Two men were fatally shot and another was wounded at a residence in Long Beach early Wednesday morning, and their assailant remained at large Wednesday afternoon.
The crime occurred shortly after midnight in the area of 5300 block of Orange Avenue, and the victims apparently were acquainted with the gunman, according to a family member of one of the men.
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LOS ANGELES (CNS) – Bells rang 4:01 p.m. Wednesday at various churches and other institutions across Los Angeles County as part of a worldwide effort to recognize the 50th anniversary of the assassination of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.
The bells tolled 39 times, signifying the number of years he lived, at the exact time when he died.
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SANTA ANA (CNS) – The American Civil Liberties Union sued the Orange County District Attorney’s Office and the sheriff’s department Wednesday alleging widespread, systemic corruption and constitutional abuses in the use of jailhouse informants.
The lawsuit alleges that prosecutors and sheriff’s officials have operated a confidential informant program for three decades, directing jail inmates to elicit evidence against cellmates in illegal ways. It contends informants were intentionally placed in disciplinary isolation with other cellmates to pump them for information about their cases. The informants also illegally sought evidence against cellmates who were represented by an attorney, the lawsuit alleges.
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ALISO VIEJO (CNS) – The Aliso Viejo City Council Wednesday evening will consider joining Orange County and several other cities challenging California’s so-called sanctuary state legislation prohibiting law enforcement from fully cooperating with federal immigration authorities.
Aliso Viejo Mayor Dave Harrington said the council will discuss whether to file an amicus brief supporting the U.S. Department of Justice’s lawsuit against the state or to try to join the lawsuit as the county voted to do last month.
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LOS ANGELES (CNS) – Starting Wednesday, travelers passing through American Airlines Terminal 4 at Los Angeles International Airport can try out “smart restrooms” that will let them know which stalls are vacant or occupied through a light on the door.
The technology was created and installed by Tooshlights and works similarly to parking garage lights, according to the company. Each stall unit consists of a smart latch and indicator light. When a stall is available, the light is green, but when the stall is occupied, the light turns red. There are also blue indicator lights for ambulatory stalls.
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MANHATTAN BEACH (CNS) – A man suspected of trying to enter a victim’s Manhattan Beach home and then stealing items from unlocked vehicles has been arrested, thanks in part to his choice of footwear.
An officer was dispatched Sunday to the 3200 block of Oak Avenue to investigate overnight thefts from vehicles, according to Manhattan Beach police Sgt. Tim Zins.
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LOS ANGELES (CNS) – Hip-hop entertainment mogul Russell Simmons claimed in court papers Wednesday that a woman who is suing him for rape sent him nude photos and tried to see him again after the alleged assault.
Jennifer Jarosik, 37, filed a $5 million suit against Simmons in January, alleging that she was “sexually exploited, sexually battered, and raped” by the entrepreneur after she went to his Doheny Drive home in August 2016 to discuss a forthcoming documentary film project.
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ALHAMBRA (CNS) – A man was sentenced Wednesday to 180 days in jail for igniting a fire last summer that set a hillside in South Pasadena ablaze and threatened homes.
Carlos Alberto Hernandez, 46, was also ordered to serve three years on probation, spend six months to a year in a residential drug treatment program and register for the rest of his life as an arson offender, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
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LOS ANGELES (CNS) – A Los Angeles police officer who alleges she suffered a backlash when she was placed under surveillance for complaining about sexual harassment by a supervisor is entitled to up to $3.5 million in damages, her attorney said Wednesday, but a deputy city attorney said anyone can be monitored so long as it is “reasonable.”
Lawyer Gregory W. Smith, representing plaintiff Linda Allstot, and Deputy City Attorney Susan Rims gave their summations to a Los Angeles Superior Court jury tasked with deciding the veteran officer’s lawsuit against the city. Allstot, who joined the LAPD more than 20 years ago, filed her suit in August 2015, alleging sexual harassment and a hostile work environment.
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WESTMINSTER (CNS) – A veteran Orange County water polo coach accused of molesting seven teenage girls he coached pleaded not guilty Wednesday to nearly two dozen charges.
Bahram Hojreh, 42, of Irvine, is charged with four counts of committing lewd acts on a child, four counts of sexual penetration of a minor with a foreign object and one count of lewd acts on a child younger than 14, all felonies, along with seven counts of child annoyance and six counts of sexual battery, all misdemeanors.
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LOS ANGELES (CNS) – A woman who appeared to be homeless died outside the Los Angeles Police Department’s downtown headquarters Wednesday.
The woman was spotted by an officer about 9 a.m. on the Second Street side of the property, which takes up an entire block that is also bordered by First, Spring and Main streets.
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PASADENA (CNS) – A Pacoima boy who wrote down the license plate number of a car belonging to a 78-year-old man he saw committing a lewd act on a 10-year-old girl in Burbank was among three people honored Wednesday with Courageous Citizen Awards by Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey.
Leo Richard Anicua, who was 12 at the time and is now 15, was lauded for telling his mother what he saw happen in a parked car outside a Burbank supermarket and going with her to a police station to report the crime on Oct. 4, 2015. Based on information the boy provided, including a description of the girl’s clothing, police officers located and arrested Guillermo Rincon Lugo, according to the District Attorney’s Office
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PICO RIVERA (CNS) – Residents and businesses that were impacted by a massive fire at a Pico Rivera apartment complex are eligible for low-interest federal disaster loans, the U.S. Small Business Administration announced Wednesday.
The Feb. 22 blaze at the Corsica Apartment Homes in the 9100 block of Burke Street displaced about 300 people and many pets and caused minor injuries to a firefighter and two civilians.
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LOS ANGELES (CNS) – Researchers at USC and Harvard Medical School have developed a new approach to repair cells deep inside the ear — a potential remedy that could restore hearing for millions of elderly people and others who suffer hearing loss.
Their study, published Wednesday in a scientific journal, illustrates a way for a drug to attack damaged nerves and cells inside the ear. The findings could potentially lessen a problem that afflicts two-thirds of people over 70 years old and 17 percent of all adults in the United States.
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LOS ANGELES (CNS) – Emmy-nominated actress Mayim Bialik will be the distinguished alumna speaker for the UCLA College commencement June 15, the university announced Wednesday.
Bialik will speak at both the 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. commencement ceremonies at Pauley Pavilion.
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LOS ANGELES (CNS) – Mayor Eric Garcetti announced Wednesday that due to a 44 percent increase last year, Los Angeles has the most installed solar power of any city in America.
Garcetti cited the city’s No. 1 ranking in a new Environment California Research & Policy Center report, “Shining Cities 2018: How Smart Local Policies Are Expanding Solar Power in America,” which says Los Angeles now has 349.3 total megawatts of installed local power. That level of energy is enough to power 82,500 homes in Los Angeles, and eliminates 187,304 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions — the equivalent of taking 40,108 cars off the road, according to the report.
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LOS ANGELES (CNS) – City Attorney Mike Feuer announced Wednesday that he will hold the first in a series of public hearings of the Los Angeles School Safety Blue Ribbon Panel on Sunday at Hollywood High School.
Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education Vice President Nick Melvoin will co-host the 2 p.m. meeting, which will be focused on a variety of topics related to school safety.
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PASADENA (CNS) – The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office determined that Pasadena police officers used reasonable force in subduing a 35-year-old man who died after a September 2016 struggle outside his apartment, city officials announced Wednesday.
“We want to thank the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office for their comprehensive work and for their commitment to finding the truth in this matter,” Pasadena City Manager Steve Mermell said in a city-issued statement. “The loss of Reginald Thomas’ life is tragic, but the District Attorney’s review concludes that the responding Pasadena police officers acted within reason and their use of force was lawful.”
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EL MONTE (CNS) – A motorist who was fatally shot in El Monte was identified Wednesday as 20-year-old Fabian Barajas of Pomona.
Barajas died in his vehicle about 12:35 a.m. Tuesday in the 12300 block of Valley Boulevard, the coroner’s office reported.
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LYNWOOD (CNS) – Authorities Wednesday identified a man who was shot to death outside a coin-operated laundry in Lynwood.
The shooting was reported at 2:25 a.m. Tuesday in the 11900 block of Long Beach Boulevard, said Deputy Wally Bracks of the Sheriff’s Information Bureau.