Recently in Attempted Homicide Category

A man accused of shooting his father three times in Gardena was charged Tuesday with attempted murder, according to prosecutors.

Albert Almaraz, 35, made his first appearance in Torrance Superior Court on Tuesday afternoon, but his arraignment was postponed until June 9, according to Deputy District Attorney Jodi Link.

He is also facing special allegations that he caused great bodily injury and used a firearm during the shooting Friday at the family's flower shop, Link added.

He remains jailed on more than $2 million bail, Link said.

Michael Norris, said his client was concerned about his father.

"The police believe my client discharged a firearm during the incident," Norris said. "However, in my investigation to this point, I have not been able to locate any witnesses to support that assumption by the police."

Almaraz allegedly shot Robert Almaraz, 67, during a dispute involving family problems at Colors Flowers and Gifts at 1858 Marine Ave., police said.

The elder Almaraz was shot three times and is expected to survive.

A gang member was convicted on today of five counts of attempted murder for shooting into a car full of people in Hawthorne. The Airport Courthouse jury deliberated about a week before finding Edgar Mejia, 30, guilty of all the charges and allegations that the shooting was gang-related and involved guns.

The jury is still deliberating on the same charges against co-defendant Carlos Carcamo, 33.
The Inglewood gang members are accused of shooting into a Cadillac carrying four adults and a toddler on July 5, 2004, in the 11800 block of Truro Avenue.

The perpetrators led police on a pursuit, then ran on foot. Mejia was arrested a short while later hiding in a nearby apartment.

Mejia will return to court Dec. 9 for sentencing. He is facing multiple life terms in prison.

John Christopher Mielke, 31, of Redondo Beach is in custody.

This is John Christopher Mielke, 31, of Redondo Beach. He told police he would turn himself in, but hasn't so far.

He's wanted for allegedly stabbing his girlfriend on Saturday night. Police say he got upset, hit her, grabbed a knife from the kitchen, threatened to kill her and stabbed her in the arms and legs.

She ran to neighbors for help and will be OK.

These photos are from Mielke's very own MySpace page.

He's 6 feet 2, 190 pounds and has blond hair and blue eyes.

He drives a 1995 Ford Explorer with the California license plate number 6AIV728.

If you see him, call 911.

Out. Of. Control.

That's the only way to describe Judge James Dabney's courtroom Friday morning as Matthew Fletcher, a Long Beach criminal defense attorney well-known for his bullying tactics and clashes with judges, cross-examined an informant who was attempting to implicate his client in a Hawthorne gang-related shooting.

Things got especially heated when Dabney decided to read to the jury the plea deal prosecutors made with the informant, Anthony Cabrera, in exchange for his testimony against two others for the July 5, 2004, shooting. Fletcher continued to interrupt Dabney with objections, arguing that the deal shouldn't be read in the middle of his cross-examination. The attorneys and Dabney continued a heated argument before the jury, speaking over each other and yelling. Several times, the exasperated court reporter shouted: "One at a time!"

When Dabney offered a follow-up, clarifying question to one of Fletcher's, Fletcher told Dabney: "Can I please ask my own question?" During these repeated exchanges, the judge would throw up his hands in aggravation and the prosecutor could be seen looking up to the ceiling and sighing.

 

Charges were dropped Friday against a Hermosa Beach man accused of stabbing another man in the back during a fight on The Strand.

Michael Arthur Cody, 20, was scheduled for a preliminary hearing in Torrance Superior Court, but the alleged victim did not show up to testify. When the prosecutor said she could not proceed, Judge Laura Ellison granted Cody's motion to dismiss the case.

Cody, son of Easy Reader publisher Kevin Cody, was charged with attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon and an allegation that he used a deadly weapon. The 23-year-old victim was stabbed twice in the back during a fight at 2 a.m. on Aug. 17 at The Strand and Pier Plaza, according to the police.

Redondo Beach police tell us what they've been up to:


Monday 09/15
12:00 hrs - Torrance Police requested assistance from adjacent agencies for containment of a stolen vehicle suspect that had just fled from them on foot. One of the RBPD units that responded was a K-9 unit and the K-9, Dak, was eventually utilized for a building safety search. Dak discovered the suspect hiding under a desk, seized and held him for officers. Suspect was booked by Torrance Police on suspicion of vehicle theft and related charges.

19:06 hrs - A twenty-eight year old female committed suicide by hanging herself over the edge of a railing at her home on Avenue "A." She was discovered by her mother, who called 911. Paramedics attempted to revive her with negative results. She was transported to Little Company of Mary where she was pronounced deceased.

Wednesday 09/17
00:42 hrs - A vehicle that was described by witnesses as being involved in a purse-snatch robbery at the Galleria last week was observed by Sheriff Deputies in the City of Lennox. Deputies detained the juvenile occupants of the vehicle and notified RBPD. We took custody of the juveniles and impounded the vehicle. One of the juveniles, a female, admitted to involvement in the Galleria robbery to the interviewing officer. She was detained and transported to a juvenile detention facility. This juvenile was also wanted for a previous robbery by another jurisdiction. The investigation continues.

Thursday 09/18
23:42 hrs - Officers were dispatched to a fight involving 2-3 subjects fighting inside of Old Tony's. Officers arrived in the area and contacted one of the subjects as he was leaving the pier on foot south bound on the bike path. As officers were talking to the detained subject, the suspect's brother approached in an aggressive manner. He was ordered several times to stay back. The subject refused to back away and instead pushed against one of the officers.

Officers attempted to take him into custody and he became combative. He was ultimately Tased so that he could be controlled. A third subject approached officers, this time a female, the girlfriend of the first subject detained. She began yelling at officers and interfering. She was ordered several times to back away, but refused.

The female then threw her shoes at one of the officers and kicked towards her. This subject was then Tased and eventually taken into custody. The arrested female continued to be uncooperative even while in RBPD jail and had to be restrained. She was secured in a sobering cell for her safety. When it was later discovered that she was bleeding from abrasions on her arm and hands, paramedics were requested. Paramedics examined her and determined that medical attention was not required. Felony vandalism charges were later added to her booking when it was discovered that she had torn away a large area of padding from the interior of her cell.

You gotta be a pretty bad guy if your name appears on the same list as Osama Bin Laden. That's the case with Emigdio Preciado Jr., who's on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list. He's wanted for allegedly trying to kill two sheriff's deputies in Whittier in 2000.

He's known as "The Dancing Fugitive" because they found video of him dancing. He's a gang member known as "Junior," "Trigger," "Spooky," and "Snyper."

FBI officials believe he's most likely in Mexico, so they've put up a wanted billboard at the border. They think about 175,000 people will see it every day as they cross.

Here's the wanted flier and the dancing video.

Click below for the FBI's press release:

A San Pedro man was arrested and is facing attempted murder charges for a fight at a Redondo Beach bar last week that left a 23-year-old man in a coma.

John Penna, 30, was arrested Wednesday and charged Friday with assault and attempted murder, according to Redondo Beach police Sgt. Shawn Freeman. He's scheduled to make his first appearance today made his first court apperance today in Torrance Superior Court, and pleaded not guilty to the charges. He is being held on $30,000 $750,000 bail. He has a criminal record, but Freeman declined to comment on it's details.

Freeman said witnesses picked Penna out of photographic line-ups. Police believe Penna is the man who threw one punch at Matthew Klaus just before 1 a.m. on Sept. 12 during an argument at Brixton on the Redondo Beach pier. The hit threw Klaus, a Lawndale man, backward down several flights of stairs. He hit the back of his head and suffered multiple skull fractures and bleeding in the brain. He remains in a medication-induced coma at the intensive care unit of Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, according to family members.

It's still not known what the fight was about, Freeman said. Police plan to post fliers around the pier this weekend, hoping more people will come forward to talk about the incident, he added. Anyone with information about it is urged to call Detective Fabian Saucedo at (310) 379-2477, ext. 2481.

Previously: RB bar fight leaves Lawndale man in coma

Here's what the police sent me to let me know what's the haps in Redondo Beach.

09-08 (Monday)/ 4:50 a.m.
Location: 1200 block of Aviation Boulevard
Officers responded to an alarm call and observed signs of burglary activity. Removed was the mailbox slot to the front door of the business. Window and sliding door found to be off track, with several desks ransacked and rummaged. Search of the premises ended in negative results for a suspect. The investigation is related to the following entry.

09-08 (Monday)/ 7:30 a.m.
Location: 1300 block of Clark Lane
While processing the scene, in the aforementioned entry, a citizen contacted officers regarding an individual hiding in a yard south of the location. This individual was watching the officers. Containment was launched. Officers located a bench, which appeared to have been dragged, from the front of a crawl space. Dirt had been disturbed, and footprints were present indicating ingress underneath the structure. An announcement was made and a police canine was deployed. The police dog located a suspect hiding. The suspect (adult) incurred a minor dog bite, and was transported to Torrance Memorial Hospital for medical attention. The suspect was linked to several commercial burglaries in the area, including one in the City of Hermosa Beach.

09-09 (Tuesday)/ 12:48 a.m.
Location: 631 Vincent Park - Redondo Union High School
Unknown suspects (two) start a fire atop the composite file north of the football field. They fled the area on foot. No structural damage occurred. A joint investigation continues by the Redondo Beach Police Department Investigations Division and the Redondo Beach Fire Department Arson Unit.

09-10 (Wednesday)/ 11:07 a.m.
Location: 631 Vincent Park - Redondo Union High School
Transferred call, from another law enforcement agency, stated: "There is a bomb at the end of the Pier." Three (3) separate searches fostered negative results in locating any device. The investigation continues.