Teen Fatally Shot At Neighborhood Park In Highland Park
A boy in his late teens was shot dead on Wednesday in San Pasqual Park in Highland Park, police said.  Authorities received a call about shots fired in the park, located at 6740 Comet St., around 9 p.m., L.A. Police Sgt. Douglas Bowler said. Responding officers found the boy already deceased, according to Bowler. “The only information we have so far is two males approached him, fired the shots, and they ran off,” he said. “They had their faces covered with bandanas.” The person who called police identified herself as the victim's girlfriend, officers said.  Police were not releasing the victim's exact age or identity, though Bowler said his family had been notified.  T
KTLA 5

Man Found Stabbed To Death In LA; 5 Suspects At Large
Homicide detectives searched for five men who are wanted in connection with a deadly stabbing incident. According to sheriff's deputies, a 22-year-old African American man was stabbed to death just before 9:30 p.m. Wednesday near East 92nd and Bandera streets. Paramedics transported the victim to a hospital where he later died. His identity is being withheld pending family notification. A preliminary investigation revealed the victim was riding his bicycle when a grey SUV drove directly in front of him, blocking his path. Five men exited the vehicle and began to physically attack the victim. During the assault, one of the suspects stabbed the man with an unknown weapon. The suspects got back into the SUV and fled from the scene. Detectives described the suspects as Hispanic men. At this time, it remains unclear if the incident is gang-related.
CBS 2

LAPD Asks Valley Residents To Help Them Fight Crime
A town hall about crime in the west San Fernando Valley drew a packed house Tuesday night in Woodland Hills. The two-hour public safety meeting, hosted by Councilman Bob Blumenfield, featured half a dozen high-ranking officials from the Los Angeles Police Department's Valley Bureau to discuss public safety and crime prevention. The meeting at Taft Charter High School drew roughly 500 residents who packed the school's auditorium to hear the latest trends in Valley crime — and what residents can do to protect their neighborhoods. “(It's) how we as a community can come together to help the police,” said Blumenfield, whose District 3 represents the southwest Valley. “Community partnership is the key to reducing crime.” The Valley had 58,000 crimes in 2002 before falling to 32,000 crimes in 2014, then inched up to 39,000 crimes last year, police said.
Los Angeles Daily News

Search Continues for Gunman In South LA Shooting That Left Teen Dead, 2 Others Critical
Police on Wednesday were searching for the gunman who  shot and killed a 17-year-old boy  and wounded two other teenagers the previous day in South Los Angeles, authorities said.  The shooting occurred in the area of 60th Street and Vermont Avenue as classes were ending for the day at nearby John Muir Middle School and Augustus Hawkins High School.  The victims were students at the high school, where parents expressed outrage and concern on Wednesday.
ABC 7

LA councilman targets ‘knock-knock' burglars with $50,000 reward
Los Angeles City Councilman Mitchell Englander is hoping to provide extra incentive to pawnbrokers and others who may be able to help authorities bring down “knock-knock”burglary rings that target upscale homes in the San Fernando Valley and other parts of the city. Englander on Wednesday introduced a motion, seconded by Councilman Bob Blumenfield, calling for a $50,000 reward to be offered for information to help authorities identify, arrest and convict people “responsible for this series of ‘knock-knock' burglaries.”
Los Angeles Daily News

Survivor Speaks About Recovery From Gruesome Van Nuys Hit-and-Run Caught on Film; Police Search For Driver
Police on Wednesday were searching for a hit-and-run driver who left a woman severely injured after striking her in Van Nuys. The incident occurred around 7 p.m. on March 22 on Vanowen Street near Sunnyslope Avenue, according to L.A. Police Detective Bill Bustos. The survivor, Penny Casbon, told KTLA she was on her way to church but can't remember much else about the day of the accident other than briefly waking up inside an ambulance and someone telling her she had been hit by a car. Surveillance footage shows Casbon walking in a crosswalk when a white van drives right into her, rolling her onto its hood where she was carried for a while before falling in a street. The driver never stopped. Casbon is still in the hospital after two weeks with severe bruising and many broken bones.  Police are still searching for driver and van, which they say may be a Dodge Caravan likely to now have front-end damage.
KTLA 5

13 Alleged Gang Members From L.A. Sought In Huntington Beach Robbery
Authorities in Orange County asked the public's help Wednesday in finding 13 alleged Los Angeles gang members who police say were part of a robbery at a 7-Eleven. Police received a call shortly after 11 p.m. on Jan. 7 about a large group of people who went into a 7-Eleven in the 700 block of Pacific Coast Highway in Huntington Beach and reportedly stole items from the store and assaulted the clerk, according to the Huntington Beach Police Department. The group then boarded a party bus and headed north, officials said. Soon after getting the call, officers pulled over a party bus on Pacific Coast Highway near the 7-Eleven. Investigators questioned all 80 people aboard and found seven loaded handguns on the bus, authorities said. 
Los Angeles Times

Body Of Woman Found At Base Of Cliff Near Point Fermin
The body of a woman has been found at the base of a cliff near Point Fermin in San Pedro, according to officials. Firefighters made the discovery after responding to a call from a passerby Wednesday afternoon of a body over the side of a cliff at the Paseo Del Mar area of Point Fermin, said Shawn Lenske, a spokesman with the Los Angeles Fire Department. The body will be hoisted from the base of the cliff and taken to the coroner. The cause of the woman's death is under investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department. 
Los Angeles Times

LA Council Approves $50,000 Reward In Case Of Woman Fatally Shot In Sylmar
The City Council approved a $50,000 reward Wednesday in hopes of identifying the gunman who fatally shot a woman while she was driving in Sylmar in January. Eloise Elizarraraz, 34, was found shot to death in her car near the intersection of Harding Avenue and Tripoli Avenue at about 9 a.m. on Jan. 9, according to Lt. D. Grayson of the Los Angeles Police Department. Officers found a black BMW on the sidewalk at the north side of the intersection and Elizarraraz on the ground next to the vehicle, Grayson and the coroner's office said. A registered nurse found Elizarraraz inside the car and attempted to revive her with CPR before calling 911, authorities said, but she was ultimately pronounced dead at the scene. Police have identified Elizarraraz's ex-boyfriend, Jose Rodriguez, as a suspect in the crime but have not been able to locate him.
Los Angeles Daily News

Axon: Free Body Cams To Nation's Cops And More For Year
Taser International Inc., known best for its stun guns, made a splash Wednesday with the announcement that it would give a free body camera to any police officer in the nation and free hardware, software, data storage, training and support to police departments for one year. The company also announced it is changing its name to Axon. The Los Angeles Police Department signed a contract with the company in 2016 to purchase roughly 7,000 body cameras for every patrol officer in the department. The City Council approved the $59 million plan, and the department intends to issue all the cameras by the end of this year. The LAPD did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Axon's move or if it could impact its contract with the company. As of March 22, 2,794 cameras have been deployed to officers in the field, according to a recent LAPD report. 
MyNewsLA.com

LA Sheriff Calls Antelope Valley Federal Agreement 'Beneficial'
As the U.S. Justice Department prepares to review and possibly roll back a series of federal agreements mandating reforms at law enforcement agencies across the country, Los Angeles County Sheriff Jim McDonnell says the agreement affecting his department has brought about "beneficial" changes. Four years ago, the Justice Department found L.A. Sheriff's deputies in the Antelope Valley were engaged in "widespread" harassment of the mostly minority residents of low-income housing. Justice concluded that deputies "engaged in a pattern or practice of misconduct" that included "the use of unreasonable force" and unconstitutional pedestrian and vehicles stops, some of which "appeared motivated by racial bias." In 2015, the sheriff agreed to sweeping reforms, including better training, a new policy on use of force and measures to prevent "biased or discriminatory conduct."
KPCC

Feds Crack Down on $50 Million Visa Fraud Scheme
Federal investigators served search warrants Wednesday at a San Gabriel Valley business and two homes in connection with a probe into an alleged $50 million high-end visa fraud scheme involving as many as 100 Chinese nationals. Laura Eimiller of the FBI confirmed the warrants were being served in conjunction with the U.S. Attorney's Office. According to a federal affidavit in support of a search warrant, authorities were searching the offices of the California Investment Immigration Fund in San Gabriel, along with a home in Arcadia and a townhouse in El Monte.
NBC 4

Arizona House OKs Bill Protecting Off-Duty Police Officers
The Arizona House has passed legislation that would specify aggravated assault against off-duty police officers is a crime equal to assaulting on-duty officers. The proposal by sponsor Republican Sen. Steve Smith would mandate calling the act the Blue Lives Matter Law. Smith says the measure is necessary because directly assaulting officers shouldn't be tolerated on any level. Senate Bill 1366 notes aggravated assault against police officers includes those that are not "on duty or engaged in the execution of any official duties."
U.S. News & World Report