LAPD was called to Speedway and North Venice today where a female transient was punching cars, screaming at passers by, reaching into cars and following people in a violent manner. The woman was seemingly under the influence of narcotics and was extremely combative. She was walking in traffic, getting in the way of cars trying to enter the parking lot and yelling at people to buy her “altar”.

When LAPD pulled up, the woman looked stunned, and turned to her shopping cart to walk away. Officers stopped her, and as she stood with her hands behind her back - as one officer reached for her handcuffs the woman jerked and broke away and ran as fast as she could through the crowd. Two female officers immediately followed her in a foot pursuit where she was detained. She continued to fight officers until she was securely cuffed.

From the results on the police scanner, she is wanted for felony warrants in the state of Washington… apparently some pretty gnarly stuff. Her time in Venice has come to an end.

From the LA Times

A pilot suffered a broke leg, and a painter on the ground was hit by flying debris when a single-engine Cessna taking off from Santa Monica Airport crashed into a home Monday afternoon.

The aircraft went down about 2:30 p.m. into a home at 21st Street and Navy.

Lauralee Ash, a Santa Monica police spokeswoman, said the pilot suffered a broken leg in the crash shortly after takeoff from the Santa Monica Airport. Ash said a painter working on the home was also hit by flying debris from the Cessna. A second painter also suffered the effects of aircraft fuel inhalation and was treated at the scene.

Ash said the painting crew pulled the pilot from the wreckage. The pilot was reported to be a student pilot.

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the cause of the crash.

In just six months, Venice 311 has handled over 345 neighborhood reports including graffiti, abandoned bicycles, over-sized trash, suspicious individuals and so much more. That’s almost 2 reports per day, and the results show. Thank you to everyone that has used the system and shown that there is a gap in Venice Beach that only needed to be addressed by a small amount of time, attention and effort.

Many are under the assumption that Venice 311 is a large operation. It is actually managed and run by one person … and when the site refers to “we”, it is in the spirit of the volunteers and residents and business owners that make reports and donate supplies that contribute to cleaning up the community. When people ask if they can make a donation, the response is that we’d prefer your buckets of old paint, spray paint and cleaning tools that aren’t used, instead of cash. We have donation accounts at some local businesses, and we would prefer any $ go straight to the local economy for specific cleanup tools… and you still get the same fabulous tax deduction. The reality is what is needed to keep the neighborhood clean and safer is really just motivation and effort, not a big wad of cash. ( Rumors continue to abound that there is a large financial backer behind the site, and it just isn’t true. $4.99 per month web hosting and the rest of the skills come from within. A testament to how easy getting things done can be when people stop fighting and start doing. We have many fans and many supporters, but so far its an army of one! )

So, thank you Venice. Tweeting police scanner calls informs the community - but the reports people send, and the efforts of just one person have resulted in a lot of small improvements, and the impact grows every week. If you want to volunteer, just fill out the form below and let us (me) know… and if you have any old paint or supplies send us a message and we’ll come pick them up!

Today an LAPD officer noticed a man driving recklessly on Centinela Blvd. and attempted to pull the vehicle over - but the driver wasn’t interested in stopping and led police on a chase all over Venice. The suspect was driving a green minivan, and led the pursuit down Palms, Lincoln, Sunset, Westminster, Venice, Washington Blvd, back to Sunset, down Venice to Walgrove where he eventually gave up and exited the vehicle. An airship was in close pursuit as well. While officers were in pursuit, backup LAPD units noticed a grey Camaro following the chase, with the driver talking on a cell phone. Officers suspected he was associated with the driver of the original chase vehicle, so they tried to pull that driver over and he immediately led them in a pursuit just seconds after the first one ended. Officers stopped him at Shell and Venice. He was reportedly the brother of the driver of the green minivan. It was overheard at the scene that the driver of the green minivan had weapons and drugs in his vehicle. On a side note, the grey Camaro was pulled over a few months ago for leading LAPD on a chase through Oakwood.

www.zigzaglens.com Anthony Citrano sent us these photos of the main pursuit suspect. Thank you Anthony! @acitrano

The 2011 Elite 24 classic all-star basketball game is today, August 27, in Venice Beach, California. The game used to be played in New York City, but for the second year in a row has been hosted oceanside at Venice Beach. Below are Elite 24 game notes, taken live as the action happens:

Team White is the Raymond Lewis squad. Team Purple is the Marques Johnson squad.

The start of the game was delayed because Mitch McGary shattered the glass of a backboard in a somewhat mild pre-game dunk where he briefly hung on the rim. The broken backboard delayed the Elite 24 game by about 25 minutes.

As with all Elite 24 classic games, the 2011 edition is a non-stop blur of fast breaks, great dunks, and aside from some spectacular blocks, a general lack of defensive intensity unless the chance to make a great play arises.

Early on, Shabazz Muhammad, the 6-6 senior forward who is widely hailed as the No. 1 high school player in the country, was one of the featured dunkers, throwing down some nasty slams. And in traditional Elite 24 basketball fashion, there weren’t many defenders nearby. And at 11:11 in the first half, with Purple team leading White 30-25, Muhammad, playing for White team, has 10 points, leading all scorers.

Little pint-sized point guard Aquille Carr (nickname: “Crimestopper”) is dishing assists early for White team, and has four points and five assists with half of the first half complete.

About a third of the way through this game, the 2011 Elite 24 classic has even less fundamentals than past editions. Fans aren’t complaining, though. They’re too busy watching sick dishes and ridiculous slams.

With 4:15 left in the first half, White team has taken a 56-50 lead over Purple. The action is so fast and furious that as soon as one player makes a nice move, 10 seconds later another guy swipes the spotlight.

At the half, Team White leads Team Purple 68-66.

More coming. And an Elite 24 game recap coming tonight.

Rex Lutton, 54, a parolee who fled Federal custody last month was arrested Friday, after attempting to rob a customer inside a Bank of America in Hollywood at knifepoint. He fled the bank, but not before security guards caught up with him before he could get away.

Lutton was wanted by the FBI after holding up two Bank of America branches — one in Venice on Wednesday and another in West Hollywood on Monday.

In each case, he allegedly threatened the teller with a bomb and a gun, neither of which were seen, investigators said.

Lutton got his name because he was spotted wearing souvenir sweatshirts and struck in areas popular with sightseers.

He is currently being held at LAPD Hollywood Division facing state and federal charges.

Dramatic video from last nights structure fire at Sunset & Ocean Front Walk from Twitter follower
@ajAKSD1