City attorney Carmen 'Nuch' Trutanich, who said he wasn't interested in seeking higher office during his 2009 campaign, has officially thrown his hat in the ring by announcing that he would run for District Attorney. more ›

The woman who pepper-sprayed other Walmart shoppers in Porter Ranch angling to get a Black Friday deal on an Xbox has lawyered up for a possible suit against Walmart. Now her lawyer is speaking out and offering up the pepper-sprayer's side of the story: she did it for the children. more ›

The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office revealed today they will not seek charges against a woman who allegedly used pepper spray on her fellow shoppers at a Porter Ranch Wal-Mart during their Black Friday pre-sale event. more ›

After two months of probing and waiting, Thomas' patience has worn thin. He accused investigators of "dragging their feet" and wants criminal charges filed against the officers involved in the incident. more ›

Although Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck cautioned the public and the press during a Friday news conference that he could not try the suspects in the Bryan Stow beating case in the media, the LAPD announced this morning they would release the booking photos of the accused. more ›

Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley finally admitted Tuesday that he will not seek a fourth term in 2012. Cooley cites the primary reason for opting out of an upcoming race as his age--"he will be 65 when he completes his term," notes the Daily News, and has worked nearly 40 years as a prosecutor. more ›

A former NFL player for the Raiders has been charged, along with two others, for the 2008 murder of a Lancaster man. Anthony Wayne Smith, 43, played as defensive end for the Raiders between 1991 and 1998. At the time of the crime, Smith lived in Marina del Rey. Smith, along with Charles Eric Honest, 41, of Los Angeles, and Dewann Wesley White, 32, of Bloomington, were charged last month with murdering 31-year-old Maurilio Ponce on Oct. 7, 2008. more ›

Three 18-year-old Bellarmine-Jefferson High School students are now facing felony charges after being connected with a rash of paintball attacks in Burbank, according to 818Now. The three young men were arrested in early February, along with two teens also affiliated with the case. more ›

He's already said he might not run again for his job as LA County District Attorney, but today Steve Cooley gets to close out 2010 knowing that Deputy District Attorney Danette Meyers is nipping at his heels. Meyers, an LA resident for 50 years, and a Deputy DA for 24 years, and today she announced her candidacy for the top job, and will run for election in 2012. more ›

Still licking his wounds from losing the race to be California's next Attorney General, Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley (R) spoke in public yesterday for the first time since the election was called for his rival, Democrat Kamala Harris, reports the Daily News. During his press conference, Cooley acknowledged Harris' victory, and continued to defend his campaign, calling it "the hardest thing I have ever done." more ›

Following a lengthy police investigation and killings that spanned more than 20 years, Lonnie David Franklin Jr. was charged today with 10 murders by the District Attorney's office. The 57-year-old so-called Grim Sleeper serial killer was arrested this morning at his home in Manchester Square, a neighborhood in South L.A. more ›

The Los Angles District Attorneys Office has begun an inquiry into possible ethics violations made by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. Submitted last Thursday, a complaint refers to news articles about free tickets the Mayor accepted -- but did not report -- to 81 events, which included courtside tickets to Lakers games, a seat at the Oscars and to music concerts (Beyoncé, Shakira and Mary J. Blige, to name a few). As for what an inquiry is, D.A. Spokesperson Jane Robinson explained to LAist: "When we receive a complaint of possible wrong doing, we review that; and if we believe there is a criminal misconduct, an investigation will be opened." How long will it take to complete? "However long it takes," she said. more ›

Los Angeles County's District Attorney (and a Republican Attorney General Candidate) today officially opposed the November ballot prop to legalize marijuana in California today. “The marijuana initiative is terribly misleading, poorly drafted and not in the best interests of California residents,” Steve Cooley said in a written statement. “It will not regulate, not control nor effectively tax marijuana in California.” more ›

An accused domestic terrorist today pleaded no contest to three counts of stalking and three of conspiracy to commit stalking in connection to acts against UCLA researchers and employees of POM Wonderful Juice Company, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office announced. Kevin Rich Olliff, 22, an associate of the Animal Liberation Front (ALF) faces a three-year state prison sentence under terms of a negotiated settlement. more ›

As expected, Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley announced that he has taken formal steps to make a run for California's Attorney General by forming an Exploratory Committee. “Many people from law enforcement and throughout the political spectrum are urging me to run for Attorney General,” he said in a statemetn this morning. “I am proud of my crime fighting record as District Attorney. As a career prosecutor and District Attorney of Los Angeles County I have the experience and drive to be California’s top law enforcement officer." Most recently, however, he's stepped on shaky ground with many liberals, siding with City Attorney Carmen Trutanich on Medical Marijuana, vowing to prosecute medical marijuana dispensaries. more ›

District Attorney Steve, who is considering a run for Attorney General, last week announced that no charges will be filed against the El Monte police officer who kicked a car chase suspect in the head, according to the San Gabriel Valley Tribune. The incident happened back in May after a dangerous police pursuit. At one point, Richard Rodriguez fled the car and became trapped in a backyard. Before officers arrived, he laid down on the ground, face down, with his arms spread out. The first arriving officer, George Fierro, kicked Rodriguez in the head, making the TV helicopter footage an instant hit on the internet. more ›

An off-duty LAPD Officer was shot early this morning around 12:30 a.m. by Long Beach Police responding to a "person with a gun" call. Few details about what led officers to shoot have come out so far as Long Beach officials are only saying that when officers contacted the suspect, the shooting occurred. more ›

Yesterday, the District Attorney's office filed a total of four counts of criminal charges against Dr. Christopher Thompson of Mandeville Canyon, the suspect in the Fourth of July Mandeville Canyon "Road Rage" incident in which he allegedly slammed on his brakes causing two cyclists behind him injury (see photos/background here). more ›

Arthur Paul Carmona, 26, an advocate for people wrongly accused of crimes who was wrongly accused himself and incarcerated for 2 1/2 years as a teenager in Orange County was killed this weekend. His name became widely known when he was arrested when he was 16 and convicted of robbing two juice bars in Irvine and Costa Mesa:

His mother mustered support for her son and political and community outrage followed over police tactics that led to her son's arrest. Support for overturning his 12-year prison sentence came from law firms, community groups, Hollywood actors and the politically active rock band Rage Against the Machine. more ›

The eighth grade student who was shot by a classmate at Oxnard's Green Junior High School on Tuesday died in hospital Wednesday. more ›

California Highway Patrol Officer Joshua Blackburn, charged with stealing $1 million worth of cocaine being held as evidence, has had his arraignment postponed at his lawyer's request until early next month, KTLA is reporting. more ›

Apparently, a liver transplant is "experimental." more ›

Very much like in the picture above, Don Vito, Bam Margera's rotund and lovable lazy-eyed uncle, was accused of feeling up three girls in Colorado last year, and today he was found guilty of fondling two of them. When the verdict was read, the 51-year-old Vincent Margera fell to the floor and cursed "just kill me now." He was acquitted of a third count of sex assault on a child. He faces a sentence... more ›

Last week's devastating Agua Dulce/Santa Clarita Valley wildfire was started accidentally by a "male juvenile" playing with matches, the L.A. County Sheriff's Department announced Tuesday. The Buckweed Fire blackened over 38,000 acres, destroyed more than 60 structures, and led to an estimated $7.4 million in damages. On October 22, one day after the blaze began, a detective questioned a "boy" who "admitted to playing with matches and accidentally starting the fire," according to the Sheriff's... more ›

This past Sunday I dropped by a fundraiser event for Barack Obama in Koreatown, invited by my friend who works for Senator Mark Ridley-Thomas. Not really having kick-started my analysis of candidates out there yet, my only real knowledge of Obama, silly as it may sound, was that he is a) Democratic and therefore b) NOT BUSH. Hey, these are the important things. Although we had difficulty parking, and we basically had to cram... more ›

The party is over in apartment 269 after Irvine cops acting on complaints from neighbors discovered a small brothel in the OC. One woman was charged with pimping and two were popped for whoring via Craigslist - at bare bottom rates.

The three woman, all Los Angeles residents, allegedly advertised their services on Craigslist.com, and met the men in a two-bedroom unit at the Villa Coronado apartment homes in Irvine, authorities said. more ›

The Phil Spector jury, after 6 ballots, concludes that they are deadlocked at 10 and 2. Spector watched, leaning back, chin down, eyes fixed and unblinking. Mistrial for Phil! Once again, a celebrity gets into hot water and walks away relatively unscathed. Lana Clarkson -- pictured here, in an early appearances as a trophy wife in Fast Times at Ridgemont High -- didn't walk away at all. Her last minutes were spent in Phil... more ›

Photo by Eric Richardson of Blogdowntown. Zach Behrens also contributed to this report. more ›

- City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo vs. District Attorney Steve Cooley. Ehhhh, both are whiners. more ›

At last night's 10th Annual Los Angeles Political Roast, a fundraiser for the American Diabetes Association, there was more than just poking fun at the no-nonsense East Coast talking LAPD Chief - William Bratton. The LA Times did not get into it (LAObserved did), but there was a little tiff between Mayor Villaraigosa and District Attorney, Steve Cooley. The DA took a swing at the Mayor's supposed marriage situation and later while Mayor V... more ›