BRIEFLY GET DISTEMPER SHOTS - WARNING.

A South Los Angeles outbreak of distemper prompted officials Thursday to urge that pets be vaccinated for the disease, which can be lethal to dogs but does not affect humans.

Usually, pet shelters expect to see a case or two of distemper a month, but there have been 22 confirmed cases in South Los Angeles shelters since November, said Jackie David of L.A. Animal Services.

A lot of stray dogs roam that area, she said, and some may have caught the disease from coming in contact with wild animals. Carson and Lancaster have reported similar problems, mostly involving raccoons entering their shelters, she said.

- City News Service

Suspected movie pirate arrested

HOLLYWOOD - A suspected movie pirate was arrested Thursday outside Roscoe's House of Chicken N' Waffles in Hollywood, where authorities say he was selling copies of ``Dawn of the Dead'' and ``The Passion of the Christ.''

Anthony Barr is expected to make his initial appearance in federal court today, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

FBI Agent Dennis Webster was going to lunch with another agent at the popular eatery when he saw Barr selling DVDs in the parking lot.

Barr told Webster he was selling movies for $10 each or three for $25, and said he could get almost any title.

- City News Service

Prosecutor: Two burned family

A family of four was strangled and burned to death in their Hollywood Hills home by two brothers in a business dispute over renovating a motel, a prosecutor told jurors Thursday.

But an attorney for one of the defendants said the dispute had been resolved before the murders occurred.

Victor Govin, 36, of Studio City, and his brother, Pravin Govin, 34, of Cypress, were implicated in the May 4, 2002, killings by co-defendant Carlos Amador, Deputy District Attorney Eleanor Hunter told the Los Angeles Superior Court panel.

Amador, 27, pleaded guilty last October and agreed to testify in the Govins' trial. He is expected to be sentenced April 28 to four concurrent 15-year-to-life terms.

They were charged in July 2002 with the deaths of Gita Kumar, 42; her 18-year-old son, Paras, and 16-year-old daughter, Tulsi; and her 63-year- old mother-in-law, Sitaben Patel.

- City News Service

Man critical after shooting

NORTH HILLS - A man remained in critical condition on life support Thursday after accidentally shooting himself in the head at a Motel 6 in North Hills, a Los Angeles sergeant said.

The shooting occurred about 3:15 a.m. Tuesday in the 15600 block of Roscoe Boulevard, said Sgt. Orlando Chandler of the Los Angeles Police Department's Devonshire Station.

The man was identified as Fidencio Delatorre, Los Angeles police Officer Jason Lee said.

Delatorre, 25, ``had a gun and was fooling around with buddies when it went off,'' said Sgt. Jim Antenucci.

- City News Service

Procession hits health care cuts

Hundreds of children, parents and teachers marched to the steps of City Hall on Thursday to protest Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's proposed cuts to education, health care, child care and immigrant services.

The procession, which began at the Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration, was organized by the Say Yes to Children Network, a division of the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, or ACORN.

Wearing brightly colored T-shirts, crowd members chanted ``children over politics'' and blew whistles after each of about a dozen speakers gave testimonials about how budget issues have affected their lives.

Rachel Steinhart, an emergency room resident at County-USC Medical Center, said one out of seven children in California is uninsured.

- City News Service

Police seeking man in sex attack

SIMI VALLEY - Authorities on Thursday sought the public's help in identifying a man who sexually assaulted a 13-year-old girl on Saturday in an alley behind a shopping center at 660 Los Angeles Ave.

The girl - a Simi Valley resident - reported the incident to police on Wednesday night. She was medically treated before being released to her legal guardian, according to authorities.

The suspect is described as a medium-size white or Latino male, approximately 5 feet 8 inches tall. He was last seen wearing a hood over his head and dark clothing.

Anyone with information on the attack can call the Simi Valley Police Department at [phone].

- Daily News