Law Enforcement

Deadly shooting revives concerns about USC's neighborhood
It started as a typical evening for Ming Qu and Ying Wu, two graduate students from China studying electrical engineering at USC. After a night at the library, Qu drove Wu to the house where she was renting a room less than a mile from campus. He double parked in front of the home early Wednesday morning to continue talking. At around 1 a.m., a gunman approach Qu's BMW and opened fire, killing both students in an attack that shocked USC and rekindled long-held concerns about safety around the university.
Los Angeles Times

Family of slain postal worker wants justice
The family of a postal worker killed last month - after his legs were severed by unlicensed driver who pinned the man against his mail truck - is expressing outrage that the motorist won't be charged with felony manslaughter. Earl Anthony Dunn, a 32-year-old from Compton, was standing near the rear of his U.S. Postal Service vehicle in Boyle Heights on March 7 when he was struck by another car and pinned. Several hours after the crash in the 1100 block of Prado Street, Dunn died of his injuries in the hospital.
NBC4

Deadly police pursuit shuts down 101 Freeway at Canoga Avenue
A police pursuit ended in a fatal shooting on the eastbound 101 Freeway near Canoga Street shortly before 10 p.m. Wednesday. After a pursuit that lasted less than 10 minutes, the driver of a dark-colored Ford parked his car perpendicular to the freeway lanes and exited the vehicle from the passenger side. He then pointed something at the officers, who began shooting. The suspect appeared to run through at least four empty lanes, all the while turning around and pointing at the officers, before falling to the ground.
NBC4

Police reopen cyclist crash as possible aggravated assault
Police are reopening the investigation into what caused a cyclist to severely injure herself Friday night as a potential aggravated assault case, citing growing community concern and a second interview with the 42-year-old cyclist Susanna Schick. On Tuesday, a police spokeswoman had confirmed the incident was not being investigated as a hit-and-run although Schick's friends and the cycling community were quick to accuse the driver of road rage, saying Schick had been purposefully hit from behind. Schick did not remember the moment of impact.
NBC4

LAPD to host LGBTQ community forum today
The Los Angeles Police Department is hosting a forum this evening for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning community at the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center. Police Commissioner Robert M. Saltzman, Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck and Assistant Chief Sandy Jo MacArthur will be in attendance, giving the public the opportunity to engage in dialogue about the LGBTQ community within the City of Los Angeles.
West Hollywood Patch

Death, taxes collide as fatal crashes mount on filing day
Death and taxes aren't only certain, they also seem to share a same deadline in the U.S., according to a study that points to the role of stress in fatal accidents. Deaths from traffic accidents around April 15, traditionally the last day to file individual income taxes in the U.S., rose 6 percent on average on each of the last 30 years of tax filing days compared with a day during the week prior and a week later, according to research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Bloomberg

Council rejects $4.5-million settlement in LAPD shooting
The Los Angeles City Council has rejected a proposed $4.5-million payout to a man who was shot by police as he fled a drive-by shooting. The payment would have settled a lawsuit that Robert Contreras brought against the city for the 2005 shooting, which left him paralyzed. A jury in the case decided that the officers used excessive force because Contreras was unarmed when he was shot. Fearing that the jury could order the city to pay Contreras $8 million to $12 million, lawyers for the city urged the council to accept the settlement deal.
Los Angeles Times

LAPD computer program prevents crime by predicting it
The Los Angeles Police Department has gone on an offensive to prevent crime. Its latest weapon is a program that can actually predict where crimes will happen. CBS justice correspondent Bob Orr has a first look at the results. In the Foothill Division, north of downtown Los Angeles, police are patrolling largely working class neighborhoods with specially-marked maps.
CBS News

Many say L.A. is safer 20 years after 1992 riots, poll finds
Nearly 20 years after Los Angeles was shaken by one of the worst outbreaks of civil unrest in U.S. history, residents say the city is safer and relations between its racial and ethnic groups are significantly better than they were in 1992. Most also say L.A. is unlikely to see riots in the coming years like those that swept the city after the 1992 acquittals of four Los Angeles police officers charged in the beating of Rodney G. King, a new report shows.
Los Angeles Times

Legislation

California bill would block cellphone tracking without warrant
Big Brother might get blinders, at least in California. A state senator recently introduced a bill to prohibit government entities from obtaining location information from cellphones without a warrant. State Sen. Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) proposed SB 1434, an amendment to the Penal Code, to clarify the use of this ubiquitous and near-constant data stream in our pockets.
Los Angeles Times

Prisons & Parole

Charles Manson denied parole for 12th time
A California prison panel denied parole Wednesday to mass murderer Charles Manson parole in his 12th bid for freedom. Manson, now a gray-bearded, 77-year-old, did not attend the hearing. He orchestrated a series of gruesome murders on consecutive nights in Los Angeles 40 years ago. His trial with three women acolytes was an international spectacle. Manson and his followers were convicted in the 1969 slaying of actress Sharon Tate and four others.
Associated Press