Los Angeles Security News
December 19, 2012Bomb threat involving LAPD car near Jewish temple deemed a hoax
A bomb threat involving an LAPD patrol car parked near a Jewish temple in Koreatown was determined to be a hoax after several hours of investigation, police said.
“We rendered the vehicle safe,” LAPD Sgt. Rudy Lopez told KTLA-TV on Tuesday. “There is no device inside the vehicle.”
But LAPD brought out several resources to make sure. Two robots searched in and around the vehicle, at one point breaking out a back window and blowing the lock off the trunk to look inside. A specialized lift truck called a “bat cat” also hoisted the cruiser into the air so one of the robots could examine its underbelly.
PHOTOS: Bomb threat involving LAPD squad car
The incident began early Tuesday when an unknown caller phoned in a threat to the Wilshire Boulevard Temple at 3663 Wilshire Blvd. Sgt. David Budek later said the threat “was taken care of” and cleared.
But hours later, shortly before 8 a.m., LAPD received two more threats alleging a bomb was “in or around” an LAPD car parked on Harvard Street between the temple and Our Lady of Angels church, authorities said.
Several streets along Wilshire Boulevard near South Hobart Boulevard and 6th Street were closed for hours as a bomb squad investigated.
Lopez told KTLA-TV the patrol car had been parked in the area for several days to deter crime.
Man held in bomb hoax against Jewish temple, LAPD squad car
Los Angeles police have arrested a man they believe made phony bomb threats against a Jewish temple in Koreatown on Tuesday, as well as an LAPD patrol car parked nearby, police said.
The suspect was identified as Wan Ryung Song, a.k.a Patrick Song, a 46-year-old naturalized citizen who is a native of South Korea. Police say they believe Song also vandalized the Wilshire Boulevard Temple with graffiti of a Swastika and anti-Semitic comments on Dec. 6.
Song has been charged with four counts of making a bomb threat, one count of vandalism at a house of worship, one count of a hate crime.
The hoax calls were made over six hours Tuesday morning from what LAPD investigators believe was the same pay phone near Wilshire Boulevard Temple.
The first phone call was received by police about 2 a.m. and targeted the temple, which was immediately searched before authorities determined there was no explosive device.
Then, shortly before 8 a.m., two calls in close succession came in saying there was some kind of device in or around a patrol car parked on Harvard Street between the temple and Our Lady of Angeles Church.
LAPD officials said the squad car was unoccupied and had been parked in the area to deter crime.
But the LAPD dispatched its bomb squad, which spent several hours examining the patrol car. Two robots searched in and around the vehicle, at one point breaking out a back window and blowing the lock off the trunk to look inside.
A specialized lift truck called a “bat cat” also hoisted the cruiser into the air so one of the robots could examine its underside.
Several streets along Wilshire Boulevard near South Hobart Boulevard and 6th Street were closed for hours as the bomb squad investigated.
Security officials told police that they had seen a suspicious man hiding behind a parked patrol car, according to authorities. LAPD investigators determined that Song made calls from a nearby pay phone at the Hyun Dae Health Spa, in the 3600 block of Wilshire Boulevard, and confirmed that he was a registered member of the spa.
‘All clear’ at San Jose City College after lockdown
Authorities have given the “all clear” signal following a search at San Jose City College for a reported gunman, according to Northern California media.
“All-clear given at San Jose City College following report of gunman, campus search,” reported ABC7 News in the Bay Area. The lockdown lasted roughly from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
A dispatcher with the college police told The Times that no gunman had been found on campus.
Authorities are now investigating the source of the original 911 call.
False alarm: Supposed gunman at L.A. hospital was security guard
A supposed gunman spotted at Cedar’s Sinai Medical Center — which led to the evacuation of dozens and a police search Wednesday — turned out to be a security guard, LAPD officials said.
Deputy Chief Debra McCarthy said a custodian noticed a person with a gun or holster under his clothes in a bathroom Wednesday morning and immediately notified hospital security.
As a precaution, the public was cleared from part of the hospital as police arrived and searched for any potential threat.
An investigation determined the so-called gunman was an armed guard, said LAPD Officer Cleon Joseph.
McCarthy said it is always better to report suspicions than not, but in this case, there was no gunman.
Northridge shooting suspect held without bail after extradition
A man arrested in connection to the killing of four people outside a Northridge boarding house will be held without bail until a hearing in January to determine whether he violated probation, a Los Angeles Superior Court commissioner ruled Wednesday.
Prosecutors have not filed charges in the Dec. 2 shootings, but authorities transferred Ka Pasasouk, 31, and another man suspected in the Northridge shootings from Clark County Jail in Nevada to Los Angeles on Tuesday for hearings in pending cases unrelated to the murders.
Pasasouk’s probation violation hearing, regarding an alleged vehicle theft, was continued until Jan. 30. At his attorney’s request, Pasasouk did not appear in court late Wednesday morning, though he was present in the building.
PHOTOS: Four killed in shooting at Northridge home
Prosecutors said they mistakenly allowed Pasasouk to receive drug treatment instead of prison time when his case was heard in September. He has several convictions dating back to at least 2004 and most recently pleaded no contest to possession of methamphetamine in 2011.
His supervision was transferred to local authorities under AB109, which shifted supervision of non-violent offenders from state parole officers to county probation departments in a bid to cut the state’s jail population.
On Wednesday afternoon, Pasasouk is scheduled to appear at a hearing for a separate probation violation in Van Nuys Superior Court. His alleged accomplice, Howard Ledesma Alcantara, 30, is scheduled to appear in San Fernando Superior Court about 1:30 p.m. Wednesday to face charges of robbery and assault with a deadly weapon.
A third suspect, Donna Rabulan, 30, of Los Angeles, remains in Clark County Jail awaiting extradition to Los Angeles.
Christina Neal, 33, of Los Angeles, who was also arrested in connection with the shootings, is no longer in custody, said Jean Guccione, spokeswoman for the D.A.’s office. remains in Clark County Jail in Nevada.
Four people were killed in the Dec. 2 shootings: Amanda Ghossein, 24, of Monterey Park; Jennifer Kim, 26, of Montebello; Robert Calabia, 34, of Los Angeles, and Teofilo Navales, 49, of Castaic.
[For the record, Dec. 19, 2:45 p.m.: An earlier version of this post incorrectly stated that Ka Pasasouk was facing murder charges. He was arrested on suspicion of murder, but has not yet been charged in connection with the killings.]
State lawmakers seek tighter gun laws after Sandy Hook shootings
A group of California lawmakers is proposing tighter gun laws to better control access to weapons after the Newtown, Conn., mass shooting.
The proposals include mandatory permits with fees and background checks for anyone who wants to buy bullets. Tougher gun permit and safety measures, as well as a plan to close a loophole in the state’s assault weapons ban, also were proposed.
California has been fighting in court for years with the National Rifle Assn. and other groups over an earlier, landmark law to restrict handgun ammunition sales. The state has been unable to enforce the law since 2010 because of the litigation.
PHOTOS: Mourning after the massacre
“For too long, too much ground has been ceded in this debate about reasonable gun and ammunition control,” said Sen. Kevin De Leon, chairman of the Senate Democratic Caucus.
The Democrat from Los Angeles is leading the effort for new regulations on ammunition sales, which he said Tuesday would be dedicated to those killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School.
“We must not capitulate any longer.”
He said his new proposal addresses concerns raised by the courts that the existing law does not clearly define what constitutes handgun ammunition. The rules proposed by De Leon would apply to ammunition for all guns.
California lawmakers repeatedly have implemented strict rules on gun ownership despite the state’s large population of hunters and recreational shooters, and constant wrangling with the NRA. The nonprofit Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, which lobbies for restrictions on firearm ownership, ranks California No. 1 among states.
Bans on assault weapons and ammunition clips holding more than 10 rounds, as well as a strong background check requirement, retention of records on gun buyers and a 10-day waiting period for purchasing firearms helped earn California the distinction.
De Leon wants an annual permit fee of up to $50 to pay for felony and mental illness background checks.
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