Crime

Michael McGuire, L.A. Homicide No. 140: 21-year-old Man Fatally Shot at After-Prom Party in Venice

Google Maps​ A man who was fatally shot at an after-prom party has been identified as 21-year-old- Michael McGuire. The shooting occurred on Louella Avenue, south of Venice Blvd. around 1:30 a.m. on June 13, said Sgt. Dennis Beacham of LAPD's Pacific Station. The shooter in a passing vehicle ... More >>

Michael Jackson's Father Files Suit Against Doctor Conrad Murray

​Michael Jackson's father, Joe Jackson, filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in downtown Los Angeles against Conrad Murray, the doctor accused of manslaughter in the pop star's death. Brian Oxman, attorney for the Jackson family patriarch, filed the wrongful death suit Friday afternoon on ... More >>

First-Time DUI Offenders In L.A. Will Have To Install Breathalyzers In Their Cars

​Beginning July 1st, people convicted of drunk driving in four California counties including Los Angeles will be required to install dashboard Breathalyzer devices that would prevent their car engines from starting if alcohol is detected. The bill was signed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger l ... More >>

Victor De Los Santos, L.A. Homicide No. 125: Teenager Fatally Shot outside Eagle Rock Market

The Los Angeles Police Department detectives are looking for two suspects who fatally shot an 18-year-old man and wounded another in a drive-by shooting outside the Azteca Market today in Eagle Rock. The shooting occurred about 12:30 am on June 5 in a parking lot at 3370 Verdugo Road. According t ... More >>

Lily Burk's Killer Pleads Guilty, Avoids Death Sentence

An ex-con pleaded guilty this afternoon to the murder of Lily Burk, a 17-year-old Los Feliz girl who was kidnapped and later killed inside her car near downtown Los Angeles. Lily Burk​Charlie Samuel, 50, avoided the death penalty by pleading to the July 24, 2009 slaying. He faces life in pris ... More >>

L.A. City Budget Honcho Pleads No Contest To DUI

​In one of the stranger sideshows in city politics, Los Angeles budget chief Miguel Santana was arrested on suspicion for drunk driving in March after had imbibed at a fundraiser for county District Attorney Steve Cooley -- the man whose office would later levy DUI charges against the numbers ... More >>

Gubernatorial Candidate Wants To Create 'Pedophile Island' To Banish Sex Offenders

Douglas Hughes.​With shades of the 135-candidate gubernatorial (recall) election of 2003 (which featured a porn star, Gary Coleman and Angelyne), the race for California governor this year is not without its characters. Chief among them is Douglas Hughes. One of the Orange County Republican's ... More >>

Mayor Villaraigosa 'Saddened' By Anti-Gang Group Homeboy Industries' Financial Woes

Father Gregory Boyle's recently published book.​Reacting to this week's news that gang-prevention group Homeboy Industries had to lay off 330 of 427 employees, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa told Patt Morrison on her KPCC (89.3) radio show Friday that he was "saddened" and "concerned." Homeboy fo ... More >>

Arturo Segura, L.A. Homicide No. 101: 20 year-old Man Shot to Death in South Los Angeles

A 20-year-old man was shot to death in an apparent gang-related shooting in South Los Angeles May 7. View Larger Map Arturo Segura and friends were walking from a liquor store in the 5800 block of Main Street when they were confronted by gang members around 7 p.m. Friday night.

Olga Martinez, L.A. Homicide No. 94: Woman Found Stabbed to Death in Pacoima

A woman was found stabbed to death in Pacoima May 1. According to the Los Angeles Department of Coroner, Olga Martinez, 33, died from stab wounds to the neck, chest and back.

Mysterious Counterfeiting Suspect On The Loose In L.A.

LAPDBrian Alexik.​Police this week were searching for a mysterious counterfeiter who fled down a fire escape when they came knocking on the door of his downtown loft April 19. When officers entered the residence they say they found counterfeiting equipment, $15,000 in counterfeit bills, weapon ... More >>

Man Charged In Valley Village Blood Bath

Google MapsThe Hot Spot eatery.​Nerses Galstyan was charged Thursday on suspicion of murdering four people earlier this month at a Valley Village restaurant, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office. Mayhem, attempted murder and a gun charge were also filed against the su ... More >>

Gang Injunction Targets Drug Dealing In Skid Row

The Row.​City Attorney Carmen Trutanich, with the help of District Attorney Steve Cooley, announced a city gang injunction in Skid Row Wednesday. The filing by the City Attorney's Gang Division prohibits about 80 gang members from throughout the county from coming to Skid Row to sell drugs. " ... More >>

Jose L. Castillo, L.A. Homicide No. 65: Police Investigating Gang-Related Shooting of Two Men in Montecito Heights

Google Maps​Los Angeles Police Department detectives are investigating the gang-related shooting of two men in the Montecito Heights area of Northeast Los Angeles March 29. Officers found Jose L. Castillo, 20, fatally wounded in the 2600 block of Sichel Street near East Avenue 26 around 8: ... More >>

Karine Hakobyan, L.A. Homicide No. 60: Hollywood Woman Found Shot to Death in Car

Los Angeles police Robbery-Homicide detectives today were investigating the murder of a 38-year-old Hollywood woman, whose shooting death is possibly linked to a 2008 double homicide. View Larger Map Karine Hakobyan was found dead behind the wheel of her Honda CRV with a gunshot wound to the back ... More >>

YouTube Video Of Speeding Nissan GT-R Helps Bust Driver For Alleged Insurance Fraud

YouTube​A YouTube video showing a Nissan GT-R sports car crashing helped bolster the state's case against a Diamond Bar brother and sister accused of filing a false insurance claims to cover repairs on the vehicle. (See the video after the jump). Insurance commissioner Steve Poizner, who's ru ... More >>

Rodney Alcala's Final Revenge

Begged to spare victims' families at trial, the alleged serial killer ratchets up the suffering

Home Invaders Hit Possible Rap-Label House In The Hills

​A strange home-invasion robbery unfolded over the weekend in a tony part of Woodland hills, on Mulholland Drive, at a home that might or might not be connected to Sean "P. Diddy" Combs. It was reported about 2 a.m. Sunday at 22146 Mulholland Dr., said Los Angeles police Sgt. Pablo Monterrosa ... More >>

When Ordered, Twitter Monitors Tweet-Bangers For Authorities -- Report

​Representatives of Twitter and Facebook said they cooperate with authorities investigating gangs that use the social-networking tools to communicate about crime, according to a report. "Representatives from Twitter and Facebook say they regularly cooperate with police and supply information ... More >>

Today In WTF: Man Serving Time For ID Theft Does It Again From Behind Bars, Graduates To Federal Prison

​An identity thief got an extra 102 days behind bars Monday, this time in federal lockup, after he was caught taking out credit card lines in other people's names as he served time in a state prison in El Centro, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. Authorities say he even obtained persona ... More >>

Lily Burk's Alleged Killer Charged with New Felony Counts at Preliminary Hearing

A parolee who is accused of kidnapping and killing a 17-year-old Los Feliz teen was charged today with two new felony counts at a preliminary hearing in downtown Los Angeles. ​ Los Angeles County prosecutors charged 50-year-old Charlie Samuel with one felony count each of carjacking and kid ... More >>

Today In WTF: Geezer Allegedly Uses Stun-Gun To Rob Own Bank, Gets Arrested

LAPDThe suspected 'stun-gun bandit' on tape.​If anyone out there is compiling a list of pitfalls for bank robbers, you might add robbing your own bank to the list. It's not clear, however, that familiarity among his victims brought the 68-year-old suspect believed to be the "stun-gun bandit" d ... More >>

L.A. Gang Tours: Exploitation Or Education?

​The first of those L.A. Gang Tours we told you about took place Saturday on a bus filled mostly with journalists, and concerns that the journeys would be exploitative looks at the ghetto seemed to be mostly allayed. "I was skeptical at first, and thought it would be a 'titillating' tour, lik ... More >>

Are Gang Members In L.A. Getting Too Old To Bang?

Chief Charlie Beck.​Los Angeles police Chief Charlie Beck was asked if one of the reasons gang crime was low in the city because gang members are getting too old to get down. He didn't think so, telling a town-hall gathering of listeners of KPCC (89.3 FM) that "gang membership is not down -- ... More >>

Gang Interventionist Tried For Conspiracy To Be Freed On Bail (UPDATED)

Sanchez.​Alex Sanchez, the Los Angeles anti-gang activist accused by federal authorities of diving back into street life and conspiring to commit serious crimes, was granted bail Wednesday, according to Celeste Fremon's WitnessLA. After two hearings on the matter and much support for Sanchez ... More >>

City Establishes 'Gang Intervention Training Academy'

Mayor V.​The city of Los Angeles is facing a tide of $400 million in red ink, intermittent fire-company closures and probable layoffs. So if you're like us, you were probably just thinking, wow, what the city really needs right now is a "gang intervention training academy." Don't get us wrong ... More >>

Deputy LAPD Chief Acknowledges Rival Gangs Now Might Be Collaborators

myspace.com/world_wide_eighteen_st​Deputy Los Angeles police Chief Michel Moore told La Opinion newspaper that the department is aware of possible collaboration among gangs in Los Angeles. LA Weekly was the first to report a certain quietude and possible business alliances on streets once bloo ... More >>

Gangs Cooperating With Each Other For Better Business, Report States

​As we told you last summer ("Gangs Lay Low, Rake in Dough") some neighborhoods that used to represent bloody fault lines in decades-old gang grudges have been eerily quiet, with some experts theorizing that the sets are working together to comprise a more-efficient money-making machine on the ... More >>

LAPD Chief Breaking Up Effective Enforcement Unit

Chief Charlie Beck.​In his announcement this week that he would put 130 officers back on regular patrols, Los Angeles police Chief Charlie Beck failed to emphasize that the move would break up an effective, mobile, crime-saturation unit that has been used to target gangs and problem areas in t ... More >>

LAPD Chief Lobbies For Gang Intervention

Chief Charlie Beck.​New Los Angeles police Chief Charlie Beck appeared before a City Council committee Monday to lobby for cash to fund gang intervention, which he has painted as a key element in dealing with a flood of inmates set to be released by the state of California. Beck has said that ... More >>

Gang Members Get Booked For Facebooking

Mario Rocha was identified and convicted as a gang member despite much proof.​It's something we reported on a few years ago: Gang members are using social networking sites to represent their neighborhoods, show pride in their sets and display their muscles, weapons and bravado. Today, authorit ... More >>

Kerry's Daughter Walks After Getting Swift-Boated On DUI Arrest

​The 36-year-old daughter of Sen. John Kerry was off the hook Monday for DUI after she was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence Thursday in Los Angeles. Cops pulled Alexandra Kerry over about 12:40 a.m. in the Hollywood area for allegedly driving with expired registration tag ... More >>

The Gangs Of New Media: Criminals Get Social Too

Assemblyman Alberto Torrico.​Gang members have been spotted on MySpace and YouTube and have now spread to Facebook and Twitter. It's a natural migration: The "sets" rely on technology to communicate like everyone else. But now lawmakers are seeking ways to keep tabs on gangsters online. State ... More >>

Mother Is Looking For $?: Bank Robbery Suspect Arrested

In the ever expanding times-are-hard news file comes another desperate story: An unemployed mother of five was arrested in San Diego in connection with a series of bank robberies.FBIA woman suspected in a string of robberies is captured on video.​ Roxanne Renee Pennock was arrested after she ... More >>

Murder Was the Case: L.A. Homicide No. 262, Police Pursuit Ends Bloody

A man was shot by Los Angeles Police Department officers in an exchange of gunfire after a short pursuit earlier this week. Julian Nolasco, 25, died the following day on November 4 in a nearby hospital. View Larger Map According to police reports, Nolasco, who was carrying a handgun, was wounded a ... More >>

Shootings Rock The Westside (Updated)

UPDATED: Whomever says the Westside sees no action hasn't been paying attention this week. On Tuesday night a 20-year-old man was fatally shot in Santa Monica and early Thursday morning Los Angeles police opened fire on a robbery suspect, wounding the boy in the Sawtelle neighborhood of West Los Ang ... More >>

Too Much Love: Alex Sanchez's Bail Hearing

Santa Monica Police Tear Into Local Gangs

Some find it hard to believe that Santa Monica, with a median housing price of $1.6 million, is home to two entrenched gangs. The residents of the Pico Neighborhood, near Santa Monica College, know the fact well.SMPDSanta Monica police patrol the not-so-mean Third Street.​ Preston Wayne Brumf ... More >>

Teens Charged In Celeb Break-Ins: Take Estimated at $3 Mil

Three of four teenage women arrested in a series of burglaries that targeted celebrities' homes were charged in connection with the break-and-take crimes, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office announced today.LAPDA suspected burglar outside the home of Linday Lohan.​ Alexis Christ ... More >>

Teenage Women Arrested in Celebrity Burglaries

Los Angeles police announced that five people, four of them female teenagers, have been arrested in connection with a string of burglaries targeting "well-known celebrities" and other well-heeled citizens of the Hollywood Hills.LAPDA hoodie-sporting young woman is captured on a security camera outsi ... More >>

Escalante Cover Story Spurs Race Ruckus

The Assassination of Deputy Abel Escalante

A young father had nothing to do with LAPD’s killing of Danny Leon. But he was slain for it

Police Nab Medical Marijuana Bandits

The Los Angeles Police Department detectives have identified three men involved in the robbery of a marijuana clinic last April. One of the three men was nabbed through DNA analysis after he cut himself and left blood at the scene. ​ According to police reports, the three men, one of whom ... More >>

L.A. Burglars 'Smash and Grab' Marc Jacobs Fashion

For the third time in just over two months, Marc Jacobs, the highly-regarded fashion designer, has seen his Los Angeles store attacked by "smash and grab" bandits, according to the Beverly Press, a Westside community newspaper. Fashion designer Marc Jacobs​The most recent incident took place durin ... More >>

Murder was the Case: LA Homicide No. 246, Victim Identified in Robbery Gone Bad

A man who was killed in a robbery gone bad in South L.A. has been identified as 28-year-old Reginald Hendrix Jr. According to police, Hendrix Jr. was attempting a robbery when he was chased by the man he intended to rob. Hendrix Jr. and his intended victim got into a scuffle and the latter was shot ... More >>

Girl Shot at New Helen Bernstein High School in Hollywood

It's a gorgeous high school just off the 101 Freeway, lauded a few years ago by school officials as the new face of once-rundown Hollywood and named after Los Angeles education reformer Helen Bernstein.But earlier today a girl was shot and seriously wounded when she got in the crossfire of street ga ... More >>

Murder Was the Case: L.A. Homicide No. 246, Man Killed in Robbery Gone Bad

A man was killed in a robbery gone bad in South L.A. today. According to police, a man was attempting a robbery when he was chased by the man he intended to rob. The robbery suspect and his intended victim got into a scuffle and the latter was shot. The shooting occurred at 9 a.m. around 74th and M ... More >>

Mel Gibson's DUI Forgiven

​Call it an act of redemption, but today Malibu Judge Lawrence Mira agreed to expunge actor Mel Gibson's 2006 drunk-driving record. On July 28 of that year Gibson was pulled over for speeding on Pacific Coast Highway by LASD deputy James Mee. The Braveheart star's blood-alcohol level was a robust ... More >>

Gangs Lay Low, Rake in Dough

Along the Olympic corridor between Koreatown and downtown, it's been a quiet year for crime. This despite the proximity of two of the largest gangs in the United States, 18th Street and Mara Salvatrucha, which used to be at each others throats.Dennis RomeroLeeward Avenue in Koreatown is Mara Salvatr ... More >>

L.A. Times Shills for Villaraigosa's 'Summer Night Lights'

Reading the L.A. Times this morning, we stumbled upon Hector Tobar's breathless column about Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's supposed anti-gang program called "Summer Night Lights."L.A. Times columnist Hector Tobar​Tobar visits Ramon Garcia Park in Boyle Heights, one of 16 parks in Los Angeles where ... More >>