November 2009 Archives

The LAPD reports tonight that Chief Charlie Beck is continuing to reorganize his force. These changes occur effective Jan. 3, 2010:

• Office of Operations Commander Dave Doan will become the Assistant to the Director, Office of Operations.
• Captain Blake Chow will be promoted to the rank of Commander and will become the Assistant Commanding Officer, Operations- Central Bureau.
• Captain Bob Green will be promoted to the rank of Commander and will become the Assistant Commanding Officer, Operations- South Bureau.
• Commander Andrew Smith will become the Assistant Commanding Officer, Operations- West Bureau.
• Commander Sharon Papa will become an Assistant Commanding Officer, Operations- Valley Bureau.
• Commander Jorge Villegas will remain an Assistant Commanding Officer, Operations- Valley Bureau.
• Office of Special Services Commander Scott Kroeber will become the Assistant to the Director, Office of Special Services.
• Commander Joan McNamara will remain the Assistant Commanding Officer, Counter Terrorism and Criminal Intelligence Bureau.

An Inglewood woman is pleading for someone to help her find her dog, which she reported stolen Sunday from her car in a shopping center parking lot.

The dog was in her car parked outside the Superior market at Crenshaw Boulevard and Imperial Highway. Someone broke into it, she said.

Her dog is a Maltese named "Prince."

"My entire family is heartbroken over this," Sanford said in an e-mail sent to the media. "My daughter can't stop crying and she can't sleep at night. We love our dog and we won't stop until we get him back."

The dog is a white male (not neutered) Maltese, about 7 pounds.
 
Anyone with information is asked to call the Inglewood Police Department at 310-412-5210.

The former South Bay screenwriter "Tweeting" about his experiences behind bars won't be able to post messages on the Internet any more.

Roger Avary, a Mira Costa High School graduate from Hermosa Beach who went on to win an Academy Award for writing "Pulp Fiction" with director Quentin Tarantino, was moved from a work-furlough program that allowed him to work during the day and go to a jail facility at night, to the Ventura County Jail.

"#34 is 'rolled up' to a higher security facility for exercising his first amendment rights," Avary posted Thursday evening on his Twitter account, @Avary. "The truth he has discovered is too dangerous."

Earlier this week, the Daily Breeze and other media reported that Avary was posting messages about his experience as inmate No. 34 on the social media site.

Full story coming soon to dailybreeze.com and Saturday's Daily Breeze

Robbery convictions were upheld this week for a man who stole $25 from four teens as they headed to Torrance's South High School homecoming game.

Skiler Gascon, 22, argued to the 2nd District Court of Appeal that Torrance Superior Court Judge Eric Taylor erred by allowing the jury to consider evidence of his flight as consciousness of guilt.

Gascon said the evidence didn't apply to the robberies since it was later, when he was being confronted by a police officer, that he struggled and ran.

But the appellate court issued an opinion Tuesday found there was no error in the 2008 trial.
The 15 and 16-year-old boys were walking near Pacific Coast Highway on Nov. 2, 2008, when Gascon called to them, showed them a gun and demanded money.

Two men convicted in Great Britain for disseminating anti-semitic speech on the Internet are appealing on the grounds that they sent their messages to a Torrance Web server. They claim that, since the U.S. has broader free speech laws, they didn't do anything wrong.

President Obama grants his first pardon. It's cute with the girls and the turkey at the end.

A former Hawthorne man is suspected of posing as a photographer for a magazine and groping women who agreed to have their body parts measured for custom-fitting underwear, police said Wednesday.

Keith Nichols, 22, is suspected in at least four sexual battery assaults against young women while posing as a photographer for "Vibe Magazine," Los Angeles police said.
Police don't know where he is.

"Keith Nichols is not a photographer," Los Angeles police Capt. Blake Chow said in a statement. "All young women, especially those riding local trains, need to know Nichols is a fraud and potentially dangerous."

Four women have reported meeting Nichols since early October. Each submitted to a personal examination.

A Carson man was arrested early today on suspicion of breaking into the new technology building at Harbor College in Wilmington.

A second man escaped.

A security officer making his rounds about midnight discovered the crime about midnight. The burglars dashed from him, sheriff's Sgt. Harry Van said.

Sheriff's deputies from Harbor College, the Lomita and Carson sheriff's stations and the department's Transit Services bureau swarmed in.

Zachary Seaward Wright, 21, was arrested in the nearby residential area about 2 a.m., Van said.

Wright was held at county jail on suspicion of burglary. His bail was set at $20,000.

Deputies recovered a laptop and scanner that the men tried to take, Van said.

The Sheriff's Department handles policing at Harbor College.

A couple of comments on the Brandon Manai murder trial story today caught my eye because they raised a very good question.

"Fashionista" of Rancho Palos Verdes wrote: "I wonder what the point was of so vividly describing her outfit that night.... "

Julie Rosas was dressed up for a night-out-on-the town. What I didn't fit into this story is that, when she left her Norwalk home, she carried with her a grocery bag containing sweats or pajamas to change into after clubbing.

While the defense to the charge has still not been fully revealed, it's possible Manai's attorney may try to suggest to the jury that Rosas went to the Rancho Palos Verdes cliff voluntarily that night, and maybe slipped in a horrible accident.

The point, then, of describing her clothes is that most people would not go, in the dark, to a rocky and precarious cliff-top wearing three-inch heels, a mini-skirt and halter top. Also, that none of her belongings that she left home with, or her car, were found at the scene is, the prosecution believes, circumstantial evidence that Rosas did not go there voluntarily ... or maybe even alive.

A 9-year-old girl was recovering Monday from a gunshot wound suffered when a stray bullet hit her at a Harbor Gateway home.

The bullet grazed the girl's buttocks in the 10 p.m. shooting Sunday at 255th Street and Normandie Avenue, Harbor Division Lt. David McGill said.

The girl's mother took her to a hospital. Her wound was not considered life-threatening.

Detectives were investigating the circumstances and motive behind the shooting.

McGill said the intended victim was at a party at her home. A gunman might have been shooting at another residence when the stray bullet hit the girl.

Los Angeles Police Department Chief Charlie Beck named his new leadership team today.

Notable on the list is Cmdr. Patrick Gannon, right, who was promoted to deputy chief in charge of the South Bureau, which includes the Harbor Area and South Los Angeles. The San Pedro resident was once the very popular captain of the Harbor station and residents were saddened when he was transferred. Ultimately he has risen to the top.

Here's the list:

• Assistant Chief Earl Paysinger will remain the Director of the Office of Operations, which will consist of the four geographic bureaus.
• Deputy Chief Sergio Diaz will remain the Commanding Officer, Operations - Central Bureau
• Commander Pat Gannon will be promoted to the rank of Deputy Chief and will assume command of Operations - South Bureau
• Commander Debbie McCarthy will be promoted to the rank of Deputy Chief and will assume command of Operations - West Bureau
• Deputy Chief Kirk Albanese will assume command of Operations - Valley Bureau Office of Special Services
• Deputy Chief Michel Moore will be upgraded to Assistant Chief and will become the Director of the Office of Special Services.
• Deputy Chief Mike Downing will remain the Commanding Officer of Counter Terrorism and Criminal Intelligence Bureau.
• Assistant Chief Jim McDonnell will become the Chief of Detectives.
• Deputy Chief Rich Roupoli will remain the Commanding Officer of Special Operations Bureau, Office of Administrative Services
• Deputy Chief Sandy Jo MacArthur will be upgraded to Assistant Chief and will become the Director of the Office of Administrative Services.
• Deputy Chief Terry Hara will become the Commanding Officer of Personnel and Training Bureau.
• Police Administrator III Rhonda Sims Lewis will become the Commanding Officer of Support Services Bureau.
• Police Administrator III Maggie Goodrich will become the Commanding Officer of Information and Technology Bureau.
• Chief Information Officer Tim Riley will become the Commanding Officer of Communications and Records Bureau.
• Deputy Chief Mark Perez will remain the Commanding Officer of Professional Standards Bureau.
• Police Administrator III Gerald Chaleff will become a Special Assistant to the Chief of Police.
• Commander Rick Jacobs will become the Chief of Staff.

A man was shot while sitting in front of a Hawthorne apartment building, police said Monday.

The victim was wounded about 11:30 p.m. Saturday in the 13400 block of Kornblum Avenue, Hawthorne police Lt. Mike Ishii said.

The victim was with a friend when a gunman walked up and fired several shots at them.

He was taken to a local hospital and was reported in serious condition, police said.

The friend was not hurt.

Detectives are investigating whether the crime was gang-related.

The shooter was Latino, in his 20s and wearing a gray shirt and blue pants.

A 33-year-old man was arrested as he tried to flee from a pharmacy with $2,500 in stolen liquor, police said Monday.

David Brown of Hawthorne and another man allegedly broke the locks to a storage area inside the CVS Pharmacy at 11831 Hawthorne Blvd. while the business was open at 9 p.m. Sunday, Hawthorne police Lt. Mike Ishii said.

Store employees noticed the men had entered the storage area and were stealing boxes of liquor and called police.

The men ran out the back door and left in a vehicle, but police quickly spotted them. After a brief chase, the men abandoned the car and ran. Brown, who had been driving, was quickly arrested, Ishii said.

Police discovered the liquor in the car.

Investigators are looking for the other man.

Three criminals, one with a gun and wearing a ski mask, committed two street robberies in Hawthorne during the weekend, police said Monday.

The robberies occurred Friday at 9:30 p.m., first in the 4500 block of 132nd Street and the second near 132nd Street and Hawthorne Boulevard, Hawthorne police Lt. Mike Ishii said.

Three robbers in a black Nissan Altima held up two pedestrians for their cell phones and wallets.
Police believe a third crime in the nearby unincorporated area might be related.

I don't have much, but I do have a bit of information to let you know about the chase last night in Hermosa Beach and Manhattan Beach.

This one goes into the "How low can someone go" category.

Two nuns went shopping in San Fernando. While they were putting their groceries in the trunk, some lowlife stole one nun's purse. She was wearing full religious dress, so there was no mistaking who she was.

Daily News columnist Dennis McCarthy has the story.

Before beginning the process of weeding through potential jurors to find those who would serve on the Brandon Manai cliff death trial, Torrance Superior Court Judge James Brandlin read the would-be panelists a brief summary of the case. So as to avoid any confusion with another high-profile cliff-death case, Brandlin began by telling them this was not that one.

Manai, accused of killing his wife of 13 days, Julia Rosas, in July 2005, is charged with murder. At his preliminary hearing several years ago, it was revealed that he had confessed to his friend while sitting at a Redondo Beach Pier eatery and pointing to the cliffs to the south.

Opening statements are today, followed by the first witnesses. Check the Daily Breeze and dailybreeze.com later for my coverage.

The California Narcotic Officers' Association has named a Hawthorne police lieutenant its "narc" of the year.

Jim Royer will receive the organization's Alfred E. Stewart Memorial Award naming him the CNOA's "Narcotic Officer of the Year."

"Royer has been dedicated to narcotics crimes in the city of Hawthorne and surrounding areas, and has a long standing record of successfully enforcing narcotics laws and working cooperatively with other departments at the local, state and federal level," the organization said.

The CNOA names one police officer and one prosecutor each year as its recipients of the Stewart award.

The prosecutor is Michael Lowe, an Assistant United States Attorney in Los Angeles. Lowe has prosecuted narcotics cases since he joined the office in 1998.

CNOA is a non-profit association that provides training in the narcotics enforcement field for law enforcement professionals. 

The man who was killed when he stumbled and fell under a Torrance Transit bus was identified Friday as Leonard Moreno Jr., 41, of Lakewood.

Moreno died about 4:30 p.m. Thursday in the accident on Torrance Boulevard at Crenshaw Boulevard, coroner's officials said.

Witnesses told firefighters that Moreno exited the westbound bus, walked into a pole or some other object and stumbled back ward into the street into the traffic lane. The bus rolled over him.

Torrance police traffic investigators weren't available today.

Coroner's officials will perform an autopsy that will include tests to see if Moreno had drugs or alcohol in his system.

Jail and court records show Moreno was arrested six times in Carson and once in Redondo Beach since August. Records show some of those cases involve public intoxication and jail time.

A longer story on this  will appear later at dailybreeze.com and in Saturday's Daily Breeze.

A federal jury found Jorge Teixeira not guilty of the six sexual assault charges against him. A Princess Cruises Coral Princess passenger claimed he assaulted her in a secluded dining room in March.

This is one of those cases that things turned out to not be what they seemed...

Check out my story later at dailybreeze.com for the details.

Previously: Cruise ship sexual assault statements

 

Detectives today released a photograph of a parolee who escaped after allegedly trying to run down a police officer with her car as he attempted to arrest her.

Dawn Macksoud, 37, who crashed into a police car and struck a house, was last seen in Venice, where she sought medical treatment for an injured ankle, and cuts to her face and arms, Manhattan Beach police Detective Michael Rosenberger said.

Macksoud fled to a Malibu beach Nov. 11 when officers arrested her husband, Phillip, in connection with a string of identity theft crimes in Manhattan Beach and Palos Verdes Estates.

Dawn Macksoud, who is a parolee, could face charges of assault on a police officer and evading arrest, in addition to identity theft.

She uses numerous aliases including "Marie Bello," and is known to frequent the South Bay, Long Beach and Compton.

She is white, 5 feet tall and 145 pounds.

Anyone with information about Dawn Macksoud's whereabouts is asked to contact Rosenberger at 310-802-5127 or the Lost Hills sheriff's station at 818-878-1808.

Got an Glock or AK-47 hanging around your house, and you just don't want it anymore? The Compton Sheriff's Department might have the answer you've been waiting for. From City News Service:

A "Guns for Gifts" exchange will be held in Compton Dec. 5-6.
A $100 gift card from Best Buy, Ralphs or Target will be given for each gun surrendered, Sgt. Carmichael Octave of the sheriff's Compton Station said.
The biggest challenge to the program is to ensure residents understand "this is a completely anonymous process, where we will ask no questions of the person surrendering the firearm," Octave said.
The gun exchange will be conducted in the Ralphs parking lot at 280 E. Compton Blvd.

A man stumbled after getting off a Torrance Transit bus Thursday and was killed when he fell under its wheels, firefighters said.

Firefighters called the 4:30 p.m. death at Torrance and Crenshaw Boulevard the result of a freak accident.

Torrance fire Capt. Steve Deuel said witnesses said the man got off the westbound bus and walked into a pole or some other object on the sidewalk.

He stumbled backward as the bus was departing and fell into the traffic lane under its wheels.
The driver detected what had happened and stopped.

Firefighters pronounced the man dead at the scene. He was believed to be about 40 years old.

Torrance police traffic detectives were investigating the crash. Torrance Boulevard was closed for the investigation and for the coroner to arrive.

Here's the update on the burglar in Redondo Beach, according to police Sgt. Phil Keenan:

A business owner found the man inside his locked building in the 2000 block of Manhattan Beach Boulevard about 2 p.m. He chased the man out and called the police.

The man ran into the neighborhood between Aviation Boulevard and Warfield Avenue when police officers arrived.

Seventeen police officers from Redondo Beach and Manhattan Beach surrounded the area adn searched with aid of police dogs and a Los Angeles police helicopter.

About 2:40 p.m., the man emerged and was spotted on Manhattan Beach Boulevard. He had slightly changed his clothes.

Officers arrested him on suspicion of burglary.

They are now working to figure out what his name is.

I'm pretty sure that's what this no-nonsense cop would say, since he seems just so intent on getting the job done - despite a fuzzy, sharp-clawed distraction. This one is courtesy of our pals over the South Bay Pets blog.

If you wondered what the helicopter was doing flying over Manhattan Beach and Aviation boulevards this afternoon, police were looking for a burglar.

They caught him.

I'll have more info in a little bit when more becomes available.

Just got word that a federal judge declared a mistrial in the insurance fraud case against Lawrence Saks, a former plastic surgeon who practiced in Torrance and San Pedro. No details yet, but check later for a story on dailybreeze.com.

Here's one for the stupid criminals file:

The Los Angeles Police Department just issued an advisory to the media that officers have discovered a marijuana growing site -- at a home 25 feet from the back door of the Topanga police station in Canoga Park.

Police officers served a search warrant about 3 p.m. at an address right behind the station.

Officers started their investigation a week ago, when officers smelled marijuana from the parking lot of the police station.

No word yet on arrests. More when we get it.

From City News Service:

A state appeals court panel upheld a former Carson resident's conviction for murdering his ex-wife's boyfriend in Downey more than four years ago.

In a 13-page ruling released this week, a three-justice panel of the 2nd District Court of Appeal rejected Jeffrey Denard Lewis' claim that errors were made in his Norwalk Superior Court trial.

Lewis was convicted in February 2008 of first-degree murder in the May 21, 2005, slaying of Da Shun Stafford.

Jurors found true the special circumstance allegation that Lewis was lying in wait before the attack.

Lewis -- who unsuccessfully tried to reconcile with his ex-wife -- was wearing a wig and carrying a loaded handgun when he shot Stafford four times, hit him in the head with the gun and stomped on his head.

The defendant is serving a life prison term without the possibility of parole.

Jurors in the Lawrence Saks insurance fraud trial sent a note to a judge on Wednesday indicating that they are deadlocked on all 16 counts, according to a court clerk.

The U.S. District Court for the Central District of California jury will return to court Thursday. It is expected Judge Consuelo Marshall will speak to them and they will continue their discussions, the clerk added.

The jury has deliberated about two days on the charges.

The Rolling Hills resident, who practiced plastic surgery in Torrance and San Pedro, is accused of double-billing insurance companies on four procedures.

He claims the procedures were medically necessary and the documents he filed were accurate.

                                                                         Hermosa Beach lawyer Albro L. Lundy III was honored as the Consumer Attorney's of California Trial Lawyer of the Year for an $11.6 million jury verdict he won on behalf of an elderly Rancho Palos Verdes resident who was seriously injured on a rural highway.

From a press release issued by Lundy:

Lundy, a partner in Hermosa Beach law firm Baker, Burton & Lundy,  received the award November 14 at the 48th Annual Awards Dinner of the Consumer Attorneys of California held at the Fairmont Hotel in downtown San Francisco.  The Consumer Attorney's award is given annually to a case that demonstrates how the civil justice system works to provide justice for victims, change behavior, remove dangerous products or conditions and hold wrong doers accountable.  

 

The Schmidt v. Caltrans case is a perfect example of how consumer attorneys help create a safer society. The case involved a single car automobile accident that occurred on the night of January 16, 2006. The accident occurred in the high desert at the T-intersection of Hwy 62 and Hwy 177 in a rural northeast corner of Riverside County. Rancho Palos Verdes Resident Clete Schmidt, age 77, was on his way to Lake Havasu when he was unable to see a stop sign in time to stop, thus crashing into a five-foot stoney embankment just beyond the T-intersection and crushing his Ford Crown Victoria. The accident placed Clete in intensive care for two months where he nearly died on several occasions. The impact left him a  ventilator dependent quadriplegic. 

As a result of an extensive discovery campaign by Albro and his team, evidence was discovered which demonstrated that the roadway was unsafe. Photographs were found hidden away in the Sacramento storage vault, verifying that rumble strips made out of Botts Dots had existed at the approach to the intersection 30 years ago. Caltrans knew the rumble strips were an important warning system approaching a stop sign in the desert and had even replaced them at least once in the 1990's. The Caltrans photographs documented the lack of maintenance. It was additionally discovered that a large double arrow "End of the Road" sign had originally existed and but disappeared and was not replaced.

Clete's injuries left him in a precarious condition and the slightest thing, even a cold, is life threatening. The jury verdict of $11.6 million dollars not only provided for Schmidt's medical costs, but also motivation for Caltrans to change its roadways.  Filing this case first resulted in a new "End of the Road" sign being put up at that intersection and the verdict triggered a review of all similar rural T-intersections throughout the whole state of California. In the 21 months before this case was filed, eight serious accidents occurred at this intersection. After the replacement of the End of the Road sign, no accidents had occurred in the 18 months up to the time of trial.

This case was highly rewarding for Lundy in a very personal way.  At age 11, Lundy lost his father in the Vietnam conflict in 1970. He was embraced by the Schmidt family following this tragic loss and Clete Schmidt became Lundy's surrogate father. Schmidt was actually the best man at Lundy's wedding.  Clete's comment after the trial was fitting. He stated haltingly "I took care . . . of him, and . . . now he took . . . care of me."   Winning the 2009 Trial Attorney of the year award further validates the impact of this case.

This bit of news didn't occur down here in the South Bay, but obviously it indirectly helps cut down crime in Southern California.

The FBI sent this release out today to announce charges against 17 members or associates of the Athens Park Bloods street gang of South Los Angeles for their alleged roles in narcotics sales and gun possession.

Here's the news release from FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller:

For Immediate Release

DATE: November 17, 2009

17 MEMBERS OR ASSOCIATES OF THE ATHENS PARK BLOODS
STREET GANG CHARGED WITH FEDERAL AND STATE NARCOTICS
VIOLATIONS IN FINAL PHASE OF "OPERATION BLOOD KLOT"

Hundreds of Sheriff's deputies and FBI agents executed arrest and search warrants this
morning in the final phase of a coordinated operation in which members of a violent street gang were taken into custody for their alleged roles in the distribution of narcotics and illegal possession of firearms in South Los Angeles.

This is the Crime and Courts blog. In other words, it's all bad news.

For a change, check out this item I just posted on "South Bay Pipeline." Unless you don't like firemen and babies.

The California Highway Patrol is investigating a hit-and-run accident in El Camino Village that resulted in a Palmdale woman's death, officers said Tuesday.

The victim, Kristi Nicole Turner, 20, died at the scene of the accident Friday at Marine and Lemoli avenues, police said.

CHP Officer Dion Conley said the driver of a 1993 Chevrolet Suburban was heading east on Marine approaching Lemoli when the pedestrian stepped into the crosswalk to walk north. It was undetermined whether the driver or pedestrian had the green light.

The Suburban's driver continued on without stopping. Witnesses followed the vehicle and flagged down a Hawthorne police officer, who pulled the Suburban over and detained the driver for the CHP.

The driver's name was not immediately released.

The CHP is investigating the accident. The CHP has jurisdiction for traffic investigations in the unincorporated area for traffic investigations, although the Sheriff's Department handles other policing.

From City News Service

The District Attorney's Office launched a 24-hour tip line today that offers rewards of up to $5,000 for information leading to the arrest or conviction of individuals involved in dog fighting.

Residents can call (877) NO2-FITE and provide information about a dog fighting ring, an
upcoming dog fight or an individual involved in dog fighting, District Attorney Steve Cooley
said in a statement.

Calls will be answered 24 hours a day. The tip line will be available in both English and
Spanish. Tipsters can remain anonymous and still collect up to $5,000 if the information leads
to arrests or convictions, Cooley said.

The Humane Society of the United States is helping fund the tip line and reward program.
Cooley said his office is the first in the nation to join with the Humane Society of the United
States to start a tip line dedicated to eradicating dog fighting.

"Our goal is to encourage citizens to help law enforcement root out a brutal crime that often
goes unreported and occurs in the shadows," Cooley said.

Cooley said he expects tips on dog fighting "will be a starting point for major criminal
investigations" into such crimes as drug dealing and weapons possession.

City News Service has reported that William Sadowski was convicted of first-degree murder for the dragging death of Los Angeles Airport Officer Tommy Scott.

A sanity phase will begin this afternoon.

Previously: Verdict coming

We just got word that the downtown Los Angeles Superior Court jury in the William Sadowski trial has reached a verdict, and it will be read at 1:30 p.m. We'll let you know what it is when it comes.

Sadowski is charged with murder for the death of Los Angeles Airport Police Officer Tommy Scott. Here's our last story on the case.

Police say Knight Durand Colburn, 47, of Redondo Beach caused some commotion this morning for residents in the 400 block of 31st Street in Hermosa Beach.

This guy either is a gymnast or Spiderman or something.

According to police, he removed a ladder from a parked work truck at 5 a.m. and used it to get into a house under construction.

A neighbor heard the noise, looked out the window and saw him climbing into the second story. The neighbor called police.

Officers arrived quickly. Colbrun noticed and jumped out the window onto the next-door neighbor's roof. He then leaped onto another couple of rooftops before jumping to the ground.

Officers caught him hiding under a tarp.

190th Street near Prairie Avenue is fully reopened following today's water main break.......

The Orange County Register is reporting that Huntington Beach surfing legend Joey Ray Hawkins, a 1990s world longboard champion was arrested recently on drug charges. He allegedly had a loaded 9 mm handgun near the city's youth shelter, officials said.

Hawkins, 39, apparently never did much with his championship and faded away, the paper reports.

Photo from OCregister.com, from the Orange County District Attorney's Office.

As the jury nears the end of it's first full day of deliberations in the William Sadowski murder trial, I got a call and an email from a Palos Verdes Estates reserve officer who worked with the victim, Los Angeles Airport Police Officer Tommy Scott. In the call, Benjamin Siounit said Scott was the "nicest guy ever" and that everyone on the force liked him a lot. Here's his e-mail:

My name is Benjamin Siounit.  I am Officer Tommy Edward Scott's last trainee before he was murdered on April 29, 2005.  I just read your blog on the Daily Breeze website regarding the trial of William Sadowski.  This brings back a lot of memories of my fallen comrade Officer Scott.  I am outraged at how this bastard is claiming insanity.  Tommy was killed half an hour before I got to LAX that day.  I was scheduled to go through my exit interview with the Airport Police that day since I had resigned from the Force.  The last few years since Tommy's death have been extremely tough for me.  There is not a single day that I wake up and don't blame myself for not being there for my partner.  Tommy was the most honorable police officer I have ever worked with.  While other training officers used to belittle their trainees, Officer Scott would always refer to me as "Partner".  I have become a reserve police officer for the City of Palos Verdes Estates in honor of Officer Tommy Edward Scott.  Every time I put on the uniform, I do it in the memory of Tommy.  G-d bless his soul.  I miss him very much.

Inglewood school board member Trina Williams was arrested this week on charges of misuing public funds.

Wave Newspapers reports that prosecutors charged her with the unlawful receipt, safekeeping, transfer and distribution of public money.

Williams was booked into county jail and her bail was set at $50,000.

Last night at a downtown Los Angeles hotel ballroom banquest, the Los Angeles Association of Deputy District Attorneys honored some of their own for jobs well done. Included in the group of honorees were some local prosecutors, former local prosecutors and those that have prosecuted local cases. They include:

Philip Stirling was honored as 2007 DDA of the year. Stirling was one of two prosecutors in the case that stemmed from the murder of Los Angeles Police Captain Michael Sparkes. The killer in that case, Miguel Magallon, was sentenced to death.

John Lonergan was honored as an outstanding Deputy DA in specialized prosecutions. Lonergan works major crimes out of the Long Beach Courthouse, and his recent cases have included Jesus Sedillo, who murdered two people in gang-related shootings in Wilmington and Ernesto Murillo, a gang member who shot into a car in Harbor City, wounding a young boy.

Lowrie Mendoza received the Outstanding Prosecutor Award for Branch and Region I. Mendoza, who works sex crimes at the Torrance Courthouse, won a conviction for Yani Leppanen, who tried to arrange a meeting online with a girl who was actually a police detective and is currently handling a cold hit DNA case against Tony Woords, for a sexual assault and hold-up at a Gardena ice cream shop, and an upcoming murder trial for Deshawnte Wade, accused of killing his 1-year-old stepson.

Martha Carrillo also received the Outstanding Prosecutor Award for Brand and Region II. Carrillo previously worked in the South Bay. Among the cases she handled was the prosecution of Basil Decatur, who got life in prison without the possibility of parole for shooting an Inglewood store-owner during a botched robbery.

The full list of winners is here: adda_flier_10-15.pdf

Jurors today said a Carson man should die for slashing an elderly couple to death in their Cerritos home in 2004.

Anthony Deondre Cain, 34, killed his cousins, Lamar and Ernestine Matthews, both 75.

Press-Telegram reporter Tracy Manzer has the story.

Some people have inquired about a raid Wednesday at a house in the 600 block of El Camino Real in Redondo Beach.

It took me a while to figure out who conducted the raid. Turns out it was Long Beach PD.

Here's the basics from Long Beach police spokeswoman Nancy Pratt. A full story will come later to dailybreeze.com and the Daily Breeze Friday paper.

Long Beach police got information that a woman was selling guns illegally in their city.

Their investigation led them to the Redondo Beach house. They served a search warrant there. From there, they were directed to a Torrance house. They did not release the address.

By the end of the case, they arrested three people and seized 22 handguns, rifles and assault weapons and a large supply of ammunition.

Tania McCree, 36, of Redondo Beach was arrested on suspicion of possession of an assault weapon, possession of a controlled substance while armed, and possession of a controlled substance.

Anjelica Quijada, 29, of El Segundo was arrested on suspicion of being a felon in possession of a firearm, on a probation violation and warrants charging her with burglary and driving without a license.

Emmet Flores, 32, of Santa Monica was arrested on suspicion of being a felon and convicted person in possession of a firearm.

Most of the weapons were registered to one of McCree's deceased family members. She was allegedly selling them, but that's illegal without going through proper procedures.

I just got word that some good folks donated $5,400 to benefit the children and family members of fallen soldier Sgt. Eduviges Wolf, who grew up in Hawthorne.

The money raised helps to pay for the airline tickets for family members to attend her services in South Dakota. Money also will go to her young children.

Hawthorne police established a fund in Wolf's memory after her sister told the Daily Breeze that her family had maximized their limits on their credit cards to pay for their trip to the funeral.

Wolf, who was a Hawthorne police Explorer while attending Leuzinger High School, was killed Oct. 25 in Afghanistan.

Donations came primarily from South Bay residents, and some from out of state..

Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to call Southwest Detectives at (213) 485-2585. After hours or on weekends, calls may be directed to a 24-hour, toll-free number at 1-877-LAPD-24-7 or by texting CRIMES (274637) and beginning the message with the letters LAPD. Tipsters may also submit information on the LAPD website: www.lapdonline.org. All tips may remain anonymous.

Cori Daye Desmond's father, Mark, shared this letter this morning.

November 7, 2009

ROD HOOPS, SHERIFF
SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY SHERIFF-CORONER DEPARTMENT
c/o Public Affairs Division
655 East Third Street
San Bernardino, California 92415-0061
Ref. Case FSB904166

Dear Sheriff Hoops,

For the obvious reasons, this is without question the most emotionally difficult letter I have ever written in my life. Ironically the absolute necessity to write this letter only compounds the difficulty. The strength to write this letter comes from the extreme love of and for my daughter Cori Daye Desmond.

Nevertheless, my innate and moral obligation to thank specifically Detectives Trevis Newport, Robert Warrick, Jason Radeleff, John Gaffney and Sgt. Tony De Cecio from San Bernardino Sheriff's Department Homicide Detail responsible for making the arrest of Tony Lopez Perez, the person suspected of murdering my daughter. Their tireless efforts, patience, expertise and professionalism, along with the unexpected personal connection, commitment and compassion that they showed throughout the investigation, tremendously helped me and my family persevere through this traumatic tragedy.

It's not possible to either describe my personal pain suffered from this loss and also impossible to express my eternal gratitude to everyone who in someway loved Cori Daye and helped our family through this ordeal.

I would also like to express my sincere appreciation and gratitude to the media for its accurate, constant dedication and equally compassionate coverage of this crime; this was a vital factor in helping solve this crime.

Our family, friends, and everyone who knew Cori Daye, including the people who were strangers but became acquaintances, are the special ones who shared in this tremendous senseless loss. We stood together, grieved together, prayed together and through Cori Daye will always stay together.

In name, spirit and life of my beautiful little girl Cori Daye Desmond, I encourage everyone to live life to its fullest each and everyday. Never let a day go by without expressing your love for your family and loved ones especially your children.

May God bless and protect you and your children.

Sincerely,

Mark Desmond

A man who shot and killed himself at a San Pedro park was reportedly sending e-mails to friends before he took his own life, the police said Tuesday.

The 44-year-old man shot himself around 7 a.m. on Monday inside a bunker at Angels Gate Park near 36th and Gaffey streets, according to Craig Harvey, a spokesman for the Coroner's Department.

A woman walking her dog found the deceased man, said Los Angeles police Lt. David McGill, a detective at the Harbor Division.

The man was identified, but his name is being withheld until his family is notified.

McGill said officers had looked for the man since early in the morning after people called and said they were getting e-mails from him in which he said he was going to commit suicide.

On October 14th 2009 at approximately 1430 hrs., the victim, a 9 year old male, was walking home from school when the suspect approached him from behind in the area of 108th Street and Spinning Avenue. The suspect attempted to grab the victim by force. As the suspect was chasing the victim, he yelled, "Get in the car!" The victim was able to get away from the suspect, saw the suspect get into a vehicle and drive eastbound on 108th Street. The suspect was described as a male Hispanic, approximately 20 to 27 years of age, missing teeth, with a bald or shaved head. He was approximately 5'09" to 6'00", had a slender build and was wearing all black clothing. The vehicle was described as an older model (possible 1984) Toyota Camry or Cressida four door, grey in color. The vehicle also had traffic collision damage on the front fenders with possible primer paint spots. The vehicle might have a nearly flat right front tire.

Any other information or questions, please contact Det. Bryan Hand, Inglewood Police Department Assaults Section at (310) 412-5190 or our 24-hour anonymous hotline number "888-41-CRIME" (888/412-7463).

Click here to see the bulletin with a police sketch artist's rendition of the suspect, plus possible vehicles involved: child - bulletin2.pdf

-The Inglewood Police Department

David Goldestein at KCAL/KCBS has a report about the frequency of traffic collisions at Los Angeles intersections patroled by those controversial red light cameras.

Here's the five-minute video of the report.

I poked my head into the Lawrence Saks trial still underway at the federal courthouse in downtown Los Angeles today.

On the stand was a Torrance woman who said she went to Saks for a tummy tuck and breast augmentation in 2007. Yuki Komoto said she paid Saks $25,000 for the elective procedure, and he never once mentioned anything to her about repairing a hernia while she was out cold during the procedure.

Based on what I've seen so far, the inference is he billed her insurance company claiming he performed the medically-necessary procedure in order to get paid twice ... although it's likely he probably didn't, the prosecution is trying to prove.

The defense case should begin soon. I'm expecting closings later this week or early next week.

 

The search is over for a Catalina Island man whose disappearance at sea set off a chain of events that led to the deadly midair crash of a search plane and U.S. Marine helicopter, authorities said Monday.

David Thomas Jines, 50, was never seen after taking his small motorized boat on Oct. 27 to help a friend who was having trouble in windy waters on the eastern side of Catalina Island.

A Coast Guard plane was searching for him east of San Clemente Island off the San Diego coast when it collided with the military helicopter from Miramar Naval Air Station, killing nine, on Oct. 29.

Jines lived on his boat in Avalon Harbor.

The gunman shot to death in the shootout with deputies and police in Lawndale is now identified as Juan Carlos Aguiar.

The Coroner's Office sent a message this morning taking the 'L" out of Aguilar....It's Aguiar.

The man shot to death by sheriff's deputies in Lawndale has been identified as Juan Carlos Aguilar, 29. Not yet sure where he lived.

** UPDATE: They caught this guy....

If you find yourself driving in the Mid-City area of Los Angeles, be aware of this one. The LAPD sent this out this morning:


Los Angeles: A sexual assault suspect has been targeting lone females driving in the Mid-City area of Los Angeles. The suspect uses a ruse to get women to pull their cars to the curb and then offers to help them before he sexually assaults and gropes them.

Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) detectives have released a composite sketch of a male Hispanic they believe is responsible for six sexual assaults, with the likelihood of additional, unreported assaults. The suspect drives a late 1990's white compact car.

The first incident occurred back in August of this year, and there were five similar assaults reported last month. Generally, the suspect pulls up next to a woman driving alone in her car and communicates with her that her car tire is sparking. He instructs the victim to pull to the curb and then offers to check the victim's brakes and tires. Once he is in close proximity to the women, he sexually assaults them.
 
All of the incidents have occurred on weekdays between the hours of 8 a.m. and 11 a.m. Investigators are asking for the public's help to identify this suspect and are also warning people to be aware of this scam to avoid being victimized. The suspect's behavior is becoming more aggressive and detectives are hoping to capture him before he seriously injures someone. So far, none of the victim's have required medical treatment.

On Tuesday, a documentary about battered women who are incarcerated for killing their husbands will be screened at Torrance Memorial Medical Center. The event will include one of the women featured in the film and the filmmakers. All the information is here if you want to go, just be sure to RSVP: TORRANCEflyer2 (2)1.pdf

So, officially, here's what I got on this:

Torrance police said Tuesday they are investigating an alleged hit-and-run involving a car crashing into a house late last week.
The car hit a home in the 200 block of Paseo De Las Delicias about 8 p.m. on Thursday night, according to Sgt. Bernard Anderson.
A suspect was scheduled to be interviewed by investigators Tuesday afternoon and the investigation is continuing, Anderson said.
He would not give any more details about the incident or the suspect.

Of course, you, me and everyone knows there's more to this story than that. Unfortunately, as a news reporter, I'm obligated to report only what I can confirm. We do this to protect ourselves from liability and our subjects from untrue accusations. It's fair and it's right.

Now, there are two problems: 1.) Our readers are not bound by the same obligations, and can anonymously and freely say whatever they want in the user comments underneath our stories. 2.) Law enforcement and other officials are not always forthcoming with information, leaving us with unfilled holes in our reports, and can take some time getting back to us once we've made inquiry.

It appears there is nothing we can do about either of these problems. So when you wonder why the Daily Breeze didn't report this or that on this story, or any others, now you know why. 

Just got word that opening statements were this morning at the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California in downtown Los Angeles, and that the first witness is on the stand. Lawrence Saks, whose medical license was taken away last December, is on trial before Judge Consuelo Marshall for two indictments - one alleging he worked while collecting disability payments and the other claiming he double-billed insurance companies for procedures.

The former plastic surgeon and Rolling Hills resident, who had offices in Torrance and San Pedro, served six months in a federal penitentiary for a 1990 tax evasion case.

Many of the issues raised in Ashton Hurst's appeal were litigated at the trial level. And re-litigated. And litigated some more. Click here for my very brief brief on the 2nd District Court of Appeal's opinion issued yesterday. For those wanting to see more, the 25-page opinion is here.

The Los Angeles Times is reporting this morning that Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has picked Deputy Chief Charlie Beck to be the new chief of the Los Angeles Police Department.

The LA Times just posted a story saying an Airport courthouse jury has convicted Dr. Christopher Thompson of assault with a deadly weapon and other charges for deliberately injuring two bicyclists by slamming on his brakes in front of them in Brentwood.

A lot of you have been interested in this one.

According to Jack Leonard's story, Thompson bowed his head as the verdicts were read.

Here's the Times story.

City News Service reports that a verdict is expected to be read soon in the trial of Christopher Thomas Thompson, the former emergency room doctor accused of deliberately ramming his car into two bicyclists in the Brentwood area. He is charged with reckless driving and battery.

I'll post it as soon as I see it.....

The Inglewood Police Department will hand out gift cards in exchange for guns on Saturday.

The "Gifts for Guns" program will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. behind the Target and Home Depot stores at 3471 West Century Blvd.

Police officers will issue a $100 gift card while supplies last to the person that brings in the weapon.

The program is designed to make Inglewood a safer community.

Participants should enter the parking lot through the entrance on Village Drive. They will be directed into the designated gun exchange area by uniformed police officers.

Police will give a maximum of three gift cards per person, but will accept additional or unwanted firearms that are brought to the exchange site.

Police issued these guidelines for safety:

• All firearms should be unloaded before being brought to the gun exchange site.
• People who drive should place their firearms in the trunk or rear compartment of the vehicle. No more than three firearms should be transported in one vehicle.
• People who walk should place their guns inside a sturdy bag, such as a gym bag or suitcase and brought to the exchange site. No more than three guns should be placed in one bag.

For more information contact the Inglewood Police Department's Community Affairs Section at 310-412-5530.

I posted a couple blog items a while back about Dr. Christopher Thompson, who was charged with trying to purposely injure bicyclists on Mandeville Canyon Road. That area isn't a part of our coverage area, but the entry drew quite a bit of interest and I've been getting emails asking what's going on with the case.

The trial began last week. Jack Leonard of the Los Angeles Times has been covering it. He's written four stories. If you haven't read them, here they are:

Story 1

Story 2

Story 3

Story 4

The retirement Friday of Torrance Superior Court Judge Bob Hight triggered some movement in the Torrance Courthouse. See if you can follow along here:

Judge Hight sat in Dept. D. on the 3rd Floor.

Dept. D, along with it's caseload, are traveling to Judge Michael Vicencia on the 5th Floor, to take over what was Dept. 1.

The old D will now become Dept. 1, where Judge Laura Ellison, who has handled preliminary hearings in Div. 3 for many years, will preside over limited jurisdiction (small civil) cases.

Judge Michael Guzman will leave his Dept. 2 bench to sit in Div. 3, and hear the prelims.

Retired Judge Francis Hourigan will return to the court on assignment in Dept. 2 to handle Guzman's previous assignment of misdemeanor criminal matters originating from Hermosa Beach, Lawndale, Lomita, Lennox and the Palos Verdes Peninsula.

Just got word from City News Service that the two people shot early this morning outside a Halloween party have died.

Still no one in custody.

Previously:

Two seriously wounded in Inglewood Halloween shooting

A Rancho Palos Verdes street was shut down Saturday afternoon while an ammunition box that a resident recovered while diving near Redondo Beach was examined, authorities said Sunday.

One item in the box, believed to be a flammable substance used in the manufacturing of methamphetamine, caused responding deputies to call arson and explosives experts to the scene, according to Sgt. Roger Digerlando of the Lomita Sheriff's Station.

The substance, red phosphorus, is used in matchbook strike plates and clandestine methamphetamine labs, according to the a Web site for the state Department of Toxic and Substances Control and Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment.

 

The resident told deputies he went diving Saturday morning and found the box floating in the ocean. He retrieved it, put it in his boat and brought to his home on Littlebow Road.

 

He examined the box's contents and found a red powdery substance, a white spoon and red clay. Believing the substances may be explosive, he contacted deputies, who responded just before 5 p.m.

 

The street was closed for a couple hours before investigators left with the box.

More from City News this morning:

While Coast Guard and Marine Corps officials search for victims of a midair collision between a search plane and a military chopper, the search also continues today for the 50-year-old man who accidentally started the tragic chain of events last week.

David Thomas Jines was at the helm of a skiff -- a small motorized dinghy -- last seen on the eastern side of Catalina Island Tuesday afternoon. He had just helped awoman boater friend re-establish her anchorage in heavy winds when he motored back towards his boat, anchored near Avalon, officials said.

That was the last he was seen. The friend reported him missing after she could not find him or the skiff at his boat or in Avalon on Wednesday.

"I know that the Coast Guard has been looking for him for awhile. They haven't stopped looking for him and neither have we," said Bruce Wicklund, a City of Avalon harbor patrol officer. "Most of the search has been on the east of Catalina Island."

Although the missing skiff was last seen east of Catalina Island, a Coast Guard helicopter searching for the boat crashed into a Marine chopper southwest of Catalina, over the ocean east of San Clemente Island. Winds were blowing in that direction from Avalon Tuesday evening.

The search ended today for seven Coast Guard aviators from the Sacramento station searching for Jines presumed lost, and the two pilots from the Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, north of San Diego. Military crews are now in a salvage, recovery and investigatory mode, officials in San Diego said today.

That means extra eyes remain focussed for Jines, who was a bit of a mystery to harbor keepers in Avalon.

"He lives on a boat out there, so we really don't know what he was doing out there," the sheriff's dispatcher in Avalon said. Jines is a 6-foot, 160-pound white male with brown hair, green eyes and a mustache, the dispatcher said.

Anyone with any information regarding Jines' whereabouts was asked to call the sheriff's Avalon station at (310) 510-0174.

We apparently reported this, but I can't find a link on our Web site. Here's the City News Service pick-up of our story:

A high school football game in Gardena was stopped in the fourth quarter Friday night when a fight broke out in the bleachers and somebody pulled a gun, it was reported Saturday.

Gardena High was losing 36-7 in a game against visiting Narbonne when the brawl broke out in the home stands, the Daily Breeze reported.

With 9:16 left in the fourth quarter, Gardena was preparing to punt when punches started flying in the bleachers. The Daily Breeze reported the fight quickly escalated into a free-for-all.

Both football teams huddled in the center of the field and, minutes later, officials called off the game. Police hustled everyone out of the area.

The game was ended, because authorities felt the spectators and the players were in danger, according to Gardena Coach Ed Lalau.

"That is not how we want to represent ourselves at Gardena High," Lalau told the Daily Breeze. "It's a shame that something like this had to ruin a great evening."

Gardena High celebrated homecoming at halftime, according to the Daily Breeze.

But on the scoreboard at the break, Narbonne was leading 29-0. The visitors then opened the third quarter with 10-play scoring drive to extend their lead.

It was unclear if anyone was seriously hurt.

From City News Service:

A man and woman were shot leaving a Halloween party in Inglewood, and the man was on life support this morning, while the woman was in critical condition.

The shooting outside a home in the 400 block of North Edgewood Street happened shortly after midnight.

The man was shot in the head and the woman in her chest, an Inglewood police watch commander told a video crew at the scene.

The condition of the victims was confirmed by Inglewood police Sgt. Freeman Smith, who said detectives had not yet determined a motive for the shooting.

Officers found several bullet casings spread over a 50-foot area outside the party, according to the video crew, but Freeman said he did not have any information on how many gunmen were involved or other circumstances of the shooting.