When it came time to report last year’s crime statistics, Capt. William Murphy of the LAPD Northeast Division noted that 2 of the 12 homicides that took place in his division were “were family related infant fatalities” or cases of child abuse. Digging a little deeper into those statistics, it turns out that both of those deadly cases of child abuse took place in Elysian Valley, the small neighborhood wedged between the L.A. River and 5 Freeway. The two deaths – a three-year-old boy named Isiah and a 19-month old girl named Rosemary – were among the six, citywide homicides investigated last year by the LAPD’s Abused Child Unit, which handles unexplained deaths of children under age 11. Lt. Vincent Neglia with the Abused Child Unit provided a few more details about the Elysian Valley homicides, which were unrelated.
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The City Council today approved $100,000 in reward money in connection with the murders of two Lincoln Heights women – Bree’Anna Guzman and Michelle Lozano. An official said that the county coroner has determined that the body found last week next to a Silver Lake freeway onramp was that of Guzman, a 22-year-old mother who has been missing since Dec. 26 after she took a walk to a Lincoln Heights drug store and never returned. “Our hearts and prayers go out to her loving family and friends,” said Monica Valencia, a spokeswoman for Councilman Ed Reyes.
Reyes requested a $50,000 reward for information on the Guzman case and another $50,000 reward in connection with the murder of Lozano, a 17-year-0ld who turned up dead next to the 5 Freeway in Boyle Heights, a year ago. The case remains unsolved.
The two homicides have generated fear and rumors among many Lincoln Heights residents, with some speculating that the pair of murders were connected and that men have attempted to kidnap women. But the LAPD, in a statement, said it has not been able to determine a connection between the cases.
A Lincoln Heights activist has organized an event tonight – Take Back Lincoln Heights – along North Broadway in response to the fear and rumors generated by the two cases.
Erika Gallo of Lincoln Heights was filling up her car Sunday night at the Arco at the corner of North Broadway and Griffin Avenue when she noticed the sidewalks were practically abandoned. No was walking their dog, running an errand to the store or out for some evening exercise. Gallo, a neighborhood activist who grew up in Lincoln Heights, said she thinks the empty street reflected the fear and uncertainty surrounding the fate of two neighborhood women: Bree’Anna Guzman and Michelle Lozano. Officials are still trying to confirm that it was Guzman’s body that was discovered last week next to the 2 freeway in Silver Lake. Lozano, a 17-year-0ld, turned up dead next to the 5 Freeway in Boyle Heights.
It’s not clear if the two incidents are connected but Gallo decided something needed to be done to restore the confidence of her Lincoln Heights neighbors. So, she is asking Lincoln Heights residents to take a walk on Wednesday night along North Broadway.
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A woman was sexually assaulted in Echo Park this morning by a man who had offered to help the victim find her friends. Officers responded to the 1800 block of Sunset Boulevard after the woman’s friends called police at about 1 a.m., said Lt. Wes. Buhrmester with the Rampart Division. Passersby reported seeing an ambulance and police squad cars parked in the middle of the street. Here are more details from Buhrmester:
The investigation revealed a female was on foot looking for friends, when approached by a suspect offering to help find them. The suspect escorted her to a nearby secluded location where he sexually assaulted her. He then fled the area, and the woman was able to find her friends, and told them what just happened. They phoned the police.
The investigation is ongoing and “details of the assault and particulars of the location and suspect are not being disclosed at this time,” Buhrmester said.
An Angeleno Heights man living in the 800 block of Laveta Terrace awoke early this morning to the sound of footsteps in the hallway and discovered the backdoor open. The resident went outside and saw a man trying to start his car. Police were called shortly before 4 a.m. after the resident tried and failed to catch the suspect, who ran down the street. The officers who responded recalled seeing a man who fit the suspect’s description earlier in the evening at location several blocks away, said Lt. Wes Buhrmester with the Rampart Division. Buhrmester describes what happened next:
After their on-scene investigation, they went to where they had seen the man, and found him. He was detained based on suspect description. The victim responded to the scene and identified Urizar Pastor, 26, Los Angeles, as the man who had been in his car. Pastor had not been seen in the house, though.
A search of Pastor pursuant to arrest disclosed foreign currency in his pockets. The victim advised that his roommate collected such currency, and re-checked the residence. Ransacking was discovered in the roommate’s room, with similar currency scattered about the floor. Pastor was arrested for residential burglary. At the station, he made statements implicating himself in the crime. Pastor was booked at the Metropolitan Detention Center, with bail set at $50,000.
Buhrmester said that “it is believed the victim’s rear door was either unlocked or ajar at the time of the burglary, because of the nice weather. Unfortunately, we must remain vigilant and lock all doors and windows upon retiring, lest we become victims of opportunists.”
Make a graph
Capt. William Murphy of the Northeast Division – which stretches from Echo Park and Silver Lake to Highland Park and Eagle Rock – released crime statistics for 2o11 that showed another annual decline in overall crime. The number of homicides, however, rose to 12 from 8 in 2010, which ranks as the low point for Northeast Division homicides since 1971. Despite last year’s uptick in murder, Murphy notes that homicides remain well below the division’s five most deadliest years, which took place in the early 1990s (see chart above). For a breakdown on homicides and crime by neighborhood, click on the link below for Murphy’s review and commentary of 2011 crime statistics.
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A block of Sunset Boulevard in Echo Park tonight attracted a swarm of police activity after officers responded to a pair of unrelated incidents across the street from each other. With LAPD and media helicopters hovering overhead, police blocked off Sunset Boulevard west of Alvarado Street at about 8: 3o p.m. as Rampart Division officers investigated and detained several persons suspected of selling drugs inside and in front of Lucy’s Laundrymart. Meanwhile, across the street, officers with the Northeast Division pulled over a stolen vehicle they had been following for several blocks. The two events found restaurant patrons and laundrymat customers wondering what was going on as police cars and officers flooded the area. “It got really busy, really fast,” said Sgt. Joel Miller with the Rampart Divison.
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The LAPD has provided more details about the officer involved shooting on Saturday afternoon that left a 34-year-old man dead in El Sereno. Four officers opened fire on Juan Nunez in the 4800 block of Axtell Street after he allegedly pointed a gun at the officers, according to different media reports. Nunez was pronounced dead at the scene and a semi-automatic pistol was found near the body. Here are more details from the LAPD the incident:
On Saturday, January 7, 2012, at 12:48 p.m., LAPD Hollenbeck Area officers responded to a radio call of a male Hispanic armed with a gun in the 4800 block of Axtell Street in Los Angeles. When the officers arrived they observed a man standing near a parked white Nissan. The officers ordered the suspect to display his hands, but the man would not comply. Instead, he drew a semi-automatic pistol and fired at the officers at which time an officer involved shooting occurred.
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Police in Highland Park tonight are searching for a man with a gun near Avenue 50 and Monte Vista Street. Sgt. Wayne Guillary with the Northeast Division said the search began at about 9:30 p.m. after a gang member with a gun ran away from officers. A K-9 unit in addition to a police helicopter have been deployed during the search as officers seal off the area. Guillary said no shooting has taken place.
Photo by Silver Lake resident
Flames engulfed a car parked on a Los Feliz street Sunday afternoon but it’s not clear if it is connected to a rash of arson fires in Hollywood and the San Fernando Valley. The fire was reported after 1 p.m. in the 4500 block of Melbourne Avenue near Hillhurst Avenue. The Silver Lake resident who took the phot0 and called 911 said firefighters arrived within minutes to extinguish the blaze. An email distributed by the Greater Griffith Park Neighborhood Council said the owner of the vehicle was having lunch at a nearby restaurant when the fire began:
The fire was set underneath a car parked on the 4500 block of Melbourne Ave. which is between Rodney & Hillhurst, and 2 blocks north of Hollywood Blvd. The car owner had parked there to go have lunch around the corner. LAFD & LAPD are investigating … Please keep your eyes & ears open and report any suspicious activity.
A person of interest was detained early this morning as part of the arson fire investigation, according to L.A. Now.
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