A man who allegedly shot at Redondo Beach police officers as they tried stop him from firing at someone else was charged Tuesday with attempted murder.

Brayon Martinez, 29, of Lawndale, pleaded not guilty in Torrance Superior Court to two counts of attempted murder, assault on a peace officer, evading and possession of a firearm by a felon, according to Deputy District Attorney Paulette Paccione.

The attempted murder counts also carry allegations that Martinez used a firearm.

He has a prior conviction for domestic violence in 2001, according to Paccione. Court records show he was also convicted in 1999 for using violence on a spouse.

Martinez faces the possibility of life in prison, she said. He returns to court July 16.

Martinez was spotted by the officers in the 4500 block of 170th Street as they passed through Lawndale on a routine patrol Saturday night about 11:40 p.m.

He was allegedly firing a gun at a man on the sidewalk, according to the sheriff's department.
He allegedly fled in a BMW, but returned and shot at the officers, who returned fire and struck him in the arm.

Opening statements are underway in a downtown courtroom in the murder trial against Miguel Magallon, who is accused of killing Los Angeles Police Captain Michael Sparkes on a street corner near Gardena in 2004.

So far, Deputy District Attorney Darren Levine has laid out his case against Magallon, who is facing the death penalty. Magallon turned 26 today.

Before the jury was brought in, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Kathleen Kennedy said she had some security concerns. Magallon, it seems, is not behaving himself in jail. Over the weekend, he slashed a jailer who was attempting to save another inmate from being killed by Magallon and another inmate. The deputy was slashed on the hand with some kind of razor that was flushed down the toilet before the cell could be searched. Magallon will spend the trial with one leg shackled, over his attorney's objections - who said Magallon has had no problems during the three weeks it took to pick a jury.

"The defendant hasn't attacked anybody in court ... yet," Kennedy replied, raising the ire of defense attorney Victor Salerno.

Magallon, who appeared in a blue dress shirt and a shaved head, looked back over his shoulder to someone sitting in the packed courtroom audience and smiled.

Opening statements began with Deputy District Attorney Darren Levine telling the jury that, really, the case is pretty simple:

-There's a co-defendant who told the whole story to the police and during a preliminary hearing. Orvis Anthony said they set out to do a robbery and Magallon saw Sparkes riding his bicycle and wanted to "jack" him. Anthony's previous testimony will be read to the jury.

-There's the AK-47 assault rifle, recovered from Anthony's gang "stash" car ouside his Gardena residence. Ballistics, DNA and gunshot residue all tie Magallon to the military-style assault weapon used by U.S. troops in Afghanistan and Iraq.

-Before dying, Sparkes fired off 16 rounds from his handgun - hitting Magallon in the torso and "marking him for life," Levine said.

-The jury will also hear Sparkes 911 call, made as he lay bleeding on the ground after the first round of shootings and before being fired on moments later from the same suspects on the car.

"Officer down!" Sparkes yelled. "Help me, Jesus.... Come on man, they had, they killed me."

Sparkes was the head of security at County-Harbor UCLA Medical Center, and was on his way to work on his red Schwin before dawn when he was killed.

Trial will resume this afternoon with Salerno's opening statement, The guilt phase is expected to last until late next week. If convicted, there will be a penalty phase.

*Updates with correction from DA's office that he no longer works for IPD.

From the District Attorney's Office:

LOS ANGELES - An former Inglewood police officer who, while off-duty, allegedly pointed a firearm at a motorist in the presence of his children was charged with several crimes today.

Deputy District Attorney Amy Pellman Pentz of the Justice System Integrity Division said Michael Lewis Robinson, 44, surrendered today to the California Highway Patrol.

Robinson is due to be arraigned on May 15 in Department 30 of the Foltz Criminal Justice Center.

He is charged in case No. BA355864 with one count of brandishing at a person in a motor vehicle, two counts of child abuse and a misdemeanor count of resisting, obstructing and delaying a peace officer.

The charges stem from an incident on March 31, 2008, during which Robinson allegedly flashed a firearm in a threatening manner at another motorist on the 405 freeway. The defendant's two children, ages 6 and 11, were in the vehicle at the time, prosecutors said.

Robinson's bail is set at $100,000. If convicted as charged, he faces a maximum term of nine years in state prison.

Sheriff's Department is cracking down

From the District Attorney's Office:

LOS ANGELES - A former Los Angeles police officer accused of torching his 2005 BMW 745 Li, then reporting it stolen and filing insurance claim for the loss, pleaded guilty today to insurance fraud and filing a false police report that he was shot outside his home.

Anthony Razo, 49, entered the plea before Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Norm Shapiro, said Deputy District Attorney Christian Gullon with the Justice System Integrity Division.

As part of the plea agreement, Razo admitted that he falsely reported his car stolen on Jan. 4 and made fraudulent claims against his auto and homeowners insurance policies for the car and its contents. He also admitted he set the car on fire himself.

In addition, Razo admitted that he made a false police report to the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department regarding a shooting in his driveway on Jan. 31. Razo admitted that the two men whom he earlier said assaulted him and used his gun to shoot him do not exist. He admitted in court that he was alone at the time of the shooting.

Judge Shapiro sentenced him to one year in county jail, three years formal probation and ordered him to pay $5,400 in restitution to the LAPD Hollenbeck Division, which held a fundraiser to pay for medical bills. Judge Shapiro ordered him to surrender to the East Los Angeles Sheriff's Station on Thursday to begin serving his jail sentence.

In exchange for the guilty plea to one felony count and one misdemeanor count of filing a false report, four additional felony counts and one misdemeanor count were dismissed.

Razo was relieved of duty in March after the Los Angeles Police Department launched an internal investigation.

Inglewood police Officer Jeffrey LaGreek has been honored by Mothers Against Drunk Driving for his achievements in enforcing DUI laws.

LaGreek made 52 DUI arrests in 2008, more than any other officer on the
force, Inglewood police Lt. Mike McBride said.

LaGreek is a member of the South Bay's DUI task force, known as "Avoid the 100." He is an expert in DUI investigations and regularly conducts DUI training for other officers.

Inglewood made 235 DUI arrests in 2008, a 64 percent increase from the year before.

The Los Angeles Police Department will graduate 50 police officers from the academy during a ceremony on Friday.

Forty-eight officers will hit the streets of LA, one will go to work at the Port police department, and one at LAX.

The class includes 39 men and 11 women.

The ethnic breakdown: 15 white; 34 Latino; 1 Asian.
Graduating officers have completed 912 hours of training in 24 weeks.

The Los Angeles Times reports that Hawthorne Police Department didn't do such a good job investigating themselves.

A Hawthorne couple claimed Hawthorne police officers use brutal tactics while answering a loud noise complaint. Anthony Goodrow said officers broke his jaw and didn't give him proper medical treatment while his then girlfriend, Karla Goodrow, maintains she was falsely arrested.

We'll have a full report later on dailybreeze.com and in The Daily Breeze.