Funeral Services Announced For Slain Whittier Police Officer
Funeral arrangements for Whittier police Officer Keith Wayne Boyer, who was killed in a shooting that also left a second officer wounded, were announced Thursday. A memorial service at 10 a.m. March 3 at Calvary Chapel Downey, 12808 Woodruff Ave., will be followed by a procession to Rose Hills Memorial Park, 3888 Workman Mill Road in Whittier, for a graveside service for the 53-year-old officer.
CBS 2

Killer of San Diego cop should be freed, California parole board recommends
A state Parole Board on Thursday recommended release from prison for Jesus Cecena, who was convicted of murdering San Diego Police Officer Archie Buggs during a traffic stop more than three decades ago. The decision marks the third time since 2014 that a Parole Board has cleared the way for Cecena to be released. Twice before, in 2014 and 2015, that decision was subsequently overturned by Gov. Jerry Brown.
Los Angeles Times

LAPD, Long Beach Police to Join Metro Security Force Under Newly Approved Contract
Under a new contract unanimously approved by Metro officials Thursday, Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies this summer will begin sharing patrol duties on buses and trains with Los Angeles and Long Beach police officers.  The Metro system has primarily been the jurisdiction of the sheriff's department for the past five years. The change in security staffing comes after the transit agency's staff recommendation, which advocated more law enforcement personnel on subway and light-rail lines and buses to reduce response times.
ABC 7

"Angry and disgusted" people in Anaheim, but it's not who you think. Residents sound off.
The video was seen around the world.  Now residents in the Anaheim neighborhood where an off-duty LAPD officer and a large group of teenagers got into an altercation are speaking out.  They tell stories of vandalism, graffiti, destruction of property by teenagers have plagued their neighborhood for too long. 
CBS 2 Video

Calif. Deputy Hit by Jail Bus Dies
A deputy who was struck by a bus in a jail parking lot has died. According to the Alameda County Sheriff's Office, Deputy Sheriff Michael Foley succumbed to his injuries Thursday. Foley, who began his career in law enforcement in 1978, was described by the agency as “one of the hardest working deputies” who “believed in making the world a better place.” The deputy was struck by the bus in the early morning hours Wednesday. Foley was wearing dark clothes at the time of the incident. The driver, a fellow sheriff's deputy, didn't see him.
PoliceOne

‘Specialized Unit' Finds San Fernando Teen Girl Missing for a Month
Authorities today said a 15-year-old girl who went missing in San Fernando more than a month ago was found. There was no immediate work on Katherine Lizzette Solorio's condition, but an officer at the Los Angeles Police Department's Foothill Division said the teen was found by a specialized unit around 10 p.m. Thursday. Solorio was last seen about 1 p.m. on Jan. 16, according to police, who said she may have been headed to Los Angeles International Airport that day, “possibly looking for a flight to Las Vegas or Boston.” Details of Solorio's return were not available.
Los Angeles Daily News

Additional Victims Sought of Man Charged With Child Sexual Abuse
Authorities Thursday urged people to call detectives if they believe they were victimized by a man who has been charged with child sexual abuse in incidents that date back as far as 1998. Amador Valencia Santos, 57, was arrested Feb. 9 and has been charged with multiple counts of "continuous sexual abuse of a child" and other sex crimes, the Los Angeles Police Department reported. Santos, also known as "Omar," was held on $2.4 million bail.
NBC 4

Hit-and-Run Driver Sought After 85-Year-Old Pedestrian Struck, Killed in Van Nuys 
Police are searching for a hit-and-run driver involved in a crash that left an 85-year-old man dead in Van Nuys Thursday morning. The pedestrian was struck by two vehicles about 5:35 a.m. near the intersection of Woodley Avenue and Leadwell Street, Los Angeles Police Department Detective Bill Bustos said. The man was later identified as Fidel Lopez, a resident of Van Nuys, by investigator Kristy McCracken at the county coroner's office. The first vehicle stayed at the scene after striking Lopez, but a second vehicle that struck and dragged him about 25 feet did not stop, Bustos said.
KTLA 5

Reputed Gang Member Pleads Not Guilty in Quadruple-Murder Case
A reputed gang member who was on the FBI's list of Ten Most Wanted fugitives pleaded not guilty Thursday to murder charges stemming from his alleged involvement in a shootout that left four men dead in South Los Angeles last fall. Marlon Jones, 41, is charged with four counts of murder for the Oct. 15 shooting deaths of Imran Townsend, 29; Carlton Rose, 51; and Mark Brooks and Robert Davis, both 54. The murder charges include the special circumstance allegation of multiple murders, along with an allegation that Jones personally and intentionally discharged a handgun. Prosecutors will decide later whether to seek the death penalty against Jones.
MyNewsLA.com

Hollywood Arsonist Seeking New Trial on Sanity
The German national convicted of setting nearly 50 fires in Hollywood and other parts of Los Angeles in 2011 and 2012 is back in court, seeking a new trial over the issue of his sanity.  Harry Burkhart was convicted of setting the fires, but the jury deadlocked over the question of his sanity. Burkhart maintains he is insane and still needs help after attempting suicide.  Now, the court is offering him a deal that would involve a 30-year term at a state mental hospital. If he rejects the deal and instead is convicted in a new trial and found sane, he could face up to 80 years in prison.
ABC 7

Drug Ring? Third LAX Baggage Handler Arrested for Trafficking Drugs
A third former baggage handler at Los Angeles International Airport has been arrested and is facing federal charges of using his employee credentials to breach airport security for the purpose of smuggling cocaine on airplanes, it was announced Thursday. Alberto H. Botello of South Gate, 23, was arrested late Tuesday without incident by law enforcement officers from the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Los Angeles World Airports Police Department, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. Botello is charged in a federal indictment with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and to distribute cocaine, along with two co- defendants who are scheduled for trial next month.
MyNewsLA.com

FBI Joins Search for Elias Rodriguez, Missing Pacoima Teen
The FBI will be joining the Los Angeles and San Fernando police departments in their search for a 14-year-old boy who went missing amid last week's rainstorms. Elias Rodriguez of Pacoima was last seen about 1 p.m. on Feb. 17 leaving Cesar Chavez Learning Academies at 1001 Arroyo Ave. in San Fernando, the Los Angeles Police Department reported. Elias had borrowed someone's cellphone to call his mother at work on Friday to ask if she could pick him up, but she missed the call, police said. Since his disappearance, a helicopter search of the Los Angeles River turned up nothing and the boy's distraught parents pleaded for information about their son at a news conference at the Los Angeles Police Department's Mission Station.
Los Angeles Daily News

More than 200 potential jurors questioned for retrial of former LA county sheriff on corruption charges
A second day of jury selection was held Thursday for the retrial of former Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca on federal corruption charges for allegedly conspiring to obstruct an FBI probe into possible abuse of inmates in the county jail system. Jurors are being selected from a pool of more than 200 people who are undergoing questioning at the new federal courthouse in downtown Los Angeles.
MyNewsLA.com