August 2010 Archives

A Gardena man allegedly slammed an Inglewood police parking officer into a planter when he became enraged that she was giving him a ticket, police said Monday.

Ifeakandu Chindiebere Obele, 24, and his companion, Morgan Alice LeAnna Gibson, 22, of Los Angeles were arrested Friday in connection with the alleged assault, Inglewood police Lt. Oscar Serrano said.

The confrontation occurred about 10:40 a.m. when the Special Enforcement Officer issued a parking ticket at a shopping center parking lot in the 2700 block of Imperial Highway.

The officer found an unoccupied 1994 Honda parked in a stall designated for police parking only, Serrano said.

As the officer returned to her car, Obele and Gibson approached her and asked if the citation could be rescinded.

She told them no.

Obele became extremely upset and yelled profanities at the officer, Serrano said.

After moving the Honda, Obele commandeered the officer's city vehicle and moved it.
He then walked toward her and grabbed her around the waist, Serrano said.

The two struggled. At some point, Gibson, who was sitting in the Honda, reached out and struck the officer, Serrano said.

The officer pleaded with Obele to release her, but he refused.

Fearing for her safety, she struck him in the face with her portable radio. He then slammed her into a planter, got back into his Honda and drove away with Gibson.

Police identified Obele and Gibson as suspects and arrested them at 5 p.m. when the pair drove up to Gibson's home in the Honda.

The officer was treated at a local hospital for her injuries and released.

Obele and Gibson were held at the Inglewood Police Department jail and are expected to be charged Tuesdaywith offenses that could send them to prison.

The price of the ticket was not immediately available.

Residents who call the Lennox sheriff's station for service should use a new phone number.

The number is 323-820-6700 and will be the telephone number for the Sheriff's Department's new South Los Angeles station when it tenatively opens next week, sheriff's Lt. Jeff Enfield said.

People who use the old phone number are being switched to the new building at 1310 W. Imperial Ave. in the Athens area.

Deputies are taking calls at the new station, but are still accepting visitors at the counter of the Lennox station on Lennox Boulevard.

The station, however, will be closed as soon as next week. The new station will tentatively open Sept. 7.

The new station will serve the unincorporated areas of Lennox, Athens, Del Aire, Wiseburne and El Camino Village, as well as city of Lawndale.

South Bay residents can also use the Lawndale Service Center at 15331 Prairie Ave. from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. The number is 310-219-2750.

A 17-year-old honors student charged with vehicular manslaughter in the death of a Marymount College professor in Rancho Palos Verdes will now be prosecuted in adult court.

Ho Jai Lee, also known as Jake Lee, had been facing charges since March as a juvenile, but the case was upgraded to adult court on Monday.

On Friday, Inglewood Juvenile Court Judge Wayne Denton ruled Lee was fit to be tried as an adult.

Lee, who turns 18 on Sunday, appeared in Torrance court Monday for arraignment. He pleaded not guilty to a single count of vehicular manslaughter.

If convicted, he could face six years in prison.

Prosecutors allege Lee was at the wheel of a car Dec. 20 that hit Jammel Abdelhamid Kammoun, a popular Marymount College math professor who regularly took a morning walk along Hawthorne Boulevard for exercise.

Sheriff's deputies said the boy was driving more than 80 mph when he lost control and hit the 49-year-old Rancho Palos Verdes resident near Alta Vista Drive at 7 a.m.

Kammoun was the father of three young children.

Lee, police said, was driving with two passengers down the hill.

The car rode up onto the curb and sidewalk, striking Kammoun, sideswiping at least six trees and taking out 30 feet of a 6-foot-tall block wall.

The teens were at a party the night before. Driving under the influence charges were not alleged.

Following a lengthy investigation, Lee was arrested March 12 at Palos Verdes Peninsula High School. Lee's Facebook page shows him to be a member of the 2010 class. He has a scholarship to a UC school.

Although free since his arrest, Lee must pay $50,000 bail by Sept. 1 to remain out of custody.

Four businesses in El Segundo and one in Manhattan Beach were cited for selling alcohol to minors during a sting operation, police said Monday.

Manhattan Beach and El Segundo police officers and state Alcoholic Beverage Control agents teamed on Thursday to send a minor to attempt to buy alcohol at 26 bars and restaurants.

Twenty-one refused the sale, but employees at five businesses were cited for providing alcoholic beverages to a minor, police said.

They were:

• El Torito, 600 S. Sepulveda Blvd., Manhattan Beach;
• Purple Orchid, 221 Richmond St., El Segundo;
• Marmalade Café, 2014 Park Ave., El Segundo;
• Double Tree Hotel, 1985 E. Grand Ave., El Segundo;
• The Office Downtown, 206 E. Grand Ave., El Segundo

A decoy also was sent into 17 businesses that sell alcohol in the cities. None violated the law.

Manhattan Beach currently has 117 bars, restaurants and retail stores that licensed to sell alcohol. El Segundo has 79.

A Lawndale man wielding a toy, but very real-looking pistol, was lucky to be alive Friday after three officers surrounded him in Hermosa Beach and ordered him to drop the gun, police said.

Shane Daniel Olswang, 22, came within a split-second of getting shot when officers confronted him in the 1300 block of Hermosa Avenue, Hermosa Beach police Sgt. Robert Higgins said.

"If he started to bring the gun up, you would have had three officers shoot him," Higgins said.
The gun, Higgins said, was a toy Beretta gun that shoots plastic pellets. An orange ring to indicate it was a replica had been painted black.

Hermosa Beach officers responded at 2 a.m. to a report of a man with a gun.

When they arrived in 10 seconds, they saw Olswang standing in a crowd of people.

"The suspect pulled what appeared to be a Beretta handgun from his waistband, racked the slide back, and wielded it at a citizen in a threatening manner," Higgins said.

Officers ordered him to drop the weapon, but he did not immediately comply. After repeated orders to drop it, he finally did and was arrested, Higgins said.

"All it took was him bringing the gun just up a little bit and he would have gotten shot," Higgins said. "It was a very dangerous, very fluid situation."

Olswang was arrested on suspicion of exhibiting a replica firearm and booked at the Hermosa Beach jail. He was released after posting $15,000 bail.

Higgins said Olswang pulled the gun during an argument with another man over a woman he was trying to pick up. She apparently had a relationship to the man.

"The female involved in it was so despondent we couldn't even talk to her," Higgins said. "They were concerned about getting shot by him and the resulting shootout with the police as well."

Police determined the gun was a replica Beretta 92FS pistol, a weapon commonly carried by police and the military.

Olswang is scheduled to appear in Torrance court on Sept. 28.

Police sent this photo of a gun that looks just like the one that Olswang was carrying:

He's Shane Olswang of Lawndale. I'll explain why in a bit

A Lawndale gardener who reportedly told a neighbor he was "probably gonna be going to jail" before he allegedly hacked two of his roommates with a machete was charged today with murder and attempted murder.

Carlos Arias Donis, 25, is scheduled to be arraigned this afternoon at the Torrance courthouse, prosecutors said.

Donis is accused of killing Fernando Cruz Garcia, 23, and severely injuring a 22-year-old man about 12:50 a.m. Wednesday in the 15300 block of Larch Avenue, prosecutors said.

Donis faces single counts of murder, attempted murder and aggravated mayhem with the special allegations he used a deadly weapon and inflicted great bodily injury.

He was held on $3.05 million bail.
 
The second victim remains in critical condition with injuries to his head.

Donis, who works as a gardener, was arrested in a back yard down the street.

If convicted, he faces up to life in prison.

Gang member Trevon Willis was just found guilty of attempting to kill Gardena police Officer Eric Hyde a couple of years ago. I'm working on a story.

The man killed yesterday when a roommate hacked him with a machete in a Lawndale house was identified today as Fernando Cruz Garcia. He was 23 and lived at the residence.

We are still waiting for police to release the assailant's name. We should legally have it by now, but we don't.

Two big South Bay cases are in the hands of juries.

First, a jury in Torrance has begun deliberating the fate of a man accused of trying to kill a Gardena police more than two years ago.

The case against Trevon Willis, 23, of Carson was given to the jury about 1:30 p.m.
He is accused of trying to kill Officer Eric Hyde on Jan. 9, 2008 during a foot chase.

In downtown Los Angeles, jurors also began deliberating the case of Jonathan Fajardo, who is charged with the 2006 killing of 14-year-old Cheryl Green in Harbor Gateway. He could face the death penalty if convicted.

Fajardo and Daniel Aguilar are also on trial in the slaying of Christopher Ash, an associate they mistakenly believed cooperated with police investigating Cheryl's 2006 death.

Ash was stabbed to death.

Detectives are trying to learn what happened to a man who was punched and knocked unconscious in Hermosa Beach on Sunday.

The victim's alleged assailant, William Sebastian Kanongataa, 23, of Carson, is not talking to investigators, Hermosa Beach police Detective Mick Gaglia said.

The attack occurred about 1:30 a.m. near the taxi cab stand in the 1100 block of Hermosa Avenue.

When officers arrived, a witness pointed out Kanongataa as he tried to run. Kanongataa was arrested.

The victim, who fell and hit his head on the ground, was taken to a hospital. He regained consciousness and police are working with him to try to learn what happened, Gaglia said.
The victim's name was not released.

Police released Kanongataa's booking photograph and asked anyone with information about the crime to contact Detective David Bohacik at 310-318-0330 or dbohacik@hermosapolice.org.

"We are looking for more people who might have seen something or have further information or who witnessed the actual assault," Gaglia said.

Back when I was in college, I learned in a public relations class that one person's angry or positive letter to a company was considered to represent the opinions of about 800 people.

I mean, back then -- think Reagan administration -- the writer probably had a pretty strong opinion if they took the time to sit at a typewriter, type up a letter, address an envelope, put a stamp on it, and drive to the post office and mail it.

I don't know today with population growth whether that 800 number has gone up or down, but it's certainly much easier to send off an opinion via e-mail.

I get plenty. I'll post some in the next couple days that think I'm insensitive and mean.

Every time I receive an e-mail that calls me an idiot, I think to myself, "Eight hundred people think I'm am idiot?"

But last week, I received a couple of very friendly e-mails from women wishing me the best in my new job.
 
I had suspected there might be some confusion. And these women might represent a lot of you. Like 1,600?

The shooter in Torrance has been identified as Renzo Ramon Estrella, 46.

The victim was Michael Ronald Meeker, 39.

Estrella lived upstairs. Meeker lived downstairs.

A Hermosa Beach Fire Department arson investigator has been charged with pointing a handgun at a woman in a Sunset Beach bar, prosecutors said Monday.

Darryl Lee Powers, 49, of La Palma was charged Thursday with one misdemeanor count of brandishing a firearm capable of being concealed upon a person in a public place, the Orange County District Attorney's Office said.

If convicted, Powers could face 90 days to a year in jail.

The charges stem from July 7, when Powers was off-duty and having drinks with his cousin at Turc's Bar in Sunset Beach.

Prosecutors said Powers pulled out a knife and stabbed it into the bar in front of him. The victim, who did not know Powers, was sitting next to him.

A bartender took the knife and told Powers he could not have a knife in the bar.

When the bartender walked away, Powers allegedly pulled the gun from his pocket and put it on the bar with the barrel pointing at the woman, prosecutors said.

"The frightened victim asked Powers to put the firearm away, but he is accused of leaving it on the bar," prosecutors said in a statement
.
The victim told the bartender, who called the Orange County Sheriff's Department. Powers was detained outside the bar and released pending further investigation.
.
Powers is scheduled to be arraigned Sept. 24, 2010, at the West Justice Center in Westminster.

Earlier this month, Hermosa Beach Fire Chief David Lantzer issued a statement saying he asked Hermosa Beach police internal affairs investigators to look into the matter.
Powers' status with the agency was not clear.

A murder-suicide in Torrance involved two neighbors who had been embroiled in a long-running dispute over noise that apparently boiled over on Sunday, neighbors said Monday.

The men, who lived upstairs and downstairs from each other, had each complained about the other during the last year.

"It was a noise issue between these two," said Cesar Rodriguez, general manager of the Carioca Garden Apartments in the 4000 block of 242nd Street. "We talked to both of them and told them to respect each other."

According to neighbors, the upstairs resident -- who worked from home -- complained about the downstairs neighbor's music. The downstairs neighbor became upset because the upstairs neighbor stomped around.

The Westchester man suspected of being the flasher who harassed El Segundo girls was sentenced to a year in jail after pleading no contest to two charges.

Jeffrey Freeman, 39, must also stay away from El Segundo, register as a sex offender for the rest of his life and complete five years of probation, prosecutors said Thursday.

Freeman pleaded no contest to a felony child pornography possession charge and a misdemeanor indecent exposure count on Aug. 12 at the Airport Courthouse.

He was facing 15 counts for incidents involving 16 teenage girls that began on Nov. 6, 2008.

He was arrested on March 8 by an off-duty police officer who thought he seemed suspicious and matched descriptions of the man who drove around and confronted girls with his pants down.

Imagine watching a thrilling murder mystery. Now imagine that, about half-way through, you get up and walk out of the theatre. In essence, this is what I feel like I am doing this week when, after nine years at the Daily Breeze, I am leaving the newspaper and the court beat behind.

Journalism has always been my passion and, on the court beat, I have found people and issues to write about that are really interesting, entertaining, sad, dramatic and horrific. Leaving with so many cases pending - cases relating to people I may have never met but feel compassion and sympathy for - was one of the things I considered in making this very, very difficult decision.

I think about Cori Desmond, Lauren Sarene-Key, Casie Hyde, Lynne Knight, Cheryl Green and so many others daily. My heart goes out to their grieving families, many of whom have let me share, and share in, their sorrow. I always hoped my stories would prevent further senselessness, but I really know people will continue to do wretched things to each other no matter how many stories I write.

Many of you readers have been awfully supportive over the years with your compliments and questions. I thank each of you. Many of you readers have been just awful over the years with your unwarranted criticisms, racial rants and vile, hate-filled user comments. I have nothing for any of you.

My career path is veering off course, but I feel confident that I will find fulfillment and challenge in my new endeavor working as a writer and editor for a children's advocacy agency. I believe in the justice system and I believe in the Daily Breeze. I will miss them both deeply.

Farewell, readers.

"We don't give our criminals much punishment, but we sure give 'em plenty of publicity."  ~Will Rogers

Three teenagers suspected of lighting a trash can on fire were arrested early Monday in the Hollyglen area of Hawthorne, according to the police.

Before the arrests, officers tried to speak with three people they saw walking near Isis Avenue and 142nd Street around 1:10 a.m., according to Lt. Gary Tomatani.

But two of the men immediately fled as the officers approached, Tomatani said.

One of them dropped a backpack that allegedly contained two Molotov cocktail incendiary devices and a container of gasoline, Tomatani said.

Officers from neighboring cities and police dogs searched the area for two hours before finding the two suspected of running. They came out from a residence where one of them lived and surrendered, Tomatani added.

During the search, fire officials were called to a trash can fire in the 5500 block of 142nd Place. A resident was able to extinguish the blaze.

The man who didn't run was identified as Timothy Laney, 18, of Torrance.

 The other two are a 16-year-old from Lomita and a 17-year-old from Hawthorne. Their names are being withheld because of their ages.

All three are being held on suspicion of arson and conspiracy to committ arson.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact the Hawthorne Police Department Detective Bureau at 310-349-2920.

SAN PEDRO (CNS) - A man was stabbed in a gang-related attack in San Pedro today, police said.

The stabbing at 568 W. Santa Cruz St. was reported about 2:20 a.m., Los Angeles police at the Harbor Station said. The stabbing appeared to be gang-related, but it was unclear why, the officer said.

Police withheld the victim's name, but said he should live.

About 10 minutes later in Wilmington, two men were stabbed in what police called a gang-related attack on Gulf Avenue, and one of them was listed in critical condition.

This  came over from the Hermosa Beach Police Department. This is exactly what we reporters see when they send a press release:

Suspect #1:                              Alan Howard Keith (AKA: Alan Shank)

                                              24 years old

                                                Lawndale resident

Charge:                                    459 PC-Burglary

Bail:                                          $50,000

 

Suspects #2 through #6:            Male juveniles 14-15 years old

                                                Information withheld due to being juveniles

 Victim:                          Hermosa Beach Resident

                                                Name and address withheld

Details:

On 08-13-2010 at about 6:00PM the victim returns to his residence on 4^th Court near Hermosa Avenue and discovered miscellaneous electronic and computer items missing from his residence.  The victim discovers the suspect's backpack full of his missing items inside his residence.  The victim calls the Hermosa Beach Police Department. 

A responding HBPD officer encounters suspects #1 through #6 in the victim's garage.  As the suspects are detained, Suspect Keith took off running though the neighborhood with an HBPD officer in foot chase.  The suspect is lost in the area of 200BLK of Palm Drive.  Officers from Redondo Beach, Manhattan Beach, and El Segundo Police Departments responded to conduct a canine search.  A police helicopter from the Hawthorne Police Department also responded to assist.

Suspects #2 through #6 were taken into custody without incident. 

After a 3 hour search of the area, officers were preparing to terminate the search when officers located Suspect Keith hiding between two houses.  The suspect was wearing clothing he had stolen from a nearby unsecured residence.  The suspect was taken into custody without further incident.

Suspect Keith was booked at the HBPD jail and is being held on $50,000 bail.  Suspects #2 through #6 were booked and released to their parents. 

Anyone with information is encouraged to call Detective Sibbald at (310) 318-0341.

 

An Encino man tried to blackmail a Hermosa Beach woman into having sex with him by threatening to show personal photographs of herself to her boss, police said Friday.

John Andor Folinsky, 37, was arrested Wednesday when he showed up in Hermosa Beach to meet the woman, Hermosa Beach police Detective Mick Gaglia said.

Folinsky contacted the woman earlier Wednesday on an Internet social networking site. After the woman sent him personal photos and information, Folinsky threatened to make the pictures and information public if she refused to have sexual intercourse with him, Gaglia said.

The woman reported Folinsky to police.

Detectives acting covertly arranged to meet with him at an undisclosed location.

He was arrested on susicion of attempting to commit rape using fear and duress.

Detectives searched Folinsky's home and discovered various illegal and prescription drugs that he allegedly was selling, Gaglia said.

Folinsky was released after posting $185,000 bail.

Four more women have come forward to report that a man known as a "witch doctor" in Gardena groped them, police said Thursday.

The women contacted police following news reports Wednesday about Rigoberto Padilla Carranza, 53, who runs Productos Naturales Rigo at 2210 Marine Ave., Gardena police Lt. Steve Prendergast said.

Carranza was arrested Wednesday following reports from two women who said he touched them inappropriately during treatment for back and other pain.

Gardena police publicized the arrest because they believed more victims likely existed.

Detectives were interviewing the new victims Thursday.

Carranza is scheduled for arraignment Friday at the Torrance courthouse.

A man known in the community as a "witch doctor" was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of groping two female customers at his Gardena natural foods business.

Rigoberto Padilla Carranza, 53, who runs Productos Naturales Rigo at 2210 Marine Ave., was arrested about 11 a.m. on suspicion of sexual battery, Gardena police Lt. Steve Prendergast said.

Two women independently told police they sought Carranza's treatment for back and other pain.

"His reputation is out there for being a witch doctor," Prendergast said.

Yesterday, the state Supreme Court upheld the death penalty conviction of Roger Hoan Brady for killing Manhattan Beach police Officer Martin Ganz in 1993.

I will never forget that day in 1998 when we filled the Torrance courtroom to await the jury's verdict on whether Brady would face the death penalty or life imprisonment.

The room was packed with Ganz's family members, a few members of the media, and a lot of police officers. I was in a seat toward the back. Uniformed officers from several South Bay departments filled the seats, but many stood in the back.

Judge Stephen O'Neil allowed Daily Breeze photographer Brad Graverson to stand behind him to shoot the proceeding.

When it was time to bring Brady in from lockup, the room went silent. It was like a movie. All you could hear was the shackles clanging as he walked to his chair. Totally "dead man walking."

I wrote:

"As the hearing began, the courtroom fell silent as Brady slowly walked through a hallway from his holding cell. Shackles around his legs rattled eerily with each step.

Once seated, Brady put his right hand to his face and made an obscene gesture toward a news photographer and at Judge Stephen O'Neil."

The editors had a decision that day. Do we run a photo with a guy flipping off the camera. They chose to do so because it showed so much. Instead of a big shot, however, they ran it smaller on the front page.

All these years later, let's run it larger.

You might have read my story today about the death of U.S. Army Sgt. Kyle Warren in Afghanistan.

Warren was originally from the South Bay, but most recently lived in Manchester, N.H. with his wife.

I mentioned in today's article that Warren and three friends decided to join the military at the same time in 2004 to better themselves.

I didn't realize it until just now, but the Union Leader in New Hampshire ran this photograph with its stories on Warren's death. It shows the four friends -- Josh Veverka, Justin Veverka, Ben Lacroix and Kyle Warren -- saluting for the camera. Read the editorial Continuing sacrifices: Young Americans, in service they ran with it yesterday.

Hopefully the others are safe.

A woman was arrested on suspicion of stabbing her husband to death today at a Wilmington hotel, police said.

Angelina Sevilla, 28, allegedly stabbed Luis Sevilla, 36, at the Right Step Hotel at Watson Avenue and Anaheim about 1 a.m., said Detective Lou Paglialonga said.

The husband tried to drive away, but crashed into a light pole and parked car at Anaheim and Lakme Avenue.

The stabbing occurred during a dispute. The nature of the problem was not known.
Angelina Sevilla was arrested at the hotel.

Carson Sheriff's Station Gears up for Community Night Out

Carson Sheriff's Station, in partnership with the City of Carson and the Community Advisory Committee, will host the "Community Night Out, March and Rally Against Crime and Violence," in front of Carson Station on August 11, 2010, from 6:00-9:00 PM. Carson Station is located at 21356 South Avalon Boulevard, Carson, California, 90745.

Community Night Out will feature live jazz music by "Buck's Vibe," food, local officials, children activities, the "Kid Print" program, various law and fire exhibits, highlighting the Special Enforcement Bureau (S.E.B.), and the Sheriff's Department helicopter.

The evening will commence with a ½ -mile march, with Captain Bernice Abram, city officials, faith-based organizations, local business leaders, and members of the community to show our solidarity against crime and violence in the community.

The event is in conjunction with the "27th Annual National Night Out," which involves over 15,000 communities across the country, from all 50 States, U.S. Territories, Canadian cities, and military bases worldwide.

 Admission is free. Parking will be available at the Juanita Millender-McDonald Community Center (directly across the street).

The event is sponsored by the Target Corporation, Sony Electronics, Inc., Shell, JC Flag Corporation, Double Tree Hotel, Slim Concept Weight Control, and the World of Freemasonry-Gardena Moneta Lodge #372.

A 26-year-old man allegedly stabbed another man Monday during a dispute in a Hawthorne apartment, police said.

The 19-year-old victim was reported in critical condition.

Christopher Atkins of Hawthorne was arrested shortly after the 1:45 a.m. assault in the 13600 block of Kornblum Avenue, where the men lived in two separate apartments on the second and third floors.

The victim was stabbed once in the abdomen.

Atkins was held at the Hawthorne jail on suspicion of attempted murder.

The nature of the dispute was not immediately known.

The Redondo Beach Police Department is accepting applications for its 33^rd Citizens Academy.

In 14 sessions,  participants will learn about police training, the special weapons team,  traffic enforcement, criminal investigation, the canine unit, and gangs and narcotics. Participants can go on a ridealong with a police officer.

The program, which provides residents with an opportunity to understand police operations, is aimed at creating a closer, more positive relationship between officers and the community.

Twelve sessions are held on Wednesday nights from 6:15 to 9 p.m., along with two optional Saturday mornings.

To obtain an application, go to www.redondo.org/police or contact Crime Prevention Specialist Andy Sartor at Andrew.Sartor@redondo.org or 310-318-0612.

Police released a sketch Wednesday of a man sought for tying up a store owner and robbing a Hermosa Beach jewelry store.

The sketch shows a black man, about 25 to 35 years old, weighing 230 to 270 pounds and about 5 feet 10 to 6 feet 1 inch tall.

He is wanted for holding up the Avanti jewelry store at 1200 Pacific Coast Highway at 10:20 a.m. Tuesday.

Detectives on Wednesday released more details of the crime.

Posing as a customer, the man walked into the store and asked the owner, "You guys got wedding bands?" Detective Mick Gaglia said.

He walked around the store and pulled out what was believed to be a "machine gun," Gaglia said.

"The suspect asked the store owner repeatedly, 'Where's your gold?'" Gaglia said. "The suspect then physically forced the store owner to the ground and restrained him."

A bone marrow and blood drive will be held Friday to support a Manhattan Beach police officer being treated for cancer.

The drive will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Manhattan Beach Joslyn Center auditorium, 1601 Valley Dr.

Vasquez is being treated at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles for multiple myeloma and requires blood products.

Family, friends and colleagues are calling for blood donations and asking people to register to become bone marrow donors.

Donors will receive a coupon for a pint of Baskin Robbins ice cream/
To sign up, vall Kelly Salmon at 310-701-8421 or jjsalmon@aol.com.

This just in from the DA's office:

Councilman Alarcon, wife indicted

LOS ANGELES - Los Angeles City Councilman Richard Alarcon and his wife have been indicted on perjury, voter fraud and other crimes, the result of a 15-month investigation into allegations the councilman illegally claimed a Panorama City house as his residence, the District Attorney's Office announced today.

The 24-count felony indictment was returned late Friday by the Grand Jury. It was unsealed this morning when Alarcon, 56, and his wife, Flora Montes De Oca Alarcon, surrendered and were arraigned before Superior Court Judge Peter Espinoza. The District Attorney's office requested bail set at $45,000 for Alarcon and $20,000 for his wife.
The Public Integrity Division launched an investigation after receiving a written complaint that the councilman was living at a residence outside his district, said Deputy District Attorney Jennifer Lentz Snyder, assistant head deputy of the Public Integrity Division.

A female Los Angeles gang member was sentenced to a 25-year state prison term Wednesday for the 2008 slaying of a Los Angeles International Airport employee.

Jessica Ortega, 32, must also pay $1,300 in restitution to the victim's family and $7,500 to the Victim Compensation and Government Claims Board, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Bob Bowers ruled.

Ortega pleaded no contest July 15 to one count of voluntary manslaughter and admitted gang and gun allegations, prosecutors said.

Ortega shot Samantha Padilla on April 10, 2008 when she was stopped at a traffic light after exiting the northbound Harbor Freeway at Slauson Avenue.

Padilla was on her way home from work.

That's per CNN. Having trouble getting the ruling to load myself. It's supposed to be at the court's website.

Ten Torrance residents will be honored Thursday for coming to the aid of a neighbor who was in danger of being evicted because his house fell into disrepair.

Here's my original story on this.

The Torrance Environmental Quality and Energy Conservation Commission will honor the residents with the "Pride in Torrance Award," said Linda Sheldon, a Torrance environmental quality officer.

The residents took action last month, cutting down grass and overgrown trees, cleaning the dirty interior, and making electrical and structural repairs that made the home in the 3300 blockof 187th Street uninhabitable and an eyesore.

The homeowner resident lived in the home with his adult brother, who has the mental capacity of an 11-year-old, and had let the home go for years.

Here's what Sheldon wrote in her nominating papers:

Robin Tabar: who has spearheaded a neighborhood "task force" and is a model for community pride. The occupants of the property had been uncommunicative for several years. It was necessary for staff to obtain an Administrative Warrant to check the condition of the property.

During the inspection, Ms. Tabar was able to, for the first time, communicate with her neighbor. Rather than displaying anger over his failure to maintain his property, she decided to assist. That afternoon, she and her husband helped him remove the overgrown vegetation from the parkway (which staff requested be done).

She began helping her neighbor by driving him to work (as he has no working vehicle for over a year and had been utilizing taxicabs for transportation), and wherever he needed to go. She met his brother and began looking after him, too - becoming, what appears to me, both a friend and family.

Realizing that there was more work to be done than she and her husband could handle, she contacted neighbors and asked them to help in cleaning up the property. She organized workdays for Saturday, July 17th, and 24th, to remove overgrown vegetation and trash and debris from the yards. She has been working on the interior of the residence - scrubbing the kitchen sink (which was covered in mold and mildew), removing the broken refrigerator and stove, replacing light bulbs, getting faucets repaired/replaced, disposing of trash. I'm proud to nominate this extraordinary woman for an award!

Jim Tabar: who has been by Robin's side helping throughout the past several weeks. He is a quiet person, but his actions speak louder than words.

Dan Hornback: a contractor who has been removing building violations and making repairs. He has replaced the kitchen sink faucet, and removed the extension cord which had been connected to the electrical service panel, and plans to replace the front door, as well as other unnamed projects.

Daniel & Carol Massey: Dan is a medic who has helped with property clean up and been doctoring (a resident's) leg wound - visiting as often as 3 times a day to clean and change the dressing.

James Beley: a 76-year old neighbor who came to the first workday and continues to come and work on projects on his own!

Mike and Rose Ladre: came to the neighborhood workdays and then continued to come over in the evenings, after work, to do more yard clean up. They are also trying to help get some financial assistance through low income programs.

Two additional nominees (nominated by Fire Prevention Officer Rochelle Maurer) will receive awards: Matt Massey and Mike Massey.

A Torrance resident called me the other day to let me know about a con someone tried to perpetrate on him.

The resident and his wife were asleep when their phone rang. The caller was sobbing.

"Hi Grandpa, don't get scared," the caller said.

The sobbing voice said he was in the Vancouver, B.C. jail and needed money sent to him for bail. He and his friend Steve had driven across the Canadian border to attend a concert and agents found drugs in their car.

"I was in a panic," the grandfather said. "I knew it didn't sound like my grandson, but he was crying."

And, he said, everyone has a friend named Steve.

Still, he wondered how could his grandson have driven from Redondo Beach to Vancouver in one day. He asked the caller, who said that it was possible.

The grandfather realized this was not his grandson.

The caller said he was transferring the call to the "desk sergeant." Another voice came on the line.

"I said, "What is my grandson's name?' He couldn't give it to me."

The caller provided an address to send money in Vancouver. The suspicious grandfather hung up.
 
He didn't fall for this con, but he did immediately call his grandson to make sure. And he wanted you to be aware.

A gunman tied up a store clerk and escaped with cash and gems in a robbery today at a Hermosa Beach jewelry store.

The man walked into Avanti Jewelry at 1200 Pacific Coast Highway about 11 a.m. and asked the employee to show him some items, police Chief Greg Savelli said.

The man then pulled a gun, ordered the clerk to the back of the store, and tied him up.

The robber stole $500 cash and scooped up jewelry from multiple display cases before fleeing, Savelli said.

Detectives were tallying the amount of jewelry taken.

The victim freed himself and immediately called police.The robber was last seen walking north on Pacific Coast Highway.

The robber was described as black, 25 to 35 years old, 5 feet 10 inches to 6 feet tall. He wore a dark hooded sweat shirt and dark jeans and had an unkemp Afro hairstyle.

He used a small dark colored "machine-gun" pistol with long magazine.

The victim believes another robber might have been involved.

Anyone with information about the crime should call Detective Jon Sibbald at 310-318-0341.

Chief Greg Savelli just tweeted this:

We'll get more when we can.

Armed robbery at jewelers on PCH. Suspect used automatic weapon to steal cash & jewels. Suspect is Black Male wearing grey hoody left N/B

Just got word that a jury has convicted Daryl Tamal Ragsdale of sexually assaulting and killing a Wilmington woman in 1989. It was without a doubt, one of the most heinous crimes in South Bay history. I don't think anyone would argue.

Ragsdale, 37, was convicted today of first-degree murder and a variety of other offenses for shooting Irene Franco, 28, on Dec. 15, 1989. That's her in the red.

Franco was at the drive-in in Carson with her boyfriend, Jesus Martinez, watching a movie when Ragsdale, another man and a 15-year-old boy dragged her from their car. The  beat Martinez senseless and took turns sexually assaulting Franco in front of him. They then took her away, shot her in the head, and dumped her body in a vacant lot.

She was found the next day. Martinez survived and testified during Ragsdale's trial.

The Los Angeles Superior Court jury deliberated about 20 minutes before finding Ragsdale guilty.

Ragsdale faces a minimum of 51 years to life.

Another man previously pleaded guilty.

A 28-year-old man allegedly stabbed another man to death Monday during an argument that occurred while they used drugs in Harbor Gateway, police said.

Jesse Hendricks was arrested shortly after the 5:40 a.m. stabbing at an apartment in the 1300 block of West Carson Street, police said.

Police said a group of people were using drugs at the 44-year-old victim's apartment when Hendricks and the victim got involved in a heated dispute.

Hendricks became angry, pulled out a knife, stabbed the victim multiple times and ran, police said.

Paramedics took the victim to County Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, where he died.

Detectives identified Hendricks as a suspect and arrested him a short time later.

The victim's name was not immediately released pending notification of relatives.

Anyone with information about the crime should contact detectives at 310-726-7880 or 310-726-7886.

The shooting deaths of an elderly couple in Marina del Rey last week have been determined to be a murder-suicide, authorities said today.

Harry Antler, 81, committed suicide after shooting Mary Jane Sternal, 90, at their apartment in the 14000 block of Palawan Way.

Their bodies were discovered Thursday afternoon.