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Twenty-three suspects were arrested during a massive retail theft bust over Black Friday weekend in Ventura County. The multi-day blitz took place at the Camarillo Premium Outlets from Nov. 29 to Dec. 1, according to the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office. Around $9,000 worth of stolen property was discovered by officers, along with methamphetamine and burglary tools used in the thefts. The suspects were identified as: David Murillo, 18, Oxnard Esteban Giraldo, 19, Gardena Carson Nye, 19, Santa Barbara Hayk Adamyan, 21, North Hills Vahram Arshakyam, 21, Burbank Jesus Edgar Rodriguez Lopez, 24, Los Angeles Laury Gonzalez Cuevas, 24, Los Angeles Blanca Maribel Rodriguez Barrios, 26, Los Angeles Edelyn Rodriguez Vega, 27, Los Angeles Sherzodbeck Sulaimanov, 30, Santa Barbara Lance Yaines, 35, Panorama City Crystal Ghourgoian, 35, Panorama City Guillermo Garcia Duarte, 35, Delano Lorena Buitrago, 37, Los Angeles Arsen Dilanian, 38, Burbank Liliana Diaz, 39, Los Angeles Jenny Aguilar, 42, Gardena Martha Zamora, 55, Los Angeles Dean Hardey, 56, Las Vegas Juan Arbaiza, 60, Oxnard Juvenile, 14, Sylmar Juvenile, 15, Winnetka Juvenile, 17, Santa Barbara The large group of suspects were arrested on a variety

Homicide detectives with the Anaheim Police Department say they believe there are witnesses to an unsolved fatal shooting in January that have yet to come forward.   The Jan. 24 gun violence broke out in the 200 block of East Wakefield Avenue, according to an APD news release.   Officers arrived at the scene at around 3:15 a.m. and found the victim, identified as 49-year-old Marcy Aguilar, suffering from at least one gunshot wound on the porch of an apartment.   Responding medical personnel with the Anaheim Fire Department rushed the 49-year-old to the hospital where he died from his injuries.   Marcy Aguilar, 49, the victim of a deadly shooting on Jan. 24, 2024. (APD) “Due to the ongoing nature of the investigation, specific details cannot be released at this time,” the release noted. “However, detectives believe there are additional witnesses with critical information that could assist in solving this case.   Anyone with information about this investigation is urged to contact the Anaheim Police Department at 714-321-3669.   Those wishing to remain anonymous can leave tips at the same number, police said.  

The search for a convicted murderer who escaped custody during a trip to a Kern County courthouse remains ongoing, and the public is being warned he could be dangerous. Cesar Hernandez, 34, escaped Monday morning after he jumped out of a prison transport van at the Kern County Superior Courthouse in Delano. Hernandez was convicted of first-degree murder in Los Angeles County in 2019 and was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison with the possibility of parole. He was being transported to Delano to face charges for manufacturing weapons while incarcerated. If convicted, it would be considered his “third strike” under California law, meaning he could receive a mandatory life sentence. Cesar M. Hernandez, 34, is shown in this CDCR mugshot on Sept. 20, 2024. (California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation) More than 24 hours after his escape, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said its agents, alongside local law enforcement, continued to actively search for Hernandez and “gather intelligence as they investigate this case.” Hernandez is described as 5 feet 5 inches, weighing about 160 pounds. He has brown eyes and black hair

The judge who presided over Hunter Biden’s federal tax case in Los Angeles rebuked President Biden on Tuesday for pardoning his son this week, saying he misrepresented the facts of his son’s criminal case when he announced the move. In a brief order, U.S. District Judge Mark Scarsi also called out the president for maligning law enforcement and the justice system in his rationale for issuing the clemency, and the judge even indicated that part of the pardon may be unconstitutional. The blunt criticism of a sitting president from a federal judge adds to the condemnation by both Republicans and Democrats of the president’s extraordinary decision Sunday to give the “full and unconditional” pardon after repeatedly saying he wouldn’t. On Tuesday, Gov. Gavin Newsom also spoke out against the president for reneging on a promise. Scarsi, who was nominated to the federal bench by then-President Trump, took issue with the claim of unequal, biased treatment that the president invoked to spare his son prison time in the tax case. The pardon, which absolves Hunter Biden of any and all federal offenses in an 11-year period

Two of California’s most prominent Democrats sharply criticized President Biden’s controversial pardon of his son Hunter, with Sen.-elect Adam B. Schiff and Gov. Gavin Newsom both expressing disappointment Tuesday. “With everything the president and his family have been through, I completely understand the instinct to protect Hunter. But I took the president at his word,” Newsom told Politico, referencing the fact that Biden had repeatedly and unequivocally vowed not to pardon his son in recent months before issuing the expansive clemency grant on Sunday. “So by definition, I’m disappointed and can’t support the decision.” The break with the outgoing president was significant for a governor who acted as an emphatic surrogate for Biden’s 2024 presidential campaign before dropping his bid for reelection. Newsom vociferously defended Biden even as others raised questions about his age and abilities. Schiff, who will be sworn in Monday as California’s next U.S. senator, said in an interview with KQED that he was “deeply disappointed” by the pardon. Schiff told the Northern California radio station that he feared the pardon would set a “bad precedent” that “will undoubtedly be abused and

A 59-year-old woman who was fatally shot in Hollywood was identified Tuesday. The shooting occurred at about 4 p.m. Friday in the 6000 block of Barton Avenue, near Santa Monica Boulevard and Gower Street, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. The suspect, described as a man in his 60s, approached the woman and the two began to argue, police said. The argument escalated into a fight and the man fired a shot at the woman, they added. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene. She was identified by the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner as Los Angeles resident Svetlana Asnaimer. The suspect fled the location in a vehicle headed eastbound on Barton, but police had no description of the vehicle. Anyone with information regarding the shooting was urged to call the LAPD’s Hollywood station at 213-972-2971 or, during non-business hours or weekends, at 877-527-3247. Callers who wish to remain anonymous may contact Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477 or lacrimestoppers.org.

A 57-year-old man fatally struck in a hit-and-run collision in the Arleta area was identified Tuesday. Officers were sent to the intersection of Terra Bella Street and Dorrington Avenue about 9:20 p.m. Wednesday, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. “A white Dodge Charger was traveling westbound at high rate of speed on Terra Bella Street when it struck a pedestrian,” according to an LAPD statement. “The pedestrian was crossing Terra Bella Street at Dorrington Avenue in an unmarked crosswalk. The driver of the vehicle fled westbound on Terra Bella Street failing to stop and render aid as required by law.” Paramedics pronounced the man dead at the scene. He was identified by the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner as Panorama City resident Frank Padilla. A standing reward of up to $50,000 has been offered by the city of Los Angeles for information that helps solve a fatal hit-and-run. Anyone with information on the case was urged to call Valley Traffic Division Investigator Takishita at 818-644-8116, or 877-LAPD-247. Tipsters may also call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS, or use the website www.lacrimestoppers.org.

A former school janitor jailed for five years on allegations that he molested multiple students is suing San Bernardino County and the sheriff’s department after his acquittal on all charges, according to a complaint filed earlier this week in district court.   Pedro Martinez, of Hesperia, was arrested by San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department deputies in January 2019 on allegations that he molested a 6-year-old boy at Maple Elementary School where he worked.  At the time of his arrest, investigators said they found additional victims who corroborated the first victim’s claim. They also said there may be other victims who had not yet come forward.  Martinez was ultimately charged with 11 counts of child sex abuse and was held in custody until his trial began in August 2023.   At the conclusion of the more than three-month trial, Martinez was acquitted on 10 of the charges, with the 11th charge dismissed mid-trial.   During the trial, attorney Ian Wallach identified Martinez’s accuser as a “mentally ill woman” who was dating one of the boys’ mothers at the time, a claim carried over in the recent complaint filed on

The cost of convenience is adding up for millions of fast-food customers in the United States. Online food delivery has become a trillion — yes, trillion — dollar business. But with each order comes a slew of fees that can quickly take the cost of an otherwise quick, affordable meal and make it … less quick and less affordable. According to Chowhound, delivery services often include fees that aren’t immediately obvious. They can range from service fees to small order fees and even higher menu prices compared to in-store purchases. “While you might be able to grab a meal in-person from one of the cheapest fast-food chains in the U.S. for under $10, it’s exceedingly rare to spend less than $20 on delivery once tax, tip, and fees are applied,” the food industry news website notes. A delivery worker carries a DoorDash bag in New York, US, on Monday, April 29, 2024. DoorDash Inc. is scheduled to release earnings figures on May 1. Photographer: Yuki Iwamura/Bloomberg via Getty Images In addition to these hidden fees, there’s the standard delivery charge. Those vary by service and

Sylvein William Maximilian D’Habsburg XVII, 48, of West Hills has agreed to plead guilty to running a $5.9-million Ponzi scheme in which he convinced seniors to invest in his businesses and then spent their money on luxury cars and rare antiques, authorities said. With such a grand name, it could be easy to assume that the man is a descendant of the Habsburg dynasty that ruled Austria from 1282 until 1918. That, however, is false. D’Habsburg legally changed his name from Sylvein Scalleone and “is neither a relative by blood nor marriage to the Habsburg dynasty that ruled parts of Europe for centuries,” according to a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Justice. The San Fernando Valley man filed his plea agreement Tuesday and was expected to formally enter a guilty plea for one felony count of wire fraud in the U.S. district court in downtown Los Angeles in the coming weeks, according to the Department of Justice. He faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison, prosecutors said. According to his plea agreement, D’Habsburg operated his Ponzi scheme from January 2018 to

California’s Civil Rights Department announced settlements Tuesday with Amazon, Ikea and Kohl’s over allegations that the big-box retailers illegally denied jobs to people based on their criminal histories. Amazon allegedly denied a Bay Area applicant work as a delivery driver because of a conviction that was more than seven years old, while Ikea was accused of failing to justify its stance that a criminal history made an applicant unable to handle a job as a furniture builder in Carson, the Civil Rights Department said. Another complaint said Kohl’s denied an applicant a job as a warehouse worker in Los Angeles based on criminal history information unlawfully obtained through a questionnaire. Besides the retailers, California also reached a settlement with the Dodgers for failing to notify an applicant for a guest services job of the specific reason their hire had been blocked, and for failing to provide an opportunity for the applicant to submit evidence challenging the rejection. The series of settlements marks an effort to enforce the Fair Chance Act, which went into effect in 2018 and limits how an employer can use an applicant’s