Law Enforcement News

Gov. Newsom Blocks Parole For San Diego Police Killer Jesus Cecena
Gov. Gavin Newsom has reversed the decision by a state parole board to release Jesus Cecena, who was convicted of murder as a teenager in 1979 for gunning down San Diego Police Officer Archie Buggs. The decision marks the fourth time in the last five years that the governor's office has reversed the decision by parole board members to free the 57-year-old Cecena. Cecena shot Buggs to death during a routine traffic stop the evening of Nov. 4, 1978. After being convicted of first-degree murder, he was sentenced to life without parole. His sentence was modified to life with the possibility of parole in 1982 after an appellate court ruled that juveniles could not be sentenced to no-parole terms.
Los Angeles Times

Man Held On Attempted Murder Charges After Rampage At Union Station In Downtown Los Angeles
A man was being held on suspicion of attempted murder after an early morning rampage at Union Station in downtown Los Angeles, in which two LAPD cars were damaged, an MTA vehicle was stolen and crashed, and a security guard was struck in the head. The man in his 30s was seen smashing the windows of the patrol cars parked at Union Station around 4:30 a.m. Wednesday, according to the LAPD. Some property was stolen from inside the cars. The man then smashed the window of a private car parked nearby and stole a bladed weapon from inside the car. A security guard employed by the LA County transit agency Metro tried to stop the man and unsuccessfully used pepper spray, after which the man stole an MTA vehicle and sped out of the parking lot, only to crash the MTA vehicle on nearby Vignes Street. The man then returned to Union Station on foot, this time on the Patsaouras Transit Plaza side near Metro headquarters, where he struck a security guard in the head, police said.
NBC 4

2 Dogs Found Severely Abused In South L.A.; 1 Survived, And Is Making Swift Recovery
A young pit bull mix was found Monday covered in spray paint, tied with an electrical cord to a fence in South Los Angeles was beaten so badly she suffered seizures, and another dog was found dead nearby. But the surviving pup, now named Avery, was recovering surprisingly well by Wednesday night. Kacey Montoya reports for the KTLA 5 News at 10 on Jan. 23, 2019.
KTLA 5 Video

New Cases Allege `Swatting' Schemes Involving L.A.-Based Swatter
Three men allegedly conspired with an admitted Los Angeles-based “swatter” to make hoax reports of bombs and murders to police departments, high schools and a convention center across the United States, according to three indictments unsealed Wednesday. The three new cases allege that the men agreed with Tyler Rai Barriss to make false reports of explosives and armed individuals to generate a law enforcement response that was intended to harass and intimidate their targets and force the evacuation of public buildings, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. Special agents with the FBI early Wednesday arrested two of the defendants, and a third has agreed to surrender to federal authorities in Los Angeles. 
MyNewsLA.com

Baldwin Hills Man Faces Murder Charge After Deadly Stabbing At South L.A. Bus Stop
A Baldwin Hills man accused of stabbing another man to death at a South Los Angeles bus stop last month was charged with murder on Wednesday, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office. Tyron Darell Vazquez, 33, was arrested on Monday after police released surveillance images to the public in their search for the killer. He and the victim, Alejandro Saenz, allegedly got into a physical fight before he pulled a knife on him, according to prosecutors. Vazquez is scheduled to be arraigned on Wednesday. The two men got into a dispute on the evening of Dec. 26 after exiting a bus at Vernon and Central avenues, prosecutors said. After allegedly stabbing Saenz multiple times, Vazquez fled the area. Saenz, 36, was found lying on a sidewalk along Central Avenue and rushed to medical treatment, according to police and Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner officials.
KTLA 5

LA County DA Launches Groundbreaking Mental Health Division
Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey Wednesday announced the launch of a mental health division – the first of its kind by a prosecutor's office in California and possibly the nation – to seek opportunities to expand treatment and other services for mentally ill inmates in the criminal justice system. “Really the goal is to get treatment before someone has to call the police,” Lacey said. The county's top prosecutor – who was flanked by law enforcement, judges and members of the Board of Supervisors at a press conference – said her office sees a demanding need for the new unit.
CBS 2

Hawthorne Man Accused Of Fraud Over Children's Deaths Pleads Not Guilty
A man accused of intentionally driving his domestic partner and two severely autistic children off a pier at the Port of Los Angeles to collect proceeds on accidental death insurance policies he had purchased on their lives pleaded not guilty Wednesday to updated federal charges. Ali F. Elmezayen, 44, of Hawthorne, faces nearly two-dozen federal counts, including mail and wire fraud, aggravated identity theft and money laundering, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. If convicted of all charges, he could spend the rest of his life in prison, prosecutors said. A status conference is scheduled for April 18 before U.S. District Judge John F. Walter in downtown Los Angeles.
NBC 4

California Governor Seeks To Transform Youth Prisons
Gov. Gavin Newsom proposed Tuesday to change the way California's juvenile prisons are overseen, eventually closing facilities to cut what he called the “ludicrous” cost. “If we're going to get serious about changing the trajectory of the lives of these young children, I think we need to do it through a different lens and not the traditional corrections lens,” Newsom said at one of the state's four remaining juvenile detention centers. The Democratic governor is asking state lawmakers to put youth prisons under California's Health and Human Services Agency. Youthful offenders currently are overseen by the same agency that runs adult prisons. The current system isn't working, he said, with about three out of four young offenders arrested again within three years of their release. More than half are convicted of new crimes and more than a third are soon back in state custody, according to 2017 figures.
Associated Press

'Justice Delayed Is Justice Denied' As Government Shutdown Affects Federal Courts
In federal courts around the nation, the wheels of justice may soon be grinding to a halt. The government shutdown has already caused delays and disruptions throughout the federal court system, and officials are bracing for things to get a lot worse next week. The strain is apparent among lawyers walking in and out of Boston's Federal District Court. Passing in front of famous quotes carved in stone, espousing the importance of a smooth-running system of justice, many attorneys say that ideal is becoming more elusive each day the shutdown drags on. "There is that huge uncertainty, and it will impact our clients' access to justice," says Julie Olson, an assistant federal public defender on her way in to meet a client. Public defenders get paid by the courts and have been getting their paychecks, at least so far. But they are "watching every penny" and slashing spending, hoping to stretch their funding as long as possible.
KPCC

L.A. Metro's Blue Line To Get $350 Million In Improvements, Partially Shut Down Through May
The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority is launching a $350 million project to modernize the Blue Line — shutting down the southern section of the rail for months beginning Saturday. The massive renovations were announced at a Tuesday news conference attended by L.A. Metro Executive Director Tim Lindholm and Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia. The lower section of the Blue Line, which connects downtown L.A. and Long Beach, will be closed from Saturday through late May. In the meantime, a number of shuttles and buses will help riders get through the area, according to Lindholm. The upper section of the line will be closed from late May through September, officials said. Improvements being made include an overhaul of all the track work, renovations to signal equipment and train control equipment, new signage and repainting of all the stations, Lindholm said.
KTLA 5

City Council Declares 'Justin Turner Day' To Honor Dodgers 3rd Baseman
The Los Angeles City Council is declaring Tuesday "Justin Turner Day." The Dodgers third baseman is being honored for his impact on the local community. Through the Justin Turner Foundation, the 34-year-old has raised money to support homeless veterans, children battling life-altering illnesses and various youth baseball organizations. Later this month, he will host the Justin Turner Golf Classic in Thousand Oaks.
ABC 7