Two LAPD officers shot in Koreatown

Two  Los Angeles police officers were shot and wounded Saturday night in a confrontation with a gunman in Koreatown, officials said.

The extent of the officers' injuries was not immediately known. They were rushed to a local hospital, officials said.

Police sources provided few details about the incident, other than to say the officers confronted a gunman who fired multiple times and wounded them both. 

 It was not immediately known whether the gunman had been apprehended or was still at large, but the incident provoked a massive police response, with dozens of cars flooding into the area around Vermont Avenue and 7th and 8th streets. The LAPD's West Bureau went on "tactical alert" around 10 p.m. because of the incident, meaning officers were only responding to emergency calls.

--Andrew Blankstein 

Economic protesters remain camped out at L.A. City Hall

After a daylong protest against what they view as inequities in economic policies, more than 100 protesters remained on the steps of Los Angeles City Hall on Saturday night, drumming, singing and discoursing on fiscal policy.

The Occupy LA protest, which drew hundreds of people in peaceful waves all day Saturday, is modeled after a similar movement in New York that has been staging a sit-in on Wall Street for almost two weeks. Most participants said they hope to change or expose economic polices that benefit the richest 1% of Americans.

Like their Manhattan counterparts, the Los Angeles protesters said they plan to camp out by City Hall indefinitely or until they draw enough attention to their cause. Other protests have been springing up around the world, including in Cleveland and Australia.

Andrew Roberts, a 33-year-old father from Long Beach, said he was protesting to try to ensure a better future for his children. "The system that's in place clearly isn't working anymore." Roberts said. "If this carries on my children aren't going to have the same standard of living as I do, and that's sorry."

At City Hall, protesters set up an open microphone and speakers took turns urging each other to take action against government policies, pressure lawmakers and, perhaps most important, not destroy property or engage in any violent acts.

“In the end, what we want to do is inspire working-class people to get involved in the political process,” said Adam Liszkiewics, 32, a USC graduate student.

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Teacher punished students for saying "Bless You" in class

Michael Jackson fans from overseas gather at Conrad Murray trial

Ex-model who ate husband's body parts claimed to be battered wife

-- Jason Song and Sam Allen

 

High school cheerleader collapses at game, dies

A cheerleader who collapsed on the field at a high school football game Friday night at Fremont High School in South Los Angeles later died at a hospital, according to a school district spokesman.

Angela Gettis, a junior at Washington Prep High School, fell to the ground after a routine jump and went into a seizure about 9 p.m., said Tom Waldman, communications director for the Los Angeles Unified School District.

Paramedics were able to revive Gettis at the scene by shocking her heart, according to a spokesman for the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

She was then rushed to Centinela Medical Center in Inglewood, where she died later that night, Waldman said.

By Saturday evening, a Facebook page memorializing her was full of tributes, including one that read: "I wish I just had one more day with you."

ALSO:

Teacher punished students for saying "Bless You" in class

Michael Jackson fans from overseas gather at Conrad Murray trial

Ex-model who ate husband's body parts claimed to be battered wife

-- Sam Allen

Brush fire east of Julian burns more than 300 acres

A brush fire east of Julian in northeast San Diego County has burned more than 300 acres, with the fire commander calling for more engines, firefighters and bulldozers to halt the spread of the blaze, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection reported late Saturday afternoon.

The fire, of unknown origin, was spotted shortly before 1 p.m. south of California Highway 78 near Shelter Valley. The fire, called the Great fire, is burning toward the Pacific Crest Trail.

More than 250 firefighters are on the scene, along with two water-dropping helicopters, four air tankers and other equipment. No structures have been reported as threatened.

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Crime alerts for Sunland, Eagle Rock and nine other L.A. neighborhoods

Geezer Bandit may, or may not, have struck La Jolla bank

Law students help get man's 17-year-old murder conviction overturned

-- Tony Perry in San Diego

Fort Bragg slaying suspect is killed in shootout

Aaron Bassler, the suspect in two Fort Bragg killings including that of a city councilman, was killed Saturday in a shootout with law enforcement officers after a monthlong manhunt, authorities said.

A SWAT team from the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department encountered Bassler, 35,  around midday and a shootout ensued, said spokesman Jason Ramos. No officers were injured.

Bassler was accused of killing 45-year-old Matthew Coleman, a land restoration worker, on Aug. 11 north of Fort Bragg. He also was accused of killing Jere Melo, 69, a Fort Bragg city councilman, in the hills east of town on Aug. 27.

Since Melo’s death, a manhunt has been underway for Bassler, whose father said he is schizophrenic and deranged. Federal agents as well as law enforcement officers from around the state have aided Mendocino County deputies in the search for Bassler.

Reader photos: Southern California Moments Day 274

: Old-fashioned fun: A student hula hoops during the back to school picnic at Balboa Gifted Magnet Elementary School in Northridge in this photo by Kelly Mitchell taken Sept. 25.

Every day of 2011, we're featuring reader-submitted photos of Southern California Moments. Follow us on Twitter and visit the Southern California Moments homepage for more on this series.

Woman says dead motorist found over cliff is her father

The body of a dead motorist who was discovered recently by a second driver who plunged over the same roadside cliff, yet survived, may belong to an 88-year-old former liquor store owner and West Los Angeles resident.
 
Officials have not formally identified the dead motorist, whose decaying remains were discovered behind the wheel of a battered Toyota Camry in a deep ravine in Angeles National Forest. However, the daughter of Melvin Gelfand, who has been missing for two weeks, said Saturday that she is certain the body is that of her father.
 
Daughter Joan Matlack said the description of the dead motorist's vehicle matches that of her father’s and that Los Angeles police investigators told her Gelfand’s identification and car registration were in the vehicle.

According to a Los Angeles Police Department missing persons bulletin, Gelfand was last seen at his West Los Angeles home on Sept. 14. On Saturday, Matlack said she believed her father was headed to a San Diego casino the day he disappeared. How he and his car ended up almost 10 miles north of Santa Clarita, in the opposite direction, she does not know.

Fort Bragg slaying suspect is reported killed

Aaron Bassler, the suspect in two Fort Bragg killings who has eluded authorities for more than a month, has been killed, a local newspaper reported.

The Santa Rosa Press-Democrat reported that Bassler, 35, was shot and killed Saturday afternoon by a Sacramento County sheriff’s deputy aiding in the search.

Calls to Mendocino County authorities were not immediately returned and there were no details available on how Bassler died.

Bassler is accused of killing 45-year-old Matthew Coleman, a land restoration worker, on Aug. 11 north of Fort Bragg. He also is accused of killing Jere Melo, 69, a Fort Bragg city councilman, in the hills east of town on Aug. 27.

Since Melo’s death, a manhunt has been underway for Bassler, whose father said he is schizophrenic and deranged. Federal agents as well as law enforcement officers from around the state have aided Mendocino County deputies in the search for Bassler.

ALSO:

Crime alerts for Sunland, Eagle Rock and nine other L.A. neighborhoods

Geezer Bandit may, or may not, have struck La Jolla bank

Law students help get man's 17-year-old murder conviction overturned

 -- Sam Quinones

twitter.com/samquinones7

Who Gets to Be Called a Doctor?

Many nurses are going back to school to earn doctorate degrees, but does that give them the right to call themselves doctor?

Many physicians don’t think so, and they are pushing for legislation to restrict who gets to call themselves a doctor, reports New York Times health reporter Gardiner Harris.

As more nurses, pharmacists and physical therapists claim this honorific, physicians are fighting back. For nurses, getting doctorates can help them land a top administrative job at a hospital, improve their standing at a university and get them more respect among colleagues and patients. But so far, the new degrees have not brought higher fees from insurers for seeing patients or greater authority from states to prescribe medicines….

Dr. Roland Goertz, the board chairman of the American Academy of Family Physicians, says that physicians are worried that losing control over “doctor,” a word that has defined their profession for centuries, will be followed by the loss of control over the profession itself. He said that patients could be confused about the roles of various health professionals who all call themselves doctors.

“There is real concern that the use of the word ‘doctor’ will not be clear to patients,” he said.

To learn more, read the full story, “Calling the Nurse ‘Doctor,’ a Title Physicians Oppose,” and then please join the discussion below.

San Diego police officer killed in off-duty traffic accident

 
A San Diego police officer was killed early Saturday morning in an off-duty traffic accident on Interstate 15, the Police Department said.

Jason Prokop, 34, a five-year veteran, was traveling south on I-15 when he was involved in a collision about 3:15 a.m. He left his car to render aid to the other motorist and was hit by a southbound car, said Lt. Andra Brown.

A second person -- as yet unidentified -- was also killed in a chain reaction of four collisions involving multiple cars.

The California Highway Patrol is investigating the accident.

-- Tony Perry in San Diego

Photo: Jason Prokop. Credit: San Diego Police Department

Two men, one dressed as a woman, rob Covina jeweler

A Covina jewelry story was robbed Friday afternoon by two men, one of whom was dressed as a woman and wearing a flowery dress, police said.

The two men were buzzed into Legacy Jewelers, 115 N. Citrus Ave., shortly before 1 p.m., police said.

Once inside the store, which had no other customers at the time, they pulled guns, tied up the owners and made off with an undisclosed amount of loot, police said.

The owners freed themselves, ran outside and contacted a Covina policeman on a walking beat. Officers searched the downtown area Friday afternoon, but could find no one.

ALSO:

Teacher punished students for saying "Bless You" in class

Michael Jackson fans from overseas gather at Conrad Murray trial

Ex-model who ate husband's body parts claimed to be battered wife

 -- Sam Quinones

twitter.com/samquinones7

Daughter dies, mother severely burned in 101 accident

A 9-year-old girl burned to death and her mother was severely burned when their car overturned and burst into flames on the Ventura Freeway (101) on Saturday morning.

The accident occurred about 8:30 a.m. in the eastbound lanes of the highway near Las Virgenes Road, according to a California Highway Patrol officer Ed Jacobs.

The accident forced the closure of all eastbound lanes for an hour. One lane is now open but the rest of the eastbound lanes will be closed until early afternoon, Jacobs said. Traffic is now backed up for several miles.

The mother apparently rear-ended a big rig, then lost control of her car. It overturned and burst into flames, Jacob said. The mother was able to crawl out of the vehicle, but could not rescue her daughter, he said.

The mother was flown to UCLA Medical Center with burns over 80% of her body.

 -- Sam Quinones

twitter.com/samquinones7

Fatal bicycle accidents concern Pasadena

The two fatal bicycle collisions this month, happening just three days apart, have Pasadena officials concerned. But they insist the city is safe for cyclists.

Jocelyn Young, 24, of Alhambra was struck by a vehicle on Sept. 18 and Alan Deane, 61, of Eagle Rock was hit by a car on Sept. 22.

After Young fell off her bicycle on Los Robles Avenue near Cordova Street, she was struck by a vehicle driven by Nicholas Jeremy Avila, 21, of Alhambra, police told the Pasadena Sun.  Avila, who was arrested on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter, is believed to have been drunk at the time of the collision, Pasadena Police Lt. Randell Taylor said.

Deane was riding his bicycle on Colorado Boulevard near Terrace Drive when he collided with a car making a left turn. The driver of the vehicle was not injured in the crash or arrested. Both incidents are still under investigation.

School stabbing suspect allegedly triggers bomb scare at hospital

A bomb scare Friday night at St. Francis Medical Center in Lynwood was due to a threat made by a man  who had been arrested on suspicion of stabbing his estranged 17-year-old girlfriend to death at South East High School in South Gate earlier that morning, sheriff's officials said.

The suspect, Abraham Lopez, 18, a senior at the school, claimed during questioning by detectives that he had placed explosives at various locations, including the parking structure of the hospital where the girl was taken after the attack, according to a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department report.

An arson and explosives team was sent to the locations he identified, including the hospital parking structure, and found no suspicious devices, according to the report.

Coroner’s officials have not released the name of the girl who died. Lopez has been charged with murder in her death.

Crime alerts for Sunland, Eagle Rock and nine other L.A. neighborhoods

Crime reports are up significantly for the latest week in 11 L.A. neighborhoods, according to an analysis of LAPD data by the Los Angeles Times’ Crime L.A. database.

Eight neighborhoods reported a significant increase in violent crime. Sunland (A) was the most unusual, recording three reports compared with a weekly average of 0.5 over the last three months.

Eagle Rock (I) topped the list of three neighborhoods with property crime alerts. It recorded 20 property crimes compared with its weekly average of 8.8 over the last three months.

Alerts are based on an analysis of crime reports for Sept. 22–Sept. 28, the most recent seven days for which data are available.

— Ben Welsh, Thomas Suh Lauder

Earthquake: 3.0 quake strikes near Tipton, Calif.

A shallow magnitude 3.0 earthquake was reported Saturday morning five miles from Tipton, Calif., according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The temblor occurred at 12:07 a.m. Pacific time at a depth of 3.7 miles.

According to the USGS, the epicenter was six miles from Tulare, six miles from Woodville, 13 miles from Visalia and 156 miles from the Los Angeles Civic Center.

In the last 10 days, there have been two earthquakes of magnitude 3.0 and greater centered nearby.

Read more about California earthquakes on L.A. Now.

-- Ken Schwencke

Image credit: Google Maps

More than $557,000 raised in L.A. City Council race

Candidates in the special election to replace former Los Angeles City Councilwoman Janice Hahn have received more than $557,000 in campaign donations, according to fundraising reports filed this week. Independent groups have already spent more than $156,000 on the Nov. 8 race.

Eleven people are vying for the 15th Council District seat, which takes in San Pedro, Wilmington, Harbor Gateway and Watts. State Assemblyman Warren Furutani (D-Gardena) has raised more than anyone -- $132,576 –- a large portion of it from labor unions and his colleagues in the state Legislature.

Candidate Joe Buscaino, a Los Angeles Police Department officer, came in second in fundraising, with $103,063. Both Furutani and Buscaino have accepted $100,000 in matching funds from the city.

Los Angeles Fire Department firefighter Pat McOsker reported $91,004 in campaign donations, including several thousand dollars in contributions from firefighter unions across the state and country. His campaign has also benefited from $146, 566 in spending by an independent group, Working Californians to Support McOsker for City Council 2011, which consists of several labor unions, including the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers locals 11 and 18.

McOsker, who until August was president of the United Firefighters of Los Angeles City, has also received $85,212 in matching funds from the city.

Jayme Wilson, a San Pedro businessman who is part owner of the popular Ports O'Call restaurant, has raised $90,000, including $55,000 in personal loans.

The next highest fundraiser was Rudy Svorinich, who served two terms as councilman in the 15th Council District and who has raised $57,660. Svorinich has accepted $66,480 in matching funds.

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-- Kate Linthicum

Geezer Bandit may, or may not, have struck La Jolla bank

 
A bank robber with several similarities -- but one glaring difference -- from the notorious Geezer Bandit struck a La Jolla bank on Friday.

The robber appeared to be between 60 and 70 years old, was narrow shouldered, stood about 5-foot-10 inches and was wearing glasses.

All are characteristics of the bandit dubbed by the FBI as the Geezer Bandit, who is suspected of robbing 14 banks in Southern California since August 2009.

The timing (late afternoon on a Friday) and the location (a bank inside a grocery store) also jibe with some of the Geezer Bandit robberies. Two of the robberies attributed to the Geezer Bandit were in La Jolla.

But surveillance cameras appeared to show the robber as bald. The Geezer Bandit has always worn a hat.

Pending further investigation, the FBI is declining to classify the robbery as the work of the Geezer Bandit.

-- Tony Perry in San Diego

Photo: The bank robber can be seen on surveillance footage Friday at the Wells Fargo branch in La Jolla. Credit: FBI