Mother sues police over son's accidental shooting
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The mother of a parolee who accidentally shot himself to death during a gunbattle with San Francisco police is suing the city for failing to give him immediate medical care.
Kenneth Wade Harding, 19, didn't pay a Muni light-rail fare and was running when his gun fired and the bullet pierced his neck last July. He was trying to shoot at officers at the time.
The federal civil rights suit filed by Denika Chatman, the Washington parolee's mother, says Harding was writhing in pain and he was allowed to drown in his own blood.
Harding was on parole after serving a prison term for trying to pimp a 14-year-old girl. He was also a person of interest in the Seattle killing of 19-year-old woman.
Man arrested after stolen car road trip with teens
STINSON BEACH(AP) — A Minnesota man has been arrested in California after a 1,500-mile stolen car road trip with two teenagers.
Jacob Dwaine Engler, 21, has been booked into the Marin County Jail.
Engler and the teens were found Saturday afternoon in the parking lot at Stinson Beach. A warrant is being prepared for his return to Minnesota. The car was reported stolen earlier this month.
The 15-year-old girl and a 16-year-old boy are in Juvenile Hall awaiting a reunion with their families.
Engler, who lives in Murdock, Minn., works for the girl's father on a farm.
Court monitor: Oakland police reforms still lag
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — A federal court monitor says the Oakland police department's decade-old reform effort has stalled.
In his quarterly report released on Monday, Robert Warshaw questioned the department's willingness to make changes and criticized the department's poor handling of recent Occupy Oakland protests and officer-involved shootings.
Warshaw also raised concerns about photos believed to be that of U.S. District Judge Thelton Henderson and Oakland Mayor Jean Quan posted in police headquarters that he thought were racially offensive. Henderson is African-American and Quan is Asian-American.
Henderson is overseeing the reforms as part of a 2003 Oakland police misconduct settlement that included nearly $11 million in payments to 119 plaintiffs and attorneys.
Henderson has previously said he is running out of patience and may consider placing the department under federal control.
Suspect in missing teen case absent in court
SAN JOSE (AP) — A man accused in the disappearance of a 15-year-old Northern California girl was a no-show during a scheduled court appearance.
Antolin Garcia-Torres was expected to enter a plea to murder and kidnapping charges but did not appear in a Santa Clara County courtroom on Tuesday,.
The 21-year-old Garcia-Torres is being held without bail since his arrest in May after the DNA of Sierra LaMar was found in his car and his DNA was found in her handbag.
Sierra, who remains missing, was last seen by her family leaving her Morgan Hill home on March 16. Investigators believe she was kidnapped while walking to a school bus stop.
Authorities say they believe that Sierra is dead despite ongoing searches by volunteers.
