Law Enforcement

LAPD seeks suspects in Hollywood robbery-kidnap case
Los Angeles police Thursday night were seeking the public's help in tracking down three suspects who kidnapped and robbed a man in Hollywood. The victim was sitting in his parked car in the 8000 block of Carlton Way on July 23 when a white Chevy van pulled up. Three men jumped out of the vehicle and kidnapped the man, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. The man was later released at a gas station after money was exchanged with the suspects and another person, the LAPD said.
Los Angeles Times

Masked man shot by police in Harbor City was acting erratically
A man clad all in black except for a white handkerchief covering his face was shot by police officers Wednesday in Harbor City after he was acting erratically and threatened to kill passers-by, police and witnesses said today. Police fired on the man at about 6:40 p.m. as he stood outside stores on Pacific Coast Highway near Belle Porte Avenue. When officers tried to detain him, he stretched out his arms in a "shooting position" and was struck several times by gunfire, according to a written LAPD statement.
Torrance Daily Breeze

Ka Pasasouk to stand trial on murder charges for Northridge boarding-home killing of four
A 31-year-old felon was ordered Thursday to stand trial on murder and other charges stemming from the shooting deaths of two women and two men outside a Northridge boarding home. San Fernando Superior Court Judge Harvey Giss found sufficient evidence to require Ka Pasasouk to proceed to trial on four counts of murder for the Dec. 2 slayings of Amanda Ghossein, 24, of Monterey Park; Jennifer Kim, 26, of Montebello; Robert Calabia, 34, of Los Angeles; and Teofilo Navales, 49, of Castaic.
City News Service

Hollywood to host National Night Out Aug. 6
Hollywood is celebrating National Night Out on Tuesday, Aug. 6 starting at 5 p.m. This free event is an opportunity for Hollywood residents to meet community leaders, neighbors and LAPD Hollywood Senior Lead Officers during a night of fun. Attendees can expect games, crime prevention information, safety tips, prizes, hot dogs, face painting, music, balloons and more.
Hollywood Patch

Silver Lake to host National Night Out Aug. 6
Silver Lake and Echo Park are celebrating National Night Out on Tuesday, Aug. 6 from 6 to 10 p.m. This free event is an opportunity for Silver Lake and Echo Park residents to meet community leaders, neighbors and LAPD Silver Lake and Echo Park Senior Lead Officers during a night of fun. Attendees can expect games, crime prevention information, safety tips, prizes, food and more.
Echo Park - Silver Lake Patch

Mueller exits FBI after 12 turbulent years
Less than two months before the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Robert Mueller was sitting before a Senate panel defending the FBI in the wake of a series of costly blunders. "If I have the honor of being confirmed by the Senate,'' Mueller told the panel, "I will make it my highest priority to restore the public's confidence in the FBI and to re-earn the faith and trust of the American people.'' Mueller had no way of knowing how that promise would be tested in a matter of weeks, and over the next 12 years.
USA Today

Environment

Violence will rise as climate changes, scientists predict
While social commentators have long suggested that extreme heat can unleash the beast in man, formal study of the so-called heat hypothesis - the theory that high temperatures fuel aggressive and violent behavior - is relatively new. Using examples as disparate as road rage, ancient wars and Major League Baseball, scientists have taken early steps to quantify the potential influence of climate warming on human conflict.
Los Angeles Times

Prisons

Prisons chief to meet with advocates for hunger strikers
The head of California's prison system will meet Friday with advocates for inmates who've been on a hunger strike for 25 days. Inmates in the Security Housing Unit, or "SHU," at Pelican Bay State Prison launched the protest on July 8. Prisoners in the SHUs are restricted to their cells for 22 hours a day, with little human contact. They want California officials to change policies that have kept them and thousands of other inmates in restrictive and austere conditions for years and, in some cases, decades.
KPCC

City Government

Mayor Eric Garcetti backs new ride-share apps, taxi modernization
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti has endorsed a move by state regulators to consider permitting new app-driven ride-sharing services, and also will work with city taxi companies to modernize their operations. Garcetti said he supported an action Tuesday by state officials that could allow customers to summon a ride using a smartphone, if the businesses comply with safety rules.
Los Angeles Times