Organized Retail Crime Taskforce Arrests 11 in `Flash Mob’ Robberies

A multi-agency task force that was formed to combat “flash mob” retail robberies in the Southland has made 11 arrests since being formed earlier this week, authorities said Thursday. The Organized Retail Crime Taskforce — known as ORCT — was formed on Monday, and includes personnel from the Los Angeles, Glendale, Beverly Hills, and Burbank […]

Gunman in Fatal Cook’s Corner Shooting ID’d; 2 Victims Remain Critical

Investigators were working Thursday to unravel what prompted a retired Ventura Police Department sergeant to go on a shooting rampage inside a famed Orange County biker bar, killing three people and injuring six others before being killed in an apparent shootout with responding sheriff’s deputies. The Orange County Sheriff’s Department identified the gunman Thursday morning […]

DOJ Sues SpaceX Over Alleged Employment Discrimination

The U.S. Department of Justice sued SpaceX Thursday, alleging Elon Musk’s Hawthorne-based space company discriminated against refugees and asylum seekers in its hiring practices. The lawsuit alleges that between 2018 and 2022, SpaceX “wrongly claimed” that export control laws limited its hiring to U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents. The DOJ said it has been […]

Sentencing Delayed for Tarzana Man Who Siphoned Money from Financial Clients

A sentencing hearing was delayed Thursday until Oct. 13 for a former investment counselor from Tarzana who siphoned over $740,000 from clients, including a Major League Baseball player, in order to fund such personal expenses as tuition, travel and tickets to the Los Angeles Lakers. Marc Frankel, 61, pleaded guilty in March to a single […]

Man, Teen Arrested in Homicide; Man Suspected in Second Homicide

Police Thursday announced that a man and a 14-year-old boy were arrested in the shooting death of a 16-year-old boy at a Boyle Heights recreation center — and they alleged the adult suspect also killed another man several days afterward. Alfonso Ramos, 16, was fatally shot shortly after 5 p.m. Aug. 12 at the Evergreen […]

Motion Picture Studios’ Latest Offer Still Falls Short of Union Demands

Calling it “neither nothing, nor nearly enough,” Writers Guild of America negotiators told union members Thursday the latest contract offer from Hollywood studios is still riddled with “half measures,” and the union will continue to push for more universal improvements in contract terms. In a message to WGA members, the union’s negotiating committee made its […]

Man’s Bid for Re-Sentenced Denied in Shooting That Wounded LAPD Officer

A state appeals court panel Thursday rejected a bid for re-sentencing by a gang member who was convicted of shooting at Los Angeles police officers outside a Hollenbeck apartment complex in July 2005, wounding one officer in the hand. The three-justice panel from California’s 2nd District Court of Appeal found that Rodrigo Perez — who […]

Brothers Arrested in Armed Robbery Investigation

Two brothers have been arrested by police investigating an armed robbery at a Granada Hills residence where one of the men had gone to film a rap video, authorities said Thursday, Taurean Bartlett, a musician known as “Trench Baby,” and his brother Taurus, a musician known as “Polo G,” were arrested on Wednesday, the Los […]

On `Mamba Day,’ Kobe Bryant’s Widow Announces Statue Coming of Laker Great

With plans already in place to light the Ferris wheel on the Santa Monica Pier in honor of Kobe Bryant Thursday evening, the Laker legend’s widow, Vanessa, made this “Mamba Day” doubly memorable by announcing Thursday that the team will unveil a statue of her late husband outside Crypto.com Arena in February. Vanessa Bryant’s announcement […]

Mount St. Mary’s Wins Round vs. Getty Trust in Easement Access Dispute

Mount Saint Mary’s University won a round in court when a judge overruled a legal challenge by the J. Paul Getty Trust to a lawsuit arising from a dispute about an easement being used by school construction vehicles. The Los Angeles Superior Court complaint brought by the Catholic liberal arts university seeks an injunction permitting […]

`60 Minutes,’ CBS Top TV Ratings

CBS had five of the nine most-watched programs in the latest weekly ratings, topped by “60 Minutes,” to finish first in the network race for the eighth time in nine weeks. “60 Minutes” was the only prime-time program between Aug. 14 and Sunday to average more than 5 million viewers, averaging 5.291 million for an […]