January 2012 Archives

Update: They were stabbed, deputies say.

From City News Service

 A suspect in the killings of two women and the wounding
of a man was in custody after he held authorities at bay by barricading himself
inside a residence near Carson.

The man was arrested about 10 p.m. in the 21800 block of Vermont Avenue following a standoff with Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies, Deputy Mark
Pope of the Sheriff's Headquarters Bureau said.

 Following the arrest, deputies went inside the residence and found two
dead women and a wounded man whose condition was not immediately known, Pope
said.

"(Deputies) were sent out there on an assault with a deadly weapon call, a
man with a knife,'' Pope said.

Homicide detectives are piecing together details, he said.

From Redondo Beach police:

The Redondo Beach Police Department Traffic Unit will be conducting a DUI/Drivers License Checkpoint on Friday, January 27, 2012 at an undisclosed location within the city limits between the hours of 7:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m.

DUI checkpoints are a proven enforcement tool effective in reducing the number of persons killed and injured in alcohol involved crashes. Research shows that crashes involving alcohol drop by an average of 20 percent when well-publicized checkpoints are conducted often enough.

Two men have been arrested on suspicion of trying to rob a teenager at knifepoint on a Carson street, deputies said Friday.

The attempted robbery occurred Monday morning as the victim walked to school at Denwall Drive and Tillman Avenue. Two men approached him.

"One of the suspects asked the victim if he was a gang member, then pulled out a knife, pointed it at the victim, and asked if he had a cell phone, money, or marijuana," Carson sheriff's Sgt. Tina Kelley said in a statement.

Fearing he would be stabbed, the victim ran to a passing car and begged for help. The would-be robbers fled east on Denwall Drive, got into a black Chevrolet Camaro and raced away.

Once sheriff's deputies received a call, they headed toward Denwall. They found the suspects and car near Central Avenue and stopped it, Kelley said.

The victim was brought to the scene and positively identified the suspects, who were identified as Lauren Michael Young and Larry James Ballard, both 18 and from Carson.

Deputies recovered the knife. They were booked at the Carson jail on suspicion of attempted robbery. They were held without bail.

The District Attorney's Office charged Young and Ballard on Wednesday with one felony count each of attempted robbery.

When we learned the name of the young man who jumped to his death in Palos Verdes Estates yesterday, I quickly found a Facebook site that I believed to belong to him.
It was linked to his father's Facebook page, and we were pretty sure it belonged to John Albrigo.

What really drew my attention was Albrigo's last status update at 8:53 p.m. Wednesday.
It was a video of Metallica's song, "The Day That Never Comes," the lead single off the band's album "Death Magnetic."

Although the video shows a desert war scene where two Marines are hit with an explosion, band drummer Lars Ulrich told MTV that the lyrics were related to a father-son relationship.

"It's a story about human beings who don't know each other, in a particularly tense situation," Ulrich told MTV. "It could be a contemporary war setting, but it's really about forgiveness and redemption and understanding what goes on in people's minds."

A counselor who came upon Abrigo and talked to him for two hours before he jumped told the Daily Breeze that he spoke about some issues with his father.

We did not use the information in our story today. Although we were pretty sure the Facebook page belonged to Albrigo, we weren't certain. But today, a Facebook site started in his memory has the same profile photograph as his site.

While we don't know why Albrigo posted the Metallica video, here are the lyrics of "The Day That Never Comes":

Born to push you around,
Better just stay down
You pull away
He hits the flesh
You hit the ground
Mouth so full of lies
Tend to block your eyes
Just keep them closed
Keep praying
Just keep waiting

Waited for the one
The day that never comes
When you stand up and feel the warmth
but the sunshine never comes
No the sunshine never comes

Push across that line
Just stay down this time
Hide in your cell
Crawl in your shell
You'll have your time
God'll make them pay
Take it back one day
I'll end this day
I'll splatter color on this gray

Waited for the one
The day that never comes
When you stand up and feel the warmth
but the sunshine never comes

Love is a four letter word
And never spoken here
Love is a four letter word
Here in this prison
I suffer this no longer
I put it into
This I swear!
This I swear!
The sun will shine
This I swear!
This I swear!
This I swear!

Palos Verdes High School Principal Nick Stephany sent this email to parents today following the arrests of three students who allegedly broke into classrooms, hacked into computers, changed grades and stole tests.

Dear Parents and Students,

 

As some of you may have heard, over the last few weeks, we have uncovered several students involved in severe academic dishonesty.  So far, we have evidence of students stealing teachers' tests, gaining access into teachers' grade books as well as the sale of this information to other students.  I want to keep the PVHS community up to date with the developments of this ongoing investigation.

 

First, we have been working with detectives from the Palos Verdes Estates Police Department.  Criminal charges will be filed against any and all students engaged in criminal activity.  Computers and cell phones have been confiscated by the police and their contents will be very telling.

 

Second, two students implicated in this activity have already been recommended for expulsion.  One of these students was a transfer from Peninsula High School.  They are suspended from PVHS until the PVPUSD Board of Education decides if they are expelled from the district.  This should happen in the next month.  In addition, other students have been suspended for receiving stolen tests and information.

 

Third, we continue to find new information in this investigation.  It is ongoing.  For this reason, it is important not to jump to conclusions as to how wide spread this may have been.  As we find new information, we will keep staff and students up to date with pertinent developments.

 

This is a very time intensive and sensitive issue.  It is my goal to first, gather all of the facts and second, work with PVPUSD and the PVEPD to not only provide severe consequences to those involved, but also to ensure the safety and security for our physical school campus as well as our technology network.  We will continue to update the community as developments occur.

 

If any students or adults have evidence of cheating or academic dishonesty, please contact me via email as soon as possible.  Please remember information must be credible and not just hearsay.  We must be able to PROVE any allegations made.

 

Thank you,

 

Nick Stephany, Ed.D

Police released photographs today of a mugger wanted for severely beating a victim on a Torrance street, robbing him of his cellular telephone and fleeing on a bus.

The crime occurred 9:25 a.m. Jan. 17 as the victim walked at Carson Street and Border Avenue, Torrance police Sgt. Steven Jenkinson said.

the mugger ran up to the victim from behind and "violently attacked the victim by punching him on the head and face multiple times, and throwing the victim to the ground where the physical assault continued," Jenkinson said.

The mugger took the victim's phone and boarded a Torrance Transit bus.

Police obtained photographs of the man from bus surveillance video.

The mugger was described as black, 17 to 25 years old, 5 feet 8 inches to 5 feet 9 inches tall. He had a thin build, short hair and was clean shaven.

He wore black zippered jacket with a gray stripe running from shoulder to cuff, light blue jeans, and white shoes.

Police asked anyone with information to call detectives at 310-618-5599.

Police on Tuesday were working to identify a motorist's motives for asking a 14-year-old girl if she wanted a ride as she walked home from South High School.

The girl told police she was walking east on Pacific Coast Highway at 5:30 p.m. Monday and was crossing Ladeene Avenue when a motorist waiting at a stop sign called out, "Do you want a ride?" Torrance police Sgt. Steve Jenkinson said.

As the girl continued walking, the man again asked "Do you want a ride?"

The girl continued home and was not followed.

Police do not know what the man intended and said they wanted to speak with him, Jenkinson said.

The girl described the man as white, heavyset, with salt-and-pepper brown hair and a full brown beard.

The man was driving a newer four-door silver sedan.

Anyone with information was asked to call Torrance police at 310-618-2374.

A woman jaywalking across a Hawthorne street was struck and killed by a car, whose driver was arrested because she did not hold a valid license, police said Monday.

Jessica Chavez, 25, of Los Angeles died shortly after the 9:50 p.m. crash Sunday on 120th Street east of Crenshaw Boulevard, Hawthorne police Lt. Gary Tomatani said.

Police said Nataly Morales, 24, of Gardena was driving a silver Chevrolet Venture minivan when she hit Chavez, who was "not legally crossing the street."

Morales, who remained at the scene, was not suspected of driving under the influence and would not have been taken into custody until it was determined she was unlicensed, Tomatani said.

Police asked anyone who witnessed the accident to contact police at 310-349-2701.

A former Hermosa Beach man was sentenced Monday to five years in federal prison for failing to report nearly $1 million in income.

Joseph Ford Proctor, 66, failed to report money he raised from investors and wired to personal bank accounts used by his wife, who he called his "walking tax shelter," said Special Agent Linda Lowery, an Internal Revenue Service spokeswoman in Los Angeles.

During his trial in U.S. District Court in July, prosecutors said people investing in Powerhouse Studios Inc. and Powerhouse Technologies Group sent money to Brickhouse Venture Capital Limited. Proctor controlled how Brickhouse's money was spent.

In 2002, Proctor transferred $240,500 from the Brickhouse account in his wife's name to an account he held with her. He additionally wired $100,000 in his wife's name to a bank account in her name.

Powerhouse Technologies Group, Inc., which develops computer software, sued Proctor and his wife, Nataya, in 2004 and won a judgment of nearly $13 million.


In 2003, Proctor transferred another $610,000 to his wife's account.

"The funds were spent to fund the lifestyles of the defendant, his wife and their daughter," Lowery said.

Proctor did not report the $950,500 on his tax returns. Instead he reported having $5,500 income in 2002 and $7,450 in 2003, Lowery said.

He paid no income taxes in either year.

Proctor, who has been in jail since his arrest in March, testified during his trial that he believed he could take income he earned, put it in his wife's name and not pay taxes. His wife is a citizen of Thailand.

U.S. Judge George King found that Proctor obstructed justice by lying, Lowery said.

Proctor was convicted of subscribing to false tax returns for 2002 and 2003.

King sentenced Proctor to spend one year on supervised release after his prison term is done.

By Josh Grossberg

Staff Writer

Three people -- including a 2-year-old child -- were taken to the hospital Saturday afternoon when a suspected drunk driver crashed into them after a short police chase in Torrance, police said.

The incident occurred at 3:30 p.m. when a Torrance officer saw a car weaving in and out of traffic while heading west on Redondo Beach Boulevard near Prairie Avenue.

When the car turned onto Prairie and almost hit another vehicle, the officer turned on his lights and sirens, said Torrance police Sgt. Steven Jenkinson.

Instead of pulling over, the car sped away at speeds of up to 80 mph, Jenkinsonj said.

When the four-door Nissan reached Rosecrans Avenue about a mile away, it hit a two-door Toyota vehicle traveling west through the Hawthorne intersection.

Three passengers of the Toyota complained of unspecified pain and were taken to a hospital. Jenkinson did not believe they had life-threatening injuries.

Police found open alcohol containers in the Nissan and the driver was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence and for driving with a suspended license. John Tippins, 31, of Inglewood also had a warrant for DUI and for felony evading arrest.

The intersection was closed for a short time.

josh.grossberg@dailybreeze.com

Follow Josh Grossberg on Twitter at http://twitter.com/joshgrossberg

Police in Redondo Beach and Glendale are trying to identify two burglars who stole computers from schools in both cities, detectives said Saturday.

Detectives believe the men are responsible for a breaking a window to enter Mark Keppel Elementary School in Glendale on Dec. 3. The burglars stole one Apple laptop computer and an Apple desktop computer.

Two computers were taken in a similar crime at the school on Nov. 16, police said.

The men are believed to be the same criminals who burglarized Redondo Union High School on Aug. 24 and on Dec. 4.

In the latest crime, the men smashed a window to enter a classroom and took six Apple iMac computers worth $9,500. A car believed to be a silver 2011 Chevrolet Malibu was recorded fleeing the crime.

Police released surveillance photographs of the suspects and car.

The first suspect was described as black, 18 to 24 years old, wearing a green "Oregon" hoodie. His accomplice was black, 18 to 24 years old, with a thin build. He wore a gray hoodie.

The men wore the same clothes in both crimes.

Anyone with information about the men was asked to call Glendale police Detective Scott Byrne at 818-548-2097. Anonymous tips can be placed to 818-507-7867.

I'll do a longer version as the days progresses:


A Long Beach man was sentenced today to spend what likely will be the rest of his life behind bars for killing his lover's husband in Torrance 26 years ago.

Janos Kulcsar, 60, showed no visible emotion as Torrance Superior Court Judge Mark Arnold imposed the sentence of 26-years to life.

Kulcsar killed 58-year-old Archie McFarland on Dec. 9, 1985, stabbing him five times in his driveway in the 4000 block of 184th Street.

Kulcsar had carried on an affair with McFarland's wife, Mary Ann, but she had ended it and returned to her husband.

Although he was a suspect from the beginning, prosecutors did not charge Kulcsar at the time. He then resumed his relationship with Mary Ann McFarland, who told police she did not believe he was her husband's killer.

Detectives reopened the case in 2002. Prosecutors charged and arrested Kulcsar in 2009.
Jurors convicted him of first-degree murder in June.

"He s slaughtered him like a dog," Deputy District Attorney John Lewin said during the sentencing proceeding. "This is a man who has earned the sentence he is going to get. He deserves some suffering and some pain."

Mary Ann McFarland said outside the courtroom that it was time for her family and Kulcsar's family to move on.

"This whole thing has been a tragedy for both families and now it's time for healing," she said.

McFarland's son, Gary, who found his father covered with blood in the driveway said after the sentence was imposed, "Justice was served. I am stoked."

A Manhattan Beach man has been arrested on suspicion of stealing property from cars in the city, police said Thursday.

Ryan Doherty, 23, was taken into custody on Dec. 31 during a traffic stop. Officers discovered stolen property and narcotics paraphernalia in his car, police said.

Doherty, who was on felony probation for previous drug and theft offenses, was taken to jail on suspicion of possession of stolen property. He was released after he posted $20,000 bail.

A few days later, Manhattan Beach police detectives searched his home. they found suspected stolen property and more drug paraphernalia, Manhattan Beach police Officer Stephanie Martin said.

Doherty again was arrested, but was released when he posted $100,000 bail.

Two iPods recovered from his home were determined to be stolen from vehicles in Manhattan Beach in December, Martin said.

Police are working to identify more victims. Anyone with information was asked to call Detective John Nasori at 310-802-5133.

Police are searching the area surrounding the Torrance courthouse for a burglary suspect who escaped from custody this morning.

The man fled the courthouse at 825 Maple Ave. at 10:30 a.m. and was last seen running east on Maricopa Avenue, police said.

He is described as Latino, 6 feet tall, about 160 pounds, wearing a blue button shirt and dark jeans.

A helicopter is above the search. Fern Elementary and Madrona Middle School are in lockdown. Parents were notified via email, district spokeswoman Tammy Khan said.

The courthouse remains open, said county court spokeswoman Patricia Kelly. Court officials are cooperating with Sheriff's Department deputies, who have jurisdiction in the building.

"Everybody is in a highly vigilant status inside the building," Kelly said. "Everybody has been put on alert."

The comment below my story about homicide victim Cristian Alvarez stung.

"this guy seriously went through her record.... Peice off s---. Im her "brother jonathan" and she is beautifull and the best companion in life i miss my sister cristy. I love u sister see u soon."

The comment was from Jonathan Alvarez, whose sister was found dead on Jan. 2 in bushes off L Street and Hyatt Avenue in Wilmington. A few days later, I had interviewed him at the scene, where a memorial sprang up and residents were making donations to pay for her funeral.

I watched Jonathan place a cross in the blood-soaked soil where his sister died. Although Jonathan and I engaged in a cordial conversation at the crime scene, Jonathan's later anger with me was over a paragraph deep in the story, which largely focused on the brutal crime and the fact Cristy Alvarez was a mother who spent her life in Wilmington. That paragraph read as follows:

"County court records showed Cristy Alvarez was charged in July with burglary and theft. The charges, which stemmed from a Carson sheriff's station case, were dismissed without prosecution. No other details were available."

Plenty of people believe that paragraph was unnecessary and defamatory and have blasted me for it.

Louie Aguirre wrote: "What purpose does that quote serve in this story? Seriously! She's gone, she left 2 kids behind in a senseless attack and murder. Is it really necessary to bring this up?"

Said Ann Romanelli from Colorado: "Nice reporting Mr. Altman, as usual you don't fail to show what an absolute jerk you are. RIP to this poor woman and my prayers go out to her family and friends."

Another reader, Adrian Maldonado, wrote "May she R.I.P. hope they catch the sick fool that did it and DB so what if she was arrested what's that got to do with her murder she didn't deserve to die like that."

I also received a pretty anti-Semitic email.

Obviously, Cristy Alvarez did not deserve to die that way. No one does. That's why I spent 90 minutes at the crime scene on Thursday and called top ranking LAPD officials to try to get information about what happened to her. It's also why editors decided the story should appear prominently on dailybreeze.com and on Friday's front page.

The key to the Cristy Alvarez story is we don't know what happened to her and why. Was she killed by someone she knew like Lacy Peterson? Was she robbed on the way to work? Was she the random victim of a serial killer? As police investigate the crime, it's a reporter's job to ask those questions and to explore every possible angle.

Here's how I covered this case:

Supervisor Don Knabe, who represents the South Bay on the county board, writes that "84% of the children arrested for prostitution in Los Angeles County in 2010 live in the Fourth District, mostly in Long Beach and the South Bay area."

Child sex trafficking a growing concern in L.A. County

Something that looked like a bomb that washed up in the surf Sunday at Hermosa Beach was possibly a homemade fishing anchor,  police said.

A beachgoer spotted the suspicious-looking item in the waterline near 29^th Street about 2:40 p.m. and called 911, Hermosa Beach police Sgt. Robert Higgins said

Hermosa Beach firefighters and police officers decided it was suspicious enough to call the Sheriff's Department's bomb squad.

Police and lifeguards evacuated a 500-foot stretch around the item, including the beach and houses on The Strand.

The bomb squad blew up the item, but determined it was not a bomb.

"The suspicious item was several pieces of metal and a coconut duct taped together," Higgins said. "Theory is the item was a homemade fishing anchor washed up on the beach during the recent high surf the South Bay has been experiencing. "

 

A 17-year-old boy was arrested Wednesday, hours after he allegedly lost control of a sport utility vehicle, crashed into a Torrance house, and ran.

The boy was taken into custody about 2 p.m., 13 hours after a Chevrolet Blazer plowed through the house in the 2100 block of Cabrillo Avenue, Torrance police Sgt. Steven Jenkinson said.

The vehicle apparently spun out and went in backward, coming to rest about 3/4 inside the house.

The teen abandoned two passengers in the sport utility vehicle, including one who had to be cut from the wreckage, police and firefighters said.

"We forced the door open and then cut the door off its hinges," Torrance fire Capt. Bob Millea said.

Police said the driver was headed south at high speed when he lost control of the SUV, drove over the curb on the west side of the street, struck a block wall and crashed into the residence.

The crash created a 12-by-12-foot hole in the wall, firefighters said.

No one was home at the time, police said. Attempts to contact the owner were not successful.

The teen was held on suspicion of felony hit-and-run. He was expected to be taken Wednesday evening to Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall in Downey.

The passengers were taken to hospitals for treatment.

Police said SUV belonged to a relative of one of the teen driver's passengers.

Photo courtesy of Torrance Fire Department

A husband was stabbed or shot to death early Tuesday during a fight with his wife at their Rancho Palos Verdes house, investigators said.

The wife also was seriously injured during the 1 a.m. fracas at a house in the 5900 block of Flambeau Road, deputies said.

The couple's 7-year-old son and 4-year-old daughter were home at the time. Neither was hurt.
Sheriff's deputies from the Lomita station rushed to the house when the wife called 911to report a domestic dispute.

The woman and her 7-year-old boy walked out of the house when they arrived, leaving her husband and 4-year-old daughter inside.

Neighbors said deputies used a loudspeaker for 20 minutes to call out the husband, but received no response. When they entered, deputies discovered the girl inside with her father. He was dead, investigators said.

The wife suffered head trauma and other injuries that were not believed to be life-threatening.
The children were taken into protective custody.

Deputies found a handgun and a butcher knife inside the house. Investigators said the man's cause of death was not immediatley known, but referred to the case as a "stabbing death investigation" on documents released to the media.

The woman was not arrested. Her injuries were not believed to be life-threatening, a detective said.

The couple's names were not immediately released, but a babysitter provided names at the scene. Court records showed that a woman living in the residence with that name was involved in bankruptcy proceedings in Los Angeles.

The woman is a licensed registered nurse.

Her attorney did not immediately return phone calls.

Neighbors said the crime was shocking. The family rented the house several months ago.

"It's so sad to know there was a family in trouble that needed help," neighbor Melinda Barth said.

A man shot to death last week in Lawndale was identified today as a Hawthorne man.
Zachary Michael Fellows, 19, was shot Dec. 29 as he walked with a woman at 7:45 p.m. in the 4500 block of Rosecrans Avenue, investigators said.

He died at a local hospital.

Deputies said a mid-sized utility vehicle pulled up near the couple. The driver got out, confronted Fellows on the sidewalk and shot him several times. He then returned to the vehicle and drove away.

The woman was unhurt.

Sheriff's Lt. Holly Francisco said detectives were investigating whether the crime was gang-related. Fellows might have some association with a gang, but it was not immediately clear, she said.

Deputies asked anyone with information about the killing to call 323-890-5500. 

A man suspected of killing his girlfriend during an argument in Hermosa Beach is expected to appear in court Wednesday on a murder charge, detectives said today.

David Brian Abbott, 32, is suspected of killing Samantha Sproson, 38, in her apartment in the 700 block of Manhattan Avenue. Abbott lived in another apartment in the complex and was dating Sproson, police said.

Police found Abbott standing in front of the apartment when they responded to a report of an argument at 5 a.m Saturday. Sproson was found shot to death inside.

Investigators are looking into whether a 28-year-old woman found slain in Wilmington was sexually assaulted, police said today.

A passerby walking a dog discovered the woman's body in some bushes on L Street near McFarland Avenue at 5:30 p.m. Monday, police said.

Detectives from the Los Angeles Police Department's Robbery-Homicide division were assigned to the case because of the possibility it involved a sex crime, Los Angeles police Deputy Chief Patrick Gannon said.

The woman's pants were pulled down and there was "some indication she may have been sexually assaulted," Gannon said.

The woman had a cut on her neck but the cause of death was not immediately known, Gannon said.

The woman has been been identified but her name was not released pending notification of relatives, the coroner's office said.

A man walking away from a burning Christmas tree has admitted to setting it on fire, police said Monday.

 

Ivory Howard, 22, of Hawthorne was arrested about 8:30 a.m. Thursday after police received a report of someone igniting a Christmas tree on fire in the 11900 block of York Avenue, Hawthorne police Lt. Gary Tomatani said

 

A witness provided police a description of the suspect. Officers found the burning tree and Howard walking nearby.

 

"When informed by the officer that someone matching his description had been reported to police

for lighting a Christmas tree on fire, the subject ultimately admitted he had done so," Tomatani said. "The suspect was found with a cigarette lighter in his possession.

 

County firefighters put out the fire before it could spread to adjacent parked cars on the street.

 

The witness positively identified Howard as the person who set the tree on fire. Howard was held on suspicion of arson, Tomatani said.

 

Tomatani said every year trees left on the curb are set on fire.  Sometimes they are close enough to car or buildings to cause damage. Residents should immediately call 911 if they witness an arson, or call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS with information about past fires.

An Inglewood man has been arrested on suspicion of robbing a KFC restaurant in Hawthorne at gunpoint, police said Monday.

Eddie Randolph, 50, was arrested Friday as a suspect in the Thursday night robbery in the 11500 block of Hawthorne Boulevard. That followed a failed attempt to rob an El Pollo Loco restaurant at Imperial Highway and Hawthorne Boulevard, Hawthorne police Lt. Gary Tomatani said.

 

A similar vehicle description and possible license plate numbers provided to officers in both crimes led officers to Randolph's address in the 3100 block of West 112^th Street in Inglewood. Police conduct a surveillance and arrested Randolph when he got in the car and drove away.

 

Employees of both chicken restaurants identified Randolph as the alleged robber, Tomatani said.

 

Detectives are investigating whether Randolph is responsible for

additional armed robberies