Assaults

The Afghan troops who supported the U.S. Marines in the battle to end Taliban control of this town in Helmand province showed marked improvement over last summer's performance in a similar fight but still need much more training, Marine commanders say. Brig. Gen. Larry Nicholson, the top Marine here, said that overall the Afghan battalions exceeded his expectations. Nicholson said he would give some Afghan units an A-minus or B-plus but that others, particularly those with soldiers fresh from basic training, would get a C-minus or D. The lead Afghan commander, Brig.

A former supervisor at the Orange County animal shelter has been convicted of sexually assaulting six female jail inmates who were working at the shelter to fulfill their sentences. Frank Martin Bojorquez Jr., 55, of Orange had the women assigned to duties in isolated areas of the shelter where he assaulted them in 2004 and 2005, prosecutors said. The women, all nonviolent offenders who didn't know one another, testified at the trial that they said nothing at the time of the assaults because they feared how Bojorquez could influence their jail time, prosecutors said.

Martial arts movies to the contrary, hands and feet are not deadly weapons that automatically increase the punishment for assault, the state Supreme Court ruled Monday. The crime of assault with a deadly weapon requires use of "an object extrinsic to the body," the court said in a unanimous decision.

A former Northern California doctor has been arrested on suspicion of drugging and sexually assaulting at least two men before fleeing to his native Taiwan two years ago. Tony Shiu, 39, who had practiced general medicine in Dublin, near Oakland, was deported from Taiwan to the United States on Thursday and was arrested after his flight landed at San Francisco International Airport. He was charged with felony sodomy, sexual penetration of an unconscious person, sexual assault during medical treatment and several misdemeanors related to the alleged assaults on the two men. Shiu had lived in the United States for years, graduating from college and medical school before setting up his practice in Dublin.

Students and activists joined together Wednesday to file complaints against colleges and universities nationwide, alleging that the schools have failed to follow federal laws, including those involving the reporting of sexual assaults and discrimination. Attorney Gloria Allred announced that complaints were filed against Swarthmore College, Dartmouth College, USC and UC Berkeley on Wednesday morning. Some of these were Title IX complaints alleging a hostile environment for women.

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.

A wanted militia figure who vowed that he would never be taken alive was killed by a law enforcement officer after he shot a sheriff's deputy trying to arrest him, authorities said Tuesday. William Milton Cooper, 58, whose anti-government radio program included Oklahoma City bomber Timothy J. McVeigh as a fan, was fatally shot at his Eager, Ariz., home after confronting deputies late Monday and shooting one of them in the head, officials said.

Two Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies face assault charges for allegedly beating up a firefighter while off duty last year in Pomona, according to a grand jury indictment unsealed Tuesday. Joshua Titel and Brian Richards, both 31, pleaded not guilty in L.A. County Superior Court and were released without bail. According to prosecutors, the two deputies beat and kicked the victim on June 24, 2007.

R&B singer Chris Brown pleaded guilty Monday to assaulting his former girlfriend, the pop star Rihanna, in a last-minute deal that allowed him to avoid both jail time and another public airing of the domestic violence allegations that have damaged his clean-cut image and promising career.

Singer Courtney Love pleaded no contest to a reduced assault charge Thursday in a deal with Los Angeles prosecutors in which she agreed to anger management counseling, random drug testing and three years' probation. Love, 40, made a brief appearance in court before her attorney entered the plea on her behalf to a misdemeanor count of assault with a deadly weapon before Superior Court Judge Rand S. Rubin.