Law Enforcement

L.A. Police Commission faults one officer in fatal Ezell Ford shooting
Los Angeles Police Protective League President Craig Lally said he was “baffled” by the commission's findings. “It's pretty much undisputed that Mr. Ford tried to take one of the officer's guns,” Lally said. “I just believe at that point, an officer has the right to defend himself.” Regarding the commission's split with Beck, Lally said he relied “more on the cop that's got 40 years of experience.”
Los Angeles Daily News , Wall Street Journal

Driver Flees South Los Angeles Crash Critically Injures Motorcyclist
A driver fled on foot after a two-vehicle crash that left a biker critically injured in South Los Angeles early Wednesday. The smash happened at the intersection of Hoover Street and Manchester Boulevard at around 12:15 a.m, a Los Angeles Police Department spokesman said. The motorcyclist was taken to the hospital in critical condition, while a passenger who was in the car is in stable condition. There is no description available of the driver at this time, and an arrest has yet to be made.
NBC4

City Sets $50K Reward For Leads in Boy's Killing
The Los Angeles City Council approved a $50,000 reward today in an effort to generate leads in the unsolved murder of a 16-year- old boy gunned down in the Vermont Square area last summer. Larry McKay was found dead early on the morning of July 17 in the 1400 block of West 51st Street. Councilman Bernard Parks, who introduced the reward motion, said investigators have exhausted their leads and need the public's help. Anyone with information about the case was urged to call the LAPD Criminal Gang Homicide Division at (213) 485-4341.
Eagle Rock Patch

David Goldstein Investigation: Scammers Using ‘Mega Millions' To Swindle Elderly
“Crooks reproduce company logos to make their scam seem more believable. This is one of the first times we've actually seen them use a fake check from an existing bank.” While many people would look at these solicitations and throw them away as a scam without a second thought, LAPD detectives who work with elderly abuse say they see this type of scam frequently. LAPD Detective Carmine Sasso says that, once the crooks hook their victim, they keep calling. “We're seeing an increase in crimes against the elderly,” Det. Sasso said. “If they think they have an easy target that they can really sink their teeth into, they're going to keep doing that. They're going to keep coming after a person, like a shark.” Scammers such as the ones using the real Mega Millions are difficult to catch up with. Sasso explains that they are usually calling from outside the country.
CBS Los Angeles

Camarillo Home Invasion Leads to Arrest of 4 Suspected in L.A.-Based Burglary Ring
A home invasion robbery in Camarillo led investigators in three counties to identify four Los Angeles residents believed to be part of a crime ring responsible for more than two dozen residential burglaries in California and Nevada, the Ventura County Sheriff's Office announced Tuesday. The investigation began after the March 31 robbery on Modesto Avenue in Camarillo, where two men forced their way into the home and assaulted two homeowners in their 80s. The men fled without taking property, and were driven away by a woman, authorities said .
KTLA5

Deputies Investigate Report of Realtor Rape
Sheriff's deputies said they were investigating a report of a female realtor being drugged and raped by a prospective client while she showed him a home in Valencia. The woman said she met up with the man at the home in the 28000 block of Pietro Avenue the evening of May 30 and had drinks with him, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department officials said. She reported being drugged and sexually assaulted.
NBC4

County supervisors vote to reconsider size of new Men's Central Jail
Los Angeles County supervisors voted Tuesday to pull back a plan to rebuild the aging Men's Central Jail and reassess the number of beds needed in a new facility. Sheriff's officials, who manage Men's Central as part of the nation's largest jail system, worried that a delay could hurt their ability to obtain state money for the new central jail and other necessary jail reconstruction projects .
Los Angeles Times

Minimum Wage

500 in-home services workers rally to be part of minimum wage boost
Stepping up their push to be included in a potential boost in the minimum wage under consideration by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, about 500 in-home care workers rallied outside board headquarters on Tuesday. Wearing their cause's signature white, purple and gold T-shirts and arriving at the Hall of Administration via several large buses chartered by their union, the workers delivered boxes and boxes of signatures -- 50,000 in all, they said -- from residents sympathetic to their quest for an increase from the $9.65 an hour they earn now.
Los Angeles Times