Author: Robert Lopez

A man crossing the U.S.-Mexico border in San Diego with gardening tools in his truck was arrested after officers found nearly 100 pounds of marijuana hidden in two lawnmowers, authorities said Thursday.



The man, a 21-year-old Mexican citizen, passed through the San Ysidro checkpoint in his 1995 Dodge Dakota truck about 3 a.m. Tuesday, the Department of Homeland Security said.



A customs officer became suspicious and sent the man to a secondary inspection area, where the truck was examined by an officer with a drug-sniffing dog.



The blades of the lawnmowers had been removed to make space for 25 wrapped packages with 91 pounds of pot, the Department of Homeland Security said.



The man was arrested and booked into San Diego County Jail.



–Robert J. Lopez

Detectives were responding to a slaying Wednesday night that left a man dead in the Westmont neighborhood bordering South Los Angeles.



The man was shot in the unincorporated county neighborhood shortly after 6 p.m. near West 90th Street and Vermont Avenue, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said.



The victim was pronounced dead at the scene. His name was not released.



Westmont has recorded 55 homicides since January 2007, according to a database by The Times’ Homicide Report.



No additional information was available in Wednesday’s slaying.

— Robert J. Lopez

Map shows homicides in the Westmont area near South Los Angeles. Credit: Homicide Report.

Los Angeles police were searching for two young assailants Wednesday after a man was shot and killed in Leimert Park in what authorities say was an apparent gang-related attack.



The man was killed about 10 a.m. in the 4100 block of Garthwaite Avenue, the Los Angeles Police Department said. His name was not released.



The victim was hit several times and died at the scene, the LAPD said.



Since January 2007, more than 80 homicides have been reported within two miles of the scene, according to a database by The Times’ Homicide Report.

The two assailants, believed to be teenagers, in Wednesday’s shooting were seen leaving the area in a blue Honda.

No additional details were available.

Map shows homicides reported near the shooting scene since January 2007. Credit: Times Homicide Report.

— Robert J. Lopez

A slaying suspect was arrested by federal officers in San Diego County after he tried to cross the U.S.-Mexican border by using a falsified passport, authorities said Wednesday.



Rene Aguilar-Orzuna, 28, a Mexican citizen, is wanted by the New York City Police Department in connection with a June 2003 murder, the Department of Homeland Security said.



Aguilar-Orzuna was arrested Friday as he walked through Port of Entry in Tecate, east of San Diego. He allegedly used a passport that had its original photo replaced with one of Orzuna, according to the department.



During the 2010 fiscal year, 81% of the fraudulent document arrests made by customs officers nationwide have been in the San Diego area, the Homeland Security Department said.  Officers have made 7,961 arrests in the area this fiscal year, a 6% increase over the same period last year.



Aguilar-Orzuna was being held at the San Diego County Jail.



–Robert J. Lopez

The mother of an unarmed man who was shot and killed in Koreatown earlier this month by Los Angeles police filed a claim for damages Wednesday, alleging that the slaying was unjustified.

Steven Eugene Washington, 27, was shot for no legitimate reason about midnight March 20 near the 800 block of South Vermont Avenue by two Los Angeles Police Department officers, according to the claim against the city and LAPD.

The claim, filed on behalf of Kathleen Washington, seeks financial damages in excess of $10,000 for emotional distress from the loss of her son and for civil rights violations by the two officers. The claim is the first step in a process that could lead to a lawsuit.

The family said Steven Washington was autistic, had learning disabilities and was generally afraid of strangers.

"The man they killed is a man who had led a peaceful, law-abiding existence," said attorney Brian T. Dunn, who represents the mother. 

Police said Washington reached for his waistband for what officers
thought was a gun. The officers shot Washington because they feared
for their lives, according to the LAPD.





No weapon was found at the scene.

Dunn said Washington had no criminal history or previous contact with police. "He always had the highest respect for law enforcement," Dunn said in an interview.

Since January 2007, more than 100 people have died in officer-involved shootings in Los Angeles County, according to a database by The Times’ Homicide Report.

— Robert J. Lopez

Photo: Members of Washington family. Credit: Barbara Davidson / Los
Angeles Times

Federal officials are investigating why a small airplane and commercial airliner were flying toward each other for short period of time Saturday near San Francisco International Airport.

The Federal Aviation Administration said Tuesday that the United Boeing 777 and Cessna 182 planes were separated by 3,000 feet of vertical space and 500 feet of horizontal space. The commercial airliner had just taken off, and the Cessna was about two miles west of the airport at 1,500-feet altitude, the FAA said.

Although the horizontal distance separating the aircraft was within acceptable limits, an airport controller should have noticed the position of the Cessna earlier, FAA spokesman Ian Gregor said.  He added that the controller spotted the planes in time and alerted the pilots, who had each other in their sights the entire time.

The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the incident.

— Robert J. Lopez

Two deported sex offenders, including one with an outstanding criminal warrant in Los Angeles, were arrested by border agents in separate incidents in Imperial County, authorities said Tuesday.

Federal agents Friday apprehended a man 29 miles west of the U.S.-Mexico port of entry in Calexico, the Department of Homeland Security said.

Record checks showed that the man, a Honduran citizen, had been convicted of a felony sex offense and sentenced to 365 days in jail and 60 months probation, the department said. He was wanted on an outstanding warrant in Hollywood by the Los Angeles Police Department for allegedly failing to register as a sex offender, according to a department spokesman.

Authorities were preparing to turn the man over to the LAPD for prosecution.

The second case involved a man arrested Saturday seven miles east of Calexico after agents said he crossed the All American Canal with seven other illegal immigrants. The man, a Mexican citizen, had been convicted of rape by force, oral copulation and assault to commit rape, according to the Homeland Security Department.

Federal authorities were holding the man for prosecution.

— Robert J. Lopez

A man who led police on a high-speed car chase Monday across freeways and city streets from San Bernardino to Burbank is wanted in connection with an attempted murder in Wabash, Ind., police said Monday night.

The chase began, authorities said, when Steven Satterly, 30, refused to stop after the California Highway Patrol spotted his vehicle speeding near San Bernardino.



During the chase, CHP officers ran a registration check on the vehicle, which showed that it was stolen and used during an attempted murder in Wabash, police said.



Satterly ended up in Burbank, where he allegedly swerved his vehicle toward a police cruiser on Barham Boulevard. Officers fired at least one shot at the vehicle, Burbank Police Sgt. Bobby Quesada said.



Satterly stopped near the entrance to Universal Studios and was shot at least once when police say he failed to comply with officers’ commands. "He refused to surrender," Quesada said.

[Updated at 10:05 a.m.: An earlier version of this post incorrectly referred to Universal Studios and University Studios.]



Satterly, who was hit at least once, was listed in stable condition at a hospital, police said.



— Robert J. Lopez

Los Angeles police were investigating two unrelated killings Monday evening, authorities said.



The first slaying took place shortly after 5 p.m. in the 1400 block of 83rd Street in Manchester Square, the Los Angeles Police Department said. The victim was shot at least once. Since January 2007, there have been at least 125 homicides reported within two miles of the area, according to a Times database.



The second slaying occurred in Lincoln Heights about 8:45 p.m. when a man was shot as he was walking in the 2600 block of Sichel Street, police said. He was pronounced dead at the scene. At least 35 homicides within two miles have been reported since January 2007, the database shows.



A bystander in the area was also hit by gunfire, taken to a hospital and listed in critical condition. No additional details were available.



Anyone with information is asked to call (877) LAPD-24-7.



— Robert J. Lopez

A 45-year-old man was arrested Monday in connection with a deadly stabbing earlier in the day in Garden Grove, police said.



Gilberto Luciano Flores was booked on suspicion of murder after he allegedly stabbed Jason David Vanhorn during an argument on Magnolia Avenue near Garden Grove Boulevard, the Garden Grove Police Department said.



The two men had begun by fist fighting before Flores allegedly pulled out a knife, according to police.



— Robert J. Lopez

Fullerton police said Monday they were looking for witnesses after arresting a registered sex offender they said had "tens of thousands"  of child pornography items in his home.



Vaughn Robert Biby, 46, was booked on charges of possessing child porn after officers conducted a "compliance check" at his home Thursday in the 2000 block of West Houston Avenue, the Fullerton Police Department said.



Officers found tens of thousands of photos, DVDs, books, cameras and camcorders containing pornographic material featuring children from the age of infants to preteens, authorities said.



"There was a huge stash," Det. Laura Markoski said in a statement.



Officers also found hundreds of tokens used at local restaurants that cater to families, as well as digital cameras fitted with binoculars, the police department said.



Biby has previous convictions for child molestation and production of pornography, according to police.



Anyone with information is asked to call Markoski at (714) 738-6358.



— Robert J. Lopez

A 16-year-old Laguna Beach boy who began a confrontation on Facebook has been charged as an adult after he allegedly used a carving knife to stab a former classmate in the stomach and attack two of the victim’s friends, authorities said.



Michael Jason Wilson is charged with three counts of aggravated assault with sentencing enhancements for causing great bodily injury, the Orange County district attorney’s office said.

Wilson allegedly confronted the 17-year-old former classmate on Facebook and also exchanged e-mails and text messages with the victim, the district attorney said.

After the two agreed to meet at Wilson’s home March 11,  Wilson allegedly used a 12-inch knife to stab the victim outside the residence while three of his friends waited in a nearby vehicle, according to the district attorney. The victim was described only at "Julian C" by authorities. 



As the attack took place, the three friends exited the vehicle to help the victim. Wilson allegedly stabbed two of the friends in the hands, according to the district attorney. 



The three stabbing victims were treated at a hospital and released, the district attorney said. The victims attend the same high school where Wilson was once a student. Authorities declined to name the school.

Wilson, who was released on $65,000 bail, is scheduled for arraignment April 28 at the Newport Beach courthouse. If convicted, he could be sentenced to 15 years in state prison.

— Robert J. Lopez

Photo: KTLA News

A convicted sex offender who had been deported from the U.S. was arrested in San Diego County after he failed to stop at a freeway checkpoint, authorities said Monday.



The man, a 53-year-old Mexican citizen, had been convicted in 1991 of child sex crimes in Riverside, the Department of Homeland Security said.



The suspect was arrested Thursday night after he drove a semi-truck through a U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint on Interstate 8 near Alpine, the department said. An agent followed the truck as it continued to drive west on the freeway and then stopped the driver.



The man was being held by federal authorities and is facing charges for allegedly reentering the U.S. as a deported felon, the Homeland Security Department said. His name was not released.



— Robert J. Lopez

Los Angeles police rescued a mother and her four daughters Thursday from reputed gang members who had stormed into the family’s downtown apartment, authorities said.



The officers responded shortly after midnight after receiving calls from residents about gang members with guns in front of the apartment building at 916 Georgia St., the Los Angeles Police Department said.



As officers swooped down on the area, the gang members scattered into the building, said Lt. Paul Vernon, commander of the LAPD’s Central Division detective unit. Police rounded up five men and two women who were hiding or trying to escape.



"But something didn’t feel right to the officers," Vernon said, adding that they began knocking on doors.



At one apartment, a man identified as Pablo Giron, 18, opened the door and asked whether police had a search warrant. The officers, who noticed mud on Giron’s shoes and gang tattoos on his chest, entered the apartment and found the mother and her daughters, ages 2 to 12, huddled on the bed, Vernon said.



"This little family had been terrified," Vernon said.



He said Giron and another reputed gang member hiding in the bathroom, Evasto Islas, 25, were booked on suspicion of false imprisonment and were each being held in lieu of $50,000 bail.



— Robert J. Lopez

Detectives in Los Angeles and Lynwood were investigating two unrelated killings Thursday, authorities said.

The first slaying occurred about 9 p.m. Wednesday when several men were attacked by a man who stepped out of a vehicle and opened fire in the 7000 block of Raymond Avenue, the Los Angeles Police Department said.



Daniel Smith, 20, died of his wounds at the scene, the Los Angeles Police Department said.



The second slaying occurred about 1 p.m. Thursday in the 4600 block of McMillan Street in Lynwood, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said.

The victim, a male, was pronounced dead at a local hospital. His name was not released.

— Robert J. Lopez

Map showing the killing scenes. Credit: Los Angeles Times.

Former Riverside Police Chief Russ Leach pleaded guilty Thursday to a misdemeanor charge of driving under the influence of alcohol after he crashed his city-owned vehicle last month.



Leach was sentenced to 30 days of home detention during which he will have to wear an electronic monitoring device, the Riverside County district attorney’s office said.

Leach was also sentenced to three years of probation and was ordered to attend an alcohol-abuse class for six months, said John Hall, a district attorney spokesman.

Leach, who also will have to pay about $1,700 in court fees and fines, has until August to complete his 30-day detention.

The plea was entered by Leach’s attorney during arraignment in Riverside Superior Court.



Leach had four drinks at his homeon Super Bowl Sunday before going to a strip club in Colton, where he had at least seven more. At the time, he was taking prescription pain medication.

As he drove his car, Leach plowed into an object and kept driving for about another mile.

Riverside police officers who responded to the incident said they knew Leach had been drinking but did not file charges.The Riverside Police Department has launched an investigation of the officers’ actions.

— Robert J. Lopez

Photo: Russ Leach. Credit: Los Angeles Times.

Vendors who helped produce popular Christmas and Easter pageants at the Crystal Cathedral megachurch in Garden Grove said Thursday that they are owed tens of thousands of dollars for their work.

The towering glass church, founded by Robert H. Schuller in the 1950s and home to an international ministry and the popular "Hour of Power" televangelist broadcast, has long been a symbol of success. But the church has struggled financially in the last two years, laying off workers and seeing revenues drop 27%.



Now the financial pain has spread to vendors involved with the "Glory of Easter"  and "Glory of Christmas" pageants, elaborate productions that attract thousands of spectators.



"They simply quit paying us," said Sharon Crabtree of Murrieta. "We’re all astounded by this."



For 25 years, Crabtree said, she has designed props, decorated sets and provided wigs and special makeup for the productions. She said church officials have yet to provide an explanation regarding the nearly $20,000 owed to her.



"At the very least, we should have been treated with a little more respect," she said.



Church spokesman John Charles could not be reached for comment Thursday afternoon. But in January, he told The Times that the ministry was battered by the recession and suffering from declining television viewership and a drop in contributions from its aging congregation.



Kristina Oliver of Hemet has provided camels, donkeys and sheep for the Christmas play for about 14 years, as did her mother for a number of years before that.



Since January, Oliver said she’s been trying to collect $57,000 in back pay. "They weren’t telling me what was going on," she said.



Finally, Oliver said, she received an e-mail several days ago from church officials saying that they would try to pay her sometime in the future when they reach financial stability. But vendors are not optimistic.

"It doesn’t look good," Crabtree said.

— Robert J. Lopez

Photo: Crystal Cathedral complex, including the Tower of Hope. Credit: Los Angeles Times.

The Easter bunnies are out in force at Long Beach City College.



The college’s liberal arts campus, with its large grassy areas, has been a historical dumping ground for people who no longer want their pet rabbits. School officials, saying they’ve had enough, are starting a campaign to reduce the number of the furry creatures on campus.



By the last count, taken several months ago, well over 300 rabbits were on the grounds, digging holes and chewing their way through thousands of dollars’ worth of landscaping. But now, school officials fear the number of rabbits is even larger, given that the animals can produce up to 10 bunnies per litter every month or so.



"Do the math and you get the idea," said Mark Taylor, the school’s director of community and government relations.



As part of the campaign, signs are being posted at the college and campus police officers will begin enforcing local codes that could result in a $500 fine and/or up to six months in jail for anyone who abandons an animal.



Veterinarians from Western University of Health Sciences are also working with school officials to spay and neuter the animals, school officials said. Campus volunteers will help collect the rabbits and take them to veterinary facilities and provide post-surgery care.



Taylor said the college is also working with local animal rights activists to find people willing to adopt some of the rabbits.



"These bunnies are so happy and relaxed to be in a sheltered environment," said Diane McClure, a professor of veterinary medicine at Western University. "They deserve to have a forever home."

For more information about adopting a spayed or neutered rabbit, contact Jacque Olson at [email protected] or (562) 938-4370, or Donna Prindle at [email protected] or (562) 938-4356.

— Robert J. Lopez 

Photos: New campus warning signs; Western University professor Diane McClure helps care for one of the rabbits. Credit: Long Beach City College.

More than 30 years have passed since the body of Sandra Faith Phillips was found inside her Westside home, strangled by a sexually motivated killer.



Los Angeles police launched an investigation, but no suspects were identified in the slaying of the 33-year-old woman.



On Thursday, authorities announced that they had  arrested a Los Angeles man, Leonard Dominguez, in connection with the killing, the Los Angeles Police Department said.



Dominguez was initially identified in December 2007 after DNA testing was conducted on evidence recovered from the crime scene, police said. Detectives re-opened the case and uncovered additional evidence tying Dominguez to the killing, according to the LAPD.

He was arrested Monday at his home on a probable cause warrant, according to police, who have submitted the case to the district attorney’s office for filing consideration.

— Robert J. Lopez