June 2007 Archives
LAPD radios crackled with the call a little after 7:20 p.m. Friday: man stabbed in Lanark Park; suspect at large; victim gone from scene.
Officers from the Devonshire and West Valley stations headed for the Canoga Park gathering place. It’s been the scene of several brown-on-black incidents with Canoga Park Alabama, but this didn’t appear to be a racial run-in.
When cars arrived at the south side of the park, anxious witnesses gathered to describe what happened. One woman, keyed up and arms covered in the victim’s blood, described it like this: two guys got in a beef over a girl, one punched the other, the other stabbed him and everyone scattered. The puncher managed to get on his bike and ride away, the stabber fled in the confusion.
The Los Angeles Police Department puts out this press release today, following up on a story from earlier in the week about a cat burglar who broke into a woman's home and sexually assaulted her. The same guy may be responsible for another burglary that happened the same night about a block away in Van Nuys. Here's the LAPD's press release:
June 29, 2007Sexual Prowler, Burglar Sought
Los Angeles: Police are asking for the public's help in identifying and locating a sexual prowler who burglarized a woman's Van Nuys home and sexually assaulted her in the early morning hours on Thursday, June 28, 2007.
The incident happened around 4:00 a.m., in the area of Sepulveda Boulevard and Vanowen Street.
After entering through an unlocked sliding glass patio door, the man created an opening in the screen door, then reached in and unlatched it.
According to investigators, a woman, asleep in her bed, screamed after she was awoken and realized that she was being sexually assaulted. The attacker fled on foot from the location.
"The weather is getting warmer and people have the tendency to leave their windows and doors opened and unlocked. By doing this, you give an intruder easy access to your home. At night, keep your windows and doors locked and utilized other methods to keep cool" said Detective Alvarado.
Police described the suspect as being possibly Hispanic or Black, 5'6" to 5'8" tall with a stocky build.
Investigators have a few leads and are asking anyone with information to call Detectives Nancy Nelson or Jesse Alvarado, Robbery Homicide Division, Rape Special Section, at 213-485-2921. On weekends or during off-hours call the 24-hour toll free number at 1-877-LAWFULL (1-877-529-3855).
ABC.com picks up on the story, saying the Van Nuys area has had four such attacks in recent weeks. Reporters interview a Van Nuys resident who says he doesn't walk to the store alone out of fear for himself or his son. abc
Readers of dailynews.com will recall that I had the story first, published online Thursday after noon. Click below to read it.
The Los Angeles Police Department blog today updates the story of the officer who shot a dog the other night in Sylmar. The officer involved is identified as Landon Summey, a 25-year-old, who has worked for the LAPD for three years. He got bit in the back of the leg before he killed the dog. lapdblog
Earlier
The stories that usually make news day-to-day fall under an old phrase man bites dog. Well, today read the spin on that, "Dog bites cop - Cop shoots dog." dailynews
The story has elicited a few reader comments. One woman named, Crystal, writes:
As always, pepper spray should have been tried first. I highly doubt this Labrador/Rottie mix bit that idiot hard enough to cause any damage. This cop just isn't capable of thinking before reacting. They were in a poor/minority neighborhood, so what do you expect from them?
Another reader, calling him or herself, oH sHuD UP aLREADY, counters:
And how exactly do you know that pepper spray was not used? Right, the racist behind every tree hysteria rear its foolish head again. BTW, what would you do if a rottie mix was attacking you?....Cry about racism and suggest useless measures to repel the attack, whilst the dog locks onto your hand........
A third reader calling him or herself, Just a thought, writes:
Why was the dog out? Was it sent out to Attack? Keep your dogs on a leash because unleashed dogs are a threat to life and lethal force Can and Will be used.
Thank you for reading. Glad to see the story is getting read. And I enjoy the debate. Because of the ongoing investigation, I wasn't able to get a whole lot more than what I wrote today, but stay tuned.
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa reassured Angelenos that they have nothing to fear about a pair of car bombs found across the Atlantic Ocean.
LAObserved was kind enough to pass along his honor's words of reassurance.
This year, 172 people have met violent ends so far. Twenty-five of them got killed in the LAPD's 77th Street station's territory. Though that's better than last year, it's still the most homicides of any of the department's 19 stations.
In the last month of gang stats that the department posted on its website, 77th also outpaced all the others with its 80 gang-related crimes. It is a dangerous, different world than most of us imagine from our safe living rooms.
Time magazine has this story today about a raging gang war going on in Rio de Janeiro. Over 1,000 cops armed with assault weapons got into a gun battle with gangsters in a one of the city's most dangerous neighborhoods, killing 19 suspected crooks, the story says. With the raid, the cops officially break their non-aggression pact with the gangs, after years of giving the traffickers free reign to live in the neighborhoods as long as they don't cause any trouble. The gangs apparently weren't holding up their end of the bargain. time
Click below for a full plate of crime news.
Deputy who shot serviceman acquitted of charges
A jury found former San Bernardino Sheriff's deputy Ivory John Webb Jr. not guilty in an attempted voluntary manslaughter case that drew national attention after videotape footage showed the former deputy shooting an unarmed Air Force police officer last year.
The article states the jury was less swayed by the video of the shooting and more impressed with the intense and dangerous situation the officer found himself in following a high speed chase that reached 120 mph.
L.A. Times
Relatives of man killed following police chase want an investigation
Family members of a man killed Wednesday when a teen allegedly driving a stolen car crashed into the man's truck, demanded an investigation from the District Attorney Thursday.
After receiving reports of two teens carjacking a driver of a Toyota Camry at gunpoint, Sheriff deputies briefly chased the stolen vehicle before being called off the pursuit by a commanding officer who decided it was unsafe for them to continue, Sheriff officials said. Police said the crash crash occurred shortly after the pursuit was called off, killing 46-year-old Miguel Castro Falcon.
CBS News
Just who is a sex offender?
There is a registered sex offender living in my neighborhood. Even before I found out the 49-year-old man was convicted of "lewd or lascivious acts with child under 14 years," I had a bad feeling about him.
In many ways, he fits the bill of what we expect from a sex offender. Middle-aged, a bit of a loner. But it's not what a person looks like that makes them a sex offender, it's what they did. Right?
In this story from National Public Radio, the discussion is about how some sex offenders listed on registries are not middle-aged men who have sexually assaulted women and children. Some are like "Ricky," a young man who as a 17-year-old living in a small town in Iowa, had sex with a 13-year-old girlfriend, whom he said told him she was 16.
Facing 20 years in prison, he pleaded to a lesser charge and had to register as a sex offender and as such, must adhere to all the sex offender no-nos, including staying away from parks and schools. The piece asks if society is protected by planting Ricky's picture on sex offender Web sites right next to the more deliberately vicious pedophiles and rapists most Americans think of when they hear the term "sex offenders"?
Read or listen to report here
Homeless activist Ted Hayes is decrying LAPD's treatment of anti-illegal immimgrant protesters at Leimert Park over the weekend. He was angered because officers would not allow him into the park where pro-immigrant demonstrators stood in opposition. Cops broke up the standoff.
Hayes and four of his supporters were arrested for resisting a peace officer. They had been denouncing undocumented immigrants' impact on the African-American community.
On Tuesday, he and half-dozen supporters told the city's civilian Police Commission that their civil rights were violated and demanded a full investigation. The commission's president and former head of the Los Angeles Urban League John Mack promised to take the matter up at this Tuesday's meeting.
Many of us already knew it but a recent study from a Los Angeles-based Latino think tank confirms it.
Black and brown relations continue to be aggravated by poverty, misconceptions about each other and gangs. Using the country's worst urban riots as a jumping-off point, the Tomas Rivera Policy Institute looks at tense race relations among Latinos and African Americans living near the flashpoint of the 1992 riots.
On Inconsiderate Behavior:
African American participants expressed the sentiment that Latinos have little regard for the law and rules in general, that they take advantage of opportunities for themselves without regard for the potential consequences to others.
Click below for the surreal, the grim, the wacky crime news of the day.
Teen uncle arrested in baby niece's death
A 17-year-old boy has been arrested on murder charges when the pellet rifle he was holding went off, striking his 2-month-old niece. That's right, a pellet rifle. The baby died hours later. We'll see if the murder charges stick in this one.
See infant dies in shooting at LAPD blog
California court considering a cap on maximum number of inmates in prison
Arguing that overcrowded prison conditions have long been ignored, a group of lawyers are asking a California court to invoke a federal law that could release thousands of prisoners in the state.
Mahoning County got one. So did the District of Columbia. Today, the California prison system finds itself in line to get slapped with an inmate population cap under a hardly used federal legal process that has been on the books for 11 years.
From the Sacramento Bee
Bell Gardens Councilman under legal scrutiny again
IN March, Bell Gardens City Councilman Mario Beltran was found guilty of filing a false police report to allegedly hide what prosecutors' characterized as an embarrassing boys night out . On Wednesday, Beltran's home and office were raided by LAPD officers with assistance from the FBI over possible criminal threats and eavesdropping, according to an LA Weekly story. In the article, Beltran's attorney, who is appealing the earlier conviction, questions the timing of the search warrant.
LA Weekly story here
The photo drew me in. I was reading The Times yesterday and had to see what this was all about. Tattoos completely cover this guy's face. Here's how the story read:
A prison inmate out for a medical appointment wrested a gun from a corrections officer and killed him, then led police on a high-speed chase in a stolen sport utility vehicle before his capture at a fast-food restaurant, authorities said. Curtis Allgier fired a shot in the Arby's that hit no one before a customer grabbed the gun.
Click below for your morning crime report.
- Noted forensic scientist Dr. Henry Lee took the witness stand today at the Phil Spector trial and said the prosecution is trying to set him up.
- A female juvenile hall employee, accused of oral copulation of a minor, is under arrest.
- One man was shot in the leg by another outside a popular Studio City market Tuesday. Police say the victim, an Armenian male, was the intended target. The shooter is either a Hispanic or Armenian man, police said. dailynews
If you haven't yet, you have to check out The Times' story today on an old unsolved murder case that was recently closed with the arrest of a trucker who ran down and killed freelance photographer Douglas Burrows then fled to Mexico.
Fourteen years ago, freelance photographer Douglas Burrows was broadsided by a 18-wheeler in downtown Los Angeles — a fatal hit-and-run that seemed destined to fade into obscurity.
The alleged truck driver, Rogelio Pereira, fled to Mexico. The Burrows case remained active, but investigators always seemed to be inundated with more immediate — and pressing — cases.
Still, there was one constant: Every year around the anniversary of his son's 1993 death, John Burrows would place a call to detectives at the LAPD's Central Traffic Division to see if investigators had made any progress.
Vacations, promotions, transfers and retirements meant that nearly every time Burrows called, there was somebody new to talk to.
Each time, Burrows insisted on telling the story of his photographer son. He told the officer about Doug's struggle to overcome being born with a cleft pallet, requiring 30 operations to repair.
The daughter of a retired LAPD officer, author Ann Patchett writes in Sunday's Washington Post Magazine about her struggle to get into the LAPD's Police Academy. Her new novel, Run, will be published in September and is about the department.
Inspired by the 1992 riots, Patchett said she wanted to understand why people are motivated to become cops.
Ted Koppel and then-police chief Daryl Gates were picking through the rubble of South Central Los Angeles. They were talking about the riots and Rodney King."There's a guy who did some good things for the city and some bad things," my father said about Gates. "But all that's over. Now he'll only be remembered for this."
My father had retired from the LAPD two years before. With Koppel and Gates in the background, we fell into a conversation about how the police force had been portrayed so often over the decades and yet was so rarely understood. Somewhere in my brain, a little light bulb switched to bright: I decided to write a book about the LAPD.
"You want to be a cop?" my father asked. Even with two books behind me, he still felt I lacked a professional calling.
"Not at all. Not even a little bit. I want to understand why other people want to be cops."
Click below for a full plate of crime news.
- A 16-year-old girl and a 38-year-old man were shot Sunday evening in Pacoima. Police say they don't have any suspects in the shooting but are looking into the possibility that the attack was related to "criminal activity" in the area.
- The Los Angeles Police Protective League, LAPD's union, makes its stand against opening up police review hearings to the public or any legislation that would try to make that law:
LAPPL URGES NO VOTE ON SB 1019
Los Angeles, June 25 , 2007 - The Board of Directors of the Los Angeles Police Protective League today issued the following statement regarding SB 1019, the bill sponsored by State Senator Gloria Romero that would overturn the California Supreme Court decision to close hearings on police officer discipline. The bill has passed the State Senate and is being brought up in the Assembly Public Safety committee on Tuesday.
“The Legislature should not be in the business of providing tools to criminals who want to prevent police officers from doing their jobs. SB 1019, however, provides an effective weapon for those who want to shut down law enforcement activities. By making even unwarranted and frivolous complaints against officers public, SB 1019 opens the way for smart criminals to game the system to get effective cops off the streets.
“We believe that all complaints against police officers should be properly investigated by the appropriate publicly-appointed bodies, and in cases where there has been criminal misconduct on the part of officers, that conduct should be made public. However, in the internet age, in which everybody’s information is readily accessible to anyone, it is reckless and harmful to open personnel hearings and create public records of unsubstantiated allegations. Records such as these could permanently destroy the careers of talented law enforcement officers—and play into the hands of those who would like to see them neutralized.
“Keeping such personnel matters private also allows for hearings to be focused on the facts of a case and not driven by media or public frenzy. We urge the legislature to take the high road on this and not get swayed by the media’s self-interest in making headlines out of officers’ lives.”
The League has sent letters voicing its concerns to members of the Assembly Public Safety committee.
The LAPPL can be found on the Web at www.LAPD.com.
- Are there Guardian Angels in New Orleans? Apparently, yes:
On a muggy weeknight, a 38-year-old man -- with no permanent home, no weekly paycheck, no health insurance -- strolls through New Orleans looking for crime.An assault, a robbery, even an escalating argument would do. Robert McClintick walks chin up, shoulders squared, arms at his side poised for action.
With the streetlights shining and the alleyways between shotgun homes dark, McClintick seeks to quell one of the city's most pressing problems armed only with two pairs of handcuffs, a flashlight and a cell phone.
As a member of the Guardian Angels, a controversial, volunteer crime-fighting group, McClintick said he is here to help calm a city frazzled by violent crime and beset with fear.
"No police department can do it alone; they need citizen help," he said. "We are extra sets of eyes and ears."
From the Times-Picayune in New Orleans.
They went out there looking for love but found cold hard handcuffs instead. Fourteen men were arrested in a John's sting on Lankershim Boulevard and Neenach Street, in Sun Valley. This was a case in which undercover female police officers posed as prostitutes on the street and arrested violators who stopped and solicited them for sex. They also got their cars seized by the City Attorney's Office.
lapdblog
The LAPD broke up a tense standoff between the Minutemen, a vigilante anti-illegal immigrant group that patrols the U.S.-Mexico border as part of its campaign for tighter border restrictions, and the immigrant rights activists who have organized mass pro-immigration marches.
The stare-down at Leimert Park -- L.A's hub of African American culture -- followed competing pro- and anti-immigration rallies. For years, groups have been pushing the LAPD to drop Special Order 40, a policy that forbids officers from inquiring about suspects' immigration status. During hearings on the May 1 aftermath, the Minutemen had a separate shouting match with pro-immigrant speakers protesting the level of force used against marchers at the rally.
From a Daily News story:
Officers, some in riot gear, some in shorts and on bicycles, attempted to separate the two groups, which numbered as many as 500, as they shouted down each other during what was billed as an anti-immigration rally.At 3:50 p.m., Los Angeles Police officials declared the rally to be an illegal assembly, as its parade permit had expired, and a short time later arrested organizer Ted Hayes, a homeless advocate-turned anti-immigration activist. Four others were arrested for refusing to disperse.
LAPD brass earlier had declared a tactical alert to muster enough officers to keep the two sides apart. And police, mindful of the May Day melee at MacArthur Park, carefully told reporters that it was setting up an observation zone at the southern side of the park.
In anticipation of the hotel heiress' release from jail (do we even need to say her full name at this point?) and the swarm of paparazzi, fans and gawkers, the city's Department of Transportation is restricting parking near her Hollywood home on Monday.
There will be temporary “Tow Away No Stopping” signs on Kings Road from Sunset Boulevard to Hollywood Boulevard; Harold Way between Queens Road and Kings Road; Carlton Way between Queens Road and Kings Road; and Queens Road from Sunset Boulevard to Hollywood Boulevard.
"It was a total nightmare up there last time. People couldn't get through," said LAPD spokesman, Sgt. Lee Sands.
Headline-grabbing civil rights attorney, Stephen Yagman was convicted today of tax evasion, bankruptcy fraud and money laundering.
He faces up to 80 months in federal prison.
One of LAPD's most high-profile opponents, Yagman brought numerous police brutality suits against the agency over the years. He became known for putting public officials on the stand to answer for police actions.
From the Los Angeles Times :
A federal jury found him guilty on all 19 counts of what the government claimed was a scheme to avoid paying more than $200,000 in state and federal taxes. Yagman, who was impassive as the verdict was read, could face more than 80 months in federal prison, prosecutors said.Yagman alleged in court filings that the case was a "vindictive prosecution" based on his "contentious history with federal law enforcement agencies."
Click below for this morning's latest crime news ...
A Montebello man is facing military misrepresentation charges after some veterans questioned whether he in fact earned his stripes, sporting an Army uniform with United States Amy General's stripes and various high level medals, including the Purple Heart, given only to those killed or wounded in battle. Augustine Hernandez, 76, of Montebello, was allegedly seen and photographed in the uniform and ribbons at a veteran memorial service. Hernandez was honorably discharged from the Army in 1954 as a Private, First Class, an FBI investigation concluded.
Read story here
Is Paris really learning to appreciate the "Simple Life"? While not exactly known for his hard-hitting interview skills (or his soft-hitting interview skills), Ryan Seacrest became the latest person with access to millions of viewers that Paris has spoken to about the learning experience that is Sheriff Lee Baca's County jail.
From CBS News, via AP.
Here's a story the LA Weekly has followed for some time about what can happen when any city funded organization, in this case an anti-gang intervention one, is allowed to go unchecked. Seems like the Marroquin family had a good thing going while it lasted. The story mentions Mario Corona, the former Communities in Schools employee and ex-gangmember who reportedly turned his life around, even earning a master's degree from USC, only to be caught with a large amount of drugs and a weapon.
And lastly ... the story behind the story:
I wrote a piece today about the murder investigation of Bobby Ray Gates, a San Fernando resident who was tortured, killed, wrapped in bedding, tarp and plastic, dumped on a Sylmar street and set on fire. I've sat on this story for awhile waiting for some of the facts to play out. There's apparently a lot more information that will be revealed as the case gets closer to trial - I'm sure both the prosecutor and defense attorneys will have plenty to say and I think this one is going to be one of those "facts are stranger than fiction" scenarios. Stay tuned.
To honor two of their own, LAPD officers will tee up today at a tournament at Montebello Golf Course. Organized to raise money for the children of paralyzed officers Kristina Ripatti and Enrique Chavez, event organizers expect as many as 144 entrants to play.
Click below for a full plate of crime news this morning.
The lapdblog updates with notes from yesterday's Police Commission meeting:
- There are 434 recruits in the Academy. 65 recruits began classes this month.
- The Inspector General continues working on the recent complaints out of Skid Row, as well as complaints pertaining to the incident at MacArthur Park. The hiring of a new Assistant Inspector General, Susan Hudson, will help with the workload distribution.
- The Department's report, relative to the Quarterly Status Report, Third Quarter, Fiscal Year 2006/07, of various audits conducted by the Department, pursuant to the Annual Audit Plan, was approved.
Read the rest here.
The Valley's most powerful business group is taking a look at crime's toll on the area's bottom line. Veteran LAPD officer turned City Councilman Dennis Zine will discuss safety in the Valley and its impact on business at the Valley Industry & Commerce Association 's monthly newsmaker's breakfast Thursday morning. He's also expected to address the LAPD's reaction to May 1.
Despite continued crime drops across the city, violent crime has held steady in the San Fernando Valley. And last year gang crime jumped 14 percent citywide and 44 percent in the Valley.
A 30-year-old man was arrested after becoming enraged and firing a hunting rifle, injuring a construction worker, who, he complained, had threatened him, police said today.
Police accuse Jacob Joseph Bellamy of firing a rifle at 3:15 p.m. from his backyard fence in the 107560 block of Variel Avenue in Chatsworth. He fired at four construction workers who were working on a house next door, said Los Angeles Police Detective Mike Fesperman, a homicide supervisor at the Devonshire Division.
Click below for your morning dose of crime news to get your day started.
News just in ... Chief William Bratton has been granted a final second, five-year term by the civilian Police Commission. My colleagues Rick Orlov and Rachel Uranga lay out the preview story today, saying that the re-appointment was expected. But it was not without controversy. Just two months ago, there was the May Day melee in MacArthur Park, which "created one of the biggest crises of the chief's tenure."
A Riverside man was convicted in federal court of several child pornography charges Friday, including traveling out of state with the intent of sexually assaulting the 7-year-old son of "longtime friends."
James Sanders, 62, faces life without the possibility of parole when sentenced. The case stems from an international investigation by United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents into "Blue Orchid," a Russian child pornography Web site.
“This conviction serves as a strong reminder that the sexual exploitation of children is a crime that will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” said Robert Schoch, special agent in charge for the ICE office of investigations in Los Angeles. “Those who prey on society’s most vulnerable must be made to understand there are consequences for their crimes and the anonymity of cyberspace and the Internet offers no protection.”
Stories on the cop beat can be filled with irony. I think I stumbled on one today. This story came after making my routine cop calls to the Los Angeles Police Department's West Valley Division. When I called Lt. Gary Hallden, who heads detectives there, this morning looking for news, I was surprised to hear this story. It sounded like Hallden, a veteran cop, who's seen his share of the bizarre through the decades, was a little surprised too, but maybe just a tinge, though.
In one of the toughest areas of the city, two of the LAPD's top cops are women. On July 1, Patrol Capitan Jodi Wakefield will take over as commanding officer of the LAPD's Central Division, which covers downtown and Skid Row. Her number two will be Capt. Michelle Veenstra who is leaving a slot in Internal Affairs.
Here's the story from the Downtown News.
Wakefield and Veenstra take the helm of Central Division at a transformative time. Last September, the city launched the Safer City Initiative, which provided 50 police officers and a slew of improvements, such as more lighting and security cameras for Skid Row. Since its implementation, crime has dropped by 35% and the number of homeless people has fallen by more than half, according to the LAPD.
Wakefield and Veenstra's experience led to the promotion, said Bratton.
"They've been policing and in command of one of the most difficult areas in the city with incredibly complex human issues, officer motivation issues, and they've had phenomenal success at it," Bratton told Los Angeles Downtown News.
But the area is also in a sensitive state. During the past year, the city sued hospitals for "dumping" patients onto the streets of Skid Row, the American Civil Liberties Union fought the city's regulations on sleeping on the streets and service providers have accused Downtown Los Angeles boosters of gentrifying an area with a massive homeless population.
It looks like LAPD Chief William Bratton will get reappointed Tuesday. For weeks the commission has been meeting behind closed doors to review Bratton’s performance and last week took the unusual step of scheduling its regular Tuesday meeting at the Department of Public Works in City Hall, across the hall from Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa -- one of Bratton’s most vocal backers.
Insiders say Bratton -- who has seen violent crime drop by more than 12 percent in the last two years and keeps a running tally of crime statstics on the LAPD website -- would likely have been reappointed weeks ago if 60 of the LAPD's elite officers had not fired more than 100 rounds of rubber bullets into a crowd of women and children at an immigration rally.
Los Angeles Police are searching for a man who abducted and sexually assaulted an 8-year-old boy at gunpoint Wednesday, June 13. At around 2 p.m., the boy's babysitter picked him up from Erwin Street Elementary School in Van Nuys. The boy ran ahead of the babysitter and she lost sight of him near the corner of Atoll Avenue and Victory Boulevard.
The Washington Post today writes a dramatic piece on former Death Row Records rap mogul Marion "Suge" Knight, who's not doing to badly even as he claims he's $137 million in debt. The Post leads the story off like this:
Five-star hotel, poolside cabana. Marion "Suge" Knight Jr., dethroned rap mogul, ex-con, self-proclaimed penitent, is kicking back with his crew: Personal assistant. Trusted friend from back in the day. Young Life, a rapper just starting out, stops by for a huddle.An automatic mister spritzes cool water in the air. The hotel chef pops in for a chat, while a beautiful Brazilian massage therapist serves up complimentary foot rubs. Suge -- pronounced like the first syllable in "sugar" -- unties his blindingly white sneakers, stretching out his 6-foot-3, 315-pound body on a lounge chair.
Rap mogul Marion "Suge" Knight Jr. and Death Row Records, the label he co-founded that helped bring gangsta rap to mainstream audiences in the early '90s, have been no strangers to controversy.
Follow the ups and downs of Knight's career, from his time atop the rap music world to the allegations and arrests that led to his label filing for bankruptcy in 2006.
"Everybody here loves Mr. Knight," the masseuse says, after he peels a bill from a fat wad. She hugs him. "He's so generous."
It was just a routine stop of a couple reputed gangsters and their girlfriends, when a cop motioned Sgt. Tim Sincock over.
"Hey sarge," he told Sincock. "The guy in the 'cuffs says he knows you. Says you were his DARE teacher."
The supervisor shook his head and offered a frustrated smile.
"Sounds like you've got Jerry."
After my last tale of supposed redemption went so horribly awry, I wondered whether it was worth the time and effort to look for people gone straight. Jesse Carranza convinced me that it was.
Click below for all the crime news in the area ...