Law Enforcement

Man held after gunshots fired near Pico-Union school, LAPD says
A man suspected of firing multiple shots from a handgun near a Pico-Union elementary school was arrested Tuesday afternoon, Los Angeles police said. The 19-year-old suspect was apprehended by an officer assigned to patrol campuses in the wake of last month's Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, the Los Angeles Police Department said. The gunfire was reported about 2 p.m. in the 1600 block of Orchard Avenue, on the west end of Magnolia Avenue Elementary School. No injuries were reported.
Los Angeles Times

Man sentenced to 6 months for grabbing LAPD gun
City prosecutors say a man who grabbed a Los Angeles police officer's gun during a confrontation has been sentenced to 6 months in jail. In Tuesday's announcement, City Attorney Carmen Trutanich says 26-year-old Salvador Velasco's reckless behavior put officers and the public at risk. Officers responded to a call Dec. 6 that Velasco was yelling at women at the Wilshire-Vermont Red Line subway station. When they approached, Velasco threw down his jacket, raised his fists and dared officers to shoot him, while threatening to kill them.
Associated Press

Northridge sports bar scene of fatal early morning shooting
Police are still investigating an early morning shooting that left a man in his 40s dead Tuesday at a bar in Northridge. A man, whose specific age and identity has not been released pending family notification, was pronounced dead after a shooting that happened at 2:30 a.m. outside The College Inn sports bar at 8640 Lindley Ave. The man suffered a gunshot wound to the back of his neck, officials said. No arrests have been made.
Los Angeles Daily News

City Council seeks information on LAPD gang intervention efforts
The Los Angeles City Council on Tuesday approved a pair of motions seeking more information about how the Los Angeles Police Department identifies and attempts to prevent gang crimes. Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa on Monday stated in a dual press conference with LAPD Charlie Beck that gang crime has been reduced by 47.5-percent since he took office and that a "record-low" 152 gang related homicides were reported in 2012.
Highland Park - Mt. Washington Patch

North Hills woman accused in child-porn case suffers seizure
The woman accused of posing in decade-old photographs depicting child pornography suffered a seizure before her scheduled appearance in court on Monday and it remains unclear when she will be able to enter a plea, federal officials said. Letha Mae Montemayor, 52, of North Hills, was hospitalized after suffering a seizure in lockup and was hospitalized, according to a federal court document.
Los Angeles Daily News

Studio City home struck by car, driver flees the scene
A suspect fled the scene after driving a stolen pickup truck into a house in Studio City Monday night, leaving behind a female passenger who was slightly injured. The house did not sustain major damage in the crash, which occurred around 9:35 p.m. in the 4300 block of North Elmer Avenue, said Erik Scott of the Los Angeles Fire Department. The male driver fled the scene and a female passenger was treated at the scene after complaining of pain, said Sgt. Randy Modrell of the Los Angeles Police Department's Valley Traffic Division.
City News Service

Citywide crime reduction not seen in Northeast L.A.
Crime in the city of Los Angeles dropped for the 10th consecutive year in 2012, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Los Angeles Police Department Chief Charlie Beck announced Monday. They attributed the 1.4-percent reduction in crime from 2011 to continued police hiring despite the city's large budget deficit. Villaraigosa said he would keep police hiring as a top priority in the city's next budget, his last as mayor. Villaraigosa will be termed out of office and replaced by a new mayor July 1.
Highland Park - Mt. Washington Patch

Victims of alleged L.A. serial killer all had children, LAPD says
Authorities on Monday announced the arrest of a 72-year-old man who they allege is a serial killer responsible for the slayings of at least three women in Los Angeles in the 1980s. Officials would not elaborate on the backgrounds of the victims but said all three had children. Los Angeles Police Department detectives allege that Samuel Little preyed on women in downtown and Central L.A., meeting some at bars before strangling them and dumping their bodies.
Los Angeles Times

Prisons

Legal war ahead on California bid to end federal prison controls
Gov. Jerry Brown's declaration Tuesday that California has solved its prison overcrowding problem is part of a bold move to wrest control of the nation's largest corrections system back from the federal courts and their appointed overseers. But experts say there is a slim chance of that.
Sacramento Bee

Legislation

Bill would block Los Angeles city fines for parking at broken meters
On the heels of a recent Los Angeles City Council decision to ticket drivers who park at broken meters, Assemblyman Mike Gatto introduced a bill Monday that would block the city from enforcing the fines. Gatto's bill would enable drivers to park for free at broken meters for the maximum time allowed. It also would block local governments from enacting ordinances that ban on-street parking at broken meters or kiosks.
City News Service

California weighs bill to track ammo sales
Groups on both sides of the gun-control debate are preparing to battle over a California bill that proposes the state track ammunition sales, as lawmakers nationwide weigh stricter gun and ammunition controls after the December school shooting in Newtown, Conn. California state Assemblywoman Nancy Skinner on Monday announced Assembly Bill 48, which would require ammunition sellers to obtain licenses, check buyers' identification and report sales to the California Department of Justice. Ammunition sales currently aren't tracked in the state.
Wall Street Journal

Lawmakers seek prison time for GPS violators
Lawmakers alarmed at an increase in the number of sex offenders violating parole have vowed legislation to make tampering with their electronic tracking devices a crime that sends them back to prison. Sen. Ted Lieu (D-Torrance) on Monday filed what is known as a "spot" bill, intended to be filled later with language that makes it a felony to cut off a GPS-aided ankle bracelet. Lieu contends an increasing number of parolees are cutting off their GPS monitoring devices "because they're convinced little will happen to them."
Los Angeles Times