Drug Dealer Who Fatally Shot NYC Officer Gets Life In Prison
A drug dealer who fatally shot a New York City police officer during a foot chase in 2015 has been sentenced to life in prison without parole. Tyrone Howard appeared Monday in a Manhattan courtroom. The 32-year-old Howard was convicted last month on charges including murder, robbery and weapons possession in the death of 33-year-old Randolph Holder. Holder and his partner approached Howard as he was on a stolen bicycle on an East Harlem street in October 2015. Authorities say Howard fled on foot, then pulled out a handgun and shot Holder in the head on a footbridge over the Franklin D. Roosevelt East River Drive. Authorities say Howard had been involved in a gunfight with drug dealers just before he was confronted by the officers.
Associated Press

Man Convicted Of Assault In 2014 Chase That Left LAPD Officer Dead
A man who authorities said intentionally rammed his SUV into a Los Angeles police officer's patrol cruiser, killing the officer, was convicted on Monday of assault and fleeing the scene of a crash.  Mynor Varela, 23, also faced charges of murder and vehicular manslaughter, but a mistrial was declared on those counts.  Varela was scheduled to be back in court on April 25 for the retrail on the murder and manslaughter counts. He was being held without bail.  Officials said Varela intentionally crashed his SUV into the patrol cruiser of Los Angeles officer Roberto Sanchez to help his friend escape a  high-speed chase in Harbor City on May 3, 2014 .
ABC 7

Man Shot, Killed Inside Mid-City Home
A 41-year-old man was shot and killed while drinking with a group of men inside a home in the Mid-City community of Los Angeles, police said Sunday. The victim, identified as Francisco Gomez, was found unresponsive, suffering from several gunshot wounds, according to police officers dispatched at 2 a.m. Saturday to a report of a shooting at a residence in the area of Venice and Redondo boulevards. “Witnesses report that a group of men had been drinking inside of the residence, when an unknown suspect fired shots, killing the victim. The motive of the homicide appears to be gang related,” Los Angeles Police Department reported. LAPD West Bureau homicide detectives asked anyone with any information regarding the shooting death to call (213) 382-9470.
Los Angeles Daily News

Mom Arrested for Child Endangerment After Kids Hospitalized in Fire
A Los Angeles mother was arrested on suspicion of child endangerment Monday after an investigation into a January fire that left her four children hospitalized in critical condition. Chiquita Jordan, 27, was arrested and booked on child endangerment causing great bodily injury, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Her bail was set at $100,000.  Four of her children, ages 2 to 8 years old, were rescued from a burning home in the 800 block of West Manchester Avenue in the Vermont Vista neighborhood Jan. 16. She was not home at the time of the fire. Firefighters arrived to find a wall of flames. Three boys and one girl were trapped in the burning home, which had security bars on the windows and steel screen doors, according to firefighters.  Firefighters found an opening in the back of the home, and one was able to climb in to rescue the children. 
NBC 4

Venice Beach Apartment Manager Struck in Head With Skateboard During Confrontation With Skateboarders
A Venice apartment building manager was struck in the head with a skateboard during a physical confrontation with two skateboarders whom he told to leave the beach-area property.  The altercation occurred the evening of Friday, March 31, in front of a property on 28th Avenue at Speedway, just steps from the sand. The building manager, Angel Maldonado, told KTLA two skaters were repeatedly skating up the driveway and hitting the building's stucco wall. He said he warned them they were trespassing and told them to stop, but they refused.  A fight occurred, and Maldonado ended up getting hit by a skateboard, receiving a deep wound above his eye, which was documented with a gory open-wound photo a tenant posted on Twitter. Maldonado was rushed to the hospital. Officers were contacted about 6 p.m. from the hospital, according to Los Angeles Police Department spokesman Officer Aaeron Jefferson.
KTLA 5

L.A. Police Commission will hold a hearing to learn what the LAPD and other agencies are doing to combat homelessness
Los Angeles police commissioners will focus their attention on homelessness Tuesday in a special meeting at City Hall, asking the Police Department and other agencies how they're trying to provide housing and other resources to a population that's spread across the city. The 9 a.m. hearing marks the second time in recent months that the Police Commission is dedicating one of its weekly meetings to a single topic, moving from the panel's regular space at L.A. Police Department headquarters to City Hall and asking others outside the department to weigh in. Last fall, the board held a similar meeting to discuss racial profiling. 
Los Angeles Times

Burglar Hits Same Arleta Store 3 Times In 7 Months
Lupe Gonzalez has only had his Arleta store open for about seven months, but it's already been burglarized three times.  Each time by the same guy, using the same method.  This time the newly installed surveillance system at Lupe's Mini Market captured the thief in action.  "This third time he came in, he broke the window, he came straight for the cigarettes - about $500 or $600 worth of cigarettes - and took the change in the register. And that was it," Gonzalez said. "He was in here for about 42 seconds."  Each time, he uses a rock to break open the door. Each time he takes cigarettes and hits the register, but leaves behind heavier, more expensive items like computers and speakers.  And each time Gonzalez is out not only the cost of the cigarettes, but the $600 it cost to fix his door.
At this point, Gonzalez isn't even angry toward the thief. He figures the man is stealing to support his family.  He just wants him to leave the store alone.
ABC 7

Delivery Man Caught On Camera Suspected Of Stealing Packages In Beverly Grove
A delivery  man  was caught on camera accused of stealing on the job in Beverly Grove. Ari Passy and Jessica Kharasch were in shock when they saw video of a  man  who they said stole their packages worth $1,300. In the footage, the deliveryman is seen with bags in hand getting buzzed into the women's apartment complex and glancing at packages in the corner. After making his delivery, he grabbed two packages on his way out. According to Passy, inside one of the  packages  were jeans. “Really looking forward to it and really bummed that they took it because I can't even order them again. They're all vintage and specialty made,” she said. “Oh my God, it makes me so mad. He knew exactly what he was doing,” Kharasch said.  The women said their neighbor ordered groceries last week with  Postmates  delivery service, which is an app that allows customers to get nearly anything delivered. 
CBS 2

Torture-Murder Of 8-Year-Old: Court Delay For Social Workers Fired Over Coverup
Arraignment was postponed Monday for two former social workers and their supervisors accused of falsifying records and child abuse stemming from the death of an 8-year-old Palmdale boy whose mother and then-boyfriend are charged with his murder. The social workers and two of their supervisors — Stefanie Rodriguez, 31, Patricia Clement, 66, Kevin Bom, 37, and Gregory Merritt, 61 — were fired from their jobs following an internal investigation into the May 24, 2013, death of Gabriel Fernandez.  All four are charged with one felony count each of child abuse and falsifying records and face up to 10 years in prison if convicted. On March 20, they were all ordered to stand trial following an extensive public hearing. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge M.L. Villar found that the social workers and their superiors had a duty to protect the boy and had plenty of reason to suspect that the youngster might be seriously injured or killed.
MyNewsLA.com

California May Not Require Bail For Most Criminal Suspects
California could dramatically change the way it pressures criminal defendants to show up for court, doing away with monetary bail for most and taking income into account for others to ensure poor suspects get an equal shot at freedom. Instead of requiring suspects to post bail, county officials would decide whether to release them based on their risk to public safety and would use jail alternatives like home detention or monitoring bracelets that track their locations. When a judge decides monetary bail is needed for suspects accused of serious or violent crimes, the amount would be based on defendants' incomes instead of on a pre-determined bail schedule that varies in each of California's 58 counties. "It fundamentally transforms a broken cash bail system that punishes poor people for being poor," said Assemblyman Rob Bonta, D-Oakland. He and Sen. Robert Hertzberg, D-Van Nuys, have submitted bills that would create the new system. Hertzberg's bill has its first committee hearing Tuesday.
Associated Press

‘Sanctuary State' Bill Passes California Senate
The California Senate on Monday passed a controversial “sanctuary state” bill that bars local and state law enforcement from using their resources to help federal immigration enforcement. The 40-member body approved Senate Bill 54, introduced by Sen. President Pro Tem Kevin de León, on a 27-12, party-line vote. It now heads to the Assembly. “We are trying to make our communities safer and be intelligent about this,” de León said. “No rhetoric and no bluster.” Facing heavy opposition from law enforcement, the Senate leader accepted several amendments to the bill over the last month. One required the Board of Parole Hearings or the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to notify the federal government up to 60 days before the release of an undocumented immigrant with a violent felony conviction. De León recently amended the bill again to include offenders convicted of serious felonies.
The Sacramento Bee

Sessions orders sweeping review of police reform
Attorney General Jeff Sessions ordered a review Monday of all police reform agreements and investigations initiated by the Justice Department, part of an effort to cut back on federal oversight of local law enforcement. The directive, issued in a two-page memorandum, effectively opens a re-examination of an aggressive effort by the Obama administration to force local police to reform many policies, from the use of deadly force to how officers deal with minority communities.
USA Today

Baltimore police ready for reforms despite delay request
Baltimore's mayor and police chief worked closely with Justice Department investigators to scrutinize the city's police force and embraced a plan they crafted to overhaul the troubled department. So they were surprised by the Justice Department's sudden request Monday for more time to see how the proposed changes might conflict with the aggressive crime-fighting approach new Attorney General Jeff Sessions favors.
ABC News