Apparently the Hermosa Beach Police Department took criticism for releasing information on a suicide on Friday and the arrest of the ex-wife of actor Jon Cryer.The chief of police put this out to the Neighborhood Watch:

"We at the police department are aware of the criticism over the past two press releases.

Unfortunately police must respond and deal with these family tragedies like this all too often.

We only put out press releases when we believe it will assist an investigation; serve as a public service message and when the media and/or the community demands the information. We must comply with a "public records act request". Police work is not secret and we must be transparent.

In these instances, we responded to the community demand for information on the suicide. It was very visible to those walking the Strand and the media also inquired.

The Media outlets demanded the information on the child abuse due to the celebrity connection.

Each release is crafted to comply with the law and to protect the privacy of those involved."

Hermosa Beach Chief of Police, Greg Savelli

Here's the gist of what happened last night in Redondo Beach. The full story will come later on dailybreeze.com and the Saturday print edition.

In the last week, three men have robbed three women of their purses in Manhattan Beach and Redondo Beach.

Last night, they robbed a woman near Aviation Boulevard and Dufour Avenue. Police quickly pulled over a fleeing car and arrested one of them, identified as Kenneth Ricardo Moscotte, 19, of Hawthorne.

The other two were arrested Friday morning in their beds. They were identified as Emerson Lopez, 18, of Hawthorne; and Rupert "R.J." Lopez, 18, of Carson. The Lopezes are not related.

"None of these guys had a criminal history," Redondo Beach police Lt. Paul Wrightsman said. "We believe they were a startup group."

Detectives are looking for more victims and have checked with other police agencies to see if they have had similar crimes, Wrightsman said.

I've gotten about 10 emails about the deal in Redondo last night. It involves some street robberies and the search for the bad guys.

I'm waiting for police to give me the report. As soon as I get it, I'll post it.

Q. I am just wondering what happened on 2nd Street in San Pedro on (Wednesday) night around 8:30 p.m. The police helicopter was up for a very long time, and there were a lot of police. The yellow ribbon was up until 7 a.m. the next morning.

Thank you.

A. That neighborhood is handled by the Sheriff's Department because it's unincorporated.
Here's what Lt. Doreen Alcaraz at the Lomita sheriff's station told me:

Deputies received a domestic violence call about 8:30 p.m. at a home near 1st and Bandini. The residents of the home escaped. They told deputies the father in the house fired a shot at his son, but missed, during a dispute.
.
Deputies attempted to get him to surrender, but he refused. They called out the special enforcement team and surrounded the house. Negotiators talked to the man and got him to give up about 12:30 a.m. Thursday.

He was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon.

Police believe the man in his 90s who was struck and killed by a car today in Hawthorne did not make it across before the light changed.

The elderly man was struck in the crosswalk at 5:45 a.m. as he crossed Crenshaw Boulevard at 135th Street.

Officers believe he made it across the northbound lanes, but not the southbound lanes before the Crenshaw light changed to green, Hawthorne police Lt. Julian Catano said.

A southbound driver had the green light when he struck the senior citizen, Catano said. The driver stopped to help.

The elderly man's cane was found in the street.

Passersby told police the man often was seen walking in the area in the morning.

His name was not immediately released.

Do you know this guy?

He's the man who killed Narbonne High School football player Dannie Lamont Farber Jr., 18.

The man exchanged words with the Harbor City school student and started shooting at 9:40 p.m. Sunday as Farber ate dinner with his girlfriend at Louisiana Fried Chicken at 1950 W. Rosecrans Ave. in Compton.

He fled east on Rosecrans and escaped in a blue older-model car with tinted windows.

The killer is black, 17 to 21 years old, 5 feet 7 to 5 feet 9 inches tall, 140 to 160 pounds, with a thin build and a dark complexion. He wore a dark blue hooded sweat shirt and dark jeans.

A $10,000 reward has been offered for information to solve the killing.

Anyone with information should call sheriff's homicide detectives at 323-890-5500. 

A woman formerly married to "Two and a Half Men" actor Jon Cryer was arrested in Hermosa Beach on suspicion of abusing her 2-year-old son, police said today.

Sarah Louise Trigger, 40, was taken into custody at 8 a.m. Thursday at her Hermosa Beach home, Hermosa Beach police Detective Mick Gaglia said.

Trigger's currently estranged husband contacted police at 10:45 p.m. Wednesday to report that his son's neck had an injury.

Police and county Department of Children and Family Services workers went to Trigger's home, where she gave conflicting stories about the child's injury.

Trigger alleged that the injury was an accident, but did not provide clear details about what happened.

TMZ.com reported that the boy's neck had rope or cord marks and officers found a weapon that matched the marks.

Trigger was arrested on suspicion of child abuse and booked into the Hermosa Beach jail. Trigger was released on $100,000 bail.
 
Trigger has custody of her 9-year-old son from her marriage to Cryer. The boy was not home at the time of the incident and was not involved, Gaglia said.

A man in his 90s was struck and killed by a car as he walked this morning in Hawthorne, police said.

The accident occurred about 5:45 a.m. at Crenshaw Boulevard and 135th Street, Hawthorne police Lt. Gary Tomatani said.

The driver stopped at the scene and was speaking with police officers.

Traffic detectives were investigating the accident, which closed the intersection.

Other details were not immediately available.

The shooting at the KFC in Hawthorne possibly was gang-related, police said today.

It happened Wednesday evening. One guy shot another guy in the restaurant at 115th Street and Hawthorne Boulevard. The victim is in critical condition.

Police are still investigating.

A 58-year-old man with colon cancer committed suicide today on the 22nd Street lifeguard tower at Hermosa Beach, police and the coroner's office said.

John Patrick Ericson of Hermosa Beach was discovered at 6 a.m. in the 2200 block of The Strand.

Coroner's officials said the death was reported as suicide by gunshot wound. Police said Ericson recently was diagnosed as terminally ill.

If you were planning to stop on the way home for a drink at La Consentida bar in Carson, reading this has saved you the bother.

State Alcoholic Beverage Control agents essentially shut it down this afternoon. The owner chose not to fight and agreed to transfer her license to sell alcohol to somebody else.

Agents and Carson deputies raided the place at 21412 S. Alameda St. in January because a woman was dancing nude on the counter. The bar wasn't licensed for that.

Photog Robert Casillas and I went over there today and watched agents post the suspension signs. We'll see if someone picks up the license or the place just dies. The owner can stay open and sell Cokes, but that probably won't be good for business.

A Redondo Beach man who attacked his live-in girlfriend with a knife pleaded no contest Thursday and was sentenced to four years in state prison.

John Christopher Mielke, 32, pleaded no contest in Torrance Superior Court to one count of corporal injury on a cohabitant and an allegation he used a knife in the Oct. 11 incident, according to Deputy District Attorney Lana Kim.

Mielke stabbed his girlfriend several times in the arms and legs with a kitchen knife, according to police.

He was charged with a previous attack, but the counts were dropped in exchange for the plea.

The personal injury litigation firm AgnewBrusavich gave 27 scholarships to students from local high schools. The Metropolitan News Enterprise has the details and the recipients.

Congratulations to all!

Hawthorne police sent this info via Twitter:

Hawthorne police are investigating a shooting at KFC at 115th Street and Hawthorne Boulevard. The victim was shot inside the business. The victim was not an employee.

The victim is in critical condition. The motive is unknown.

A man who allegedly robbed at least two people in Hawthorne on Wednesday was quickly arrested, police said.

Edward Wilson, 20, of Hawthorne was arrested shortly after 8 a.m. behind an apartment building in the 11900 block of Gale Avenue, Hawthorne police Lt. Mike Ishii said.

Police said a man reported that he was robbed of jewelry while at Eucalyptus Park, 12000 Inglewood Ave.

The victim chased the robber to Gale Avenue. When police caught Wilson, he had the victim's property.

Police are looking into whether Wilson committed another robbery in the area, and possibly more.

He was not armed.

My full story will be coming out on the Web soon, but here's a taste:

Chris Kahl, a Mira Costa High School graduate from Redondo Beach, married his sweetheart, Areli, on Saturday at the Holiday Inn Buena Park.

Everything went great. The wedding was themed "Happily Ever After." Why not. The couple met at Disneyland. She wore a tiara. Cinderella and Prince Charming topped their cake.

But for a moment while they posed for some photos at the conclusion of the reception, a thief snatched the photographer's camera when he set it down for a moment.

The camera contains a disc with nearly 800 photos on it.

This couple needs a happy ending. All they have left are relatives' photos.

"It's shifted the focus from the beauty of the day to the sad moment where
you feel violated," the groom's mother, Diana, said. "It's their memory. It's their history
of their day and now someone else has it."

Look for the story soon at dailybreeze.com and in Thursday's Daily Breeze print edition.

"Clyde Barrow is accompanied by Bonnie Parker, alias Bonnie Barrow, alias Mrs. Clyde Barrow, and Mrs. Roy Harding, and for the past several months with a man named Jack Sherman, whose true identity thus far has not been established. This trio invariably uses Ford V8 model cars for transportation purposes and are always heavily armed having at least two Browning automatic rifles and a number of 45 caliber automatic pistols with them. Clyde Barrow will shoot to kill at the least provocation. He is very dangerous and extreme caution should be exercised in conducting investigations with a view of locating him."

To read the files, go to this FBI site and click on "view the files" at the bottom.

We've run photos of Dannie Lamont Farber Jr.  with the stories about the Narbonne High School student's slaying in Compton over the weekend, but they've all been pictures of him on the football field. He's wearing a helmet in each one and you can't see his face.

Maybe someone can e-mail me a nice photograph? I just received this from the DMV. This was his driver's license photo. He was a good-looking kid and it'd be nice to have a photo of him smiling. I left a message for his mother yesterday, but did not hear back from her. If you have a photo, send one over to larry.altman@dailybreeze.com.

By the way, nothing new to report today on the search for his killer.

In a particularly well-done My Turn column, Kristin Lobenstein shares how "run-of-the-mill" burglary is really so much more.

"Kimberly" didn't get to tell a court about how she was raped, stabbed and choked in Hermosa Beach in 1973. But she got a chance to tell reporters.

A Hawthorne motorist who hit an elderly pedestrian, then dragged the injured and screaming woman into her car before leading police on a pursuit, pleaded no contest on Tuesday to kidnapping.

Alexis Lewis, 26, will undergo a 90-day evaluation at the Dept. of Corrections and Rehabilitation, then return to the Airport Courthouse Sept. 2 for sentencing.

She faces anything from probation to five years in prison for the May 4 incident.
As part of her plea deal, prosecutors will drop three child endangerment charge that were filed when officers realized she left her three children, ages 2, 3, and 4, unattended at home during the incident.

Lewis hit the 72-year-old woman at 134th Street and Hawthorne Boulevard about 9 a.m., then forced her into the car, witnesses said.

Officers chased her vehicle to the 12600 block of Eucalyptus Avenue, near Lewis' residence. An evading charge will also be dismissed.

Students at Narbonne High School in Harbor City prayed and held a ceremony Tuesday in memory of student Dannie Farber Jr.

Teens gathered around the stage during their nutrition break to remember the popular student. They talked about their friend and played music, including the Puff Daddy song, "I'll be Missing You," a tribute to rapper Biggie Smalls, who was shot to death in 1997.

"Our talented art teacher did a big poster of Dannie in action," Assistant Principal Sara Aiello said. "It was put up on the wall and students were able to write messages to him."

I talked to earlier to Detective Eddie Brown, the homicide investigator assigned to find the killer who shot Narbonne High School football player Dannie Farber Jr. in Compton on Sunday.

At this point, it's unknown why Farber was shot as he ate dinner with a date at Louisiana Fried Chicken on Rosecrans Avenue.

"It's a damn shame," Brown said. "I don't understand or know yet why they targeted him. We are trying to figure that out."

The shooter uttered a phrase common in gang shootings before he fired.

There is nothing to indicate Farber had any connection to gangs.

"He is just an innocent guy," Brown said. "It sounded like he had a great future in football."

If you know anything to help solve the crime, contact Brown and his fellow detectives at 323-890-5500.

Photo by Scott Varley/Daily Breeze

The District Attorney's Office sent this over today. I get one of these calls every evening, but I never answer. The Caller ID on my phone shows "Warrantech." They never leave a message. I don't know if that's the firm the D.A. is talking about, but I'll bet it is:

LOS ANGELES - District Attorney Steve Cooley issued a consumer warning today in the wake of a blizzard of "robocalls" to Los Angeles County citizens by telemarketers trying to sell extended car warranties.

"If you get one of these unsolicited 'robocalls,' don't argue or chose from an options menu - just hang up right away," Cooley said in a Consumer Alert posted on the District Attorney's website.

The District Attorney's Consumer Alerts are issued periodically to keep the public updated in the latest swindles and to provide information on reporting these potential crimes. 

The California Supreme Court today upheld Proposition 8, the voter-approved measure that banned same-sex marriage in the state.

The court's Web site is overloaded, but we'll upload the decision later when we can get in.

Any South Bay same sex couples, legal types or others who want to weigh in for our local coverage? Contact me at denise.nix@dailybreeze.com

**Updated with link to the opinion.

Sarcastically labeling as "amazing coincidences" all the defenses that Gorgonio Vidaca Gonzalez's attorneys presented to the jury, a prosecutor asked the panel last week to think about all the bits of evidence that point to his guilt of first-degree murder. Gonzalez's attorneys want the jury to believe the wrong man is on trial for the 1984 murder near Gardena. Their client is not Salvador Alcantar, who everyone believes is the real killer, they argued.

Roberto Camacho's killer drove a Chevy Impala - the same car Gonzalez drove at the time and had registered in his name, according to Deputy District Attorney Don Syn. Gonzalez's California identification card listed an address in the 1500 block of Steinhart Avenue in Redondo Beach - the same address that "Alcantar" had on record with his El Segundo employer, Syn told the jury.

But to convict Gonzalez would allow the real killer to go free, defense attorney Michael Brush argued to the Torrance Superior Court jury last week. "'Amazing coincidences' do not mean guilt," Brush said.

About 9 a.m. today, the jury was to begin its deliberations. We'll let you know when there's a verdict.

Our last story on the case is here, and a previous blog entry is here.

COMPTON (CNS) - Friends of an All-City football player from Narbonne
High School, gunned down in a fried chicken restaurant, plan a vigil tonight at
the shooting scene, as his family makes burial plans.
   Dannie Farber Jr. was shot to death by an unknown assailant as he ate
dinner in a Compton fast food eatery Sunday night.
   The youth was a graduating senior from the school who played wide
receiver on the Los Angeles city co-champion Narbonne High School football
team. His performance had earned him a college scholarship, his family said as
they mourned outside police tape at the Louisiana Fried Chicken outlet in
Compton.
   ``He was a good son, a good athlete, a good kid,'' said his mother,
Danielle Farber. ``I told him to keep up the good work, and that I was so proud
of him.''
   Dannie Farber Jr. was named after his father, Daniel Farber, the mother
said. The youth was scheduled to graduate from Narbonne June 19, and had
already started spring football practice with the squad at nearby Harbor
College.
   Narbonne tied its arch-rival, San Pedro, for the city championship this
school year.
   ``It's a tragic loss," Gauchos assistant coach Byron Moore Sr., who has
known Farber since coaching him in youth football, told the Los Angeles Times.
``He was always full of energy. I'm going to miss him dearly.''
   Farber was an All-City receiver, said his high school coach. ``He was
sitting there eating dinner with some girl," coach Manuel Douglas told the Los
Angeles Times. ``They walked in and shot him four times."
   Douglas told The Times Farber had made ``a lot of big plays.'' He caught
a four-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter in a city semifinal playoff
game that rallied the Gauchos to a 25-24 victory over Crenshaw High School and
enabled the team to reach the championship game against San Pedro High at the
Coliseum.
   ``He was a real good kid," assistant coach Byron Moore Sr., who also had
known Farber since coaching him in youth football, told The Times. "He wasn't
involved in any gang. It's a tragic loss. He was always full of energy."
   The killing, at 1950 W. Rosecrans Ave., occurred as the youth ate dinner
at about 9:40 p.m. Sunday, sheriff's Lt. Dave Dolson said.
   A lone gunman, whose description was not released, ran from the eatery.
Deputies said they did not know if the killing was recorded on surveillance
video.
   Sheriff's deputies asked anyone with more information to call detectives
Toni Martinez or Eddie Brown at (323) 890-5500.

The southbound lanes on Sepulveda Boulevard were shut down briefly Friday afternoon in Westchester so a bomb squad could examine a duffel bag left near a Starbucks coffee shop, police said.

The duffel bag contained a transient's clothes, police said.

The 1 p.m. closure between Westchester Parkway and La Tijera Boulevard lasted less than an hour.

One of the last figures to be sentenced in a large-scale Lawndale-based counterfeit scheme will spend a year in prison.

David Goldberg, 35, of Sherman Oaks, who cut and glued fake currency during the manufacturing process, was sentenced on May 14 and scheduled to surrender on June 11, according to online federal court records.

Goldberg pleaded guilty to one count each of conspiracy and passing and possessing counterfeit currency.

He was one of six people charged a year ago in the scheme that released about $6.8 million fake $20 and $100 bills into circulation.

All except one other defendant has made plea deals and their sentences varied depending on their role in the conspiracy.

The last man, Earnest Alexander, was at large when he allegedly robbed a woman in Torrance who was followed home from a casino and lead police on a pursuit in January.

The State Supreme Court announced this morning that it will issue it's ruling Tuesday on Proposition 8, the ballot-initiative that prohibited marriage between anyone other than a man and a woman.

The ruling should be followed by a flurry of news conferences on both sides. Already, we've received notice from the legal coalition against Prop. 8 that they will hold a news conference at 10:30 a.m. in Los Angeles.

You can see all the documents filed in the cases here. 

If you don't want to be upset while eating your Cheerios, I suggest you don't click on the 2nd District Court of Appeal's opinion, issued Wednesday, in the sexual assault case against former Westchester chiropractor Thomas Dickershaid.

While we knew about the allegations against Dickershaid (our last story on his sentencing is after the jump), we didn't hear any of the victims testify during his trial. Dickershaid, it seemed, liked to hug every woman who came through his office, and convinced the victims that their back and neck pain could be alleviated by his uninvited sexual molestations.

Dickershaid lost his appeal and will continue serving his 24-year prison sentence.

Larry, Thanks for the article. I am one of the customers at that Prospect/PCH Arco station. If not done already, you may want to mention to readers to change their PINs immediately to avoid any ongoing criminal theft. I did after scanning my debit card statements and fortunately finding no abnormal withdrawals.

Don Mackay
Torrance

I'm one of the victims and felt sorry for this guy when I got gas. He just had this look of desperation on his face. I actually felt bad and wanted to get gas from there again to keep that gas station in business. To my surprise, he emptied my bank account!

I now feel I'm an ATM fraud spokesperson and am telling everyone to never use there atm at a gas station and never hand there card over to the cashier!

TRUST NO ONE!!!

Christie McNew

Hi Larry,
I just wanted to thank you for pursuing this story. The only way this type of crime can be avoided in the future is for Arco to get the "message" and develope protections. After I left a message on your answering machine about the crime, I thought you were just going to ignore it and move on. You proved me wrong. Thanks again.

Your grateful friend,
Dallas Brock 

Have you read something like this before?

This just in from the District Attorney's Office:

LOS ANGELES - Four San Fernando Valley men were charged today with grand theft, identity theft and other felonies in connection with a widespread electronic crime scheme in which more than two dozen victims, including two banks, lost more than $400,000 through phony ATM withdrawals.

Not only are the defendants charged in connection with the electronic crimes, three of them face marijuana cultivation and illegal weapons charges stemming from execution of a search warrant at six San Fernando Valley locations on May 19.

The four, all arrested on May 19, are scheduled to be arraigned this afternoon in Los Angeles Superior Court Department 30, fifth floor, Criminal Justice Center.

District Attorney's investigators found an indoor, hydroponic marijuana farm, a machine gun, several assault rifles and silences when they searched a so-called "safe house" in Sunland. Investigators also seized several late-model, high end automobiles and more than $200,000 in cash - most of it in $20 bills.

I'd like to thank the people who are emailing me and calling to say they also are victims of the ATM fraud case at the Arco station in Redondo Beach.

So everybody doesn't think I'm rude, I'm not able to respond to everybody because I'm working on a followup and won't have the time. Deadline is approaching. Perhaps tomorrow.

I was out at the station today and have spoken to detectives from other police departments who are investigating similar circumstances. This crime is exploding, I was told.

Police have received 50 phone calls from people today who believe they are victims of a criminal who skimmed ATM personal identification numbers from about 1,000 customers using a Redondo Beach Arco station.

That number is expected to grow as television news broadcasts do their own stories to follow up on the article broken in the Daily Breeze print edition and dailybreeze.com today.

I was just out there and there were plenty of people getting gas, but a manager told me business was down.

This story evolved directly from readers, who contacted me last week. It started with one person and then grew as the week progressed. I asked police about it, but the trend hadn't developed for a story immediately.

By Monday, I had several reports and was able to talk to the police Tuesday morning, who put out word on how big this crime had become.

So thanks to the readers for letting us know about it.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Responding to Fiscal Emergency,

Los Angeles Superior Court to

Close One Day Per Month

Action Takes Effect Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Some Limited Services To Be Maintained

Responding to the deepening statewide financial crisis, the Los Angeles Superior Court announced today that it will shut down nearly all of its operations and furlough employees one Wednesday per month, beginning July 15, 2009.

Implementation of the furlough plan, however, may not be enough to avert employee layoffs and, eventually, closure of entire courthouses if the budget climate does not improve markedly by the beginning of the 2011-2012 fiscal year. The one-day per month Court closure is expected to save $18 million per year.

The Court faces an estimated budget shortfall of nearly $90 million for the coming fiscal year--nearly double the amount in the most recent budget crisis that erupted in 2002, which ultimately resulted in closure of 29 courtrooms and layoffs of more than 150 employees.

Under a plan approved last week by the Court's judicial leadership, if the fiscal situation continues to deteriorate, the jobs of a quarter of the Court's 5,400 employees could be eliminated within the next four years. There would be reductions in courthouses and courtrooms in operation throughout the county.

"We face a serious crisis with immediate impacts that can be blunted, but not avoided," said Presiding Judge Charles W. (Tim) McCoy. "We learned from our experiences of 2002 through 2004. Over the intervening years, we have accumulated modest reserves that will enable us to soften the pain of these cuts for at least the first year of the new crisis. Unfortunately, we anticipate this difficult budget environment will remain with us for four years.

"We cannot allow denial, false hope or wishful thinking to cause us to drift through the crisis. We should expect things will grow increasingly difficult before they begin to get better. We must, and will, remain masters of our own destiny to the extent possible."

Hawthorne police and Los Angeles County fire investigators are looking into a possible arson late last night in the 13500 block of Glasgow Place, according to police Lt. Michael Ishii.

Emergency officials responded about 11:45 p.m. to the residence, where the occupants were able to extinguish the fire that partially engulfed their front door, Ishii said.

"At this point we have no suspect information, but we are investigating it as an arson," Ishii added.

A neighbor told the Daily Breeze that the investigation lasted a while, with officers and firefighters surrounding the area and using flashlights to search nearby Hollyglen Park and Cabrillo Elementary School.

The same home was the target of an attempted arson on March 24, Ishii said.

We'll try to get more information.

Considering how many trials - including murder trials - I sit through, it's rare that I think one would make great fodder for book or a Law & Order episode. But the trial that started yesterday for Gorgonio Gonzalez has enough twists and mystery to be pretty riveting.

As usual, way more happened in court than I could possibly fit into one newspaper article. 

In an interesting move to show Gonzalez is not the killer, Salvador Alcantar, the defense team of Michael Brush and Loredana Nesci (who calls herself the Legal Diva and has a myspace page), are trying to prove that descriptions of Alcantar do not match those of their client. For instance, Alcantar's former girlfriend, Marie Sandoval, testified he was about 5-feet, 9-inches tall. Brush, claiming to stand 5-feet, 10-inches, had his client stand next to himself and Nesci, who he said is 5-feet, 5-inches. It was clear the defendant was only an inch or two taller than Nesci.

I found this curious, so I used my iPhone to check the Sheriff's Department inmate Web site. Gonzalez is listed 5-feet, 10-inches tall on his booking documents. Hmmmm....

During opening statements, Nesci told the jury she'll show Gonzalez is not Alcantar because Alcantar had tattoos. However, Sandoval said she did not recall Alcantar having any ink.

Nesci ran into some hurdles during her opening by going places she just wasn't allowed to. For instance, she told the jury that her client's "life is now on the line here," earning her an objection from the prosecutor and a sidebar with the judge. Lawyers can't say anything that would suggest to the jury that they can consider penalty in their deliberations. Judge James Brandlin also stopped her as she started to argue the law as it pertains to reasonable doubt - also not appropriate during opening statements.

Noticing I was there, Brandlin - who already instructed the jury not to read anything published about the trial - asked the jurors if any of them read the Daily Breeze. Four of the 14 panelists (including two alternates) raised their hands.

Wow. So, knowing now that only about 28 percent of the community reads the paper, I would like to say to you, dear reader: "Thanks for reading! It's good for you, good for us and good for the community!"

 

Los Angeles: A woman was struck by a stray bullet while sitting inside her West Los Angeles home.

On Friday, May 15, 2009, at around 5:00 p.m., several suspects assaulted a male victim in the front yard of a home located in the 3100 block of Halm Avenue. The male victim was struck several times in the face with a tire iron, and during the altercation one of the suspects took out a handgun. As the suspect and male victim fought for control of the handgun, it discharged and a bullet went through the front door of the residence. The female sitting inside her home was struck in the abdomen by the gunfire. The original victim was able to overpower the suspect and gain control of the firearm. The suspects then ran, got into an awaiting vehicle and drove away.

Both victims were transported to a local hospital for medical treatment. The male victim was treated and released and the female victim, the mother of slain Police Officer Ricardo Lizarraga who was killed in the line of duty on February 20, 2004, is listed in stable condition.

The Hawthorne Police Department has started a Twitter account for residents to keep track of what's going on in the city.

Follow "HawthornePD" to get real time information.

Two other departments also have Twitter accounts: Follow Torrance police at "Torrance PD" and Gardena police Chief Ed Medrano at "GPDChief."

The Hawthorne Presidents Council will its 28th Annual K-9 Community Barbecue Dinner on Thursday to benefit the Police Department police dog team.

The event goes from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Hawthorne Memorial Center, 3901 El Segundo Blvd.

Tickets are $5 for adults and 2.50 for children 12 and under.

The meal includes a barbecue chicken dinner with the trimmings.

For more information, contact Norm Morton at 310-973-1270 or Alex Monteiro at 310-978-4357.

Or make donations to the Hawthorne Presidents Council, P.O. Box 1625, Hawthorne, Calif.

This just in from the DA's office:

LOS ANGELES - A 39-year-old LAPD officer pleaded guilty today to assault with a semiautomatic firearm stemming from a 2008 off-duty encounter with restaurant patrons at the Redondo Beach pier, the District Attorney's office announced.

David Woon Chong was ordered to undergo a 90-day evaluation by the Department of Corrections by Judge Stephen Marcus. Deputy District Attorney Amy Pellman Pentz with the Justice System Integrity Division said Chong faces up to six years in state prison when he returns on Aug. 14 for sentencing.

On March 15, 2008, Chong pulled out a knife and threatened a restaurant patron after getting into a verbal altercation with two men. A witness interceded and the off-duty officer then walked away. But he returned a short time later, kicked some food out of the victim's hand and pulled a .45-caliber Glock semiautomatic handgun and pointed at the man's head. The same witness again interceded and walked Chong out of the restaurant.

Redondo Beach Police, responding to a disturbance call, stopped Chong in his car and arrested him. He allegedly had a .11 blood alcohol level at the time of his arrest.

In exchange for his guilty plea and admitting the gun allegation, two felony counts of making criminal threats and three misdemeanors will be dismissed.

Lucy Jones of Caltech now says on KNX that it was 4.7, with a 3.1 aftershock between Lennox and Hawthorne. Felt em both up here in the north end of the South Bay. Strongest quake in a long time......

The birds in the nearby park went absolutely nuts. It sounded like Hitchcock. But right now, there is one lone caw.

Daily Breeze education reporter Vu Nguyen died late Friday with his family at his side when he was removed

from life support systems.

 

Doctors at Kaiser Permanete Medical Center in Harbor City determined that after a week in a coma, the 34-year-old Long Beach man's brain had stopped functioning. His wife, Heather Hua, and parents, Chuyen and Ngoc Thuy Nguyen, and brother, Viet Nguyen, made the decision about 10 p.m. He died a short time later.

 

"I love him so much and being his wife and being a part of his life brought me so much happiness," his wife said. "And I thank him for sharing his life with me, even though it was brief."

 

Nguyen was an organ donor. Hua said she hoped her husband could save another life.

 

"It's because we know how much it hurts to lose a family member," she said.

 

Nguyen never regained consciousness after suffering cardiac arrest while playing soccer with friends on Sunday.

 

During the week, a stream of family members, friends and co-workers visited his bedside.

 

Nguyen worked at several newspapers. He joined the Daily Breeze staff in August, covering South Bay school districts.

 

Read "Daily Breeze reporter on life support"

Q. I was curious as to how the Daily Breeze was able to justify publishing the name of a minor in the article about the burglary attempt by a 17-year-old in Rancho Palos Verdes that occurred on May 6.

The fact that the sheriff was so willing to try and convict the youth by his assessment of the situation will also make it difficult to find an impartial jury, should that be necessary, when the case goes to trial. It seems that publishing the sheriff's comments was irresponsible of your publication. I may just not be educated about the way our legal system works, but it really seems as if some people's rights have been violated. Can you explain this situation?

Thank you

S. J. Murphy

A. The reader is referring to the arrest of Grant Morris Nursall, 17, of Rancho Palos Verdes who has been charged with attempted premeditated murder.

Cori Desmond's father, Mark, is passing out bumper stickers asking for tips to help police find his daughter's killer.

Desmond has printed 100 bumper stickers that are being distributed to friends, family and businesses in Redondo Beach, the last place she was seen alive.

More will be available in another week. Desmond also is planning to purchase a billboard.

"I'm going to do what I'm going to do to help out in any way," Desmond said. "That's all I can do."

Cori Desmond was last seen on Feb. 15, leaving the Bac Street Lounge on Artesia Boulevard in Redondo Beach. Her Jeep was parked nearby.

Her body was found the next day in a bag at the side of a snowy road near Running Springs.
Investigators have not disclosed the cause of death, but said she appeared to suffer from blunt force trauma.

This scene was caught on tape by KCBS Channel 2 just as they were about to do a live stand-up. It'll make ya cringe.

Just came from court where Douglas Gordon Bradford was scheduled to be arraigned for the 1979 strangling death of Lynne Knight. He posted $1.02 million bail, though, and the hearing was postponed until June 18.

Working on a follow up.

Janet Loh of Redondo Beach and her sister, Carola Washburn of Torrance, filed suit against the City of Federal Way, Wash. today claiming the city's police department failed to protect their mother from her boyfriend, who is facing trial for her murder.

We reported on Baerbel Roznowski's death last year, and the controversy surrounding that department's practices when it comes to serving domestic restraining orders. That story is after the jump.

Ironically, a few weeks ago I did a story about a Torrance woman who was held captive and tortured by a man in that same city. I interviewed her victim advocate, who works closely with domestic violence victims in that area, and she felt the Federal Way Police Department handled that and other cases poorly. It didn't make it to print, but her sentiment was that the department "doesn't care about crime victims." Ouch.

This is the complaint filed in court against Douglas Bradford, charged with killing a Torrance nurse in 1979. Read my story.

Rev. 920-6/03 DA Case 29261235 Page 5 Case No. YA075023

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA, Plaintiff, v. 01 DOUGLAS GORDON BRADFORD (12/13/1951) Defendant(s).

CASE NO. YA075023 FELONY COMPLAINT FOR ARREST WARRANT

The undersigned is informed and believes that:

COUNT 1

On or about August 30, 1979, in the County of Los Angeles, the crime of MURDER, in violation of PENAL CODE SECTION 187(a), a Felony, was committed by DOUGLAS GORDON BRADFORD, who did unlawfully, and with malice aforethought murder LYNNE KNIGHT, a human being.
"NOTICE: The above offense is a serious felony within the meaning of Penal Code Section 1192.7(c) and a violent felony within the meaning of Penal Code Section 667.5(c)."


It is further alleged as to count(s) 1 that in the commission and attempted commission of the above offense, the said defendant(s) DOUGLAS GORDON BRADFORD, personally used a deadly and dangerous weapon(s), to wit, garrote and knife, said use not being an element of the above offense, within the meaning of Penal Code section 12022(b) and causing the above offense to be a serious felony within the meaning of Penal Code section 1192.7(c)(23).
* * * * *

NOTICE: Conviction of this offense will require the defendant to provide DNA samples and print impressions pursuant to Penal Code sections 296 and 296.1. Willful refusal to provide the samples and impressions is a crime.

NOTICE: The People of the State of California intend to present evidence and seek jury findings regarding all applicable circumstances in aggravation, pursuant to Penal Code section 1170(b) and Cunningham v. California 2007 U.S. LEXIS 1324.
Further, attached hereto and incorporated herein are official reports and documents of a law enforcement agency which the undersigned believes establish probable cause for the arrest of defendant(s) DOUGLAS GORDON BRADFORD for the above-listed crimes. Wherefore, a warrant of arrest is requested for DOUGLAS GORDON BRADFORD.


I DECLARE UNDER PENALTY OF PERJURY THAT THE FOREGOING IS TRUE AND CORRECT AND THAT THIS COMPLAINT, CASE NUMBER YA075023, CONSISTS OF 1 COUNT(S).


Executed at TORRANCE, County of Los Angeles, on May 12, 2009.

_____________________________________
JAMES WALLACE
DECLARANT AND COMPLAINANT


STEVE COOLEY, DISTRICT ATTORNEY

BY: ___________________________________

JOHN LEWIN, DEPUTY

AGENCY:	TORRANCE PD	I/O:	JAMES WALLACE	ID NO.:	11552	PHONE :	(310) 618-5578
DR NO.:	7916607	OPERATOR:	JR	PRELIM. TIME EST.:

BOOKING BAIL CUSTODY
DEFENDANT CII NO. DOB NO. RECOM'D R'TN DATE

BRADFORD, DOUGLAS GORDON

12/13/1951

$1,020,000

It appearing to the Court that probable cause exists for the issuance of a warrant of arrest for the above-named defendant(s), the warrant is so ordered.

DOUGLAS BRADFORD

BAIL: $______________________________

DATE: ___________________________________
Judge of the Above Entitled Court

NON-WARRANT DEFENDANTS:

BOOKING BAIL CUSTODY
DEFENDANT CII NO. DOB NO. RECOM'D R'TN DATE FELONY COMPLAINT -- ORDER HOLDING TO ANSWER -- P.C. SECTION 872
It appearing to me from the evidence presented that the following offense(s) has/have been committed and that there is sufficient cause to believe that the following defendant(s) guilty thereof, to wit:


DOUGLAS GORDON BRADFORD

Count No.	Charge	Charge Range	Special Allegation	Alleg. Effect
1	PC 187(a)	Check Code	PC 12022(b)

I order that the defendant(s) be held to answer therefore and be admitted to bail in the sum of:

DOUGLAS GORDON BRADFORD ______________________________ Dollars

and be committed to the custody of the Sheriff of Los Angeles County until such bail is given. Date of arraignment in Superior Court will be:

DOUGLAS GORDON BRADFORD ______________________ in Dept _______

at: A.M.





Date: ________________________________________

Committing Magistrate

The jury deliberated a few hours before finding Timothy Burnett guilty of first-degree murder and allegations he used a knife. Here's today's story on the closing arguments. Will have a new story on the verdict later.

Here's a good news story to start the day.                                                                              

CHP Officer DeShawn Cobbs delivered a healthy baby -- Elaine -- on the side of the 10 Freeway this morning.

Here's the KCBS/KCAL story and video with Officer Cobbs.

Rakim Caddell, left, and Oliver Isaiah Robson were arrested today at their Athens area homes.

The 21-year-old men are suspected of breaking into three homes last week in the 13400 block of Washington Avenue and the 4200 block of 134th Street in Hawthorne.

Witness accounts and fingerprints found in the homes helped to identify the men.

Hawthorne police Lt. Mike Ishii said one of the men had a victim's ring in his pocket when he was arrested.

Los Angeles police officers will wait tables Wednesday evening at a San Pedro restaurant to raise money for the American Cancer Society.

Patrons at the Marcello Tuscany Restaurant at 470 W. 7th St., can make donations through the "Tip A Cop" program from 5 to 9 p.m.

The program will benefit the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life, which is a 24-hour relay that will be run in San Pedro on May 16 and 17.

LOS ANGELES - District Attorney Steve Cooley launched a consumer alert system for Los Angeles County residents today by warning of a new wave of mail solicitations by private companies who charge homeowners substantial fees to help with filing property tax reassessment forms.

"To take advantage of unsuspecting homeowners in the midst of an economic crisis is not only shameful, it can be criminal," Cooley said. "Several investigations are under way now into these types of scams."

Cooley said he used the property reassessment solicitation issue as the first of a periodic series of consumer warnings that will appear on the District Attorney's website at http://da.lacounty.gov/consumeralert/.

A man killed when he lost control of a Hummer and crashed during a joyride at Guenser Park in Torrance was identified Tuesday as an Oxnard man, police said Tuesday.

Chad Russell Schaefer, 31, died in the May 5 crash in the middle of the park at 17800 Gramercy Place, police said.

Schaefer was not wearing a seat belt and was crushed under the vehicle when it flipped over him and ejected him.

Channel 2 goes inside the Los Angeles Police Department's downtown evidence room. Lots of quick, dramatic camera angles and ominous music just to make sure you know how serious they are.

Torrance Superior Court Judge Eric Taylor's courtroom was pretty filled yesterday for the reading of the verdicts in Joe Nino and Miguel Torres' trial. About two-thirds of the audience were their family members, while the other third were family and friends of the dead man - Juan Vasquez.

Before the verdicts were read, the audience was silent. A few women on the defendants' side held their hands as if they were in prayer. One woman cupped rosary beads between her hands.

Meanwhile, more than a dozen bailiffs took posts around the courtroom. "Try and control your emotions, no outbursts please," one of them told the crowd. "It's most important that you remain seated so the deputies don't interpret anything." Everyone's cellular telephones were confiscated - a move I've never seen before - to keep onlookers from contacting anyone outside the courtroom. After the verdicts were read, jurors were whisked away out a back door and no one from the courtroom could leave. Vasquez's family was dismissed 20 minutes later, the defendants' family members were allowed to go about 10 minutes after them. It didn't appear that there was any trouble.

Even during the first trial and before, this was an emotionally-driven case with the defendants' supporters vehemently proclaiming Nino's and Torres' innocence and informant Erick Velasquez's guilt. The comments following today's story will give you a pretty good taste of that debate.

Previous entries are here.

A robber smashed his gun into a woman's head and took her purse during a street crime in Torrance, authorities said Monday.

The robbery occurred about 7:35 p.m. Friday as the woman walked in the 600 block of Calle Miramar in the Hollywood Riviera section, Torrance police Sgt. Bernard Anderson said.

The woman told police she was walking along the street when a car pulled up. A man got out, put a gun to her head and demanded her bag.

He smashed the gun into it, causing a bump and a cut on her forehead.
The man took her bag and drove off.

Redondo Beach police Officer Ken Greenleaf and his dog "Valor" were the overall champions at the 2009 Redondo Beach Police Canine Trials this weekend.

The pair also joined with officers Corey King and "Dak," and Kevin McCamy and "Kona" to win the team championship.

Twenty-one police officers and dogs from California and Nevada competed in the competition on Friday and Saturday at Redondo Union High School.

The dogs competed in obedience, agility, searching, protection and narcotics enforcement.

A complete list of the winners is available at the Redondo Beach police Website.

The FBI has released preliminary statistics on the number of law enforcement officers killed in 2008: 41. Their press release includes a little more information and break-down.

Carson: Deputies will conduct a sobriety and driver's license checkpoint from 7 tonight to 3 a.m. Saturday on Avalon Boulevard north of 169th Street.

Gardena: Police officers will conduct a sobriety and driver's license checkpoint from 7:30 tonight to 4 a.m. Saturday in the eastbound lanes of Artesia Boulevard west of Vermont Avenue.

The jury, which has deliberated off-and-on over the past week or so, indicated this afternoon they reached verdicts in the murder retrial for Joe Nino and Miguel Torres. However, Torres' defense attorney couldn't make it to the courthouse in time, so the verdicts will be read Monday afternoon at 1:30 p.m.

We'll let you know when we do....

Previously:

Jury out on Rolling Hills murder

Someone shot at a Torrance house in the 2500 block of 170th Street on Thursday night, but no one was hurt.

A number of people called police about 8:35 p.m. when they heard the sound of multiple gunshots.

Torrance police Lt. Mark Athan said the house was occupied, but nobody was hit.

Detectives do not believe the crime was random.

"The investigation is looking at one of the occupants of the house possibly knowing did it," Athan said.

There was no indication the crime was gang-related.

Callers tell me there's an older woman who lives there with a grandson.

More than 30 police dog teams will compete Saturday in the 22nd Annual Police Dog Competition at Redondo Union High School in Redondo Beach.

The event begins on the football field from 9 a.m. until about 4 p.m.

Police dogs will compete against each other in searching, obedience, agility and apprehension.
Spectators can talk to police handlers, pet their dogs and buy souvenirs.

The California Highway Patrol will hold a car seat fitting station and instruction event Saturday in Manhattan Beach.

The event will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at AdventurePlex, 1701 Marine Ave.

Parents can bring their children, car seats and vehicle to have a child passenger safety technician teach them how to install the seat properly.

Lennox sheriff's deputies will again be offering $100 gift cards in exchange for guns during a two-day program beginning Friday.

The "Gifts for Guns" event will be held from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday in the Food 4 Less parking lot at 11407 S. Western Ave. in the unincorporated Athens area.

Deputies will provide gift cards for Ralphs, Food 4 Less and Target stores for any handgun, rifle or shotgun turned over. An assault weapon is worth $200.

"It's to take guns off the street that could potentially be taken in burglaries and used in violent- related crime," sheriff's Lt. Val Rosario said.

Since sheriff's stations embarked on a countywide program March 28, more than 2,200 guns have been collected.

The Lennox station took in more than 600 guns during a program in December.

I noticed this too when I called the new Harbor police station the other day and got voice mail. I figured some residents of San PEE-dro wouldn't be too happy with the answering machine's voice pronunciation of "San Paydro."

Talk about an easy way to rile up the folks down there. Don't mess with San Peeeee-dro.

It's long been a controversy. Go with the Americanized version of Pee-dro or the Spanish version of Pay-dro.

My colleague Andrea Woodhouse opines on this subject on the South Bay Pipeline blog.

John Liu is expected in court today on charges alleging he killed his sister.

The LA Weekly's Christine Pelisek is by far the expert on the still-at large Los Angeles serial killer know as the Grim Sleeper. She has a story about his victims' families coming together with detectives at a church recently to discuss the cases, and their concerns. It's an inside look rarely seen by those who don't have to live through such hell.

Jesus Miguel Sedillo, 22, of Carson, was convicted of killing Manuel Lopez, 17, and Richard Romero, 19, both of Wilmington in two separate shootings in 2006.

Romero was killed on Halloween night as he sat in a car with his sister and cousin. Sedillo wore a wolf mask during the crime.

We'll have a full story later in the Daily Breeze and online at www.dailybreeze.com.

Police have ended their search for a burglary suspect -- who doesn't seem like much of an honorable boyfriend -- in Torrance.

Cops had established a perimeter from Nadine Circle to Fonthill Avenue and 226th Street to Sepulveda Boulevard about 11:40 a.m., and brought in dogs and a helicopter. The search ended about 2 p.m.

The man had dashed from a car that an officer pulled over in the 2900 block of Sepulveda Boulevard. It turned out that the car contained stolen property from a just-committed burglary.

Although the guy took off and the cops couldn't find him, this knight in shining armor left his girlfriend behind. What a great guy.

So, Florida Taylor, 23, of Rosemead, is in jail on suspicion of burglary. She's also in violation of her probation, and apparently she's talking.

Police know her boyfriend's name. They'll get him before long.

This release just came in from the DA's office:

Hawthorne mother charged with evading police, child endangerment

LOS ANGELES - A 26-year-old Hawthorne mother who allegedly hit a 72-year-old female pedestrian, then forced the victim into her car and took off, eluding police in the process, was charged today with kidnapping and other charges.

Alexis Francesa Lewis, (dob 9-1-82), is scheduled to be arraigned this afternoon at Airport Superior Court, Department 144. She is charged in case No. SA071107 with one count of felony kidnapping, one count of felony evading police, and three counts each of child endangerment, said Deputy District Attorney Jan Perlstein.

Lewis, who had three no bail warrants out for her arrest in separate cases, was arrested Monday following a police chase in Hawthorne. The incident started after Lewis allegedly hit a female pedestrian at 134th Street and Hawthorne Boulevard about 9 a.m. Lewis allegedly forced the victim into her car and took off. Police, responding to the accident, chased the vehicle during a brief high-speed pursuit, before the driver stopped in the 12600 block of Eucalyptus Avenue, near the suspect's residence.

During an investigation, Hawthorne police discovered Lewis allegedly had left her three children - ages 2, 3 and 4 - unattended at home.

The victim remains hospitalized. Lewis is being held on $325,000 bail.

The Coroner's office has identified the homicide victim from Gardena yesterday as 58-year-old Ching Hwa Liu.

Firefighters discovered her dead on Tuesday when they responded to a call from her 163rd Street home for an unresponsive woman.

Firefighters considered the circumstances suspicious and called for police. When Gardena police arrived, her brother, John Long Liu, 60, admitted to killing her and was arrested, police said.

An autopsy is pending.

Torrance police have established a perimeter from Nadine Circle to Fonthill Avenue and 226th Street to Sepulveda Boulevard to look for what apparently is a burglary suspect.

It began about 11:40 a.m. when police pulled over a car that turned out to be full of stolen property taken in a burglary, Torrance police Lt. Mark Hein told me just now.

One guy is in custody, but another ran.

The search is on. Dogs are on their way, and police have asked for the sheriff's to come with a helicopter when they are available.

The District Attorney's Office just announced that John Burgess pleaded guilty today in Los Angeles Superior Court to involuntary manslaughter for the death of a San Diego State University co-ed he met on Craigslist (press release after the jump).

Just as the release landed in my inbox, I was reading an interesting blog about if Craigslist can or should be legally responsible for crimes committed by its users. That discussion comes after the arrest of so-called Craigslist Killer Philip Markoff: "Although there has always existed a degree of tension between online freedoms on the one hand, and abusive (or even illegal) behavior online on the other, at some point lawmakers may be forced to take another look at how the equation is currently balanced."

Here's some significant Redondo Beach PD events during the past week as reported by Capt. Jeff Hink:

04-27-09 (Monday)

200 block of Avenida del Norte: A therapy business was burglarized between the hours of 4:30 p.m. on Saturday 04-25-09 and 10:45 a.m. on Monday 04-27-09. Entry to the business was made via an unsecured front window and the loss was a laptop computer and small office items.

1900 block of Condon Ave.: At about 2:00 p.m., a resident returning to their home saw a suspicious Toyota Camry containing a male parked in front of their house. The resident watched the vehicle drive away, make a u-turn and then stop in front of a neighbor's residence. The resident saw two other males exit the neighbor's residence carrying a flat screen television and a blanket with objects inside. These subjects entered the Camry and the vehicle left the location. The resident contacted the police. Arriving officers determined that a burglary had occurred at the residence. The suspects were able to enter the locked residence via a small, unsecured window.

Artist Galina Rusanova is in federal custody in Maine following an incident on board an LAX to Heathrow flight in which she grew combative after mixing pills with wine. Lots of wine. And hand soap from the lavatory. Here's our story.

To learn more about her and her work, you can visit her Web site.

FindLaw posted the complaint and affidavit filed in U.S District Court in Maine.

(Photo: Daily Mail)

A Gardena man admitted Tuesday that he killed his sister, who was found dead on the kitchen floor of their family home, police said.

John Long Liu, 60, was taken into custody shortly after 1 p.m. at the house in the 1100 block of West 163rd Street, Gardena police Lt. Uikilifi Niko said.

Firefighters responded to the house regarding a woman not breathing and determined her to be dead, Niko said.

They then called police because they suspected foul play.

The victim, whose name was not immediately released, lived in the home with other adult relatives. She was in her late 50s.

Liu told officers he had killed his sister, Niko said. Liu was arrested on suspicion of murder and booked at the Gardena jail.

The cause of death was not immediately determined.

Okay, so some guy calls up our office today and asks if there are any sobriety checkpoints tonight. He says he wants to know because his son is going to a Cinco de Mayo party and he wants to help him avoid the checkpoints.

Seriously. This really happened. There are people like this among you. Lucky I didn't take the call. I might have gone off on him.

Well, I don't know about any checkpoints, but I can tell you that virtually every police officer will be out on the streets tonight looking for drunks. This includes the "Avoid the 100" task force, which includes officers from 100 agencies countywide, including all in the South Bay.

So please, think before you get in the car, not because you might get busted, but because you might kill another person like Manhattan Beach's Henry Pearson or Nick Adenhart of the Angels.

Now that I sound like an old man, here's something to keep the spirit of the holiday. Here's a little "Cinco de Mayo" music with some guy named James. Go James, whoever you are. Ain't YouTube great!

We just got our first "shelf" capture.

Several weeks ago we began running photographs of "wanted" suspects on our crime page in the Daily Breeze print edition. It's usually on page A7 above the police blotter on Wednesdays. The boxes on the top of the page are called the "shelf."

Before we started this, I sent out an e-mail to South Bay departments asking for wanted fliers. Only Hawthorne and El Segundo responded. We've run some photographs of suspected forgers and car thieves and burglars, some with names and others unidentified.

On April 21, we ran a photo of Sioni Mangisi, 39, who allegedly stole a 1999 Chevrolet Tahoe parked at the Rustic Light on Hawthorne Boulevard in Hawthorne on Oct. 9. Officers in the Hawthorne helicopter gave chase.

Rev. Robert Bowman, who headed CrossRoad Christian Academy in Gardena, was dismissed as rector of Saint Luke's Reform Episcopal Church in Santa Ana.

Previously: Gardena parochial school headmaster arrested on child pornography charges

Well, here we go again. Seems like once a week now for these searches in San Pedro.

Police are looking for a gunman who shot an 18-year-old man near  3rd and Gaffey streets about 5:15 p.m., Los Angeles police Officer Karen Rayner said.

The victim was taken to a hospital.

That's all we got and might have for awhile. 

Robert F. MacDonald of Manhattan Beach has just pleaded not guilty during his arraignment in Torrance. His bail was set at $2.12 million. 

The 19-year-old allegedly hacked his parents with a butcher knife on Thursday.

MB man charged with trying to kill parents.

A 19-year-old Manhattan Beach man was charged today with trying to kill his parents with a butcher knife in their bed.

Robert F. MacDonald allegedly stabbed his 52-year-old father and 51-year-old mother multiple times at the family home in the 2900 block of Poinsettia Avenue about 11:20 p.m. Thursday, authorities said.

The father struggled with the son and subdued him to prevent further attack, Manhattan Beach police Sgt. Brian Brown said.

Police arrived and arrested him.

The parents, Robert and Margaret, were taken to hospitals for treatment. The father has been released, but the mother remains hospitalized. She is expected to recover.

A 17-year-old sister in the home was not hurt.
The motive for the attack was not known.

MacDonald was charged with two counts of attempted murder with the allegation it was premeditated, deliberate and willful, Deputy District Attorney Jodi Link said.

MacDonald also is charged with two special allegations: Using a butcher knife and causing great bodily injury.

If convicted, he could face two life terms in prison plus eight years.

MacDonald was scheduled to appear for arraignment this afternoon in Torrance court.

Bail was set at $1.26 million.

Rev. Robert W. Bowman, headmaster at CrossRoad Christian Academy in Gardena, was arrested yesterday at his San Pedro home. Staff writer Vu Nguyen has the story.

Here's what we have so far about the five three collared for allegedly committing a residential burglary.

There are so many things to say about the 1736 Family Crisis Center - I couldn't possibly fit it all into one newspaper story. If I tried, my editors would ream me, anyway.

But I wanted to make sure everyone knew that the organization is here to help domestic violence victims, and it needs help from everyone to ensure that their mission is accomplished. One way they're doing that is by raising funds at a Texas hold'em poker tournament at Hollywood Park Casino.

Here are some things I learned while reporting this story:

• People who wish to donate items for children can do so through a program set up at Kids Double Time at 715 Torrance Blvd., Redondo Beach. Clothes (including maternity), toys and accessories in good shape can be given to the consignment store and, if you mention 1736, they make a donation to the organization when the item is sold.
• The help they give goes beyond shelter and counseling. For example, in job training, they found that a key hurdle for victims is the inability to look people in the eye. They work with victims on that and have found true success.
• Every penny they spend on every bite of food, diaper or clothing item must be accounted for to their donors and funding sources, keeping the organization honest and it's number crunchers on their toes.

They're hoping to get a final head count to Hollywood Park today for the tournament. So if you're interested in going, let them know.

If you go, write me back and tell me how it was!

If you or anybody you know needs help, call one of their 24-hour hotlines, which you can find by clicking on the 1736 link above.