April 2008 Archives

Convicted rapist Steven Myrick claims City Councilwoman Janice Hahn paid him anti-gang funds and helped him get out of jail.

A Fox News investigation by reporter Chris Blatchford guestions whether Hahn paid gang intervention funds to gang members themselves. Hahn denies doing anything wrong.

Here's the link

Look for "Investigation: LA Gang intervention money going to gang members?"

Firefighters worked Wednesday night to rescue two construction workers trapped in a collapsed trench in Torrance.

Both men were alert and talking, but pinned against scaffolding. Dirt was up to one man's chest. The other was covered to his waist about eight to 10 feet down, Torrance fire Capt. Steve Deuel said.

Firefighters were removing dirt and monitoring the men's condition. Each man was wearing an oxygen mask.

The accident happened about 6 p.m. at a Shell service station at 190th Street and Crenshaw Boulevard.

"It's a big excavation project at the gas station," Deuel said.

"We are in the middle of doing a very delicate extrication process of moving dirt," Deuel said.

Q. Just read your article in the Daily Breeze about the Marine who was beaten unconscious and robbed while walking on the Esplanade. What struck me as odd, was the complete lack of any sort of physical description of the assailants.

I find it hard to believe that the victim could describe their baggy pants, and remember exactly what was said, but could not at least identify the race of his attackers.

Could it be that the Daily Breeze is putting political correctness ahead of the need to report important details that could help solve this crime?

John S. Campbell
Rolling Hills Estates

A. Thanks for writing. Plenty of people regularly ask about this.

We publish descriptions when they are more specific, including race, age, height, weight, eye color, hair color, and other aspects, including clothing, tattoos, jewelry or what car they were driving. To say the suspect was a "20-year-old white man, or 25-year-old black man in a red shirt" isn't specific enough.

In this particular case, police told me the victim was unable to see much beyond age, race and their baggy pants before he was clobbered on the head.

The description -- young men in baggy pants -- identifies a large section of the Southern California population.

Some might consider it politically correct to leave race out of the story, but the race makes up a huge Southern California population. There's no reason to indict an entire group of people for the actions of some.

Feel free to send your responses and I will post them below.

Besides the details Jacquelyn Pick wrote to a judge about her husband's drug use and abusive ways, some of the most moving information we gathered during our reporting on the Torrance murder suicide was the killer's own family Web site.

Stephen Pick, who committed suicide after shooting to death his 5-year-old son and mother-in-law and wounding his wife, boasted like any normal proud papa would of his kids on his Web site www.mykidsrule.com. You look at their life through their photographs and it all seems so normal and happy. Hospital pictures with beaming family members after the births of Tyler and Nicole, momentous milestones and fun adventures.

But when you take a moment and look at this beautiful family, and realize the tragedy that's befallen them, it can stop you in your tracks. That's what happened to me, and it was only with a heavy heart that I continued doing what I had to do - telling their story in the hopes that, maybe, some troubled addict somewhere will see something familiar and get some help. Before it's too late.

Everyone here at the Daily Breeze wishes the Pick family our deepest condolences.

I received these e-mails about Steve Pick, the gunman who committed suicide after killing his 5-year-old son and mother-in-law and wounding his wife.

Kathyrn Hahn writes:

"I grew up across the street from Steven.  My family is very close with their family, in fact my sister is best friends with his sister. The news we received is devestating and I am sure there is going to be plenty of finger pointing and hatred.
 
This single act has devastated many families.  A mother has lost her oldest child and her mother.  A beloved grandmother, mother and wife is forever gone.  And an innocent child has been lost. 

The question 'why' will be asked without an answer.  At a time like this it is easy to find hatred among grief, to add pain on top of pain.  There is no answer as to why this happened.

There is no lesson to be learned and I am not trying to erase anyone's pain. But I do know this much.  Hatred and evil are the root cause of this.

The Steven Pick I knew was a funny, smart and sensitive person. Him and I shared a love of books as well as a common trait.  We both struggled with addiction.  I do not know if addiction caused Steven to do something so horrible.  And yet if it did, it is not surprising.

The only lesson that can come from this is to realize a restraining order is just a piece of paper, it has never blocked a single bullet.  And if a restraining order is needed in the first place, the person the restraining order is placed upon should be put in jail or a mental institution until he/she is deemed safe.  It may seem extreme, but not any more extreme than a man killing his child, his mother-in law and his wife. 
 

We've had a story up on dailybreeze.com updating last night's murder-suicide in Torrance, but some technical difficulties may be keeping people from seeing the whole thing. You'll find the whole story after the jump.

Please also note that some neighbors have set up a fund to help the survivors. Donations will be accepted for the Pick Family Assistance Fund, c/o Bank of America, 1880 W. Carson St. #F282, Torrance, CA 90501.

Late Monday, a jury came back with guilty verdicts against Gilbert Espinoza, a 32-year-old gang member who shot at three teenage boys in Lawndale because he believed they were rivals. One bullet hit one of the 14-year-old boys, and left him paralyzed in wheelchair-bound for life.

The user comments at the end of our story are the usual, predictable kind of stuff with one faction making anti-gang and sometimes racist comments and the other claiming Espinoza's innocence. It's a bit heated.

Police said today that the man who shot his 5-year-old son and mother-in-law to death, and wounded his wife before committing suicide, spared his 4-year-old daughter. She also was in the house, but was not hurt.

Officer Dave Crespin did not have information on where she was inside the residence at the time the shootings occurred.

(Neighbors put the girl at 3 years old. We will try to get an accurate age as the day continues.)

Police say the wife's mother has now died. 

A man shot his 5-year-old son to death, wounded his wife and mother-in-law and committed suicide  at a Torrance home Monday night.

The shootings occurred about 8:20 p.m. in the 1900 block of 230th Street, Torrance police Officer Dave Crespin said.

The shootings came about eight hours after the man caused a disturbance at the same home. Police said it is his wife's residence.

Officers served him with a restraining order and he left.

After the report of the shooting, police found four victims. The man and his son were dead at the scene.

The wife and mother-in-law were taken to local hospitals. Their conditions were not immediately known.

The family members names were not immediately released.

Photo by Daily Breeze photographer Robert Casillas.

Police are investigating a shooting with multiple victims at a home in Torrance.

An Arkansas inmate has filed a lawsuit that claims he's lost too much weight in jail. I think he's missing a HUGE opportunity here. Everyone either wants to lose weight, or come up with a successful diet plan that helps others shed their unwanted pounds - and adds decimal points to their own checking account. There must be a self-help book in here somewhere.... Possible titles: "Stealing Away Pounds," "Three Steps to Weight Loss: Murder, Plea and Sentence" or "Making Crime Pay: How to Tip the Scales of Justice and the Bathroom Scale, Too!"

We got an e-mail last week from one of our important tech guys telling us that things might get “funky” this afternoon on the blogs. Really, that's what he said.

Now, I like to think this blog is already pretty darn funky.

Anyway, you might notice some problems this afternoon as the tech guys perform some necessary upgrades to keep the blogs blogging.

Some time around 1 p.m., they plan to start shifting the blogs onto a new server. They say it will take a couple hours, but they admit it will probably be longer.

So, we probably won't have any new items this afternoon, but will resume when we can.

And we do apologize for any technical difficulties you encounter.

 

Manhattan Beach police on Saturday are inviting residents who drive Toyota and GMC sport utility vehicles to come to a free program to etch their license plate numbers on their catalytic converters and third-row seats.

The program -- open only to Manhattan Beach residents -- will run from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the city’s maintenance facility at 3621 Bell Ave.

Engraving license plate numbers on the auto parts will make it easier for police officers to identify stolen property when they catch thieves and link them to specific crimes.

Catalytic converter thefts have increased in the last year as thieves target the precious metals inside them. Toyota sport utility vehicles are the prime targets.

Third-row seats also are popular for theft. GMC Yukons and Chevrolet Tahoes and Suburbans fall prey.
Interested owners of those vehicles should contact Sgt. Steve Tobias at 310-802-5123. 

Michael McDermott, a former financial adviser who was arrested after police allegedly found drugs at his beachfront home and in his car, was in court today for a preliminary hearing, but it was postponed. McDermott's attorney, Michael Norris, said he was working with prosecutors to "informally resolve" the case - meaning their negotiating a plea deal. McDermott, 32, comes back to court May 19. Either a plea will be made or another preliminary hearing will be scheduled.

This reward was actually offered and publicized in December, but police obviously still need help to solve this crime.

Police on Tuesday will hold a news conference to discuss a $50,000 reward offer in the Oct. 14 killing of Armando Mariscal Jr. of San Pedro.

Mariscal, 33, was shot while stopped at a red light on Lincoln Boulevard at Maxella Avenue after he and friends left a Venice bar where they had watched an Oakland Raiders football game. Someone in a white utility van pulled alongside them and fired several gunshots, killing Mariscal.

One bullet grazed his girlfriend, who was five months pregnant with his daughter.

LAPD detectives said previously that it did not appear the killing was the result of any disputes during the game.

Detectives will hold a news conference in front of the Pacific Division station. Los Angeles City Councilman Bill Rosendahl, LAPD Deputy Chief Terry Hara and Captain Joseph Hiltner will make the announcement.

Mariscal’s family members will be in attendance. Mariscal spent most of his life in Harbor Gateway before moving to San Pedro.

Here's a few things of note from dailybreeze.com over the weekend:

• A former West High school student accused of making bomb threats at UC Davis was in court Friday.
• Singer Chaka Khan was ordered to pay more than $1.3 million to the family of the boy her son shot and killed during a fight in her Westchester home.
• Protestors outside a Gardena residential care facility Saturday, where they say sex offenders are living.
• Another fatal shooting in South Los Angeles on Saturday.
• Trial is set to begin today in capital murder case against a man who caused fatal Metrolink trash.

I kid you not on this one: (pun intended)

It came over the radio mid-afternoon. Police officers were called to a family disturbance in a hospital room at Torrance Memorial Medical Center.

Here's what I was told happened: A woman in a dating relationship gave birth. Dad went to the hospital and he and mom discussed the baby's name. Things got a bit heated.

"The father apparently threatens that if she doesn't give the child his name, he'll kill her," Lt. Bob Picker said.

Hospital staff alerted Torrance police.

Dad stormed out of the hospital and wasn't there when officers arrived. They conducted a "terrorist threat investigation" that names dad as the suspect.

This could be a problem for good ole Dad. We heard over the radio that he's a parolee.

We aren't sure how this will all turn out, but we just want to wish Poppa an early "Happy Father's Day!"

And here's a silly video about baby names:

Just one more link to end the week with.

When a Texas pub's bus was stolen, they offered up the best, and most effective, reward they could: free beer for life. It paid off.

 

Of course, being a skeptic, I couldn't help but wonder if they investigated the guy who found the bus to see if he was the thief!

We've received a couple of e-mails asking what happened in Inglewood Thursday night on La Cienega Boulevard and Glenway Drive.

Readers say they saw 30 to 40 police and California Highway Patrol vehicles there about 9:30 p.m. A sheriff's helicopter circled overhead for about two hours.

We've tried to get details, but it hasn't been easy. Best we can tell: It wasn't anything major.

Police tried to pull a driver over, but he sped away. Officers chased him until he stopped, abandoned his car and ran.  They searched for the man, but he got away.

Why he ran was a mystery. A police watch commander said the driver might have had outstanding warrants that would have landed him in jail.

An armed carjacker in Cleveland was caught after stopping to ask a news crew for directions. There's really just not much more to say about that.

I explained a couple weeks ago why we run the sobriety checkpoint notices in advance. (The cops ask us to.)

Here's a Carson sheriff's station press release about one tonight, so you can see for yourself: (And don't drink and drive.)

Just when you think you've seen every scam possible ... the New York Times is reporting that there is a new scheme where California executives are e-mailed a purported subpoena to appear before a federal civil grand jury. Only, when the recipient clicks a link to see the subpoena, they download to their computer software that secretly records keystrokes so private data, like passwords, are sent to a remote computer.

We like to write about stupid criminals ... but it's the smart ones who are really scary.

We have chaos on the People's Court, the "bird" as driver-to-driver communication and the best answer ever to the question: Is that a "yes" or a "no?" These are among five pretty funny video clips showing the lighter - and sad- side of the law.

An El Segundo police officer shot in the jaw in a gunbattle at the Pacific theaters  was just released from the hospital.

Lt. Raymond Garcia, who had been in intensive care since the April 11 shooting, recovered enough to go home, but will require outpatient treatment to repair his injuries, El Segundo police Lt. Bob Turnbull said.

“He just wants to go home and recover and be with his family,” Turnbull said. “He is in great spirits. He is able to talk, but still will need more surgeries.”

Officer Scott O’Connor, who was shot in the shoulder and arm, continues to recover at home.

The officers were shot while interceding in a dispute between ex-convict Jonathan Taylor, 24, and theater employees. Taylor became upset when he was denied a refund.

As the officers talked to Taylor, he pulled out a gun and began shooting.

Devan Jackson, a 20-year-old Hawthorne man in line for tickets, was wounded in the leg. He also is recovering at home.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Port of Los Angeles/Long Beach recently seized two major shipments of counterfeit merchandise worth more than $1.3 million.

The shipments, seized April 8 and 11, included hats, shoes, blankets, wallets, iPods, belts, clothes, jewelry, and other objects.

The items bore fake trademarks including Burberry, Giorgio Armani, Baby Phat, Dolce & Gabbana, TAG Heuer, and many other famous brands.

Had the seizure been real, the goods would have been worth more than $38 million, authorities said today.

Customs officials found the stuff when they did an inspection of the shipments, which were labeled as “luggage."

Officials said the shipments contained “Everything but luggage.”

A couple of would-be thieves in Hermosa Beach must've got some inspiration from Dateline's ongoing "To Catch A Predator" series. On the show, men who believe they've been "chatting" online with underage kids are caught on tape and, eventually, by police, when they come to meet the kid. A 17-year-old girl and her 21-year-old boyfriend set up such a sting - but their intention was to rob the poor perverted thug who got caught in their web.

Leonard Lee allegedly came from Orange County to Hermosa Beach for a good time, but got stabbed in the hamstring instead. Leonard, though, refused to testify against the pair during a hearing yesterday, and the charges against them were dropped.

Where's Chris Hansen when you need him?

As trial got underway yesterday for two of the three people accused of killing two Carson gas station minimart clerks during a robbery, their defenses were revealed ... and they were kinda cliche. Basically, Eric Sanford, 17, and Adam Loza, 24, are pointing fingers at each other, claiming they had no idea a robbery was about to go down during the 4 a.m. stop for gas and munchies on Nov. 4, 2006.

The crime was pretty heinous and the two adult defendants could've faced lethal injection if it weren't for the fact that the third suspect is a juvenile. Despite the egregiousness of the slayings, though, the trial is pretty straightforward and will probably be wrapped-up next week. Today, the two juries will hear about a fingerprint lifted from a beef jerky on the counter that matched Sanford's, as well as see the grainy outside video, hear about the murder weapons, the arrests and maybe watch portions of the videotaped statements they each gave detectives. More investigative evidence will follow, along with the coroner's report and evidence of prior, similar crimes. There probably won't be a new story on the trial until closing arguments next week.

Family members of Eduardo Roco, 74, and Esther Arteaga, 32, were in court for the proceedings. After the juries left, they asked to take a closer look at some of the photos Deputy District Attorney Beth Widmark showed the juries - including pictures of Roco and Arteaga as they were found, bleeding on the floor, inside the cashier's booth. Families of murder victims often feel they need to see such photos because they want answers, and will endure pain just to come a wee bit closer to eradicating that horrendous "Why?" that, unfortunately, may never be answered. I think it's pretty brave to try, though.

 

Sheriff’s Department homicide Detective Eddie Brown, who used to work as an investigator at the Carson station, is trying to solve the horrible killing of an innocent young woman in Lynwood.

He asked us to spread the word. The Aug. 4, 2007 slaying of 19-year-old Kyutza Joan Herrera didn’t get much media attention at the time.

The Downey woman was on a date with her boyfriend that evening. They went to Citywalk at Universal Studios and stopped about 9:20 p.m. at Ace Liquor on the way to her boyfriend’s home.

The store is located at 12221 Long Beach Blvd.

They bought some candy and soda and returned to the car. It wouldn’t start.

Her boyfriend made a couple of phone calls to friends, who offered to come help, but he decided to wait a few minutes to see if he could get it started.

In the meantime, four former gang members arrived at the liquor store. They wore blue, a gang color.

A couple of them went into the store. The others stayed outside.

Along came four cars carrying suspects headed south on Long Beach Boulevard. Gunmen in a couple of the cars opened fire, striking two of the men in blue.

Their wounds were minor.

Herrera was not so lucky. A stray bullet pierced the car, struck her in the neck and killed her.

No one has been arrested for the crime.

“I’m not about to let these guys get away with this,” Brown said. “It’s a sad case.”

Here's the wanted flier.pdf
It includes descriptions of the cars involved. (It contains the wrong date and time of the crime. The correct date is Aug. 4, 2007 at 9:20 p.m.)

If you know anyone who knows something, contact Brown at 323-890-5636 or his partner, Detective Espino, at 323-890-5639. The general number for homicide is 323-890-5500.

Are you a woman interested in a career working for the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department?

A "Women in Law Enforcement Recruitment" program will be held Friday in San Pedro. The LASD is looking to fill 150 openings for custody assistants and deputy trainees.

The Pacific Gateway Workforce Investment Network is offering the event from 10 a.m. to noon at its Harbor WorkSource Center, 1851 N. Gaffey St., Suite F, in San Pedro.

To participate, call 310-732-5700 to make an appointment. Walk-ins also are welcome.

For more information on the recruitment or job requirements, call Eileen Arthur at 562-570-3771.

Denise Gatewood has learned some lessons. After spending 20 years with a man who cheated on her then tried to kill her, she knows now that it's not worth trying to keep a family together when there's so much pain. "You should have the strength to walk away," she said moments after her estranged husband, Lavell Gatewood, was convicted of attempted murder for shooting her on Dec. 8, 2006, outside their Gardena home.

The jury, which deliberated about four hours, also found true allegations that Gatewood, 42, caused great bodily injury and used a handgun. Once all is tallied, Gatewood is looking at spending the rest of his life in prison. He returns to Torrance Superior Court Judge James Brandlin's courtroom May 29 for sentencing.

Look for the full story on the verdict in tomorrow's Daily Breeze and online at dailybreeze.com.

Previously on the the Crime & Courts Blog:

http://www.insidesocal.com/crime&courts/2008/04/update-gardena-attempted-murde.html

http://www.insidesocal.com/crime&courts/2008/04/gardena-man-kissed-wife-before.html

http://www.insidesocal.com/crime&courts/2008/04/gardena-attempted-murder-trial.html

 

David Boothby sent this along about Devan Jackson, the El Segundo theater shooting victim fired from his job for missing work:

"Larry, John and Ken on KFI gave your story tremendous publicity.

Now you've got to keep the pressure on the travel agency.

Instead of saying to Devan, 'What a hero you are and we are proud of you and will do whatever we can to help you through this horrible situation,' they throw him into the street. Shocking.

If I were a reporter I would be at their place of business and drive them crazy with pointed questions until they changed their policy.

Also I would ask all the businesses around them what they thought of Pinnacle’s actions as a way of putting Pinnacle in a bad light and force their hand.

I’m sure John and Ken will also pound away at this story because they hate to see injustice.

Keep up your good work."

Late Tuesday afternoon, an Airport Courthouse jury convicted Arthur Bonner, 38, of second-degree murder for killing his girlfriend, Angel Shavon Dews, 33, in her Hawthorne apartment. Bonner choked her with her hands, but claims he did so after suffering an epileptic seizure. He presented an interesting case, including two neurologists who testified that partial complex seizures can result in unconscious behaviors that may be violent.

This is apparently a controversial idea - that epileptic seizures can spark violent behavior. A Los Angeles Times reporter sat in on the beginning of Bonner's trial, and ran an article last week that explored the issue.

Look for our full report on the verdict in tomorrow's Daily Breeze and on dailybreeze.com.

 

  

It's been about a year and a half since a nearly retired Carson gas station attendant and his trainee were gunned-down during a robbery attempt. Trial was expected to begin today with opening statements before two juries who will decide the capital murder cases against Eric Sanford, 17, and Adam Loza, 24. (A third defendant, Julio Perez, 24, will have his trial with his own jury after this one finishes). But a medical emergency for the Compton Superior Court judge forced a postponement until tomorrow.

While all three Los Angeles men are charged with the special circumstances of murder during a robbery, none are facing the death penalty. If found guilty of the charge, though, they each face a mandatory life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Eduardo Rocco, 74, of Carson and Esther Arteaga, 32, of Wilmington, were killed in the predawn hours of Nov. 4, 2006, at the service station at Avalon Boulevard and 223rd Street. Rocco, a retired ship captain who immigrated from the Philippines, was shot as he tried to stop the crime. Arteaga's slaying left a then 7-year-old girl without her mother.

 

I received a really touching e-mail from Devan Jackson, thanking me for the articles that I have written about him being the other victim of the El Segundo theater shootings.  Some of it was personal, but here's a bit of what he said:

"A large majority of the comments on the article were of people wanting to assist me financially. I find it to be a true blessing from God that people can find it in their hearts to be so generous.

I gotta tell you Larry, it's hard losing your job and having an injury that temporarily prevents you from finding another job. But time stops for no one and I still have bills.

Remember I told you about the lady that wanted to help pay my rent? She came by my grandma’s house today and gave me $540 to help. That was generous of her and I’m blessed. I'm working on getting the rest of my money for rent and other utilities. I have God on my side so I will be alright."

To the readers: Anyone who has anything for Devan please contact me at 310-543-6655 or Larry.Altman@dailybreeze.com and I will forward the information to him.

Thanks for all the e-mails that are flying at my Inbox. Here's a few more:

Bobby G. Moore Jr. writes:

"I know Richard Dale from working at American Honda. Richard was a very nice guy. He had a heart attack and stents put in during last summer.

I saw him in January of 2008 and he lost like 60 to 80 lbs. I was shocked by how good he looked and he told me what he did to lose weight. I followed what he did to lose weight and I lost 40 pounds to date.

I'm shocked and saddened by his crazy accident over the weekend. Nothing could restore his life but I will go to my grave believing Richard would not shot a police (officer) or anyone. Truly nice guy."

Gar Harris of Garden Grove writes:

"Larry, I just read your piece about Devan Jackson. This guy needs a personal injury attorney who could probably get him a)reinstated and b)enough money to pay for his education and any medical bills that the former employer will now be denying to pay if he isn't reinstated.

Naturally the attorney will want 35 percent of the take but 65 percent of something is much better than nothing at all. IMHO he should have never been fired!"

A couple of years ago, a friend of mine who took up bicycling to keep in shape got hit by a car in Redondo Beach. Thankfully, he was OK. He was a bit banged up and his bike, well, was bent.

I'm sure if you are a bicyclist, you probably nearly get hit by a car every time you take to the streets.

Well, the folks in London had a great idea to encourage safety in their city. Cycling levels on London’s major roads have increased by
83 percent since 2000 as officials there promote bicycles as a way to reduce congestion, prevent pollution and increase health.

Despite the rise in riding, Injuries and deaths have been reduced in recent years with safety campaigns, including this public service spot that came out last month. It encourages drivers to stay alert for cyclists. (They apparently stole this idea from an Illinois professor, but that's another story.)

Prosecutors have filed murder charges against the husband of a woman whose body was found in the trunk of a car parked by Dockweiler State Beach in 1994. Andre Jackson is accused of killing Marie Singleton-Jackson, who was a 33-year-old communications analysis for the CIA. Her job added some intrigue to the unsolved Inglewood slaying, but ultmately appears to have nothing to do with her murder.

Jackson, 46, is scheduled to be arraigned today in Torrance.

Stupid criminal news from around the country and the world:

First, a 25-year-old old man waving a gun around while looking at another driver in an apparent road rage incident accidentally shot himself in the chest on Saturday in Tempe, Ariz. Here's the ABC video.

In North New Hyde Park, N.Y., a Long Island man called police to say he had just been robbed during a drug deal gone bad. The Associated Press reported that Christopher Canonico, 23, of Seaford, called police at 8:20 p.m. Wednesday.

Police said Canonico was set up by two women who agreed to buy heroin at a gas station. While they were sitting in his car, a third person with a gun came up to the car and robbed him of $340, a cell phone and wallet.

Cops arrested Canonico for drug dealing. The others got arrested for robbery.

In Dothan, Ala., a man who went to visit his probation officer on Thursday emptied his pockets to get through the metal detector at the courthouse. D'oh!

Besides putting coins and keys on the table, he also dropped two bags of pot.

Malcom Williams, 51, tried to run, but police caught him.

And in Berlin, Germany,  a thief who stole a rare coin collection took them to the bank last week. Soon after he deposited them, a bank worker recognized the coins as the set worth some $80,000 that had been stolen from his own house.

Police tracked down the thief and arrested him.

Here's a good reason to clean out your cookies: A recent survey of the 1,600 or so members of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers found that 79 percent of them have had more cases in which evidence was taken from Internet browser histories in recent years. In addition, 44 percent of the lawyers said they've seen more cases in which Spyware software was used to keep tabs on a spouse's Web surfing.

"Many spouses will use the Internet in order to act anonymously, but in many ways it's the most public thing someone can do," said James Hennenhoefer, president of the AAML. "Internet activity can provide valuable glimpses into the kinds of hidden activities that a husband or wife might be trying to conceal and Spyware programs can help to make this kind of monitoring extremely easy to conduct."

Don't say we didn't warn ya....

 

I contacted Pinnacle Travel Services regarding its dismissal of Devan Jackson, the Hawthorne man shot at the El Segundo theaters.

If you missed it, the El Segundo travel agency told Jackson not to return to his job because he missed too many days of work. (He made travel reservations for American Express cardholders.)

I tried to speak with somebody at the company Friday about why he was fired (he learned this while at the doctor,) but the business was closed for the afternoon. The woman who answered the telephone today said the company "had no comment at this time."

I asked why someone at the business did not want to present the agency's side of the story, but was again told there would be no comment.

I just talked to Devan. One woman who saw his story has offered to help out with his rent. He's hoping a job comes his way.

"I still have bills," he said.

Devan, 20, was hit in the leg when gunman Jonathan Taylor began shooting at two police officers in the lobby at the Pacific theaters on April 11. Devan was in the ticket line with his fiancee.

Both officers were seriously wounded.

Five years ago, I met Hank and Cecilia Alvarez when their son, Steven, was killed by a drunken driver in Gardena. I sat at the large table in the dining room of their Torrance home and spoke with them and other family members.

The 20-year-old West High School assistant wrestling coach had stepped into the Torrance school’s top job when the coach was called to duty in Iraq. He planned to marry and become a firefighter.

A drunken driver, Ricardo Pena, then 22, of Gardena ran a red light at Marine and Western avenue. Pena received 10 years in prison for Steven's death. (It must be about time for his release on parole.)

“It is still very hard because we miss (Steven) a lot,” his father said.

Sadly, six months after Steven's death, I found myself sitting at the Alvarez's table again. Their 25-year-old son, Michael, was found slain on a sidewalk in Lawndale. The case remains unsolved.

I will try to revisit that soon.

In the meantime, the Alvarez family has created a Web page on the MADD site in memory of Steven. They are inviting people to join them Sept. 27 at the Queen Mary in Long Beach for the organization’s annual "Walk Like MADD" to bring attention to the fight against drunken driving.

My original story from April 29, 2003 follows:

Arthur Bonner doesn't deny that he strangled his live-in girlfriend in her Hawthorne apartment on June 13, 2006, while her youngest daughter, who was 4 at the time, was home. However, Bonner, 38, claims he had just had an epileptic seizure and did not intend to kill Angel Shavon Dews, 33. During his trial, which wraps up with closing arguments today at the Airport Courthouse, the jury heard from doctors who confirmed Bonner suffers from epilepsy and said violent behavior can result from a seizure. At different times, Bonner has both admitted killing Dews and denied remembering any such incident.

The jury also heard from Dews' eldest daughter, who was 12 when she returned to the home in the 14100 block of Kornblum Avenue and to the sense that something wasn't right. She kept knocking on her mother's closed bedroom door, asking: "Mama? Mama?" Bonner told her she wasn't there - even though she just spoke to Dews on the phone minutes before.

It's an interesting legal conundrum for the jury. If they find Bonner was not conscious or mentally incapacitated due to a medical condition, then they must find him not guilty of murder.

After a couple days of hiatus, Lavell Gatewood's attempted murder trial is scheduled to continue today in Torrance Superior Court. Last week, jurors heard from various law enforcement and medical personnel who responded to the Gardena home where Gatewood shot his wife. The two were having ongoing marital problems that culminated with his confronting her with a gun and chasing her into a neighbor's yard on Dec. 8, 2006.

The prosecutor's last witness, a doctor who treated Denise Gatewood, is scheduled to testify this morning. The defense has indicated it plans to call Gatewood's sister to testify about Gatewood being despondent and suicidal. It's not clear whether Gatewood will testify in his own defense. His attorney wants the jury to believe he didn't have the mental capacity to commit attempted murder. Closing arguments could follow this afternoon or tomorrow. Depending on scheduling, I'll cover the closings or just wait until there's a verdict.

Meanwhile, on my last post about this case, some people who know the former couple have been leaving some interesting comments.

Bill Sterling writes:

I read your story on Mr. Jackson with outrage towards his employer. Thank you for taking the time in writing this story. There are, I'm guessing, a lot of people that had employers like his. I had one. Back in September, I had a heart attack and the owner even came to visit me in the hospital. I was released by my doctor to return to work in the middle of October. After presenting the release to the owner of A&B Heating and Plumbing, I learned I didn't have a job to return to. So I can relate to Mr. Jackson's situation.

 
Lee Rosch of Torrance writes:

This guy had used up most of the sick leave before he got shot. He would be
a bad risk for any employer. A dying grandmother. Constant sick outs. No thought
of protecting his job. Getting shot is terrible, but it wasn't crippling. This young
man needs an attitude adjustment before he could ever be a fireman.
 
This was good reporting, but the editors doing the layout wrote a lousy
headline.

 
John Lange of Austin, Texas forwards this copy of an e-mail he sent to Pinnacle Travel Services:

I understand that you have laid off one of your employees (Devan Jackson) because he was shot by one of your local scum. Please tell me it's not true. I can't imagine anyone being that slimy.

 

Busy Saturday:

Torrance police fatally shot a gunman outside his apartment in the 2200 block of Torrance Boulevard about 1:20 a.m.

In Palos Verdes Estates, a man set a vehicle on fire and drove off a 90-foot cliff, killing himself.

That happened about 3 a.m. near Palos Verdes Drive West at Paseo del Mar. It touched off a 2-acre brush fire.

My busy colleague Josh Grossberg is working the stories today and will have all the info later on dailybreeze.com and Sunday morning's paper.

Unless they hold it again, I will have a story saying crime is going down. Hmmmm. Makes you wonder.

Los Angeles police officers will conduct a sobriety checkpoint beginning at 6 p.m. tonight on Pacific Coast Highway between Eubank and Broad avenues.

The checkpoint will run until 1 a.m. Sunday.

Here's what the LAPD said in it's release:

"Despite the tireless efforts of thousands of advocates and law enforcement officers alike, drunk driving continues to be one of America’s deadliest crimes. This operation will be conducted in an effort to reduce the incidents of injuries, death, and property damage associated with intoxicated drivers.

Harbor Division has experienced an increase in driving under the influence-related traffic collisions year-to-date compared to 2007.  The checkpoint will serve as a reminder to the Wilmington community to use designated drivers and not drink and drive. Our message is simple, if you drive drunk, you will be arrested.

Approximately 10 traffic enforcement officers (motorcycle officers), 10 collision investigation officers and one collision investigation sergeant will be involved in the checkpoint."

Here's one you will not believe.

Devan Jackson, the 20-year-old man shot when he went to the movies in El Segundo last week, was terminated from his job today.

Devan told me his employer, Pinnacle Travel Services in El Segundo, said he missed too many days of work in the last year. Devan's been off all week and will be off work for awhile.

He said he previously missed eight or nine days because his grandmother died and because of sickness.

I tried calling his employer, but they start work at 6 and are already gone for the day.

Devan answered phones for the company and made car rental, hotel and other reservations for American Express customers.


Devan was struck with a bullet when gunman
Jonathan Taylor began shooting in the crowded lobby at two El Segundo police officers. Taylor shot both officers before they killed him.

Devan, who was in line with his girlfriend for tickets, was struck in the leg. Police said the bullet was fired from Taylor's gun.

The bullet broke his leg and remains lodged in the bone. He told me that a doctor told me today that it will remain there. His leg appears to be healing and removing the bullet would damage a nerve.

Kelsey Fukuda, the 13-year-old Wilmington Middle School student who suffered severe head trauma when she was run down in a crosswalk April 9, is still listed in critical condition at County Harbor-UCLA Medical Center.

Her friend, Elizabeth Salas, 14, whose condition last week was upgraded to fair, is no longer at the hospital, spokeswoman Julie Rees said today.

Rodrigo Tomas Guevara, 19, the Wilmington man who allegedly drove away after hitting the students at Ronan Avenue and Pacific Coast Highway, was in court today in Long Beach. His case was put over to May 23.

He remains jailed.

If you haven’t seen this, it’s probably worth wasting six minutes of your day. And I do mean wasting.

It’s the latest rage of cable TV news channels, and a big ticket on YouTube. I saw it this morning on TV while eating breakfast and figured: “What the hell, blog it!”

Tricia Walsh-Smith, the 49-year-old wife of 74-year-old Philip J . Smith, president of the Shubert Organization, isn’t real happy she's about to be evicted from their apartment as their marriage breaks up.

Look for a huge divorce case. He’s a rich power on Broadway. She is an actress and playwright, whose show “Addictions” got canceled last year in Culver City when Walsh-Smith learned it was backed by Smirnoff vodka. (She's got a little problem with alcohol.)

Walsh-Smith filmed this rant for YouTube, and it's no Lullaby on Broadway. She goes off on him, including the revelation they never had sex and he uses Viagra.

It’s fairly amusing.

One thing that's been interesting since I posted the letter from El Segundo theater gunman Jonathan Taylor's cousin is the number of comments from police officers' wives. As they've showed up in my e-mail Inbox, I've recognized a few names. Here's one I received last night:

"Regarding the El Segundo Police Shooting:

I’d like to speak as a person whose husband and son are both in law enforcement. My husband has been a police officer for over 20 years and my son is in corrections and is currently awaiting an academy date to pursue a career in law enforcement. I also have other relatives in law enforcement.

Several years ago an uncle was wanted for a heinous crime and was contacted by the police. He too chose to violently confront the police and was killed by the officers.  Not to mention, he was killed by the neighboring police department that my relatives work for.

Even though some family members wished the outcome could have been different. Fingers weren’t pointed at the “bad policemen." He chose his fate, as we all do.  My husband doesn’t wake up, get ready for work and say “who am I going to kill today.” He prays everyday that the day never comes that he will be forced to take another person’s life.

People are never the same after taking a human life. Cops are no different. Police officers have the right and duty to protect themselves and others. When a person makes a decision to shoot the police and an innocent bystander and run away, it is not only cowardly, but he is still a danger to the community and must be stopped.

The shooting of these two public servants is a mother’s, father's or wife's worst nightmare. After this ordeal the officers may heal physically and possibly mentally. They will again put on their uniform and go back to work, to continue the job they swore to do.

To the young man’s mother. You have a right to grieve the loss of your son and as mother I am sorry for your loss. You are not to blame for the choices he made."

That’s Devan Jackson. He’s the other victim of the El Segundo theaters shooting.

He and his fiancee decided to see a movie last Friday night. Before they even bought their tickets, two cops were seriously wounded, a gunman was dead and Devan had a bullet lodged in his leg.

I was a bit surprised when I was invited into his apartment and found him wearing a dress shirt and tie over a cast that covered his entire left leg.

Devan, an El Camino College student, tells us the story of the night he and his girlfriend went to the movies. He ended up in a hospital bed and in handcuffs.

Read Devan's story here or pick up Friday's Daily Breeze.

Photo by Bruce Hazelton/Daily Breeze

Sheila Metzger Cunha was so angry when she called me today, she was nearly in tears.

Cunha attended the arraignment today of David Roberts, a 29-year-old man charged with vehicular manslaughter in the death of her 62-year-old brother, Bill Cunha, left, last year in Carson.

Why was Cunha so upset?

Roberts, who never has been arrested, was also charged with hit-and-run. He allegedly fled the Aug. 12 crash, but left his car and cellular telephone behind.

Traffic detectives built a case against him for months and prosecutors filed charges this week. Roberts was expected to surrender Thursday in court and go to jail.

But in an apparent deal between a prosecutor and Roberts’ attorney, Roberts was freed on his own recognizance.

He can surrender Monday for booking at the Carson station, but will be allowed to go home pending the outcome of his case.

Deputies expected his bail to be $200,000, but Compton Superior Court Judge Joel Wallenstein set it at zero after the DA did not ask for bail. That meant Roberts did not have to spend a moment behind bars.

“He kills somebody and he has no bail?” Cunha said. “We need to let people know that justice is not being served. It’s not right.”

Deputy District Attorney Everett Emerson did not respond to a phone message.

Bill Cunha performed odd jobs in the Gardena area and parked during the day at Alondra Park. The Army veteran was collecting cans when Roberts allegedly plowed into his car at 80 mph.

Readers sent these e-mails praising El Segundo police Officer Scott O'Connor and Lt. Raymond Garcia:

Gene Kusion writes:

“(Jonathan) Taylor got what he deserved. He was a convicted felon who brought a loaded weapon into a theater. That in itself is criminal. The police officers are heroes.”

Gary Hansen writes:

“Fifteen rounds in the suspect from a prone position with two rounds in each officer in a crowded lobby and only one bystander hit, DAMN.

These guys are real HEROES not to mention their marksmanship. How many lives did they save by their actions.

I want these guys in my city!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Kevin Hansen thought his steak was overcooked. He didn’t want to send it back, but the restaurant manager insisted he get a new one.

Wait until you see what happened and why Hansen probably won’t be eating steak for awhile.

“I started gagging when I seen it,” he said.

Here’s the story from West Bend, Wisc. (If you are planning to eat right now, don't watch this. And think about chicken for dinner.)

It was one of those mornings in court that leaves the heart heavy. Today, the woman who caused a crash in Carson that killed her four young passengers, was sentenced to four years in state prison for four counts of vehicular manslaughter. I often walk away from these cases thinking the same thing: There are no winners in court.

Five grieving family members, including three mothers, could barely speak through their tears as they described the indescribable hurt they feel. After listening to each one, Judge John Doyle told them he hears them, he feels for them and he will take into consideration their words in deciding Cristina Castaneda's sentence. "Nothing will change your pain and sorrow," he said.

The family lamented how neither Castaneda nor her family offered their condolences. After court, in the hallway, mothers from both sides embraced and cried together. There were no winners.

This is kind of old, but I learned about it this week.

Back on March 31, a couple was walking in the parking lot near Souplantation at Hawthorne and Torrance Boulevards in Torrance when three females in dark clothing approached them.

One asked the couple for directions. As they talked, the women splashed the victims with pepper spray and pushed them down. One grabbed the woman's purse and they took off in a car

Torrance police Officer Dave Crespin said officers quickly found the women at Crenshaw and Del Amo boulevards and pulled them over. Arrested were Rebecca Duncan, 19; Shaquita Newsom, 19; and a 16-year-old all of Compton; and Shoshaun Porter, 20, of Adelanto.

Sheriff's deputies in Carson are looking into whether a similar crime the same day outside a Target store at the  South Bay Pavilion was committed by the same group, sheriff's Sgt. Barry Shapiro said.

Earlier today, police in Westminster held a news conference to announce a $5,000 reward for information to help them find a female robber who pepper sprayed a victim in an attempted purse snatching in that Orange County city in February.

The victim, Kun Min Kim, 50, died four days later from a stroke believed related to the assault. That robbery case is now a homicide.

I asked police in both departments whether the Torrance suspects could be involved in the Westminster case. Detectives said the crimes were not related.

I received this email today from a family member of Jonathan Taylor, the gunman in the Pacific theaters shooting in El Segundo. I requested an interview with Taylor's family, but they are still considering.

I cannot vouch for all of the information contained in this letter, including the number of bullet strikes or where they were located on Taylor's body. That information has not been released from the coroner's office.

I also cannot confirm information that Taylor was lying face down when he was shot. I can only go by what I already have reported.

But this will give you an idea of the other side of the story. The letter was written by  Taylor's first cousin, who did not want her name published.

**Update: A police officer asked me why I would use this without her name. I thought it's interesting for everyone to see what his family members think.

So here it is:

"The family is in deep mourning at this time.  We are shocked, confused, hurt, angry, and deeply saddened.

The El Segundo Police Officers Association has established a trust fund for their two wounded officers and their families.

Donations may be made to the “El Segundo Police Heroes Fund” on behalf of Lt. Ray Garcia and Officer Scott O’Connor at the Washington Mutual Bank branch, 130 E. Grand Ave., El Segundo, California, 90245.

O’Connor and Garcia were wounded Friday night in a gunbattle with a parolee in the Pacific theaters lobby. The officers killed the gunman.

Just received this press release from the District Attorney's Office: (The victim was 19.)


LOS ANGELES -- A murder charge was filed today against an alleged female gang member in connection with the killing of a Los Angeles International Airport employee, shot to death at an intersection in South Los Angeles.

Authorities said the victim was on her way home from work and the shooting appeared to be unprovoked.

Assistant Head Deputy Peter Cagney of Hardcore Gang Division said Jessica Ortega, 30 (dob 09/28/77), is charged in case No. BA339084 with one count of murder. The count carries two special allegations that the principal intentionally discharged a firearm causing death and that the offense was committed for the benefit of, at the direction of, and in association with a criminal street gang.

Ortega is due to be arraigned this afternoon at Los Angeles Superior Court, Department 30. Prosecutors allege that Ortega, whose moniker is "Gorda," is a member of the Playboys Gang.

On April 10, just after midnight, victim Samantha Padilla, right, was on her way home from work when she exitedthe northbound 110 freeway at Slauson Avenue. While stopped at a traffic signal, Padilla was shot and killed in her car.

Bail for Ortega was recommended at $2 million. If convicted as charged, Ortega faces a maximum state prison sentence of 50 years to life.

(Photo from KTLA.com)

Unless something wacky happens tonight or Wednesday, it looks like the Lakers will get the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the NBA playoffs this weekend.

That’ll mean a face off with Carmelo Anthony, who had a run in with the law in Denver on Monday.

That's Melo’s booking mug.

A police officer pulled him over on the freeway for weaving and failing to dim his lights.

Then he failed a series of field sobriety tests and got arrested on suspicion of DUI.

Melo apologized today in a news conference.

Here's Denver's FOX TV coverage from yesterday.

Let's hope Melo has this same look on his face in two weeks after meeting up with Kobe and Pau.

After at two-year graffiti spree throughout Los Angeles, which caused $108,000 in property damage, a notorious tagger gets a slap on the wrist. Needles to say, the prosecutor and detective are ticked.

Denise Gatewood just seemed emotionally spent as she quietly testified for most of Monday afternoon in her former husband's attempted murder trial. The trial will continue today with police officers and paramedics taking the witness stand, and the prosecution will probably rest tomorrow. It looks likely that Lavell Gatewood, 42, will have to testify in his own defense because he wants the jury to believe he was despondent and lacked the mental capacity to form the intent needed to commit attempted murder.

My story for today's editions of the Daily Breeze is here.

This is Jonathan Belvin Taylor, the 24-year-old Los Angeles man killed in a gunbattle with El Segundo police. Look for an updated story on the shooting coming soon to dailybreeze.com and Tuesday's newspaper. Taylor was a parolee who had been arrested several times for gun possession.

Back in September, I wrote a story about a homeless man who was killed when a hit-and-run driver ran a red light and plowed into his truck in an intersection near Alondra Park.

Bill Cunha, 62, right, lived in his truck, but few people knew that.

He performed odd jobs at Faith Christian Center and enjoyed morning coffee every day with friends. The Army veteran was an avid Daily Breeze reader who enjoyed talking about the day’s events.

Sheriff’s deputies always knew the identity of the suspected hit-and-run driver. He ran from the scene, but left behind his car and cellular telephone.

Finally, after months of investigation, the suspect is due in court. Prosecutors have charged David Roberts, 29, of Compton with vehicular manslaughter.

Roberts is scheduled to appear Thursday at the Compton courthouse, where he must surrender before a judge.
A number of Cunha’s family and friends are expected to attend.

Denise will add Mr. Roberts to her Daily Breeze Court Tracker and begin following his case.
 




 

Here's an update on the conditions of the El Segundo officers shot Friday night at the Pacific theaters:

Officer Scott O'Connor, who was wounded in the shoulder, has been released from the hospital and is recuperating at home.

Lt. Ray Garcia, who was shot in the jaw, remains hospitalized at County Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. He is expected to recover.

"He is responsive and alert, still in ICU, being monitored," El Segundo police Lt. Bob Turnbull said.

This morning was opening statements and the first three witnesses in the Torrance Superior Court trial of People v. Lavell Gatewood. Gatewood is accused of shooting and injuring his wife, Denise Gatewood, during a dispute at their home in the 2700 block of West 147th Street in Gardena on Dec. 8, 2006.

Before the trial even began, though, one juror had to be dismissed. Juror #3 sent a note to Judge James Brandlin that said serving her civic duty on the one-week trial would be a hardship for her because of her work and because she needed to drive her 13-year-old daughter to extracurricular activities. Defense attorney Winston McKesson didn't want a disgruntled juror, and asked for her dismissal outright. Deputy District Attorney Jodi Link agreed with Brandlin that they should have a discussion with Juror #3. Link added that the juror's husband was employed as a geneticist and they live in Palos Verdes Estates - suggesting money was probably not much of an issue. The judge and both attorneys were miffed that the juror didn't disclose her hardship during the hardship part of jury questioning last week.

After a discussion at sidebar, the judge and attorneys agreed she could not be fair and was incapable of performing her duties. She was dismissed and replaced by an alternate.

While Mrs. Gatewood is expected to take the witness stand this afternoon, the panel of six men and six women heard from her neighbors this morning. Kennedy Blackwell, 12, told the jury she was asleep when she heard Mrs. Gatewood yelling: "Don't do it! I won't leave you! Think of the kids!" Kennedy, a very mature girl who was more composed on the witness stand than many adults who testify, also said she heard gunshots that she originally thought were firecrackers.

McKesson didn't deny during opening statements that his client, in a bad place emotionally, shot his wife. However, McKesson said the evidence will show Gatewood did not have the intent to kill Mrs. Gatewood and that the gun accidentally fired. The couple had been together for about 20 years and have three children.

Gatewood is charged with attempted murder causing great bodily injury under domestic violence circumstances. If convicted, he faces life in prison, according to Link. 

I had a good laugh when I read this user comment under the original article on the El Segundo shootings that was posted on dailybreeze.com Friday night:

“It's amazing how much more detail there is in the blog, than in Larry's article. What's up Larry, don't the cops tell you what happened? Or is the Breeze just not interested in printing facts?”

I laughed, you see, because I wrote the original article (or at least called it into the office on the telephone), along with all of the entries on the crime blog that appeared during the next 14 hours or so. So, I guess I was scooping myself.

It’s probably a good idea to explain why some of the information appeared on the home page of the Web site, and the rest of the information appeared on the Crime & Courts blog.

RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Work) announced today that victims of sexual assault and abuse can now access help through their private and secure online messaging system. Acknowledging that most sexual assault victims are young, the Washington D.C.-based nonprofit will offer support and information about recovery, medical issues, the criminal justice process and local resources for victims and their friends and family.

According to Scott Berkowitz, president and founder of RAINN, "The National Sexual Assault Online Hotline provides the services these young victims need, using the technology they embrace. The Online Hotline provides a safe way to begin recovery by using extensive security measures to guarantee that the visitor remains completely anonymous."

The hotline is available at www.rainn.org. Their telephonic hotline is (800) 656-HOPE.

The entire release is after the jump.

 

 

Witness Lindsey Jackson wrote in to tell us this:

"I was there when it happened last night, but I was outside the theater when the shots went off. I was on the phone with my friend who was in the theater and in line behind the gunman. The 'business dispute' was that the gunman lost his ticket stub and couldn't get a refund. He was upset when security was brought over to escort him out of the building and that's when the shooting started."


Staff Writer Josh Grossberg's story on new developments and an update on the officers' conditions is coming soon.

Here's what the Sheriff's Department put out in a press release. Not too many more details......

"Sheriff’s homicide detectives are continuing their investigation into the circumstances surrounding the officer-involved shooting which occurred in the 800 block of South Nash Steet in El Segundo.

Detectives have learned that the suspect was involved in a business dispute with theater employees. Another employee contacted two on-duty El Segundo police officers that were at the theater.

The officers made contact with the suspect and during a contact search he produced a handgun and began shooting. The officers were both struck by gunfire, but were able to return fire striking the suspect.

The suspect was pronounced dead at the scene. Both officers were transported to a local hospital. One officer was shot in the jaw and is listed in critical condition, but is expected to make a full recovery. The other officer was shot in the upper torso and his injury is non-life threatening.

The suspect’s identify will be determined by the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office. It was determined no other suspects were involved in this incident.”

The release had no information about a bystander being wounded, but we have that from fire officials talking about a third patient. We also don't know what the "business dispute" was.

My colleague Josh Grossberg is taking over. He was out at the theaters today and will have full coverage for tomorrow's Daily Breeze and dailybreeze.com.

Here's a little extra information I just received from Manhattan Beach fire Battalion Chief Ken Shuck:

"Manhattan Beach FD assisted last night at the shooting in El Segundo.  Our paramedics examined the DOA suspect and then treated and transported a bystander with a gun shot wound to the leg. 

 

The 2 officers were treated and transported by El Segundo's 2 paramedic units to HGH."

The bystander is a 20-year-old man.

This link to Channel 7's Friday night broadcast shows MB firefighters taking the bystander to an ambulance.

 

http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/

The comments on the shooting are rolling in:

Here's one I just received:

"Thanks for the updates, I'm retired from El Segundo 1970-87 and currently keeping in touch from Orange County...with the many progressive changes the city had made, it wasn't long before something like this occurred.  thanks for the reporting..."

Got some sleep and checked in at 8:30 with the Sheriff's Department's information bureau, which has taken over providing information to the media on what happened last night at the Pacific theaters.

This is an officer-involved shooting with a death, so the Sheriff's Department's homicide bureau is handling the investigation instead of El Segundo.

I was told the info bureau is working on putting together a statement with updated details, but its computer system went down and deputies cannot provide anything immediately.

As soon as we get some new info, such as the conditions of the officers, we'll put it here.

So far, law enforcement's ability to get real information out to the public about this event -- either at the scene or now -- has been poor at best.

Just got back from the chaotic scene at the Pacific theaters in El Segundo, where a gunbattle occurred between two police officers and at least one man. Both officers were wounded. The suspect is dead.

Another person, possibly a bystander, was wounded and taken to Little Company of Mary Hospital in Torrance.

Here’s what I can tell you at this point. Complete information wasn’t readily available, and much of what happened wasn’t clear.

According to police, two El Segundo officers were shot. One suffered a wound to his face and was in surgery Friday night into Saturday morning.

The other was wounded in the shoulder and was expected to be fine.

“The prognosis is good that he’s going to be OK,” El Segundo police Lt. Walt Krumbach said.

We have the officers' names unofficially but will hold onto them for now.

One suspect lay dead, covered with a white sheet, outside the theater doors on Nash Street.

Police were searching for as many as three other suspects. Several police SWAT teams were called in to systematically go through each theater to try to find them. Officers from throughout the South Bay were joined by Sheriff’s Department deputies.

They also were searching the parking structure to the east of the theaters. A source told us that officers detained a "person of interest" in the parking structure. Officers found a weapon he allegedly had tossed.

It wasn’t clear how the initial confrontation began. One officer told me that theater employees called for police because they were concerned about a suspicious man in the lobby. Another source said the man was sweating profusely and acting weird.

El Segundo officers routinely work the theaters, which pay for their services.

Krumbach said officers reported over the radio that they were contacting a man in the lobby at 10:17 p.m. Moments later, they reported a shooting and said “officer down.”

Ed Brooks, a Compton resident who was in line buying tickets for “Street Kings,” said shots rang out from inside the lobby. He and a female companion ran.

Witnesses said they heard five or six shots, then another six shots. People in the lobby fled for the exits.

One witness said, "Nobody knew who was shooting.”

Brooks described it as “very scary.”

The shooting spilled from the lobby out the doors.

Across the way, patrons at P.F. Chang's heard the shots.

“We were eating and all of a sudden everyone ducked,”  witness Jackie Diaz said.

People in the restaurant dove for safety under their tables.

Officers from all over the South Bay swarmed in. Rosecrans Avenue was shut down. Helicopters searched from above, and police dogs were brought in.

People inside the movie theaters were not allowed to leave. One couple watching “21” slipped out an exit. They told me that the movie stopped and the lights suddenly came on. No one came in to tell them what happened, but word leaked inside that a shooting had occurred.

The search was expected to take all night.

A peace vigil is being planned for May 15 in San Pedro to honor and remember the 189 residents, including 24 children, who were murdered in the harbor town in the last 20 years or so. The organizers are looking for people to share stories about their fallen loved ones that can be read at the event. They're also looking for volunteers. The entire release, including who to contact if you want to participate, is after the jump.

Peace out.

It's never really been clear what happened inside a Gardena home June 22. All we know was three Gardena police officers found the house on fire and had a really difficult time getting to the family inside because of a bunch of junk in their way and the mom and dad - Nicole and William Spitzer - running around acting incoherent. They were able to get little Billy out after finding the pajama-clad 4-year-old screaming and rooted in fear in the burning kitchen.

Police and prosecutors always suspected Nicole, 34, and William, 55, were on drugs at the time. Nicole told police the fire broke out while she was cooking her son a hot dog ... at 1 a.m. In the end, they each received probation for child abuse and drug charges against them were dropped.

Billy was placed in the care of his aunt and uncle. They figured out pretty quick he needed some extra-special care. He was diagnosed with autism and began participating in various programs. His aunt, Casey Preston, sent this in an e-mail today:

Hello,

Just wanted to let everyone know, that family court (Department of Children and Family Services) has decided to send Billy home to his parents. He was returned to them on this past Tuesday, April 8th.

Hopefully, his parents will comply with court orders and continue getting him all the services he needs.

Keep praying for Billy!!! He is going to need all the help he can get.

Thanks,

Casey and Matt

 My last article on the case is after the jump.

 

 

An unnamed Hermosa Beach man is one of five people who have filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against various law enforcement agencies, claiming guns were pointed at them and they were disparaged in front of their families during a round-up of a motorcycle club. The Riverside Press-Enterprise reports that the lawsuit claim law enforcement's behavior during the March 2006 raids were "domestic torture akin to waterboarding."

A New York man was, not surprisingly, arrested after trying to use a fake $50 bill to pay his traffic bail charge.

C'mon, really?

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's request to Immigration and Customs Enforcement to tread carefully while doing immigration raids on well-established employers has really raised the ire of many readers. More than 1,300 people have commented so far on the L.A. Daily News story we have on www.dailybreeze.com - and it seems most disagree with Villaraigosa and some believe he should be deported. 

Their names were Brian Harris and Adam Korach.

It was 1985 and I was the managing editor of the Daily Sundial at Cal State Northridge.

One night late in the fall semester, Korach, 22, jumped to his death from the eighth floor of Sierra Tower. He was a troubled former student.

We tore up the front page and hurried downstairs to the scene with just a few hours to go before deadline. I found myself standing within feet of the body. It was a bloody sight I’d never seen before.

In the days before cell phones, I stayed downstairs, gathered some info and passed it to fellow students who ran upstairs to the computers in the Sundial office.

I went home that night, got into bed and felt the chill go through me: “My God. What did I see tonight?”

Korach wasn’t the first death that semester. A couple months earlier, CSUN student Brian Harris, 21, and his UCLA girlfriend were found murdered on Mulholland Drive. We had reporters cover some of the story, including the arrests of four carjackers and their court hearings.

Part of my job was making assignments, but I couldn’t find a reporter willing to cover Harris’ funeral. So I sent myself.

I finally made head-way reporting on yesterday's hit-and-run in Wilmington that injured two Wilmington Middle School 8th Graders. The first hurdle was overcome when I figured out that the LAPD Media Relations office gave out the wrong name for the suspect. Rodrigo Tomas Guevara, 19, is being held on $500,000 bail and will likely be charged tomorrow with felony hit-and-run. He had a suspended driver's license, which I learned from a South Traffic Bureau detective after finally getting through to the Harbor Division's watch commander and being pointed in the right direction.

While I was rebuffed at the school, LAUSD Board Member Richard Vladovic was helpful and responsive. He and Earl Perkins, the assistant superintendent of school operations, let us know that the school and the girls' families are getting plenty of support and counseling from District crisis teams, as well as those sent by the City of Los Angeles. 

One of the girls, Kelsey Fukuda, is fighting hard. The 13-year-old suffered head trauma and is on breathing machines. Her friend, Elizabeth Salas, 14, is in serious condition.

Look for the full story in tomorrow's Daily Breeze and on www.dailybreeze.com.

And, of course, everyone here is wishing the girls and their families all the best.

I'm trying hard to update the story on the two 13-year-old girls who were injured yesterday in Wilmington by an alleged hit-and-run driver. What I'm up against in this endeavor are some pretty classic reporting hurdles exacerbated by two of the area's largest bureacracies: LAPD and LAUSD.

While trying to see how Wilmington Middle School administrators and students are dealing with this traumatic event, I stopped by to speak with a principal, assistant principal ... whoever would help. After checking in with security, showing my press credentials and receiving a visitor's badge, I waited at the main office for someone to see me. And waited. And waited.

After about 20 minutes I was told that no one would see me and, as I was digging out a business card, a woman strode by telling me she was an assistant principal. Guessing that I was to go with her on the premise that she would talk to me about such things as grief counselors and such, I stood up and walked beside her ... as she led me swiftly out the school's gates. She explained that I was not "invited" and the school was in "crisis mode," so no one could speak with me. I explained that I had a visitor's badge, so was thus "invited" on to the public campus and, yes, the crisis is why I was there. The community wants to know how the students and the classmates are feeling, and how the school is helping. No dice.

On the other end, I'm doing the usual reporter type things by trying to get information about the suspect, Rigaldo Guevas. However, it appears he hasn't been booked in the county jail - despite LAPD's media relations officers insisting he has. It's from a suspect's booking sheet that we get a birthday, which, in the reporting world, is the key to such things as driving and criminal records. Media relations won't release his birthdate, either. Attempts to reach someone at the Harbor Division so far have only been met with busy signals and waits on hold so long I've been forced to hang up.

So there you have it, a behind-the-scenes look at the hurdles we routinely face in our attempt to bring information to our community. Unfortunate, isn't it?

Catherine Lyons, who covered the funeral for firefighter Brent Lovrien last week, and I received a day-brightening e-mail from Redondo Beach resident George Negrete, a retired firefighter who still serves as a chaplain to the department. He oficiated Lovrien's funeral last week after Lovrien was killed in a Westchester explosion.

He wrote:

Greetings all,

 

Just had to send you all a word of thanks for your recent articles surrounding the tragic events of March 26th including your coverage of Brent's memorial services on April 4th.

 

My name is George Negrete, I am currently a resident of Redondo Beach and have been living in the South Bay Beach communities for nearly 30years. I served as a firefighter with the Los Angeles City Fire Department for nearly 28 years, retired in 2005 and have been a serving as one of the Department chaplains for nearly 11 years.

 

I officiated Brent's services at the Cathedral downtown last Friday and while it has taken a few days for things to slow down enough to contact you, I did not want to forget to thank all of you for your coverage of events surrounding our recent loss. I know all too well that there are many events every 24 hours calling out for attention, so I appreciate the Breeze's willingness to dedicate so much space and attention to our very personal loss.

 

By doing so, by serving the fire family in this way, you have blessed Brent's family, his grieving co-workers, the department as a whole and the enitre profession. To us your journalism was more than just a simple human interest news item, it was actually received as a value statement about the women and men who wear the badge and report to work every day knowing that in the carrying out their duties it just might require them to give their life for the safety another.

 

Honoring first responders in this fashion not only brings comfort to us, but also to our families who stand with us as we serve.

 

God bless you and many thanks,

george negrete chaplain

Los Angeles City Fire Department

Dawn Miley, accused of causing a crash near Lake Tahoe that killed four members of a Torrance family, was in court this week facing reckless endangerment and other charges. The Record-Courier is keeping good tabs on this case, and have a story and photographs today.

The Los Angeles City Attorney's Office announced today it will train prosecutors to deal with issues related to domestic violence in the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. The training is part of a partnership with the Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian Center, and will focus on "the legal issues and support aspects associated with properly identifying and prosecuting incidents of same-sex domestic violence in the LGBT community," according to a news release.

A report in 2006 by the National Coalition of Anti Violence Programs found more than 3,500 incidents of same-sex partner abuse in 12 cities, including Los Angeles - which reported 2,243 such cases. Many of those cases were handled by the Center's STOP Partner Abuse Program and Domestic Violence Legal Advocacy Project.

Erwin Faralan, a former Narbonne High School teacher, was sentenced this week in New York to six months in prison for sex acts with a girl. The math teacher worked at Longwood High School on Long Island before transferring to the Harbor City school. We'll have the full story in tomorrow's Daily Breeze and on www.dailybreeze.com.

We've all probably rolled our eyes at the loud-mouthed cell phone user in the next restaurant booth or across the bus or train aisle. While sometimes, it can be kind of amusing trying to guess which disease the cute young guy is complaining about to the person on the other line or what she said next after he was all, like, you know. But usually, the private conversation gone public is nothing more than an annoying distraction and interruption from our own thoughts, discourse and concentration.

A gruff-talking retired police officer and lawyer on a New York commuter train isn't taking it anymore. And several arrests for yelling at and even hitting or pouring coffee on passengers who are too loud and chatty isn't stopping him. This week, he was acquitted by a judge of misdemeanor charges for screaming obscenities at one such fellow passenger and hitting the hand of another woman who tried to intervene.

While we don't condone violence, you've got to admire this guy's cojones.

OK, so, sorry.... this has nothing to with crime or courts. But over on our Daily Link blog, we're featuring a South Bay blogger, Denis Faye, whose writing is irreverent, clever, witty and funny and I just wanted to share. Disclaimer: Denis is a friend of mine, but don't let that stop you. Check out our Q&A with him and be sure to drop by his blog!

We have an L.A. Daily News story today explaining that LAPD officers have actually fired their guns less in the first quarter of the year than compared to the same time period last year. However, there've been more deaths from these office-involved shootings. A police official says the department is still trying to put this into perspective.

*Update: Patrick Auther, 23, of Mission Viejo surrendered Wednesday afternoon at OC Sheriff's Department headquarters in Santa Ana.


Do you know this guy?

He's been given the name "Boomerang Bandit" -- for obvious reasons.

He robbed the same Bank of America branch in Mission Viejo within 17 hours on Monday and Tuesday.

He's white, in his early 20s, with brown hair and a goatee. He wore sunglasses in Tuesday's crime. He also wears quilted sweat shirts with a hood over his head.

How's he do it? He passes a note to the teller that says "This is a holdup." Unlike the South Bay's Weathergirl Bandit, who liked to talk about the weather, Boomer says nothing.

Anyone with information about him should contact the FBI at 310-477-6565, 24/7.

Long before we ever knew about the real police chases they show on TV these days, the greatest pursuit to make its way through the South Bay is in the original 1974 version of "Gone in 60 Seconds."

More than 90 cars are wrecked in the 40-minute movie chase that begins in Long Beach, heads over the Vincent Thomas Bridge, rides through Carson and into Torrance and Redondo Beach.

The acting is horrific, but most of the people in the low-budget flick are the producer's friends and family. Real cops and firefighters participated, along with Carson's mayor at the groundbreaking of the city's sheriff's station.

I remembering seeing this with my brother at the Americana 5 in Panorama City. I was 11 and it was awesome.

So here's a good portion of it in three parts. You'll see the bridge, the Harbor Freeway, the Goodyear Blimp and a couple of Torrance car dealerships:

Google's super cool "Street View" application is the subject of a lawsuit filed by a Pennsylvania couple who claim their privacy was invaded by an online photo of their home. If you haven't checked out this feature, it's done by a car with a camera mounted to it driving all over the place capturing what the streets really look like. It's got a 360-degree view and you can zoom in and out. The Borings (that's really their name) claim invasion into their seclusion and privacy because they live on a street marked "private."

The best part is, they included their address in the filing, and now anyone can access photographs of the Boring's very boring property. The Smoking Gun makes it even easier.

The alleged gang member and his associate who are charged with shooting 6-year-old Lavareya Elzy in the Harbor Gateway last month were in court for arraignment today. Ernesto Murillo, 25, and Ismael Torres, 26, pleaded not guilty to nine felony counts each, including attempted murder. They will return to court April 28 to have a preliminary hearing scheduled. Lavareya, who has a bullet in his head, is reportedly doing better ... although it's still not clear what kind of damage the bullet caused.

Check out tomorrow's Daily Breeze or dailybreeze.com for the full story.

Anticipating both a lot of irate motorists and a likely windfall for the state when a new wireless telephone law takes effect July 1, the California Highway Patrol recently issued a three-page FAQ on the measure. I couldn't find the link to the document, so I put the whole thing after the jump. Here are some highlights, though:

• Q: What are the fines if I’m convicted? A: The base fine for the FIRST offense is $20 and $50 for subsequent convictions. According to the Uniform Bail and Penalty Schedule, with the addition of penalty assessments, a first offense is $76 and a second offense is $190.

• Q: Will I receive a point on my drivers license if I’m convicted for a violation of the wireless telephone law? A: NO. The violation is a reportable offense: however, DMV will not assign a violation point. 

• Q: Will the conviction appear on my driving record? A: Yes, but the violation point will not be added.

The FAQ also delves into the differences between motorists who are under 18 years of age and older. 

 

Our L.A. Daily News colleague Troy Anderson wrote about security problems at Los Angeles courthouses, and the never-ending derth of resources to adequately protect courthouse users, lawyers and judges from danger. There's the usual "who cares, they're lawyers" type of comments following the story on dailybreeze.com, but people have really been hurt by some of the attacks - including some locally at the Torrance Courthouse.

In 2002, veteran criminal defense attorney Robert Welbourn was slashed on the cheek by a client who had secreted a razor blade into court. In 1987, attorney Kenneth Kahn was stabbed by his client with an ice pick in a courtroom. A bailiff shot and wounded the defendant, who was being sentenced for assaulting a police officer. In 1980, a distraught mother opened-fire on the man she thought killed her son as the intended victim was awaiting sentencing on a drug charge.

The latter two were during a rash of several violent courthouse incidents at the time that prompted the installation of metal detectors at all county courthouses.

Two alleged gang members charged with shooting and critically wounding a 6-year-old boy and shooting at his family while they drove through the Harbor Gateway last month are scheduled to be arraigned later today at the Long Beach Courthouse. We'll tell you what happens, and try to get an update on Lavareya Elzy's condition. 

 

The user comments section on my story "Police: Gunman sought revenge" and its two sister articles on the subject sizzled Friday and over the weekend. Together, the three received hundreds of comments.

Some believe David Sedillo got what he deserved. Others blamed the police. There was the usual racism and "send all the Mexicans home" stuff. Some gang members even chimed in, creating a strange 21st Century online gang war.

But as the comments wound down Sunday, someone identifying himself as "Latino Marine" had a poignant reaction to everything said before him. (I do believe the writer is in the military based on his IP address.)

Here it is if you missed it. It has a few problems grammatically, but I didn't change anything. You'll get his point. I'm glad he commented and I hope he can send me an email to let me know who he is.

"As I sit in my room in japan, I like keeping in touch with my HOME!.. I took the time and read the article.

Well it seem's everyone has different point of view's! maybe it's based on how you lived your youth, or the struggles you have come across. Well Im 22 years of age mexican, both of my parents where illegal at one point. I was raised in Gardena my whole life!

The Coroner's Office tells us that an autopsy today found that an elderly woman discovered dead in her home near Carson died from asphyxia due to suffocation.

Her death was ruled a homicide.

Amada Simbala, 73, was found Wednesday in her home in the 24300 block of Doble Avenue in the unincorporated area between Carson and Harbor Gateway.

The U.S. Forest Service just announced they are buying two pilotless drones to track down marijuana growers operating in California's remote wilderness. The two SkySeer aircrafts will operate by remote and carry camera equipment to help law enforcement locate marijuana fields. The Associated Press reports that officials believe more and more growers are being financed by Mexican drug cartels, leading to more pot crops in our forests.

 

 

Most statistics these days show crime is down. We'll have our own report on the South Bay in about a week or so. It shows the same trend.

I guess statistics don’t lie, but it sure seems like crime is increasing.

I’m heading out for a week off. It’s a much needed break. (I might blog something here and there from my recliner.)

Here’s some of what’s happened crime-wise in the 10 weeks since my last vacation. (You might want to get something to drink):

• Rancho Palos Verdes resident Randal Simmons became the first Los Angeles police SWAT officer killed in the line of duty.
• A Gardena man allegedly stabbed his girlfriend to death in his apartment.
• Torrance police shot one of four robbery suspects at the end of a chase. The robbers had just held up a 99 Cents store.
• California State University, Dominguez Hills locked down while looking for a man walking on campus with a rifle. It turned out he was an ROTC student and there was no danger.

More after the jump:

There are two great things in the Daily News' story today about the arrest yesterday of an alleged cockfighting organizer in Chatsworth. First, it says that "cockfighting paraphernalia" was found at the residence by investigators with the Los Angeles Animal Cruelty Task Force. I have to wonder, what is cockfighting paraphernelia? Little padded gloves and gawdy gold championship belts?

Second, the last quote of the story from the neighbor who was just thankful to finally get a good night's rest. Did the resident not think that crowing roosters were a bit out of the ordinary in the city? Maybe that's the person who will collect big for tipping the authorities.

It's 6 a.m. and I'm about to head to the gym. I just saw this one in that other big paper in town and had to say something.

Yesterday morning, firefighters were called to Canoga Park High in the Valley when a strong odor made two people sick.

Hazardous materials crews arrived. Students were evacuated from a classroom. Two people went to the hospital. Television news helicopters hovered overhead.

Paramedics checked everybody and figured out the culprit: BEN GAY.

Firefighters said the victims suffered an allergic reaction to the heat rub's odor.

Now, there are laws in the world and rules at the workplace about wearing perfume and cologne. Why not topical analgesics?

I mean, you are working out with your headphones on, minding your own business, and someone wearing that stuff steps onto the treadmill next to you. Ugh.

Nothing against a fine product -- and if Ben Gay wishes to advertise on this site, we welcome your business -- but do they have an odorless version?

Something should be done.

Los Angeles City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo attempted to continue his attack on unfair and unlawful insurance industry practices today by demanding that the state's top insurance and managed health care officials include him in any discussion about new laws addressing illegal policy cancellations. He's afraid lawmakers are being unduly influenced by insurance industry lobbyists at the expense of consumers.

Delgadillo's letter follows a lawsuit his office filed in February against Health Net, alleging it engaged in a scheme to cancel patients' policies just as they are about to undergo expensive treatments. His office also launched a Web site, www.ProtectingTheInsured.org, several months ago for people and health care professionals to report purported misconduct by health insurers.

The press release follows on the jump.

Family members of a 73-year-old woman found dead in her home, possibly from a beating, said they have no idea why anyone kill her.

Amada Simbala was found Wednesday afternoon in her house in the 24300 block of Doble Avenue. She had lived in her house for 40 years. The street is located in an unincorporated neighborhood between Carson and Harbor Gateway.

Her son-in-law, Damion Garcia, said she had no enemies. Simbala lived with two male boarders who had resided there for 20 years.

"It’s shocking what happened,” Garcia said. “It was a very dear lady.”

We're waiting for an update from the Sheriff's Department.

One of the hardest parts of this job is hearing, daily, about the incredibly violent, horrible and disgustingly mean things people do to each other. It only gets worse when the victim is a child or a baby. Anyone who has ever loved a kid would have a hard time sitting through such testimony. During these trials, while trying to write accurate and coherent notes, I sometimes can't see past the tears rimming my eyes or concentrate because of the heaviness in my chest. You just can't imagine.

This week, the ominously-named Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, a division of the Center for Disease Control, released a report that found that one in 50 U.S. infants are victims of nonfatal abuse or neglect during a year period. The study focused on babies younger than 1 year, and also found that a third of the 91,000 infant victims were one week old or younger.

The authors defined abuse or neglect as everything from failing to provide basic care to physical, sexual and psychological maltreatment.

I'd rather be unemployed than write another story about a defenseless baby being hurt or killed.

No reporter likes being sent to dangerous crime scenes... at the end of their shift... in the rain. Our colleague, Sandy Mazza, took on such a task yesterday when word broke late in the day of the officer-involved shooting in Wilmington. While waiting for the officials to officially say what officially happened, Sandy did what any reporter on such an assignment should do: tried to get some comments from witnesses or family members to add to her story.

While we're all used to negative responses from the members of the public, she got a bit more than she bargained for when one man she approached dropped the F-bomb on her, called her and all the news media "punk-ass bitches," then briefly lifted his shirt to flash the gun snuggled securely in his waistband. Another guy made a slashing motion on his throat to her and the other reporters.

Despite being pretty shaken up, Sandy hung in there to get the official word from the officials.

Here's one more for the Stupid Criminal File: A man who broke into a funeral home in Spain tried to "play dead" when the police arrived. Two things gave him away: breathing and his failure to dress in appropriate burial attire.

I want to know what he was planning to steal or, worse yet, do? Ick.

The Associated Press reports the story here.

The suspect shot by police at Pacific Coast Highway and Eubank Avenue is dead. A police spokesman said he jumped out of a car at the end of a chase and shot at the pursuing officers.

They fired back.

An officer was wounded with a ricocheting bullet, but is expected to be OK, the spokesman said.

KTLA video (Click on police pursuit video)

KCAL/KCBS video

Los Angeles police officers have reportedly shot someone at the end of a chase in Wilmington.

The shooting occurred about 3:40 p.m. on Pacific Coast Highway at Eubank Avenue. No details were immediately available.

Fire Department spokesman Brian Humphrey said police officers requested firefighters respond to a reported shooting. An ambulance took one person to an area hospital.

The State Supreme Court is hearing oral arguments today in a rare Los Angeles session. Among the cases on calendar is Rodney Alcala v. Orange County Superior Court. Alcala was a death row inmate who is now facing his third trial for the murder of a Huntington Beach girl in 1979. In 2005, he was indicted for four more murders - including one in El Segundo and one in Santa Monica, where a Centinela Hospital nurse was the victim.

His attorneys are arguing against lower court decisions that allow prosecutors from Orange and Los Angeles counties to try Alcala for all the crimes together. An opinion will be issued within 90 days.

The Orange County Register has followed the case for decades, and has a story today about the arguments.

Deputies are still trying to find the man wanted in the hit-and-run deaths of a Carson mother and son three months ago.
 
Roberto Carlos Paz, 43,  left, has been sought since he allegedly ran a red light and crashed into a minivan carrying the Mikasa family on New Year's Day.

The crash occurred about 9 p.m. at Albertoni and Main streets as the family returned home from spending the day with relatives.

Midi Mikasa, 34, and her 4-year-old son, Nathan, died.

The crash injured her husband Mark and Nathan’s twin brother, Lucas.

All efforts so far have failed to find Paz.

“We are just in standby mode waiting to see if he gets picked up on something,” Carson sheriff’s Sgt. Russell Shapley said. “We’ve pretty much done what we can. We are waiting for something to turn up."

Paz is wanted on a $190,000 warrant that charges him with two counts of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence, hit-and-run causing death, and reckless driving.

The Carson City Council is offering a $10,000 reward for information that leads to his conviction.

Anyone who knows where he is should contact deputies at 310-830-1123.
 

The Los Angeles District Attorney's Hardcore Gang Division released a 50-page report this week on the prevention and prosecution of gang-related crimes. The report was meant as a follow-up to a similar endeavor the office took on in 1992 that painted a portrait of gang members, including sociological and psychological factors that contribute to gang culture and behavior. It detailed the "intimate connections between drugs, guns and gangs" and proposed several ways to combat gang violence.

Noting how gangs and their crimes continue to "plague or communities," District Attorney Steve Cooley asked his staff to review the 15-year-old report to see if the findings still apply. They do. What stands out, of course, is the need for more money to fund anti-gang programs for children and teens, as well as tough-on-crime legislation. The one thing that did change is the use of collaborative efforts between different law enforcement agencies, which the report deemed successful.

Included in the report were some interesting statistics, including a Los Angeles map detailing gang crimes in different areas (no surprise that Lawndale and Hawthorne fared worst in the South Bay with 1,001-1,500 gang crimes between 2003 and 2006 and Carson and the Harbor Gateway experienced moderate gang activity with 601-1,000 gang crimes in that same period). 

The entire report can be found here on the District Attorney's Web site.

 

 

It remained a mystery today why a 19-year-old Inglewood man allegedly tried to crash into an off-duty sheriff's deputy Tuesday on the Century Freeway in Hawthorne and then attacked him with a knife on the shoulder.

The deputy, who was on his way home from the Lennox sheriff's station — shot Jose Antonio Ruiz, 19, because he feared for his life.

Ruiz, who was wounded in the upper body, survived and remains hospitalized. He’s been arrested on suspicion of attempting to kill a cop.

Sheriff’s Sgt. Gene Okada said today that investigators tried talking to Ruiz, but he was so heavily sedated they were unable to glean anything from him.

“We have no idea what prompted this incident and why this went on,” Okada said. “We just know the outcome of it."

Until Ruiz can answer some questions, no one will know what was on his mind.

“There’s nothing to indicate that he knew that he was a cop or anything like that,” Okada said. “There’s no rhyme or reason on this one.”

The Sheriff's Department just identified the man who allegedly attacked an off-duty Lennox sheriff's deputy on the Century Freeway in Hawthorne this morning.

His name is Jose Antonio Ruiz, 19, of Inglewood. Ruiz, who was shot at least once when he allegedly confronted the deputy with a knife, remains hospitalized following surgery. He has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder of a police officer.

The freeway, by the way, is wide open.

Redondo Beach got pretty busy last week. Here's a few items from the blotter:

March 24

• A man introduced himself to a woman at the Redondo Beach pier. They enjoyed drinks and went for a walk until he tried to rape her about 12:15 a.m. She fought and escaped. Officers arrested the man trying to leave in a taxi.
• A gunman robbed the Yoshinoya Restaurant at 4051 Inglewood Ave. shortly before 10 p.m. He fled with cash from the register and safe.
• Someone fired shots during two fights at a house in the 1700 block of Grant Avenue about 10:20 p.m. During the second fight, two of the participants beat several victims with their fists and the butt of a gun. As they fled, the victims chased them. The suspects shot at them. No one was hit.

We here at the Crime & Courts Blog - and at the Daily Breeze in general - are all for an end to the senseless killing that's plagued our streets, especially in recent weeks. Every murder is a tragedy, and its painful to watch the homicide rate tick, tick, tick its way up to frightening levels.

But, we can't help but wonder if the Los Angeles City Council's plea to residents to stop killing during a 40-hour period beginning Friday at 6:01 p.m. will be effective. Will gang members pace around Saturday, wringing their hands as they quash their thirst for blood until Sunday? Will the armed drug addict wait one day before hitting the 7-Eleven for cash to fuel his habit? Will the abusive spouse put off until Sunday what could just as easily be done Saturday night during the climax of a 12-pack fueled fight?

It would be a nice tribute to Martin Luther King Jr. on the 40th anniversary of his assasination if everyone put down their guns, linked arms and sang Kum Ba Yah. But we're pretty sure the hoodlums and thugs are too busy being hoodlums and thugs to keep themselves up-to-date on the doings of local leaders. However, if they do adhere to the murder moratorium and take the message literally, Sunday's gonna be a bloodbath.  

 

Photo by Daily Breeze photographer Sean Hiller

Detectives are still investigating the shooting scene on the Century Freeway in Hawthorne.

Here's what sheriff's Sgt. John Hocking told the crowd of reporters -- me among them -- out there:

Deputies said that for some reason, a 19-year-old Inglewood man drove erratically, trying to collide with another car driven by an off-duty sheriff's deputy. The deputy was off-duty and heading home east on the freeway.

When the deputy believed he had hit the other car, he pulled away from it and stopped on the shoulder. The Inglewood man then drove up, parked in front of him, and attacked the deputy with the knife, Hocking said.

The deputy announced he was a cop, and ordered the man to drop the knife, but the Inglewood man didn't.
The deputy then shot him.

The deputy was unhurt. The suspect underwent surgery and is expected to survive.

Here's my first story on dailybreeze.com. Hopefully sheriff's deputies will provide an update later.

(Photo by Sean Hiller)

Larry got more details about the shooting on the Century(105) Freeway. Basically, the deputy assigned to the Lennox Sheriff's Station had just left work about 8 a.m. He was on the freeway headed east from Hawthorne Boulevard when another motorist began driving erratically - moving in and out of lanes, slowing down. The unidentified deputy, in a private car, thought he hit the other vehicle, and pulled over to the side to check out his car. The other motorist also pulled over and allegedly came at the deputy with a knife. The deputy identified himself and ordered him to put down the knife. When he didn't comply, the deputy fired,hitting him in the upper torso.

The wounded man is 19 years old from Inglewood. He was taken to a hospital and expected to survive.

No one would confirm whether this was a road rage incident, or something else - like intoxication or if the other driver was possibly following the deputy. Larry is returning to the newsroom and should have a more complete story up on www.dailybreeze.com soon.

Larry's out at the scene of a shooting that appraently involved an off-duty sheriff's deputy on the Glenn Anderson (105) Freeway. He reports from the Metro Station in the middle of lanes that the eastbound freeway is closed at Crenshaw Boulevard as police continue to investigate the shooting that occurred just before 8 a.m.

A press conference is scheduled soon, but he's hearing that this may have been a road rage incident that moved to the side. The second person apparently produced a knife and the deputy allegedly shot him. We're checking on this and will have confirmation shortly.

To get a live traffic update, check out the Daily Breeze traffic page.

City News has reported this so far:

A preliminary hearing is scheduled today for former Gardena City Councilman Oscar Medrano, who is charged with lewd and lascivious acts on a minor. However, sources say that the hearing will likely be postponed. We'll have the details later.

**UPDATE: Medrano was ordered to return to court May 8 for a preliminary hearing setting.