Law Enforcement

Homeless vendors sell beer on the streets - and dodge police
At 10 a.m. on a recent weekday downtown, suited workers were riding elevators up skyscrapers on Bunker Hill. Down on the sidewalks, loft-dwellers, coffee cups in hand, walked their dogs. At the corner of 5th and San Pedro streets, a few steps from the drug and alcohol rehab center, the local soup kitchen and the patch of sidewalk where he bunks most nights, Josh Richard was selling beer to other homeless men. One by one, his customers approached, handing over $1.50 for cans of Colt 45, Steel Reserve or Heineken that he kept hidden in a blue cooler beneath a shopping cart.
Los Angeles Times

Sylmar woman allegedly set on fire by her son dies, LAPD says
A 59-year-old Sylmar woman who was allegedly set on fire by her son has died, police said Thursday afternoon. Heunae Chang was "intentionally set on fire" Saturday morning and had been clinging to life, the Los Angeles Police Department said in a statement. She died Thursday morning. Officers found the woman in her home in 12000 block of Via Santa Marta. Her 25-year-old son, Phillip Chang, was arrested at the home on suspicion of murder. He was being held in lieu of $1 million bail, the LAPD said.
Los Angeles Times

Canoga Park standoff ends; suspect missing
A standoff in Canoga Park has ended, but the man suspected of firing a weapon has vanished, and police are still searching for him. Los Angeles police say the situation started as a domestic dispute that escalated into a standoff at about 6 a.m. near Canoga Avenue and Wyandotte Street on the 7300 block of Remmet Avenue. Residents in the area were advised to remain in their homes until further notice for their own safety. SWAT officers entered the home at about 1 p.m., but the suspect was nowhere to be found.
ABC7

Granada Hills driving-school owner charged with molesting boy, 17, during driving lesson
The owner of Valleywide Driving School in Granada Hills has been charged with molesting a 17-year-old boy, and police said Thursday they suspect there may be more potential victims. Joselito Valencia Danan, 44, is charged with misdemeanor sexual battery of a juvenile. He is accused of fondling the teen during a driving lesson on Aug. 16, officials said. The LAPD is asking for anyone with information about this incident or who may have been a victim of Danan to contact Devonshire Area Detectives Solomon or Dingman at 818-832-0609.
Los Angeles Daily News

LAPD shuts down Koreatown streets after report of gunman
Police advised motorists Thursday night to avoid Normandie Avenue in Koreatown because streets were being shut down after reports of an armed man who may have been firing shots in the area. Normandie was shut down between 1st and 3rd streets as patrol cars responded, the Los Angeles Police Department said. The LAPD was setting up a mobile command post while officers began searching the area. No other details were immediately available. Late Thursday, police said a suspect may be holed up in an apartment building near Normandie Avenue and 2nd Street.
Los Angeles Times

Heat blamed for jump in East Hollywood home, car burglaries
The recent heat wave could be a major factor in a string of residential and vehicle burglaries in East Hollywood, according to police. KNX1070's Brian Ping reports the neighborhood has seen 10 break-ins over the last week - eight of which were initiated through an open or unsecured window. "Those are very frightening for us because obviously if they are bold enough to go inside a home that is occupied, we are concerned about confrontations and how they may react should the homeowner confront them," said LAPD Officer Karen Rayner.
KNX1070

16-year-old shot in Wilmington, suspects still at large
A 16-year-old boy is in stable condition after being shot multiple times Wednesday afternoon, police said. The victim, who Los Angeles police didn't identify, was standing near Banning Boulevard and Denni Street about 3:30 p.m. when a vehicle carrying four suspects, ages 16 to 25, drove up. One of the suspects got out of the vehicle and shot the victim several times, said Officer Karen Rayner, a spokeswoman with the Los Angeles Police Department.
Los Angeles Daily News

Bank of America bomb robbers remain at large
Investigators on Thursday searched the Huntington Park home of an East L.A. bank manager who told authorities she was kidnapped from the location, strapped to what she believed to be explosives and forced to rob her own bank, sources said. Seeking clues to solve Wednesday's bizarre heist at a Bank of America branch in East L.A. that netted the robbers a significant amount of money, investigators removed several boxes from the home, according to the sources, who were granted anonymity because the investigation is ongoing. The bank manager had given her consent to the search, the sources said.
Los Angeles Times

Proposition 32

Teachers union gives another $6.9 million to Prop. 32 fight
California's largest teachers union is literally doubling down to fight Proposition 32, the November ballot measure that promises to eliminate special-interest money in politics. On Wednesday, the California Teachers Assn. contributed $6,950,000 to the labor-backed opposition campaign, bringing the grand total of its donations to more than $16 million, according to records filed with the secretary of state's office. In all, unions have raised more than $35.7 million to defeat Proposition 32.
Los Angeles Times

State Government

California saves $85M under Jerry Brown travel ban
Gov. Jerry Brown's travel ban has saved California taxpayers at least $85 million since he took office, state officials announced Thursday. The governor's office released travel figures showing the state spent $144 million during Brown's first fiscal year in office compared to $229 million during former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's final year in office for a 37 percent reduction.
Associated Press