Law Enforcement

Supreme Court upholds police shooting after high-speed car chase
The police may use deadly force to shoot and kill a motorist who leads them on a reckless, high-speed chase, even if the suspect's car is temporarily cornered, the Supreme Court ruled Tuesday. In a unanimous decision, the justices threw out an "excessive force" claim brought against Arkansas police officers who chased a speeding car across the bridge into Memphis and shot the driver when he refused to give up.
Los Angeles Times

Deputy in stable condition after shootout that left transient dead
A Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy is in stable condition following surgery after being shot in the stomach by a transient in Long Beach in an exchange of fire that left the suspect dead, authorities said. The deputy was shot Monday morning after he and a second deputy stopped the transient -- identified as Noel Enrique Aguilar, 23 -- near 69th Way and Long Beach Boulevard before 10 a.m. Monday, authorities said.
Los Angeles Times

Man found dead in burning car was killed before fire began, police say
Police believe a 26-year-old Berkeley man was killed before the Lexus he was found in over the weekend in Sylmar was set ablaze. "The fire was started to cover the crime, but not to kill him," Los Angeles police Lt. Paul Vernon said in a statement. Police said Monday no arrests have been made in connection with the death of Jose Alberto Martinez, who was discovered Saturday in the front passenger seat of the torched car.
Los Angeles Times

Police identify man, 23, found fatally shot in Highland Park
A man who was found fatally shot at a business in Highland Park was identified Tuesday and descriptions of two male attackers wanted in connection with the shooting were released. Irving Serrano, 23, was discovered on the floor of the location after officers responded to the 3600 block of Pasadena Avenue about 1 p.m. Monday, the Los Angeles Police Department said in a statement. Authorities had initially said the victim was 26 years old.
KTLA

Police confiscate grenade from Stanford professor at LAX
A political science professor at Stanford University who attempted to bring a World War II-era grenade Tuesday afternoon through security at Los Angeles International Airport - forcing police to evacuate a portion of the airport - was being questioned by police Tuesday evening, three law enforcement sources told the Los Angeles News Group. Gary Walter Cox, 58, told authorities the grenade had belonged to his father, who had recently died, the sources said. He thought it was inert but a law enforcement official familiar with the investigation said police determined that it might actually have been live.
Los Angeles Daily News

Holes found in tale of alleged shooting during iPhone sale
The shooting appeared to be another cautionary tale about answering online ads. A 19-year-old told police he was shot after he responded to a Craigslist ad for an iPhone in Pacoima. The victim - along with his girlfriend and father who accompanied him to buy the phone - identified Alexis Soria as one of the men who assaulted him, according to police records. But on Tuesday, the district attorney's office announced it was unable to proceed with attempted murder and other charges against Soria and the case was dismissed.
Los Angeles Times

Legislation

Mass killings prompt lawmakers to propose new firearms bill
Shocked by the weekend's mass killings near UC Santa Barbara, state lawmakers on Tuesday proposed a new way to temporarily prevent potentially violent individuals from buying or owning guns. Legislators also advanced dozens of unrelated bills, including one that would largely repeal a voter-approved ban on bilingual education in California, a proposed requirement that condoms be worn by actors in pornographic films and a bill that would allow lawmakers to be suspended without pay for misconduct.
Los Angeles Times

California Senate passes bill to ban sterilizing prison inmates
California jails and prisons would be forbidden from sterilizing inmates for the purpose of birth control under a bill the state Senate passed Tuesday. Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson, D-Santa Barbara, wrote Senate Bill 1135 after the Center for Investigative Reporting found that over a five-year period, doctors under contract with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation sterilized nearly 150 female inmates without required state approvals.
Sacramento Bee

Uber slams liability legislation as 'attack on innovation'
Hotly contested legislation passed the Assembly floor Tuesday that would put companies such as Uber Technologies, Lyft and Sidecar the first ones on the hook in terms of liability whenever a driver has their smartpthone apps open and is looking to drive passengers for hire. AB 2293 by state Assemblywoman Susan Bonilla, D-Concord, is an insurance-industry-sponsored bill that has been criticized by multiple smartphone dispatching companies.
San Francisco Business Times

City Government

Convention Center remodel moves ahead without NFL
Los Angeles city officials on Tuesday moved forward with a plan to remodel the Convention Center without a long-planned football stadium. For the past four years, L.A. city officials had pushed a plan put forward by Anschutz Entertainment Group to build a stadium in the Convention Center parking lot. As part of the project, AEG would have torn down the west hall of the outmoded Convention Center and build a new wing.
Los Angeles Business Journal

Los Angeles City Council unanimously approves $8.1 billion budget
The Los Angeles City Council Tuesday unanimously approved an $8.1 billion spending plan for the 2014-15 fiscal year. The budget, which would take effect July 1, will now be forwarded to Mayor Eric Garcetti for his signature. The council last week signed off on a package of revisions to Garcetti's budget proposal that included $10 million in additional funding for the fire department.
City News Service