Los Angeles Criminal Attorney Blog

The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) recently teamed up with the police force in Long Beach to track down and arrest a man the LAPD suspects of armed robbery, according to a recent article in The Long Beach Press-Telegram.

LAPD South Bureau’s Specialized Investigative Unit closed Pacific Street between 21st and Hill in order to serve an arrest warrant on a Long Beach resident. The LAPD team arrested the man and searched his home for evidence that might link him to a recent Los Angeles robbery, while the Long Beach police evacuated area homes and businesses. The block stayed closed for several hours until the LAPD located and arrested the man they suspected of robbery. The man cooperated with police.

The shutdown was the LAPD’s second attempt to work with the Long Beach police in order to find a suspect. The LAPD also arrested a 19-year-old man at a motel near the intersection of Seventh Street, Pacific Coast Highway, and Bellflower Boulevard, who police labeled a suspect in a different Los Angeles robbery.

Police departments that cooperate with one another may have more success at finding and arresting those suspected of violent crimes in Los Angeles. However, communication between departments may also result in mistakes, which can lead to errors in the arrest or investigation or even violations of a suspected person’s constitutional rights.

At the Law Offices of Lawrence Wolf, our experienced Los Angeles criminal defense attorneys combine our legal resources and courtroom experience to provide each client with an aggressive defense that protects their constitutional rights and fights for the best outcome in the their case. To see whether our highly skilled lawyers can help you, call 866-390-7373 today to schedule a confidential consultation.

The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) recently announced that the number of crimes recorded for the first quarter of 2011 is significantly lower than the number of crimes that occurred in the first quarter of 2010, according to a recent article in The Los Angeles Times. The drops include double-digit declines in several violent crimes, including homicide, and several property crimes, including theft and carjacking.

For example, the LAPD found that in the first quarter of 2011, 4,579 serious crimes were recorded, which was 12.5 percent fewer crimes than were recorded during the same period in 2010. These records included 63 homicides in 2011, down from 72 in the previous year. Police also recorded 19,642 property crimes including auto theft, which is 11.8 percent lower this year.

The LAPD estimates an average of 51 incidents per day have occurred in 2011, which is the lowest rate the city has seen in several years. If these trends continue, the LAPD expects to set a new 40-year low record for crimes, particularly homicides. The lowest current record is 297 homicides, which was recorded in 2010 and was the lowest number for any year over the last four decades.

If you or someone you love is facing criminal charges in the Los Angeles area, please don’t hesitate to seek the help of the experienced Los Angeles criminal defense attorneys at the Law Offices of Lawrence Wolf. We have the legal resources and courtroom experience that is needed to protect your rights and fight for the best possible outcome in your case. To schedule a free and confidential consultation, call the Law Offices of Lawrence Wolf today at 866-390-7373.

The United States Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty for a man from Van Nuys, CA, who was convicted of murdering two men in 1981 in a drug deal in Tarzana that went wrong, according to The L.A. Times.

As a child, the man suffered severe brain trauma on several occasions. His mother struck him with her car when he was only two, and about a year later he hit his head on a windshield during a car accident. When he was 10, he began having serious behavioral issues, and a year later was sent to a mental institution. At 18, he was in a local jail and beaten so badly he began suffering seizures.

The man was convicted of murder for the 1982 killings in 1984. At trial, no evidence was introduced of his brain damage as a child or his mental disorders. The only witness on his behalf was his mother, who testified he behaved nicely at home. The man appealed to a federal court, and his death sentence was reversed in the 1990s after the court heard testimony regarding his brain damage. The case was then sent to the Supreme Court, who recently ruled that the federal court should not have heard the new testimony on brain damage, and that it should not have reversed the state court’s conviction.

This decision by the Supreme Court displays how vitally important it is to receive excellent criminal representation if you are ever charged with a crime. It is a very long uphill battle to get a criminal conviction overturned, and reversals only occur in very rare circumstances.

Have you been accused of a crime in the Los Angeles area? If so, call the experienced Los Angeles criminal defense lawyers at the Law Offices of Lawrence Wolf at 866-390-7373. We will work hard to make sure your legal rights are protected.

Many drivers who receive a DUI for the first time are confused about their hearing with the Department of Motor Vehicles. The following is important information from the California Department of Motor Vehicles website regarding the DMV hearing after a DUI.

A DMV hearing is not mandatory. A driver who wants a DMV hearing, usually in the hopes of keeping their driving privileges, must request one. The hearing with the DMV regarding the DUI is not a criminal proceeding. It is a separate proceeding that determines whether or not a person who received a DUI should be allowed to keep their driving privileges.

The DMV hearing will not determine whether or not a person committed a crime. The DMV hearing will determine whether someone took a blood, breath, or urine test or refused testing, whether they were arrested, and whether they had a blood alcohol content of .08 percent or higher. The DMV hearing will also not take the place of a criminal trial.

Fortunately, if a person who was charged with driving under the influence is acquitted in a criminal trial, any suspension or revocation of driving privileges will be reversed. However, if the charges are merely reduced to reckless driving, any suspension or revocation of driving privileges will not be reversed. If DUI charges were dismissed, or if the district attorney decided not to file DUI charges, a driver may get their driving privileges back, but this is not always the case.

Are you facing DUI charges in California? Are you confused about the criminal charges as well as the driver’s license penalties? If so, contact Los Angeles DUI attorney Lawrence Wolf of the Law Offices of Lawrence Wolf today at 866-390-7373 to learn more.