Law Enforcement

Homicides continue to rise in Los Angeles, police chief says
After a "very, very tough weekend" where 19 people were shot across Los Angeles, LAPD Chief Charlie Beck said Tuesday that homicides were now up nearly 11% so far this year. At least five people were fatally shot between Friday night and Monday morning, police officials said. The majority of the weekend's shootings were gang-related, Beck told the Police Commission at the board's weekly meeting. Gang-related crime was up about 15.6% so far this year compared with 2014, Beck said.
Los Angeles Times

Teen shot by LAPD officer files federal civil rights lawsuit against city
The mother of a 15-year-old boy who was shot and wounded by a Los Angeles police officer this year has filed a civil rights lawsuit against the city. In the lawsuit filed Monday in federal court, the mother of Jamar Nicholson alleges that officers violated her son's civil rights by using excessive force in the Feb. 10 incident. The father of another teen present during the shooting is also listed as a plaintiff in the lawsuit. At the time, the LAPD defended the officers who were involved, saying that the shooting occurred after officers caught a glimpse of someone pointing a gun at another person in a South L.A. alley.
Los Angeles Times

Former LAPD officer pleads no contest to selling drugs
Former LAPD officer pleaded no contest Tuesday to offering to sell a controlled substance last year to an undercover officer. Randolph Agard, who was fired by the LAPD this year, pleaded to two counts related to possession of drugs for sale, according to the Los Angeles County district attorney's office. Agard, 41, was sentenced by Superior Court Judge Fred Wapner to 480 hours of community service and three years' probation.
Los Angeles Times

Woman Hospitalized After Being Shot In South LA
A woman remained hospitalized in stable condition on Wednesday after being shot in Hyde Park. Just before 3 a.m., officers responded to a radio call of a shooting with victim located in the 6800 block of 11th Avenue at 71st Street, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
CBS Los Angeles

UCLA Student Was Stabbed to Death Before Fire, During Botched Robbery: DA
A UCLA student whose body was found inside a burning apartment in Westwood was stabbed to death, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office said in announcing murder charges against two men in the case on Tuesday. Albert Hinojosa Medina and Eric Marquez, both 22, were charged with murder, according to a news release from the DA's office.
KTLA 5

For New President Of LA Police Commission, Criticism Is Part Of The Job
As activists intensify their criticism of the LAPD for using deadly force on suspects, the new president of the L.A. Police Commission has come under intense scrutiny, too. Some protesters have even called out the new commissioner at meetings with personal attacks.
CBS Los Angeles

No Immunity For Former LASD Sheriff Lee Baca In Paul Tanaka Corruption Trial
Former Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca will not be granted immunity in the upcoming corruption trial of his former LASD Undersheriff Paul Tanaka. U.S. District Judge Percy Anderson made the ruling on Monday. Tanaka's attorney H. Dean Steward said he wanted the government to grant Baca immunity so he could testify on Tanaka's behalf. Steward said it remains to be seen if he will call Baca to the stand without the grant of immunity.
ABC 7

LASD Under Fire For Plan To Let Immigration Agents In Jails
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department is coming under fire for its plan to enforce immigration at local jails. On Tuesday, a protest was held outside the Board of Supervisors ahead of a meeting on the issue. Protestors are upset at the L.A. County sheriff's plan to allow ICE agents to have access to the jail and the databases so they can conduct investigations. "We heard of cases where people's rights have been violated," said Marcela Hernandez, an activist. "They don't even know they're going to get interviewed. They don't even know their rights. They don't even have access to a lawyer, and they just get interviewed, and that could mean them being put in deportation proceedings or in detention for months.
ABC 7