends were charged with involuntary manslaughter in the death of a man who suffered fatal head wounds in a fracas that was sparked when someone accidentally broke a man's necklace while dancing at a Woodland Hills nightclub, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office said today.

Sidney S. Singleton, 19, and Dimitri Hermozshamoun, 19-year-old friends from Hoover High School, pleaded not guilty to the charge in a Van Nuys courtroom yesterday, officials said. Hermozshamoun posted $50,000 bail and was freed from jail. Singleton remains in jail. The men are expected in court again on Jan. 24.

dailynews.com

City officials credit more sophisticated law enforcement, more officers on the beat and improved community-police relations for the sizable drop in crime, Rick Coca writes today. But don't get too comfortable, LAPD Chief William J. Bratton says. The city's five-year drop in crime could be threatened in 2008 if voters don't approve a February ballot measure extending a telephone utility users tax, The Times writes.
dailynews.com latimes.com

I wanted to take the time to thank all of the "It's a crime" readers who took time out of your busy lives to tune into crime and mayhem that we've documented here since we started up the blog in May. It's been a pleasure for me and I hope it has for you too. Also wanted to make sure you saw this year-end homicide project that we did. We built a homicide database that you can search by name. We profiled three people who are trying to make a difference in their communities. And we put a face on some of the recent homicides, by inviting families to talk about loss. You can read it here.

I'll be off in the bay area with the in-laws this week and won't be blogging. But I'll be back after the first of the year.

This was one of those calls on the scanner that started out with "Officer down" and ended with an officer injured and a suspect who got away, but only briefly. Above is the end result of the morning call, an indecent explosure suspect, who might face additional charges of resisting arrest.

dailynews.com

Pretty fluid situation right now. I think the cops do now have someone in custody on this one. Stay tuned and I'll update you later.

Here's how the case began:

A rookie LAPD officer twisted or broke his ankle this morning during a confrontation with an indecent exposure suspect who disappeared somewhere in the wash of the Los Angeles River, prompting a search on the streets around the Ventura Freeway near Woodman Avenue, police said.

The drama began before 9 a.m. as the probationary officer and his partner responded to a call of a man described as a heavyset Latino in a blue jacket at Stern Avenue and Valleyheart Drive, which abutts the L.A. River.

The man resisted, and somehow the officer twisted his ankle on a fence, prompting a call for paramedics. The officer was taken to a local hospital. Police didn't immediately know the status of his ankle.

dailynews.com

Cops used to call the Devonshire Division up in the northwestern corner of the San Fernando Valley, Club Dev. It was a place that LAPD cops used to go to retire. Well, that distinction, unfortunately, no longer holds true. And the reports we got yesterday afternoon about a shooting in Granada Hills were grim.

Here's the story Rick Coca wrote last night that ran today.

GRANADA HILLS - Two men were found shot to death inside a home Thursday, and police were searching for the killer, authorities said.

A woman who lives at the house in the 17000 block of San Jose Street with her boyfriend and another woman discovered the two men dead about 2 p.m., said LAPD Detective Humberto Fajardo.

The victims, both Latinos who appeared to be in their mid-20s, were found inside the home near the entrance, lying on the floor, Fajardo said. There was no sign of forced entry.

The woman did not identify either of the dead men, so police could not confirm if either was her boyfriend. The men's names were not released, and nobody has been arrested.

Before the current occupants moved in about nine months ago, police raided the house and discovered that the last tenant was using it to grow marijuana, next-door neighbor Jerry Williams said.

Soon after, the home's owner fixed up the property and assured Williams that the next tenants would be an improvement because he found them through his church.

Up until Thursday's killings, Williams has had no complaints.

"They've been model neighbors," he said.

Although police said one man and two women lived at the home, Williams said it appeared to him that two younger men, two young women and an older man lived there.

In March, shortly after they moved in, the two young men helped Williams trim some trees that were hanging over from his yard into theirs, Williams said.

The young men would offer a respectful wave when they saw their neighbors but wouldn't converse much beyond that, neighbors said.

"They stuck to themselves," neighbor Justin Jameson said. "They weren't the outgoing neighborly type."

dailynews.com

A federal judge today dismissed a lawsuit against the State Bar of California brought by convicted Venice civil rights attorney Stephen Yagman. Yagman's lawsuit alleges the State Bar violated his constitutional and civil rights by issuing an interim suspension of his law license on July 27. In a brief hearing this morning, U.S. District Judge George Wu dismissed Yagman's lawsuit, ruling that the matter of his possible disbarment is an ongoing matter. A jury convicted Yagman in June of attempted tax evasion, bankruptcy fraud and money laundering. He was sentenced last month to three years in federal prison. He is appealing both the conviction and the sentence.

dailynews.com

A 15-year-old girl overdosed on morphine and heroin this summer and the FBI is looking for the man who supplied the drugs. He's identified as Arcesio Escobar, a laundry worker, (that's him in the photo) who called 911 as he was on his way to Mexico about a half an hour after Jennifer L. Elias, from New York, died at his North Hollywood home in June. Police have a warrant out for his arrest for supplying drugs to a minor. I wonder if Jennifer's family is out there, reading this?

dailynews.com

Good morning. Here are a few early headlines this morning.

Body found in car at tow yard
Paramedics and traffic officers apparently overlooked the body of a woman who was found in a car at a tow yard over the weekend, a day after the the vehicle was involved in a crash. dailynews.com

Glendale homicide
A woman's body was discovered at a home in Glendale. dailynews.com

Pellicano back in court
Disgraced private eye Anthony Pellicano and noted entertainment lawyer Terry Christensen are seeking to have a Los Angeles judge dismiss key evidence or the entire federal case against them today. dailynews.com

Doing my routine checks of all the arrests from overnight around the city, I got the story of a drug rip off crew with a back story that gets real murky and involves a drug sale to a teen girl who overdosed this summer. This is the top of the story.

Three men have been charged and a fourth was being sought in connection with a semi organized dope-rip off ring that targeted dealers in the San Fernando Valley and Hollywood.

The latest arrest came Wednesday when one of the suspects, Fatshi A. Touresian, a 21-year-old North Hollywood salesman, showed up in a Van Nuys courtroom to appear on an earlier case of vehicle tampering. He was booked into the Los Angeles County Jail on charges stemming from a pot rip off in April at Laurel Canyon Boulevard and Mulholland Drive that went bad when Jeffrey Jenkins, 25, was shot in the neck and survived, said Los Angeles Police Detective Martin Pinner. Bail was set at $626,570.

dailynews.com

This is the big story this morning. Out of North Hollywood, an 11-month old was allegedly kidnapped from a North Hollywood home by her 28-year-old father, a fugitive recently profiled on America's Most Wanted and being sought for alleged spousal abuse, rape, kidnapping and torture, authorities said today. Shortly after 9 last night, Raul Carillo Alderete took the child from the home of his ex-girlfriend -- the infant's mother -- near Sherman Way and Lankershim Boulevard, said Sgt. Kenneth Henkle of the Los Angeles Police Department's North Hollywood Station.

dailynews.com

The prosecution announced today that it will ask another jury to recommend whether a gang leader convicted of three murders should be sentenced to death or life in prison without parole. The decision, announced by Deputy District Attorney Hoon Chun, comes just more than a month after jurors split 10-2 in favor of recommending a death sentence for Timothy Joseph McGhee. That jury convicted the 34-year-old Atwater Village gang leader of first- degree murder for the Oct. 14, 1997, slaying of Ronald Martin, along with the the June 3, 2000, slaying of Ryan Gonzalez and the Nov. 9, 2001, killing of Margie Mendoza.

dailynews.com

NORTH HILLS - Leaning against her rake in her front yard, Augustina Cervantes peered toward the end of the block across from North Hills Park, where just a few months ago heroin addicts roamed like zombies looking for a fix and violent brawls were commonplace as children played. Now Cervantes feels safe enough to come out at 10 p.m. and rake leaves in front of her small house festooned with Christmas lights. Crime dropped 29 percent. dailynews.com