Results tagged “investigation”

USC Broadcast Journalism student Matt Schrader has spent the last three months investigating parking tickets issued for violating street sweeping hours. He finds that tickets are often given on days when sweepers never come by. No surprise there.

As Obama prepared for his big "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" speech last week, government figures released showed that women are more likely to be kicked out of military service under the policy than men. In a story, the Associated Press highlighted Julianne Sohn, who now works for the LAPD.

Six days before the massive Station Fire broke out in the Angeles National Forest, a fire dubbed the "Lady Bug Fire" burned just six miles away. Los Angeles County Sheriff's detectives believe that much smaller fire was started by Babatunsin Olukunle, a 25-year-old Nigerian man and UC Davis dropout, according to KTLA.

The still-burning--yes, five weeks in, still burning--Station Fire is being investigated after the L.A. Times exposed that authorities pulled back resources on the fire when it first began. "It is very clear that a thorough investigation and review of the Station Fire response by the federal government is absolutely necessary," Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said in a written statement, supporting the federal investigation. "I can assure all Californians that the state is fully committed to working with the federal government to improve the U.S. Forest Service's response efforts," the governor added."

An LA Times investigation this weekend revealed that the response to the Station Fire was scaled back when officials underestimated the power of the blaze. Such an error in judgement is expected to change policy when a fire is ablaze in the lower Angeles National Forest near residential neighborhoods.

The Station Fire seems to be holding steady, and while the news is good to some degree, the big picture tells another story. As of last report, the "overnight containment of the 154,000-acre blaze [...] rose to 49% as temperatures dropped and humidity" increased according to LA Now. Along with the increase in acreage comes an increase in cost; the largest wildfire in LA County's modern history "has cost more than $37 million to fight, and officials are still assessing the toll to property, wildlife and forest facilities."

Andrew Adelman, Manager of the Department of Building and Safety for Los Angeles, is currently under investigation for an alleged rape back in July. The LAPD is mum, but Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa reportedly sent a stern message placing him on administrative leaving. The LAPD confirms that an investigation does involve a city employee but does not name anyone. "Because of the serious nature of the allegation and for reasons of confidentiality, no names will be released," a police statement read.

The Los Angeles County Coroner announced today that their "thorough and comprehensive" investigation into the death of Michael Jackson has been completed. However, the LAPD has requested the information remain confidential as their investigation continues. "The extension of security measures will help maintain the integrity of the investigation and allow investigators from LAPD’s Robbery Homicide Division, as well as our partner law enforcement agencies to continue their investigation," they explained in a statement. Further questions about the investigation will not be answered. As for Jackson's body, his family is still deciding where to bury him.

With tens of thousands of crimes in Los Angeles, the LAPD's crime map tool will never be 100% perfect, but missing 40% of all reported crimes is a far cry from being complete. Thanks to an LA Times investigation--the second about the LAPD's touted crime map--today we learn that 26 homicides, 137 rapes and over 10,000 other nonviolent thefts remain off map, but not intentionally says the LAPD.

The two anonymous bloggers at the popular vegan blog, Quarrygirl, went all out and published a large investigative report today, finding that a handful of vegan restaurants, mostly Thai in nature, are in fact not vegan.

A fiery crash yesterday evening has caused the connector road between the eastbound Artesia (91) Freeway to the northbound Long Beach (710) Freeway as CalTrans continues to investigate the deadly incident.

Last August, a young man sleeping inside Downtown's 7th/Metro Station was roused by an MTA security guard; during the incident the guard delivered a kick to the patron's head, which was not only not part of his job description, but also captured on surveillance cameras inside the station. The footage convinced a jury to find the guard guilty of using excessive force. Cases such as this one happen more frequently than perhaps reported, and today's LA Times offers a look at the the 11 investigations launched in the past two years by the L.A. County's Sheriff's Department into allegations of abuse.

Ticketmaster has been served...with subpoenas. "Four government agencies in the U.S. and Canada, including the Justice Department, are investigating the West Hollywood company's activities in reselling concert tickets," explains LA Biz Observed. The inquiry is to uncover information pertaining to their work with ticket brokers, "including the names of every broker who resells tickets on its TicketsNow site."

On September 12, 2008, Angelenos and the nation watched in horror as emergency personnel responded to what would soon go down as the worst train crash in recent US history when a Metrolink train collided with a freight train in Chatsworth. As investigators continue to probe the incident and Robert M. Sanchez, the Engineer at the wheel on that deadly day, more information is coming to light about the man's work habits.

Authorities are investigating what led up to a California Highway Patrol officer fatally shooting her husband last night at their home in Compton. The unnamed CHP officer has not been arrested or charged as of yet, according to abc7.com, and "Sheriff's officials say it will be up to the Los Angeles County district attorney's office to charge the officer in her husband's death." The officer was reportedly off-duty when the incident occurred, and authorities believe the shooting came following a domestic dispute between she and her spouse, 31-year-old Marcus Lavar Lemons. Lemons "was pronounced dead at the scene after being shot once in the chest." Early reports indicate the officer may have acted in self-defense.

The La Jolla Fire, eponymously named after the canyon currently ablaze in Point Mugu State Park north of Malibu, has grown to 32 acres, but firefighters have 50% of the blaze contained, according to the Ventura County Fire Department's webpage. Downed power lines, most likely due to winds, are suspected to be the cause of the Sesnon Fire, according to "sources close to the investigation," per ABC7's Twitter. Additionally, all evacuations for the Marek Fire have been lifted.

LA Now is reporting that interviews with witnesses of last month's deadly Metrolink-Union Pacific train crash have shed light on findings in opposition of the National Transportation Safety Board--and the color of that light just happens to be green.

A small brush fire that began early last night is under investigation for the possibility of murder and arson. The fire near the Pacific Coast Highway and Topanga Canyon was first reported at 6:27 p.m. and burned three to four acres before being knocked down at 7:08 p.m., according to LA County Fire over the phone. Firefighters noticed a vehicle in the fire and upon further investigation, found a dead body inside. Calls made to the LA County Sheriff's Department described "persons fleeing the area," says the LA Times. Also: An earlier fire on the other side of the mountains in Agoura Hills that started around noon is also under investigation for arson.

The story of Rocky Delgadillo, his wife Michelle and their troubles, which began last summer, is getting deeper and thicker. It was first reported by the San Francisco Chronicle yesterday that the FBI was investigating and today the LA Times exposed a more in-depth story saying that the investigation focuses in on Michelle, the companies that have hired her on contract and her own home-based consulting business that she "failed to file state tax returns and operated for years without a required city tax registration certificate."

At around 3:30 this morning a man with a gunshot wound to his chest entered the LAPD station on Wilcox in Hollywood looking for assistance. He said he was a bouncer, but no details about how he sustained his injuries was revealed, and he was soon transported by paramedics to an area hospital. The incident is being investigated, and the victim's condition is unknown.

One person was killed and at least three others were wounded in a shooting at a Samoan Flag Day celebration at Victoria Park in Carson around 10:30 p.m. Wednesday night, according to Los Angeles County Sheriff's Deputy Ricardo Pedroza. The other three victims were a woman, a man, and a boy between 10 and 13 years old, according to reports. Police are still looking for the suspect.

Since December, oil prices have increased 42% and at that same time, Federal regulators have been investigating the U.S. oil market with a focus on possible price manipulation, according to the Associated Press.

Saturday night's officer involved shooting that led to the death of Roketi Mosesue, 46, has led to much controversy. Both sides tell their story. First, the Long Beach Police via the Mercury News:

The Long Beach Police Department and the LA County District Attorney's Office are investigating an officer-involved shooting that killed a 46-year-old Samoan man around 7 p.m. Saturday night in a residential neighborhood of Long Beach.

An on-duty Orange County sheriff's investigator was found dead in the driver's seat of an unmarked Ford Crown Victoria in Aliso Viejo on Wednesday.

The veteran investigator's body was found about 2:30 p.m. in an unmarked Ford Crown Victoria parked in the parking lot of a shopping center in the 26700 block of Aliso Creek Road near Enterprise. Blood covered the front seat. -- OC Register

Three Los Angeles Sheriff Department (LASD) deputies assigned to the Twin Towers Correctional Facility in downtown are suspended (or, paid leave, that is) as a criminal investigation is opened into accusations from an inmate saying that he was isolated by them, punched and pepper-sprayed in the anus and scrotum area. It all started when inmate Alejandro Franco, 23, who is there for "allegedly violating terms of his probation for a domestic violence conviction," swore at a deputy when he requested a clean shirt and was refused.

About 45 minutes after the argument, three deputies removed him from his cell, handcuffed him and took him to a recreation area away from other inmates, Franco said.

Continue reading "Police Accused of Pepper-Spraying Inmate's Genital Area"

It’s beginning to feel a lot like a UC again on campus. For the first time in years, UCLA students threw down their books and returned to their activist roots by staging a major demonstration this afternoon. Students have been shocked and frustrated by the recent tasering of a UCLA student by UCPD officers at the student library, and it has grown to the point where many are feeling the need to voice their...