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"Carmageddon" and the full 405 Freeway shutdown may not take effect until midnight, but Los Angeles police and transportation officials are urging people to stay off the freeways on Friday.

Los Angeles police records obtained by The Times raise questions about the credibility of the man who claims he was kidnapped, assaulted and robbed by members of the Main Street Crips gang after he claimed to have a sex tape of Shaquille O'Neal.

An El Monte man was sentenced to three years in state prison Wednesday in connection with a scheme to recruit 200 Chinese nationals and charge them for joining a phony Army Special Forces unit that he led as "supreme commander," Los Angeles County prosecutors said.

Electric cars will become fairly commonplace in the not-too-distant future, especially in major cities that are equipped to charge these vehicles in parking lots and at home. About 3.2 million plug-in electric cars will be sold by 2015, with sales largely concentrated in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, and Chicago, according to auto industry analysts at Pike Research.

Trojan has just released the results of its annual "sex census," and good news for the people of Los Angeles -- they're having more sex than anyone else in the country, an average of 135 times per year. But that doesn't necessarily mean the sex is any good. Philadelphians report the highest levels of sexual satisfaction, with 82% of respondents there saying they are sexually fulfilled. Just 75% of Angelenos said the same.

Seven alleged Los Angeles street gang members are charged with kidnapping and robbing a man who testified in court that they were after a Shaquille O'Neal sex tape he had.

The actress, who has been a constant fixture at Los Angeles courthouses for nearly a year, is not expected to attend a hearing Wednesday in which her attorney may enter a plea that ends a necklace theft case before trial.

Cities with the foulest air were broken down into three categories and the worst three in each were Los Angeles, Bakersfield and Visalia, all in California, as most ozone polluted; Bakersfield and Fresno, both in California, and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, as most polluted by short-term particle pollution; and Bakersfield, Los Angeles and Phoenix as most polluted by year-round particle pollution.

Los Angeles County health officials say the bacteria that causes Legionnaires' disease was found in a hot tub at the Playboy Mansion where scores of people became ill after attending a fundraiser in February.

The National Weather Service said record-high temperatures are possible in some parts of Southern California this weekend.