Law Enforcement

Crime alerts for Panorama City, 14 other L.A. neighborhoods
Crime reports are up significantly for the latest week in 15 L.A. neighborhoods, according to an analysis of LAPD data by the Los Angeles Times' Crime L.A. database. Five neighborhoods reported a significant increase in violent crime. Panorama City was the most unusual, recording 10 reports compared with a weekly average of 6.2 over the last three months. Elysian Valley topped the list of 10 neighborhoods with property crime alerts.
Los Angeles Times

LAPD seeks suspects in killing of 75-year-old man downtown
Los Angeles police Wednesday released sketches of two suspects wanted in connection with the stabbing death of a 75-year-old man during an attempted robbery downtown. Min Yin was mortally wounded on Sept. 2 at Joy & Louis Corp., the manufacturing business where he worked, the Los Angeles Police Department said.
Los Angeles Times

New charges filed against suspects in slaying of El Camino Real Charter High soccer player
A couple suspected in the killing of an El Camino Real Charter High School soccer player was charged Wednesday with an unrelated armed robbery. Jason A. Schumann, 24, and Elizabeth Ibarra, 19, are each facing a new count of second-degree robbery stemming from a December incident in which they allegedly robbed a man of his cell phone at gunpoint behind a San Fernando Valley market on Dec. 29, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.
Los Angeles Daily News

Who's in charge of the LAPD? (The reply)
My column on Monday looking at a proposed change in the way the Los Angeles Police Department handles cars it seizes from unlicensed drivers drew the predictable response: Scores of readers wrote to complain that this is just another misguided attempt to make life easier for illegal immigrants, while a smaller number wrote to praise the idea as a moderate way to handle an overbearing and unjust system that deprives those immigrants and others of their vehicles for relatively minor traffic violations.
Jim Newton/Los Angeles Times

Two shot, wounded inside Venice barber shop
An argument at a barber shop near Venice High School escalated into gunfire Wednesday, leaving two men wounded, Los Angeles police said. The shooting was reported about 9:30 a.m. in the 1900 block of Lincoln Boulevard, said LAPD spokesman Bruce Borihahn. One man walked into the shop and began arguing with another. The man then took out a gun and fired multiple times, hitting a victim in the foot. A second victim also was shot, although there was no immediate word on the nature of his wounds or his condition.
Los Angeles Times

87-year-old man shoots, critically wounds burglar
Los Angeles police say an 87-year-old man shot and critically wounded one of two burglars who attempted to break into his home. A second suspect ran from the residence and remains at large. Police say the homeowner found two men attempting to break into the rear of his residence at around 9 p.m. Tuesday. Fearing for his life, they say he armed himself with a handgun and fired at the intruders.
Associated Press

FBI releases list of 10 most wanted serial bank robbers in SoCal
The Explosives Threat bandit leaves a device made of electronic components, and shouts, "I have a bomb!" The Interleague Play Bandit wears sunglasses and baseball hats with various sports team logos. And the Geezer Bandit - who has hit 16 banks since 2009 - has been described as an aggressive older, white man, who may be wearing a mask and synthetic gloves to disguise his true age. Their names may be funny, their characteristics memorable, but police say these three lone bandits are among the 10 most wanted serial robbers in Southern California who can turn a plain old stick-up into a potentially violent crime.
Los Angeles Daily News

Pensions

L.A. sues Northern Trust, seeks $95 million in lost pension assets
Los Angeles City Atty. Carmen A. Trutanich on Wednesday filed a multimillion-dollar lawsuit against the investment corporation Northern Trust, alleging it squandered city pension assets by placing them in high-risk financial products. City lawyers said those "high-risk consumer debt bond products" included some mortgage-related securities. Officials said those losses total more than $95 million and the lawsuit seeks full restitution, damages and penalties.
Los Angeles Times

Legislation

Measure to scale back Three-Strikes law passes state Assembly - but no vote til 2014
A group of Stanford University professors backing an initiative to scale back California's tough Three Strikes Law will continue to aim for the November ballot, even as the state Assembly on Tuesday passed a similar measure that wouldn't appear before voters until 2014. The 2014 measure, sponsored by Los Angeles Assemblyman Mike Davis, passed 41-33 Tuesday, the day after it lost Monday by five votes.
San Jose Mercury News