Bay Area

LAPD shooting that killed rampaging man and teenage shopper is detailed in report

A shooting by a Los Angeles police officer in a department store killed a man who was on a violent rampage — and a 14-year-old girl who was Christmas shopping with her mother, says a newly released report on the 2021 incident. California Department of Justice investigators gave a detailed description of the officers’ encounter with the man, who had used a bike lock to beat a shopper, and concluded that “there is insufficient evidence to support a criminal prosecution of the officer” who fired the fatal shots. The report, however, did criticize the “breakdown of communication” that derailed the police’s plan to use a less-lethal projectile. The investigation was required by a state law that covers any shooting by a law enforcement officer that kills a person who does not have a lethal weapon. The shootings took place on Dec. 23, 2021, in a Burlington store in Los Angeles’ North Hollywood neighborhood. Officer William Jones Jr. fired three rifle shots at Daniel Elena Lopez, 24. One of the shots fatally struck Elena Lopez; another went through a wall into a dressing room, where it

Bay Area

Sale closed in Palo Alto: $3 million for a four-bedroom home

682 Wildwood Lane – Google Street View The property located in the 600 block of Wildwood Lane in Palo Alto was sold on April 5, 2024 for $3,000,000, or $1,712 per square foot. The house, built in 1950, has an interior space of 1,752 square feet. This single-story home provides a generous living space with its four bedrooms and two baths. Inside, there is a fireplace. In addition, the home features a single carport. The property occupies a sizable 6,050-square-foot lot. These nearby houses have also recently changed hands: On Tulip Lane, Palo Alto, in March 2023, a 1,549-square-foot home was sold for $3,200,000, a price per square foot of $2,066. The home has 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. In October 2023, a 1,496-square-foot home on Wildwood Lane in Palo Alto sold for $3,000,000, a price per square foot of $2,005. The home has 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. A 2,468-square-foot home on the 2000 block of Channing Avenue in Palo Alto sold in January 2023, for $3,100,000, a price per square foot of $1,256. The home has 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.

Bay Area

Vallejo resident sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for child pornography charges

A Vallejo man charged with possession of child pornography has recently been sentenced to 120 months in federal prison. Jose Navarro Mendoza will also serve five years of supervised release after his prison term is completed, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern California District. The sentence was imposed on April 12. The 45-year old pleaded guilty in May 2023 to one count of possession of child pornography and was originally indicted by a federal grand jury in August 2022. Mendoza possessed more than 1,500 images and videos of child pornography on his electronic devices, including nearly 100 files depicting sexual abuse of infants and toddlers, according to the government’s sentencing memorandum. Additional evidence found on Mendoza’s electronic devices suggested he used social media and/or messaging apps to participate in chat groups where users posted and exchanged child pornography. The memorandum also states that Mendoza groomed and sexually abused several members of his extended family when they were 6 to 11 years old. The victims included two minors, who told investigators that the defendant had rubbed their bodies, including their genitalia.

Bay Area

Paye ready to try and fill VanDerveer’s shoes — and chair — as Stanford’s women’s basketball head coach

STANFORD – Kate Paye’s first staff meeting as head coaching didn’t get off to a smooth start when she hesitated to sit in Hall of Fame coach Tara VanDerveer’s chair. There are sure to be even bigger challenges when it comes to succeeding the coach with the most wins in college basketball history, but Paye said she has been set up to succeed. “It was awkward to sit in the chair that normally Tara sits in, but it was the most obvious one,” Paye said. “I feel so well-prepared for this opportunity. I know Stanford, I love Stanford. I know our players, their parents, their families. I know there are challenges ahead but I feel totally prepared and ready to get to work.” After 17 seasons as an assistant coach at Stanford, including the past eight as associate head coach, Paye was introduced as the new head of the program at a campus news conference Wednesday. VanDerveer, who announced her retirement last week after 38 seasons in charge of the program, sat in the front row. Former Stanford’s women’s basketball head coach Tara VanDerveer listens

Bay Area

Man charged with vehicular manslaughter in 2022 Oakland hit-and-run

A man has been charged with vehicular manslaughter in the 2022 hit-and-run crash that killed an elderly Oakland woman. Jose Perez faces one count of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence and one count of hit-and-run driving for the May 31 death of 73-year-old Emelia Martinez Roa. He also faces enhancements for prior convictions and violence or bodily harm. The case is set for arraignment on April 25, 2024. If convicted, Perez could be sentenced to six years in state prison, according to the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office. Police said Martinez was crossing 16th Avenue at International Boulevard in a marked crosswalk around 5:33 p.m. when she was hit by a mid-90s white Hummer SUV that was turning northbound onto 16th Avenue from International. Perez, who was allegedly driving the stolen vehicle at the time, allegedly hit and killed Martinez without stopping to call for help or render aid, the office states. Martinez was taken to a hospital, where she later died.

Los Angeles

L.A. ethics panel approves fine for former CBS exec Leslie Moonves over interference with LAPD investigation

Former CBS President Leslie Moonves will pay $15,000 to settle a Los Angeles city ethics complaint over his role in an alleged cover-up of sexual assault accusations against him. The city’s Ethics Commission unanimously approved the settlement Wednesday after previously rejecting a proposal for $11,250 in fines as too low. Under the settlement, in addition to paying the $15,000, Moonves admitted that he violated city law by interfering with a police investigation into the sexual assault allegations. Representatives for Moonves didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. The allegations involving the LAPD and Moonves have drawn comparisons to “L.A. Confidential,” the James Ellroy novel and subsequent movie, in which corrupt police officers protect powerful figures. Then-Police Capt. Cory Palka allegedly worked with Moonves and other CBS executives to bury a complaint made to the LAPD by a former colleague, Phyllis Golden-Gottlieb, alleging that Moonves had sexually assaulted her in the 1980s, according to the ethics complaint. Palka, who has since retired, was then head of the department’s Hollywood station and nicknamed “Capt. Hollywood” because of his hobnobbing with celebrities. He had known Moonves for

Los Angeles

Trevor Bauer case: ‘There are women who will try and ensnare you,’ legal expert warns

With the news that prosecutors in Arizona have filed extortion charges against a woman who accused Trevor Bauer of sexual assault, the former Los Angeles Dodgers star and Cy Young Award winner may be one step closer to clearing his name. That’s the assessment of KTLA 5 News legal analyst and criminal defense attorney Alison Triessl. The criminal charges against Darcy Adanna Esemonu, 34, were filed after a grand jury in Maricopa County handed down a two-count indictment last month. Bauer admits to having sex with the former pageant winner in 2020 but says it was consensual. Afterward, Esemonu claimed she was pregnant and demanded a seven-figure payout to, in part, pay for her to have an abortion, Bauer and his lawyers allege. The booking photo of Darcy Adanna Esemonu. April 2024. (Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office) He refused to pay that amount and Esemonu sued Bauer in 2023, claiming the sex was not consensual. Believing she was pregnant, Bauer, 33, eventually paid Esemonu $8,761 which she used for a trip to Philadelphia to get LASIK surgery, his lawyers stated in a countersuit. Triessl says the

Los Angeles

Thieves armed with stun gun hit 2 retail shops in Southern California

Police are investigating two separate retail robberies involving three suspects, one of whom was armed with a stun gun, authorities announced Wednesday.   The first robbery occurred on April 5 just before 2:30 p.m. at a retail shop in the 4000 block of South Main Street near the Historic South-Central neighborhood of Los Angeles, according to a news release from the Los Angeles Police Department.   One man and two women entered the store and began selecting merchandise. The trio was confronted by an employee as they attempted to leave the store without paying. That’s when police say the male suspect, identified as 35-year-old L.A. resident Antwaun Pollard, threatened store employees with the stun gun before fleeing with the merchandise.   “Officers were able to locate and arrest the male suspect with the assistance of Loss Prevention, however, the two female suspects eluded capture and the taser was not recovered,” police said.   Five days later, on April 10, at around 2:10 p.m., two female suspects walked into another retail shop just one and a half miles away in the 3200 block of South Central

Sacramento

Top Cuban diplomat weighs in on immigration, Havana Syndrome and more

In a rare and exclusive interview, Cuban Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernández de Cossío, the island nation’s point person in U.S.-Cuba relations, discusses his thoughts on the record number of Cubans processed at the southern border, the findings of a Cuban investigation into Havana Syndrome, and more with CBS News immigration and politics reporter Camilo Montoya-Galvez.

Los Angeles

AI now beats humans at some basic tasks, report finds

AI now beats humans at some basic tasks, report finds – CBS News Watch CBS News Artificial intelligence has become so advanced it has now surpassed human performance in several basic tasks, according to a new report from Stanford University’s Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence. Russell Wald, deputy director of the institute, joins CBS News to unpack more key findings from the study. Be the first to know Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Not Now Turn On

Los Angeles

DHS announces new campaign to protect against online child exploitation

DHS announces new campaign to protect against online child exploitation – CBS News Watch CBS News The Department of Homeland Security Wednesday announced a first-of-its-kind campaign to help protect children against sexual exploitation online. The new campaign, Know2Protect, works with partners from the public and private sector to educate parents and their children on how to combat and report exploitation. Jo Ling Kent has more. Be the first to know Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Not Now Turn On

Los Angeles

LACo Seeks Dismissal of Suit Over Female Inmate’s Death

Contending the killing was unforeseeable, attorneys representing Los Angeles County want a judge to dismiss a lawsuit brought by the estate and brother of a 32-year-old woman who allegedly died at the hands of another inmate at the Los Angeles County women’s jail in Lynwood in late 2021. The complaint by the estate of the late Destiny Ortega and her sibling, Steven Stevens, was filed in Compton Superior Court in October 2022 and amended two months later, now alleging wrongful death, negligence, civil rights violations and failure to summon immediate medical care. A deputy found the mortally wounded Ortega about 3:15 a.m. Dec. 29, 2021, on the floor of her cell at the Century Regional Detention Facility a day after Pomona police arrested her on suspicion of a parole violation, sheriff’s officials said previously. According to the amended suit, Ortega was assigned to the same cell as Shannon Brown, an inmate who deputies should have isolated because they allegedly knew or should have known Brown was mentally ill and a potential danger to others. Instead, deputies acted “purposely or with reckless disregard” for Ortega’s safety

Los Angeles

Man Accused of Letting Loose Pit Bull that Hurt Officer

A 40-year-old man was charged Wednesday with allowing his pit bull to get loose, with the dog subsequently injuring a police officer in Orange. Nicholas Arvid Wilson was charged with a felony count of allowing a vicious animal at large causing great bodily injury as well as misdemeanor counts of unlawful transportation of syringe waste and possession of a weapon on park property. Wilson pleaded not guilty at his arraignment Wednesday and was ordered to return to court April 25 in the Central Justice Center for a pretrial hearing. Wilson was charged with the crimes on Tuesday. Further details were not immediately available from police.

Sacramento

“Hockey hero” bats away rogue puck

A stranger batted away a rogue puck at a professional hockey game last week in Cleveland. A woman recorded the moment on her phone, with the puck coming within inches of her 4-year-old son’s face. She then put a video up on TikTok with a challenge to track down the “hockey hero.”