Author: Robert Lopez

A man was shot and wounded in a confrontation Tuesday night with Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deputies in East Los Angeles, authorities said.



The shooting occurred about 9 p.m. in the 900 block of South Kern Avenue after the man allegedly brandished a weapon, the department said.



The man was hit at least once and took off running before collapsing on the street, said Deputy Jeff Gordon. The victim was taken to hospital. His condition was not known.



Detectives were at the scene searching for evidence, including the reported weapon. No other details were available.



–Robert J. Lopez

A 3-year-old German Shepherd that was tied to a tree in Garden Grove and starved for at least five weeks is recovering but is still too weak to walk.



Named Courage by shelter workers in Orange County, the dog was so starved that it ate dirt, according to a KTLA report.



Courage weighed 37 pounds — far below the 75 to 85 pounds that a healthy German Shepherd should weigh.



Veterinarians have given Courage blood transfusions, plasma transfusions, electrolyte and vitamin infusions. He is expected to survive, but is not expected to recover quickly, according to the report.



–Robert J. Lopez

The Hemet City Council approved an emergency measure Tuesday to fortify city buildings in response to a series of attacks against police officers in recent weeks.

The resolution allows the city to begin awarding no-bid contracts to "harden" areas at City Hall and the Police Department headquarters.

City Manager Brian Nakamura said the city received a $150,000 grant from the state and another $15,000 from Riverside County Supervisor Jeff Stone to fund the construction and installation of surveillance equipment.

"What we’re going to try to do is create a safe buffer," Nakamura said in an interview, adding that counters in public areas may be heightened and plexiglass shields may be installed.

The council resolution cited law enforcement intelligence indicating that city buildings are the likely targets of future attacks.



"Intelligence reports indicate that the police facility is the likely focus of future criminal acts," Capt. Dave Brown wrote in a memo to council members. "Immediate action is required to harden these facilities."



No specific suspects have been named, and authorities have not said whether they believe the attacks have been carried out by a single person or group.

Last month, authorities led raids on the Vagos motorcycle gang, which was described as an "extreme threat" to law enforcement. In all, 33 members were arrested in Riverside County and 36 others were taken into custody in Arizona, Nevada and Utah as part of the operation, authorities said. Charges included possession of drugs and weapons.

In recent months, the attacks have involved booby traps set at the headquarters of the Hemet-San Jacinto Valley Gang Task Force, officials said. In December, a gas utility line was redirected to fill the offices with gas. Officials said a spark could have triggered a devastating explosion.

In February, a "zip gun" was hidden by the gate to the task force office and rigged to fire. When a gang officer opened the gate, the weapon went off, the bullet narrowly missing him, authorities said.

In early March, police said, a "dangerous" device was found near the unmarked car of a task force member. That was followed by an arson attack on several city trucks March 23.

Now authorities are investigating whether an early-morning fire Monday at a Hemet police shooting range was another attack on the department.

The fire at the remote training facility off Warren Road broke out shortly after 2 a.m. Much of the building was destroyed in the blaze.



Authorities are offering a $200,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the person or people responsible for the attacks. Anyone with information is asked to call (951) 765-3897.

— Robert J. Lopez

UCLA police on Monday released a sketch of a man suspected of sexually assaulting female students in a string of attacks in recent weeks.



The attacker appears to wait in the path of women who are using their cellphones or are otherwise distracted and then grabs them, the UCLA Police Department said.



Police said five assaults have occurred on or near campus between March 8 and April 6. All the victims were students.



The suspect is described as a Latino between 5 foot 3 and 5 foot 6 and weighing between 150 and 180 pounds. He has a dark complexion, brown eyes and a pot belly, and wears hats, including baseball caps, police said. The suspect is between 40 and 60 years old.



Authorities said that students can use the campus escort service between dusk and 1 a.m. by calling (310) 794-WALK.

Anyone with information regarding the attacks is asked to call detectives at (310) 825-9371.

–Robert Lopez

Photo: Sketch of the suspect. Credit: UCLA Police Department.

Two men died early Monday after gunfire broke out in a Pomona neighborhood.



Officers responded about 12:45 a.m. to reports of a possible shooting in the 1100 block of Murchison Avenue, the Pomona Police Department said.



One man was pronounced dead at the scene, and the second died en route to a hospital, according to police. Their names and ages were not released.



Since January 2007, at least 68 homicides have been recorded in Pomona, according to a database by the Times’ Homicide Report. The vast majority of the victims were slain by gunfire.

Anyone with information regarding Monday’s attack is asked to call detectives at (909) 620-2095.

— Robert J. Lopez

Map shows homicides reported in Pomona since January 2007. Credit: Times’ Homicide Report.

Los Angeles police have a message for tailgate partyers at the season-opening game Tuesday at Dodger Stadium: Don’t drink in the parking lot.



Extra patrols will be deployed as officers crack down on all public-drinking violations, the Los Angeles Police Department said.



In the past, drinking has led to fights and traffic problems in the parking lots around Dodger Stadium and surrounding areas including Elysian Park, the LAPD says.



Officers from the LAPD’s Northeast Division, aided by police from the city’s Department of General Services, will be issuing citations and not giving any warnings, officials said.



The Dodgers are scheduled to play the Arizona Diamondbacks at 1:10 p.m.



— Robert J. Lopez

Southern California mountains received 4 to 6 inches of fresh snow Monday from a storm that dumped rain across much of the region, including record rainfall in Long Beach.



In Wrightwood, the Mountain High ski resort had reported up to 6 inches of snow by Monday evening, the National Weather Service said. The resort reported that all roads in the area were open.



In the San Gabriel Mountains, the storm dropped 1.34 inches of rain at the San Gabriel Dam and .82 inches at Mount Wilson, the weather service said.



At Long Beach Airport, a half-inch of rain fell, breaking a record of .45 inches of rain set on April 12 in 1976. Nearly an inch of rain was recorded at the Hollywood Reservoir, and Santa Monica reported .69 inches of rain, according to the Weather Service.

The remainder of the week is expected to be dry, with temperatures slightly below normal, the Weather Service said.

–Robert Lopez

Two California Highway Patrol officers on a  Riverside freeway were injured Monday when their patrol car was hit by a suspected drunk driver, authorities said.

The black-and-white vehicle had its emergency lights flashing while it was stopped about 5:25 a.m. in the center divider to help the driver of a vehicle that had overturned on the 215 Freeway near Central Avenue. The officers were in the front seat and the driver of the vehicle was in the rear seat, the CHP said.

A driver identified as Armando Ochoa, 31, of Riverside, slammed into the CHP vehicle with his Chevrolet Blazer while traveling about 65 mph, the CHP said. Ochoa had lost control of his vehicle, which rotated slightly before striking the patrol car.

The officers sustained minor to moderate injuries and were treated at a hospital. The driver of the overturned vehicle declined medial assistance, the CHP said.

Ochoa was arrested and booked into Riverside County Jail on suspicion of felony drunk driving and driving without a license, according to the CHP.

— Robert J. Lopez

Three small children from Whittier, siblings, were among five people who died and six others who were injured on Interstate 5 in the Newhall Pass after a pickup spun out of control on the rain-slicked freeway and set off a multiple-vehicle collision, authorities said Monday.



The three-vehicle accident occurred shortly before midnight Sunday and shut down southbound lanes  for much of the day in the wake of a storm that dumped an inch or more of rain in areas of Southern California.



A 54-year-old Frazier Park man was driving the 1996 Mazda pickup south just north of the 14 Freeway when he veered into the center divider and overturned in the face of oncoming traffic, the California Highway Patrol said.



A Nissan Altima with six people, including the three children, was traveling behind the pickup at about 60 mph. The driver hit the brakes and veered to the right but was unable to avoid smashing into the overturned pickup, CHP Officer John Lutz said.



A Chevrolet Suburban traveling about 50 mph struck the Nissan from behind. It was unclear whether the three children, riding in the back seat, were properly restrained, according to Lutz.



The siblings were identified as Xochitl Hernandez, 5, Edgar Hernandez, 8, and Cynthia Hernandez, 9, the Los Angeles County coroner’s office said.



A 16-year-old boy also riding in the back seat of the Nissan was also killed. He was identified as Luis Villegas of Oakland.



The driver of the Nissan and a passenger in the front seat were seriously injured and taken to hospitals. Authorities identified the driver as Francisco J. Enciso, 25, of Daly City, and the passenger as Yessica Milan, 27, of Whittier.



The fifth fatality was the driver of the pickup, John J. Blackburn, the CHP said.



The Suburban’s driver, Victor Jarillo, was arrested for allegedly driving without a license, and his passenger was taken into custody on suspicion of providing false information to officers, according to Lutz.



The cause of the crash was under investigation.



— Robert J. Lopez and Ruben Vives

Hundreds  of people flocked to Venice High School on Saturday afternoon for a festival celebrating the return of the school’s Myrna Loy statue.

The original statue was designed in the 1920s by acclaimed sculptor and Venice High teacher Harry Winebrenner. The student who is said to have posed for the sculpture was named Myrna Williams, who later became actress Myrna Loy.



The statue had fallen in disrepair and was removed. But a new one was built with donations raised by the Venice High Alumni Assn.



Among those at the event was actor Beau Bridges, a Venice High graduate. He recalled appearing in a film with Loy when he was 6 years old. 

"I think it’s wonderful that you’ve done this," he told the crowd. "I really believe that our journey begins with our history."

— Robert J. Lopez in Venice

Police have released information on two new sexual batteries of UCLA students, the latest of several attacks against women on or near campus in recent weeks.



Two sexual batteries occurred Tuesday in Westwood Village, the UCLA Police Department said. Both victims were students.



The attacker appears to wait in the path of women who are using their cellphones and then grabs them, police said.



The suspect is described as a Latino between 5 foot 3 inches and 5 foot 6  and weighing between 150 and 180 pounds. He has a dark complexion, brown eyes and a pot belly, and wears hats, including baseball caps, police said.



In all, five incidents have occurred between March 8 and Tuesday. All the victims were students, according to police. Police have previously warned women about the assaults.



Anyone with information is asked to call detectives at (310) 825-9371.



— Robert J. Lopez

A Fullerton mother was arrested Thursday on suspicion of killing her newborn baby boy in September, police said.

Yanira Valderrama, 20, was taken into custody at her home, where she lives with her parents, the Fullerton Police Department said.

The case began when rescuers responded to a medical emergency at Valderrama’s home Sept. 4 and took her to a hospital for treatment, police said. Doctors determined that she had just given birth.

Authorities returned to the home and found the newborn baby’s body. An autopsy confirmed that the infant died from "blunt force" trauma to the head and "asphyxia while submerged in water," the police department said.

Officials say Valderrama was trying to conceal the pregnancy from her parents.

Valderrama is being charged with murder, child endangerment and inflicting great bodily injury while committing a felony, police said. She was booked at the Fullerton jail and then taken to Orange County Jail.



— Robert J. Lopez



Photo: Yanira Valderrama. Credit: Fullerton Police Department

In the wake of attacks against Hemet police officers, the City Council will consider a resolution next week to take emergency measures to "harden" city buildings against violence.

A council resolution cites law enforcement intelligence indicating that city buildings are the likely targets of attacks. A primary target is the Police Department headquarters, according to city documents.



"Intelligence reports indicate that the police facility is the likely focus of future criminal acts," Capt. Dave Brown wrote in a memo to council members. "Immediate action is required to harden these facilities."



No specific suspects have been named. But last month, authorities led raids on the Vagos outlaw motorcycle gang, which was described as an "extreme threat" to law enforcement. The group has a large  presence in Hemet. Thirty people were arrested on charges that included possession of drugs and weapons.

In recent months, the attacks have involved booby traps set up at the headquarters of the Hemet-San Jacinto Gang Task Force, officials said. In December, a gas utility line was redirected to fill the offices with gas. Officials said a  spark could have triggered a devastating explosion.



In February, a modified handgun was hidden by the gate to the task force office and rigged to fire. When a gang officer opened the gate, the weapon went off, narrowly missing him.

Then in early March, police said, a "dangerous" device was found near the unmarked car of a task force member. That was followed the arson of several city trucks on March 23.

The council will take up the matter Tuesday at its regularly scheduled meeting. If approved, city officials could immediately begin awarding non-bid contracts to fortify areas such as public lobbies in city buildings.

–Robert J. Lopez

Photo: Investigators at the scene where several Hemet city trucks were set ablaze last month. Credit: Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times

Beginning in February, a San Francisco man made at least 48 threatening, obscene and harassing phone calls to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi over her support for a healthcare reform bill, according to federal court records unsealed Thursday.

Gregory Lee Giusti, 48, was charged in federal court Thursday in San Francisco with making harassing phone calls to a government official. 

He appeared before Magistrate Judge Bernard Zimmerman in a gray T-shirt and khakis,  looking disheveled, according to the Associated Press. Zimmerman said Giusti may have a bipolar disorder and should be treated.



An amended criminal complaint, along with a supporting affidavit by an FBI agent, allege that Giusti made many of the calls to Pelosi’s homes in San Francisco and Washington, D.C. He is charged with using a VOIP, or voice over Internet provider service, to make calls using a non-San Francisco area code, the records show.



Nine calls made to Pelosi’s Washington residence were recorded, according to the court records, which contain excerpts of some of the messages that warned the congresswoman not to act on the bill.



"If you pass this freaking healthcare plan don’t bother coming back to California cause you ain’t gonna have a place to live," Giusti said  on March 25, according to the court records.

Zimmerman told the U.S. attorney’s office to interview Giusti to determine if he was mentally competent enough to be released to a halfway house or if he should continue to be detained, the AP reported. A detention hearing was scheduled for Monday.

–Robert J. Lopez

Photo: Gregory Lee Giusti. Credit: Associated Press/San Mateo County Sheriff’s Department

Los Angeles police are investigating three officer-involved shootings in the last three days during which suspects were wounded or nearly wounded.

The first incident took place Sunday shortly before 11 p.m. in the 3800 block of West Jefferson Boulevard in West Adams after officers responded to a domestic dispute report and were allegedly confronted by a man with a knife, the Los Angeles Police Department said.



Gunfire ensued, police said, and the suspect was grazed in the head by a bullet.



The second incident occurred Tuesday in the 300 block of East 107th Street in Watts shortly after 8 p.m. as officers were serving a search warrant. They said they encountered a man who brandished a handgun and tried to load it.

At least one officer opened fire, hitting the man in the leg. He was taken to Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, police said.

On Wednesday evening, narcotics officers serving a search warrant in the 5700 block of Stansbury Avenue in Van Nuys were confronted by a man wielding a shotgun. At least one officer fired a weapon after the man allegedly failed to comply with commands, police said. The man was not hit in the incident, which occurred about 5:25 p.m., according to police.

No additional details were available Wednesday night.



— Andrew Blankstein and Robert J. Lopez

Security at Los Angeles International Airport was increased Wednesday night after authorities apprehended a diplomat on a Washington, D.C.,-to-Denver flight who was suspected of trying to light a small fire — or perhaps smoke.



The number of uniformed officers patrolling LAX terminals was increased and units were beefed up around the airport perimeter, Los Angeles Airport Police Chief George R. Centeno said in a statement.



He said airport police would be working with federal authorities as they continue to investigate the incident that occurred Wednesday night on United Airlines Flight 663.



The suspect, the third secretary vice counsel at the Qatar Embassy in Washington, was apprehended by federal air marshals who were riding undercover on the flight that took off from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, law enforcement sources told The Times.



The man told authorities that he went to the lavatory and tried to light a cigarette. He made a joke about lighting a shoe bomb, according to the sources, who asked not to be named because of the ongoing investigation.



The diplomat was subdued by the federal agents as F-16 fighters scrambled to escort the flight to Denver International Airport. The plane landed at 6:54 local time.



Authorities are investigating whether the man’s diplomatic status allowed him to bypass security, the sources said.



–Andrew Blankstein and Robert J. Lopez

Firefighters were knocking down a one-acre brush fire that broke out Wednesday afternoon along the Los Angeles River in the Cypress Park area.



The blaze had burned about an acre of medium-to-heavy brush near 1625 San Fernando Road but did not appear to be endangering any buildings, the Los Angeles Fire Department said. About 40 firefighters and eight engine companies were battling the fire.



The fire was a reminder that the Southern California region, despite being drenched by recent rainstorms, was not immune to wildfires, officials said. They noted that warm temperatures and relative humidity in the single digits has dried out the brush.



"We’re not out of fire danger," said Fire Department spokesman Cecil Manresa.

The cause of the blaze was under investigation.

[Updated 7:07 p.m.: Firefighters controlled the blaze and were mopping up hot spots, the Fire Department said.]

–Robert J. Lopez

Map shows area of brush fire. Credit: Times Mapping L.A.

A 1-year-old boy drowned in a bathtub in Westlake on Thursday night after his mother left him to grab a towel, authorities said.

The mother, who had been in the tub with the child, returned to find him submerged and not breathing, the Los Angeles Fire Department said. The woman had been gone for a couple of minutes.

She had left the boy with an older brother but realized that he had also gotten out of the tub.

The mother took her child to another room and called for help. After rescuers arrived at the home in the 300 block of South Rampart Street, they tried to revive the child, the department said.

He was pronounced dead at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles.

"Don’t leave children alone — even for a minute," Fire Department spokesman Brian Humphrey said in a Twitter message.

— Robert J. Lopez

Map of Westlake. Credit: Times Mapping L.A.

Police at UCLA are warning female students to be extra vigilant after a man tried to rape a woman on campus.



The attempted rape occurred Wednesday about 3:30 a.m. as a female student walked to her resident hall, the university Police Department said. The woman was grabbed and taken to a more isolated location. The attacker threw the woman to the ground and straddled her, UCLA police said.



For some reason, the attacker stopped his assault and walked away. The woman was scratched during the attack.



Police said the attack did not appear to be related to campus sexual batteries reported earlier this month.



The attacker is described as Latino, 20 to 30 years old and unshaven. He was wearing a baggie black hoodie and baggy black pants, police said.



Anyone with information is asked to call detectives at (310) 825-9371.



— Robert J. Lopez

A 59-year-old man was arrested Thursday in connection with a 25-year-old slaying in Torrance, police said.

Janos Kulscar of Long Beach was charged with one count of murder in connection with the Dec. 9, 1985, stabbing death of Archie McFarland, Torrance police said.

McFarland, who was 58, was repeatedly stabbed in the driveway of his home on 184th Street.

Kulscar was being held on $1-million bail.

Since January 2007, at least 10 homicides have been reported in Torrance, according to a database by the Times’ Homicide Report.

— Robert J. Lopez

Photo: Janos Kulscar. Credit:Torrance Police Department.