Let’s be honest, the last person you want to see in your rear-view mirror is a police officer. The immediate panic of mental inventory of working brake lights, current registration, unpaid parking tickets and if you rolled through that last stop sign are just human… Like it or not, we all have to rely on LAPD to keep our community safe and to help us when things go wrong - and it is NOT an easy job.

2011 has been a rough year so far. There was a murder on the boardwalk ( suspect apprehended immediately, in jail ), and the unusual and random shootings, drum circle mayhem, burglaries and the normal “Venice” keep our LAPD officers and detectives busy. As with most things… it seems like it is easier to complain than make an effort to do something nice. After hearing a very moving speech by Captain Peters and the father of one of the slain teenage Penmar victims … I thought I would post the police commendation form here in Venice 311. After spending all day being alerted to the “bad” in town … the reality is that the police work very hard for us and they need our support.

If you have seen or experienced a police officer doing that extra little bit to make sure our lives are all better… let the department know. It matters. A lot.

LAPD Officer Commendation Form - Click Here To Download

If you have any doubts about what the average officer may have to deal with at any given moment… just listen to the following from the LAPD police scanner:

Check this out on Chirbit

Check this out on Chirbit

Check this out on Chirbit

Check this out on Chirbit

UPDATE: Captain Peters, Bill Rosendahl, Venice 2000 HELPER ( Gang prevention group ) and the family of one of the slain teenagers spoke during a community meeting at Penmar Park this evening. In the wake of the news that a 19 year old gang member was arrested and held on $2 million dollars bail, the heartfelt message by these community leaders and members was one of heartfelt unity.

With so many forces tearing neighborhoods and communities apart within communities themselves, the news of the arrest was great of course, but the bolder message was the importance of taking a stand against this kind of violence. The message echoed was that the culture of shrouding gang violence must be broken, and it was that spirit that helped lead to the arrests… and certainly bolsters the message that this kind of senselessness is not worth the loss of life and impact to the families and the community.

Below is a memorial on the bleachers where the two teens were murdered. With community support, involvement and a stand against crime hopefully Venice won’t suffer this kind of tragedy again.

The LA Times Breaks The Story Of Gang Member Arrest:

A reputed gang member has been arrested in connection with a shooting that left two students dead and a boy wounded last week at a Venice park.

Michael Anthony Mariscal, 19, who lives in Culver City, was apprehended Tuesday by detectives, the Los Angeles Police Department said.

The shooting at Penmar Park, which sits in a quiet tree-lined neighborhood, sent bystanders running for cover and forced officials to lock down a gym filled with small children, according to police and a witness.

The three victims were local high school students. One of those slain attended Venice High School, and the other youth who was killed was a student at the Venice Skills Center.

The third victim, who was shot in the leg, attended Venice High.

Mariscal is described as a student in booking records and was being held in lieu of $2 million bail Wednesday.

“He is the shooter,” said LAPD Capt. Jon Peters, commander of the Pacific Division, which patrols the area. “He intended to shoot these individuals…. He is a documented gang member.”

Drama gripped Venice’s Marina Peninsula on Tuesday night starting at 7 p.m. when a radio call came into LAPD for what was described at the beginning as a “male with mental illness” on Fleet St. The man was on the street throwing items at passers by and screaming in a very agitated manner. Listen to the LAPD scanner radio calls in a condensed timeline below:

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When police arrived, the man fled into his nearby apartment, and started throwing items out his window. He then took his clothes off and was frantically walking back and forth from inside the unit to two different balcony windows. A witness said that the man was the same man who was tazed earlier in the week on Abbot Kinney, for driving his vehicle up onto the sidewalk in front of a liquor store, emerging, taking off his pants and becoming combative with police. This scene underscores the challenge that LAPD has when dealing with violent individuals with possible mental illness who pose a threat to themselves and others, and the impact they have on the community.

As the situation unfolded, police knocked on the door of the apartment and the man opened the door and brandished a knife at police officers, then shut the door. The airship that was circling above alerted officers to the amount of pedestrians that had gathered to witness the event and concern grew that if the man had any other weapons people could get injured so LAPD took every precaution and cleared the area. The man continued to scream out the balcony windows, he threw items out the windows, he then set up his stereo speakers and started blasting music, screaming at police that he was “in control”. Neighbors reported that the man was bi-polar, was apparently not taking his medication because he had recently lost his job and had been served divorce papers. An emotionally tragic situation that would cause anyone a great deal of distress now involved neighbors, LAPD and an entire community as concern grew for the man who was clearly in need of help. Police had to stand by armed with beanbag rifles keeping close eye on all windows to ensure he did not emerge with a weapon or pose a threat to others, underscoring how swiftly police have to react to keep the public safe while preparing to deal with any all all possible violent possibilities.

As the situation progressed, he was guzzling from a bottle of scotch, telling police to go away, and throwing gobs of paper off his balcony. He eventually agreed to come outside. He stood on the front steps and talked to Sergeant Vasquez, who got the man to calm down and agree to be taken into custody to receive medical help. The man continued to be combative as he was placed in a gurney. He spat at police, and was taken to a local medical center for evaluation.

Tony Vera captured the whole event on video.

Tony Vera was on the scene, expect video later this evening!

Condensed timeline of LAPD Scanner calls relating to this event.

UPDATE: 9:14 Fleet Subject was on steps talking to Sgt. Vasquez, AWESOME beach Sergeant, and surrendered into custody. Will now get treatment. Glad to have had this end safely. ( Subject taken away on gurney, spit in officers face while being taken away )

UPDATE: 9:08 Subject has turned OFF Tori Amos, has put clothes on and has agreed to come out. Has told LAPD he is in control, and seems to be cleaning up a bit.

UPDATE: 8:52 Subject now has his stereo speakers out on the balcony…blasting really loud music.

UPDATE: 8:45 LAPD Mental evaluation team en route from Central Division. Subject still coming in and outside by balcony.

UPDATE: 8:35 Man continues to go inside and come outside. Difficult situation for LAPD. Concern that he may have additional weapons. All area passers by and people in adjacent buildings have been moved back for safety.

UPDATE 8:20: Area is surrounded by LAPD. Man was seen drinking earlier in the day. Unsure if he is drunk, or an unfortunate victim of mental illness. Traffic to the Peninsula is blocked off as LAPD tries to safely talk the man into the hands of the Fire Department so they can get him help.

At approximately 7 p.m. LAPD received a call that a man wearing a fedora hat was screaming at people and throwing things at passers by on Fleet St. Upon arriving at the location, the man had relocated into a nearby apartment and was on the balcony threatening to jump. He then stripped naked and was on the balcony again, threatening to jump from the 2nd story balcony. An LAPD air unit was dispatched and multiple backup units including a mental health evaluation team. Upon knocking on the door, the man answered the door with a knife, and then shut the door. The standoff continues… as he continues to throw things out the window.

Thanks to Tony Vera for the find and the great tip. This shows both sides, people who think it is a joke and fun to jump off the pier, and what happens when it all goes wrong.

VENICE, Calif. An 18-year-old man was rescued by Los Angeles County lifeguards and treated for hypothermia after jump off Venice pier “to see what it be like,” according to authorities.
Two lifeguards wearing wetsuits lifeguards rescued the youth around 11 on Tuesday. He was clinging to a pylon contained by the ocean’s chilly waters when he was found, said Los Angeles County Life Guard Capt. Terry Hearst.
According to Hearst, the man be about 150 to 200 yard from shore. Authorities are not sure how long he had be in the river, but it was long plenty for him to have become hypothermic.
Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics perform various warm measures, then took the man to Daniel Freeman Marina Hospital at 11:49 p.m, said department spokesman Brian Humphrey. The man is programmed in generous condition.
Hearst said the authorities are still unsure of why the man — fully clothed — jumped into the hose down off the pier at the ruin of Washington Boulevard. He told rescuers that he was not suicidal or beneath the influence of alcohol or drugs.
After the jump be reporte, two lifeguard swift response boats and more than 20 ground-based rescuers — including lifeguards and firefighters — searched for the man.
The Fire Department be prepared to lower rescuers into the water, but, base on the man’s location, a water-based rescue was deem preferable, Humphrey said.
Humphrey said that the man “was shivering so badly that it be difficult from him to speak” once he was brought on territory. “His jaw be quivering so much, it was difficult to grasp him.”
But the man did manage to carry out the words, “to see what it was close to,” when asked why he had jump, Humphrey said.
According to Hearst, county lifeguards have rescued nearly a dozen pier jumpers this year.
“We get hold of these all the time,” said Hearst, who estimated that in the region of half of the jumper wound up being underneath the influence while the other half be attempting suicide.
The LAPD was summoned to the scene, but Pacific Station officer said the incident was not underneath investigation.
The same thing happen in Santa Monica. That river is COLD year round. People don’t realize how long of a swim it is.
So, do the right thing, and DON’T.

We at Voice For The Animals Foundation are dedicated to educating pet owners in our community in order to promote safety for both humans and animals. As summer approaches, the number of tourists in the Venice area will increase exponentially—community leaders have gone so far as to predict that a record-breaking 16 million tourists will flock to the Venice boardwalk this summer.

People tend to pick up animals that are left alone in a yard unattended, making it unsafe to keep your pet outdoors while so many strangers are visiting the area. In addition, we have noticed that the number of signs for missing animals in the community has been on the rise. For these reasons, we strongly encourage you to keep your pets indoors, thus eliminating the temptation for them to be stolen. Dogs should not be left tethered in the front yard and indoor/outdoor cats should remain strictly indoors during tourist season.

For more information, and a great local pet resource visit http://www.vftafoundation.org/about-us/mission

Voice For The Animals Foundation is devoted to creating respect and empathy for animals through education, rescue, legislation, and advocacy.

Voice For The Animals Foundation
2633 Lincoln Blvd, #202
Santa Monica, CA 90405-4656
Fax: 310-581-1591