Author: Robert Lopez

A man was found dead in a Harbor City residence Wednesday in a case that detectives are investigating as a homicide, police said.



The man, 47, had suffered head trauma and was pronounced dead at the scene in the 1000 block of West 253rd Street, the Los Angeles Police Department said. The victim’s name was not released.



Officers discovered the body after responding to a death investigation call shortly after 11:30 a.m., police said.



Since January 2007, at least 22 homicides have been reported within two miles of the crime scene, according to a Times database.



No additional details were available. Anyone with information is asked to call (877) LAPD-24-7.

–Robert J. Lopez

Photo: Red dots show homicides reported within two miles of crime scene since January 2007. Credit: Los Angeles Times Homicide Report.

A former Redondo Beach resident was arrested Wednesday afternoon in connection with dumping a newborn in a trash bin in the South Bay city, police said.



Jessie Lauren Canfield, 24, of Santa Barbara, was arrested about 4:30 p.m. at her home in Santa Barbara, where she now lives with her sister, the Redondo Beach Police Department said.



A city trash collector found the newborn’s body about 9 a.m. Wednesday in a trash bin that had been placed in front of a home on a city street for rubbish collection, police said. 



Canfield allegedly attended a party at the home over the weekend and was complaining of cramps, according to police. Detectives interviewed the woman and determined that she had given birth and dumped the infant in the bin, Redondo Beach police said.

Canfield is a 2004 graduate of Redondo Union High School. She was taken into custody on suspicion of murder, police said.

— Robert J. Lopez

Detectives were investigating the circumstances involving the slaying of a woman Tuesday night in Lancaster, authorities said.



The woman was shot at least once about 8 p.m. in the 4400 block of East 15th Street, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said.

The woman was pronounced dead at a hospital, the department said. Her name was not released.

Since January 2007, at least 37 homicides have been reported in Lancaster, according to a Times database.

Homicide detectives were at the scene Monday night. Further details were not available.



— Robert J. Lopez



Photo: Red dots show Lancaster homicides since 2007. Credit: Los Angeles Times Homicide Report.

Three people playing basketball in Compton, including a 10-year-old girl, were wounded Tuesday evening when a gunman walked up and opened fire in an apparent gang-related attack, authorities said.



The three were playing at a makeshift court in the 1800 block of East San Luis Street when the attacker appeared about 5 p.m., the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said.



"He walked up, committed the deed and ran to an awaiting vehicle," Lt. Henry Saucedo of the Compton sheriff’s station said.



The girl was listed in stable condition with wounds to her hip and knees, Saucedo said. The two males, ages 17 and 45, were in critical condition and undergoing surgery.



No additional details were available. Anyone with information is asked to call detectives at (310) 605-6500.

— Robert J. Lopez

Photo: KTLA

A Whittier Pop Warner football coach who allegedly sexually molested two boys on his team was charged Tuesday with nine felony counts in Los Angeles County Superior Court, authorities said.



Paul Anthony Ayala, 42, was charged with one felony count of oral copulation of a child under 10 and eight felony counts of sexual molestation of a child under 14, the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office said.



One victim was allegedly molested in 2008 and the other was molested last year, the district attorney’s office said. Both victims were 10 at the time of the alleged attacks.



Police were notified last week after one of the alleged victims told family members what had happened, according to the district attorney’s office.



— Robert J. Lopez

Los Angeles police said Tuesday that detectives were investigating an alleged sexual assault at Narbonne High School in Harbor City.



The incident involved a 17-year-old male student and a 15-year-old female student, the Los Angeles Police Department said. The alleged assault happened Tuesday shortly after 10 a.m. while classes were in session.



"So far, the investigation has shown the encounter to be an isolated incident between two individuals and not part of a trend or serial related," the LAPD said in a news release.



The male was taken into custody on suspicion of sexual assault, police said. The investigation was ongoing.



— Robert J. Lopez

Jaime Escalante spent a career helping youths learn math. His exploits teaching calculus at Garfield High School in East Los Angeles were immortalized in the film "Stand and Deliver."



Now, the 79-year-old former teacher is suffering from advanced stages of cancer, and his friends and supporters are seeking to help the family pay medical bills while Escalante undergoes treatment at a center in Reno, Nev.

"He probably has changed the course of the way we view inner-city children of color with his commitment to helping them understand mathematics," said actor Edward James Olmos, who portrayed Escalante in the 1988 feature film. "Mathematics is a great equalizer. It’s a universal language."



Olmos said Tuesday that Escalante may have only a few weeks to live and that his family can no longer afford to cover the treatment costs at a holistic cancer center in Reno. Escalante is suffering from bladder cancer that has spread to other parts of his body, according to Olmos.



To help pay for medical costs, which are totaling several thousand dollars a day, cast members from "Stand and Deliver" and other supporters will hold a fundraising event Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. outside of Garfield High. Olmos said he plans to be there in the afternoon.



Born in Bolivia, Escalante came to Los Angeles in the early 1960s and later was hired to teach math at Garfield. He helped transform the school’s calculus program into one of the top public high school programs in the nation.



In 1999, Escalante moved back to Bolivia to teach math. He returned to the U.S. about four months ago to seek treatment.



 Olmos, who posted a call for help on his website, said he paid for Escalante and some of his family to return to the United States. Escalante’s wife is still in Bolivia and is hoping to make her way to Reno.



"They’re really in trouble," Olmos said of the family’s financial situation. "They need help."

— Robert J. Lopez

Photo: Jaime Escalante with members of the Garfield High band during a 1998 event to celebrate his inclusion into the Latino Walk of Fame. Credit: Bob Chamberlin/Los Angeles Times.

A 4-year-old girl was in serious condition Monday after she was bitten on the face by a pit bull at her uncle’s home in Pomona, police said.

The child apparently startled the dog while it was sleeping, the Pomona Police Department said. "The dog suddenly awakened and bit the child on her face," the department said in a news release.

Police said the dog was not licensed and did not have a current rabies vaccination.

The girl had just arrived at the home in the 1600 block of East Kingsley Avenue to visit her uncle shortly after 3 p.m. when the incident occurred, police said. She was being treated at Loma Linda Medical Center.

The dog was taken into custody as a possible danger to humans, police said.

The incident was under investigation by the Pomona Valley Humane Society.



— Robert J. Lopez

L.A. county rescuers Monday evening were trying to reach two people in a vehicle that had plummeted down a steep ravine after swerving to avoid hitting an animal in the hills near Malibu, authorities said.

A fire engine at the scene off Stunt Road near Mulholland Highway reported that the vehicle was about 80 feet down a canyon with two victims inside, the Los Angeles County Fire Department said. The accident was reported shortly after 7:30 p.m.

The initial call reporting the accident indicated that the car had swerved to avoid an animal in the road.

"That’s a steep area," said Fire Department Inspector Matt Levesque.

He said two specialized search and rescue units were responding.

[Updated 9:09 p.m.: Two people were pulled from the vehicle alive and were being taken to a hospital. The extent of their injuries was not known, Levesque said.]

— Robert J. Lopez

Jaime Escalante, the legendary Garfield High School math teacher immortalized in the film "Stand and Deliver," is battling cancer.



The news about Escalante, 79, was posted on the Web page of actor Edward James Olmos, who portrayed the educator in the critically acclaimed 1988 movie.



Olmos said Escalante was in serious condition and that his family had run out of money to pay the medical bills.



"The treatment he needs has depleted all the funds his family can raise," Olmos said in the announcement on his website. The family "did not want to ask for help, but we took it upon ourselves to get the word out to all the country and around the world, to make his final days as comfortable as possible — and maybe even give him a chance to beat the cancer that has afflicted him."



Olmos could not be reached Monday night for comment.



Escalante was born in La Paz, Bolivia. His father and mother were both teachers.

He arrived in Los Angeles in the early 1960s and later landed the job at Garfield High in East Los Angeles. He was able to transform the school’s calculus program into one of the top public school programs in the country.

In 1999, Escalante returned to Bolivia to teach math.

 "I wanted to do something for my country, like I did something in East L.A. for the barrio," he told The Times in a 1999 interview in Bolivia.

— Robert J. Lopez

Photo: Jaime Escalante in the classroom in the early 1990s. Credit: Los Angeles Times

L.A. County sheriff’s homicide detectives  were investigating the circumstances of two bodies found Monday afternoon in an abandoned vehicle in Carson.

The detectives responded about 4:45 p.m. to  the 20700 block of Fordyce Avenue, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said.

The area is surrounded by commercial buildings near South Alameda Street.

The victims were not identified. No additional details were available, officials said.



–Robert J. Lopez

A specialized rescue task force from Los Angeles was preparing Monday afternoon for possible deployment to earthquake-ravaged Chile.



The Los Angeles County Fire Department’s heavy-rescue task force includes 74 firefighters, paramedics, structural engineers, emergency-room physicians and other experts trained in finding and rescuing victims from collapsed structures and buildings. The team was assembling at a staging area in Pacoima, the Fire Department said.



The department said the same task force was sent to Haiti, where it helped rescue victims in the aftermath of the deadly temblor that struck the Caribbean island nation in January.



The task force is a self-contained rescue unit that responds to disasters with 70,000 pounds of sophisticated search-and-rescue devices and medical equipment.



The magnitude 8.8 quake in Chile left more than 700 people dead and caused widespread damage throughout the nation.



— Robert J. Lopez

As Los Angeles County braces for another storm, new evacuation protocols have been established for foothill neighborhoods threatened by mudslides, officials said Thursday.



Color codes will be used to designate danger levels, and residents will now have to sign liability forms if they refuse to heed evacuation orders or try to return to their homes, said Nicole Nishida, spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.



The guidelines apply to areas of La Cañada Flintridge, La Crescenta and Acton that were affected by the Station fire in August, officials said.

When the level is green, residents will be advised to monitor weather conditions. A yellow level indicates mandatory evacuations. Residents who evacuate in yellow conditions will be allowed to return to their homes before the order is lifted but will have to sign liability waivers, Nishida said.

Under a red level, residents who leave their homes will not be allowed to return until the evacuation warning is lifted.

Residents who refuse to heed evacuation orders will also have to sign waivers, according to Nishida.

Information on the new guidelines are posted on the website of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works.

The storm is expected to move into Southern California late Friday with an intense period of rain likely early Saturday, according to the National Weather Service.



— Robert J. Lopez

An off-duty Los Angeles Police Department reserve officer fatally shot his son Thursday evening at the family’s home in Monrovia, authorities said.



The shooting took place about 6 p.m. in the 100 block of Andre Street, said Steve Whitmore, spokesman for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. The name and age of the victim were not released.



According to sources familiar with case, the son confronted his father with what appeared to be a large object. He was shot once in the chest, said the sources, who asked not to be named because the case is under investigation. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene.



Whitmore said that sheriff’s homicide detectives were leading the investigation. Detectives were working with a county prosecutor who was at the scene Thursday night.



"We don’t know if there’s going to be an arrest," Whitmore said. "It’s early in the investigation."



The officer’s name was not released.



— Andrew Blankstein and Robert J. Lopez

An off-duty Los Angeles Police Department officer died Thursday evening and three other people were injured in a vehicle collision in Diamond Bar, authorities said.

The accident occurred about 5:30 p.m.on Grand Avenue near Longview Drive. The officer’s car apparently hit at least one oncoming vehicle, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said.

The three injured people were taken to hospitals. Their condition was not immediately known.

The name of the officer was not released. The cause of the accident was under investigation.

[Updated 10:03 p.m.: The officer was a female, and one of the vehicles overturned several times in the chain-reaction collision, said Steve Whitmore, Sheriff’s Department spokesman.]

— Andrew Blankstein and Robert J. Lopez

Irvine police were searching Thursday afternoon for a man suspected of robbing a jewelry store [Updated: a retail store] on Jeffrey Road near the Santa Ana Freeway, authorities said.



The crime occurred about 2 p.m in the 14100 block of Jeffrey Road. The robber entered the business and stole merchandise, the Irvine Police Department said.



The robber was confronted by an employee and claimed to have a gun, but no weapon was observed, Irvine Police Lt. John Hare said.

The robber fled, but may still be in the area. Police units, including a helicopter and search dogs, are looking for the man, and the department is alerting residents to the situation by using the reverse 911 system.

The robber was described as a white male in his late 30s with blond hair who was wearing a gray shirt and jeans, Hare said.

[Updated 8:28 p.m.: Jeffrey Graham, 38, of Rancho Santa Margarita, was taken into custody in connection with the robbery, police said. Costume jewelry valued at $250 was stolen but not recovered.]

— Robert J. Lopez

An eight-vehicle collision resulted in one fatality and snarled traffic Wednesday night on the eastbound 101 Freeway near Sepulveda Boulevard, authorities said.

One of the vehicles involved was a big-rig truck. Only one eastbound lane was open as of 10 p.m., the California Highway Patrol said. The accident was reported about 9:30 p.m.



At least one other person was in critical condition and trapped in a vehicle, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.



The lanes are expected to be closed for at least two hours, the CHP said. The freeway was wet from a light drizzle at the time of the accident.



The CHP said investigators were at the scene awaiting the arrival of a coroner’s unit.



— Robert J. Lopez

Two members of a Los Angeles street gang accused of targeting African Americans and engaging in murder, drug dealing and extortion were sentenced Wednesday to 10 years in federal prison.



Luis Aguilar and Cesar De la Cruz were named in a 2007 indictment against members of Florencia 13, which terrorized residents and rivals in the Florence-Firestone neighborhood in unincorporated Los Angeles County, according to federal prosecutors.



Aguilar and De la Cruz were drug dealers for the gang and not involved in attacks against African Americans, said Kevin Rosenberg, an assistant U.S. attorney who helped prosecute the case.



De la Cruz was also sentenced to eight years of supervised release when he completes his prison sentence. Aguilar, meanwhile, was sentenced to a lifetime supervised release when he leaves federal prison, Rosenberg said.



Eight other gang members named in the indictment were convicted last year.



The indictment painted a chilling picture of unchecked violence in the working-class neighborhood. The gang targeted blacks in the area, sometimes focusing on innocent citizens simply to send a message, prosecutors said.



At times, authorities said, Florencia members took orders from the prison-based Mexican Mafia, a gang that exerts control over Latino street gangs in Southern California.



Florencia 13 is one of the largest and oldest Latino street gangs in Los Angeles County.



–Robert J. Lopez

A man who was struck by a Metrolink train two weeks ago in Laguna Niguel was hit again Tuesday morning in Irvine by another train operated by the commuter line, police said.

He suffered injuries to his hand and arm in Tuesday’s accident, the Irvine Police Department said.

"That’s a bit peculiar," Irvine Police Lt. John Hare said of the two accidents.

He said that the man’s injuries were not life-threatening and that he was expected to undergo a mental evaluation at a local hospital. His name was not released.

— Robert J. Lopez

David Carpenter, the "Trailside Killer" on death row for the murders of seven people, has been linked to an unsolved 1979 stabbing death of a jogger in San Francisco, police said Tuesday.



DNA evidence links Carpenter to the slaying of Mary Bennett, 23, whose body was found partially covered by dirt and branches in a rugged headlands area overlooking the Pacific Ocean, the San Francisco Police Department said.



Bennett had been stabbed multiple times in the neck, chest and back.



The new evidence, police said, was examined after cold-case detectives obtained DNA samples from Carpenter. Carpenter, 79, is at San Quentin Prison awaiting execution after being convicted of the murders in the 1980s, police said.



Carpenter’s victims were attacked in public parks and hiking trails in Northern California, including in Santa Cruz and Marin counties. Some of the victims had been raped, authorities said.



People avoided many hiking trails in the crime areas until Carpenter was arrested in May 1981.



— Robert J. Lopez