May 2008 Archives

From the LAPD blog:

A police officer's weapon accidently discharged while attempting to pull over a vehicle with armed suspects inside on May 26, 2008.

The incident unfolded at around 6:30 p.m., when an undercover police unit working a detail to apprehend career criminals was conducting surveillance on an armed and dangerous vehicle in the 9000 block of Telfair Avenue, in Pacoima. The plain clothes unit needed uniformed officers to make the stop and summoned for a patrol unit.

After the suspect's vehicle turned into a driveway of a nearby home, Officer Claudia Avila and her partner pulled behind them exited the vehicle and drew their weapons to conduct a high-risk stop. While holding her duty weapon with her right hand, Officer Avila attempted to put the vehicle in park with her left hand and accidently discharged her weapon.

Neither the officers nor the suspects were injured. Both suspects were taken into custody and charged for a crime unrelated to the officer involved shooting.

Force Investigation Division will handle the incident. Officer Avila has been with the Department for two years and one month.

Earlier, I mentioned the story of the rise in thefts of gas from cars. Today, the New York Times has a piece about the rise in thefts of discarded frying oil from restaurants. Things are getting weird out there, my friends. Anyone got anything more bizarre, let us know.

Good morning. Here's the latest plan on gang crackdowns - evicting gang members from apartments and seizing cars. Reminds me of a plan that City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo had for people who street race.

In an effort to crack down on gun violence that last year alone killed or wounded more than 2,000 Angelenos, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and top law enforcement officials unveiled a plan Thursday that would allow officers to evict gun-wielding gang members from apartments and seize their cars.

dailynews.com

Read the story I wrote in 2003 about the city's plan to seize cars of street racers.

We had a story today about a spike in gas thefts from cars, a la the trend that hit back in the 70s during the days of gas rationing. I wanted to tell you that I was a victim years ago. Someone sucked the gas out of my pickup truck. Pretty ticked off I drove over to Pep Boys to get one of those locking gas caps and haven't had a problem since. But, now, it seems that the crooks are going further by busting into gas tanks, bypassing the gas caps. Desperate times, my friends.

A 28-year-old felon who allegedly fired a rifle during a domestic dispute early Sunday, prompting a police standoff, has been charged with attempted murder and possession numerous firearms and ammunition, the District Attorney's office announced.

Amir David Tamado Nejad is suspected of firing an assault rifle at his girlfriend during a domestic dispute and also allegedly firing numerous shots at a security guard. No one was hit or injured during the incident. Police responded to a domestic dispute call about 3 a.m. Sunday in the 22100 block of Burbank Boulevard. The California Highway Patrol shut down the westbound 101 Freeway for more than eight hours during a standoff with the suspect.

dailynews.com

At the top of the dailynews.com list today, Brandon has a story about officers being honored for their bravery.

It began just like any other ordinary traffic stop in North Hollywood.

Just before midnight on July 12, 2005, near Sherman Way and Woodman Avenue, Los Angeles police Officer Humberto Franco pulled over a Nissan with three people inside for driving with high beams on.

Franco saw them trying to hide something - maybe drugs or a weapon, he thought - so he flagged down a passing patrol car for backup.

When the officers ordered the three out of the car, one of the passengers pulled a gun, fired at them and ran into a busy street toward a hotel.

dailynews.com

Good morning Mean Streets readers. I'm back from a trip to NYC. Was cruising the wires this morning and found this piece from Chicago.

CHICAGO (AP) -- DNA testing has exonerated a man of a rape conviction that had kept him in an Illinois prison for more than 12 years.

The New York-based Innocence Project says Dean Cage is the 29th person in Illinois exonerated by post-conviction DNA evidence.

usatoday.com

A 32-year-old Pacoima man suspected of brazenly shooting four men he thought threw a rock at his SUV on Tuesday was charged with four counts of first-degree attempted murder, officials said Friday.

The incident was one of six shootings that within four hours left eight wounded and four dead on one of the most violent days the Valley has seen in years. At the time Deputy Chief Michel Moore commented, he couldn't recall ever seeing so many killed and wounded in such a short period.

Apparently Robert Ramon Gasca, 32, was upset over someone who pelted the window of his 1998 Ford Expedition. Later that night, he is believed to have shoot more than eight rounds into a black Honda Accord carrying the four men he thought were responsible.

The bullet ripped through the shoulder and back of the driver, gravely wounding him. It also hit three others in the car, who were not as seriously injured, and shattered the windows. Still, the seriously wounded man managed to drive him and the others to Pacifica Hospital for treatment.

Gasca is being held on $4.3 million bail. If convicted, he faces up to life in prison.

From overnight ... ADW CUTTING

DATE / TIME: 5/17/08, 1545 hrs LOCATION: 12800 block of
Vanowen St
TYPE OF WEAPON: Knife SUSPECT(S) IN CUSTODY: Yes
# OF VICTIM(S): 1 # OF SUSPECT(S):
1
INJURIES: Yes TYPE OF INJURIES: Stab
wounds to abdomen
GANG RELATED: No NOTIFICATIONS: W/C, Dets, Capt Buck
COMMENTS: The Suspect and Victim were drinking together and became
involved in an argument. The argument escalated into a physical
altercation. The Suspect stabbed the Victim in the abdomen. The
Victim was transported by LAFD to Holy Cross and is in grave condition.
Detectives responded and later the Suspect was taken into custody.

I set up a new database of people who were arrested yesterday in Los Angeles using information provided by the LAPD. You can search by name, charge or location. Check it out by clicking here.

Here's a funny one. It wasn't exactly pistols at 30 paces, but police say a security company supervisor and a restaurateur
shot each other with Tasers in a "bonehead" confrontation over parking. Officers said neither man needed medical attention after the Saturday confrontation, but Harvey Epstein, co-owner of Mamacitas restaurant, was arrested on suspicion of felony menacing and using a stun gun.

Ever wanted to know what it's like to sit behind the wheel of a cop car during one of those high-speed chases they always show on the news? Or figure out how someone died by conducting their autopsy? If you're headed to D.C., check out the new National Museum of Crime and Punishment. Here's the Associated Press' take:

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Room by room, you search the house. Then, in a bedroom, a
brunette wearing a tank top points a gun at you. You fire -- and a green dot flashes on her body. She falls to the ground.
This video firearms simulation is just one of the exhibits at the new National Museum of
Crime and Punishment that allows visitors to step into the shoes of those who enforce the
country's laws.
The museum opens Friday, giving tourists the chance to perform an "autopsy" on a bruised dummy or drive a patrol car in a high-speed chase, among many exhibits.
"With most museums you walk and read and walk and read," museum owner John Morgan said.
"Here you walk and read and you do, you do, you do. I think that's what is going to
differentiate us from other attractions."
Attracting tourists in Washington's now crowded museum scene may prove to be a difficult task.
The crime museum, which charges about $18 for adults and $15 for children ages 5 to 11, is likely to face competition from several new entries, including the Newseum and the Madame Tussauds wax museum.
A somewhat similar National Law Enforcement Museum is expected to open nearby, and
officials there are closely watching the reception that the crime museum gets from
tourists.
And there is always the stalwart and admission-free Smithsonian museums, which may draw Americans cutting back on costly vacations as food and fuel prices spiral upward.
"I think there's an uphill fight for a new museum opening charging that much money and
presuming to attract families," said Douglas Frechtling, a tourism studies professor at
George Washington University.
"In D.C., it's easy to substitute a free attraction for a paid attraction," he said.
The crime museum boasts of a number of hands-on exhibits that it believes will draw the
crowds. Such interactivity is key for attracting families, Frechtling said.
"Look at the younger generations -- they're all experience-oriented," Frechtling said. "If
it's not interactive, I can't see it's going to appeal to them."
Last week, crews were working on the museum's exhibits and finishing the studio for
Fox "America's Most Wanted." The museum plans to have the studio open in
time, allowing visitors to periodically watch John Walsh host the show.
Morgan, who also owns WonderWorks amusement parks in Florida and Tennessee, said the idea for his newest creation came to him about five years ago, while visiting Alcatraz Island, the notorious former federal prison in San Fransisco Bay.
He wanted to tell the nation's story of crime and punishment.
"We as Americans, we as people, have a deep, deep fascination with crime and punishment," he said. "It's the curiosity. It's the unknown. It's just behind the curtain."
Morgan, who also runs an Orlando, Fla., law firm, financed the $21 million crime
museum.
The museum has exhibits, such as one on the colonial era that shows copies of drawings of harsh punishments, such as nailing a person's ears for violating a moral code, and
biographies of today's computer hackers and identity thieves.
In a crime prevention section, there are several tips on how to stay safe and report
crimes. Parents can have their children's fingerprints copied at the museum and then
provide them to authorities if their kids go missing.
There's also a punishment section, which includes a place where visitors can pretend to go through the booking process, mug shot and all. They can stand in the museum's jail cell with a bunk bed and metal toilet.
Morgan said he isn't glorifying crime.
"I think people who come through this attraction will get that at the end of the day you
need to be responsible for your actions, there are consequences to your actions, and that crime does not pay," he said.

For more info on the museum, check out http://crimemuseum.org/index.html.

A parolee wielding a semiautomatic rifle walked into a church festival filled with children Saturday morning and opened fire, wounding the mother of his child and two bystanders and shattering this normally quiet suburban neighborhood. Police said Fernando Diaz Jr., 33, of North Hollywood, walked into the festival at St. John Baptist de la Salle Church, kissed his son, pulled the rifle out of a tennis bag and fired several rounds at his ex-girlfriend and festival volunteers before school parents tackled him to the ground.

A Superior Court judge on Monday upheld the murder charge against Ara Grigoryan, the man charged in the July 2007 hit-and-run death of Elizabeth Sandoval. Grigoryan's defense team had sought to reduce the murder charge before going to trial, arguing that prosecutors made certain assumptions about the incident and had overblown the 20-year-old's prior driving infractions to infer a "wanton disregard" for human life -- a key finding for murder.

LAPD Detective Bill Longacre got the tip in December 2005: Someone had rented a storage locker and filled it with stolen guns and jewelry.

When he opened the locker, he found a bag mixed with family heirlooms and other valuables taken from across Los Angeles County. And he discovered photos and copies of a visa, all with the same name - Ignacio Del Pe a Rio.

Showing the photos to the clerk and manager of the storage facility, Longacre discovered that the man was the same one who had rented the locker.

Over the next two months, Longacre used a database that matches suspect descriptions, and he came up with a few matches for Rio, who turned out to have 35 aliases and whose real name was Roberto Caveda. Quickly, he realized he had a big case on his hands.

As Longacre closed in, Caveda made a crucial mistake on Feb. 16, 2006 - when he was caught during a burglary in Sherman Oaks.

The arrest capped a spree in which Caveda admitted to burglarizing more than 1,000 homes in two years and led police to $16 million in recovered property, some buried near the 118 Freeway in Granada Hills.

Partly because of his work on that case, Longacre, 61, was honored Thursday with the 2008 Robert Presley Institute of Criminal Investigation Investigative Excellence Award.

That's Longacre in the photo above. I interviewed him in the third floor interview room at Parker Center, the same room Charles Manson was interrogated in the 60s and later O.J. Simpson. Behind the air conditioning gauge in the room the department had a video camera set up to record confessions back in the day.

Update: Video footage of suspect and his vehicle available for download at www.lapdonline.org-"Solve a Crime" Navigation bar on home page

Los Angeles Police Department have released a sketch of a man who attempted to sexually assault two young girls in separate incidents.

The first assault occurred on April 30, 2008, at around 7:30 a.m., when a Latino man approached an 8-year-old girl walking in the 600 block of Burlington Avenue. The man lured the girl into a secluded area of an apartment building located at 625 South Burlington Avenue and attempted to sexually assault her.

On February 29, 2008, at 9:00 a.m., the same suspect approached a 9-year-old girl walking near James M. Wood Boulevard and Hoover Street. The suspect initiated a conversation with the girl and pulled her into an apartment building where he attempted to sexually assault her.

The suspect is described as Hispanic, 25-30 years of age with black spiked hair. He's about 5 feet six inches tall and weigh 170 pounds. He was last seen driving a blue unknown make and model vehicle. A composite sketch of the suspect is available through Media Relations Section.

Anyone with information is asked to call Rampart Sexual Assault Detective Sofie Toledo at (213) 207-2031 or Robbery Homicide Detective John Wong at (213) 485-2921. After hours and on weekends, please call the 24-hour Detective Information Desk at 1-877-LAW-FULL (529-3855).

Here's a few more of LA's coldest cases from the turn of the century...

July 10, 1901
Craiton, H.R., Emp. 2nd hand store, So Main St. - Returning from visit to his girl, 2 this a.m.,; front of Horace Bell's place Figueroa St., was shot at from ambush, behind shrubbery.

July 10
Compfort, L.B., Driver of milk wagon - Shot in back, while on his wagon, 21st & Toberman, abt. 3 this a.m. Taken to Cal. Hospital, 4:30 a.m.

July 14
Macchiaroli, Cano, 829 Yale St. - Shot at 8 this a.m., West Glendale by Antonio Pellegrine, living at 729 Castellar.

Aug. 21
Bachelors, Body of man, to't to be Bachelors, found in Westlake. Kelly and Quinn.

Sept. 3
Rasche, Fred, Foreman, baker, Ebingers Bakery, 3d and Spring St. - At or near 9th and Wall St., 3:30 this a.m. on way home from work, shot in right side (flesh wound). Was a non-union man. Susp. Stevan Faviamovich, union baker, arrested by Sergeant Williams.

Oct. 7
Chow Youck Toy, C----
Shot and killed, Chinatown, abt. 7 this p.m. by Wong Bing arrested at Pasadena by Ritch, this eve.

Nov. 19
Wilcox, Abram P., wife and child - Found murdered in their ranch house near Downey; probably killed night of 16th inst.

Dec. 19
Neilson, Carl, Chatsworth Park Tunnel - Held up by three men, just above S.P. yds., this evening, and compelled to lie down while they committed sodomy on him. Says his companion, W. McGrew was with him. (Captain Hensley).

Dec. 3
Sampson, John - Shot and killed his wife at 4th and Spring St. on sidewalk, this p.m. Immediately arrested by crossing officer O.T. Walker.

Feb. 19, 1902
Wiley, Mrs. H.S. - Shot at her rooming house, (about noon) At The Columbia, 512 So. Broadway by D.C. Kent. He shot her twice in right side and once in left arm, then shot himself in forehead, only making a flesh wound; then cut throat with razor. Kent was her partner in lodging house (and lover). Kent committed suicide by taking carbolic acid in receiving hospital on March 12, 1902.

Wong Ung Wong - Murdered, about 1 this a.m., at Simons Brick Yard, 825 Boyle Ave. by On Ling Sing, who was arrested in San Francisco April 4th, and returned to Los Angeles by Hawley. Hawley, Auble, Steele & Kelly on case.

This was a pretty brazen, daylight shooting in a well-traveled area. So not surprisingly, police say there were a lot of witnesses to this shooting. If anyone has any information to share, please give me a call: (818) 713-3699.

ENCINO - A shooting on Ventura Boulevard this afternoon launched police on a manhunt for the gunman and prompted officials at a nearby private school to lock down the campus.

One man was hit in the shooting, just after noon, and taken to a local hospital, said Los Angeles Police spokesman Richard French. The victim's condition and identity were not immediately available. The shooter, described only as a Latino man, fled the scene in the 17600 block of Ventura Boulevard, near White Oak Avenue.

A couple of blocks away, Crespi Carmelite High School shut down, keeping its students and faculty members in locked rooms on campus, said Brian Banducci, dean of students.

"The school is closed at this point. No one comes in or out," Banducci said. "(Police) have K-9s in the area. ... We're actually on the western perimeter of the area they're containing right now."

He said the school will remain locked down until the LAPD tells them it's safe. At most, Banducci said, the school sees one or two precautionary lock-downs a year.

See the story at dailynews.com.

Good morning ... Below are the latest significant crime reports from the LAPD.

ROBBERY/GTA:
DATE / TIME: 5/13/08, 1215 hrs LOCATION: Atoll Ave /
Victory Blvd
TYPE OF WEAPON: Bodily Force SUSPECT(S) IN CUSTODY: No
# OF VICTIM(S): 1 # OF SUSPECT(S): 1
INJURIES: No TYPE OF INJURIES: None
GANG RELATED: Unk NOTIFICATIONS: W/C, Dets, C/O's
COMMENTS: Victim was painting when the suspect approached him. The
suspect pushed the victim to the ground and took the vehicle keys from
the victim's hands. The suspect fled in the victim's vehicle.

HOMICIDE

DATE / TIME: 5/13/08, 0250 hrs LOCATION:
9000 block of Nagle St
TYPE OF WEAPON: Handgun SUSPECT(S) IN CUSTODY:
No
# OF VICTIM(S): 1 # OF SUSPECT(S): Unk
INJURIES: Yes
TYPE OF INJURIES: GSW
GANG RELATED: Yes
NOTIFICATIONS: W/C, Dets, O/C's, OVB, RACR, CM
COMMENTS: Suspect(s) shot the victim multiple times, then fled the
location. The victim was transported to the hospital where he was
pronounced dead. Homicide detectives are handling. The incident does
not appear to be gang related.

HOMICIDE

DATE / TIME: 5/13/08, 1500 hrs LOCATION:
12700 block of Lourve St
TYPE OF WEAPON: Handgun SUSPECT(S) IN CUSTODY:
No
# OF VICTIM(S): 1 # OF SUSPECT(S): Unk
INJURIES: Yes
TYPE OF INJURIES: GSW to chest
GANG RELATED: Yes
NOTIFICATIONS: W/C, Dets, C/O's, OVB, RACR, CM
COMMENTS: Suspect(s) shot the victim (gang member) in the chest, with a
handgun. The victim succumbed to his injury at 1813 hrs. Homicide
detectives responded to the crime scene and collected evidence.

Councilwoman Janice Hahn has been taking a lot of heat for a Fox news report that alleged she funded some dubious gang intervention workers but our sister paper, the Daily Breeze, calls the allegations flawed.
The report largely based on two cops comes as Hahn, who represents some of the most violent areas of the city, is pushing a $30 million anti-gang tax measure on November's ballot. The parcel tax which would cost about $30 or $40 a household would pay for intervention and prevention but political insiders have been yammering that this report could damage the ballot's prospects.

Los Angeles Councilwoman Janice Hahn continues to take fire from talk radio hosts and conservative bloggers, two weeks after a television news report accused her of providing city funds to active gang members under the auspices of gang intervention programs.

But a review of the Fox 11 News story found major flaws that undermine its central allegations. Most notably, records and interviews show that the gang intervention workers identified in the report have not received city funding. Additionally, a convicted rapist was wrongly identified as a gang intervention worker, and Hahn was mistakenly accused of providing funds directly to gang workers.

The story was largely based on the allegations of two Los Angeles Police Department officers who contend that Hahn pressured the department to remove them from their foot beats in Watts due to complaints about their aggressive tactics.

The conflict between Hahn and the two officers - Ryan Moreno and Chuck Garcia - dates to late 2005, when she responded to a spate of violence in Watts by starting a gang task force.

Police today are going to offer a reward in conjunction with the killing of a Northridge homeless man.

At 8 a.m. at the Devonshire Community Police Station, 10250 Etiwanda Ave., Northridge, Los Angeles City Councilman Greig Smith, and Los Angeles Police Department homicide detectives will ask for the public's help to identify a suspect who accosted an elderly homeless man, causing him to suffer fatal head injuries. For additional information, contact Matt Myerhoff, Communications Director, Council District 12, Cell: (818) 613-2248. Matt.Myerhoff@lacity.org.

A Latino in his 20s punched Harold Gene Loftis, 69, at Roscoe and Reseda boulevards about 10 p.m. April 14

A Santa Barbara prosecutor who consulted in the making of the movie "Alpha Dog," about an accused killer facing the death penalty, may stay on the case, the California Supreme Court decided unanimously today. Ruling against the capital defendant, the state high court said a prosecutor may be removed from a case only if it is determined that his or her actions created a conflict of interest that made it unlikely for the defendant to receive a fair trial.

A college student whose friend was being questioned in a hit and run found himself charged with
assaulting an officer with a curious choice of weapons: M&Ms.

Sean McGuire was arrested early Sunday at a convenience store after Drake University security guards noticed the colored candies falling on the ground around the officer. When the officer turned around, an M&M hit his shoulder, according to a police report.

McGuire claimed he threw the candy because he was "sticking up for his friend," who apparently was the man suspected in the accident, the report states.

McGuire, of Glenview, Ill., was released from jail Sunday after posting $1,000 bond. A telephone call to his cellphone Monday wasn't immediately returned.

Rocky Delgadillo is cracking down on prostitutes and pimps by using the same kind of enforcement he uses with gang injunctions. Here's the press release.

Los Angeles City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo, the City's chief prosecutor, today joined with representatives of the Los Angeles Police Department to announce the filing of a groundbreaking lawsuit seeking to prevent five pimps and 36 chronic prostitutes from operating in the Figueroa Corridor. He is also unveiling a diversion program to educate prostitutes and "Johns" about the legal consequences, health risks, and community impact of their illegal conduct.

"We're launching the injunction for chronic offenders and the
diversion program for first-time offenders at the same time because
fighting crime in the 21st Century means getting smarter - not just
tougher - with our public safety initiatives," said City Attorney
Delgadillo.

The Pimp and Prostitution Injunction

The nuisance abatement action brought by the City Attorney's Safe
Neighborhoods Division seeks to exclude five pimps and 36 chronic
prostitutes from the Figueroa Corridor - an area defined as 100 yards
to each side of Figueroa Street between Vernon Avenue and El Segundo
Boulevard in South Los Angeles. The defendants have repeatedly returned
to the Figueroa Corridor despite law enforcement efforts to stop them.

All 36 prostitutes named in the injunction have been convicted at least
twice for engaging in prostitution in the Figueroa Corridor, and account
for 127 prostitution arrests in the Figueroa Corridor and more than 300
prostitution arrests throughout Southern California.

Four pimps named in the injunction are affiliated with gangs including
the Shotgun Crips, Front Hood Crips and Denver Lane Bloods.

Pimps named in the injunction are excluded from the Figueroa Corridor
and are prohibited from associating with or assisting prostitutes; using
intimidation; interfering with traffic or possessing weapons. They must
also report any vehicle and residential information to law enforcement.
Prostitutes named in the injunction are also excluded from the Figueroa
Corridor. Violations of the injunction could result in criminal
prosecution.

We have included within this injunction an opt-out provision which
provides those who can demonstrate they are no longer engaging in
criminal activity - and have met certain court-ordered requirements --
with a way out.

The Prostitution Diversion Program

The City Attorney also today announced the launch of the Figueroa
Corridor Prostitution Diversion Program. The program is designed to
reduce the number of prostitutes and "Johns" along the Figueroa
Corridor.

The Diversion program is open to first-time offender prostitutes and
"Johns" who have no prior convictions for drugs or violence.
Program participants must enroll in, and complete, an eight hour seminar
and must submit to an AIDS test and follow-up support services. If the
offender completes of the seminar and appropriate referral services, no
charges will be filed.

The Figueroa Corridor suffers more from the harmful actions of pimps,
prostitutes, and those seeking prostitutes than any other part of the
City. The LAPD has devoted vast resources to attacking this problem,
including conducting undercover operations, and providing dedicated
patrols and foot patrols. Since 2002, more than 1,000 prostitutes have
been arrested in the Figueroa Corridor and prosecuted by City Attorney
Delgadillo's Neighborhood Prosecutors. The City Attorney targeted 20
nuisance properties for abatement because of vice and drug activity
linked to prostitution, resulting in the reduction of
prostitution-related crimes at these locations by 65%.

Deputy City Attorney Dan Whitley is the City prosecutor assigned to the
litigation and Neighborhood Prosecutor Sonja Dawson created the
prosecution diversion program in cooperation with LAPD and our service
provider partners.

Earlier, I wrote about some of Los Angeles' oldest murder cases from the turn of the century. In one of them, a man named John Slovinski shot himself with a shotgun. He had been arraigned in a case involving attempted extortion through what was called a badger game. And I put out a call to readers asking if they knew what that was, to weigh in. Well, thanks to Mick O, who found the description on good ol' wikipedia.

Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) is asking for the public's help to identify a hit-and-run suspect who killed a bicyclist in the Hollywood area.

On March 16, 2008, at around 6:45 a.m., 72-year-old Artine Zarkarian was riding his bicycle northbound on Western Avenue when an unknown vehicle struck the rear of his bike just south of Elmwood Avenue and failed to stop.

Ejected from his bicycle, Zakarian landed on the street and sustained serious head injuries. He was transported by Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics to a local hospital and eventually died from his injuries on April 29.

Anyone with additional information about the incident is encouraged to contact Detective Acosta at the LAPD West Traffic Division, (213) 473-0234. During off-hours or on weekends, calls may be directed to a 24-hour toll free number at 1-877-LAWFULL (529-3855).

The Reseda Neighborhood Council put this out this morning, sent into our tip line.

Hi Folks,

There has been a rash of burglaries from a motor vehicle in our area. The area of Vanowen between Lindley and White Oak, especially.

To protect yourself, avoid leaving your doors and/or windows unlocked, try to park in a well lighted place, and above all, do not leave any thing in plain view from outside the vehicle. Leaving charging cords, mounting bracket or any thing associated with electronic equipment in plain view is like an invitation to the thief that walks by your vehicle.

Protect yourself!!!!

Here's another bit from LAPD's coldest murder cases from the turn of the century. One of the more salacious ones turns out not to be a murder ... A guy shot and wounded another guy for getting intimate with his wife. The victim pressed no charges.

Christensen, Simon - Supposed to have been murdered, night of Sept. 9, '99, and put on S.P bridge where he was run over by cars. On March 8-1900, Hawley & Auble arrested a Mexican on suspicion of being the murderer but turned him loose as could not find the Mexican that gave the information.

1900, March 10
• Gooding, Judge Henry C. - Held up in front of his residence on night of Mar. 10th, 1900, by two unknown men and shot (not fatally). Grant, Rev. Peter, held up same night on 29th St., about half hour before the above occurence. Wm. O'Brien and Kernell arrested and held to answer on the Grant charge. Mr. Sutter, held up same night; propr. of jewelry store next door to Lee Bros. on So. Spring.

  Apr. 21
  

• Hilduer, George - Shot and killed abt. 9:15 p.m. on 1st St., between Breed & Soto, while on way home, in company with his mother, by two foot pads. Shot in left side while running away from them, evidently with 38 Colts, from bullet extracted from body. No trace of foot pads.

  21
  

• Johnson Palomi, Mexican - Stabbed to death some time last night in rooms of M. Castella, New High St.; susp. Castella. Both drunk. Steele & Auble on case. Castella captured.

  May 22
  

• Kong Gon Chung, (Chinaman) - Shot-killed-Chinatown, this eve.; susp. Wong Ah Gong, Lem Yick and Wong Ah Hugh, highbinders.

  31
  

• Copeland, A.R. Private watchman - Held up and shot in back of neck by 2 highwaymen, 6th & Union, 8:45 this p.m.

  June 2
  

• Breckenridge, W. J., 2407 Budlong Ave. - Held up and shot, 9:15 this p.m. by 2 men, 24th St. near Vermont. Died 3:15 p.m. June 3d.

  July 15
  

• Mitchell, Elmer, Fireman, Santa Fe R.R. - Shot last night by C.C. Tilley, grocer, for being intimate with his, Tilley's wife. Taken to Pacific Hospital under care of Dr. Rebecca Lee Dorsey. Mitchell got well and no complaint issued.

  Aug. 10
  

• Slovinski, John - Committed suicide, shot self in mouth, with shot gun, @ room @ Lawrence, W 5th St. Had been arraigned in Judge Austin's court, in company with his wife for attemp to extort money by badger game or similar device. (Any of Mean Street's readers know what a badger game is? Post your comments here.)
  

They're doing it one care package at a time. According to a press release put out this morning, all six Valley Bureau divisions are taking items to make care packages for troops oversees through June 28, 2008. Put the stuff in red bins in the lobbies of the stations.

In order to send items to our troops, please see the Troops Wish List below and take your items to your local Community Police Station where a Red Bin has been placed in the lobby for collections. Items will be collected until June 28, 2008 at which time the care packages will be prepared and mailed. For further information please visit www.ForTheTroops.us. Check out lapd.org for the locations of the police stations.

Wish List:

Gum

White Athletic Socks

Candy

Baby Wipes (cuz you just never know)

Nuts

Travel size board games

Potato Chips (in cylinder cans)

Computer USB Flash Drive

Trailmix

Memory Sticks

Pop Tarts

Q-Tips

Canned Tuna Fish

Pipe Cleaners

Crystal Light powder

AA and AAA Batteries

Pre-sweetened Powdered Gatorade

Letters of Appreciation

Granola and Power Bars

Movies-DVD's

Beef Jerky (No Pork, Please!)

Music -CD's

Crosswords, Word Search, Suduko Small Handheld Games

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Here's something you don't hear about every day... A little Friday weirdness to go with your Cheerios ...

Three teenagers were arrested after two of them told police they dug up a secluded grave north of Houston, removed the skull from the coffin and converted it into a marijuana bong. Police found a grave in the city of Humble that had been disturbed, but were still investigating the rest of the teens' story, Houston police Sgt. John Chomiak said.

Earlier we posted a story that talked about LAPD Chief William Bratton taking a consultancy job to help drop London's crime rate. Bratton responds ...

There have been several recent news articles indicating that I have been approached and accepted a position to act as an advisor to the new Mayor of London, Boris Johnson.

I have had no conversations with Mr. Johnson, I have not spoken with any members of his administration and I have not been approached to act as an advisor as it relates to matters of crime reduction.

As a law enforcement executive I am often asked to share my thoughts and opinions on reducing crime and making communities safer. I have long supported the "Broken Windows" theory of policing that by focusing on minor crimes, more serious offenses can be prevented.

In the past I have provided advice to former Mayor Ken Livingston and have consulted for both the city of London and the national government. I would certainly be willing to do so, if asked, for the new Mayor in my official capacity as Chief of the Los Angeles Police Department.

William J. Bratton
Chief of Police
Los Angeles Police Department

Gunmen killed the head of Mexico's federal police force early Thursday in a brazen hit against the man who had become the public face of the country's war on drug cartels.

What's wrong with this picture?

Police right now are holding a press conference, announcing the arrest of a child sexual predator identified as Pedro Ortiz has allegedly sexually assaulted at least two juvenile victims and investigators believe there could be others. For further information, contact LAPD Media Relations Section, (213) 485-3586. More to come.

I'm taking you back to the turn of the century Los Angeles, to take a peek at the LAPD's oldest murders. It was a time when police logs were typed out and when police used less-than politically correct words to describe minorities in official police reports.

This is from the LAPD's Murder Book, courtesy of LAPD Detective Robert Bub, a veteran homicide investigator:

• Oct. 28, 1900
  Wong Won, Chinese - Shot in belly about 12 last night, by another C----, Alameda and Marsch. Assailant shot in leg by Officer Dixon.

• Dec. 12
  Austin, Police Judge - Called to side door abt. 8:10 this P.M. by one who rattled the screen. Opened door and shot was fired through the screen, passing thru his coat. Did not see any one.

• Jan. 12, 1901
  Stade J, Divine Healer - Shot in left eye, in his room at 1151 Maple Ave., between 6 and 7 a.m. today; evidently while he was asleep, by unknown party who went up stairs to room and later made his escape by front door without being seen. Shot was heard by Tucker brothers in next room. Was not discovered by Mrs. Clark, landlady, until 2 p.m. Shields, Talamantes, Benedict and Bradish and Steele on case.

• Jan. 18, 1901
  Wong Doo, (Chinaman) - Supposed to have shot and wounded Wong Quong; arrested and dismissed.

• April 21
  Carlson, Anna, 3512 Eureka St. - Knocked down with rock, in hands of unknown man, 12:10 a.m., April 19, front of above addr. (Benedict)

  
  

• April 22
  
  Cusick, al. Conway, Mrs. Lillie - Shot and killed at 9:15 p.m., 515 1/2 S. Main St., by Wm. or Billy Nelson, rooming at her house; formerly employed Chutes. Mrs. Conway thought to be from Hastings, Nebr.

• May 11
  Winters, Grace Pefton, wife of J. Ross Winters - Shot in left side and killed, between 10 and 11 o'clock this morning while out with her husband in canyon, east of Shorb; body broo't back to his home Workman St. East Los Angeles, by husband who claimed it was an accident. J. Ross Winters arrested by Auble and Ritch.

• June 9
  Brown, Will, Colored - Shot and killed in front of White Wing saloon, 1st St., abt. 6:30 this p.m. by Willard Griffin, colored, who runs tamale wagon. Griffin arrested, Shield and Tom Quinn; dismissed, acct. self defense.

• July 4
  Hurth, E.C. - Shot about 12:30 this a.m. by Winfred, al. Fredd Hettinger, commonly called Debs, in rear of Ahrens Bakery, 425 South Broadway, where Hurth was employed.

Click below to view the latest Valley Crime map ...

This just in from John Balian, Glendale Police Department spokesman:

The Glendale Police Department has arrested two suspects in connection with several residential burglaries and thefts in the City of Glendale where elderly victims where targeted. After a month-long investigation, Glendale Police Detectives arrested Christopher Nicholas and Mary Dell on 05/04/08 in Riverside, CA. Nicholas and Dell would gain the confidence of elderly victims in order to gain access to the victim's home. Once inside the victim's home, one suspect would distract the victim, while the other suspect ransacked the home for cash, credit cards, jewelry and other valuables.

Both suspects are suspected of committing similar crimes in the cities of Long Beach, Pasadena, Crescenta Valley, and have ties to Las Vegas, Nevada. If you believe you may be a victim, please contact: Det. Keith James at (818) 548-2097 OR Sgt. Vahak Mardikian at (818) 548-4047.

NICHOLAS, CHRISTOPHER
A.K.A.'s:
Miller, Chris / Nichols, Christopher /
Nicholes, Christopher

DELL, MARY ANN
A.K.A.'s:
Stevens, Janet Laura / Evans, Janet /
Evans, Mary / Marks, Janet

A Glendale man was taken for $100,000 by a scam artist in return for a deed of trust in the home at 5541 Calera Avenue in Covina. Frank Girardot, over in the San Gabriel Valley, has the scoop.

U.S. border authorities no longer apprehend illegal immigrants only as they enter the country. Now they're catching them on the way out. At random times near the Tijuana-San Diego border, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers have been setting up checkpoints, boarding buses destined for Mexico and pulling off people who don't have proper documentation, latimes.com.

More on the death of a 14-year-old boy, Alejandro Villa ...

PACOIMA - In one of the last photos taken of Alejandro Villa before he was shot to death less than a block from his home, he is smiling, sitting in the back of a limousine.

The snapshot is from a quinceañera, where the 14-year-old boy danced so much and had such a good time that he promised to dance more often, his sister said.

And for months, he had been telling his mother he was going to stay out of trouble. He even had joined a boxing class through the gang intervention group Communities in School.

But Alejandro teetered on the edge, sometimes mixing with the wrong crowd. And in the end, his words to his family weren't enough.

dailynews.com

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Police would soon decide whether to provide extra security at federal courthouses in light of an explosion that damaged a federal courthouse in San Diego.

Nobody was hurt in the blast, caused by a pipe bomb about 1:40 a.m. Sunday.

Los Angeles police don't yet have plans to provide extra security at federal courthouses in the city, but that could change, said Karen Smith of the Los Angeles Police Department.

I wonder where the money might come from. I know the overtime costs are huge and the city is grappling with cutbacks... We'll see.

chinaview.com