Law Enforcement

Police seek clues in fatal Van Nuys shooting
Detectives are looking for witnesses in a fatal parking lot shooting of a 28-year-old man in Van Nuys, authorities said Wednesday. A small group of people were inside a restaurant in the 13640 block of Burbank Boulevard about 6:10 p.m. Monday when a dispute arose, said Los Angeles police Lt. Steve Harer. The group then walked into the parking lot and the man pulled out a gun and shot Sevada Aghazarian several times, Harer said.
Los Angeles Times

Man shot in South L.A. drives to USC gate; area shut down
A man who was wounded in a car-to-car shooting in South Los Angeles on Wednesday morning drove to an entrance to USC. Campus access at the gate was shut as the investigation continued. Initial information indicated that the shooting occurred near 57th and Hoover streets, roughly three miles from the campus, said Los Angeles Police Department spokesman Richard French.
Los Angeles Times

South L.A. drug ring busted, nearly 7.7 million doses of PCP seized
Federal authorities have seized about 7.7 million doses of PCP and arrested 20 people in connection with a drug ring tied to a South Los Angeles street gang, officials announced Wednesday. In two indictments, authorities charged 40 people with ties to the Grape Street Crips gang with dozens of counts, including possessing and distributing the highly addictive hallucinogenic, also known as "angel dust," illegal possession of specific illegal chemicals, maintaining a drug-involved property and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime.
Los Angeles Times

South Bay residents concerned about rash of burglaries
Residents in South Bay communities met with police Tuesday night to discuss a rash of burglaries in their neighborhoods. "It's frightening. We have a lot of kids in the neighborhood. We have a lot of elderly. I have my dad living with me. It's really a big concern," said Fran Fahmie of Westchester. The Los Angeles Police Department released video from a home security camera, showing three burglary suspects ransacking a Westchester home two weeks ago.
ABC7

Amid rise in crashes, more officers put on patrol in LA neighborhoods
Some of Los Angeles' busiest intersections have seen more crashes than usual in the beginning of 2014, and the uptick has prompted LAPD to put more officers on patrol in certain neighborhoods to curb potentially deadly violations. Authorities on Wednesday provided NBC4 with a list of some of the worst intersections for crashes, as well as data pertaining to fatal collisions and hit-and-run incidents.
NBC4

4 in custody after shots fired in Lincoln Heights
Four suspects were in police custody after a shooting in Lincoln Heights Tuesday.
SKY9s Kevin Takumi reported undercover officers were in the area when they witnessed shooters in a vehicle on Mission Road and Main Street at approximately 3:15 p.m. Four suspects fled the scene and went running into the neighborhood, three of whom were captured. An outstanding suspect was believed to be in a home in the area.
CBS LA

Police departments have their eye on Google Glass
Police departments throughout the US are considering whether to equip their officers with Google Glass. The Los Angeles Police Department applied to be Google Explorers, said police Sgt. Dan Gomez, who oversees the Tactical Technology Section for LAPD. "We are looking to see how it could work and that doesn't mean it will be used for patrol," he said. "It could be used for other purposes but it's hard to say what we would do without having it," Gomez said.
Sydney Morning Herald

Pensions

Attorney general gets it right on pension initiative: Guest commentary
California voters deserve a no-spin, just-the-facts version of what a ballot measure is all about from the attorney general. And that's just what they got from Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris last month when she summed up the measure being proposed by San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed to enable elected officials to reduce the retirement benefits of teachers, firefighters, police officers, school bus drivers and other public employees.
Tyler Izen/Los Angeles Daily News

Death Penalty

3 former California governors back proposed death penalty initiative
Three former California governors are set to announce their endorsement Thursday of a proposed initiative sponsors say would end lengthy death penalty appeals and speed up executions. Former governors George Deukmejian, Pete Wilson and Gray Davis will announce at a news conference the launch of an initiative drive for signatures to qualify the proposed constitutional amendment for the November ballot. The measure, if qualified, would ignite the second statewide debate on the death penalty in two years.
Los Angeles Times

Traffic

'Jamzilla' to close northbound 405 Freeway this weekend
A monster traffic jam could snarl traffic over Presidents Day weekend when the 405 Freeway shuts down as part of the ongoing construction of the freeway's new car-pool lane. The 80-hour closure, dubbed "Jamzilla," will close three lanes on the northbound 405 Freeway during the day and five lanes at night. Transportation officials are comparing the shutdown to "Carmaggedon" - the total, three-day shutdown of the roadway - and they are asking drivers to avoid the area.
Los Angeles Daily News

City Government