Author: City News Service

LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles County coroner’s office Monday has identified the man who was found dead at a Woodland Hills residence. Jeffrey Howe was a 42-year-old resident of Woodland Hills, according to the coroner’s office, which reported the location of his death was a hotel/motel. Los Angeles Police Department officers were called to the residence in the 20200 block of Ventura Boulevard, near Taft High School in Woodland Hills, at about 5:30 p.m. Thursday on reports of a battery. They found the man dead at the scene with his feet tied together and his hands cuffed behind his back,…

MISSION HILLS (CNS) – Patrons of a bar in Mission Hills discovered a man suffering from a fatal gunshot wound on a sidewalk in front of the establishment Sunday morning, authorities said. The victim, a 26-year-old man, was not a customer at the bar, the Los Angeles Police Department reported. Officers were dispatched at about 3:10 a.m. to the 15400 block of Chatsworth Street regarding a battery that had just occurred in front of the bar. They found the victim lying on the sidewalk, unconscious and not breathing. Arriving paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene. LAPD Valley Bureau homicide…

LOS ANGELES – “The Batman” comfortably kept its hold atop the box office, raking in $66 million in its second weekend at North American theaters, according to industry estimates released Sunday. Warner Bros.’ nearly 3-hour reboot of its caped crusader franchise was directed by Matt Reeves and stars Robert Pattinson, Zoe Kravitz, Paul Dano and Colin Farrell. It made $128.5 million last weekend for the second-biggest opening of any film in the pandemic era, trailing only “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” which made about $260 million in its opening weekend in December. The film’s grosses are being goosed a bit by…

GARDENA –  A pedestrian was struck by a vehicle and injured Saturday evening in Gardena. The crash was reported at 6:17 p.m. at South Vermont Avenue and West 149th Street, according to the California Highway Patrol. Paramedics transported the injured pedestrian to a hospital at 6:17 p.m., according to Los Angeles County Fire Department Dispatch Supervisor Melanie Flores. The pedestrian’s condition was not immediately available. The California Highway Patrol issued a SigAlert at 6:20 p.m. for southbound Vermont Avenue at 149th Street indicating the crash was possibly fatal.

NORTHRIDGE – A man fatally shot during an confrontation in Northridge was from Mission Hills, authorities said Saturday. Denis Bravo Jr. was 31 years old, according to the coroner’s office. Police were called to an apartment in the 18400 block of Dearborn Street, near the Cal State Northridge campus, at 12:30 a.m. Friday regarding a shots fired call. They found the victim lying on the floor of a bedroom suffering from gunshot wounds, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Bravo was pronounced dead at the scene. An investigation revealed Bravo and a suspect became involved in a confrontation in…

LOS ANGELES – A man was wounded Saturday evening in a drive-by shooting in the Vermont-Slauson area of Los Angeles. The 23-year-old man was walking in the 5800 block of South Figueroa Street, near Slauson Avenue, about 5 p.m. when two young men drove by and fired gunshots at him, according to a dispatcher at the Los Angeles Police Department’s Operations Center. The wounded man was taken by paramedics to a hospital, where his vital signs were stable, she said. No additional information was immediately available.

LOS ANGELES – Los Angeles County’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased to 7% in January, up from a revised 6.8% in December 2021, according to figures released Friday by the state Employment Development Department. The 7% was below the rate of 10.9% during the COVID-19 pandemic in January 2021. Statewide, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 5.8% in January, down from the 8.8% rate from January 2021. The comparable estimates for the nation were 4% during this past January. According to the EDD, total nonfarm employment in Los Angeles County decreased by 75,100 jobs between December 2021 and January to…

LOS ANGELES – A man was fatally stabbed Friday in the Mid-City area of Los Angeles, and police are investigating. The crime occurred about 3 a.m. near Washington and Crenshaw boulevards, the Los Angeles Police Department reported. Information was not immediately available on the identity of the fatally wounded man, who died at a hospital. No description was released of the suspect, who was being sought. Washington Boulevard between Crenshaw Boulevard and La Brea Avenue was closed while an investigation was conducted. Anyone with information on the case was urged to call 877-LAPD-247.

LONG BEACH – A suspect in a shooting spree and a carjacking and kidnapping in Long Beach fatally shot himself in a church in Carson during a standoff with a police SWAT team, authorities said Friday. Authorities withheld the name of the 29-year-old Long Beach man, who died at a hospital, pending notification of his relatives. The series of events began about 7:15 p.m. Thursday, when officers went to the 200 block of East 57th Street in Long Beach on a report of a shooting, the Long Beach Police Department reported. According to police, investigators believe the suspect committed the…

LOS ANGELES – One person was shot in a parking lot in South Los Angeles Thursday evening. The shooting was reported just before 7:25 p.m. at the parking lot near a shopping complex in the area of Slauson and Vermont avenues, near the Harbor (110) Freeway, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. The victim was taken to a hospital in unknown condition, said Margaret Stewart of the Los Angeles Fire Department. No suspect description was immediately available, and authorities were on scene to investigate the shooting.

LOS ANGELES – People can begin applying for Los Angeles County’s guaranteed income program March 31. The “Breath: LA County’s Guaranteed Income Program” will give 1,000 randomly selected residents $1,000 a month for three years. To qualify, people must be at least 18 years old, have a household income under $56,000 for a single person or $96,000 for a family of four and have experienced negative impacts due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants will receive the money through a debit card, and there are no strings attached or conditions to the income. “The financial uncertainty and varying depths of poverty…

LOS ANGELES – Mayor Eric Garcetti’s path to becoming U.S. ambassador to India hit a potential snag Thursday when a senior senator said he wants the confirmation vote delayed pending an investigation into whether the mayor knew about, and ignored, sexual harassment and assault allegations against his former senior advisor. In a letter made available by Politico, Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, told Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, “I will object (to Garcetti’s nomination) because I have received numerous credible allegations from multiple whistleblowers alleging that Mr. Garcetti, while mayor of Los Angeles, had knowledge of sexual harassment and assaults…

LOS ANGELES – An ex-con was found guilty Thursday of the murder of an 11-year-old boy who was kidnapped more than three decades ago while walking home from school in Inglewood. A downtown Los Angeles jury deliberated about three hours before convicting Edward Donell Thomas, 53, of Pomona, of first-degree murder for the May 24, 1990, death of William Tillett. Jurors also found true the special circumstance allegation of murder during the commission of a kidnapping, but could not unanimously agree on a second special circumstance allegation — murder while lying in wait. The boy was kidnapped just before 3…

POMONA – Authorities Thursday identified one of two men who were fatally shot in Pomona. Officers were sent to the 200 block of Ridgeway Street about 12:11 a.m. Wednesday on a call of a person lying in the street, said Pomona Police Sgt. Iain Miller. “Officers located a male adult victim, who appeared to have been struck by gunfire,” Miller said in a statement. “A second male adult victim was located several yards away and appeared to have also been struck by gunfire.” Paramedics pronounced both men dead at the scene. Police believe the shootings may have occurred about 10:30…

LOS ANGELES – A man who was shot to death in the Manchester Square area of Los Angeles was identified Thursday. Isaac Ransfer, 34, was identified by the Los Angeles County Coroner’s office as the shooting victim. The shooting was reported about 3 a.m. Saturday in the 1400 block of West Manchester Avenue, according to Los Angeles Police Department Officer Rosario Cervantes. Ransfer was taken by paramedics to a hospital, where he died, Cervantes said. Ransfer’s city of residence was not released. Information about the suspect and details about the events that led to the shooting were not available, Cervantes…