AP Photo/Houston Chronicle, Pool PhotographerThe Los Angeles Police Department is turning up the heat on their investigation into Michael Jackson's untimely death—by actually packing heat for what was supposed to be another meeting with Dr. Conrad Murray.
It's unclear, however, if cops ever actually made contact with the doctor, who, his lawyer insists, has been cleared as a suspect in Jackson's death.
Police activity continued outside Murray's L.A.-area condo for nearly an hour and a half this morning.
Around 10:30 a.m., armed police detectives arrived at Murray's building in an unmarked gold-colored sedan. The vehicle, driven by a man in a red shirt and aviator sunglasses, pulled into the underground parking garage, but left several minutes and circled the block.
Then, shortly after 11 a.m. a second unmarked police car, this time taking the form of a green-hued sedan, parked in the alley adjacent to the doctor's condo, pulling up alongside the first detective. Behind the wheel of the second car was an undercover officer wearing a handgun on his hip.
A few minutes later, a police cruiser turned up at the scene and the uniformed officer got out of the squad car to speak with the two detectives.
By noon, all three cars had vanished from the condo's grounds.
An LAPD spokesperson declined to comment on this morning's events, citing their "ongoing investigation" into Jackson's death. A lawyer for the doctor told E! News that Murray has been cooperative and is definitely "not hiding out."
"As far as we know, [the visit] had nothing to do with our client," said Miranda Sevcik, a spokesman for Murray's Houston-based lawyers.
Murray's luck took a turn for the better later today, when police returned his BMW, which they had seized as evidence last week outside Jackson's home. The silver sedan has since been spotted parked outside the doctors L.A. residence.
Meanwhile, a source close to the police investigation confirmed today that detectives are focusing their efforts on Jackson's prescription drug intake, saying that yesterday's search of the star's Holmby Hills mansion came after officers obtained two search warrants.
Which was apparently nothing more than a formality.
Los Angeles Assistant Chief Coroner Ed Winter said that the Jackson family was more than cooperative in allowing him and the LAPD into the residence.
"The family assisted us in going into the home," he told E! News. "I'm not going to comment on whether or not there was a search warrant."
While investigators have yet to specify what exactly they found in the home, and have so far declined to either confirm or deny reports that needles were among the evidence they collected, they apparently did find a few things of interest, leaving the residence with two large plastic bags.
"They were seeking medications, controlled substances and paraphernalia," the source said.
—Additional reporting by Ken Baker
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