Law Enforcement

LAPD officer shot 7 times in gun-battle inside lobby of police station
A Los Angeles police officer was shot and wounded Monday when a man walked into the front lobby of the LAPD's West Traffic Division and opened fire with a semi-automatic handgun. A call of "shots fired" was received at 8 p.m. from the Mid-City building that houses the Wilshire Station and West Traffic Division, according to LAPD Media Relations Officer Sara Faden. Speaking to reporters outside Cedars-Sinai Medical Center on Monday night, LAPD Chief Charlie Beck said the gunman engaged a male and female officer in conversation then pulled out a gun and began shooting.
KTLA

LAPD shooting: Witness recalls terror as gunfire broke out
Daphne Brogdon, a member of the Olympic Park Neighborhood Council, was at the group's monthly meeting at the Los Angeles Police Department's West Bureau community room on Monday night when the gunfire broke out. "I heard shots," she said in an interview. "They were unmistakable." The gunfire broke out about 8:30 p.m. after a gunman walked into the Mid-City building and opened fire. Police did not release the wounded officer's name but did say he was a seven-year veteran. The other officer involved in the shooting was a woman and has been on the force for a little more than four years.
Los Angeles Times

Community rallies around LAPD officer fighting for life after suspected DUI crash
A veteran Los Angeles Police Department motorcycle officer gravely injured in a Sun Valley crash over the weekend by a suspected DUI driver was still fighting for his life Monday as about 100 cops and community members donated blood in his honor at Providence Holy Cross Medical Center. Police officials have not released the name of the 26-year veteran LAPD officer, who was still in "very critical condition" on Monday and works with the LAPD's Valley Traffic Division.
Los Angeles Daily News

LAPD asks for help finding car that killed judge's son
The Los Angeles Police Department said it believes it has identified the type of auto involved in a hit-and-run that killed a federal court judge's son last December. Police said they are seeking a light colored Volvo 740 Series Wagon manufactured in the early 1990s. Police are circulating a photo of a Volvo similar to the one that struck 23-year-old David Pregerson as he walked home on Chautauqua Boulevard north of Borgos Place on Dec. 27.
Los Angeles Times

Reseda teen may have run away to Florida to pursue Internet relationship
Police asked for the public's help Monday in finding a 17- year-old Reseda boy who may have run away to Florida to meet someone he started a relationship with. Azure Rosas was last seen by his mother about 7:30 p.m. Friday when she dropped him off at Reseda High School in the 18200 block of Kittridge Street, police said. Police said the boy needed medicine, but did not say for what.
City News Service

Man suspected of DUI in custody after collision with police car, short pursuit
A suspected drunk driver who struck a Los Angeles police patrol car was under arrest Monday after a police pursuit that ended with a noninjury crash in South Los Angeles, authorities said. The pursuit began around 11p.m. Sunday at Sixth Street and Rampart Boulevard near MacArthur Park when the suspect struck a patrol car with his minivan while the officers were out of the vehicle on a traffic stop, said Sgt. Herb Chang of the Los Angeles Police Department's Rampart Station.
City News Service

Officers identify knife-wielding man after shooting in Tujunga
A man shot to death by police in Tujunga after he allegedly threatened them with a knife was identified Monday. Jairo Pedraza, 24, of Los Angeles, was shot in the 6400 block of Olcott Street about 3:35 p.m. Friday, according to Los Angeles police and a coroner's spokesman. Officers were sent to the 900 block of Breidt Avenue on a report of an attempted suicide.
City News Service

Police link unsolved murders of women in Northeast L.A.
The murders of at least two women in Northeast Los Angeles in 2011 appear to be the work of the same killer, and rewards totaling $100,000 have been extended in an effort to renew public interest, law enforcement officials told KFI NEWS this week. A senior LAPD official familiar with the case who was not authorized to speak publicly stopped short of describing the murderer as a serial killer. The LAPD had promised to provide a statement this week but none materialized.
KFI AM 640

LAPD Pacific Division reports increase In Palms area burglaries
The Los Angeles Police Department's Pacific Division is reporting an increase in burglaries in the Palms area, specifically with burglars who are entering apartments through first floor bathroom windows. The Division said this was occurring during the hours of 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the area between Venice and Palms Boulevard and Overland and Hughes Avenue. Most locations have open or unlocked windows.
Westside Today

LAPD officers tampered with in-car recording equipment, records show
Los Angeles police officers tampered with voice recording equipment in dozens of patrol cars in an effort to avoid being monitored while on duty, according to records and interviews. An inspection by Los Angeles Police Department investigators found about half of the estimated 80 cars in one South L.A. patrol division were missing antennas, which help capture what officers say in the field. The antennas in at least 10 more cars in nearby divisions had also been removed. LAPD Chief Charlie Beck and other top officials learned of the problem last summer but chose not to investigate which officers were responsible. Rather, the officials issued warnings against continued meddling and put checks in place to account for antennas at the start and end of each patrol shift.
Los Angeles Times

City Government

$3.7-million cleanup plan proposed for skid row
In a break with the city's earlier confrontational stance, Los Angeles' chief administrative officer Monday proposed a $3.7-million skid row cleanup program that would increase 24-hour bathroom access for homeless people and expand storage for their belongings. The proposal, which must be approved by the City Council, calls for setting aside part of a skid row parking lot where homeless people can check their shopping carts and small bins for the day.
Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles wants high-speed Internet for everyone in city
With some 30 percent of Angelenos not having access to broadband Internet, city officials on Monday launched an effort to ask the private sector for ideas on how to connect the entire city. Under the proposal from Councilman Bob Blumenfield, the city issued a request for information over the next seven weeks on a proposed program that would provide high-speed Internet access, either through wi-fi or wired connections, to every residence and business.
Los Angeles Daily News