Law Enforcement

Shootings in South L.A. and Hawthorne leave 3 wounded
Unrelated shootings in two parks -- one in Los Angeles and one in Hawthorne -- left three people wounded Saturday afternoon. In South Los Angeles, police said a woman in her 20s was struck in both legs when a spray of bullets was fired from the passenger side of one of two vehicles driving by a park at 88th and Hoover streets. The 5:30 p.m. shooting appeared to be gang-related, according to police, who said the woman was in stable condition at a local hospital. She was in the park with several others but was the only one injured. LAPD Sgt. James Linder said about 25 shots were fired from what was probably an AK-47-style assault rifle. The woman was hit by a single bullet that entered and exited both of her legs.
Los Angeles Times

Two people struck by stray gunfire in West Los Angeles
A man in a vehicle and woman walking on the sidewalk were struck by stray gunfire as suspects in two vehicles opened fire upon one another in the Del Rey section of West Los Angeles Friday. The gunfire was reported about 5 p.m. in the 4700 block of Slauson Avenue, said Officer Tony Im of the Los Angeles Police Department's Media Relations Section.
Westsidetoday.com

Gang-related shooting kills 1 in Vermont Square
A man was shot dead in an apparent gang-related attack in the Vermont Square neighborhood early today. The shooting occurred near the intersection of West Vernon and Dalton avenues around 12:25 a.m., Los Angeles Police Department Sgt. Rudy Alaniz said. The victim was believed to be a gang member, as were the suspects, Alaniz said. He was pronounced dead at a hospital, Alaniz said.
Los Angeles Daily News

19-year-old woman killed by suspected drunk driver in Northridge
A 19-year-old woman was killed early Sunday after her vehicle was struck by a suspected drunk driver in Northridge, authorities said. The woman's Ford Mustang was hit by a Honda Civic as she traveled through the intersection of Roscoe Boulevard and Lindley Avenue at about 3:40 a.m., said Liliana Preciado, a Los Angeles Police Department spokeswoman. She was declared dead at the scene.
Los Angeles Times

Man's Thumb Chopped Off, Skull Fractured in Machete Attack Near Downtown LA
A 43-year-old man had his thumb slashed off and suffered cuts to his head and arms when he was attacked by a group of men who had a machete, authorities said. Detectives are investigating the attack as an attempted murder, Lt. Hayley Smith of the Los Angeles Police Department said Sunday afternoon. Officers initially called it an attempted robbery. The man's left thumb was cut off and he suffered a fractured skull and severe injuries to both his arms and wrists in the Sunday morning attack, according to an LAPD representative
NBC Los Angeles , Los Angeles Times

Boy, 14, arrested in stabbing death of woman in Lancaster
A 14-year-old boy was arrested Friday in connection with the fatal stabbing of an elderly woman in Lancaster, authorities said. Investigators say Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department deputies responded about 6:30 p.m. Thursday to a call about an "open window" at a home in the 44600 block of Stillwater Drive. Lt. Eddie Hernandez said deputies entered the home and found an 86-year-old woman inside her bedroom with multiple stab wounds to her upper body.
Los Angeles Times

Man Opens Fire On Fullerton Police After Traffic Stop
A person was detained following a shootout with Fullerton police officers early Monday morning. Officers said they tried to pull over a vehicle for traffic violations shortly before 2 a.m. at Euclid Street and Valencia Drive, but the vehicle did not immediately pull over. After a short chase, the car finally came to a stop. Police said a man in the passenger seat got out and fired at officers. Officers returned fire, but no one was hit.
ABC 7

Could Training Stem Police Shootings? Las Vegas Is a Test
Las Vegas, now the first department in the country to complete a "collaborative" Justice Department review, has rewritten its use-of-force rules and ramped up training to de-escalate tense encounters. Some criticized it as not enough. But shootings by officers, which peaked at 25 in 2010, declined to 13 in 2013 and 16 last year. Through mid-June, Metro officers shot three people, killing one. Even critics credit the decrease at least partly to new training. Shootings by police recently led Ohio officials, dismayed that the state requires just four hours of annual police training, to recommend a ten-fold increase. A Missouri panel recommended training encouraging police to increase distance between themselves and suspects, though some critics say stepping back could heighten risk.
ABC News

Illicit Drugs 'Rampant' in California State Prisons
California inmates are dying of drug overdoses at nearly triple the national rate and it's unclear whether the tough steps state officials took this year to stop illicit drugs from getting into prisons are having any effect, though they are prompting criticism from civil rights advocates. The Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation is spending $8 million this year on drug-detecting scanners and a new breed of drug-sniffing dogs while also employing strip searches on visitors suspected of carrying drugs.
ABC News