Recently in Threats Category

Torrance Superior Court Judge Hector Guzman explained that he was giving Elvin Worthey the maximum sentence he could because of a number of factors, including Worthy's criminal history and his "sinister" acts against a "helpless and unresisting victim."

Worthey was convicted of a slew of charges for breaking into a Torrance home, then confronting the resident who came home in the middle of the burglary. Worthey threatened the resident repeatedly with a gun, then took off with the car and valuables, including family heirlooms.

We'll have a full story, including the victim's statement to Guzman, later on dailybreeze.com.

Previous entries on Worthey are here.

Los Angeles Laker forward Luke Walton, who lives in Manhattan Beach where he owns a 

restaurant, had a nutjob stalking him.

"I'll be going somewhere, and she'll be following me everywhere I go. I'll start really driving nuts, and she's right behind me, staying with me.

 It sucks, because you figure you just go out and play basketball and you have your personal life, but then you have to start worrying about stuff like, 'I don't want to drive to my teammates' houses if she's following me, because I don't want her to know where my teammates live.'"

He told Orange County Register beat writer Kevin Ding all about it. Manhattan Beach police interceded.

  Criminal threats, especially by drunk and armed suspects, are no laughing matter. But it was hard to not lose it this morning during a preliminary hearing for a Manhattan Beach dentist, Dr. Steve Oliveira, while his lawyer questioned the alleged victim, Manhattan Beach police Officer Andrew Enriquez.

The back story, which will be fleshed out in tomorrow's Daily Breeze, basically has Enriquez arresting Oliveira one evening in July after people reported seeing him walking down Pine Avenue with a gun in his pocket. Oliveira was, in his attorney's words, "dead drunk" at the time. In addition, he was allegedly driving a truck with two loaded guns in the front seat. Enriquez transported him to the station and attempted to perform five field sobriety tests and then some Breathalyzer tests. At some point, Oliveira grew angry with Enriquez, said he's gonna "pop" him and clenched his fists. Enriquez described struggling with Oliveira, then sending him to the drunk tank.

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.

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.

From police reports:

09-06-08 (Saturday)

• On 09-06-08 at approximately 12:38 a.m., Redondo Beach officers were dispatched to 239 N. Harbor Drive (On The Rocks) regarding a group fight in progress. Officers were separating the crowd when an officer contacted a male subject who was intoxicated.

The intoxicated suspect refused to comply with commands. When the officer attempted to arrest the suspect his two sisters interfered. One of the suspect's sisters grabbed the officer's right arm while the other attempted to put her arms around the officer's neck. Several other officers then took hold of the two sisters and took them both into custody. The male suspect continued to resist arrest and was taken into custody after being subdued by a Taser.

• On 09-06-08 at approximately 2:00 a.m. the Inglewood Police Department requested mutual aid. The request was for a K-9 unit and additional officers to assist with containment. An Inglewood patrol officer had observed a group of gang members walking down the street and one of them was armed with a rifle. The gang members fled from the officer in a nearby vehicle, except for the armed suspect who fled on foot down an alley. The officer established containment and a Redondo Beach K-9 Officer was sent to assist along with two other officers.

The three Redondo Beach officers were used as a search team. Of the four K-9 search teams that responded it was the Redondo Beach K-9 search team that located the rifle. At approximately 5:00 a.m. the search for the suspect was called off with negative results.

• On 09-06-08 at approximately 12:46 p.m., an off-duty Redondo Beach sergeant observed a male Hispanic adult write graffiti MS-13 and LA MARA SALVATRUCHA 13 on a bus bench. The sergeant contacted dispatch and provided the information. A patrol officer responded and arrested the suspect.

• On 09-06-08 at approximately 6:09 a.m., Redondo Beach officers responded to assist the fire department on a structure fire at 615 Emerald. When officers arrived an attached garage was fully engulfed and everyone had already exited the residence. Officers remained on-scene to assist with traffic control efforts.

This is a true story:

We got a phone call a little earlier this morning from someone at Associated Press asking us if we could send a photographer to LAX, where there was a report of an "explosion on a bus."

Explosion at LAX? On a bus? Could this be terrorism?

We all jumped into action. Photographer Robert Casillas grabbed his camera and took off for the airport. I immediately got on the telephone and called LAPD and tried to get through to the Fire Department. (no one answered.) There was little information to be had.

City News Service, an organization that supplies info to the media, put out an advisory about an "explosion" at the airport. Channel 7 on the TV above me started flying over the airport while talking about an explosion.

Art Marroquin, our ace LAX reporter, finally got in touch with his sources at the airport. It turned out that some clumsy traveler had knocked over a fire extinguisher while getting on a bus and caused it to discharge all over the roadway.

That caused a massive traffic jam because Haz Mat crews had to clean it up.

When we learned what it was we all shook our heads. There was no explosion. Maybe a bang.

Makes you wonder if the terrorists have already won.

Here's the story posted on dailybreeze.com

Here's the press release from Manhattan Beach PD on what happened today at Target:

Date of Crime Aug. 25, 2008

Location: Target Store, 1200 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Manhattan Beach

Suspect: Unknown Female Caller

On Monday, Aug. 25, 2008 at 1:36 p.m., an unknown female caller called the Target Store located at 1200 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Manhattan Beach and told an employee there was a bomb in the building.

Manhattan Beach police responded and contacted the store manager, who pursuant to company policy requested the store be evacuated. Customers and employees were evacuated from the building and surrounding area.

A search of the store was conducted by store employees and Manhattan Beach police, however no bombs or suspicious packages were found.

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