BY WED EVENING THE EL CAMINO COP SHOOTER WAS STILL ON THE LOOSE, SOME NEIGHBORHOODS LOCKED DOWN
The suspect who shot 30-year-old LAUSD police officer Jeffrey Stenroos just outside of El Camino High School near Valley Circle and Burbank Blvd. was still at large at 6 pm on Wednesday night. The man reportedly fired at the officer multiple times, hitting him once in the chest. Fortunately Stenroos had on a protective vest, which saved him from more serious injury or worse, although he was hospitalized.
After locking down nine schools in the area for much of the day, police began lifting the lock downs gradually, still keeping the El Camino kids.
(The Daily News has more of the story.)
Since the area is just down the hill and slightly north of where I live in Topanga Canyon, I got bulletins in the afternoon and into the night from friends who live in the area who heard that they might have to stay in a hotel Wednesday night if the suspect was not found and arrested.
One high schooler at El Camino texted his sister at 3:30 pm on Wednesday to say that he was going nuts because there had been no bathroom breaks since the 11:30 am, and kids were peeing in class trash cans. Finally at around 5 pm, the El Camino students were escorted by officers to a nearby McDonalds restaurant, where parents were told could come to pick up their hungry offspring. The same teenager later texted his sister that he’d managed to sneak home into the family’s police-blockaded neighborhood in order to let out his family’s dogs, who were stuck inside without their own bathroom breaks.
When the sister and his mother got his latest text they tried to get an officer at the barricades to let the mother in to get her son (plus the dogs). He refused. Finally the mom talked the cop into going in and ferrying both teenager and canines out, and everyone’s nerves began to calm, just a little.
MEANWHILE SOMEONE SHOT A BELL HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT
KTLA reports that a 16-year-old Bell High School student was shot shot at around 3:30 in the afternoon on Wednesday at a popular burger restaurant a block away from the high school. The shooter was reportedly driving a black truck. The boy is expected to survive.
By evening a Gardena High School student tweeted this (in an extended tweet):
Alright so yesterday some kid had a gun at my school (Gardena High School) today some kid had a gun at Bell High School and some 40 year old shot a cop near El Camino Real High School and now somebody got shot down my street. WTF is happening Cali?
ON A HAPPIER NOTE: HOMEBOY SALSAS INTRODUCED AT ALL RALPH’S MARKETS IN SO CAL
On Wednesday, Homeboy industries launched a line of salsas and tortilla strips at all Southern California Ralphs Grocery Stores. Those of us who have ever lunched at Homegirl Cafe have tasted Chef Pati Zarate’s kick ass salsas.
Now we can bring Pati’s Mango, Pico de Gallo, and Chile Verde Salsas home with us—which is a very, very happy development indeed.
Proceeds from the sales of the salsas et al will help support the various programs at Homeboy Industries.
JP MORGAN ADMITS TO “ACCIDENTALLY” OVERCHARGING 4000 TROOPS ON THEIR MORTGAGES
A string of military-related news and advocacy sites are, well, up in arms about this issue today, wondering if it is the tip of the troop/mortgage iceberg.
Here’s the basics of the issue according to AllGov.com:
Americans serving their country in the armed forces are supposed to catch a break from banks when it comes to mortgage rates. But JPMorgan Chase somehow lost sight of this federal requirement, and not only overcharged thousands of military personnel and their families, but also foreclosed on some and kicked them out of their homes.
Bank officials have admitted their error, and begun mailing out $2 million in refund checks to active-duty personnel who were told to pay more than 6% interest on their home loans (the maximum allowed under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act).
JPMorgan only realized its “mistake” after Captain Jonathan Rowles of the U.S. Marines sued the bank for improperly charging his family too much on their mortgage. The bank committed the same mistake with as many as 4,000 troops, including some fighting in Afghanistan, and improperly foreclosed on the homes of 14 military families.
Here is more at The Consumerist.
Photo by Alex Gallardo / Los Angeles Times
“Alright so yesterday some kid had a gun at my school (Gardena High School) today some kid had a gun at Bell High School and some 40 year old shot a cop near El Camino Real High School and now somebody got shot down my street. WTF is happening Cali?”
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This is the result Sarah Palin’s vitriol !!!!
Sarah Palin and her talk of guns is driving people to violence !!!!!
Two more officers shot and killed today (Miami) , that makes six 20 days into the new year. If Stenroos wasn’t wearing his vest he would have made seven. The current pace would more than double last years which was much higher than the year before.