Los Angeles Criminal Defense Lawyer Blog

Two men facing burglary charges in Los Angeles reportedly ran from a store with about $20 worth of beer and snacks.

And into a sheriff's cruiser sitting in the parking lot.

Humorous? Perhaps. But what is serious is the need to select an experienced Los Angeles defense lawyer to handle charges that can arise when a drunken escapade goes wrong.

Burglary can be a serious felony charge. A misdemeanor shoplifting charge would be more appropriate. How a defendant is charged is heavily dependent upon the discretion of law enforcement and prosecutors.

What they are convicted of rests on the shoulders of their choice in defense attorneys. This case could result in anything from dropped charges and a clear record, to a felony mark on their permanent criminal record.

The Mercury News reports the two entered a Chevron Food Mart in La Mirada about 4 a.m. and rushed out with $18.76 worth of beer and snacks. Several Los Angeles sheriff's deputies were parked in squad cars in the parking lot. The men were chased down and captured before they got to a car.

The defendants, a 29-year-old Costa Mesa man and a 19-year-old Victorville man, are charged with burglary and petty theft.

The Orange County Register reports the store caught the Jan. 23 incident on surveillance video.

Continue reading "Men face burglary charges in Los Angeles for shoplifting from convenience store" »

Two suspects are facing robbery charges in Los Angeles after authorities allege they attempted to rob an Azusa shooting range, the San Gabriel Valley Tribune reported.

This is one of those times where there is almost certainly more to the story than what is being reported by authorities or the media. A defendant would be best served by remaining silent and consulting with an experienced Los Angeles defense lawyer. Robbery is a serious charge that carries a possible prison sentence. It is more serious than theft or burglary because it alleges you confronted another person and took property by force or fear. The presence of a firearm will also increase the possible penalties.

In this case the defendants -- a 27-year-old suspect from Arcadia and a 23-year-old defendant from Los Angeles -- have been charged with commercial burglary and assault with a deadly weapon.

The incident began about 6:30 a.m. when authorities say a man and a woman stole gun accessories from an Azusa shooting park, according to the Los Angeles Sheriff's Office.

An employee preparing to open the range approached the couple but backed off when he noticed they had a gun (It's a shooting range, after all).

One of the suspects allegedly fired three or four shots at a second employee, who pursued their vehicle and alerted authorities. They got about 10 miles form the scene of the crime when a deputy attempted to pull them over. The ensuring chase lasted for about 40 minutes and ended in West Covina.

The eastbound 10 Freeway was shut down for about 30 minutes.

Continue reading "Alleged holdup at gun range prompts police chase - ends with suspects facing robbery charges in Los Angeles" »

A Los Angeles medical marijuana store was robbed late last night. Robbers wearing ski masks and waving guns barged into the Gourmet Green Room around 11 p.m. Thursday, June 18, demanding cash and pot. The three armed men made off with $15,000 in cash and an undisclosed amount of marijuana, escaping in a silver Cadillac driven by a fourth man. While customers were present during the holdup, no one was hurt. Police are investigating a possible link to another pot store robbery in L.A.'s San Fernando Valley.

Medicinal marijuana may be legal in California, but robbery is not. "Robbery is the taking of property from another against their will by means of force or fear," explains expert Los Angeles criminal defense attorney Stephen Rodriguez. Robbery is a serious crime in the state of California and is charged as a felony. A conviction for robbery adds a "strike" to your record under California's harsh Three Strikes Law. The use of guns during the commission of a robbery increases the seriousness of the crime and adds stringent penalties if the perpetrator is convicted and sentenced.

Criminal defense lawyer Rodriguez offers this advice if you are caught in a robbery or other theft in the Los Angeles area:

• Contact an experienced Los Angeles criminal defense lawyer like Stephen Rodriguez as soon as possible so your rights will be protected right from the start.


• Gather all witnesses and facts surrounding the accusations so your attorney can thoroughly evaluate your case and determine the most effective course of action.


• Discuss the legal defense process with your attorney. Stephen Rodriguez will explain each step in the defense process, describe what your attorney will be doing, and tell you what you need to do.


• Communicate all information about the case to your attorney. Give your lawyer a complete picture of your past criminal record, present living conditions, medical history or needs, financial status, employment, citizenship and anything else that may affect your case. Be honest with your lawyer. The more information your attorney has, the better he will be able to defend you. Remember, information you provide to your attorney is privileged and cannot be used against you.


• Follow your attorney's instructions. Do not volunteer information to the authorities. If in doubt about anything, check with your attorney first.

A respectable family man, father of four, church deacon, soccer coach and community volunteer put on a wig and mask, took his gun out of the nightstand and tried to rob a bank before surrendering to police. A music minister used a handgun to force tellers to clean out their cash drawers then led police on a high-speed chase before surrendering. A policeman, pillar of his community and former high school valedictorian was arrested for robbing his hometown bank.

Armed robbery is the most dramatic, but burglary, theft and shoplifting are also on the rise. What's unusual is that the crime wave is being committed by the most unlikely crooks, upstanding citizens who have fallen on such hard financial times that theft seems to be the only way out. In each of the cases noted above, the individual charged had fallen into a deep financial hole. Desperation driven by the poor economy, job loss or threat of foreclosure seemed to push each person over the edge from law-abiding citizen to wanted criminal.

Recent robberies committed through Craigslist ads are another example of recession-driven crime. Across the country people have been lured by Craigslist bargains only to be robbed when they show up, cash in hand, to purchase the bogus merchandise. Law enforcement officers offer the following tips for avoiding becoming the victim of an online theft scam:

• Keep control the meeting location by choosing the place and time.


• Meet in a public place with other people around.


• Transact business during daylight hours.


• Never go to the meeting site alone.


• Never take cash. Take a personal check, money order or use an online payment service like PayPal.


• If it seems too good to be true, it probably is!

In California theft is a serious crime and armed robbery can result in prison time, restitution, and loss of professional certificates and licenses. Even if life feels desperate, theft "comes with a lifetime of social judgment," warns experienced Los Angeles criminal defense attorney Stephen Rodriquez. "Trust cannot be bought. In all circles, honesty is highly valued. A criminal record of theft charges is hard to shake."

If you are charged with theft or robbery, the early hiring of a skilled Los Angeles criminal defense attorney is crucial. An experienced theft defense attorney like Stephen Rodriguez understands the potential life-changing effect a theft charge can have and will provide the aggressive defense you need. An expert criminal defense attorney may even be able to arrange alternative sentencing so that you can avoid going to jail. If you have been charged with a theft crime, contact Stephen Rodriguez & Associates for a free evaluation of your case.

Home invasion, robbery, kidnapping -- the horrific story playing out in San Bernardino, California, 60 miles east of Los Angeles, has authorities asking the public for help. Between San Bernardino County and the FBI, a $50,000 reward is now being offered for information in the violent kidnapping of 3-year-old Briant Rodriguez.

Armed Hispanic gunmen kidnapped the boy during a 20-minute armed invasion of the Rodriguez home in which they ransacked the house, stole money and property, and terrorized Briant, four of his siblings and the children's mother, Maria Millan. The gunmen tied up Millan and the other children before taking Briant away. His mother said the gunmen threatened to kill her son, but no ransom demands have yet been received. No motive is known for the kidnapping, although police are exploring a potential tie to Mexican organized crime.

Violent kidnappings like that of the Rodriguez child are rare, law enforcement officers report. Most kidnappings involving children stem from divorce and child custody issues. "Every year over 200,000 children are taken by a family member, usually a parent without legal custody," said expert Los Angeles criminal defense attorney Stephen Rodriguez (no relation to the kidnapped boy). Called parental kidnapping, taking your child in violation of custody orders is a serious crime in California. "Any person who does not have the right to custody and maliciously takes or conceals any minor child with the intent to detain or conceal the child from a person having legal custody, if convicted, could spend time in jail and even state prison," Rodriguez warns.

In the state of California, kidnapping of minors under the age of 14 is punishable by up to 11 years in state prison. When kidnapping is committed for ransom or robbery, it is called aggravated kidnapping and is punishable by life in prison without the possibility of parole. If the victim suffers bodily harm or is killed, the perpetrators will spend the rest of their lives in prison without any chance of parole. Because kidnapping is a Three Strikes crime in California, felony conviction can result in onerous doubled and life sentences.

If you are charged with parental kidnapping, it is critical that you immediately contact an experienced criminal defense lawyer to protect your rights. Many defenses are possible, including consent and lack of intent. The experienced criminal defense attorneys at Rodriguez, Lewis & Kahn can advise you of your rights and prepare an aggressive defense to protect them.

California topped the charts again this year, first in the nation in car thefts. In the 2008 National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) report released today, vehicle thefts declined for the fifth straight year in the U.S., except in California and a few other states. The report noted that the majority of increased car thefts occurred in states that border Mexico.

California cities took 6 of the top 10 rankings in cars stolen in 2008, earning the state the dubious distinction of being No. 1 in total auto thefts. Here's the NICB list:

1. Modesto, CA (also first in 2007)


2. Laredo, TX


3. Yakima, WA


4. San Diego/Carlsbad/San Marcos, CA


5. Bakersfield, CA


6. Stockton, CA


7. Las Vegas/Paradis, NV


8. Albuquerque, NM


9. San Francisco/Oakland/Fremont, CA


10. Fesno, CA

Stealing a car, called Grand Theft Auto, is a serious crime in California. For grand theft auto to be charged, the vehicle stolen must be valued at more than $400, said veteran Los Angeles criminal defense attorney Stephen Rodriguez. Rodriguez explained that under California law grand theft auto can be charged either as a felony under California Penal Code Section 487(d) or as a misdemeanor when the defendant has no prior convictions under California Vehicle Code Section 10851. Conviction of felony theft can result in 16 months to 3 years in state prison. A misdemeanor conviction can bring up to a year in county jail, restitution, fines, community service and three years of formal probation. Conviction of more than one count of grand theft auto can impose California's harsh Three Strikes Law which can double sentences, criminal defense lawyer Rodriguez warned.

To protect yourself from auto theft, the National Insurance Crime Bureau recommends the following actions:

• Remove your keys from the ignition when you leave your car.


• Lock your doors and close your windows as soon as you enter your car.


• Park your car only in well-lit areas, preferably near pedestrian and vehicle traffic.


• Ask for an escort to your car when you leave an establishment late at night.


• Install a visible or audible warning device in your vehicle to alert thieves that your vehicle is protected.


• Use an immobilizing device in your vehicle that prevents thieves from hot-wiring the ignition.


• Install a tracking device in your vehicle to assist police in locating your car if it is stolen.

Members of a Los Angeles-based jewelry theft ring were arrested and jailed in New Jersey Monday. Six men, all with California addresses, were arrested for the robbery of an Indiana jewelry merchant after a nationwide manhunt that radiated from the scene of the crime in central Ohio.

In a well organized robbery that Ohio law enforcement officials termed "highly professional," thieves followed and attacked a jeweler carrying more than $1 million worth of jewelry. In Columbus, Ohio for a jewelry show, the jeweler was waiting in his locked and running SUV while his wife and daughter went inside a local restaurant to eat. Robbers surprised the jeweler, blocking his escape with their getaway car, smashing the side and rear windows of the SUV and threatening the man. They made off with an undisclosed amount of jewelry that included diamonds, rubies, gold rings and necklaces, according to the police report. The jeweler, who was licensed to carry a gun, fired several shots at the fleeing robbers before calling police.

With the cost of gold and silver skyrocketing, jewelers are even bigger targets than before. FBI agents working the case said jewelry thefts are on the rise and have been increasingly tied to South American organized-crime rings. U.S. jewelers lose more than $100 million to thieves every year. While most large-scale jewelers hire private security firms and armored cars to transport gems to and from shows, small jewelers can't afford the cost. The rule of thumb in the jewelry trade is only attend shows within a gas-tank of home, never carry your best pieces, and never stop until you reach your destination. Police speculate that the jeweler was targeted by theft ring scouts inside the jewelry show and followed.

Law enforcement officers in Los Angeles, Ohio and New Jersey cooperated in the capture of the LA-based robbery ring. Proceedings are under way to extradite the six defendants to Ohio.

In Los Angeles, robbery is a serious criminal offense. A robbery conviction can be punishable by 2 to 9 years in state prison, depending upon the seriousness of the crime and the value of the goods stolen. Use of a gun during robbery adds 10 years to the defendant's sentence; and discharge of a gun increases the sentence by 20 years. To learn more about robbery and its penalties in California, visit the website of experienced Los Angeles criminal defense attorneys Rodriguez, Lewis & Kahn.

It's a sad comment on our distressing times. A California man pulled a gun out of his pocket and robbed a Washington convenience store. Videotape of the robbery shows the troubled man, Robert Webb, 42, talking to the frightened clerk, trying to explain. Tears in his eyes, Webb tells the cashier that he's just been fired from his job, that he has to provide for his daughter, that his daughter needs medicine, and that he just couldn't think of anything else to do. While Webb rambles on, his 9-year-old daughter, Meadow, stands miserably at his side, a little girl in a pink jacket forlornly watching her father commit a crime.

"His eyes were tearing up. This guy's hurting inside," convenience store clerk Eric Owners told KING-TV.

"He views himself as being in a desperate situation and had no choice," Kittitas County Sheriff Clay Myers told Shannon Dininny of the Associated Press after watching the surveillance video of the robbery. "He stayed and talked with the clerk. He seemed to be looking for some justification or some level of understanding from the clerk."

While authorities haven't yet captured Webb, his daughter is safe with family friends in Fortuna, California on the north coast. Law enforcement officers in California and across the nation are concerned that petty theft, burglary and robbery will rise the longer the economy remains down. Layoffs and foreclosures are taking a toll. The longer people go without income, the more desperate they become -- and, in desperation, some will turn to crime to solve their financial problems.

In California, it's a disastrous choice. California is tough on crime and the penalty for theft can range from a fine and probation for shoplifting to a prison sentence. Because the convenience store robber pulled a gun, in California he would be charged with armed robbery, a serious, violent felony punishable by 3 to 9 years in the state penitentiary. If the defendant has a prior strike offense, the sentence would be automatically doubled because armed robbery is a Three Strikes offense under California law, explains expert Los Angeles criminal defense attorney Stephen Rodriguez. Even if you're desperate, that seems like a horrendous risk for a couple of hundred dollars.

Buying, acquiring, possessing or concealing stolen property is a crime in Los Angeles and in the state of California. With the disastrous economy expected to drive up theft rates in Los Angeles and across the country (see our Feb. 23 post), you need to be aware of California laws about receiving stolen property, warns expert Los Angeles criminal defense attorney Stephen Rodriguez. If you buy or accept property that has been stolen through theft, fraud, deceit, embezzlement or taken by any other unlawful means, you are committing a crime.

People can unwittingly purchase stolen goods thinking they're getting an incredible bargain. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is. If you purchase a luxury watch from a street vendor or pick up a new, brand-name TV at a flea market, the chances are high that the merchandise is either fraudulent or stolen. You could wind up charged with purchasing stolen goods.

Sometimes, people wind up in trouble with California's stolen goods law by allowing a friend or relative to store unlawfully acquired items in their home or garage. Don't allow yourself to be duped. Make certain you know what is being stored on your property and where it came from. It can be hard to prove your innocence if you're found with a garage full of expensive DVD players and no bill of sale.

LA criminal defense attorney Rodriguez says there are two important legal points that affect charges involving receipt of stolen property and provide an avenue for effective defense. To be convicted, the defendant must:

• know that the goods were stolen at the time he purchased or received them, or


• have purchased or accepted the goods with the intention of aiding the thief.

"Depending on the value of the property in question and the discretion of the district attorney, this crime could be charged as a misdemeanor or a felony in California," Rodriguez points out.

Having an astute criminal defense attorney like Stephen Rodriguez on your side can make all the difference in how your case is charged if you are arrested for possession of stolen property. An experienced criminal defense attorney like Rodriguez who has lengthy experience not only representing Los Angeles residents charged with receiving stolen property but also in dealing with the Los Angeles prosecutor's office on such matters, knows all the ins and outs of presenting a case to achieve the best possible outcome for the defendant.

When the economy goes down, crime rates go up. That's the general consensus, but reality is more complicated, according to law enforcement officers, economists and criminologists. A poor economy may cause Los Angeles crime rates to ratchet up a notch or two in some categories, but a wholesale crime surge is seen as unlikely.

"Everybody thinks it's just a law of nature, but that's just not true. There are a lot of things more powerful than the economy operating all the time," David Kennedy, director of the Center for Crime Prevention at the John Jay College of Criminal Studies in New York, recently told Columbus Dispatch reporter Elizabeth Gibson.

National news reports of distraught, destitute workers killing themselves and the families they can not longer support may have skewed public perception. Crimes of such horrific magnitude, while tragic, are rare. Morals, ethics and social structure continue to provide most people with a strong incentive against crime. When crime rates go up in a down economy, University of Missouri-St. Louis sociologist Richard Rosenfeld said it doesn't mean that law-abiding citizens are turning to crime, rather it indicates that experienced criminals have found a lucrative market for cheap, stolen goods.

While a shrinking economy and a bone-dry job markert are eventually expected to have an impact on crime rates, it's petty crime -- small-time thefts, burglary and shoplifting -- that is expected to increase, not major felonies, experts say. In a study of crime data from 1979 to 1997, Ohio State University associate professior of economics Bruce Weinberg found that two situations most affect crime rates:

1. Crime goes up when the economy is good because more people have expensive items to steal.


2. Crime goes up when unemployment goes up among poorly educated men, those with no more than a high school education.

Weinberg found that the greatest increases in crime occur when those two factors exist in close proximity; that is, when there is wealth near unemployment. According to Weinberg, crime can be expected to increase in wealthy pockets of Los Angeles that are surrounded by lower-income areas that historically bear the initial brunt of unemployment when the economy turns sour.

A scan of community police logs already indicates a small increase in misdemeanor thefts of convenience: shoplighting and thefts from cars, open garages and unlocked homes. But while there are pockets of crime; overall, state-wide crime rates have remained about the same. "Criminals are criminals," said one burglary unit officer, noting that the unit's suspect pool remains the same in good and bad economic times.

Residents of the Silver Lake and Echo Park areas of Los Angeles, California are up in arms about a recent string of assaults and robberies in their neighborhoods. Over the past two months, 10 robberies have occurred in the area, all at night or in the early morning hours. In each instance, a lone man was attacked while walking down the street. One victim was threatened with a gun to the head while perpetrators demanded money. Another victim was stabbed in the shoulder. LAPD is investigating the crime spree. Victims' descriptions of the perpetrators as Hispanic men, has led LAPD to suspect Hispanic gang members.

California law defines robbery as "the taking of property from another against their will by means of force or fear," explains Los Angeles criminal defense attorney Stephen Rodriguez. Unlike burglary or theft, robbery involves person-to-person confrontation. Assault is "the unlawful attempt to violently injure another person" whether by threat or physical injury. In the state of California, robbery is a serious and violent felony punishable by state prison, Rodriguez warns. Use assault in the commission of a robbery and the seriousness of the charges and potential penalties escalates.

In California, robbery is classed as either first degree or second degree robbery. First degree robbery is the more serious charge and involves:

• Robberies that occur in inhabited dwellings.


• Robbery of a person using an ATM machine.


• Robbery of a passenger in bus, taxi or other vehicle for hire.


• Robbery of the operator or a bus, taxi, street car or cable car.


• Carjacking.

All other robberies are classed as second degree robberies.

First degree robbery, including carjacking, is punishable by 3 to 9 years in a state prison; second degree robbery, by 2 to 5 years in prison. Add in the doubled sentences imposed on convicted felons by California's Three Strikes Law and you could face significant prison time. Use a gun during a robbery and California tacks on 10 years to your sentence. If the gun discharges, whether it's intentional or unintentional, the state adds 20 years to your sentence.

Robbery and assault are serious charges that are aggressively prosecuted in Los Angeles. If you commit robbery, particularly robbery with assault, a serious first degree robbery charge, and are convicted, you risk spending decades in a California prison. Expert Los Angeles criminal defense attorney Stephen Rodriguez and his team of skilled criminal defense lawyers have the experience handling robbery charges to skillfully and aggressively represent you if you are charged with robbery.

The "Bel-Air Burglar" is finally behind bars. After a three-year investigation, Los Angeles, California police announced they have arrested one of two men believed to be responsible for a multi-million dollar crime wave in L.A.'s toniest neighborhoods. Troy Thomas, 45, one of the suspected masterminds of a burglary gang the media dubbed the "Hillside Bandits" was arrested Saturday. Thomas pleaded not guilty to two charges of residential burglary in January and March of last year, according to the Los Angeles Times. He is being held in lieu of $2 million bail. More charges are expected.

Preying on L.A.'s elite, Thomas and his cohorts are suspected of committing more than 150 burglaries and taking more than $10 million in valuables. Using sophisticated technology, the burglary crews were able to bypass elaborate security systems and surveillance cameras.

Under California law, entering a building with the intent to commit theft or another felony is classified as burglary. Residential, or First Degree, burglary can involve a home, attached garage, boat, trailer, railroad car, aircraft, warehouse or the inhabited portion of a building. You don't have to actually steal anything to be charged with burglary; intent is enough to bring a charge.

First degree burglary is a serious felony. A "strike" offense under California's tough Three Strikes law, a conviction doubles the sentence of subsequent offenses. In California, burglary generally carries of sentence of 2, 4 or 6 years in state prison.

In defending burglary, the key is intent, said Los Angeles criminal defense attorney Stephen Rodriguez. If the person intends to steal or commit a felony when entering a residence or other structure, then burglary has occurred. "The prosecutor does not have to prove that the theft or felony occurred;" Rodriguez explained, "only that it was intended at entry." Lack of stolen goods can make it difficult for the prosecution to prove intent and often provides the best defense against a burglary charge, Rodriguez noted.

Other common burglary defenses include cases where the defendant has a legitimate reason to be on the premises and mistaken identity. Burglary and other theft crimes -- including robbery, shoplifting, identity theft, embezzlement and grand theft auto -- require immediate and astute criminal defense representation. For more information on theft crimes, visit the website of Rodriguez, Lewis & Kahn.

Some have said that like the Civil Rights movement of the last half century, the battle against homosexual prejudice will be at the center of this generation's fight for social justice. If recent events are any indication, it will be another long, hard fight.

Two men and two teens have been arrested in the San Francisco Bay area on suspicion of gang-raping a 28-year-old woman. The woman was attacked as she exited her car which bore a rainbow gay pride sticker. Her attackers taunted her for being a lesbian as they raped her. Hitting and raping the woman on the sidewalk as she got out of her car, her attackers shoved her back into the car when someone approached. They drove her to an abandoned building where they raped her repeatedly before stealing her wallet and driving away in her car. Her attackers are being held without bail on charges of gang rape, kidnapping and carjacking. Police indicated that tips from local residents led to the arrests. Police have characterized the crime as a hate crime, noting that the victim's attackers knew she lived with a female partner.

All three of the heinous crimes these men are charged with come under California's tough Three Strikes Law. Under California's Three Strikes Law, anyone convicted of two or more prior strike offenses faces a life-term sentence if convicted of a third felony, even if that felony is not a strike offense. Once convicted of a strike offense, penalties are doubled for subsequent convictions. As explained by expert criminal defense attorney Stephen Rodriguez, "Those defendants who have been convicted of a prior strike must be sentenced to prison for twice the determinate term or twice the minimum for the indeterminate term."

In tough-on-crime California, the Three Strikes Law was instituted to keep violent repeat offenders behind bars. Strikes apply to violent and serious felonies as defined by the state's Penal Code. Strike penalties can also apply to juvenile offenders who are 16 or 17 years old at the time of the offense. Examples of strike offenses include murder, rape, mayhem (serious and deliberate injury that disfigures or disables), grand theft involving a firearm, kidnapping, carjacking with a deadly weapon, any felony involving a firearm, any felony inflicting great bodily injury and a list of other serious crimes.

For more information about California's Three Strikes Law, contact the experienced criminal defense attorneys at the law offices of Stephen Rodriguez.

Robbery crimes in California are rampant, in part because of the current economic crisis and in part because of the level of wealth in homes around Los Angeles. Rich neighborhoods such as Bel Air, Beverly Hills and Malibu are not too far away from lower class neighborhoods. Those who live in the San Fernando Valley have even less distance in neighborhoods that are considered upper and lower class.

Los Angeles robbery attorneys constantly represent those accused of robbery crimes and understand that the "haves" fight to pass strict laws to protect their possessions from the "have nots." Unfortunately, there are seriously violent crimes (such as armed robbery) which make all those accused of robbery, grand theft or petty theft as horrible human beings with evil intent. For example, Los Angeles police were looking for five armed home invaders who wore ski masks as they terrorized members of a large, extended family and robbed them of several thousand dollars. Two residents were pistol-whipped and required hospital treatment, according to the owner of the invaded house.

The robbers ransacked the house in the 7700 block of Owensmouth Avenue until they found some $5,000, which she said was intended to pay the home mortgage in January. Residents include several boarders to who rent rooms in the house, most of whom are from Central America. Police said detailed suspect descriptions were not immediately available, but one of the victims said he believed the home invaders were American- born Latinos. Investigators speculated that the invaders may have been part of the West Valley's Canoga Park Alabama gang. At the time of the robbery, at least eight people were inside the home, some of them small children

In criminal trials, prosecutors often seek to demonize the accused in order to get harsh sentences passed. Los Angeles criminal defense attorneys such as Stephen Rodriguez specialize in representing the accused in all manner of robbery and other criminal defense trials.

Amidst the economic doom and gloom, there's good news for folks who live in the City of Angels. Los Angeles Police Chief William Bratton announced last week that crime in the city of Los Angeles has declined by 3% with gang-related crime dropping 11% since this time last year. Violent crime is down 4.8% overall, Bratton told the Los Angeles Police Commission, a civilian panel that oversees the LAPD. He provided the following breakdown on Los Angeles the crime statistics:

• Homicide down 8.7%


• Gang-related murder down 26.6%


• Rape down 14%


• Aggravated assault down 7.1%


• Robbery down 1.8%


• Burglary down 1.9%


• Grand theft auto down 4.4%


• Burglary from vehicles down 2.1%


• Personal theft down 1.4%

While the newly released figures are laudatory, criminal defense attorney Stephen Rodriguez warns that the L.A. crime decrease may be short-lived. National law enforcement experts are already noticing an increase in misdemeanor crimes like petty theft and shoplifting. Felony robbery, particularly bank robbery, is also on the rise nationally. People hard hit by the economic collapse, particularly the growing legions of unemployed, are turning to crime, particularly theft, as a last resort for the money and things they need.

Escalating home foreclosures -- experts appearing on CBS' 60 Minutes last night estimated that 8 million American will lose their homes in the next year -- are forcing more people into the streets, many with nowhere else to go. Homeless shelters are full, and some have even been forced to close as the donations that support them dry up. Soup kitchens are serving record crowds. Many of these people do not qualify for assistance programs that are already struggling to serve growing numbers of needy people. Adding insult to injury, financially strapped cities and counties are being forced to curtail services just when they're needed most.

Put together, national law enforcement experts say it's a recipe for disaster. Any time the fabric of society tears, any time social systems break down, crime increases. When they feel there are no options, when they are desperate to provide for their families and their children, normally law-abiding citizens will turn to crime. If you become a victim of economic pressures you can't control, seek the services of expert Los Angeles criminal defense lawyer Stephen Rodriguez. He'll fight for your rights.