Los Angeles police announced Thursday the arrest of a man accused of being one of the largest street takeover organizers in the Southland.
Paramount resident Erick Romero Quintana, 20, was arrested and faces charges that include conspiracy for organizing several street takeover events, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. His arrest comes as a collaboration between LAPD, the California Highway Patrol and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
LAPD said Quintana has more than 70,000 followers on social media and used his platform to coordinate unlawful events throughout Southern California. The takeovers allegedly organized by Quintana led to smash-and-grab robberies, vehicle thefts and violent crimes, police said.
It is unclear if the suspect has an attorney who can speak on his behalf.
The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information on the case is encouraged to contact LAPD’s Street Racing Task Force at 213-833-3746. Anonymous tips can be made by contacting Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477.
The mysterious appearance of bright red squirrels in one New York town led investigators to discover they were being painted and released, according to investigators.
NYS Department of Environmental Conservation photo
The sudden appearance of bright red squirrels in one New York town led investigators to discover they were being intentionally painted and released into the wild, according to investigators.
One man was responsible and he was “caught red handed” after a very unusual surveillance operation in the town of Patterson, 75 miles north of the city of New York, investigators said.
The NY State Department of Environmental Conservation had officers looking for red squirrels and they eventually found one “crossing the street” near the suspect’s home.
“He (the suspect) admitted to trapping the squirrels and painting them in order to keep track of those returning to his yard,” state officials said in a Feb. 13 Facebook post.
Evidence found at the home included a rodent trap, can of spray paint and a cage that had been bathed in red paint, photos show.
Investigators did not say when the spray painting started or how many squirrels were involved, but the first sightings were reported the third week of December.
The suspect told officers he was using the paint as a marker, to tell which squirrels were returning regularly to his yard to torment his dogs, the department said.
He was charged with “violations related to the trapping, transporting, and liberating of wildlife,” as well as “the mistreatment of animals,” officials said.
Mark Price is a National Reporter for McClatchy News. He joined the network of newspapers in 1991 at The Charlotte Observer, covering beats including schools, crime, immigration, LGBTQ issues, homelessness and nonprofits. He graduated from the University of Memphis with majors in journalism and art history, and a minor in geology.
KAVREPALANCHOK, Feb 5: Police have arrested three persons with a huge quantity of marijuana from Panauti municipality this morning.
Police nabbed two women and a man with such a large quantity of marijuana in the course of vehicle checking at IT Park along Panauti-Banepa road section. The marijuana was kept in 73 sacks.
The arrested persons include driver Buddhaman Tamang, 35, of Bidur municipality-11 of Nuwakot district, currently living at Balaju of Kathmandu, Sanjib Tamang, 20, of Ramechhap municipality-8, currently living at Balaju of Kathmandu, and Bimala Tamang, 53.
According to the District Police Office, Dhulikhel, the marijuana was impounded from a vehicle (Ba 6 Cha 296) heading towards Banepa from Panauti. As per the preliminary investigation, the marijuana was brought from the southern part of Kavrepalanchowk district.
Further investigation into the case is currently underway keeping them in custody at the Area Police Office, Banepa.
PORT JERVIS, N.Y. (NEWS10) — A Port Jervis man was arrested and is accused of attempting to sexually assault a child under 13. James Pospisil, 44, was charged with attempted predatory sexual assault of a child.
New York State Police say they worked in tandem with the Orange County Child Protective Services which received a complaint regarding an adult man engaging in sexual contact with a child under 13. Police say the investigation led to Pospisil’s arrest.
Pospisil was arraigned in the City of Middletown. He was remanded to the Orange County Jail without bail.
One person was shot in Arlington Saturday night in the 2100 block of North Collins Street, possibly related to drug activity, according to police.
Police said they have arrested two suspects.
Officers were called around 10:25 p.m. Saturday to the 800 block of East Lamar Boulevard when employees of a business in the area called 911 to report that a man with a gunshot wound had shown up at their store asking for help, according to police.
The victim said he was shot in the 2100 block of North Collins Street and walked to the business on Lamar, according to police. Officers who arrived at the victim’s location began providing the 29-year-old man with medical care until paramedics arrived. He was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
The man told officers he was at a recording studio on North Collins, producing music, when two masked men entered the building and opened fire, according to police. He said he was armed, too, and returned fire. He thought he may have hit the two masked shooters.
While some officers went to the victim’s location, others went to check the location where the man said he’d been shot. On the way there, police license plate readers notified officers of a stolen car seen leaving the same location.
The officers attempted to pull over the vehicle, believing it was connected to the shooting, police said. The driver didn’t stop and police pursued the driver to the 1500 block of NE Green Oaks Boulevard. They arrested 30-year-old Kinton Jones and his passenger, 52-year-old George Duncan. Both of them had gunshot wounds and were taken to the hospital.
When they searched the vehicle, officers found a guns and a face mask inside, leading investigators to believe the two men were the suspects from the shooting on North Collins Street, according to police.
Jones appeared to have non-life threatening injuries while Duncan is in intensive care, according to police. They both face charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, police said. Jones will also be charged with unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon, evading arrest or detention and unauthorized use of a vehicle, according to police.
Related stories from Fort Worth Star-Telegram
James Hartley is a breaking news reporter with awards including features, breaking news and deadline writing. A North Texas native, he joined the Fort Worth Star-Telegram in 2019. He has a passion for true stories, understated movies, good tea and scotch that’s out of his budget.
Antonio Baker, 19, faces a murder charge in the shooting death of 34-year-old Deandre Dotson. Fort Worth officers found Dotson in his vehicle with a gunshot wound in the early morning of New Year’s. Day.
A 19-year-old man was arrested Friday for a fatal New Year’s shooting in Fort Worth, according to Fort Worth jail records.
In response to a call about an aggravated assault, officers found Dotson inside his vehicle around 4 a.m., Jan. 1 in the 5700 block of Eastland Street.
Dotson was taken to a local hospital for treatment but succumbed to his injuries hours later, according to police.
He died from a gunshot wound to the head, according to an autopsy report.
Related stories from Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Nicole Lopez is a breaking news reporter at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. She graduated from the University of Texas at El Paso, where she studied multimedia journalism. She also does freelance writing.
We’ve already been seeing the upsetting and harmful consequences that can come from the use of artificial intelligence — but this grandfather’s claims make it all the more scary.
Earlier this week, Harvey Eugene Murphy Jr., a 61-year-old Houston resident, filed a lawsuit against Sunglass Hut, its parent company EssilorLuxottica, and Macy’s with claims their facial recognition software led to his false imprisonment and eventual rape.
In January of 2022, there was an armed robbery at a Sunglass Hut in Houston, which led to the theft of thousands of dollars worth of merchandise and cash. According to Murphy’s filings, which have been reported on by multiple outlets, EssilorLuxottica teamed up with Macy’s to use facial recognition software to figure out who their suspect was. The victim also says he didn’t know anything was out of the ordinary until he went and tried to renew his license, which brought up his warrant. How awful!
Per a police lineup, which the elderly man’s lawyers Rusty Hardin & Associates claim was tainted, and what he believes was “faulty” AI on the companies’ parts, Murphy was arrested and put in jail. While speaking to The Guardian about how it all went down, Murphy said:
“I almost thought it was a joke.”
But the alleged false imprisonment wasn’t the only horror he had to deal with. He claims that while behind bars, he was sexually assaulted by three men in the prison bathroom, which left him with permanent injuries. Sadly, he also says he didn’t report the incident at the time for fear of retaliation from his abusers:
“That was kind of terrifying. Your anxiety is up so high, you’re still shaking the entire time. And I just got up on my bunk and just faced the wall and was just praying that something would come through and get me out of that tank.”
Heartbreaking…
According to reports, the Harris County District Attorney’s office has since determined he was NOT involved with the crime per his lawyer.
Murphy is seeking $10 million in damages for the alleged negligence, while his lawyers are not only fighting for him, but trying to put out a BIG warning to everyone else. His attorney Daniel Dutko told CBS:
“Mr. Murphy’s story is troubling for every citizen in this country. Any person could be improperly charged with a crime based on error-prone facial recognition software just as he was.”
And to make matters worse, studies conducted by ACLU highly suggest that minorities are more at risk for false positives with facial recognition software.
Such a scary situation, we truly can’t imagine…
What do U think, Perezcious readers? Let us know in the comments (below).
If you or someone you know has experienced sexual violence and would like to learn more about resources, consider checking out https://www.rainn.org/resources.
Seven months after he was caught on camera throwing a Black woman to the ground during a controversial use-of-force incident in a WinCo parkinfg lot, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy Trevor Kirk was arrested last week for alleged domestic battery.
Jail records show the 30-year-old Lancaster deputy was picked up by deputies from the Santa Clarita sheriff’s station Thursday evening and quickly released on $20,000 bond. His attorney, Tom Yu, said Monday that Kirk had not yet been formally charged.
“I’m pretty confident this arrest does not warrant a criminal filing against my client,” Yu told The Times, adding that the incident allegedly involving Kirk’s wife was reported by a third party who did not witness it. “My understanding is that the wife was not desirous of prosecution and that she denied all the allegations made against Trevor.”
Kirk’s wife did not respond to requests for comment.
In a statement Monday, the Sheriff’s Department confirmed the misdemeanor arrest, which officials said is currently under investigation.
“The Department takes allegations of domestic abuse seriously and does not tolerate criminal behavior from our personnel,” the statement said. “We expect our employees to uphold the highest legal and ethical standards that are required to serve our communities, both on and off duty.
At the time of his arrest, the department said, Kirk had already been relieved of duty in connection with the WinCo incident.
Caree Harper, an attorney representing the woman Kirk threw to the ground outside the WinCo, said Monday that she was also investigating last week’s arrest and that she viewed it as part of a pattern.
“He’s a woman beater, and he should be taken off the streets and fired immediately,” she told The Times. “We have credible sources saying he has a pattern of violence.”
It’s not clear exactly when the alleged abuse occurred, though Yu said it may have been “weeks or months” earlier. He also said he didn’t know the specifics of the allegation against his client, which he maintained only resulted in an arrest because peace officers have “no choice” but to act following any accusation of domestic violence.
“This arrest has nothing to do with the WinCo incident,” he added. “They’re very different.”
In June, deputies responded to 911 calls about a robbery in progress at the WinCo grocery store on Avenue K in Lancaster. After arriving, they encountered a man and a woman — later identified in court filings as Jacy Houseton and Damon Barnes — who allegedly matched the descriptions of the suspects given to 911.
As the deputies handcuffed Barnes in the parking lot, Houseton began recording with her phone. Within seconds, one of the deputies rushed toward her and reached for her arm, seemingly in an attempt to take the phone.
“You can’t touch me,” she screamed. The deputy threw her on the ground, and video showed him arguing with her, pepper-spraying her in the face and putting her in handcuffs..
Barnes was cited on suspicion of resisting an officer, attempted petty theft and interfering with a business. Houseton was hospitalized for the effects of the pepper spray and for abrasions to her arm. She was released but cited for allegedly assaulting an officer and store loss prevention personnel.
At a July 6 news conference, Luna called the incident “disturbing” and said that both of the deputies involved had been removed from field duty pending an internal investigation, which officials say is still ongoing.
In August, Houseton and Barnes filed a lawsuit against the Sheriff’s Department and WinCo alleging battery, negligence and civil rights violations. They said they never stole anything from the WinCo and that they’d been unfairly harassed by security, even though surveillance footage showed them paying for their purchases.
In court filings, Kirk denied several of the allegations outright, and said others were too broad. The case is still pending in federal court.
Tiffany Haddish was looking on the bright side during her Christmas set at the Laugh Factory, making light of her Thanksgiving weekend arrest and the Beverly Hills jail she was locked up in.
The comedian, who was taken into custody on Nov. 24 after being found asleep behind the wheel, was charged earlier this month with two misdemeanors — one count of driving under the influence of alcohol and one count of driving with at least a 0.08% blood alcohol level. She pleaded not guilty to both charges during her Dec. 20 arraignment.
“I know I’ll be all right, I’ve been through way worse than this,” she quipped onstage during the Monday night feast at the comedy club, according to footage obtained by TMZ. “I’m sorry but you ain’t lived ’til you got arrested in Beverly Hills. It’s beautiful over there. I’ve been in quite a few jails … and if you’re gonna do something, I say get arrested over there ’cause that jail is nice.”
The 44-year-old raved about the iconic enclave’s detention facility, specifically its cleanliness and how she was offered food and juice. She also shared that she started her menstrual cycle in jail that day and revealed that “they had the best maxi pads,” joking that they were so large she could use an additional one as a pillow.
“I did that. I took a nap. It was beautiful, mm-hmm, it was a wonderful experience,” she said.
Before the event, the “Girls Trip” and “Haunted Mansion” star reflected on the arrest and charges, getting candid about what she learned from the ordeal in a Friday radio interview while plugging her Christmas Day performance at the Laugh Factory’s 44th Free Christmas Feast and Comedy Show. As she explained it, she hands out free meals and performs during the community feasts out of duty and necessity, but she said her involvement ultimately stretches her too thin.
“I’m not perfect. I’m a human being,” she said on Los Angeles’ all-news radio stationKNX. “And I’ve been doing my research on this. A million people in America every year are charged with DUI. And what have I realized? I gotta go to bed. I can’t help everybody. OK. I can’t show up and rescue people, ’cause I be tired.
“I’ve learned also that everyone thinks I’m super rich and I think that they forget that I’m a Black woman working in this business,” she added. “And they think that people want to work on holidays. And they don’t. The driver don’t want to drive on the holidays and they definitely don’t want to drive me to go help somebody else. They’re not going there,” she said. (Haddish was arrested on Thanksgiving after serving meals at L.A.’s Laugh Factory and performing a set at the historic comedy club.)
Her remarks came on the heels of “Empire” and “The Color Purple” star Taraji P. Henson making headlines and gaining broad support from other Black entertainers after talking about the pay disparity in Hollywood.
“I’ve been taking care of me. I’ve been going to therapy since I was 16, and me and the therapist was definitely talking about this. And I’ve learned that I have to have boundaries — with you, with anybody, especially with my friends and family, I have to have boundaries,” she said.
“I think because I grew up in foster care, because I didn’t have a lot of friends growing up, I didn’t have a support system — I try to show up for other people and I have to realize a lot of them [are] not going to show up for me. Although, they did show up to jail when I was walking out, they was all standing there in the lobby, sure was.”
The Emmy- and Grammy-winning actor said that people are shocked that she still performs at the Laugh Factory’s community events, which she remembers attending as “a homeless individual” in the late 1990s.
“People think that once you get a certain level of fame, you don’t show up no more. I notice a lot of celebrities don’t show up no more. … A lot of those people that used to be there — those comics, those entertainers — they don’t come anymore. I’ve never wanted to be that person that stops showing up,” she explained.
However, given how her arrest played out worldwide, Haddish said this might be her last year performing at the events.
“I might have to stop showing up. I’m going to show up this year, but next year I might not because I’m famous, famous,” she said. “A lot of other famous people get DUIs, you don’t ever see them on the news, and I was on the Korean news, girl. I didn’t know I crossed over. I didn’t know I had a crossover. I said, ‘Wow, I’m white girl famous with Black girl problems.’”
A Florida woman is facing manslaughter charges over the disturbing 2022 death of her newborn son.
Bianca DeSouza (pictured in her mugshot, above) was 19 years old at the time of the May 2022 incident when her hours-old infant died on a bed in her mother’s Boca Raton home. According to a probable cause affidavit in the case, Bianca was laying on a bed in another room when her mother came home to find the infant — who had been born only hours before — lying lifelessly on a bed alone.
The investigation into the infant’s death has been a long time in coming, and Bianca was only arrested on Friday of last week. Now, finally, details are coming to light about what transpired. Per the arrest affidavit uncovered on Wednesday by People, Bianca’s mother asked the teenager to call 911 to get medical help for the infant. However, the teen allegedly replied that her phone was going to die, and declined to make the call.
The mother rushed to call police, and first responders showed up to render aid. Sadly, it was too late, and the newborn baby was declared dead. The reason behind the baby’s death was later determined to be asphyxia, with homicide as the official cause listed in medical reports.
Cops questioned Bianca at the scene, and she confirmed to them that she went into labor at home while wearing shorts. Per the arrest affidavit, the teenager “pulled [the shorts] to the side during the birth,” and the child “came out of the right side of her shorts.” Officers noted in their write-up that they found the baby with shorts wrapped around its torso.
DeSouza’s mother claimed to officers that her daughter had previously been diagnosed with bipolar schizophrenia and PTSD. She also indicated that Bianca had switched around her medications and dosages during pregnancy. To that end, Bianca told cops she considered terminating the pregnancy months before, but decided not to. In fact, Bianca had apparently been intending on giving up the baby for adoption as she was uncertain of her ability to care for the child.
Sadly, that didn’t happen, as the child died shortly after being born. Now, Bianca has been charged with manslaughter after she allegedly did nothing to help the struggling newborn or seek out first responders. In an interview with cops, the transcript of which is partially revealed in the arrest affidavit, Bianca reportedly admitted that she did exceedingly little:
“I didn’t know what was going on. I gave birth … and kind of just sat there. … I just didn’t do anything and I’m so mad. It was like my body stopped working.”
So sad…
Tragically, the teenager’s mom believes Bianca likely had “a psychotic break” during the birth, and was rendered helpless in the baby’s time of need. Indeed, the psychological effects of pregnancy and birth on a person can be larger than most think.
Regardless, cops have charged the teenager with counts of aggravated manslaughter of a child and child negligence. She is now being represented by a public defender, per People.
If you have sincere cause to suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org.
PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. — When Joshua Ballington entered a Circle K gas station in Port Charlotte early Friday morning, he sensed something was amiss.
The cashier confirmed Ballington’s intuitions. She told him a teen had just stolen two “Flash Point” whiskey bottles and left the store. Shortly after, she went to the parking lot and confronted the teen and others in an SUV, demanding they return the alcohol. With no luck, she went back inside.
Ballington, however, had no intentions of coming back empty-handed. He assured the clerk he would get the stolen booze back and walked out of the store.
According to a report from the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office, he approached the SUV and opened the driver’s door while yelling at the teens for stealing the alcohol. The culprit gave Ballington the bottles and he returned them to the store.
Ballington, 39, had undoubtedly prevented the crime, but he wanted to make sure the teens learned their lesson.
Leaving the store for a second time, he began scolding the teens about their wrongdoings. One of the teens in the back of the vehicle was quite amused by the lecturing.
Ballington told the boy to wipe the smirk off his face. When he refused, Ballington opened the back door and began punching him in the face. Hoping to put an end to the attack, the driver of the SUV, 18-year-old Landan Walters, hopped out of the vehicle, fired two gunshots into the air and began chasing Ballington away from the vehicle.
At around 2:11 a.m., deputies responded to the shooting altercation at the gas station. The teens and Ballington were detained and interviewed. Deputies obtained security camera video from the Circle K and the footage corresponded with statements from the teens about the attack, CCSO said.
Ballington was arrested and charged with burglary and child abuse. Walters was arrested on charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and contributing to child delinquency.
The teen victim suffered a split lip and a bruise to the right side of his face. He reportedly declined medical treatment.
Arizona police have arrested four men in connection with the death of a gay man, whose mutilated body was found near a Phoenix park, and of sending his family photos of the body.
Christopher Ibarra, 21, was the latest to be arrested on Wednesday in the death of 30-year-old Bernardo Pantaleon, KPHO-TV in Phoenix reported. Jose Rodriguez, 20, Leonardo Santiago, 21, and Manuel Carrasco-Calderon, 21, were arrested last Friday.
Though prosecutors say Santiago was the one who killed Pantaleon, all four men are facing murder charges, the KPHO reported.
Bernardo Pantaleon, shown here in a Facebook post, was found dead on Nov. 26.
According to the TV station, citing court documents, police said a hiker found Pantaleon dead on Nov. 26, with multiple gunshot wounds to his head, neck and torso on a trail near a Phoenix park.
Pantaleon’s family member told KPHO-TV that they think the killing was a targeted hate crime, adding that his body was foundnaked and showed signs of torture.
According to court documents cited by several news outlets, Santiago told police that Pantaleon had made an “unwanted advance” that made him feel “uncomfortable.” Prosecutors said Santiago fired several shots into the victim and left, then returned with Carrasco-Calderon, who he said mutilated the body.
Ibarra, however, allegedly told police that Santiago planned to kill Pantaleon a day before the crime, according to KSAZ-TV, citing court documents.
“He admitted they discussed the murder, when, where and how it would be done, and videos and photographs were passed around,” the document said.
Pantaleon’s family members told police they received two photos that showed Pantaleon’s mutilated body and another one of a man holding up his middle finger, according to KSAZ.
One of the photos was also posted on an Instagram account allegedly belonging to one of the men arrested, according to Mesa, Arizona, news station KPNX-TV, citing court documents.
According to the KPNX, prosecutors cited messages between Carrasco-Calderon, Santiago and Rodriguez allegedly conspiring to “rob and kill” Pantaleon.
The suspects also reportedly made comments about Pantaleon’s sexuality in the chat, saying that gay people were not “allowed in the northside,” according to the Mesa station.
Investigators said that they later learned the four men were involved in a criminal street gang and that a number of its members were allegedly “celebrating” Pantaleon’s death.
Pantaleon’s family members described him in a fundraiser as a caring, loving person who was “the rock for his sibling after the loss of their parents.”
“Unfortunately, we are mourning him as we have lost him in the most tragic way possible. He will be missed and didn’t deserve to suffer the way,” the family stated in a GoFundMe appeal.
The arrests of two students bringing loaded weapons to Redondo Union High School on consecutive days were not believed to be tied to a planned school shooting or gang-related, Redondo Beach police said Wednesday.
Police provided the update at a virtual safety meeting they hosted along with the Redondo Unified School District in response to the lockdown of the school on two consecutive days. Parents and community members submitted over 350 questions at the one-hour virtual event held via YouTube at 8:30 a.m.
Redondo Beach Police Lt. Cory King said one of the popular questions asked revolved around the intent of the two students.
King said an investigation was ongoing, but “what we do know is that there was no evidence of a planned school shooting, or specific hit list or act of violence threatening a specific individual.”
He also said police have no confirmation that “the students that we’ve arrested or spoken to have been documented as gang members.”
Despite the unknown motive, Redondo Beach Unified administrators said they’ll move to expel the students.
“Just to remind everyone, the law dictates that bringing firearms to campus like in this situation … is an expellable offense,” Principal Anthony Bridi said at the meeting. “And we intend to exercise those legal rights.”
The safety meeting came in response to incidents on Monday and Tuesday when two 15-year-old sophomores were each arrested on consecutive days for carrying guns and high-capacity magazines onto campus. Verbal tips to police led to the arrests. No one was harmed and no rounds were fired despite early and incorrect reports Tuesday of a school shooting.
The district canceled Redondo Union High classes Wednesday as police conducted a weapons and explosives sweep with dogs. The school is set to reopen Thursday.
Families hugged kids after signing them out to take home from Redondo Union High School after the school was locked down after a report of a student with a gun on campus in Redondo Beach on Tuesday.
(Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times)
District Supt. Nicole Wesley praised school safety procedures that led to the arrests without any injuries and encouraged students, faculty and staff to immediately report suspicious activity.
“Please continue to speak up,” she said. “This week has proved that ‘see something, hear something, say something’ is not just a slogan, it is a powerful safety tool.”
When students return to campus Thursday, they’ll find officers stationed at school all day and access will be limited to three entry and exit points. Wesley also said the district would be installing metal detectors at the school.
Redondo Union parent Beau Bowden, 43, said he felt like school leadership “was very on top of communicating with parents on both incidents.”
His 16-year-old daughter, Belle, missed class Tuesday due to a sinus infection, but he said he received timely updates all day.
While his daughter “felt apprehensive” about what happened, she told him she wanted to go back to class Thursday.
Bowden pinned blame on the parents of the two armed students. He suggested that the parents should be arrested and charged, as was the case in a Michigan school shooting by a 15-year-old boy in 2021.
“I grew up in West Virginia, so I’m not anti-gun, but I’m for responsibility,” he said. “These types of gun instances are happening too commonly, and we have to do something to stop them.”
Santa Ana police are searching for a man suspected of sexually assaulting an 11-year-old child.
Nicolas Gonzalez, 39, is suspected of harming the child at a home in the 500 block of North Mortimer Street on Tuesday, according to police.
Gonzalez fled his home after being confronted by the child’s family members, police said.
There is an active warrant for his arrest on multiple child sexual assault charges, authorities said. He has black hair, brown eyes and is described as standing around 5 feet 3 and weighing around 160 pounds.
Anyone with information on Gonzalez’s location is asked to contact police at (714) 245-8379 or AAvila@santa-ana.org.
A retired Palo Alto police officer pleaded guilty Tuesday to assaulting a gay man during a 2018 arrest, according to the Santa Clara County district attorney’s office.
Wayne Benitez, 66, who prosecutors say was known among his former colleagues as “The Fuse,” had slammed the 42-year-old man’s face against a car windshield and then failed to disclose his actions in his police report. As part of a plea deal, Benitez will be sentenced to 750 hours of community service and required to complete anger management and LGBTQ+ sensitivity training.
The assault occurred on Feb. 17, 2018, at Buena Vista Mobile Home Park.
Benitez was one of several officers arresting the man, whose name was not released, on suspicion of having driven with a suspended license. Benitez slammed the man into the windshield of his own car.
“See how quickly they behave once we put our foot down?” Benitez is heard saying on body-camera video of the arrest, according to prosecutors. “And that’s what we don’t do enough of.”
After the victim complained that the assault made him bleed, Benitez said: “You’re going to be bleeding a whole lot more.”
In his report, Benitez said he only used force when pulling the man from his trailer at the mobile home park, prosecutors said. But security video from the scene captured the assault, as did the body-camera video from the arrest.
“When someone with a badge breaks the law, it cracks the confidence that people have in law enforcement,” Santa Clara County Dist. Atty. Jeff Rosen said in a statement. “That is not just unfortunate. It is unacceptable. No one is above the law.”
The man’s charges were later dismissed by the district attorney’s office. The case was investigated by the Santa Clara County district attorney’s public and law enforcement integrity team.
The L.A. politics chisme mill flooded my phone with texts and calls this morning. Was it true that Assemblymember Wendy Carrillo was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving?
Not the Roosevelt High and Cal State Los Angeles graduate who loves to speak to students and community groups to let Latinas know that more of them are needed in politics.
Not the former radio personality who used to host a public affairs show on Power 106 called “Knowledge Is Power” that profiled local heroes and urged Latinos to uplift our community at all times.
Carrillo, 43, was booked Friday morning on suspicion of driving under the influence and being involved in a traffic collision while having a high blood-alcohol count — in other words, double the legal limit or more. A law enforcement source said that police responded around 1:30 a.m. to the 6200 block of Monterey Road near Highland Park, where a motorist had struck two parked cars.
In a statement released before she left jail, Carrillo apologized, though she didn’t say anything about an arrest or allegedly driving while intoxicated. “I must adhere to a higher standard that demands personal accountability for my conduct and I accept responsibility for my actions,” Carrillo wrote. “I intend to seek the necessary help and support.”
Oy vey, Wendy.
Considered one of De León’s two main challengers, her arrest will inevitably launch a sea of “Wino Wendy” opposition mailers from now until the March primary. Whether her chances are kaput is something Eastside voters get to decide — if she stays in the race. But she can no longer claim the moral high ground against De León, who’s still trying to move on after he mocked Black political power on a leaked tape that upended City Hall.
It’s one thing to be caught talking bigoted trash in a secretly recorded conversation. It’s another to get behind the wheel after too many drinks and crash into the night.
That stain to Carrillo’s reputation and career is permanent. She’s no longer going to be thought of as just a homegrown champion of the Eastside. She’s the latest Latina politician to make her constituents proud, then embarrass them with stupid falls from grace that never had to happen.
In 2018, it was Bell-area Assemblymember Cristina Garcia, who was stripped of her committee assignments after being investigated for allegedly sexually harassing a male staffer years earlier. Though cleared of that charge, Garcia was found to have violated the Assembly’s sexual harassment policy for “commonly and pervasively” using foul language.
Last year, it was then-L.A. City Council President Nury Martinez, the first Latina to hold that position and someone who reveled in presenting herself as la máschingona — the boss bitch — of City Hall. She resigned after she appeared on the same tape as De León, uttering anti-Black and anti-Oaxacan nonsense.
This summer, Riverside City Councilmember Clarissa Cervantes was arrested for the second time on drunk driving charges just weeks after having told a judge, “Each day I carry remorse and promise to never repeat those actions.” That hasn’t stopped the 32-year-old from continuing to run for the Assembly seat held by her sister, Sabrina.
Now, Wendy.
Politicians of all genders and ethnicities mess up, of course. But Carrillo’s arrest is especially disappointing, coming in a year where Los Angeles lost two legendary Latina politicians: former L.A. County Supervisor Gloria Molina and former Assemblymember Cindy Montañez. The two leaned on their backgrounds to fight against a racist, macho world that would be better if only more mujeres had a say in it.
Molina and Montañez were beloved precisely because they held themselves to a higher standard as Latinas, because allies and enemies alike knew that they were true public servants — no way would they get caught violating the public’s trust, whether on or off the job.
Driving while boozed up as an elected official is as bad a middle finger to regular folk as you can give.
You’re always a fool if you drink and drive. In this day and age of Uber and Lyft, you’re a straight-up pendejo. When you’re a politician and do that, you probably shouldn’t be in office. Constituents entrust to you the responsibility of devising policy and making things run right. The last thing they need to worry about is you smashing into their cars early in the morning.
Assemblywoman Wendy Carrillo shows murals that are defaced by grafitti in Boyle Heights
(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
It’s especially maddening that Carrillo got caught up in an easily avoidable mistake. In 2020, she was reprimanded by then-Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon for “unwelcome” behavior after she was accused of inappropriately hugging and kissing an employee. Did she not realize that opponents have had her under a microscope ever since?
It’s even more frustrating when you consider that Carrillo can lean on mentors like state Sen. Maria Elena Durazo and former L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, and a roster of friends across the Eastside, whenever she needs help. Did no one in that circle think to have a handler around Carrillo at every public appearance, in the lead-up to one of the most contentious political races to hit the Eastside in decades?
I’m sadly familiar with drunk driving arrests. Friends have lost their jobs and relationships. My father was collared at least twice when I was a young child, although he’s been sober now for over 40 years. Carrillo should take whatever legal penalties may come her way and not ask for any special treatment. Then, she should spend the rest of her life and career urging everyone not to drink and drive — and offer herself as a cautionary tale.
Already, calls are coming for Carrillo to drop out of the council race, and even resign her Assembly post. She probably won’t, but she should at least think about it — as a lesson in humility, and as a reminder of what could’ve been.
I still remember when she and I met at her family home in Boyle Heights in the spring, after she told me she was running for City Council. We walked down Avenida Cesar Chavez, where shopkeepers and pedestrians greeted her with genuine joy.
She cast herself as the anti-De León, someone who wouldn’t embarrass Latinos and the Eastside with hubris — and she also claimed the Eastside deserved someone who actually cared. We saw streets in disrepair, trash inside planters, historic murals tagged beyond recognition.
“It’s not even about Kevin,” Carrillo said then. “It’s about respecting this community.”
A DUI arrest is not respecting the community. All you had to do was call an Uber.
State Assemblymember Wendy Carrillo, who is running for an Eastside seat on the Los Angeles City Council, was arrested in Northeast Los Angeles early Friday morning on suspicion of drunk driving, authorities said.
Carrillo, 43, was apprehended at 1:35 a.m. and was booked a few hours later, according to inmate records posted by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
Police responded around 1:30 a.m. to the 6200 block of Monterey Road, where a motorist had struck two parked cars, according to a law enforcement source familiar with the incident but was not authorized to speak publicly about it and requested anonymity. A spokesperson for the LAPD issued a summary of the arrest that said Carrillo was booked on suspicion of driving under the influence and being involved in a traffic collision while having a high blood-alcohol count.
LAPD Capt. Kelly Muniz said that the charge of having a high blood-alcohol count indicates the suspect’s alcohol level was “double the legal limit or more.”
In a statement later Friday, Carrillo expressed thanks that no one was harmed in the crash, and said she is cooperating with law enforcement.
“As a public servant, I am aware that I must adhere to a higher standard that demands personal accountability for my conduct and I accept responsibility for my actions,” Carrillo said. “I sincerely apologize to my family, constituents, colleagues and staff for any actions of mine that have fallen short of that expectation. I intend to seek the necessary help and support. As I do so, I remain dedicated to my family, my constituents and the community that I grew-up in and am proud to represent.”
Carrillo was elected in 2017 to represent an Eastside Assembly district. She is now one of about a dozen people running in the March city election to unseat Councimember Kevin de León in a district that stretches from downtown to El Sereno and Eagle Rock.
The incident comes about six months after another state legislator was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving. In May, state Sen. Dave Min (D-Irvine) was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving and released from Sacramento County jail.
Min later confirmed that he was cited with a misdemeanor DUI, saying his behavior was “irresponsible.”
A mother of eight children is accused of abducting her children, taking them from their foster care facilities, and then fleeing across five states until police caught up with her in a small town in northern California.
Trista Fullerton, 36, allegedly violated a court order of custody for the eight children, as well as the terms of her probation for a domestic violence conviction, when she took the kids from the town of Rogers, Ark., and fled across the country while Arkansas police tried to reach her, according to court records.
Her father told police that Fullerton planned on heading to Arizona “to start a new life,” according to a warrant for her arrest. Instead, Fullerton was found in Anderson, Calif. — 150 miles north of Sacramento — where police said they spotted her and six of her children in a pickup truck filled with trash after someone reported that Fullerton was “displaying bizarre behavior.”
According to an arrest warrant affidavit obtained by The Times, police from Rogers began trying to contact Fullerton on Oct. 17, after receiving a report that she had “interfered with court ordered custody of eight children.”
Rogers Police officials declined to provide additional details on the case, including who made the initial report. A spokesperson for the department said the case is still under investigation.
According to the affidavit, police reached out to Fullerton’s father, David Fullerton, on Oct. 18, and he told police that his daughter had told him about taking the children to Arizona. Police learned the following day that she and the children were in California, according to the affidavit.
Police had made contact with her and the children in Redding, about 15 miles north of Anderson, but she and the children were not detained because there was no warrant.
Rogers Police filed an arrest warrant Oct. 20, and the next day, police in Anderson, Calif., spotted her and six of her children in a Dodge pickup with Arkansas plates, according to a statement from the Anderson Police Department.
Two of her other children were located at a nearby home in Cottonwood, according to the statement, and they were taken into custody by Shasta County Children and Family Services.
Fullerton was booked at Shasta County Jail and is being held without bail, according to jail records. She is expected to appear in court Thursday.
Trista Fullerton, 36, allegedly violated a court order of custody for her eight children, as well as the terms of her probation for a domestic violence conviction.
(Anderson Police Department)
David Fullerton, said during a brief call with a reporter that his daughter had made a “mistake” and is “innocent.”
“My daughter stands a chance, you know,” he said. “She made a mistake. She went across the line taking her babies but she didn’t know she wasn’t supposed to.”
Court records indicate that Fullerton was on probation at the time of her arrest in Anderson. Records also show that she had been involved in at least two instances of domestic violence, twice violating court orders to stay away from the victim. In one incident, she was accused of punching the father of one of her children in the face.
Fullerton pleaded guilty to domestic violence on July 12, 2022 in Arkansas, after she “hit the father of her child in the face, causing physical injury” in June 2021.
The victim is only identified in the court documents as a 40-year-old Hispanic male.
In a court record dated Aug. 9, 2021, Fullerton indicated she had seven children at the time, ages 15, 14, 11, 7, 3, 4, and 5 months.
She also pleaded guilty to another case of domestic battery for a Feb. 5, 2020, incident in which she “punched her boyfriend in the head multiple times and scratched his face, causing redness and bleeding on his face,” according to court records.
Fullerton pleaded guilty to both incidents, and was sentenced to two years of probation, court records show. The terms of her probation, however, required that she not drink alcohol, not break the law and not leave the state of Arkansas without the approval of her probation officer.
The agreement stipulated that if she violated the terms of her probation, she could face a sentence of 12 years in jail.
On Wednesday, prosecutors requested her probation be rescinded and a $50,000 warrant was issued for her arrest.
Prosecutors said the case is currently being reviewed and it was unclear what, if any, new charge might be filed.
Boston transit police said Wednesday that they arrested a 16-year-old male in connection with an incident involving a group of youths racially harassing an Asian American passenger on the city’s subway last month.
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Transit Police confirmed the arrest on Twitter, saying the teen could face charges of unarmed assault for the purposes of robbing and intimidation.
UPDATE: On 10/2 at #MBTA Forest Hills Station Detectives/Officers assigned to our Criminal Investigation Unit did arrest a 16y/o male in relation to this incident for Assault to Rob-Unarmed & Assault for the Purpose of Intimidation. Investigation Ongoing. https://t.co/KGdUZvexFs
The victim, Vivian Dang, 25, took video of the attack that occurred on MBTA’s red line at about 10 p.m. Sept. 21. Her video went viral on TikTok, and a week later, she recounted to NBC News that a group of boys on the train cornered her and taunted her in a mock Chinese accent, saying “Can I get some dumplings?” and “Can I get some ramen with the egg?” and making other racist comments.
When the teens first boarded the car, she told NBC, they announced they were there to commit “a mass robbery” and tried to yank the shoes off a passenger. When Dang switched train cars, she said, they followed her.
“They were starting to say stuff like, ‘Don’t let her leave,’” Dang recalled. “That was when I was starting to get really scared.”
Dang followed up with NBC News following news of the arrest.
“It’s bittersweet. It was a kid. You don’t want to get them in trouble,” she said. “But again, their actions led to this.”
There has been a surge in anti-Asian hate crimes since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, which is believed to have originated in China. Former President Donald Trump used racially charged epithets to describe the disease, despite the rise in attacks, including “the China virus” and “kung flu.”
A report from Pew Research last year found that about one-third of Asian Americans say they’d changed their daily routines over the past year due to fear of threats or attacks.
A 13-year-old girl was beaten at a Rotorua bus stop outside the library. Photo / Supplied
National will give police ‘’permission’’ to clean up Rotorua after two attacks on teenage girls – but Labour says it is not possible to “arrest our way out of this’’ and believes the causes of crime need to be addressed.
Rotorua MP Todd McClay and Labour rival Ben Sandford spoke out after the two attacks in the CBD in the past two weeks.
ACT Rotorua electorate candidate Marten Rozeboom believed a greater police presence would help reduce crime. Meanwhile, Te Pāti Māori Party candidate Merepeka Raukawa-Tait believed the community must do more than “express horror” and instead take action.
Police have referred three young people to Youth Aid and say they are maintaining an increased presence in the area where the attacks happened, near the Rotorua Library.
Mayor Tania Tapsell said the council was “determined to turn this around” and an inner city community safety hub would be established in about two months.
National’s MP for Rotorua, Todd McClay. Photo / Andrew Warner
McClay told the Rotorua Daily Post Weekend it was “horrifying” and “extremely sad for Rotorua” for violent crime to be happening in the CBD.
/cloudfront-ap-southeast-2.images.arcpublishing.com/nzme/QGBNX7QQ5ZHITHEEIX7FSC34LA.jpg)