April 2010 Archives

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.

From Daily News wire services:

Los Angeles residents can get up to $200 by turning in their firearms -- no questions asked -- on May 8, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa announced today.

"I want to implore all Angelenos to join us in making this year's Gun Buyback (program) even more successful than the last," Villaraigosa said. "By working together, thinking strategically and offering the right incentives, we can create a safer Los Angeles, neighborhood by neighborhood."

Under the program -- which will run from 10 a.m. through 3 p.m. on May 8 -- community and faith-based organizations will work with the Los Angeles Police Department in providing five "neutral" locations where people can surrender their firearms in exchange for a Ralphs grocery store gift card or a prepaid VISA card.

The amount of the gift cards will depend on the type of firearm. For assault weapons, the amount is up to $200; for handguns, shotguns and rifles, up to $100.

"Last year, we reclaimed 1,700 guns and assault weapons (in) the most successful gun buyback program in the United States of America," Villaraigosa said.

"The LAPD is focused on this. Our Gang Reduction and Youth Reduction Office is working with intervention workers to really reach out," he said. "Our hope is that this is going to be even more successful that last year."

Villaraigosa said the city handed out 1,302 gift cards worth about $130,200 last year. This year, although the number of sites has been whittled down from 19 to five, it is prepared to spend $200,000.

People can turn in their firearms at the following locations:

• in East Los Angeles, at Legacy L.A., 1350 N. San Pablo St.;

• in South Los Angeles, at Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, 7900 S. Western Ave.;

• in the Harbor area, at the Park & Ride lot at 1300 W. Pacific Coast Highway, Wilmington;

• in Hollywood, at the Farm Fresh Ranch Grocery Store, 5520 Sunset Blvd.; and

• in the San Fernando Valley, at the Facey Medical Center parking lot, 11165 Sepulveda Blvd.

By Troy Anderson, Staff Writer

A 26-year-old fugitive accused in a brazen shooting that left four men dead at a Valley Village cafe was charged Thursday with mayhem and multiple murder counts that could make him eligible for the death penalty, officials said.

Nerses Galstyan was being held Thursday in Seattle in lieu of $4 million bail. He was apprehended Tuesday in Washington state along with his 24-year-old brother, Samuel, who was later released.

During a news conference at LAPD headquarters, officials said video surveillance confirmed that Nerses Galstyan had been at the Hot Spot Cafe on April 3 and left after the shooting that killed four men and wounded two others.

Read the full story at the Daily News.

Leonard Levinson, owner of The Pawn Broker, looks at the aftermath of the fire that destroyed his pawn shop and other Van Nuys businesses in the 6500 block of Van Nuys Boulevard, Thursday, April 22, 2010. | See photo gallery. (Michael Owen Baker/Staff Photographer)

By Kevin Modesti, Staff Writer

Thursday was the first morning in Ali Zaghari's memory that he didn't go to work at his men's clothing store on Van Nuys Boulevard.

Instead, Zaghari spent the morning starting across the six-lane street at the row of shops reduced to steel frames and ash by an overnight fire and asking people he'd never met what he's supposed to do now.

"That was my life," he said of the unfortunately named Flame Fashions Inc.

His business was one of five that were wiped out early Thursday by a fire that devastated a strip of mom-and-pop businesses in the 6500 block of Van Nuys Boulevard.

Read the full story at the Daily News.

By Jerry Berrios, Staff Writer

Jovanna Lugo always put her family first.

On Wednesday, that philosophy put her on a fatal path with an LAPD cruiser on a busy Sylmar street.

Lugo was making the short trip to her sister's house to pick up visiting relatives for an evening of hot chocolate and bread at her home.

It was too cold for them to walk so Lugo offered to pick them up. Her husband, Julio, stayed home, watching their 2-year-old son, Leonardo.

After all, she would be right back.

"She never made it," her father Jesse Lugo said Thursday.

Read the full story at the Daily News.

From CBS:

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A fire in a single-story home in Mission Hills was extinguished by 41 firefighters in less than 10 minutes after they arrived at the scene, but resulted in the deaths of an elderly couple, fire officials announced Thursday.

Alfred and Carmen Rivas, 82 and 79, respectively, were found unconscious in separate spots inside the home at 10609 N. Halbrent Ave. shortly after the blaze was reported at 10:18 p.m. Wednesday.

Flames were visible from the rear of the home when firefighters arrived, and heavy smoke billowed out when they forced open the front door, according to Devin Gales, spokesman for the Los Angeles Fire Department.

A neighbor said firefighters carried the Rivases to the front yard and tried to resuscitate them, but were unsuccessful. They were transported to Providence Holy Cross hospital in critical condition, where they were pronounced dead.

They are survived by their daughter, Yolanda Rivas, who lived with them and was not home at the time of the fire. She rushed home and later learned at the scene through a phone call that her parents had died, said Robert Juarez, a family friend of 14 years.

She declined to speak to a reporter.

"She's devastated," Juarez said. "How do you tell an only child it's going to be OK? You cant.

"It's just tragic to lose both parents," Juarez said. "I mean, through the grace of God, they went together, but unfortunately for Yolanda, it's not a good day."

Alfred Rivas was a St. Louis Rams fan and enjoyed talking about football and gardening, Juarez said. He was a gentleman and always had a smile on his face, and Carmen Rivas always welcomed friends into their home for a homemade meal, Juarez said.

"They were good people, really good people," Juarez said. "Hands down, the dad had a heart of gold and the mom took care of them."

Although the front of the house and its neatly manicured garden looked untouched save for yellow caution tape strung across the front door, windows in the rear of the home had been boarded up Wednesday morning. All intact windows were blackened with soot. Charred piles of debris were heaped in the backyard.

The cause of the fire was still under investigation, although Yolanda Rivas was told it may have started from an outlet in her room, Juarez said. Investigators said the home was not equipped with smoke alarms, a carbon monoxide detector or residential fire sprinklers, according to Gales.

Officials estimated the blaze cost $150,000 in damages.

A LAPD patrol unit crashed into a car in the 12800 block of North Glenoaks Blvd. in Sylmar on April 21, 2010. One person was killed at the scene and two LAPD officers were treated for minor injuries. (Gene Blevins/LA Daily News)

From Daily News wire services:

SYLMAR - A 27-year-old woman killed when her car was struck by a Los Angeles Police Department patrol car in Sylmar was making a U-turn when the crash occurred, police said today.

Jovanna Lugo of Sylmar was killed in the crash, which occurred at Glenoaks Boulevard and Dyer Street at 8:10 p.m. Wednesday, said LAPD Officer Norma Eisenman.

"A black and white Los Angeles police vehicle was traveling northbound on Glenoaks and impacted the Corolla (driven by Lugo) as it was negotiating the U-turn," Eisenman said. "As a result of the collision, Lugo died at the scene."

The police car was not responding to a call, according to an LAPD Valley Traffic Division duty officer.

The two officers in the patrol car involved in the collision suffered moderate injuries and were taken to a hospital, Eisenman said.

See photo gallery at the LA Daily News.

Los Angeles police are seeking additional victims who may have been sexually assaulted by a Malibu professional trainer who also works in Westwood.

Gregory Isaacs, 49, was arrested in January after he allegedly sexually assaulted a 27-year-old female who lived at the Westwood apartment complex where he oversaw a workout facility. He assaulted at least one victim in his office there, police said.

Isaacs, whose website advertises weekend training retreats and says he trains celebrities, is currently released on bail.

Anyone who may have been assaulted by Isaacs or has any information about an assault is urged to contact Operation-West Bureau Sex Crimes Detail, Detective Geoff Tavares at 213-473-0438 or 213-473-0416.

Anyone wishing to remain anonymous should call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (800-222-8477). Tipsters may also contact Crimestoppers 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.

A man suspected of killing four men in a shooting prompted by an argument inside a North Hollywood restaurant earlier this month was arrested near Seattle, according to the U.S. Marshals Service.

Nerses Arthur Galstyan, a 28-year-old Armenian national, was arrested Tuesday along with his brother, Samuel Galstyan, in Kenmore, Washington, said Deputy U.S. Marshal Richard L. Ploof.

Los Angeles police had originally named Nerses Galstyan as the sole suspect in the shooting at the Hot Spot Cafe Mediterranean Restaurant at 11651 Riverside Drive. It was not clear what Samuel Galstyan's involvement was in that shooting or if he was involved at all, but Ploof said he was also wanted on a murder warrant originating from Los Angeles.

Deputy Chief Kirk Albanese, head of the LAPD's Valley Bureau, said he had no information on Samuel Galstyan's arrest.

"There are no details other than to know that the suspect we wanted is in custody," Albanese said.

Albanese could not say when the suspects would be brought back to Los Angeles, citing extradition issues.

About 20 law enforcement officials including the Marshal's Pacific Northwest Fugitive Apprehension Task Force and a SWAT team from Kings County made the arrest at a home around 8:15 p.m. Tuesday. Officials had set up surveillance on the home after being contacted by the Los Angeles Police Department, Ploof said.

The Galstyans were called out of the home and surrendered without incident, Ploof said.
Ploof declined to name the relationship between the Galstyans and the homeowners.

Nerses Galstyan has been sought since the April 3 shooting that left four men dead and two others injured. Killed were: Hayk Yegnanyan, 25; Sarkis Karadjian, 26; Harut Baburyan, 28; and Vardan Tofalyan, 31.

The men all knew each other and had been eating at the restaurant, police said.

After LAPD identified Nerses Galstyan as the alleged shooter on April 9, a federal grand jury on the same day indicted Galstyan on three counts of illegally dealing firearms and possession of two semi-automatic rifles with obliterated serial numbers.

If convicted of those three counts, he could face a maximum of 15 years in prison.

A Reseda man was in jail Wednesday after police arrested him for kidnap with the intent to commit a sexual assault on a woman who was 8-months pregnant, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

Jason Wade Foreman, 38, was arrested Tuesday in Van Nuys after police saw him inside a stolen car near the intersection of Saticoy Street and Balboa Boulevard, according to the West Valley station.

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Foreman, a resident of a Reseda sober living home, was arrested without incident and investigators also found a handgun and burglary tools in the car, police said.

He was being held on $2,010,000 bond. A court date had not been set as of Wednesday.

Foreman was wanted for a Feb. 22 incident in which he tried to kidnap a woman, police said.

The woman was walking in an alley in broad daylight when Foreman drove past her, parked, opened the trunk, grabbed the victim in a bear hug and tried to force her into the trunk, police said.

The victim bit the suspect's arm and broke free, and Foreman fled in his car, police said.
Detectives identified and tracked Foreman through surveillance video, which showed his license plate.

"We knew he was a predator, but the stolen car, the gun and burglary tools are indicators that he likely victimized people in a broad scope of crime," said Capt. John Egan.

Funeral services will be held next week for Daryl F. Gates, the former Los Angeles Police Department chief who died last week after a battle with bladder cancer in his Dana Point home.

The service is scheduled for 9 a.m. Tuesday at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, 555 West Temple Street, Los Angeles. It will be closed to the public, but an honors ceremony will take place in the plaza.

Visitation will be Monday from noon to 8 p.m. in the Deaton Auditorium at LAPD headquarters, 100 W. 1st Street, Los Angeles.

The date coincides with the one-month anniversary that officers have worn a black mourning band for LAPD SWAT officer R.J. Cottle, a sergeant major in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve killed in Afghanistan.

Gates, the longest tenured chief in city history, headed LAPD 1978 to 1992. He oversaw the department during controversial times, including the 1992 L.A. riots and the Rodney King beating.

Actress Heather Locklear was cited by sheriff's deputies at her Thousand Oaks home over the weekend after she crashed into a sign and left the scene, according to the Ventura County Sheriff's Department.

A resident in the 1100 block of North Lakeview Canyon Road heard a crash at about 4 a.m. on Saturday, but didn't call the sheriff's department until 8 p.m. to report the accident according to Capt. Eric Dowd.

At the scene, deputies found a downed traffic sign and debris, which they were later able to match to Locklear's black BMW. There was damage to the tire well on the passenger side.

The match was made after investigators examined surveillance video from a guard shack of a nearby gated community that showed Locklear entering through the gate around the time of the accident, Dowd said.

Locklear lives about half a mile from the scene of the crash.

Investigators had probable cause to believe that Locklear had been the one driving, and she was cited at her home for a misdemeanor hit-and-run, Dowd said. She was not taken into custody.

There was no evidence that alcohol was involved, Dowd said.

"It was property damage only and a fairly minor hit-and-run accident," Dowd said.

Locklear is scheduled to appear in Simi Valley Court on May 17.

"Ms. Locklear was cited with a misdemeanor traffic ticket as she is the registered owner of the vehicle," Blair Berk, Locklear's attorney said in a statement through the actress's publicist. "She was never taken into custody. The matter is still being looked into as it is not yet clear who was driving the vehicle."

Locklear pleaded no contest in January 2009 to reckless driving in Santa Barbara as part of a plea deal that dismissed a DUI charge. The charge came after she was arrested by a California Highway Patrol officer for driving erratically in September 2008.

She was sentenced to three years of informal probation and a $700 fine.

From Daily News wire services:

LOS ANGELES - A multi-pronged approach to help victims of domestic violence was launched today in Los Angeles in conjunction with Denim Day, during which people wear denim to raise awareness about rape and sexual assault.

With a $1.1 million grant from the Department of Justice's Office of Violence Against Women, the initiative seeks to increase the rate of domestic violence prosecutions, and provide services to victims.

It will fund training programs and a new electronic case management system so that the Los Angeles Police Department, City Attorney's Office and service providers can track the progress of domestic violence cases.

"Today, we stand to speak out and break the silence in support of victims of domestic violence," Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said.

The initiative will also increase funding for the city's Domestic Abuse Response Teams, which provide victims with, among other things, crisis intervention, medical and emergency room advocacy, counseling, support groups, referrals to shelters, legal services, self-defense classes and assistance in obtaining restraining orders.

Finally, the initiative includes the Stop Abuse from Existing (SAFE) public awareness campaign, which directs victims to www.safela.org.

The website contains emergency hotline numbers, shelter information and means to obtain legal services through the City Attorney's office, the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles and Neighborhood Local Services.

A Los Angeles man accused of using stolen credit cards to rack up nearly $18,000 for local theme parks tickets was busted by sheriff's deputies last week at a meeting in which he resold tickets to a buyer responding to an online ad, authorities said.

William E. Redd, 37, is facing felony grand theft charges after he allegedly used stolen credit cards to buy tickets or pay for other charges in at least 12 separate transactions at Six Flags Magic Mountain and Knott's Berry Farm, the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff's station announced Wednesday.

He then sold the tickets on Craigslist in a scheme dating back to last year, authorities said.

Investigators, working with Six Flags loss prevention officers, tracked Redd through his online activity and transactions and set up a meeting with him to buy tickets last Thursday. Detectives monitored the exchange nearby and arrested him shortly after, according to the station.

Detectives conducted a parole search of Redd's home in the 1100 block of West 77th Street and recovered more evidence, according to the station.

"These thieves may think they are safe hiding behind the wall of the Internet," said Capt. Paul Becker. "But we will not be deterred."

Redd is being held without bail. He is scheduled to be arraigned in Newhall Municipal Court on May 3.

From Daily News wire services:

CALABASAS - Former NFL player Corey Dillon was arrested today near Calabasas for allegedly driving drunk.

Dillon, 35, was taken into custody about 3:40 a.m. on northbound Mulholland Drive near the Ventura (101) Freeway, said Lt. Rich Erickson of the Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff's Station.

Dillon was booked on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs, and was released on a citation to appear at the Malibu courthouse on June 21, Erickson said.

Two deputies were driving north on Mulholland Drive when they saw a red 2010 Chevrolet Camaro with paper plates and two male occupants "driving slowly behind them" and "conducted a traffic stop to verify the vehicle's registration," Erickson said.

"Mr. Dillon displayed multiple symptoms of being under the influence, and he admitted to having been drinking earlier in the evening," the lieutenant said.

Dillon played with the Cincinnati Bengals and the New England Patriots.

From the Associated Press:

SACRAMENTO - A bill that would allow life sentences for some convicted child molesters and lifetime electronic monitoring of others cleared its first legislative committee Tuesday after a grieving father evoked the memory of his slain daughter.

The legislation was proposed after the slaying of 17-year-old Chelsea King in a San Diego County park. A convicted child molester, John Albert Gardner, pleaded guilty last week to raping and killing King and 14-year-old Amber Dubois along with assaulting another woman.

The bill proposed by Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher, R-San Diego, would strengthen the current 15-year to 25-year sentence for a first offense of forcible sex crimes involving a child under 18.

Read the full story at The Daily News.

Police are asking for help in finding the drivers of two vehicles involved in separate hit-and-runs that left two men in serious condition in Van Nuys.

• A 43-year-old man who was riding his bicycle westbound on Oxnard Street just west of Fulton Avenue was struck by a truck driven by a male at about 12:17 p.m. on April 16 , according to the Los Angeles Police Department Valley Traffic division.

  
  
  According to witnesses, the truck was traveling westbound on Oxnard Street and was trying to pass the bicyclist when a metal object attached to the truck possibly hit the man, police said.

  The bicyclist was transported to a local hospital with severe injuries and was listed in serious condition.

  There was no further description on the truck.

  Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Jackson at 818-644-8020 or 818-644-8028


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• In the second incident, a man in his 30s was crossing the street on Victory Boulevard on April 17 at 8:25 p.m. when a car going eastbound on Victory hit him at the Willis Avenue intersection.

  
  
  The man was transported to a local hospital with severe injuries and is listed in serious condition.

  There was no further description on the driver or the car.

  Anyone with information on that incident is asked to call Officer Scott DeWitt at 818-644-8027.

  
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Two sobriety and drivers license checkpoints will be in effect Saturday in the North Hollywood area as police try to curb a 27 percent increase from last year in DUI-related accidents.

Checkpoints will be at:

• Lankershim Boulevard and Magnolia Boulevard, 7 p.m. to 2 a.m.


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• Cahuenga Boulevard between Broadlawn Drive and Lankershim Boulevard, 9 p.m. to 4 a.m.


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There have been 61 DUI traffic collisions in North Hollywood since January, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

There will also be a checkpoint in the Pacific area at Lincoln Boulevard between Washington Boulevard and Maxella Avenue on Friday from 8 p.m. to 3 a.m.

Since January, there have been 29 DUI-related crashes and 265 hit-and-runs in that area, LAPD said.

From Daily News wire services:

GLENDALE - A 58-year-old woman accused of hitting a Bob Hope Airport security agent while trying to take applesauce and other snacks for her elderly mother through security got a reprieve today from a judge who said the case would be dismissed if she stayed out of trouble for six months.

Nadine Kay Hays, of Camarillo, was captured on airport video that shows her getting into a tussle with a Transportation Security Administration agent while trying to take a cooler containing the snacks through airport security last April. Hays and her b93-year-old mother were heading to Nashville for a family wedding.

But Hays was instead arrested on suspicion of misdemeanor battery for her scuffle with the security guard.

"Officers come up and they cuff me, and they put me in the police car, and by now I'm hysterical because I've never had an encounter with the law," Hays told KTLA5.

Hays insisted that she had checked with the TSA previously to see if she could take the snacks aboard the plane, and was assured that she could because of her mother's medical condition. But the agents at the airport said the food couldn't go on the plane, prompting an argument and then a tug-of-war with the blue cooler, she said.

"And at that point I said, 'The ice chest belongs to me, give it to me,' and a tug-of-war, that was kind of the scene in the airport," she told Channel 5.

Hays said she eventually got the cooler back, threw the food away and passed through security. But she was arrested a short time later.

In court today, Glendale Superior Court Judge Frederick R. Rotenberg told Hays that he would dismiss the case in six months if she stayed out of trouble. He set another court date for Oct. 18.

"This should have happened a year ago," Hays' attorney, Mary Frances Prevost, told KTLA. "She should never have been arrested. She was arrested at the airport with her elderly mother. She was strip-searched at a jail. This should never have happened."

Hays told the station her family and friends kept encouraging her to accept a plea bargain, but she refused.

"The toughest part was they all wanted me to take the plea bargain, but I said no I can't do it," she told Channel 5. "And if nothing else, it's an example that I've set for my family."

Hays told the station her mother died three weeks ago at age 94.

A 35-year-old Palmdale man convicted of raping a 10-year-old girl in a movie theater was sentenced on Tuesday to 63 years to life in prison for the 2006 attack.

Marque Clark was found guilty last month of forcible rape, kidnapping to commit another crime, aggravated sexual assault, sodomy of a person under 14 and forcible lewd act on a child.

Clark will not be eligible for parole until he's nearly 89, said prosecutor S. Kelly Cromer of the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office. The sentence is comprised of two consecutive terms, Cromer said.

The sentence, handed down by Superior Court Judge Lisa Chung, stems from the Aug. 29, 2006 incident in which Clark forced the girl at knifepoint from a hallway into the back of an empty movie theater at the Cinemark Movies 10 in the Antelope Valley Mall. He raped her behind a movie screen, then fled out a back door.

Sheriff's deputies arrested Clark three weeks later on DNA evidence and found the girl's cell phone hidden behind some bushes at his home, where he told them they would find it.

Detectives, who were interviewing sex offenders in the area, had originally visited Clark's west Palmdale home to talk to his 60-year-old father, a registered sex offender convicted of molesting a girl in the mid-1980s.

But Clark's father wasn't home, and while talking to detectives, Clark admitted that he had been at the mall the day of the attack. Detectives obtained mall security camera footage and noted a man who resembled Clark. He later failed a lie-detector test when taken into custody and confessed to the crime, detectives said.

Clark's public defender, Steve Kwon, could not be reached for comment.

4/20/10 3:15 p.m. update: LAPD has released video footage of the attempted break-in.

Police are asking for help in identifying a three-woman burglary crew that investigators think is responsible for at least three break-ins in the Encino area.

The most recent "knock knock" burglary attempt was April 16 at a home in Encino Hills south of Ventura Boulevard, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

The three women, who were wearing caps or hooded sweatshirts, appear to be in their 20s. They were caught by a homeowner's surveillance camera as they knocked repeatedly on the front door at about 10:30 a.m., police said.

When no one answered, they moved to the back of the house and broke a window, but were apparently scared away when a burglar alarm went off, police said.

The vehicle the suspects are using is a gray or light-colored compact, police said.

Anyone with information on the suspects is asked to call West Valley division Dets. Jeffrey Dunn or Maggie Brownell at 818-374-7730.

Anyone wishing to remain anonymous may call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS or text 274637. All text messages should begin with the letters "LAPD." Tips leading to an arrest can earn up to $1,000.

Two years after he drove into a group of people in Reseda after a fight at a party, killing one and injuring two others, a Northridge man was sentenced today to 28 years to life in state prison.

Marquis Dejon Jiles, 27, was convicted March 8 of the second-degree murder in the death of Maziar Tehrani, a 29-year-old Encino resident. He was also convicted of the attempted murders of a 34-year-old man and a 25-year-old woman.

On April 20, 2008 at about 1 a.m., Jiles got into his friend's 2006 Toyota Scion and drove off following a fight at a house party near Hart Street and Mason Avenue.

But he made a U-turn and, drove back at high speed and hit the three people, who were standing in the street. He then crashed into a tree in a neighbor's front yard. Jiles then fled on foot and was arrested a short while later in the 7000 block of Delco Avenue.

Tehrani was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead from massive head trauma at 1:51 a.m.

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Los Angeles police are continuing an investigation into the killing of a male teen who was shot during a party early Saturday in Pacoima.

Trevon Coats, 17, was among a large group of people outside a home at 12900 W. Desmond St. at 2:15 a.m. when someone in the group pulled a gun and shot him in the head, according to Det. Heather Gahry of LAPD Foothill station.

Coats, of Pacoima, died at 11:50 a.m. at Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in Mission Hills, according to the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office.

The shooting did not appear to be gang-related, Gahry said.

No other information was available.

Coats' killing is at least the seventh in Pacoima since Jan. 1.

Anyone with more information is asked to call Foothill station at 818-834-3115.

Anyone wishing to remain anonymous may call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS or text 274637. All text messages should begin with the letters "LAPD." Tips leading to an arrest can earn up to $1,000.

The parents of a Sun Valley teen who was killed after testifying as a witness to a gang killing will not receive the millions in damages sought from the city and two LAPD detectives in a lawsuit, a jury ruled Thursday.

The two-week trial in federal court also resulted in a verdict of no punitive damages against the two defendant police officers. The parents of Martha Puebla, 16, had sought several million dollars in damages and had demanded $950,000 in punitive damages.

The case stems from a November 2002 Vineland Boyz gang killing in which Puebla was a witness. She testified in court and despite numerous threats against her, Puebla did not enter the witness relocation program. Her parents said she was never offered protection.

The detectives, Martin Pinner and Juan Rodriguez, had told then-alleged killer Jose "Pepe" Ledesma during an interrogation that Puebla had identified him as the shooter. Ledesma, while in jail, made a call asking someone to make her disappear.

Puebla was murdered by members of the gang 12 days after she testified, according to the City Attorney's Office.

Puebla's parents filed a lawsuit alleging civil rights violations and negligence on behalf of the Los Angeles Police Department.

Read the L.A. Times' story of the events leading up to Puebla's killing here.

L.A. city and L.A. county firefighters work to free the victims killed in a crash on the southbound Golden State (5) Freeway just north of the Antelope Valley (14) Freeway in Newhall. Gene Blevins / LA Daily News

A bank account has been set up for donations to help with funeral costs of four children who were killed in a grisly three-car accident on the I-5 late Sunday in Santa Clarita.

The children, who were sitting in the backseat of a Nissan Altima that was rear-ended by a Chevrolet Suburban, were identified by the L.A. County Coroner's Office as siblings Xochitl M. Hernandez, 5; Edgar A. Hernandez, 8; Cynthia J. Hernandez, 9; all of Whittier, and their cousin Luis Villegas, 12, of Oakland.

Yessica Milan, the 27-year-old mother of the Hernandez children, was a passenger in the Altima and was hospitalized in critical condition. Luis Villegas was her nephew. The driver, Francisco Enciso, 25, of Daly City, suffered major injuries.

John "Jack" Blackburn

Those wishing to make a donation may go to any Wells Fargo Bank and provide Milan's name and account number 316-479-3865.

Also killed in the accident was John "Jack" Blackburn, 53, of Frazier Park. Blackburn, a brewmaster of 25 years at the Anheuser-Busch brewery in Van Nuys, lost control of his Mazda pickup and crashed into the center divider.

Prosecutors on Wednesday declined to file charges against the driver of the Chevy that slammed into the rear of a Nissan on the rain-slickened freeway, killing the four children.

An autopsy is scheduled today for a Topanga woman who was found shot to death inside a car in North Hollywood on Tuesday, according to the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office.

Anel Juarez, 37, was pronounced dead from multiple gunshot wounds in the 12200 block of Gault Street after police responded to a call of shots fired at 10:10 p.m. Tuesday, said Detective Steve Castro at the Los Angeles Police Department's North Hollywood station.

Juarez was identified Wednesday afternoon.

No other information was immediately available.

"The investigation is ongoing and we're working all leads," Castro said.

Anyone with more information is asked to call Castro or Detective Mark O'Donnell at 818-623-4075.

Anyone wishing to remain anonymous may call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS or text 274637. All text messages should begin with the letters "LAPD." Tips leading to an arrest can earn up to $1,000.

Los Angeles police are searching for three suspects who dropped a female off at a Panorama City hospital last week, where she died shortly after of a gunshot wound.

The female was identified as Darlene Robles, 17, of North Hollywood. Robles was left at Kaiser Permanente hospital in the 13600 block of Willard Street by two unidentified males and a female at about 5 a.m. on April 6, police said.

Detectives, who have released surveillance video of the people pulling up in an SUV and wheeling Robles to the emergency room, have named the trio as suspects and are asking the public's help in finding them.

In the video, Robles is slumped in a wheelchair as a man, followed by a woman, pushes her into the ER. The man and woman embrace, then leave.

The case is under investigation to determine the motive for the shooting. Robles was shot in Sherman Oaks, according to the coroner's office.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Van Nuys Division homicide detectives at 818-374-0040.

Anyone wishing to remain anonymous may call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS or text 274637. All text messages should begin with the letters "LAPD." Tips leading to an arrest can earn up to $1,000.

Police on Friday identified a man who allegedly killed four men and wounded two others in a North Hollywood restaurant last Saturday, while a federal grand jury in a separate investigation indicted the suspect on illegally dealing firearms.

Nerses Arthur Galstyan, 28, of North Hollywood, is accused of opening fire inside the Hot Spot Cafe, a Mediterranean restaurant at 11651 Riverside Dr., as a group of people celebrated a birthday.

Galstyan had been part of the group and fired multiple rounds in anger when he became involved in an argument with several men, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

Surveillance video from the restaurant shows that Galstyan was in the restaurant, then left after the shooting, police said.

Police executed search warrants at a North Hollywood home that was Galstyan's previous residence, and a Glendale home on Friday morning, but were unable to find him. He is believed to be in the area, armed and very dangerous, Beck said.

"Yes, this is a dangerous person - extremely dangerous - and I have concerns about my police officers when they make contact with him," Beck said. "But this is not a random act. This is not something that people in the Valley or any other place eating at any other restaurant should have to worry about."

The victims were identified as Harut Baburyan, 28, Sarkis Karadjian, 26, Vardan Tofalyan, 31, and Hayk Yegnanyan, 25.

At least one of the two men who were injured was still in a coma with multiple rounds still in his body, said Deputy Chief Kirk Albanese, head of LAPD's Valley Bureau. He was still in critical care in the intensive care unit, but was expected to recover, Albanese said.

Beck declined to comment on whether others in the group may have returned fire and also on reports that the killings were tied to a 2007 murder of a 24-year-old man whose body was found on Mulholland Drive.

Also on Friday morning, a federal grand jury indicted Galstyan on three counts related to weapons dealing charges filed in February. Prior to October 2009, Galstyan and others sold firearms without a license and he possessed two Spike's Tactical .223 caliber semi-automatic rifles with obliterated serial numbers, according to court documents.

Galstyan allegedly imported, cleaned and prepared the guns to sell, according to an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. He also allegedly told an informant that he could sell rifles, AK-47s, and 10,000 to 100,000 rounds of ammunition, according to court documents.

If convicted on all three counts, he could face a maximum of 15 years in prison, said Andre Birotte Jr., U.S. Attorney.

Baburyan, one of the victims, had a lengthy criminal record. He was convicted of attempted auto fraud and sentenced to six months in prison in 2007. He was also convicted in 2000 of receiving stolen property and sentenced to 18 days in jail and five years' probation, and then another 16 months in prison for illegal possession of a semi-automatic weapon, in 2006 according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.

Anyone with more information is asked to call Detective Wallace Tennelle or Detective Luis Romero, Robbery Homicide Division at 213-486-6890. Anyone wishing to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS, and tips leading to an arrest can earn up to $1,000.