A 17-year-old North Hollywood girl who died after being shot and abandoned at a local hospital last month was suspected of participating in a botched car burglary, investigators said Friday.

The new information comes a day after officials announced that two men suspected in the death of Darlene Robles were arrested and charged with her murder and second-degree burglary of a vehicle.

Michael Gonzalez, 24, of North Hollywood, was arrested April 16 at 11:30 a.m. at his home, according to Det. Robert Bub of the Los Angeles Police Department's Van Nuys Division.

Alejandro Aguirre, 26, of Sun Valley, was arrested April 26 when he appeared in court in Lancaster on an unrelated charge, Bub said.

Both men pleaded not guilty to murder and second-degree burglary of a vehicle and are due back in court on May 25 for preliminary hearing setting.

Police were originally looking for three suspects who were caught on surveillance footage on April 6 at Kaiser Permanente hospital in Panorama City, where they left Robles in the emergency room. She later died of a gunshot wound.

In the footage, an SUV pulls up to a hospital entrance and drives away as a man and woman push Robles into the emergency room in a wheelchair.

Aguirre, the suspected gunman, is believed to have driven the SUV to the hospital, where he got out pushed Robles into the ER. Gonzalez is believed to have driven the SUV away, Bub said.

Robles was shot in Sherman Oaks, according to the coroner's office.

Robles, Gonzalez and Aguirre, along with the unidentified woman, were trying to steal a car when the car's owner confronted them, Bub said. It was unclear if Aguirre allegedly fired a warning shot or intended to hit the burglary victim, but the shot struck Robles, Bub said.

Investigators do not have enough evidence to put together a case against the woman, but the investigation is ongoing, Bub said.

Alexander Brooks is seen in a recent photo on his computer monitor that sits with his recording equipment in his room. Brooks,19, was killed in a hit-and-run accident Monday night just around the corner from his home. Brooks was interested in producing hip-hop music and often recorded his friends in his bedroom that has a makeshift studio in a hallway leading to a rooftop deck. | See photo gallery. (John McCoy/Staff Photographer)

MISSION HILLS -- Alexander J. Brooks wanted to be an organ donor.

A year ago, the then-18-year-old Mission Hills resident told his fraternal twin brother: If I'm gone and I can't use my organs, I'd rather somebody be able to use them.

That was the kind of young man that Brooks was developing into, his family said, before he was killed by a hit-and-run driver Monday in Mission Hills.

Brooks, 19, was pronounced dead at Providence Holy Cross Medical Center after he was struck while crossing the street around the corner from his own home.

And in the end, his wish to become an organ donor could not be fulfilled.

Forty minutes after Brooks died at the hospital, his family gave permission for his organs to be harvested. Several hours later, they learned that police were not allowing the operation, citing an ongoing investigation.

The opportunity for the James Monroe High School grad to be a donor had passed.

It was disappointing, his family members said.

"But it certainly speaks to the type of person he is - was - and his gentleness," said Olivia Walker, Brooks' grandmother. "He was an amazing young man."

Brooks, who was studying business at Los Angeles Mission College in Sylmar, was crossing the street at an unmarked crosswalk at Langdon Avenue and Lassen Street at about 10 p.m. He was heading home after visiting a friend with whom he recorded hip-hop music.

Brooks was almost there - the condo that he shared with his mother and two brothers was just around the corner.

Then, a driver headed west on Lassen struck Brooks so hard that the pedestrian was propelled 50 feet into oncoming traffic, where he was struck again by another vehicle. The first driver took off. The second driver stopped and called police.

Neighbors, who reported hearing a loud crash, could only describe the vehicle as a black sedan, with possibly some front-end damage from the impact.

His death was at least the third hit-and-run fatality reported this year in the San Fernando Valley, according to Officer Karen Rayner of the Los Angeles Police Department. As of last week, there had been 1,968 hit-and-runs in the Valley since January, down 15 percent from the same period last year.

Brooks, who family members called "Allie," and "momma's boy," was an aspiring hip-hop artist who had spent the last summer living in a recording studio producing tracks in Northern California. He was self taught in piano, drums and guitar and learned through trial-and-error how to connect mixers and synthesizers to the computer.

He also converted a stairwell leading from his room to the rooftop into a recording studio measuring just two-feet by three-feet wide by plastering the walls with cardboard cupholders from McDonald's, egg cartons and mattress pads. He'd charge $25 for each track he produced.

"He'd say, `I'll make it work to my advantage'," said his aunt, Shawn Johnson, adding that Brooks was even able to stylize the thick glasses he had to wear because of vision problems. "That was typical Allie."

Friends often crowded eight to 10 deep as he laid out tracks in his room, surrounded by walls neatly covered with Brooks' own graffiti-style drawings, magazine covers of hip-hop and rap artists, and a math achievement award from James Monroe high.

"Allie was such his own man that people gravitated towards him," said Johnson.

"He trusted everybody," Jones said. "He was just that open, just that big-hearted."

Brooks had just completed his freshman year at L.A. Mission College and was about to start at the Musicians Institute College of Contemporary Music in Hollywood in the fall.

Although he hadn't yet decided on a stage name - he sometimes used Yung Apaco, Soul Child, Allie Boy, AB2 - he had grabbed the attention of some music producers, such as those for rapper E-40. By last year, he had already produced and recorded his first song, "Never Fall," for which he had also written the lyrics.

Following a piano intro, Brooks sings about being raised single-handedly by his mother, a talent agent, and his father, who he had just begun reconnecting with in the last year.

"Ya'll ever wonder? If you were to have one parent in your life, possibly no parents in your life?" Brooks lamented. "Sometimes that happens. That one person you love may be gone."

For Aaron Brooks, Alexander's younger twin by 30 minutes, the feeling was all too fresh. He changed the screensaver on his phone to his twin's picture, sometimes staring at the photo, shaking his head and then breaking down.

"I hurt so bad in my heart," Aaron Brooks, who is deaf, wrote in texts and online. "I miss my brother. I lost my best friend."

The family plans to start a musician's scholarship in Brooks' name.

"Helping someone, that was his heart," Walker said. "That's what Allie would have wanted."

Anyone with more information is asked to call Valley Traffic Division detectives at 818-644-8020.

Anyone wishing to remain anonymous should call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS or text 274637. Tips leading to an arrest can earn up to $1,000.

Hip-hop artist Alexander Brooks' MySpace page (with links to "Never Fall" and other music)

Photo (right): Aaron Brooks,19, is comforted by his older brother Stefon Morgan, 21, as they sit in their brother Alexander's bedroom. (John McCoy/Staff Photographer)

By Troy Anderson, Staff Writer

Los Angeles County Coroner's Office employees don't feel safe at the morgue and say managers are not fair when it comes to issuing take-home vehicles and work assignments, according to an audit released Thursday.

The 132-page report, by Washington State-based firm Strategica Inc., found a host of management problems that, if not corrected, could result in autopsy backlogs, threaten the department's accreditation and jeopardize law enforcement's ability to investigate and prosecute homicide cold cases.

Read the full story at The L.A. Daily News.

(FBI)

A female bank robber that authorities have dubbed the "Starlet Bandit" struck at two San Fernando Valley banks on Thursday, bringing her total number of heists to 10 since March, according to the FBI.

The woman approached a teller at Chase Bank in North Hills, 9154 Sepulveda Blvd., at 9:32 a.m. with a note that said: "Give me all you have, no dye packs," said Laura Eimiller, FBI spokeswoman.

She also threatened to harm customers if the teller did not comply with the demands, Eimiller said.

A little more than an hour later, at 10:47 a.m., Eimiller said the same woman approached a teller at Citibank in Woodland Hills, 21945 Erwin St. with a note that read: "Put all the money from your drawer in the bag, no dye packs. Do not step away from the counter or I will harm customers. Thanks."

The woman was described as "chunky" or "chubby," in her late 20s or early 30s, with a light complexion and blonde hair worn up. She was also described as having a red ponytail with blonde highlights.

In surveillance footage released by Citibank, she was seen wearing her signature large black sunglasses. She was wearing an Ecko Unlimited brand T-shirt under a zippered hooded sweatshirt and carrying a cell phone and black purse.

The heists came just two days after the woman robbed a Citibank in Granada Hills, 16800 Devonshire, at 10:00a.m. Tuesday. A teller was passed a note that read similar to other robberies. No weapon seen, but the robber threatened to harm customers, Eimiller said.

The Starlet Bandit is now believed to be responsible for 10 robberies including banks in Van Nuys, Hollywood, Mission Hills and Palmdale. Of that number, eight occurred in the last 10 days.

Witnesses in previous robberies described the robber as a white female, between 5'5 to 5'7 tall and weighing between 140 and 170 pounds, according to the FBI.

She was seen wearing the black sunglasses, baseball cap, beige hooded sweater and jeans, and was carrying carrying a handbag and a cell phone with glitter or jewels on it.
She left the banks in a white Toyota Avalon with an unknown male driver, according to the FBI.

Anyone with information as to the whereabouts of the Starlet Bandit is urged to contact the FBI at 310-477-6565 or the LAPD at 1-877-LAPD-247.

Anyone wishing to remain anonymous should call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS or texting 274637. Tips leading to an arrest can earn up to $1,000.

Previous robberies:

• 03/25/2008 - Bank of America, 7800 W. Sunset Blvd, Hollywood


• 07/22/2008 - Bank of America, 7255 Woodman Ave, Van Nuys


• 04/19/2010- Bank of America, 7255 Woodman Ave, Van Nuys


• 4/21/2010 - Bank of America, 7800 W. Sunset Blvd, Hollywood


• 04/21/2010 - Chase Bank, 10348 N. Sepulveda, Mission Hills


• 04/23/2010 - Bank of America, 839 E Palmdale, Palmdale


• 04/23/2010 - Chase Bank, 10348 N. Sepulveda, Mission Hills

By Troy Anderson, Staff Writer

Child homicides in Los Angeles County soared 31 percent and suicides jumped 70 percent from 2007 to 2008, a troubling trend that experts say may be a consequence of the economic downturn.

The annual report released today by the Inter-Agency Council on Child Abuse and Neglect said 34 children were killed by parents, relatives or caregivers in 2008, compared with 26 the previous year.

Suicides among local youths jumped from 10 to 17.

The ICAN study period coincided with the mortgage meltdown, leading to the collapse of the real-estate market and triggering a deep recession. Some experts suggested a link between money troubles and increased violence against children.

BY THE NUMBERS

34 Child homicides, L.A. County, 2008, up by 31 percent from the prior year

26 Child homicides, L.A. County, 2007

17 Child suicides, L.A. County, 2008, up by 70 percent from the prior year

10 Child suicides, L.A. County, 2007

Read the full story at The L.A. Daily News.

Jose Aldana, left, and Winder Barrios, both 24-year-old Van Nuys residents, escaped Wednesday, April 28, 2010, from the North County Correctional Facility in Castaic. (Los Angeles Sheriff's Department)

Two inmates who escaped from the North County Correctional Facility near Castaic early Wednesday were captured 16 hours later, according to the Los Angeles Sheriff's Office.

Jose Aldana and Winder Barrios, both 24 and from Van Nuys, had escaped from the prison shortly after 1 a.m. from a loading dock area, according to Steve Whitmore, spokesman for the sheriff's office.

They were caught around 5 p.m. after a resident reported being approached by two males asking for clothing at Commerce Center Drive and Hasley Canyon Road, Whitmore said.

Sheriffs responded to the area and found them hiding in a metal storage container. They were arrested without incident and additionally charged with escape from a custody facility, according to officials.

USC bomb threat came from psychiatric ward, police sources say
From the L.A. Times - A bomb threat at USC that shut down a part of campus turned out to be a hoax by a caller from the psychiatric ward at County-USC Hospital.

The caller had apparently reported various crimes earlier in the day, the sources said. He finally got the attention of authorities when he reported a "nuclear weapon" at the USC campus.

Wilson High students deny witness intimidation charges in Melody Ross case
From the Long Beach Press-Telegram - LONG BEACH - Two Wilson High School students on Wednesday denied charges that they tried to intimidate a witness in the murder of a classmate after the 2009 homecoming game.

The girls, who have not been identified because they are minors, are accused of trying to intimidate witnesses who testified on April 15 and 16 in the preliminary hearing for two local gang members accused of killing 16-year-old Melody Ross, a Wilson honor student, at the end of the high school's homecoming game last October.

Police officer sentenced for 3 DUIs
From the Orange County Register - WESTMINSTER - An Anaheim police officer was sentenced to 10 months in jail Wednesday after pleading guilty to three misdemeanor counts of driving under the influence of prescription drugs.

Kevin Noel Schlueter, 37, of Costa Mesa, must serve six months in a residential drug treatment facility as a condition of his sentence handed down by Superior Court Judge Michael Cassidy. He was also placed on five years of informal probation and ordered to attend a multiple-offender alcohol program.

Pomona middle school burglarized, computers and money stolen
From the L.A. Daily News - POMONA - Authorities today were investigating a burglary at a Pomona middle school in which computer equipment and about $1,000 raised by students was taken, according to police and broadcast reports.

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From Daily News wire services:

Police today sought an attempted kidnapping suspect who tried to kidnap a woman as
she walked to her car in an apartment complex parking lot in Reseda.

The kidnapping attempt occurred at 4:20 a.m. in the 17900 block of Sherman Way, according to police.

A man approached the woman from behind and covered her mouth with his left hand, according to an account from the victim related by a police officer.

As the man struggled with the suspect, he dropped a white T-shirt that he had been holding in his right hand. When he tried to pick up the shirt, the woman escaped and the man ran.

The suspect was described as a Latino in his early 20s between 5 '5 feet tall and 5'10 inches tall.

Police asked anyone with information to call Det. Ed Page or Det. John Doerbecker at 818-374-7700.

Anyone wishing to remain anonymous should call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (800-222-8477). Tipsters may also contact Crime Stoppers by texting to phone number 274637 (C-R-I-M-E-S on most keypads) with a cell phone. All text messages should begin with the letters "LAPD. Tips leading to an arrest can earn up to $1,000.

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Three gang members have been arrested after an 18-year-old student was stabbed at R. Rex Parris High School in Palmdale earlier today, according to the Palmdale Sheriff's Station.

The student had been sitting on a planter in front of the school, at 38801 Clock Tower Plaza Drive, when he was approached by three males at about 11:20 a.m., said Deputy Robbie Royster.

The student and men had a verbal altercation when one of the men stabbed him in the torso, Royster said. The student fell backwards and kicked at the man, who stabbed him two more times in the legs, Royster said. The suspects then fled on foot.

Sheriffs set up a containment area and the school was sent into lockdown as police searched for the suspects. The men were found in a car several blocks away at Carolside Avenue and Avenue P5, Royster said.

It was unclear what the relationship was between the student and the men.

The student was transported to a local hospital, where he is expected to recover from the non-life threatening wounds, Royster said.

No other injuries were reported.

Officials at the school declined to comment when reached by phone, citing the involvement of minors.

Anyone with more information is asked to contact Det. Richard O'Neal at 661-272-2400.

Anyone wishing to remain anonymous should call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (800-222-8477). Tipsters may also contact Crime Stoppers by texting to phone number 274637 (C-R-I-M-E-S on most keypads) with a cell phone. Tips leading to an arrest can earn up to $1,000.

A Glendale man was sentenced Wednesday to more than seven years in jail after he was convicted of heading a smuggling operation that snuck more than 370,000 cartons of cigarettes into California to avoid paying the state's cigarette tax.

The cartons were purchased by Avedis Djeredjian, 41, and others through several fake businesses, but Djeredjian only bought enough California tax stamps from the state Board of Equalization for 2,040 cartons. The stamps are required by law to be placed on each individual carton to show that that taxes have been paid before they can be sold.

The scheme, which spanned 3 1/2 years, ultimately prevented California from collecting than $3.2 million in tax revenue, according to George Holding, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina.

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Helicopters circled the sky for several hours as police swarmed a North Hills neighborhood where a possible officer-involved shooting was reported this morning, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

Neighbors reported that about 15 gang members had gathered in the 15500 block of Chase Street shortly before 10 a.m. to spray graffiti, and that shots had been fired after police arrived, said Richard French, LAPD spokesman.

Two people were taken into custody and it remained unclear if they were going to be charged, according to French.

No injuries were reported.

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A pedestrian killed by a hit-and-run driver in Arleta on Tuesday was identified today as Alexander Brooks, 19, of Mission Hills.

Brooks was fatally injured at about 10 p.m. Monday at Lassen Street and Langdon Avenue, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The vehicle was believed to have sustained front-end damage and was described only as black, according to authorities.

Signs along the I-5 in Castaic on Wednesday, April 28, 2010, warn motorists not to pick up hitch hikers after 24-year-old Jose Antonio Aldana and 24-year-old Winder Estuardo Barrios, both of Van Nuys. escaped from the North County Correctional Facility in Castaic, where they were in jail for armed robbery. (Hans Gutknecht/Staff Photographer)

From Daily News wire services:

CASTAIC -- Two inmates due in court this morning escaped from the North County Correctional Facility near Castaic, authorities said.

Jose Aldana and Winder Barrios, both 24 and from Van Nuys, apparently escaped from a loading dock area about 1 a.m. at the jail complex at 29340 The Old Road, said Steve Whitmore of the Sheriff's Headquarters Bureau. They were discovered missing about two hours afterward, Whitmore said.

"They were on a work crew together at a kitchen dock where trucks come and go," Whitmore told ABC7. "It's a secure area. But we believe that they may have planned this -- we're relatively convinced of that. And then at 3:15, the wristband count revealed that they were missing."

Both men were wearing light-green jail clothes.

Whitmore said the men were armed robbery suspects who were arrested April 2, 2009, by Los Angeles police. They were in the midst of being tried in downtown Los Angeles.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Sam Ohta, who is presiding over the pair's trial, ruled today that the trial would continue despite the men's absence, according to Jane Robison of the District Attorney's Office.

Aldana and Barrios are charged with eight counts of second-degree robbery involving a series of robberies in March 2009, along with seven counts - - including home-invasion robbery and false imprisonment by violence -- stemming from an alleged March 27, 2009, attack in Encino.

Aldana is also charged with a misdemeanor sexual battery charge involving a separate incident on March 26, 2009.

The men are Hispanic, weigh about 180 pounds, and have black hair and brown eyes. Aldana is 5 feet 3 inches tall, and Barrios is 5 feet 10 inches tall. Barrios has a tattoo of a seahorse on his left shoulder.

The jail was locked down, and sirens were activated to warn the surrounding communities, said sheriff's Deputy Benjamin Grubb. Electronic signs along the Golden State (5) Freeway in the area warned motorists, "Caution Do Not Pick Up Hitch Hikers."

Deputies in helicopters and on motorcycles searched the rugged terrain around the facility.

Photos: Jose Aldana (top) and Winder Barrios (bottom). Courtesy of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department

The flag is removed from the casket of fomer LAPD Chief Daryl Gates at the formal Honor Ceremony at Our Lady of the Angeles Cathedral on Tuesday. Gates passed away last week after a battle with cancer at age 83. (David Crane/Los Angeles Daily News)

By C.J. Lin and Rick Orlov, Staff Writers

In the weeks before he died, bedridden from fighting a losing battle with cancer, former LAPD Chief Daryl F. Gates was visited by an LAPD helicopter hovering outside his hospital window.

Even though Gates was weak, he got up, put on his SWAT hat and stood at attention. He continued to salute the crew even as the chopper flew away, tears streaming down his cheeks.

It was a moment that spoke to just how dedicated Gates was to the department that he headed for 14 years and its officers, said retired LAPD Deputy Chief Mike Hillmann, speaking at Gates' funeral on Tuesday.

It also spoke to how strongly officers felt about him, even though he had left office nearly 20 years before. A steady stream of officers traveled from all over the state to his bedside to say their goodbyes, in what must have looked like a police convention in the hospital, Hillmann said.

"He was the chief to police officers," Hillmann said. "He was truly America's police chief."

On Tuesday, law enforcement officers from across the nation, as well as firefighters and members of the U.S. armed services, gathered to pay final respects to Gates, who died April 16 at his home in Dana Point.

The morning began with an elaborate procession through downtown L.A. that ended with funeral services at Our Lady of the City of Angels Cathedral.

Under gray skies, dozens of family members, bagpipers and a cortege of officers - on foot, motorcycle and horseback - escorted a black hearse from the new Police Administration Building to the cathedral. Police Chief Charlie Beck and Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa followed behind. Officers and military men who were not part of the procession saluted from the sidewalk.

The procession passed through an arch formed by the ladders of two fire trucks, from which a large American flag hung.

Officers lined the entrance to the cathedral and saluted as Gates' flag-draped, polished wooden casket was carried by eight uniformed pallbearers inside. The cathedral, which normally seats 3,000, held 3,200 for the nondenominational service as fire marshals made contingency plans to allow officers to stand in the aisles.

"It was a beautiful ceremony for a man who really loved the city," said Los Angeles Sheriff Lee Baca. "Enough cannot be said about Daryl Gates the human being. He was a humanitarian."

The sea of dark blue uniforms gathered outside the cathedral for an honor ceremony afterwards underscored Gates' popularity among the LAPD's front-line officers, who saw in him a defender of their practices and a protector of law enforcement regardless of political or media backlash.

"How is it that this man who was chief almost two decades ago remains so significant?" Beck said.

"It's simple, really. He loved this place. He respected the men and women of this place. He loved them unconditionally.

"And we loved him back."

An honor guard fired a 21-gun salute and four LAPD helicopters performed a "missing man fly over" formation, spliting off in four directions over Gates' casket. Church bells tolled.

The flag draped over the casket was folded by the honor guard and presented to Gates' daughter Debbie by Beck, who kneeled in front of her and placed the flag in her lap.

Three other flags were presented to his other daughter, son and brother, retired Capt. Steve Gates.

An end-of-watch broadcast echoed over the ranks, listing Gates' career, serial number 6432, and referring to him as "The Chief."

"There will never be another like Daryl," Beck said. "Daryl Gates became the Los Angeles Police Department. And the Los Angeles Police Department became Daryl Gates."

As the 49th police chief, Gates presided over a department that was considered vastly understaffed - 7,400 officers for a city then of more than 2.5 million people - an issue which almost became a point of pride within the department. It was a time when the crime rates were much higher, and homicides were triple the figure of today's rate.

Gates, chief from 1978 to 1992, is credited with creating the SWAT teams as well as the DARE anti-drug program. The hiring of women and minority officers increased under his watch. Most famously, perhaps, was his writing of Special Order 40 - an issue that remains controversial - which prohibits officers from asking the immigration status of crime victims.

"Even if it was a difficult or unpopular decision... Chief Gates worked tirelessly," Villaraigosa said. "He will be remembered as someone who paved the way for the modern police department."

But Gates will also be linked to an era of hostile ties with many in the city - particularly minorities, whose only positive contact with officers might have been a wave from a passing patrol car.

The hostility boiled over following the videotaped beating of African-American motorist Rodney King by four white officers in Lakeview Terrace. Their acquittal on criminal charges sparked four days of riots that left more than 50 people dead and caused an estimated $1 billion in damage.

When Gates was told that his best course of action was to take a stance against the officers following the public release of the videotape, his response to advisers was "to go pound sand," said Jay Grodin, Gates' attorney and best friend. Gates said the officers were entitled to a fair and impartial investigation, Grodin recalled.

"Daryl was not one of the greatest diplomats in history," said former Gov. Pete Wilson. "But Daryl Gates and the department he molded far exceeded excellent."

Gates was born Aug. 20, 1926, and grew up in Glendale and Highland Park. He enlisted in the Navy and served two years before enrolling at the University of Southern California. He joined the LAPD in 1949 when his wife became pregnant.

Gates moved up quickly through the ranks and became a driver for then-Chief William Parker, a job he later said taught him more about the city and politics than any other position he ever held. During his years as an officer and as chief, Gates saw some of the most controversial crimes and issues in city history. They included the death of Marilyn Monroe, the assassination of Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, the Watts riots, and the Manson Family and Hillside Strangler cases.

But it was the King beating and the subsequent riots that gave further impetus to a series of reforms developed by a panel under the direction of former Secretary of State Warren Christopher.

Among the changes was limiting the job to two five-year terms, making sure no chief would ever again serve as long as Gates.

Former Ultimate Fighting champion Tito Ortiz wipes a tear from his eye as he listens to his attorney Chip Matthews speaks to the media Monday, April 26, 2010, at the Firenze Osteria restaurant in North Hollywood. Ortiz had been arrested on suspicion of domestic violence towards his girlfriend Jenna Jameson. (AP Photo/Danny Moloshok)

Tito Ortiz arrested, accuses Jenna Jameson of drug use:
From the L.A. Daily News - Mixed martial arts star Tito Ortiz claims his ex-porn star girlfriend is addicted to Oxycontin, and he blames Jenna Jameson's drug use for his arrest Monday on suspicion of domestic violence.

Ortiz was arrested in Huntington Beach at the home he shares with Jameson and their twin sons. Several hours after posting bail, Ortiz and his attorney accused Jameson of drug addiction and claimed Ortiz never struck her.

Two men wheel ATM with $15,000 out of Garden Grove hotel lobby:
From the L.A. Times - Two men remain at large after wheeling away an ATM machine full of $15,000 in cash early Monday morning and arousing the suspicion of coffee shop worker.

According to Garden Grove police, one of the men, who wheeled a moving dolly into the lobby of the Crown Plaza Hotel about 5:10 a.m. Monday, was wearing a black vest with yellow lettering that could have been confused for a police or security guard uniform.

Police search for suspect who attacked man with box cutter on MTA bus:
From the L.A. Daily News - An assailant with a box cutter attacked a man on an MTA bus #270 at Wilshire Boulevard and Western Avenue today, authorities said.

The victim, who was attacked about 1:30 a.m., was taken to a hospital with a head wound.

Peeking at celebrity medical records lands former UCLA researcher in prison:
From the L.A. Daily News - A former UCLA School of Medicine researcher will spend four months in federal prison for illegally peaking at confidential private records of celebrities, high-profile patients and co-workers.

Those whose records he accessed include Drew Barrymore, Cameron Diaz, Tom Hanks, Sharon Osbourne, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Barbara Walters, Anne Rice, Elizabeth Banks and Leonardo DiCaprio, according to sentencing papers filed April 19 in Los Angeles federal court.

Man crashes car into DMV building during driving test:
From the Whittier Daily News - Driving tests at the DMV can be nerve-wracking. Just ask Lucas Holliday.

When the 18-year-old Whittier man got behind the wheel Monday at the Department of Motor Vehicle office on Painter Avenue, he promptly lost control of his beige 2006 Toyota Corolla and smashed into the west wall of the DMV building.

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From Daily News wire services:

ARLETA -- A pedestrian was fatally struck by at least one hit-and-run driver in Arleta, a police sergeant said today.

The hit-and-run crash was reported at 10:01 p.m. Monday at Lassen Street and Langdon Avenue, one block west of Sepulveda Boulevard, said California Highway Patrol Officer Patrick Kimball.

The victim was declared dead at a hospital, according to Los Angeles police Sgt. Rolland Cannon of the Valley Traffic Division.

The suspect vehicle, believed to have sustained front-end damage, was described only as black.

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From Daily News wire services:

RESEDA -- A man on a bicycle chased and caught a suspected drunken driver who led police on a chase that ended with a crash, a sergeant said today.

The driver, whose name was unavailable, was arrested on suspicion of felony drunken driving and hit-and-run after crashing near Saticoy Street and Lindley Avenue about 9:20 p.m. Monday, said Los Angeles police Sgt. Rolland Cannon of the Valley Traffic Division.

Police backed off the pursuit just before the crash due to excessive speed, Cannon said.

The suspect ran a red light at Saticoy and Lindley, collided with a car, "barrel-rolled" the vehicle, got out and ran east, Cannon said.

Somebody on a bicycle saw the crash, followed the suspect and caught him, Cannon said.

A woman in the car that was struck complained of chest pain and was taken to a hospital to be checked out, Cannon said. She was later released.

By Rick Orlov, Staff Writer

The LAPD has slashed its backlog of untested rape kits from 6,132 to 648, but says it could expedite the process further if the FBI lifts a regulation requiring the verification of tests conducted by private labs.

City Councilman Greig Smith, who chairs the Public Safety Committee, said officials are lobbying federal lawmakers to change an FBI requirement that local police departments repeat DNA tests conducted by independent laboratories if the results are going to be used as evidence in court.

"Council President (Eric) Garcetti and I met with members of Congress and they were very sympathetic to what we were saying," Smith said. "They said to the FBI that if they didn't find an accommodation, legislation would be introduced and that's something the FBI doesn't want."

Read the full story at the L.A. Daily News.

Visitors pay their respects to former Los Angeles Police Chief Daryl Gates. Gates died last month after a battle with bladder cancer. A public visitation was held at the Deaton Auditorium at the LAPD Headquarters in Los Angeles monday. Funeral services will be held Tuesday. | See photo gallery. (Photo by David Crane/Los Angeles Daily News)

Hundreds of mourners filed past the flag-draped coffin of retired LAPD Chief Daryl F. Gates on Monday during a public visitation for the "cop's cop" who came to symbolize both the best and worst of law enforcement.

Many of the guests made the sign of the cross as they paused at Gates' polished wooden casket, which was flanked by uniformed police officers standing at attention at the new Los Angeles Police Department headquarters. Mourners also paused to take photos of Gates' hat, badge and white gloves, which were displayed atop a white columned pedestal nearby.

The uniformed officers, from the elite Metropolitan Division - which includes the Special Weapons and Tactics team that Gates established - were relieved every 15 minutes in a formal changing of the guard - a gesture to honor one of Los Angeles' longest-serving police chiefs.

The visitation began two days of memorial services for Gates, who died April 16 of bladder cancer at his home in Dana Point. He was 83.

A procession through downtown is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. today, beginning at the new headquarters and ending at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, where an invitation-only, nondenominational service is set for 9 a.m. A public ceremony in the cathedral's plaza will follow.

For the last month, police officers have been wearing a black mourning band in honor of SWAT officer Robert "R.J." Cottle, a sergeant major in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve who was killed in Afghanistan by a roadside bomb.

During the visitation, a picture of Cottle and Gates rested on a stand next to a guestbook. One man wrote, "Thank you Chief" next to his name.

As a slide show marking highlights of Gates' 14-year stint as chief played above the casket, mourner Ruby Boord sank to her knees, her head bowed in prayer.

Although she worked as a parking enforcement officer for the LAPD, she never personally knew the chief. Still, Gates so reminded her of her own late father, she made the 45-minute drive from her home in Santa Clarita to pay her last respects.

"He left such a big impact on me," said Boord, who would see Gates in the hallways of Parker Center. "He always reminded me of my dad at work because they had the same work ethic.

"(Gates) was a wonderful man, very supportive, always there for the troops. He loved the city of L.A. even though a lot of people didn't see it that way."

While Gates was adored by his men and recognized for a number of crime-fighting innovations, he also became a symbol of heavy-handed policing tactics.

His tenure as police chief, from 1978-1992, will be forever tarnished by the beating of African-American motorist Rodney King by four white officers and the deadly riots that devastated the city in the wake of their acquittal.

Still, Gates will be remembered by many as a father figure who always looked out for his officers.

Garry Couso-Vasquez, who served on the SWAT team during his 23 years with the LAPD and later became chief of the Montebello Police Department, said he tried to emulate Gates in his own career.

"I'm here to pay my respects to the man who taught me how to be a chief," said Couso-Vasquez, who added that Gates always reminded him to care about his subordinates. "It was almost like seeing my own father lying there. I never thought this day would come."

While heading the Montebello force, Couso-Vasquez said, he frequently called Gates for advice on difficult decisions, such as how to handle an officer-involved shooting. Gates' answer always told him, "Put yourself in the officer's shoes."

"You'll never find a greater chief who cared about his men and women," Couso-Vasquez said. "He did that until the day he entered heaven."

Donna and Harvey Stone of Reseda, recalled just how much Gates cared about his officers when Harvey Stone's brother, an LAPD officer, was dying of cancer.

Although the officer and Gates had never been particularly close, the chief still came to visit at the house and later at the hospital before her brother-in-law died at age 38, Donna Stone said.

"It shows what kind of people person he was," she said. "Just very, very supportive of families."

Sgt. Steven Williams and Officer Sergio Ortiz of the LAPD's training division, credited Gates with inspiring them to join the force.

"He was just a cop's cop," Williams said. "Even though he was the chief, I feel like he would talk to you like your father or in your peer group. He made everybody feel important, like they were the president of the United States."

When Williams and Ortiz graduated from the Police Academy, Gates handed them their diplomas. Both men have now been with the department for 28 and 22 years, respectively.

"We both feel like we're losing our father," Williams said. "He was a role model for us and we wanted to be like him."

The city has scheduled full closures of the following streets in downtown between 6:30 AM and Noon for former LAPD Chief Daryl F. Gates' funeral procession on Tuesday:

• Temple Street between Broadway and Grand Avenue



• Hill Street between Temple and Ord Streets, and all of Hill Place

Local Access Only (Court employees)

• Hill Street between 1st and Temple Streets

• 1st Street between Main and Hill Streets



• Broadway between 2nd and Judge John Aiso Streets

Suggested detour routes are as follows:

• To the North: Cesar Chavez


• To the East: Los Angeles Street


• To the South: 2nd Street


• To the West: Figueroa Street and Beaudry Avenue

Click here for a map of all closures in the area.

A closed-casket viewing for fomer LAPD chief Daryl F. Gates, who died April 16 of bladder cancer at age 83, will begin at noon today at police headquarters.

The viewing will last until 8 p.m. in the Ronald F. Deaton Civic Auditorium at LAPD headquarters, 100 W. First St.

A white hearse carrying Gates coffin arrived around 9:30 a.m., escorted by several officers riding motorcycles.

The viewing is the first part of a two-day tribute to Gates. A funeral procession to the Cathedral of Our Lady of Angels and an elaborate ceremony will take place Tuesday morning.

Hill Street, Broadway and Spring Street will be closed south of the Santa Ana (101) Freeway for the 8:35 a.m. procession, and the closure is expected to last about 20 minutes. First Street between Main and Hill streets will also be closed briefly, at about 8:30 a.m.