Law Enforcement

Driver in fiery 9-car crash was going wrong way, LAPD says
A driver suspected of causing a fatal collision involving nine vehicles in South Los Angeles was speeding on the wrong side of the street shortly before the fiery crash occurred, police said Tuesday night. The driver, who was in a black Dodge Charger, was speeding southbound on the northbound side of Broadway, police said. The driver allegedly ran a red light, slamming head-on into a vehicle and then striking seven other vehicles in the 200 block of West Manchester Avenue, the Los Angeles Police Department said.
Los Angeles Times

Driver who hit pedestrian is booked after victim dies in hospital
A 54-year-old man who was hit by a car while crossing a South Los Angeles street died of his injuries, and the driver has been booked on suspicion of gross vehicular manslaughter, according to authorities. The victim, Francisco Lopez, died at the hospital after Israel Gutierrez, 18, collided with him on Compton Avenue near 57th Avenue. Gutierrez was driving his 1996 Honda Prelude southbound on Compton Ave. when the incident occurred around 9 p.m. on Sunday, according to LAPD Central Traffic Sgt. Kevin Custard.
CBS2

LAPD raises number of ex-officers seeking reviews of firings
LAPD officials this week revised upward the number of former officers seeking to have the department reexamine their firings in the wake of the Christopher Dorner saga to 69. On Sunday, The Times reported that dozens of fired LAPD cops had expressed a desire to take Chief Charlie Beck up on his offer to review the cases of officers who believed they had been fired unfairly. At the time, the union representing rank and file officers placed the number of former officers who had come forward at 40.
Los Angeles Times

LAPD hosting Van Nuys gun buyback May 4
The city of Los Angeles will host four anonymous gun buybacks, including one in Van Nuys, on May 4. People who drop off guns anonymously will get Ralphs gift cards for up to $100 for handguns, rifles and shotguns and up to $200 for what the state classifies as "assault weapons." The city said the buybacks have taken in nearly 10,000 guns since 2009. Critics have questioned whether they make the city safer, as many of the guns turned in are old or unwanted, not those likely to be used in crimes.
Los Angeles Daily News

LAPD seeks man who blew kisses at schoolchildren in North Hills
Los Angeles police on Tuesday were seeking a man seen blowing kisses at children at a North Hills elementary school. The man was spotted outside of Plummer Elementary School at 9340 Noble Avenue on several occasions, with at least one eyewitness reporting his activity to police in March, authorities said. The suspect, a Latino man, 25 to 30 years old driving a black 1995 to 2000 Ford F-150, fit the description of a man seen engaging in lewd conduct inside his truck outside of the school, according to a Los Angeles Police Department bulletin.
NBC4

Judge tosses $120-million suit against LAPD in freeway shooting
A federal judge on Tuesday threw out a $120-million lawsuit against the Los Angeles Police Department by the family of a man who was fatally shot on the 101 Freeway in Woodland Hills following a brief pursuit. The family of Abdul Arian of Winnetka sued the city and the department last April after eight officers fired more than 90 rounds at the unarmed 19-year-old who had led them on a high-speed freeway pursuit and called 911 to threaten them with a gun, authorities said.
Los Angeles Times

Police probe death of DUI suspect stunned by taser
Los Angeles police are investigating the death of a DUI suspect whom officers stunned with a Taser prior to his arrest. The suspect, Mark Courtier, 50, also "suffered a laceration to the face ... during the takedown" the LAPD said in a statement published Tuesday. Investigators said officers initially were called to a traffic accident in the 400 block of North Vermont Avenue on April 4, when they saw Courtier attempting to flee the scene.
Los Angeles Times

Legislation

GPS-tampering bill clears first state legislative committee
A pared-down bill that would send sex offenders who repeatedly remove their GPS tracking devices back to state prison cleared its first legislative committee Tuesday, making progress where broader measures failed. In a deal struck with Democratic leaders who seek to protect Gov. Jerry Brown's prison realignment plan, Sen. Ted Lieu amended his GPS-tampering bill to make first offenses punishable by a mandatory 180 days in county jail, the maximum penalty currently on the books.
Los Angeles Times

Bill setting 'zero tolerance' for driving on drugs stalls in Senate
A proposal to create a "zero tolerance" policy for driving under the influence of drugs stalled in the California Senate on Tuesday. Senate Bill 289, by Democratic Sen. Lou Correa of Santa Ana would make it illegal to drive if the driver's blood contains any trace of drugs, including cocaine, heroin, marijuana and painkillers. Medications that have been lawfully prescribed, excluding medicinal marijuana, would be exempted.
Sacramento Bee

The Courts

Court blocks release of three-strikes inmate
An appellate court on Tuesday blocked the release of a three-strikes prisoner whose sentence was reduced under a California ballot measure approved last year, concluding that prosecutors have the right to oppose resentencing of third strikers they believe are too dangerous. The panel of three justices threw out an order reducing Steven Joseph Kaulick's prison sentence to seven years from 25 years to life. The new sentence made Kaulick eligible for immediate release because he had already served more than 12 years.
Los Angeles Times

City Election

L.A. mayor's race: Greuel slams firefighter deployment plan
Flanked by members of the firefighters' union, Los Angeles mayoral candidate Wendy Greuel is criticizing a new firefighter deployment plan, arguing her opponent, Eric Garcetti, has not done enough to restore the fire resources that were cut in the midst of the city's fiscal crisis. When Greuel and Garcetti were on the City Council in 2009, they both supported a budget plan that called for reductions in every city agency, including the Fire Department.
Los Angeles Times