Update
September 14, 2010
LAPD detectives identified the suspect as Omar Armando Loera, 34-year-old, male Hispanic with black hair and brown eyes. Loera stands about 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighs 170 pounds. He has Aztec women tattoos on both shoulders. He is a parolee at large.
Los Angeles: Los Angeles Police Department North Hollywood Homicide detectives are asking for the public’s help in providing any information that would help them with a case involving a North Hollywood woman found burned to death inside of her home in Valley Village.
On July 24, 2010, at approximately 7 p.m., Los Angeles City Fire Department personnel responded to a residential fire in the 11500 Block of Riverside Drive. The Fire Department extinguished the blaze and discovered the body of a woman inside the residence.
North Hollywood Homicide detectives responded to the scene and took over the investigation.
The investigation revealed that the body discovered was that of 34-year-old Chere Osmanhodzic, who lived at the residence.
Detectives say that Osmanhodzic’s boyfriend, who also lived at the residence, returned from the store and confronted a man inside of the residence. He chased the man several blocks but was not able to catch him. Upon returning home, the boyfriend observed that his house was engulfed in flames.
This is an on-going investigation and the cause of death has not been determined.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the LAPD, North Hollywood Station at 818-623-4016 or call Homicide Detectives at 818-623-4075. During non-business hours or on weekends, calls may be directed to 1-877-LAPD-24-7. Anyone wishing to remain anonymous may call Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (800-222-8477). Tipsters may also contact Crimestoppers by texting to phone number 274637 (C-R-I-M-E-S on most keypads) using a cell phone. All text messages should begin with the letters “LAPD.” Tipsters can also go to LAPDOnline.org, click on "webtips" and follow the prompts.
A police state values "police brutality" more than the lives of its citizens. Police claim to be "protecting life" - and sometime they do.
But to deliberately engage in activity that puts civilians at equal or greater risk of danger than if the activity is not pursued - well, that is anathema to "protecting" or "serving" the public good.
Those who defend police chases, and insist police are not liable in any way during such chases, do so at the risk of their own live and property. There is no defense to driving tons of metal at high speeds. Police chases do not stop crimes; they do not deter criminals; and they often inflict terror and harm on citizens.
LAPD often get into "unwise" auto chases. They've been under federal investigation or observation for other violent and criminal activities almost constantly since the 1980s. There are far too many LA citizens who are willing to give our police a complete pass, even though it is clear to any observer that the department still has a LOT of cleaning up to do.
It is one thing to give police the license to kill. It is another thing altogether to allow them complete impunity and immunity for their offenses and mistakes.
There is abundant technology to catch criminals who flee from police. License plates can be photographed from the dashboard cam, or fed immediately into a computer. Air support can be summoned in a matter of minutes. Cars can be "tagged" by lasers making them easier to find from the air (though LAPD would rather waste money on more desk officers than more equipment).
The central problem is the cowboy culture that surrounds cops and car chases. We've finally gotten the news media to stop trumpeting car chases as heroic events. Now if we could only get the police to stop rewarding cops who get into chases.
It's sad this man forgives the police for creating the situation that led to his daughter's tragic death. He's right - it's not their "fault" - they didn't directly kill his daughter with their car - they were just doing their job (just following orders...) - but they were doing it in a grossly incompetent manner, with reckless disregard for the lives and property of the citizens in that neighborhood.
Posted by: Tyrone | August 09, 2010 at 12:10 PM
Tyrone,
did you even read the article? The police did not chase the suspect. The victim's boyfriend is the one that chased him. The police had nothing to do with this except that they are conducting the murder investigation.
You are just another police hater. Do you even know what a police state is?? Nazi Germany was a police state. The former Soviet Union was a police state. Los Angeles California is NOT a police state. Also, if we stop chasing criminals and the criminals know this, then crime will skyrocket. Taking photos of a license plate doesn't do any good if the vehicle is stolen. That would still leave us with no follow-up for the investigation. Yes, we do have license plate readers and they do help locate stolen vehicles. Technology helps but nothing will ever replace old fashion police work. Don't believe everything you see on CSI.
Remember, it's the criminals that control the situation. They determine when they will be chased and when force will be used. Believe it or not we do use good judgement when determining whether to chase somebody or not. This is determined by the type of crime and whether or not they are a known suspect.
If you or your loved ones ever get robbed, beaten or burglarized, and you don't want us to chase or catch the suspect, just let us know. But from my 11 years on the job, the vast majority of the citizens that I deal with want us to capture the criminals that victimized them.
Posted by: FTO | August 10, 2010 at 11:48 AM