Law Enforcement

Man fires at LAPD from inside apartment In Harbor Gateway
A man allegedly fired multiple shots at police from an apartment complex in a Harbor Gateway neighborhood Tuesday night. Officers from the LAPD's Southeast Division were conducting a traffic stop when they were fired upon just before 10 p.m. at the corner of Rosecrans and Vermont avenues. Authorities immediately locked down the surrounding areas and began to search the building for the reported gunman.
CBS2

Suspects in violent Nordstrom Rack holdup in Westchester charged with robbery, assault
Prosecutors filed robbery and assault charges Tuesday against three men accused of taking 14 employees hostage during a violent holdup at a Nordstrom Rack in Westchester. Sexual assault allegations against one of the men could send him to prison forever. Two of the men - Troy "Tru" Marsay Hammock, 29, an ex-convict on parole for robbery, and Everett Oneal Allen, 24, a cafeteria worker at a Los Angeles middle school - made their first appearances in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom Tuesday afternoon, where they pleaded not guilty. Each was charged with 14 counts of second-degree robbery, and one count of assault with a deadly weapon, a knife, prosecutors said.
Torrance Daily Breeze

Iconic LAPD headquarters closing its doors
Parker Center, the iconic building that housed Los Angeles police operations for nearly 60 years, is closing its doors. The boxy, glass-windowed structure, seen often in episodes of "Dragnet" and other TV shows, is considered a classic representation of 1950s architecture. A new, more modern downtown headquarters opened nearby in 2009, however, and Parker Center's last employees left earlier this month.
Associated Press

Foreclosed houses and property crimes: LAPD sees a nexus - do you?
A New Year spike in property crime in Eagle Rock that included five stolen vehicles over four days might be at least partially connected to squatters occupying foreclosed or abandoned houses-a phenomenon that peaked in the summer of 2012 in Highland Park, according to a Los Angeles Police Department officer who specializes in crime analysis.
Eagle Rock Patch

Police and fire officials ask community to join 'Battle of the Badges' blood drive
Los Angeles Police and Fire leaders are asking the public to join them in the Battle of the Badges, a spirited competition among more than 200 Southern California fire departments, law enforcement and first responder agencies, each vying to recruit healthy blood donors. Tyler Izen, President of the Los Angeles Police Protective League, Michel Moore, Assistant Los Angeles Police Chief, Frank Lima, President of United Firefighters of Los Angeles City (I.A.F.F. Local 112), Brian Cummings, Chief of the Los Angeles Fire Department and Fire Commission President Genethia Hudley-Hayes will kick off the blood drive on Wednesday, January 16, 2013 at 9 a.m. at the LAFD Frank Hotchkin Memorial Training Center (Elysian Park), 1700 Stadium Way, Los Angeles, CA 90012.
LAPPL News Release

LAPD identifies suspect in San Pedro residential burglaries
Los Angeles police have identified a suspect in a series of residential burglaries in southern San Pedro and are hoping someone can provide a tip to help detectives locate him. Joe Carbajal, 33, of San Pedro allegedly is responsible for break-ins in an area bounded by 10th and 26th streets and Leland and Pacific avenues in early December, Los Angeles police Detective Maurice Graham said.
Torrance Daily Breeze

'Western bandit' serial robber may have resurfaced, L.A. police say
Los Angeles police say they believe a serial robber with a penchant for gunfire has resurfaced along Western Avenue. LAPD detectives say the man they are calling the "Western bandit" was likely responsible for an attempted robbery and a Jan. 8 robbery in which a witness was shot and wounded. Investigators believe he also is responsible for several robberies over a three-day span in November 2011, including one in which a transgender prostitute was shot to death in Hollywood and another was shot at a half-hour later at a West Hollywood park.
Los Angeles Times

Police seek family of homeless woman set on fire in Van Nuys
LAPD detectives are searching for family members of a homeless woman who was set on fire in December as she slept on a Van Nuys bus bench. Violet Phillips, 67, remains in critical condition at a local hospital after she was attacked at the intersection of Van Nuys Boulevard and Sherman Way. Twenty percent of her body is covered in second- and third-degree burns, said Det. Chris Gable. She can breathe, but needs the help of a ventilator.
Los Angeles Times

Man arrested after Burbank police discover gun reported stolen from LAPD station
A 31-year-old North Hollywood man was arrested Monday after officers allegedly discovered a stolen, loaded 9-millimeter handgun in his car during a traffic stop, police said. At 10:15 p.m., officers stopped Wayne Hope for allegedly driving an unregistered vehicle with tinted windows, Burbank Police Sgt. Darin Ryburn said. A DMV check revealed the man had two warrants out for his arrest for allegedly driving on a suspended license.
Burbank Leader

Immigration

DMV study bolsters driver's license push for illegal immigrants
Unlicensed drivers in California - the vast majority of whom are illegal immigrants - are nearly three times as likely to cause a fatal crash as licensed drivers, according to a study by the Department of Motor Vehicles. The report suggests that merely meeting the modest requirements necessary to get a license - passing a written exam and driving test - could improve road safety and help reduce the several thousand fatalities that occur in the state each year.
Los Angeles Times

City Government

L.A. councilman weighs city ban on high-capacity gun ammo
Los Angeles City Councilman Paul Krekorian wants city officials to prepare a report on the feasibility of banning the possession of ammo for high-capacity magazines. While the California penal code currently prohibits the manufacture and sale of high-capacity magazines, Krekorian said in a council motion Tuesday that a ban on the possession of the magazines within city limits could improve public safety.
Los Angeles Times

Gay LAPD officer's harassment lawsuit settled for $1.5M
The Los Angeles City Council on Tuesday approved a $1.5 million settlement in a case involving a gay police officer who alleged he was the victim of harassment and retaliation by a supervisor. Sgt. Ronald Crump, who will resign from the department as part of the settlement, filed the complaint in 2009 after he was ordered transferred from the media relations section and after he said his supervisor, Lt. John Romero, made derogatory remarks about his sexuality. Crump worked in the media relations section from December 2008 through July 2009, when he was transferred to Skid Row.
Los Angeles Times