Assaults

Five members of the "Jena Six" pleaded no contest Friday to misdemeanor simple battery and won't serve jail time, ending a case that thrust a small Louisiana town into the national spotlight and sparked a massive civil rights demonstration. The five were sentenced to seven days of unsupervised probation and fined $500.

An assault on a Latina in a Ladera Ranch gated community over the holiday weekend is being called the worst hate crime this year in Orange County, and has prompted the Sheriff's Department to assign 20 deputies and investigators to the case. "It's important for us to send a very strong message," said Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchens at a news conference Wednesday. "We will not tolerate hate crimes." The attack occurred about 10:30 a.m. on July 4.

It was a shocking rampage that showed the difficulties of policing a major city, even in the midst of a historic drop in crime. A man with a long criminal record and a history of mental illness stabbed four homeless men, two of them fatally, in a series of apparently random attacks on busy Hollywood streets, police said Friday. The attacks occurred Thursday afternoon near the spot where, a few hours earlier, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Police Chief William J. Bratton had held a news conference to tout a major reduction in crime and announce the hiring of 40 new officers for Hollywood.

A man suspected of seriously injuring a Culver City councilman after a dispute over a drink at a bar turned himself in to police Wednesday. Robert Anthony Singerman, 28, was booked on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and released on bail about 4:45 p.m., police said. Police said Singerman punched Councilman Micheal "Mehaul" O'Leary about 2 a.m. Sunday at Joxer Daly's Pub, which the councilman owns. O'Leary was seriously injured and remained hospitalized Wednesday, though he was taken out of intensive care.

Singer Chris Brown was involved in two unreported incidents "related to domestic violence" before the February encounter that left his pop star girlfriend Rihanna bruised and bleeding, a probation officer's report filed with the court Tuesday alleged. The first incident allegedly occurred about three months earlier, in Europe, when Brown and Rihanna were in a "verbal dispute," according to the report, which cited detectives investigating the case. She slapped him and Brown responded by shoving her into a wall, the report alleged.

A star running back from Lakewood High was charged Tuesday with two counts of attempted murder in connection with what police described as a gang-related drive-by shooting Friday afternoon in which no one was injured. Law enforcement officials privately confirmed that Jerry Stone, a senior considered among the best tailbacks in the state, was allegedly driving the vehicle involved in the shooting, which occurred in the 1100 block of Acacia Avenue in Compton. Because Stone is a juvenile, authorities are not allowed to identify him publicly.

Mike Campbell sat and watched the flames. The 76-year-old Zimbabwean farmer desperately wanted to help. But you can't fight a fire with a walking stick. So the fierce, proud man who had spent so many years fighting for his land was forced to stand by as his family used green branches to fight the blaze burning toward his daughter's home. "It's a terrible feeling when you stand there, helpless. I can't really move very fast," said Campbell, who never really recovered after being beaten by thugs loyal to President Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe's election violence in June 2008.

Hawthorne police say a man arrested on suspicion of raping and beating an elderly woman last week may be responsible for other similar crimes. Gary Labon, 48, was arrested Friday after officers responded to a neighbor's call about "a female screaming outside" and found him on top of a 70-year-old woman in the 12900 block of Jefferson Avenue, authorities said. The woman was collecting recyclables about 3 a.m. when the suspect allegedly attacked her, said Lt. Michael Ishii. The victim, who was found unconscious, was sexually assaulted and badly beaten.

The sight of airline cabin crews trying to mollify enraged passengers has become all too common. But a recent Air India flight added a twist when crew members mid-flight started punching each other in front of startled passengers. Accounts of what happened differ now that everyone's back on the ground. Exactly who started the brawl and why got a bit lost in the clouds, though one flight attendant has accused a crew member of trying to molest her. What no one disputes is that with New Delhi-bound Flight IC-844 cruising at 30,000 feet over Pakistan around 4 a.m. Saturday, the cockpit and cabin crews broke into fisticuffs.

Relatives of the five boys accused of setting a Florida teenager afire expressed shock Wednesday that anyone, let alone their family members, could be accused of anything so horrific. "I know my brothers didn't intentionally try to hurt anyone," said Danielle Jarvis, 19, whose brothers, Denver, 15, and Jeremy, 13, were arrested Monday night. "Now they're in a real spot. I'm scared for them." Investigators say the Jarvis brothers were part of a group that surrounded 15-year-old Michael Brewer outside a Deerfield Beach apartment complex, splashed him with rubbing alcohol and set him ablaze Monday afternoon in the city 38 miles north of Miami.