Law Enforcement

Cop car crashes into South LA building during pursuit
A police officer crashed his patrol vehicle into a building in South Los Angeles during a pursuit of a reckless driver Sunday night. The crash happened a minute into the pursuit at 85th and San Pedro streets around 9:10 p.m. The driver of the gray BMW being pursued hit the curb while turning westbound on 85th Street, and the officer following close behind lost control, crashing into an emergency shelter for women and children.
ABC7

LAPD: Fatal stabbing victim reentered bar with knife in upper body
A man was stabbed to death in North Hollywood, authorities said Monday. Police were sent to a bar in the 12100 block of Vanowen Street at about 11:30 p.m. Sunday, according to Los Angeles police Officer Rosario Herrera of the Media Relations office. They found Daniel Farelo, 28, suffering from multiple stab wounds to his upper body.
City News Service

LA Mayor's Crisis Response Team now recruiting "civilian volunteers."
The Crisis Response Team (CRT) program is composed of trained "civilian" community volunteers who respond to traumatic incidents at the request of the L.A. Police & Fire Departments. CRT volunteers provide immediate on-scene crisis intervention, attend to urgent victim comfort needs, acts as a liaison between the victim and emergency personnel, and give referrals to victims and their families affected by a death, a serious injury, a violent crime or other traumatic incidents.
Nixle

2 grenades force Los Angeles residents to evacuate
Residents of a South Los Angeles neighborhood were temporarily evacuated Sunday after new homeowners discovered two Vietnam-era grenades in their outside firepit, which were later destroyed on site by the bomb squad, a police sergeant said. The grenades were discovered about noon in the backyard of a house at 415 E. 70th Street, just east of Avalon Boulevard, according to Los Angeles police Sgt. Omar Bazulto.
City News Service

No motive for killing of Lawndale man at Harbor Gateway bus stop, brother says
A brother of a Lawndale man gunned down at a Harbor Gateway bus stop said Monday he knows of no reason why someone would want to kill him. Jonathan Lamp, 23, died Saturday afternoon at County Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, shortly after he was shot on Vermont Avenue at Gardena Boulevard, police said. "He was honest. He was hardworking. He was kind. He was never stingy. He was never greedy," his brother, Jedidiah Lamp, said Monday.
Torrance Daily Breeze

Sun Valley garage fire leads to discovery of marijuana plants
A man was cited for possession of marijuana when firefighters knocked down a garage fire at his Sun Valley home Sunday and found five small marijuana plants that burned during the fire, a police sergeant said. Police were dispatched to the home in the 9100 block of La Tuna Canyon Road about 5:25 a.m., said Los Angeles police Sgt. Thomas Wunsch of the Foothill station. No injuries were reported and the man admitted to owning the plants.
City News Service

Robbery probably not motive in killings of basketball coach, fiancé
Police detectives said robbery does not appear to be a motive in the slaying of a young Irvine couple who were found shot to death late Sunday in a parked car at the upscale condominium complex where they lived. Irvine police Lt. Julia Engen said there is no clear motive in the deaths of Monica Quan, 28, and her boyfriend, Keith Lawrence, 27. The two were engaged to be married, according to reports. Quan's father, Randal Quan, was the first Chinese American captain in the Los Angeles Police Department and later served as the police chief at Cal Poly Pomona.
Los Angeles Times

How Taco Bell used LAPD-like car in Super Bowl ad without getting sued
That sure looked like a Los Angeles Police Department car during a Super Bowl ad: the black-and-white paint scheme, the iconic "protect and serve" slogan, the city seal on the door above the word "POLICE." But the Taco Bell ad that aired during Sunday's first half didn't include an actual LAPD cruiser. The car was probably just far enough away to keep the fast-food company from getting sued.
Los Angeles Daily News

Prisons & Parole

SoCal police chiefs on A.B. 109: `This is dangerous'
More than a year after state law realigned the penal system in California, Southland police chiefs say their officers are arresting suspects who have been released from jail early far too often. At a discussion hosted by the San Gabriel Valley Economic Partnership, Pasadena Police Chief Phillip Sanchez, Covina Police Chief Kim Raney and Glendale Police Chief Ronald De Pompa met with community members to discuss the impact they're seeing on public safety since the implementation of Assembly Bill 109.
Pasadena Star-News

L.A. County prosecutor opposes release of Manson follower
Los Angeles Dist. Atty. Jackie Lacey has asked Gov. Jerry Brown to oppose the parole of a 70-year-old former follower of murderer Charles Manson. The California Board of Parole Hearings on Friday forwarded to Brown its recommendation to grant parole to Bruce Davis, imprisoned since 1972. Along with the recommendation is Lacey's own letter to the governor, describing Davis as "Manson's right-hand man" and "a danger to the public and unsuitable for parole."
Los Angeles Times