Occupy Los Angeles protesters camp for second night at City Hall

Protesters who have camped outside Los Angeles City Hall since Saturday, inspired by on-going Occupy Wall Street demonstrations in New York, will spend a second night sleeping on the pavement this evening.

Loosely organized by a group called Occupy Los Angeles, several hundred people marched and rallied Sunday, holding signs that blasted corporate influence on government. They used Internet sites to mobilize and get attention.

Photos: Sunday's protest and parade downtown

Tents and blankets dotted the lawn in front of City Hall on Sunday, as people came and went from the encampment. Some stood on the sidewalk holding signs. Sunday night passing cars periodically honked in a show of support.

"It's been a very peaceful demonstration," Los Angeles Police Department Sgt. Mitzi Fierro said. "They're out there exercising their First Amendment right, so we're going to allow them to continue as long it doesn't become an unlawful assembly."

Following a procedure established Saturday night, the protesters were to be moved from the grass on the south lawn of City Hall to the sidewalk at 10:30 p.m. Sunday, and back from the pavement to the lawn at 6 a.m. Monday.

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Photos: Protest and parade in downtown L.A.

Photos: Occupy LA protest

-- Esmeralda Bermudez

Photo: Shayne Eastin, 27, of Los Angeles protests in downtown near Los Angeles City Hall on Sunday.  Credit: Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times

Fire in northeast San Diego County has burned 2,000 acres, is 20% contained

 
The brush fire east of Julian in northeast San Diego County is "holding" at 2,000 acres and is 20% contained, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said Sunday night.

More than 1,000 residents have been advised via telephone to be prepared to evacuate. But no evacuation order has been given.

The fire, called the Great fire, broke out Saturday afternoon. Its origin is unknown. By Sunday night, it was being battled by 1,486 firefighters.

Cost of fighting the fire has been set at $650,000. No structures have yet been reported damaged.

--Tony Perry in San Diego

Photo: Firefighters establishing fire line to stop the advance of the Great Fire in northeast San Diego County. Credit: Kevin Pack / California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection

 

Controversial Orange County bridge proposal gets new life

Elected officials have restarted talks about the 19th Street Bridge, a perennially controversial proposal that would connect Costa Mesa and Huntington Beach.

County Supervisor John Moorlach quietly revived discussions among council members -- one each from Costa Mesa, Newport Beach, Huntington Beach and Fountain Valley -- who would have to sign off on the plans.

Bridge advocates say it would help traffic flow throughout the area and could enhance Westside Costa Mesa. Opponents, who have been fighting bridge plans for more than 30 years, argue that it would worsen traffic and noise in residential areas and would harm sensitive environmental resources.

"As good neighbors, we're going to take a hard look at it," Moorlach told the Huntington Beach Independent. "We're at least all in the same room, and we're all debating, and listening to all the pros and cons."

The latest talks began in late August when Newport Beach Councilman Steve Rosansky prodded Moorlach to organize a meeting among the four cities' leaders.

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-- Mike Reicher, Times Community News

Juveniles booked in shooting of LAPD officers in Koreatown

Two juveniles taken into custody Saturday night in connection with the shooting of two undercover LAPD officers in Koreatown have been booked on suspicion of attempted murder, police officials said.

Sgt. Cathy Reyes of the LAPD's Olympic station, where the two injured officers were assigned, said the juvenile suspects, who were held overnight at the station, were booked downtown late Sunday morning. The suspects' names have not been released.

Authorities said earlier Sunday that police were searching for additional suspects in a red Nissan or Mitsubishi sedan. Those suspects are still outstanding, Reyes said.

The plainclothes officers were shot after they came upon a shooting in progress and confronted men who had opened fire on a woman, LAPD Chief Charlie Beck said. The two officers were hit in the face with small pellets.

One officer was hit in an eye and was reported to be in serious but stable condition after surgery Sunday. The other officer was released from the hospital with minor injuries.

Reyes said it appears that the initial shooting was gang related.

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-- Abby Sewell

Protesters set up camp in front of Los Angeles City Hall

Inspired by the anti-corporate Occupy Wall Street demonstrations in New York, several hundred protesters set up camp in front of Los Angeles City Hall this weekend, saying they are there to stay.

Saturday night's sleep-in followed a march and rally earlier in the day Saturday by a loosely organized group called Occupy Los Angeles.

Tents and blankets dotted the lawn in front of City Hall on Sunday, as people came and went from the encampment. Some stood on the sidewalk holding signs or, in the case of one protester, playing a bagpipe, while others sprawled on blankets in the shade, painted signs, or sat in a circle for impromptu strategy sessions. Occasional passing cars honked in support.

Photos: 'Occupy LA' protest

The movement generally takes issue with corporate influence on government. Many protesters carried signs with variations on the slogan "We are the 99%" -- everyone, that is, except the richest 1% of the population, who the demonstrators contend are the only beneficiaries of America's economic policies.

Most said they had heard about the Occupy Los Angeles protest via Twitter and Internet sites such as Tumblr and Reddit.

Blake Digangi, 20, a community college student from Menifee, said he heard about the Occupy Wall Street protests from friends in New York.

Reader photos: Southern California Moments Day 275

Downtown demonstration: Occupy LA protesters gather in front of Los Angeles City Hall on Saturday, Oct. 1, in this photo captured by Bullet Salvador. 

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Economic protesters take to the streets in L.A.

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.

Evacuations advised in path of San Diego County wildfire

Fire officials are advising residents of subdivisions to the east of the San Diego County city of Julian to evacuate in the face of a wildfire that has burned about 2,000 acres.

About 1,000 firefighters from Cal Fire, the U.S. Forest Service and local fire agencies across the county are battling the blaze, which is about 5% contained, according to Cal Fire spokesman Daniel Berlant.

The evacuation notice, which applies to residents of the area known as Julian Proper, is advisory, not mandatory, Berland said.

The fire started Saturday afternoon and burned through the night. Winds are now pushing it to the east, toward Julian.

Highway 78 is closed between Wynola Road and Scissors Crossing because of the blaze. 

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-- Abby Sewell

Palmdale man shot to death in Long Beach [Updated]

Police in Long Beach are investigating the fatal shooting of a Palmdale man.

Police found the victim, identified Sunday as Reynard Lionell Fulton, 29, suffering from a gunshot wound in the 1300 block of Atlantic Avenue after receiving a report of a shooting at 7:24 p.m. Saturday, said Long Beach Police Department spokeswoman Lisa Massacani.

[Updated at 11:15 a.m. Oct. 2: At least 106 homicides have been reported within two miles of Saturday 's shooting since January 2007, according to coroner’s data collected for The Times’ interactive Homicide Report.]

Fulton was transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Massacani had no other information on the suspect or the circumstances of the shooting.

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Body of missing corrections officer found in aqueduct

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-- Abby Sewell

Map: Shows location of Saturday's shooting in purple, as well as 106 other homicides, in red, since January 2007. Credit: Los Angeles Times

Body of missing corrections officer found in aqueduct

The body of a missing Palmdale man was found in the California Aqueduct.

Family members reported Thomas Hayes, a 51-year-old corrections officer, as missing Wednesday after a passerby found his dog sitting near a parked car by the aqueduct and called the number on the tag, according to a Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department statement.

Hayes frequently walked the dog on a path along the aqueduct and occasionally had to go into the water to get the dog out, relatives told authorities.

Deputies launched a search for Hayes, and divers scoured the aqueduct. Deputies found his body at a pumping station about 30 miles south of where his car had been found.

Sheriff's Department officials, saying there was no evidence of foul play, said they believe Hayes accidentally drowned, but are awaiting a determination by the coroner of the cause of death.

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-- Abby Sewell

Two juveniles arrested in shooting of undercover police

Two juveniles have been arrested in the Saturday night shooting of two undercover LAPD officers in Koreatown and are awaiting booking.

The male suspects, taken into custody Saturday night, are being held at the LAPD's Olympic station and are expected to be transferred to Metropolitan Detention Center for booking Sunday morning, said Sgt. Cathy Reyes, who said she did not know what charges the suspects would face.

Authorities said earlier Sunday that police were searching for additional suspects in a red Nissan or Mitsubishi sedan.

The plainclothes officers were shot after they came upon a shooting in progress and confronted men who had opened fire on a woman, LAPD Chief Charlie Beck said. Both officers were hit in the face with small pellets, similar to bird shot.

One officer was hit in an eye and was reported to be in serious but stable condition after surgery Sunday. The other officer was released from the hospital with minor injuries.

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Body of missing corrections officer found in aqueduct

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-- Abby Sewell 

Good Samaritan killed while helping stranded motorist

A man was fatally struck by a car while helping a stranded motorist change a tire in Burbank.

The victim, a 55-year-old Long Beach man whose name has not been released, had just finished changing a tire for another driver along the side of the Ventura Freeway in Burbank at about 10:44 p.m. Saturday and was walking back to his car when a 2008 Pontiac G6 heading westbound at about 65 miles per hour went off the road and crashed into him, according to a California Highway Patrol statement.

The victim was pronounced dead at the scene.

The driver of the car with the flat tire was struck in the head by debris from the crash and transported to an area hospital with moderate injuries.

The crash is under investigation. The driver of the car that struck the man was not injured and was not arrested, according to the CHP statement.

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Photo: KTLA News

Pugs dress up for charity costume contest

It was a costume contest to make any dog lover eat their heart out.

Pugs dressed in get-ups including a princess and a frog, a lobster, Frankenstein -- even a milk maid complete with tartan dress and two blond braids -- pranced before the judges hoping to take top prize at Saturday's 13th annual Pugtoberfest at Costa Mesa's TeWinkle Park.

In the end, it was Queen Elizabeth — who else? — a silver pug in a tiara and bejeweled cape perched regally on a wagon covered in white clothe and jewels, that wore the crown.

"It's the year for the royals," Debbie Fallon, who dressed her dog Jewel as Queen Elizabeth, told the Daily Pilot.

Fallon and her husband traveled from Long Beach to attend Pugtoberfest, a fundraiser for the Newport Beach-based Pugs 'N Pals Rescue.

All the money raised by the event go toward medical care for rescued canines, said Pugs 'N Pals President Tina Seri. Seri said the organization spends about $1,500 on medical care for a healthy dog, but the bills could stack up to $15,000 if a dog is injured or sick.

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--Britney Barnes, Times Community News

Palmdale man shot to death in Long Beach

Police in Long Beach are investigating the fatal shooting of a Palmdale man.

Police found the victim, identified Sunday as Reynard Lionell Fulton, 29, suffering from a gunshot wound in the 1300 block of Atlantic Avenue after receiving a report of a shooting at 7:24 p.m. Saturday, said Long Beach Police Department spokeswoman Lisa Massacani.

Fulton was transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Massacani had no other information on the suspect or the circumstances of the shooting.

-- Abby Sewell

Brush fire east of Julian now at 1200 acres and growing

A brushfire east of Julian in northeast San Diego County has grown to 1,200 acres and is burning on land belong to the state park system and the federal Bureau of Land Management, Cal Fire said Sunday.

Called the Great Fire, the blaze broke out Saturday afternoon and is considered 5% contained.

More than 1,000 firefighters are attempting to control the fire, backed by five helicopters and eight air tankers. No structures are threatened.

-- Tony Perry in San Diego

Police search for car in shooting of undercover officers

Police are searching for a vehicle in connection with a shooting in Koreatown that wounded two undercover officers Saturday night.

The vehicle, described as a red Nissan or Mitsubishi sedan, had multiple occupants, said LAPD spokeswoman Mitzi Fierro.

Police have questioned more than 20 people about the incident, she said, but no arrests have been made.

The officers were in plain clothes working the narcotics detail near Vermont Avenue and Leeward Avenue at about 9:15 p.m. when they came upon a shooting in progress, officials said. The officers confronted one or more men who had opened fire on a woman, LAPD Chief Charlie Beck said, and then came under fire themselves and were hit in the face with small pellets similar to bird shot.

The officers were taken to California Hospital. As of Sunday morning, one of them had undergone surgery and was in stable but serious condition, Fierro said. The other officer was released with minor injuries.

-- Abby Sewell

Coast Guard airlifts ailing seaman from cargo ship to San Diego

A merchant seaman aboard a cargo ship 170 miles northwest of San Diego was airlifted by a Coast Guard helicopter for emergency medical treatment in San Diego.

The 37-year-old Filipino sailor aboard a Cyprus-flagged cargo ship began experiencing a high fever and other symptoms Saturday afternoon.

The Coast Guard launched an MH-60 Jayhawk rescue helicopter from San Diego plus a C-130 Hercules fixed-wing aircraft from Sacramento to provide communications support.

By 10:50 p.m., the ailing seaman had been hoisted aboard the helicopter and taken to San Diego for treatment, the Coast Guard said.

-- Tony Perry in San Diego

Man killed while helping stranded motorist

A man was fatally struck by a car while helping a stranded motorist change a tire in Burbank.

The victim, a 55-year-old Long Beach man whose name has not been released, had just finished changing a tire for another driver along the side of the Ventura Freeway in Burbank at about 10:44 p.m. Saturday and was walking back to his car when a 2008 Pontiac G6 heading westbound at about 65 miles per hour went off the road and crashed into him, according to a California Highway Patrol statement.

The victim was pronounced dead at the scene.

The driver of the car with the flat tire was struck in the head by debris from the crash and transported to an area hospital with moderate injuries.

The crash is under investigation. The driver of the car that struck the man was not injured and was not arrested, according to the CHP statement.

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Body found on Interstate 5 in East Los Angeles

Sheriff's deputies are investigating the death of a man whose body was found on the side of Interstate 5 in East Los Angeles.

The body was discovered on the southbound side of the freeway north of Ditman Avenue at about 3:15 a.m., according to a statement from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. The victim, whose name was not released, was described as a Latino man.  

It was not immediately clear how he died. Sheriff's deputies are on scene investigating the incident.

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2 detained in shooting of LAPD officers in Koreatown

Los Angeles police detained two people and are seeking more suspects in the shooting of two officers Saturday night that prompted the department to go on tactical alert.

The injured officers, who were in plain clothes working a narcotics detail, were shot when they came upon a shooting in progress, said LAPD Chief Charlie Beck.

The officers confronted one or more men who had opened fire on a woman, Beck said.

The officers then came under fire and were hit in the face with small pellets, similar to bird shot,  according to Beck.

One officer was hit in an eye. Police recovered multiple weapons at the scene and detained several people to determine what role, if any, they had played in the shooting, Beck said.

Both officers were taken to California Hospital and were in stable condition.

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--Andrew Blankstein and Joel Rubin

Two undercover police officers shot, wounded in Koreatown

Two  undercover Los Angeles police officers were shot and wounded late Saturday night after trying to intervene in a gang-related shooting they witnessed, sparking a gun battle and a massive manhunt through Koreatown.

One officer was shot in the face, and his condition was unknown. A second was suffered a graze wound to the head, and was expected to survive. Both were rushed to a local hospital.

Police sources provided few details of the incident, but said the two officers were working undercover near Vermont and Leeward at about 9:15 p.m.when they witnessed some kind of gang-related shooting.

They intervened, and a gun battle ensued.

It  was not immediately clear if anyone was wounded in the shooting that preceded the officers' being shot. 

Following the incident, police launched a huge dragnet around the area to try to apprehend the suspects.

By 11 p.m., police said that at least one suspect was in custody, and a gun had been recovered at the scene, although it was not clear if it was the weapon used to shoot the officers.  There were reports that officers were searching for a second suspect who was believed hiding in the area.

--Andrew Blankstein