Rams ripping off taxpayers with free LAPD security?
A taxpayer lawsuit was filed Wednesday against the city of Los Angeles alleging an unlawful “gift of public funds” to the Los Angeles Rams in the form of security at home games.  The lawsuit was filed by former City Councilman Dennis Zine and Los Angeles resident James Bibeau “to prevent the city from expending any additional taxpayer funds to provide over 200 LAPD officers free of charge to secure Rams home games,” according to the Los Angeles Police Protective League, the union that represents LAPD officers and has been pushing the team to pony up money for security costs. 
KTLA 5 Video
My News L.A.
Los Angeles Times

Man Stabbed by Two Robbers in North Hollywood
A man was injured after two robbers stabbed him and took his money Wednesday night in North Hollywood, police said. The stabbing was reported at around 10:30 p.m. in the area of Lankershim Boulevard and Tiara Street, according to North Hollywood LAPD. Two robbers, both described by police as Latino men, approached the victim after his car broke down, stole his money and stabbed him, police said. The man was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries, police said.
NBC 4

Girlfriend slashed, man stabs himself in neck: Domestic violence
A man and woman were stabbed Thursday in Jefferson Park in an apparent incident of domestic violence, police said. Officers had a hard time gathering information about the incident due to a language barrier — the couple spoke only Spanish — but from what they were able to understand, the man stabbed his girlfriend with a knife, then stabbed himself in the neck, according to police.
My News L.A. 

LAPD still looking for suspect in fatal shooting of woman outside Harbor City Pep Boys
LAPD detectives have released surveillance photos of a suspect wanted in a fatal shooting outside an auto parts store last month. Take a look at this man with his face covered is thought to be a suspect in the killing of a woman working at a barbeque stand outside a Pep Boys store in Harbor City. Security video shows the man running from the scene and jumping into a red GMC Jimmy sport utility vehicle Jennifer Dickerson was caught in a spray of gunfire outside the store last July 29th. She died and another man was wounded.
Fox 11
NBC 4

Reseda shooting victim is Inglewood man
Authorities today identified a man who was gunned down in Reseda by a killer who remains at large. The shooting occurred around 12:45 a.m. Tuesday in the 7400 block of Etiwanda Avenue near Valerio Street, the Los Angeles Police Department reported. Derrick McGee, 31, of Inglewood died at the scene, said coroner's Assistant Chief Ed Winter.
City News Service

Police Chase Stolen-Car Suspect In South LA
Police chased a stolen-car suspect Wednesday in South LA. The chase started on Figueroa where the suspect was driving more than 60 mph on side streets, officials said. The suspect was believed to be a female, according to Sky 2's Stu Mundel. The suspect was driving “very recklessly,” Mundel reported. The pursuit started in the Century area near the northbound 110 Freeway, near 105th Street.
CBS 2

Skeletal remains found in forest identified as those of missing Sunland woman
Coroner's officials Wednesday confirmed that skeletal remains found near an overgrown SUV crash scene in the Angeles National Forest near Mt. Wilson last week are those of a 47-year-old Sunland woman who went missing more than two years ago. After more than two years with no answers as to the circumstances of her disappearance, authorities discovered Blum's Honda CRV SUV on Aug. 24, more than 500 feet over the side of Angeles Crest Highway, near mile marker 41.69, Lt. Steve Jauch of the Los Angeles County sheriff's Homicide Bureau said.
San Gabriel Valley Tribune

FBI Seeks Help Identifying ‘Helmet Head Bandit' in Connection With 3 Recent Bank Robberies
FBI officials are asking for help in identifying a man who allegedly robbed three banks while wearing a helmet. The man, who has been dubbed the “Helmet Head Bandit,” is linked to a robbery at a Chase Bank in Tujunga on Aug. 16 and another on Aug. 20 in La Cañada Flintridge, FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller said. He allegedly tells tellers he has a weapon and in at least one incident, a witness described seeing the barrel of a gun sticking out of the man's backpack, Eimiller said.
KTLA 5

New security at LAX ‘dramatically' improved response to panic
Enhanced security measures implemented after the 2013 fatal shooting of a security officer at Los Angeles International Airport “dramatically” improved the law enforcement response to an outbreak of panic prompted by false reports of gunfire at the facility on Sunday, airport officials concluded Wednesday. “An initial internal review of LAX's emergency response to the recent active-shooter false alarm reflects the benefits from Los Angeles World Airports' significant investment in resources, training and new equipment,” LAWA Chief Executive Officer Deborah Flint said.
City News Service

German's revenge for arrested mom? Forty fires with jury
A jury will deliberate for a second day Thursday in the trial of a German national charged with setting more than 40 fires in the Southland. Harry Burkhart is accused of setting fires in Hollywood, West Hollywood and the San Fernando Valley between Dec. 30, 2011, and Jan. 2, 2012. Burkhart, 29, is charged with 25 counts of arson of property, 19 counts of arson of an inhabited dwelling, two counts each of possession of an incendiary device and attempted arson and one count of arson of a structure.
My News L.A.

California lawmakers ask governor to criminalize possession of synthetic drug 'spice'
Alarmed that dozens in Los Angeles have been sickened after ingesting a synthetic drug called “spice,” state lawmakers on Wednesday sent the governor a bill outlawing possession of the substance. The urgency measure requested by the California Narcotics Officers Assn. would make a first offense of possession of specified syntheticc cannabinoids or stimulants an infraction. A second or third offense could be a misdemeanor. It is already a crime to sell the drugs.
Los Angeles Times

Legislature OKs background checks for Uber, Lyft drivers
Drivers for Uber, Lyft and other ride-sharing companies would be required to have state and national background checks under a bill passed by the Legislature on Wednesday. Assemblyman Jim Cooper, D-Sacramento, said AB1289 is needed because the California Public Utilities Commission, which regulates ride-sharing companies, does not specify what kind of background check drivers must undergo, leaving passengers at risk.
San Francisco Chronicle

L.A. Lawmaker's ‘Parking Bill of Rights' Passes State Legislature, Sent to Gov. Brown
A proposed bill to make parking “more fair and affordable” for California motorists has one last hurdle to clear after passing through the state legislature, Assemblyman Mike Gatto announced Wednesday. The Parking Bill of Rights was approved by the State Assembly by a 67-7 vote, according to a news release from Gatto's office said. “Today is a victory for motorists who ask for a fair and just parking policy,” said Gatto, who proposed the legislation. The bill will next head to Governor Jerry Brown.
KTLA 5

Congress focusing on police and minority relations
After a long summer of violence, Congress has a big job on its plate: finding new ways to mend relations between police and African-American communities across the nation. On Tuesday, the search led to Detroit, where a handful of members of the House of Representatives interrupted their seven-week summer break to meet privately with community leaders and law enforcement personnel. “We are in crisis across the country,” Washington state Republican Rep. Dave Reichert, a former sheriff, said at a news conference at the Theodore Levin U.S. Courthouse.
McClatchy-Tribune

US Court Upholds Ban on Gun Sales to Marijuana Card Holders
A federal ban on the sale of guns to medical marijuana card holders does not violate the Second Amendment, a federal appeals court said Wednesday. The ruling by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals applies to the nine Western states that fall under the court's jurisdiction, including California, Washington and Oregon. It came in a lawsuit filed by S. Rowan Wilson, a Nevada woman who said she tried to buy a firearm for self-defense in 2011 after obtaining a medical marijuana card. The gun store refused, citing the federal rule banning the sale of firearms to illegal drug users.
Associated Press

How Snapchat became a virtual confessional for sexual assault victims
It sounds like a crazy idea: Convince a survivor of sexual assault to tell her story by filming herself with a fire-breathing dragon imposed on her face. That's what Indian journalist Yusuf Omar did. He discovered that Snapchat, a mobile app that allows users to create photo or video "stories" that disappear after 24 hours, can be used to document a victim's first-person account while obscuring his or her identities. Its built-in "filters" — illustrated or animated digital overlays — can transform a subject's face into anything from a flower child to a puppy.
National Public Radio