LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Tuesday approved a policy package intended to increase diversity in the county fire department, particularly regarding women and people of color. The motion, introduced by Supervisors Janice Hahn and Holly Mitchell, was written in conjunction with firefighters’ union Local 1014, the Women’s Fire League and the Stentorians, which represents African American L.A. County firefighters. “This motion is a roadmap for how we are going to hire more women and people of color in the L.A. County Fire Department,” Hahn said in a statement. “That starts with breaking down barriers to…
Author: City News Service
By TERRI VERMEULEN KEITH LOS ANGELES – A Lancaster woman and her boyfriend were convicted Tuesday of murdering the woman’s 10-year-old son, Anthony Avalos, who died in 2018. Wrapping up a non-jury trial, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Sam Ohta found Heather Maxine Barron, 33, and Kareem Ernesto Leiva, 37, guilty of first-degree murder and torture for the boy’s June 21, 2018, death. They were also convicted of two counts of child abuse involving the boy’s half-siblings, identified in court as “Destiny O.” and “Rafael O.” The judge also found true the special circumstance allegation of murder involving the infliction…
LOS ANGELES – A downtown Los Angeles jury has awarded $1.5 million in damages to a deputy district attorney who alleged she was denied important positions in retaliation for complaining about directives set forth after the 2020 election of District Attorney George Gascón. Deputy District Attorney Shawn Randolph sued in October 2021, saying she was ousted as head of the DA’s Juvenile Division after taking issue with Gascón’s directives. Story is still developing.
CALABASAS – Authorities sought the public’s help Monday to locate a suspect who shot and wounded a person at a party in Calabasas, then fled the scene. Deputies were called around 11:30 p.m. Saturday to the 5000 block of Pathway Calabasas, according to the sheriff’s department. Witnesses told investigators a brief argument occurred between two groups of partygoers, prompting the shooting, according to the sheriff’s department. The victim suffered a gunshot wound to her left shoulder, sheriff’s officials said. She told deputies she was on the second-story balcony of the residence when she heard about two to three gunshots. “She…
LOS ANGELES – A man accused of trying to open an emergency exit door on a flight from Los Angeles to Boston, then allegedly trying to stab a flight attendant with a broken spoon handle, remained behind bars Monday in Massachusetts. Francisco Severo Torres, 33, of Massachusetts, was arrested Sunday night when the United Airlines flight landed at Boston’s Logan International Airport, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Prosecutors said that about 45 minutes before the flight was scheduled to land, the flight crew received a cockpit alarm that a side door of the plane between the first class and…
HUNTINGTON BEACH – Two men were arrested Monday following a high- speed pursuit that ended with a crash in Huntington Beach. Police were called about 11 a.m. about a vehicle burglary suspect trying door handles in the parking lot at the beach near Tower Three, said Jessica Cuchilla of the Huntington Beach Police Department. When responding officers attempted a traffic stop as the suspects were leaving the area, the men kept going, Cuchilla said. Police canceled the pursuit as the suspects were going too fast and the officers wanted to minimize the danger, she said. The suspects, however, crashed into…
LOS ANGELES – Dr. Bruce Hensel, an Emmy-winning former television medical correspondent in Los Angeles and New York City, pleaded no contest Monday to a felony charge that alleged he asked an acquaintance’s 9-year- old daughter to send him sexually suggestive photos. Hensel, 74, was immediately sentenced to two years probation and ordered to register as a sex offender following his plea to contact with a minor for a sexual purpose, according to Deputy District Attorney Angela Brunson. Hensel said during the hearing that he is “terribly sorry for what happened” and has “done everything I can to understand this…
LOS ANGELES – An orthopedic surgeon was found guilty of accepting more than $315,000 in bribes and kickbacks for performing spinal surgeries at a now-defunct Long Beach hospital whose owner was imprisoned for committing workers’ compensation insurance fraud, officials announced Monday. Dr. David Hobart Payne, 65, of Irvine, was found guilty late Friday at the conclusion of a six-day trial. The jury in downtown Los Angeles found Payne guilty of one count of conspiracy, two counts of honest services wire fraud, and one count of use of an interstate facility in aid of bribery. According to court documents and evidence…
LONG BEACH – A man who allegedly was stabbing another man at a strip mall in Long Beach was shot and wounded by a police officer, authorities said Monday. Police were sent to the 5200 block of Atlantic Avenue about 6:50 p.m. Sunday on a report of a stabbing in progress, according to the Long Beach Police Department. “Preliminary investigation revealed the suspect stabbed the victim multiple times,” according to an LBPD statement. “As the officer arrived on scene, the suspect was stabbing the victim. “During the stabbing, the officer gave commands for the suspect to drop the knife, the…
LOS ANGELES – A memorial sign will be placed Monday at the West Los Angeles intersection where a woman was killed when the teenage son of a multimillionaire businessman ran a red light in a Lamborghini SUV and slammed into her car at nearly 100 mph. Monique Muñoz was killed Feb. 17, 2021, at the intersection of Olympic Boulevard and Overland Avenue when her car was struck by the high-end vehicle driven by the then-17-year-old son of James Khuri, described by Forbes as a multimillionaire who owns several real estate firms, manufacturing companies and an e-commerce business. The teen was…