Category: Los Angeles

A Los Angeles County man was sentenced to 25 years in federal prison on Monday for selling “purported black tar heroin that, in fact, was fentanyl,” ultimately leading to an 18-year-old’s fatal overdose, officials say. According to the Department of Justice, Gregory Hevener, 47, of Hawaiian Gardens was found guilty in June of one count of distribution of fentanyl resulting in death and one count of possession with intent to distribute heroin. The DOJ says the investigation found that the 18-year-old, whose name was not released, responded to an ad placed by Hevener on the website OfferUp in November 2020.  The Long Beach-based listing advertised a message saying: “BLACK TAR ROOFING MATERIALS!!” – which the DOJ says is coded language for black tar heroin. “OfferUp records revealed Hevener operated or had access to several accounts on the platform, in which he advertised and distributed drugs, including heroin and fentanyl,” the DOJ stated in a release. The 18-year-old bought what he believed to be heroin from Hevener during a meet-up in Hawaiian Gardens. However, officials say Hevener instead gave the teen what was a black, tar-like

Nathan Hochman, who campaigned on a “hard middle approach” to battling crime and scored a resounding victory over reform-minded incumbent George Gascón in last month’s election, is set to take the oath of office Tuesday as L.A. County’s 44th district attorney. The 61-year-old former federal prosecutor — who ran as an independent after seeking the state attorney general’s office as a Republican in 2022 — will be sworn in at noon in a ceremony outside the Hall of Justice, with former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger administering the oath. Hochman will carry what amounts to a mandate from L.A. County voters to get tougher on crime — with the latest numbers giving him more than 1.9 million votes, or just under 60%, compared to Gascón’s 1.3 million votes. Gascón conceded defeat on Nov. 6, one day after Election Day. Gascón was swept into office four years ago with a progressive platform — but he became a target of critics, including Hochman, who accused him of being soft on crime. Gascón defended his record while in office, denying allegations that his policies led to an increase in crime

A Compton man was in custody Monday for allegedly killing his 9-year-old autistic son outside the boy’s grandfather’s home over the weekend. Nicholas Jones, 32, was booked on suspicion of murder and child abuse resulting in death in the killing on Saturday of Princeton Jones, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner. He was being held on $2 million bail, the sheriff’s department reported. No other details were immediately released regarding the circumstances of the shooting or what led to Jones’ arrest. Deputies were sent to the 15000 block of South Haskins Avenue about 7:30 p.m. Saturday “regarding a gunshot victim call,” according to a sheriff’s department statement. “Upon arrival, deputies located a … male juvenile in the backyard of the residence suffering from a gunshot wound to his body,” sheriff’s officials said. “The juvenile was pronounced dead at the scene. Through investigation, Detectives identified the juvenile’s biological father, 32-year-old Nicholas Jones, of Compton, as a suspect.” Jones was arrested on Sunday, the sheriff’s department reported. “This investigation is on-going and there is no additional

Ventura police are searching for two women involved in a hit-and-run that left a 71-year-old cyclist critically injured Sunday evening. It happened around 5:25 p.m. near Foothill Road and La Fonda Drive when the elderly man was discovered lying in the roadway after losing control of his bicycle due to an object in the street. Witnesses reported seeing a white sedan, possibly a Lexus, strike the downed cyclist. The car’s occupants, described as a white woman driver in her 70s and a white woman passenger in her early 20s, briefly exited the vehicle to check on the man before fleeing without offering help. The cyclist remains in critical but stable condition, officials said. Police are urging anyone with information to contact the Ventura Police Department Traffic Division at 805-339-4437.

Police arrested a 24-year-old man for vehicular manslaughter after he allegedly engaged in illegal street racing that killed a teen in San Bernardino County, officials announced Monday. Investigators found that the suspect, Jose Perez-Villafuerte of Fontana, was driving a gray Ford Mustang when he approached a white Ford Mustang that was stopped at the intersection of Cactus and San Bernardino avenues. According to initial findings, both Mustangs engaged in an illegal street race southbound on Cactus Avenue. While both cars raced at what police described only as “a high rate of speed,” the 19-year-old driver of the white Mustang, Marcques Mena of Rialto, lost control of his car and crashed into a tree. The Rialto Police Department says officers responded to a report of a single-vehicle crash around 10:35 p.m. Sunday in the 1400 block of South Cactus Ave. Fire crews arrived soon after and found Mena suffering from life-threatening injuries, and paramedics pronounced Mena deceased at 10:45 p.m. According to officials, two other passengers in the Mustang sustained non-life-threatening injuries and were transported to Arrowhead Regional Medical Center. Rialto Police say officers located Perez-Villafuerte

Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence will soon be more than just comedy contemporaries: They’re going to be in-laws. Eric Murphy (son of “The Nutty Professor” star Murphy) and Jasmin Lawrence (daughter of “Bad Boys” comic Lawrence) are headed to the altar, they announced Saturday. “God truly blessed us with a love that feels like destiny,” they captioned an Instagram video of their engagement. “We couldn’t be more excited for this next chapter,” they added. In the video, Eric walks Jasmin into a room adorned with elegant candelabra, flower petals spread across the floor, bouquets of roses and a large red heart framed on a wall. Eric, wearing a black suit, gets down on one knee and pops the question. Then he and Jasmin, in a black body-hugging dress, pose for photos. Jasmin, 28, and Eric, 35, shared their engagement more than three years after they made their romance Instagram official in June 2021. At the time, Eric said he was “head over heels in LOVE” with his now-fiancée. A month later, Jasmin celebrated her partner’s birthday on Instagram, writing “I’m so incredibly blessed to know

SACRAMENTO —  California lawmakers met at the state Capitol Monday to devise a plan to shield the state from President-elect Donald Trump’s conservative policies, including his vows to repeal environmental protections and initiate mass deportations. The goal of the special legislative session called by Gov. Gavin Newsom is to establish a $25 million fund for legal challenges to federal polices that the governor said could “harm the state,” including when it comes to civil rights, abortion access and immigration. But with Trump’s return as president, the politics of leading the resistance are trickier as Democrats assess how they lost the White House and grapple with why support for Trump in California increased since the 2020 election despite his felony convictions, pattern of lies and role in the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol after his loss to President Biden. Legislative leaders — under pressure to prove that the special session is more than just political theater, as alleged by some Republicans — tried to balance their concerns about a second Trump term with state issues important to constituents such as the rising cost of living. As the

The California Department of Justice is opening an investigation into the fatal shooting by Santa Ana police of a man armed with a fake rifle on Sunday, authorities said. The Santa Ana Police Department responded to reports of a man loading a rifle near Broadway and 2nd streets at 5:30 p.m. Sunday, according to the department. After arriving on scene, two officers shot the man multiple times, said department spokesperson Officer Natalie Garcia. The man, identified only as a 30 years old and Latino, was transported to a hospital and pronounced dead, police said. No more details about the shooting were released, including whether the man pointed the rifle at the responding police officers. The rifle the man was reported to be carrying turned out to be an airsoft gun, a nonlethal replica firearm that shoots plastic pellets and is often used for games like paintball, police said. There were no reports of bystanders or officers harmed during the incident and a critical incident debrief will be released in the coming weeks, police said. On Monday, California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta announced that the California

An Apple employee has sued the company, alleging it improperly requires access to personal data that employees store on the tech behemoth’s iCloud. The lawsuit, filed by Amar Bhakta, who has worked in advertising technology for Apple since 2020, also alleges the company’s policies illegally restrict discussions about wages and working conditions among workers. While Apple provides employees with iPhones and other equipment, it is common for employees to use their own devices or to link company-issued products to their personal iCloud accounts, according to the lawsuit. When they do so, the lawsuit alleges, Apple demands as part of its terms of employment that employees allow the company to install software that makes it possible to search a device or iCloud account. In addition, the company “actively discourages” the use of work-only iCloud accounts, the lawsuit said. According to the lawsuit, Apple forbade Bhakta from speaking publicly about his work in digital advertising and required him to remove information about his work from his LinkedIn profile. These moves “limited his visibility and attractiveness in the job market” the lawsuit said. “If you use your personal

By Ash-har Quraishi, Amy Corral, Charlie Brooks, Matt Clark, Scott Pham, Jose Sanchez, Ryan Beard December 2, 2024 / 8:06 PM EST / CBS News Amazon’s driver program faces safety criticism Amazon’s driver program faces criticism over safety issues 04:15 The death of a 19-year-old college student on a Texas highway is raising questions about the fleet of drivers Amazon uses to move packages between its facilities. College freshman Iliana Velez’s life was cut short in a crash with a contractor who was driving to pick up an Amazon load. A University of Texas freshman, Velez was working nights sorting packages part time at an Amazon fulfillment center. In the early morning hours of Jan. 3, 2022, Velez was on a break when she was forced off the road by a box truck driven by Jordan Sannicola, a contractor on his way to pick up an Amazon shipment. Velez’s car rolled multiple times. She died at the scene.  Iliana Velez, 19, was working overnights at an Amazon facility to pay for college. CBS News Her mother, Trula Velez, received the news from police that same

Amazon’s driver program faces criticism over safety issues – CBS News Watch CBS News The holiday shopping season is now in full swing, with shoppers expected to spend more than $13 billion before Cyber Monday is over. Amazon expects to deliver millions of packages in the next few weeks, relying on a fleet of drivers who mostly work for third-party carriers. Ash-har Quraishi looks into the safety implications of delivery on this kind of mass scale. Be the first to know Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Not Now Turn On

This story is currently being updated while video of the LAPD update loads. Please refresh page for additional details. Authorities are set to update the public Monday evening with the latest details on Hannah Kobayashi, a 30-year-old Maui resident who has been the center of a massive search since she vanished in Los Angeles in early November.   On the way to visit her aunt in New York, the 30-year-old flew from Hawaii to L.A. on Nov. 8 and intentionally missed her connecting flight at LAX, according to Los Angeles Police Department Chief Jim McDonnell.  The Maui native was spotted a day later at The Grove for a LeBron James event, with family members receiving concerning texts from her that same day.   She was last seen at the Pico Metro Station near Crypto.com Arena around 10 p.m. on Nov. 11 with an unknown person.  Hannah Kobayashi seen in L.A. in a surveillance photo obtained by family members. (viewer image) As the weeks passed and the search intensified, with more family members traveling to L.A. to look for her, they stated publicly that they believed Hannah had

Detectives are investigating a double homicide that left two teens dead in Northeast Los Angeles in November, police say. The Los Angeles Police Department says Northeast Area patrol officers received a radio call of “unknown trouble” in Mount Washington around 12:10 a.m. on Nov. 7. Officers responded to the call in the 1400 block of Cliff Drive and found two teenage boys unconscious, appearing to have sustained gunshot wounds. Officials did not immediately say whether any witnesses were present or heard the encounter. LAPD says despite lifesaving efforts, paramedics arrived and pronounced both teens dead at the scene. Police identified the first victim as 18-year-old Denzel Guzman, and the second victim as a 17-year-old juvenile. Details are limited, LAPD says there is no suspect information and did not mention whether arrests have been made. Police urge anyone with information regarding this crime to call Central Bureau Homicide Detectives Cardenas or De La Riva at 213-996-4163 or via email at 36303@lapd.online.   During non-business hours or on weekends, calls can be directed to 1-877-LAPD-24-7 (1-877-527-3247).  To remain anonymous, call the L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (800-222-8477)

The Ventura Police Department is looking for a woman in her 70s who allegedly ran over a downed bicyclist, got out to look at him and then got back in her vehicle and drove off without helping. At about 5:20 p.m. on Sunday, a 71-year-old bicyclist crashed at Foothill Road and La Fonda Drive after hitting an object in the road, police said in a news release. While that cyclist was lying in the roadway, a white sedan that police believe could be a Lexus ran over the man. Police seek truck in hit-and-run in Hollywood “The occupants of that vehicle stopped shortly after, exited their vehicle, and walked over to the victim,” police said. “Both occupants then returned to their vehicle and fled before officers or emergency personnel arrived on scene, making no attempt to render aid to the victim.” The driver of that sedan is a woman believed to be about 70 years old, while the passenger is a woman believed to be about 20. The cyclist, meanwhile, is in critical but stable condition, police said. If anyone has any information, they’re asked

My Chemical Romance has broken its silence on the death of its former drummer Bob Bryar, who performed with the emo group from 2004 to 2010. “It is with a heavy heart that we say goodbye to Bob Bryar, our former bandmate and an important part of the history of My Chemical Romance,” the band wrote Monday on Instagram . “We send our deepest condolences to his friends and family at this time. May he rest in peace.” Bryar was found dead in his Tennessee home last week, a spokesperson confirmed Sunday, adding, “The band asks for your patience and understanding as they process the news of Bob’s passing.” No cause of death was given, although TMZ reported that, according to police, no foul play was suspected as Bryar’s possessions, including musical equipment and weapons, were untouched. An investigation by a medical examiner was still pending. MCR’s longest-standing drummer, Bryar replaced the band’s original drummer, Matt Pelissier, in 2004 and played on the 2006 opus “The Black Parade,” which garnered a Grammy nomination and later landed on Rolling Stone’s list of 500 greatest albums of

Democrats have warned for months that Donald Trump, if elected again, would bend the Justice Department to his own political will. But President Biden’s announcement Sunday that he had issued a sweeping pardon for his son Hunter — for any crimes he may have committed over a decade — suddenly left the president’s allies on the defensive. Biden said he did it, after promising he wouldn’t, because he felt his own Justice Department had treated his son unfairly — that “raw politics” had “infected” Hunter Biden’s prosecution on gun and tax evasion offenses and “led to a miscarriage of justice.” Trump, who during his first term pardoned a slate of political allies and who has long condemned the Justice Department as politicized and in need of an overhaul, blasted the decision, suggesting the pardon was an “abuse and miscarriage of Justice” itself. The pardon immediately fed into an already roiling debate nationally around justice and politics and whether the two can adequately be held separate — particularly in the months ahead, as Trump takes office and stands up his next administration. Outside political and legal

Quarterback Matthew Stafford suffered a “little” lateral ankle sprain in the Rams’ victory over the New Orleans Saints, but the injury is not expected to affect his preparation for Sunday’s game against the Buffalo Bills, coach Sean McVay said Monday. “Nothing that’s going to change his weekly rhythm as far as practice,” McVay said during a video conference, adding that Stafford ran Monday as part of the team’s day-after lifting program. “Got it banged up a little bit. He’s tough. He pushes through and he should be good to go.” Stafford was injured during the second quarter of Sunday’s 21-14 victory in New Orleans when he was taken to the ground while throwing an incomplete pass. Stafford limped immediately after the play but stayed in the game and passed for two second-half touchdowns. “I need to be faster,” he joked afterward, “and get away from those guys.” Receiver Demarcus Robinson, who caught a touchdown pass, suffered a hand avulsion, but with a protective pad he should be ready to play against the Bills, McVay said. Also on Monday, the Rams moved to bolster their secondary

Why Syria’s civil war is reigniting – CBS News Watch CBS News The Syrian military and the Kremlin conducted joint airstrikes Monday on parts of Syria that rebels took control of over the weekend. Fighters seized Syria’s largest city, Aleppo, after a battle with troops loyal to dictator Bashar al-Assad. CBS News senior national security correspondent Charlie D’Agata joins “America Decides” to discuss why the civil war is reigniting after a yearslong stalemate. Be the first to know Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Not Now Turn On

Biden pardons son Hunter after months of saying he wouldn’t do so – CBS News Watch CBS News With major changes looming at the Justice Department, President Biden has wiped away the prosecution of his son, Hunter Biden. Plus, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick of Kash Patel for FBI director is sending shockwaves through Washington, D.C. CBS News’ Nancy Cordes and Ed O’Keefe have the latest. Be the first to know Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Not Now Turn On

Biden faces backlash for granting pardon to son Biden faces backlash for granting pardon to son Hunter 03:17 President Biden on Sunday issued a sweeping pardon of his son Hunter, who was convicted earlier this year on federal gun and drug charges, and pleaded guilty to tax charges in California.  The presidential pardoning process is one that has long courted controversy, especially since many presidents issue pardons when they are leaving the White House.  One of the most famous —and controversial— pardons in history happened less than one month into President Gerald Ford’s term. On Sept. 8, 1974, Ford announced from the Oval Office that he would “grant a full, free and absolute pardon unto Richard Nixon for all offenses against the United States which he, Richard Nixon, has committed or may have committed.” Ford’s own press secretary resigned over the pardon, and Ford’s approval rating dropped 20 points over the following days. His approval rating never recovered and he went on to lose the 1976 presidential election.  What is a presidential pardon? Presidents are granted the authority to issue pardons under Article II, Section

California authorities are searching for a man convicted of first-degree murder who jumped out of a prison van and escaped custody while being transported for a court appearance. Cesar M. Hernandez, 34, escaped Monday morning shortly after arriving at the Kern County Superior Courthouse in Delano. According to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Hernandez jumped out of a prison transport van and took off on foot around 10:45 a.m. As of 3 p.m. Monday, he has yet to be located. Special investigators from nearby CDCR prisons are currently searching for Hernandez, with assistance from the California Highway Patrol and the Delano and McFarland police departments. Cesar M. Hernandez, 34, is shown in this CDCR mugshot on Sept. 20, 2024. (California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation) Hernandez is described as 5 feet 5 inches, weighing about 160 pounds. He has brown eyes and black hair and was last seen wearing an orange prison outfit. He’s been in state prison since June 2019 after being convicted of first-degree murder in Los Angeles County. He was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison with the