Authorities investigating two unrelated deaths near Whittier

Authorities are investigating the deaths of two people in unrelated incidents in an unincorporated area just south of Whittier.

Detectives were dispatched about 3:50 a.m. to a domestic dispute in the 14300 block of Mulberry Drive, where they found an unidentified man who had been stabbed, said Sgt. Ralph Gama of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

The victim was taken by fire paramedics to a nearby hospital, where he died. 

It was unknown whether a suspect had been taken into custody. No further details were available.
 
About six hours later, deputies responded to the 7000 block of Norwalk Boulevard near the 605 Freeway, where a man was found dead inside his home.

It has not been determined whether the man had been killed or had died of natural causes, authorities said. 

--Ruben Vives

Man slain in South L.A. area

A man was gunned down and killed this evening in an unincorporated neighborhood near South Los Angeles, authorities said.

The slaying occurred about 6:25 p.m near Normandie Avenue and 104th Street in the Westmont neighborhood, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said.

No additional details were available.

Anyone with information is asked to call homicide detectives at (323) 890-5500.

-- Robert J. Lopez

Man shot dead in East Los Angeles

A man was fatally shot this afternoon in East Los Angeles, authorities said.

The shooting occurred about 4 p.m. in the 4200 block of East Olympic Boulevard, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said.

The name and age of the victim were not released. No additional details were available.

Anyone with information is asked to call homicide detectives at (323) 890-5500.

-- Robert J. Lopez

At least seven redhaired students were victims of 'ginger' attacks, authorities say

At least four redhaired girls and three boys are believed to have been victims of the so-called ginger attacks at a Calabasas middle school that authorities say were inspired by a Facebook message, a Los Angeles County sheriff's investigation has revealed.

The seven victims were targeted in a series of assaults at or near A.E. Wright Middle School that began early Friday after the perpetrators acted on a Facebook message that informed them it was "Kick a Ginger Day," authorities said. Ginger is a label given to people with red hair, freckles and fair skin.

Detectives have identified  eight boys at the school as formal subjects of the investigation, said Steve Whitmore, a sheriff’s spokesman. No arrests have been made.

The investigation began after a 12-year-old redheaded boy was assaulted by his classmates at the school, authorities said. His cuts and bruises were treated by a school nurse, who reported the incident to the principal.

"This was the most serious of the assaults," Whitmore said. "The other incidents tended to be pushing, shoving and intimation. More of an aggressive bullying."

More youngsters believed targeted in assaults on redheads

As many as four youngsters were targeted in Calabasas by at least a dozen middle-school students after a Facebook group urged them to beat up redheads, authorities said.

The first reported incident occurred Friday morning when a 12-year-old boy was kicked and hit in two incidents on the campus of A.E. Wright Middle School by a dozen of his classmates, Los Angeles County Sheriff's investigators said.

Further investigation led detectives to confirm a second attack in the city, and they now believed there may be two more victims, said Steve Whitmore, a department spokesman.

The students who participated in the attack may have been motivated by a Facebook message telling them that Friday was "Kick a Ginger Day," according to Lt. Richard Erickson. "Ginger" is a label given to people with red hair, freckles and fair skin.

Whitmore confirmed that all four victims in the investigation have red hair.

The Facebook message may have been inspired by an episode of the television show "South Park." An episode in 2005 focused on prejudice against "gingers" after one of the characters said people with red hair, light skin and freckles have no souls and suffered from a disease called "Gingervitis."

Investigators have not made any arrests and don't consider the attacks to be hate crimes.

The first victim sought help Friday from a school nurse, who contacted the principal. Sheriff's officials arrived on campus shortly afterward.

Investigators say the boy was accosted by seventh- and then eighth-graders who kicked and hit him. Detectives are investigating the incident as a possible assault with a deadly weapon.

The boy's injuries were not severe. His name was not released because he is a juvenile.

Facebook spokesman Barry Schnitt said the network relies on its more than 300 million users to report problems with groups or events. Staff members then follow up to see if groups should be removed or reported to law enforcement, he said.

Schnitt said he had not been made aware of this specific message or group.

"Inciting violence against any individual or group is against what we stand for and our policies," Schnitt said.

--Richard Winton

L.A. Sheriff's Department busts reputed tagger who was 'guest artist' at graffiti art store

A reputed tagger who was paid $1,000 to be a featured "guest artist" at a self-described graffiti art store was arrested at the downtown store this weekend after authorities found him carrying spray tips, which are used in tagging, officials said today.

Jason Williams, 32, who was on probation and goes by the name REVOK, was appearing Sunday as the guest of honor at the 33rd Graffiti Art Store, said Sgt. Augie Pando of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. The store was exhibiting Montana spray paint, a brand used by taggers, Pando said.

During a later search of Williams' home, deputies found several hundred paint cans, a police badge and a fire extinguisher, Pando said. They also found a stolen detour sign and digital photos of his graffiti work on his phone.

"He's being treated as a celebrity artist when in fact he's breaking the law," said Steve Whitmore, a sheriff's spokesman.

Williams was arrested on suspicion of illegally possessing vandalism tools, a counterfeit Los Angeles Police Department badge, and receiving stolen property, the sheriff's department said.

Sheriff's officials said Williams told them that he earns a living selling T-shirts and prints and said he was paid $1,000 to attend the art exhibit.

He is being held on $20,000 bail.

-- Andrew Blankstein and Richard Winton

Photo: Booking mug shot of Jason Williams. Photo credit: Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department

Assault of Calabasas boy is not being investigated as a hate crime

Authorities said today that an assault on a 12-year-old Calabasas boy who was allegedly targeted by his fellow middle school students because of his red hair is not being investigated as a hate crime.

The attack on the boy occurred at A.E. Wright Middle School by as many as 14 classmates, police said. The incident may have been motivated by a Facebook message on Friday saying it was "Kick a Ginger Day."

However, the incident does not meet the criteria of a hate crime, said Lt. Scott Chew of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

"This doesn't apply," he said.

"Ginger" is a label given to people with red hair, freckles and fair skin. It gained notoriety from a 2005 episode of "South Park," an animated comedy show with adult humor, in which "gingers" were picked on.

The boy, whose name was not released because he is a juvenile, was kicked and hit with fists in various areas of the body, police said. His injuries were not severe. 

No arrests were made in the attack. Detectives are investigating the incident as a possible assault with a deadly weapon. 

-- Baxter Holmes

Man arrested after stolen truck rams sheriff's cruiser twice

A man who allegedly stole a delivery truck today and rammed the vehicle into a pursuing Los Angeles County sheriff’s cruiser was arrested after crashing into a metal barrier on the Blue Line rail tracks, police said.

The man, whose identity has not been released, allegedly stole the truck just after 1 p.m. and a deputy gave chase in East Los Angeles, said Deputy Jeff Gordon. The suspect slammed on the brakes in an attempt to cause the deputy’s cruiser to crash into the back of the truck, he said.

Then the suspect backed into the cruiser twice. The deputy, who was not injured, got out of his vehicle and fired his handgun, Gordon said.

The driver, who was not wounded by the deputy’s gunfire, fled on the  710 Freeway before crashing on the tracks near downtown L.A. about 2:15 p.m., Gordon said. 

-- Hector Becerra

Police seeking suspects in three murders in Long Beach and Pico Rivera [Updated]

Police are asking for the public’s help today in solving three separate murders in south Los Angeles County.

One person was killed and two wounded about 11:30 p.m. Thursday in a shooting outside a liquor store in the 3600 block of Santa Fe Avenue in Long Beach, according to city police spokeswoman Jackie Bezart. The  murder is believed to be gang-related, and the victim's identity is being withheld pending notification of his family.

[Updated at 11:28 p.m.: The victim was identified as 19-year-old Frank Castro Jr. of Long Beach. A man approached him and the two other victims on foot and shot all three of them. Castro was hit multiple times in the upper body and torso and pronounced dead at the scene. The two other victims, ages 18 and 40, were treated at a local hospital and released.]

At about the same time, a driver in the 6400 block of Rosemead Boulevard in Pico Rivera saw a body in the street and called police, who found a Latino with gunshot wounds in the upper torso, said Dep. Aura Sierra of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. The victim, whose identity is being withheld until his family is notified, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Robbery suspect who was carrying a boy is arrested

A 20-year-old man suspected of committing an armed robbery in Norwalk with a 3-year-old boy in his arms was arrested today, authorities said.

Jeremy Gallegos of La Mirada was booked on suspicion of robbery and child endangerment, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. He was being held on $100,000 bail.

Deputies said the suspect was holding the boy when he ordered a man outside a convenience store to hand over his wallet and two cans of beer he had just purchased.

The suspect allegedly lifted his shirt to reveal a handgun in his waistband. The incident occurred about 4:45 p.m. Oct. 28 in the parking lot outside the store, deputies said.

Deputies said Gallegos was arrested after detectives received tips from the public.

—Robert J. Lopez

Photo: A surveillance photo of the robbery suspect.

Credit: Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department

Member of Avenues gang is sentenced in girl's murder

A member of one of Los Angeles' oldest and most notorious street gangs was sentenced today to 82 years to life in prison for the murder of a 14-year-old girl and the attempted murder of a second victim.

Eduardo Ruiz, 18, a member of the Avenues gang, was convicted in September of first-degree murder in the shooting of Cynthia Perez, who was struck by a stray bullet as she sat in a car at a Highland Park stoplight.

Ruiz, who was 16 at the time of the May 2008 shooting, was walking near the intersection of York Boulevard and Avenue 64 when he stared at his intended male victim, who was in a car. When the man looked back, Ruiz walked into the street and fired several shots, prosecutors said.

One of the shots missed, however, striking Perez — who was a passenger in an adjacent car — in the eye. 

Palmdale and Lancaster sheriff's stations start 'Safe Drug Drop-off' program [Updated]

Starting today, Palmdale and Lancaster residents can safely dispose of expired or unused prescription drugs, over-the-counter medications, syringes and other controlled substances by dropping them off at special “narcotics mailboxes” at their local sheriff's station.

[Updated at 2:29 p.m.: The Lancaster sheriff's station also started a program. This post previously mentioned only Palmdale.

“The intent is to give people the opportunity to dispose of these dangerous drugs for whatever reason without having to do something that endangers people or endangers the environment,” said Lancaster Station Capt. Axel Anderson.

Lancaster Station is at 501 W. Lancaster Blvd.]

The initiative is part of a “Safe Drug Drop-off” program that originated at the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Lomita Station, law enforcement officials said in a statement. The pilot program was announced by Sheriff Lee Baca in September. The goal is to protect aquatic wildlife from being harmed when medicines are flushed down the drain.

Because wastewater treatment plants are unable to test for pharmaceuticals, or treat their negative effects, “the drugs end up in our rivers, streams, lakes, groundwater systems and oceans,” the officials said

They also noted that unused and expired medications could be used illegally if they fall into the wrong hands, and that children could gain access to the narcotics if they are left in home medicine cabinets. The drugs could be used inappropriately or sold, the officials added.

Deputies seek suspect who carried a pistol and a child during Norwalk robbery

A man packing a pistol in his waistband and a child on his hip allegedly robbed a man of beer and money outside of a Norwalk store, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said tonight. 

The suspect was holding a boy who appeared to be between 4 and 6 years old when he ordered the victim to hand over his wallet and the two cans of beer the victim had just purchased, authorities said.

The suspect lifted his shirt to reveal a handgun in his waistband. The incident occurred about 4:45 p.m. on Oct. 28 in the parking lot outside of the store, the department said.

The suspect took off with the beer and wallet in a dark car.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Norwalk sheriff's station at (562) 863-8711.

--Robert J. Lopez

Photo: Video footage of the suspect and child. Credit: Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

Search underway for two people reportedly seen on boat that burned off Venice Pier [Updated]

 Authorities are searching for at least two people who may have been on a vessel that caught fire this afternoon in the waters off Venice Pier.

The U.S. Coast Guard and Los Angeles County Fire Department had dispatched vessels to search for the two, authorities said.

"We have a witness who saw two people on the boat," said Sgt. Bernie Patrick of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's Marina del Rey station. "We no longer know where those people are."

[Updated 10:10 p.m.: Peck said that investigators now believe that two people were not on the boat. "The witness now says he wasn't sure," Peck said. But authorities were still searching the waters in the area, he said. "That boat didn't drift out there by itself."]

The 20-foot boat caught fire about two miles from the pier, authorities said. A column of dark smoke could be seen drifting from the distressed vessel. The blaze was reported about 4:45 p.m.

Firefighting boats extinguished the flames, and authorities were preparing to tow the damaged vessel to shore.

--Robert J. Lopez

Man fatally shot in Norwalk

A man was shot dead this evening in Norwalk, authorities said.

The victim was in 11200 block of Ferina Street when he was killed shortly before 6 p.m., the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said.

The victim was pronounced dead at the scene. His name was not released.

No additional details were available.

Anyone with information is asked to call homicide detectives at (323) 890-5500.

--Robert J. Lopez

L.A. County sheriff's deputies arrest 73-year-old tagging suspect [Updated]

Calling him the oldest tagging suspect they have ever captured, Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies arrested a 73-year-old Los Angeles man for allegedly putting "slap tags" on the inside of Metropolitan Transportation Authority buses.

For the last seven months, deputies assigned to the Special Problems Unit of the Sheriff's Transit Bureau have been trying to determine the identity of an "older" vandal who had been placing orange and black "Who Is John Scott?" stickers on buses in Baldwin Hills and other areas concentrated on the Westside of Los Angeles.

Deputies involved in a saturation patrol this morning at the downtown 7th and Metro Center subway station encountered the septuagenarian suspect, later identified as 73-year-old John Scott of Los Angeles, as he was putting slap tags in one of the main stairwells at the transit hub.

"Up until this year, the oldest guy we had arrested was 36," said sheriff's Lt. Erik Ruble. "We knew our guy was older, but not [73]." [Updated at 7:34 p.m.: An earlier version of this post said Scott was 74. Scott, who was booked on suspicion of felony vandalism, will be 74 next month.]

Black bear is tranquilized in La Crescenta neighbhorhood

A black bear that has been roaming neighborhoods in La Crescenta was tranquilized this afternoon by authorities who cornered the animal in the backyard of a home.

The bear, estimated to weigh between 100 and 150 pounds, was near some bushes in the yard in the 2600 block of Prospect Avenue, a few blocks north of the 210 Freeway, authorities said.

"It was a small bear," said Lt. Angela Shepherd of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

Sheriff's deputies and agents from the state Department of Fish and Game approached the animal about 4:45 p.m. An agent shot the bear with a tranquilizer gun, putting the animal to sleep, authorities said.

The bear was loaded onto a stretcher and hoisted into a truck and was to be dropped off in the Angeles National Forest, according to Shepherd.

The department received several reports Tuesday night about a bear in the 4300 block of Ocean View Boulevard, prompting an alert sent to residents on the reverse 911 system. No animal was spotted.

"I'm sure it's the same bear," Shepherd said.

-- Robert J. Lopez

Photo: Sheriff's deputies carry a tranquilized black bear on a stretcher. Credit: KTLA

Boat caught under freeway bridge in Orange County

An L.A. County Sheriff’s Department boat being hauled on a trailer became trapped under a freeway bridge in Orange County today, police said.

The 55-foot boat was being towed on City Drive in Orange at 11:20 a.m. when it reached the California 22 overpass and the boat’s cabin “caught the lip of the bridge,” said Sgt. Dan Adams of the Orange Police Department.

Traffic was blocked for a short period until the boat was removed. There were no reported injuries.

The boat was built in Anaheim and was being transported to the coast, Adams said.

-- Baxter Holmes

Deputies warn La Crescenta residents of reported bear sightings

Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies alerted residents in La Crescenta this evening to reports of a large black bear roaming through an apartment complex.

Several callers reported seeing a bear in the complex in the 4300 block of Ocean View Boulevard.

Deputies searched the area but were unable to find the animal, according to the Sheriff's Department.

The department said it used the reverse 911 system to warn residents of the sightings. 

-- Robert J. Lopez

Decomposed body of a woman found in Castaic area

A decomposed body was found today in the Castaic area near Interstate 5, and investigators are trying to determine whether it is that of a Newhall woman who has been missing for two weeks, authorities said.

The woman, believed to be white and about 18 years old, was found shortly after 1 p.m. behind a strip mall being built by where the 5 and 126 freeways connect, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

Brigett Kennemore, 18, a Valencia High School student, was last seen in the area Oct. 26 after she got off a bus.

But a department spokeswoman said investigators have not yet identified the body. "It may or may not be her," said Deputy Lilian Peck.  "It could be somebody else."

-- Robert J. Lopez

Dead woman found in Angeles National Forest

A woman was found dead this afternoon in the Angeles National Forest, authorities said.

Homicide detectives with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department responded to the scene, near Mount Baldy Road, Road said Sheriff's Deputy Rick Pedroza.

Sheriff's officials would not say who discovered the body. They identified her only as a Hispanic adult.

-- David Zahniser

Sheriff's detectives investigate fatal shooting of suspect by deputy in Azusa area

Sheriff’s homicide detectives are investigating a shooting involving a deputy that left one man dead after a car chase in Azusa.

The shooting occurred near the 1700 block of Orkney Street in the unincorporated section of Azusa – a city of about 45,000 east of L.A. in the San Gabriel Valley – after San Dimas station deputies pursued a stolen vehicle about 8:30 p.m., according to a statement from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

The suspect crashed the car and fled to the backyard of a house on Orkney, according to the statement. A police dog then went after the suspect.

When deputies got the suspect to the ground, he grabbed one of the deputies' guns and fired several rounds, according to the statement.

No deputies were injured.

The suspect was shot several times by another deputy and was pronounced dead at the scene.

-- Baxter Holmes

Deputies shoot suspect in Azusa

Deputies shot and wounded a suspect tonight after a car chase in Azusa, authorities said.

The pursuit began about 8:30 p.m. and ended a short while later near Orkney Street in the unincorporated section of Azusa, a city of about 45,000 east of Los Angeles in the San Gabriel Valley, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

Deputies confronted the suspect on Orkney, the department said. Investigators are at the scene. No other details were available.

-- Robert J. Lopez

Deputy wounded in deadly confrontation is released from hospital [updated]

A Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy who was wounded during a deadly confrontation with a suspect Tuesday night in Lawndale was released from a hospital this morning, authorities said.

The deputy, whose identity was withheld, was shot in the shoulder during the incident that occurred about 10:30 p.m. near 166th street and Prairie Avenue, said Sheriff’s Deputy Aura Sierra. The suspect was killed.

[Updated, 4 p.m.: Sheriff's Lt. Duane Harris said the suspect was armed, pointed his firearm at the deputies and shot at them. "Those were his actions and that precipitated the shooting," he said.

Sheriff's officials said they believed more than 30 shots were fired during the incident but stressed that it did not appear to be contagious fire, a phenomenon in which police fire their weapons because others are doing so.]

-- Baxter Holmes and Andrew Blankstein

L.A. County sheriff's deputy shot in Lawndale

A Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department deputy was apparently shot in the back, and a suspect may also be wounded after gunfire broke out tonight in Lawndale, authorities said.

The shooting occurred about 10:30 p.m. near 168th Street and Prairie Avenue near the 405 Freeway, the Sheriff's Department said.

The condition of the deputy was not known, the department said. Investigators were at the scene trying to determine what happened.

-- Robert J. Lopez