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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.

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.

From CBS:

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.

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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.

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.

A new study from Harvard looks at the changes in the Los Angeles Police Department over the last nearly 20 years. Today, 53 percent of new graduates were Latino, compared with 45 percent in 1990.

dailynews.com

On Monday evening a man was killed in the parking structure at the Beverly Center. Los Angeles Police Department homicide detectives are investigating the murder.

On May 18, 2009, at 3:11 p.m., officers from Wilshire Area responded to a call for service at the Beverly Center, located at 8500 Beverly Boulevard. When they arrived, the officers found an adult male suffering from several gunshot wounds.

The Los Angeles Fire Department was notified and transported the victim to a local hospital where he died a short time later.

During the investigation, homicide detectives identified the suspect who left the scene before the officers arrived. The suspect, Aubrey Louis Berry, a 23-year-old male, from Georgia was arrested for the murder at the Los Angeles International Airport. Berry is being held on $1 million bail.

Wilshire Area homicide detectives are handling the investigation and are still looking into the motive for the murder.

The victim's identity has not yet been confirmed, pending verification from the Los Angeles Coroner's Office. The victim was identified by friends, family and his publicist as the rapper Dolla, whose real name was Roderick Anthony Burton II.

Anyone with information about the incident is encouraged to contact Wilshire Homicide Detective Frank Carrillo at (213) 473-0446. During off-hours, calls may be directed to a 24-hour, toll-free number at 1-877-LAPD-24-7 (527-3247). Callers may also text "Crimes" with a cell phone or log on to LAPD and click on Web tips. When using a cell phone, all messages should begin with "LAPD." Tipsters may remain anonymous.

Sometimes you gotta wonder what people are thinking.

VAN NUYS - A man accused of firing several rounds from an assault weapon into a parking lot following a domestic dispute pleaded today, the District Attorney's Office announced.

Deputy District Attorney Isidoro Baly of the Van Nuys Branch Office said Amir David Tamado Nejad, 28, of Woodland Hills pleaded no contest to two counts of assault with an assault weapon and admitted special allegations of personal use of an assault weapon. The defendant also admitted a prior strike, a 1998 conviction for conspiracy to commit a drive-by shooting.

Judge Richard Kirschner ordered the defendant to return for sentencing on June 15 in Department G of Van Nuys Superior Court. Nejad is expected to be sentenced to 26 years and eight months in state prison.

Following a domestic dispute between Nejad and his girlfriend on May 25, 2008, the defendant fired five rounds into a parking lot where his girlfriend and a security guard stood. During a search of his apartment, police discovered 12 firearms and more than 200 pounds of ammunition.

Los Angeles police detectives are asking for the public's help in identifying the suspects responsible for the shooting deaths of 25-year-old Alejandro Robleos Perez and 19-year-old Javier Cordero Gonzalez.

The men were killed Saturday, May 16, 2009 about 4:30 a.m. near 2909 West Hyde Park Boulevard. The victims were standing on the sidewalk when the suspects approached them. The suspects suddenly began shooting multiple rounds, killing Perez and Gonzales.

Detectives have not determined whether the shooting is gang related.

Anyone with information regarding this murder investigation is asked to contact Criminal Gang Homicide Group Detectives Kenneth White and Refugio Garza at (213) 485-1383. After hours or on weekends, calls may be directed to a 24-hour, toll-free number at 1-877-LAPD-24-7 (527-3247) or by texting CRIMES (274637) and beginning the message with the letters LAPD. Tipsters may also submit information on the LAPD website: www.lapdonline.org. All tips may remain anonymous.

An anticlimactic end to a violent incident went down yesterday when a man who had just shot and mortally wounded his ex-girlfriend led police on a pursuit that started in the San Fernando Valley and ended with his arrest in Corona.

On Wednesday, May 13, 2009 at around 12:05 p.m., Mission Area Patrol Officers were dispatched to a radio call of a shooting that had just occurred in the 8300 block of Van Nuys Boulevard. Officers found the victim, a female, Hispanic, 27-years-old, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.

Witnesses described seeing the suspect, identified as 27-year-old Jasper Stallings, force the victim into a red Dodge Ram pickup truck that was parked in the Rite-Aid parking lot in the 8400 block of Van Nuys Boulevard. They then heard gunfire as the truck drove away, across the parking lot. As the truck neared the 24-Hour Fitness Center the victim either fell, or was pushed out of the truck. Witnesses heard at least one additional gunshot.

Stallings drove away headed south through the parking lot, got onto the Hollywood Freeway, and eventually headed to Corona. There, the suspect stopped and was arrested.

During the investigation detectives discovered that the truck Stallings was driving had been taken in a kidnapping/carjack incident that had occurred earlier in the day in the northeast area of the San Fernando Valley. The victim of that incident was forced at gunpoint to get into the passenger seat and was driven to Victorville where he was robbed and left at the side of the road, unharmed.

The shooting victim, whose identity is being withheld until her family can be notified, was pronounced dead at a local hospital at about 2:50 p.m.

Stallings was booked into jail on a murder charge and is being held without bail. He faces charges including, domestic violence, kidnap, robbery, and carjacking.

Anyone with additional information is encouraged to contact LAPD Mission Detective Jim Freund at (818) 838-9810. After hours and on weekends, calls may be directed to a 24-hour, toll-free number at1-877-LAPD-24-7 (527-3247). Callers may also text "Crimes" with a cell phone or log on to www.lapdonline.org and click on Web tips. When using a cell phone, all messages should begin with "LAPD." Tipsters may remain anonymous.

Paul M. Weber, president of the Los Angeles Police Protective League, issued the following statement today regarding the release of the SWAT report to the media:

Our legal advisors have expressed serious concerns over the LAPD's decision to release to the news media such a detailed report containing opinions of officers' performance and describing in detail safety tactics used by our officers during this tragic event. Nevertheless, the report from the Chief of Police supports what the LAPPL has always said about the February 7, 2008 SWAT incident in West San Fernando Valley - the officers involved are heroes in every sense of the word. Their bravery and courage under fire epitomizes what it means to be a police officer and it is no wonder the President of the United States recognized these officers.

The Times' Joel Rubin follows the inquiry into last February's fatal killing of LAPD SWAT Officer Randal Simmons during a standoff in Winnetka.

An internal investigation found that the officers involved acted appropriately, the officers were not perfect, LAPD Chief William J. Bratton said.

Although the officers' conduct, including their decision to use deadly force, was within department rules, the review panel and Bratton expressed concern about some aspects of the response. For example, communication among the officers was imperfect at times, as inaccurate information about the situation was relayed to responding SWAT officers.

L.A. Now.

Read the Daily News' complete coverage of the incident.

The city of Los Angeles is offering a $50,000 reward to help locate a murder suspect.

On January 25, 2008 about 11:30 p.m., Alvaro Ely Calderon was walking near the intersection of Strathern Street and Bellaire Avenue in North Hollywood when someone shot him. Witnesses saw a white, four-door Toyota, Honda or Nissan speed away from the scene.

Cops are asking that anyone with information about this crime call North Hollywood Homicide Detectives at (818) 623-4075. After hours or on weekends, calls may be directed to the North Hollywood Watch Commander at (818) 623-4016, or a 24 hour toll-free number at 1-877-LAPD-24-7 or by texting CRIMES (274637) and beginning the message with the letters "LAPD." Tipsters can also submit information on the LAPD website www.lapdonline.org. All tips may remain anonymous.

Police announced the arrest of a man and an accomplice believed responsible for the murder of a 24-year-old man named Victor Solis.

Solis was killed May 2, 2009, at 1:45 p.m. at Pepper Street in Cypress Park. He was discovered shot inside a vehicle. He was taken to a local hospital but he died.

Detectives identified two suspects, 21-year-old Adrian Martinez and 18-year-old Joshua Ricardo Galindes. Both men were believed to be gang members. Detectives believe Galindes was the triggerman.

Martinez late last week. Police found Galindes Monday afternoon in an area he was known to hang out in and saw him getting out of a car carrying a gun. Galindes tossed his weapon and tried to run away but was caught a short time later. His gun was also recovered, although it was not the same caliber as the weapon used in the killing, police said.

Police are asking that anyone with additional information is encouraged to contact LAPD Northeast Division detectives at (213) 847-4261. After hours and on weekends, calls may be directed to a 24-hour, toll-free number at1-877-LAPD-24-7 (527-3247). Callers may also text "Crimes" with a cell phone or log on to www.lapdonline.org and click on Web tips. When using a cell phone, all messages should begin with "LAPD." Tipsters may remain anonymous.

Relatives of a 17-year-old youth slain by an illegal alien -- sparking an unsuccessful drive to put what became known as "Jamiel's Law" on the city ballot -- have sued the county for wrongful death.

Forty one officers died in the line of duty in 2008, according to statistics released today by the FBI.

The FBI broke the stats down by region - 20 police officers were killed in the South, nine in the Midwest, nine in the West, and three in the Northeast.

The number of officers killed was 17 fewer than in 2007.

So what do you do when you put out a call for guns in exchange for gift cards during a recession but run out of gift cards in the first two-hours of the event?

Call in the calvary.

Los Angeles' citywide gun buyback program was called an unexpected success after nearly 1,700 firearms were collected Saturday from owners who'd been promised anonymity, "no questions asked" and - very important - $100 gift cards.

In a way, the effort proved too successful: So many people showed up at collection sites with handguns and rifles in their trunks that organizers ran out of the Ralphs and Visa gift cards in the first two hours.

Some people went ahead and turned in weapons without the financial incentive. But an untold number of drivers left in a huff.

Burbank police just released results that clears two of their officers who were involved in a recent shootout with a man who opened fire at them a couple months ago at Foy Park:

On March 8, at 9:20 p.m., officers Neil Gunn and Ryan Benavidez contacted a suspicious subject in Foy Park. As the officers maneuvered the patrol vehicle toward the subject, he began firing at them with a 357 magnum. Officer Neil Gunn returned fire and the subject was taken into custody a short time later on Hollywood Way.

Rashammond Mapp, 32, of Burbank, was booked for the attempted murder of two police officers. His bail was set at $1 million. The suspect was arraigned on March 11. His preliminary hearing is set for July 27.

Burbank Police Department policy requires that a shooting board be held regarding the discharge of firearms by our officers. The board was comprised of a captain, a sergeant, the department training coordinator, and the senior rangemaster.

After a thorough examination of the evidence, reports, and exhibits, the board determined that the shooting was within policy as the officer was defending himself from death or serious injury from an armed attack.

A Canoga Park man faces arraignment later this month on a murder charge stemming from the alleged fatal shooting of his older brother, whose body has not been found, the District Attorney's office announced.

Deputy District Attorney Beth Silverman of the Major Crimes Division filed the case on Monday against 34-year-old Hossein Shirazi. Shirazi was charged with one count of murdering his 49-year-old brother, Mohammad Shirazi, sometime between April 12, 2008, and May 2, 2008. The complaint alleged Hossein Shirazi personally used a handgun to commit the crime.

Authorities alleged that Hossein Shirazi shot his brother at the family home in Canoga Park while the men's parents were on vacation in Iran.

Silverman said Hossein Shirazi is scheduled to appear for arraignment on May 13, in Department 100 of Van Nuys Superior Court. He is in custody on $2 million bail.

The defendant was arrested by detectives from the Los Angeles Police Department's West Valley Division on April 30. The case was filed on Monday and the arraignment postponed after a brief court appearance in Van Nuys that day.

If convicted, the defendant faces a possible life-with-parole sentence.

This afternoon at 12:30, Los Angeles City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo is holding a press conference to announce his latest crack down with a gang injunction against Barrio Van Nuys.

"BVN or Barrio Van Nuys gang is as dangerous or as potent as MS-13, 18th Street or any gang in the city," Delgadillo said Wednesday after filing paperwork seeking the injunction in Los Angeles Superior Court.

You can leave your guns at home ... or you can turn them into the LAPD and get a gift card for $100 for pistols and $200 for assault weapons.

TURN IN YOUR GUNS....No questions asked

The Los Angeles Police Department Topanga Division is taking part in the 2009 Anonymous Gun Buyback Program. This event is taking place on May 9th, 2009 at locations all around the city. Participants will receive a Visa or Ralph's Supermarket gift card in the amount of $100.00 for handguns and $200.00 for assault weapons (while supplies last).

This event is completely anonymous and no questions will be asked. Please transport your firearms unloaded and in the trunk of your vehicle.

The turn in location for Topanga Area (West Hills, Woodland Hills, Canoga Park, and Winnetka) will be located at:

Hope Chapel of the Valley
7930 Mason Ave
Canoga Park, CA 91306

The event will be from 10:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. For other locations around the city or any questions, please call the Topanga Area Senior Lead Office at (818) 756-3070. Updated locations and information may be available from the Los Angeles City Web site
or the CBS Web site.