Law Enforcement

LAPD Swat Officer Shot By Suspect Honors Surgeons, Nurses At California Hospital
An LAPD SWAT officer shot by a suspect in August returned to California Hospital on Wednesday to thank the team who helped saved his critically injured leg. Officer Nelson Fong was joined by his SWAT team at the California Hospital Trauma Center for the center's 10th anniversary celebration.
CBS2

Beck faults officers in killing of unarmed man
Three Los Angeles police officers violated department rules for using deadly force when they fatally shot an unarmed man following a high-speed chase last year, LAPD Chief Charlie Beck has found. Beck rejected the officers' claims that they opened fire because they feared that their lives were in danger.
Los Angeles Times

Alleged gang member pleads not guilty in Pomona SWAT officer's killing
A suspected Mongols motorcycle gang member pleaded not guilty to a capital murder charge stemming from the shooting death of a Pomona SWAT officer who was helping to serve a warrant at a home in San Gabriel. David Martinez, 36, is charged in the Oct. 28 shooting of 45-year-old Officer Shaun Diamond, who died the following day.
My News LA

Protests in L.A. and N.Y. After NYPD Officer Not Indicted in Chokehold Death
Protesters poured onto the streets of New York late Wednesday, upset over a grand jury's decision not to indict a police officer in the death of Eric Garner. They marched at the same time U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder announced that federal officials were moving ahead with a civil rights investigation. Garner, an unarmed black man, died in July after a white officer, Daniel Pantaleo, put him in a chokehold. Garner's death was later ruled a homicide.
KTLA5

Thief Steals Wheelchair From South LA Boy with Cerebral Palsy
Arthur Day's smile says it all. But the 9-year-old's joy has turned to sorrow after a cold-hearted thief stole his treasured wheelchair. "It's designed dynamically just for Arthur. It has his name on the back of it in blue," Arthur's father Kmond Day said. The chair, which was custom fit to Arthur's body, allowed him to enjoy life, giving him freedom to move and relief from his constant pain.
ABC7

Boy, 10, Critically Injured In Lincoln Heights Hit-And-Run
A 10-year-old boy was listed in critical but stable condition Wednesday after he was struck by a hit-and-run driver in the Hollenbeck area. The accident happened around 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at the intersection of North Main and Sichel streets in Lincoln Heights, the LAPD said.
CBS2

Woman body slammed by LAPD officers gets $550,000 settlement
A woman who was body-slammed by Los Angeles police officers after being stopped for a cell phone violation has settled an excessive-force claim against the department for $550,000, her attorneys said Wednesday. Michelle Jordan, then 34, sued the city of Los Angeles two years ago after the LAPD officers threw her to the ground, twice, when she back-talked and cursed them during a traffic stop in Tujunga.
KPCC

2 Sought in Fatal Beating of Man at Los Angeles Group Home
Police are asking for the public's help locating two men charged in the beating death of a roommate at a group home in Los Angeles. Investigators say on April 21, 44-year-old John Lubben was beaten for several hours by 40-year-old Martin Santana and 34-year-old Hugo Parra. "The abuse included pulling him off of a bunk bed at least once, possibly twice. Mr. Lubben suffered a skull fracture. Additionally, they kicked him and they hit him as he lay on the ground," LAPD Det. Robert Lait said Tuesday at a news conference. "They dragged him out of the home into the elements. At one point, they actually picked him up and threw him into a pile of trash cans."
ABC7

Courts

Mandatory DNA collection during arrest is unconstitutional, court says
A state appeals court decided unanimously Wednesday that California's practice of taking DNA from people arrested for felonies -- though not necessarily convicted or even charged -- violates the state constitution. The decision, handed down by an appeals panel here, is likely to be appealed to the California Supreme Court.
Los Angeles Times

Immigration

Covered California works to ease deportation fears among Latinos
Hoping to ease fears among legal residents whose family members are undocumented, Covered California officials on Wednesday partnered with several immigrant rights groups to assure those who qualify that applying for health coverage would not lead to deportations. The assurances were made in a news conference in downtown Los Angeles where Covered California Executive Director Peter Lee was joined by members of Latino and Asian groups as well as officials with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. They all said that information provided when applying for health coverage will not be used for immigration enforcement purposes.
Los Angeles Daily News

Proposition 47 Consequences

L.A. City Council approves hiring 8 new attorneys to handle Prop 47 workloads
The Los Angeles City Council on Wednesday backed a plan to hire eight deputy city attorneys and seven law clerks to handle heightened workloads stemming from the recent passage of Proposition 47. City attorneys expect their caseload to rise by 17 percent as a result of the measure, which downgrades many theft and drug possession crimes from felonies to misdemeanors, a category that is handled in Los Angeles by city prosecutors.
My News LA