Patch PM: Teen Fights Off Kidnapper; Boy On LSD Falls From Balcony; Cal State Tuitions Go Up

LOS ANGELES COUNTY, CA — Here are the Patch stories people are talking about today:

• CSU Trustees Vote To Increase Tuition By 5 Percent: Update Many students say they can't afford the increase. Dozens gathered outside the chancellor's office to protest the increase.
• LAPD: Latinos Reporting Fewer Rapes and Domestic Violence Amid Deportation Fears Chief Beck: Latinos have reported 25 percent fewer rapes as immigration arrests have a chilling effect on victims: BREAKING
• High School Student Escapes Attempted Kidnapper in North Hollywood [VIDEO] Police are warning people to be on the lookout for a BMW driver who tried to grab a woman walking to school in North Hollywood:
• Appeals Court Upholds Conviction in Griffith Park Dismemberment Murder An appeals court rejected the appeal of a man convicted of murdering his Hollywood lover and burying his dismembered body in Griffith Park.
• LA To Test Alternative Sidewalks In $1.5 Million Pilot Program The LA City Council voted to test out environmentally sustainable sidewalks made of rubber, plastic and even energy generating panels.
• Samohi Teen Dies Falling From Balcony While High On LSD, Family Says The boy's family said they wanted to explain what happened so other parents could be spared such a tragedy.
• Major Gangs Increasingly Active in San Fernando Valley, Police Commission Finds Gang related homicides doubled in the western part of the San Fernando Valley last year as gang shootings spiked.
• Archdiocese Settles Suit Over Abuse Allegations Against Highland Park Priest The Archdiocese of LA settled a lawsuit with a former Highland Park altar boy who alleged the late Monsignor at his Highland Park parish.
• Spousal Battery Suspect Crashes In Malibu After Chase By Deputies The suspect, identified as Tyler Moyle of Malibu, suffered moderate injuries in the crash and was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.
• Black Community Faces Job Shortages Crisis In Los Angeles, Study Finds From underrepresentation in managerial positions to unequal pay, black workers endure unequal opportunity in LA's labor force, study finds.
• Wyclef Jean In Handcuffs, Mistaken For Armed Robbery Suspect In West Hollywood A short time after the singer was detained, two suspects were arrested in connection with the armed robbery, according to media reports
• LA City Council Backs Bill Guaranteeing Detained Immigrants Legal Counsel The Los Angeles City Council voted to back California Sen. Kamala Harris' Access to Counsel Act.
• Venice's Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall Vandalized Again As police investigate the tagging of Venice's Vietnam Memorial Wall, crews prepare to add an invisible coating to protect it: Breaking.
• Home Sales Stagnate Across Los Angeles County Home sales in LA County and much of Southern California dipped last month, and prices stagnated as affordability constrains the market.
• L.A. County Pushes for More Trade Apprentices on Construction Projects The proposals come as the county implements a local worker plan requiring 30 percent of jobs to be filled by local residents.
• Al Gore's Distant Cousin, 'Beverly Hills Pawn' Guest Star Settles Discrimination Suit Against Sperm Bank Lawyers for the company filed court papers last Thursday stating that the case was resolved, although no terms were divulged.
• LAPD Bomb Squad Officer Sues City For Sexual Harrasment One of few women in the LAPD's bomb squad alleges she was forced to endure sexual harassment from a peer.
• Clerical Error Spares Parker Center From Wrecking Ball...For Now A vote on the fate of LA's Parker Center has been pushed to Friday, but if the city approve's the plans, the center would be torn this year.
• Sex Offender Who Apparently Killed Himself In Shootout At SGV Sheriff's Station ID'd While the man was in the station, a deputy learned that he was wanted on a $40,000 felony warrant, officials said.
• Authorities Renew Call For Help Finding Hiker Who Went Missing In Angeles National Forest 2 Years Ago Michael Patrick Flynn, 63, is white, 5-feet-4 inches tall, weighs 145 pounds, and has blond hair and blue eyes.
• JetSuiteX Offers Coachella Festival Flights From Hollywood Burbank Airport JetSuiteX will offer 30 minute flights from Burbank to the Coachella Valley for the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival in April.
• South Bay Softball Team Honors Teammate Killed In Gang Crossfire The team dedicated Monday's game to Danah and displayed the No. 19 jersey she wore last season in her memory.
• LA Mayor Directs Airport and Harbor Police Not to Enforce Federal Immigration Laws LA Mayor Eric Garcetti joins bipartisan movement with order directing harbor and airport police not to enforce federal immigration laws.

Photos courtesy of the family and The Los Angeles Sheriff's Department