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  • 1 dead, 2 injured in shooting at Alcorn State

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    1 dead, 2 injured in shooting at Alcorn State University

    1 dead, 2 injured in Alcorn State University shooting; MBI investigating.

    Updated: 10:11 PM EDT Oct 11, 2025

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    The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation has been called in to investigate a shooting on the campus of Alcorn State University that left at least one person dead and two injured.According to MBI, the shooting happened around 6:30 p.m. Saturday near the Industrial Technology Building on campus. No arrests have been made at this time. Investigators are continuing to gather evidence, and MBI says details remain preliminary and could change as the investigation develops.

    The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation has been called in to investigate a shooting on the campus of Alcorn State University that left at least one person dead and two injured.

    According to MBI, the shooting happened around 6:30 p.m. Saturday near the Industrial Technology Building on campus.

    No arrests have been made at this time.

    Investigators are continuing to gather evidence, and MBI says details remain preliminary and could change as the investigation develops.

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  • 3 killed and 5 injured in North Carolina waterfront bar shooting

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    A shooting at a picturesque, seaside town in North Carolina that left three people dead and five others injured was a “highly premeditated” attack, police said Sunday.Police Chief Todd Coring said at a press conference Sunday that Nigel Edge of Oak Island is accused of opening fire from a boat into a crowd gathered at American Fish Company in Southport. Coring said the location was “targeted” but did not elaborate.The shooting, which erupted about 9:30 p.m. Saturday, took place along a popular stretch of bars and restaurants in the historic port town about 30 miles (48 kilometers) south of Wilmington. Investigators said Edge piloted a small boat close to shore, stopped briefly, fired, and then sped away.Edge is charged with three counts of first-degree murder, five counts of attempted first-degree murder and five counts of assault with a deadly weapon. He could face additional charges, Coring said.“We understand this suspect identifies as a combat veteran. He self-identifies. Injured in the line of duty is what he’s saying, he suffers from PTSD,” Coring said, referring to post-traumatic stress disorder.Edge is scheduled to make his first court appearance on Monday, District Attorney Jon David said. He is being held without bond.Among the five people hospitalized with injuries, at least one “is now clinging for their life,” David said.It was not immediately known whether Edge has an attorney to speak on his behalf. No attorney was listed on court documents.Roughly half an hour after the shooting, a U.S. Coast Guard crew spotted a person matching the suspect’s description pulling a boat from the water at a public ramp on Oak Island. The person was detained and turned over to Southport police for questioning, officials said.Investigators from multiple agencies — including the State Bureau of Investigation and the Coast Guard — remained on the water and at the scene Sunday collecting evidence and interviewing witnesses.Officials did not immediately release the names of those killed.

    SOUTHPORT, N.C. —

    A shooting at a picturesque, seaside town in North Carolina that left three people dead and five others injured was a “highly premeditated” attack, police said Sunday.

    Police Chief Todd Coring said at a press conference Sunday that Nigel Edge of Oak Island is accused of opening fire from a boat into a crowd gathered at American Fish Company in Southport. Coring said the location was “targeted” but did not elaborate.

    The shooting, which erupted about 9:30 p.m. Saturday, took place along a popular stretch of bars and restaurants in the historic port town about 30 miles (48 kilometers) south of Wilmington. Investigators said Edge piloted a small boat close to shore, stopped briefly, fired, and then sped away.

    Edge is charged with three counts of first-degree murder, five counts of attempted first-degree murder and five counts of assault with a deadly weapon. He could face additional charges, Coring said.

    “We understand this suspect identifies as a combat veteran. He self-identifies. Injured in the line of duty is what he’s saying, he suffers from PTSD,” Coring said, referring to post-traumatic stress disorder.

    Edge is scheduled to make his first court appearance on Monday, District Attorney Jon David said. He is being held without bond.

    Among the five people hospitalized with injuries, at least one “is now clinging for their life,” David said.

    It was not immediately known whether Edge has an attorney to speak on his behalf. No attorney was listed on court documents.

    Roughly half an hour after the shooting, a U.S. Coast Guard crew spotted a person matching the suspect’s description pulling a boat from the water at a public ramp on Oak Island. The person was detained and turned over to Southport police for questioning, officials said.

    Investigators from multiple agencies — including the State Bureau of Investigation and the Coast Guard — remained on the water and at the scene Sunday collecting evidence and interviewing witnesses.

    Officials did not immediately release the names of those killed.

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  • Former Bishop Moore High School coach arrested on human trafficking charges

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    Thomas Joseph Wasman, 68, a former Bishop Moore Catholic High School coach, was arrested on Thursday for human trafficking for commercial sex with someone under the age of 18, according to the Altamonte Springs Police Department. Investigators told the diocese that no Bishop Moore students or any other diocesan schools were involved.Wasman was not a faculty member but did work as a seasonal coach, according to a statement from Bishop Moore High School.Wasman was arrested in 2015 for a misdemeanor charge of soliciting a prostitute in Orange County, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office said.He was found not guilty by a jury in the 2015 case. Statement from Bishop Moore Catholic High SchoolBishop Moore High School was recently notified, as a courtesy of the Altamonte Springs Police Department, that Mr. Tom Wasman was arrested for human trafficking for commercial sex with someone under the age of 18.Investigators have confirmed no students from Bishop Moore or any diocesan schools were involved. Mr. Wasman was not a faculty member but did work as a seasonal coach. In 2015, Mr. Wasman had been placed on administrative leave after being charged with Solicitation to Commit Prostitution.After being found not guilty by a jury and the judge’s decision to expunge his record, the Diocese conducted an additional background check and determined that Mr. Wasman could be reinstated.With this recent arrest, Mr. Wasman has been terminated effective immediately.

    ORLANDO, Fla. —

    Thomas Joseph Wasman, 68, a former Bishop Moore Catholic High School coach, was arrested on Thursday for human trafficking for commercial sex with someone under the age of 18, according to the Altamonte Springs Police Department.

    Investigators told the diocese that no Bishop Moore students or any other diocesan schools were involved.

    Wasman was not a faculty member but did work as a seasonal coach, according to a statement from Bishop Moore High School.

    Wasman was arrested in 2015 for a misdemeanor charge of soliciting a prostitute in Orange County, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office said.

    He was found not guilty by a jury in the 2015 case.

    Statement from Bishop Moore Catholic High School

    Bishop Moore High School was recently notified, as a courtesy of the Altamonte Springs Police Department, that Mr. Tom Wasman was arrested for human trafficking for commercial sex with someone under the age of 18.

    Investigators have confirmed no students from Bishop Moore or any diocesan schools were involved. Mr. Wasman was not a faculty member but did work as a seasonal coach. In 2015,

    Mr. Wasman had been placed on administrative leave after being charged with Solicitation to Commit Prostitution.

    After being found not guilty by a jury and the judge’s decision to expunge his record, the Diocese conducted an additional background check and determined that Mr. Wasman could be reinstated.

    With this recent arrest, Mr. Wasman has been terminated effective immediately.

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  • 911 call shows fear, concern from couple trapped in car sinking in Florida canal

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    A 911 call released Tuesday shows how frantic a couple was as they were trapped inside a car sinking in a canal in Florida.Listen to the 911 call in the video player above. Investigators said the couple was driving in a remote section of northwestern Martin County when they were hit by another car, sending them off the road where they landed upside down in the canal.The other car did not stop.The woman in the car was able to get to her phone and call 911.“Please! We need you!” she said to the dispatcher.The woman, whose name has not been released, explains the situation to the dispatcher who asks if the car is sinking.“Yes!” the woman replied. “That’s what it feels like. The car is sinking, sir.”“Where’s the water now?” the dispatcher asked.“We’re in the ditch outside,” she said.“Is the water in the car and how high is it?” the dispatcher asked.“It’s up to my stomach,” she said. “We don’t know how much time we have!”The woman explained to the dispatcher that the power in the vehicle was out, and they could not open the doors nor the windows.“How far in the water are you?” the dispatcher asked.“We’re deep in the water!”“And there’s no way to get that window down?”“No. We tried everything! We’re scared!”After about 10 minutes, the call appears to drop.“You still there, sir? Ma’am?” the dispatcher asked.There was no reply.Deputies arrived a short time later and were able to bust out the car’s windows and pull the couple to safety.Both people were injured, but investigators said both are expected to recover.The sheriff’s office said they are still looking for the other driver involved in the crash.

    MARTIN COUNTY, Fla. —

    A 911 call released Tuesday shows how frantic a couple was as they were trapped inside a car sinking in a canal in Florida.

    Listen to the 911 call in the video player above.

    Investigators said the couple was driving in a remote section of northwestern Martin County when they were hit by another car, sending them off the road where they landed upside down in the canal.

    The other car did not stop.

    The woman in the car was able to get to her phone and call 911.

    “Please! We need you!” she said to the dispatcher.

    The woman, whose name has not been released, explains the situation to the dispatcher who asks if the car is sinking.

    “Yes!” the woman replied. “That’s what it feels like. The car is sinking, sir.”

    “Where’s the water now?” the dispatcher asked.

    “We’re in the ditch outside,” she said.

    “Is the water in the car and how high is it?” the dispatcher asked.

    “It’s up to my stomach,” she said. “We don’t know how much time we have!”

    The woman explained to the dispatcher that the power in the vehicle was out, and they could not open the doors nor the windows.

    “How far in the water are you?” the dispatcher asked.

    “We’re deep in the water!”

    “And there’s no way to get that window down?”

    “No. We tried everything! We’re scared!”

    After about 10 minutes, the call appears to drop.

    “You still there, sir? Ma’am?” the dispatcher asked.

    There was no reply.

    Deputies arrived a short time later and were able to bust out the car’s windows and pull the couple to safety.

    Both people were injured, but investigators said both are expected to recover.

    The sheriff’s office said they are still looking for the other driver involved in the crash.

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  • Suspect left note saying he planned to kill Charlie Kirk, later confessed in texts, prosecutor says

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    Prosecutors brought a murder charge Tuesday against the man accused of assassinating Charlie Kirk and outlined evidence, including a text message confession to his partner and a note left beforehand saying he had the opportunity to kill one of the nation’s leading conservative voices “and I’m going to take it.”DNA on the trigger of the rifle that killed Kirk also matched that of Tyler Robinson, Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray said while outlining the evidence and announcing charges that could result in the death penalty if Robinson is convicted.The prosecutor said Robinson, 22, wrote in one text that he spent more than a week planning the attack on Kirk, a prominent force in politics credited with energizing the Republican youth movement and helping Donald Trump win back the White House in 2024.”The murder of Charlie Kirk is an American tragedy,” Gray said.Kirk was gunned down Sept. 10 while speaking with students at Utah Valley University. Prosecutors allege Robinson shot Kirk in the neck with a bolt-action rifle from the roof of a nearby building on the campus in Orem, about 40 miles (64 kilometers) south of Salt Lake City. Robinson appeared briefly Tuesday before a judge by video from jail. He nodded slightly at times but mostly stared straight ahead as the judge read the charges against him and appointed an attorney to represent him. Robinson’s family has declined to comment to The Associated Press since his arrest.Was Charlie Kirk targeted over anti-transgender views?Authorities have not revealed a clear motive in the shooting, but Gray said that Robinson wrote in a text about Kirk to his partner: “I had enough of his hatred. Some hate can’t be negotiated out.”Robinson also left a note for his partner hidden under a keyboard that said, “I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and I’m going to take it,” according to Gray.The prosecutor declined to answer whether Robinson targeted Kirk for his anti-transgender views. Kirk was shot while taking a question that touched on mass shootings, gun violence and transgender people.”That is for a jury to decide,” Gray said.Robinson was involved in a romantic relationship with his roommate, who investigators say was transgender, which hasn’t been confirmed. Gray said the partner has been cooperating with investigators.Robinson’s partner appeared shocked in the text exchange after the shooting, according to court documents, asking Robinson “why he did it and how long he’d been planning it.”Parents said their son became more politicalWhile authorities say Robinson hasn’t been cooperating with investigators, they say his family and friends have been talking.Robinson’s mother told investigators that their son had turned left politically in the last year and became more supportive of gay and transgender rights after dating someone who is transgender, Gray said.Those decisions prompted several conversations in the household, especially between Robinson and his father. They had different political views and Robinson told his partner in a text that his dad had become a “diehard MAGA” since Trump was elected.Robinson’s mother recognized him when authorities released a picture of the suspect and his parents confronted him, at which time Robinson said he wanted to kill himself, Gray said.The family persuaded him to meet with a family friend who is a retired sheriff’s deputy, who persuaded Robinson to turn himself in, the prosecutor said.Robinson was arrested late Thursday near St. George, the southern Utah community where he grew up, about 240 miles southwest of where the shooting happened.Robinson detailed movements after the shootingIn a text exchange with his partner released by authorities, Robinson wrote: “I had planned to grab my rifle from my drop point shortly after, but most of that side of town got locked down. Its quiet, almost enough to get out, but theres one vehicle lingering.”Then he wrote: “Going to attempt to retrieve it again, hopefully they have moved on. I haven’t seen anything about them finding it.” After that, he sent: “I can get close to it but there is a squad car parked right by it. I think they already swept that spot, but I don’t wanna chance it.”He also was worried about losing his grandfather’s rifle and mentioned several times in the texts that he wished he had picked it up, according to the texts shared in court documents, which did not have timestamps. It was unclear how long after the shooting Robinson was texting.”To be honest I had hoped to keep this secret till I died of old age. I am sorry to involve you,” Robinson wrote in another text to his partner.Prosecutor says Robinson told partner to delete textsRobinson discarded the rifle and clothing and asked his roommate to conceal evidence, Gray said.Robinson was charged with felony discharge of a firearm, punishable by up to life in prison, and obstructing justice, punishable by up to 15 years in prison.He also was charged with witness tampering because he had directed his partner to delete their text messages and told his partner to stay silent if questioned by police, Gray said.Kash Patel says investigators will look at everyoneFBI Director Kash Patel said Tuesday that agents are looking at “anyone and everyone” who was involved in a gaming chatroom on the social media platform Discord with Robinson. The chatroom involved “a lot more” than 20 people, he said during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in Washington.”We are investigating Charlie’s assassination fully and completely and running out every lead related to any allegation of broader violence,” Patel said in response to a question about whether the Kirk shooting was being treated as part of a broader trend of violence against religious groups.The charges filed Tuesday carry two enhancements, including committing several of the crimes in front of or close to children and carrying out violence based on the subject’s political beliefs.Gray declined to say whether Robinson’s partner could face charges or whether anyone else might face charges.Kirk, a dominant figure in conservative politics, became a confidant of President Donald Trump after founding Arizona-based Turning Point USA, one of the nation’s largest political organizations. He brought young, conservative evangelical Christians into politics.In the days since Kirk’s assassination, Americans have found themselves facing questions about rising political violence, the deep divisions that brought the nation here and whether anything can change.Despite calls for greater civility, some who opposed Kirk’s provocative statements about gender, race and politics criticized him after his death. Many Republicans have led the push to punish anyone they believe dishonored him, causing both public and private workers to lose their jobs or face other consequences at work.___Seewer reported from Toledo, Ohio.

    PROVO, Utah —

    Prosecutors brought a murder charge Tuesday against the man accused of assassinating Charlie Kirk and outlined evidence, including a text message confession to his partner and a note left beforehand saying he had the opportunity to kill one of the nation’s leading conservative voices “and I’m going to take it.”

    DNA on the trigger of the rifle that killed Kirk also matched that of Tyler Robinson, Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray said while outlining the evidence and announcing charges that could result in the death penalty if Robinson is convicted.

    The prosecutor said Robinson, 22, wrote in one text that he spent more than a week planning the attack on Kirk, a prominent force in politics credited with energizing the Republican youth movement and helping Donald Trump win back the White House in 2024.

    “The murder of Charlie Kirk is an American tragedy,” Gray said.

    Kirk was gunned down Sept. 10 while speaking with students at Utah Valley University. Prosecutors allege Robinson shot Kirk in the neck with a bolt-action rifle from the roof of a nearby building on the campus in Orem, about 40 miles (64 kilometers) south of Salt Lake City.

    Robinson appeared briefly Tuesday before a judge by video from jail. He nodded slightly at times but mostly stared straight ahead as the judge read the charges against him and appointed an attorney to represent him. Robinson’s family has declined to comment to The Associated Press since his arrest.

    FBI

    Tyler Robinson, suspect in Charlie Kirk’s assassination

    Was Charlie Kirk targeted over anti-transgender views?

    Authorities have not revealed a clear motive in the shooting, but Gray said that Robinson wrote in a text about Kirk to his partner: “I had enough of his hatred. Some hate can’t be negotiated out.”

    Robinson also left a note for his partner hidden under a keyboard that said, “I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and I’m going to take it,” according to Gray.

    The prosecutor declined to answer whether Robinson targeted Kirk for his anti-transgender views. Kirk was shot while taking a question that touched on mass shootings, gun violence and transgender people.

    “That is for a jury to decide,” Gray said.

    Robinson was involved in a romantic relationship with his roommate, who investigators say was transgender, which hasn’t been confirmed. Gray said the partner has been cooperating with investigators.

    Robinson’s partner appeared shocked in the text exchange after the shooting, according to court documents, asking Robinson “why he did it and how long he’d been planning it.”

    Parents said their son became more political

    While authorities say Robinson hasn’t been cooperating with investigators, they say his family and friends have been talking.

    Robinson’s mother told investigators that their son had turned left politically in the last year and became more supportive of gay and transgender rights after dating someone who is transgender, Gray said.

    Those decisions prompted several conversations in the household, especially between Robinson and his father. They had different political views and Robinson told his partner in a text that his dad had become a “diehard MAGA” since Trump was elected.

    Robinson’s mother recognized him when authorities released a picture of the suspect and his parents confronted him, at which time Robinson said he wanted to kill himself, Gray said.

    The family persuaded him to meet with a family friend who is a retired sheriff’s deputy, who persuaded Robinson to turn himself in, the prosecutor said.

    Robinson was arrested late Thursday near St. George, the southern Utah community where he grew up, about 240 miles southwest of where the shooting happened.

    Robinson detailed movements after the shooting

    In a text exchange with his partner released by authorities, Robinson wrote: “I had planned to grab my rifle from my drop point shortly after, but most of that side of town got locked down. Its quiet, almost enough to get out, but theres one vehicle lingering.”

    Then he wrote: “Going to attempt to retrieve it again, hopefully they have moved on. I haven’t seen anything about them finding it.” After that, he sent: “I can get close to it but there is a squad car parked right by it. I think they already swept that spot, but I don’t wanna chance it.”

    He also was worried about losing his grandfather’s rifle and mentioned several times in the texts that he wished he had picked it up, according to the texts shared in court documents, which did not have timestamps. It was unclear how long after the shooting Robinson was texting.

    “To be honest I had hoped to keep this secret till I died of old age. I am sorry to involve you,” Robinson wrote in another text to his partner.

    Prosecutor says Robinson told partner to delete texts

    Robinson discarded the rifle and clothing and asked his roommate to conceal evidence, Gray said.

    Robinson was charged with felony discharge of a firearm, punishable by up to life in prison, and obstructing justice, punishable by up to 15 years in prison.

    He also was charged with witness tampering because he had directed his partner to delete their text messages and told his partner to stay silent if questioned by police, Gray said.

    Kash Patel says investigators will look at everyone

    FBI Director Kash Patel said Tuesday that agents are looking at “anyone and everyone” who was involved in a gaming chatroom on the social media platform Discord with Robinson. The chatroom involved “a lot more” than 20 people, he said during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in Washington.

    “We are investigating Charlie’s assassination fully and completely and running out every lead related to any allegation of broader violence,” Patel said in response to a question about whether the Kirk shooting was being treated as part of a broader trend of violence against religious groups.

    The charges filed Tuesday carry two enhancements, including committing several of the crimes in front of or close to children and carrying out violence based on the subject’s political beliefs.

    Gray declined to say whether Robinson’s partner could face charges or whether anyone else might face charges.

    Kirk, a dominant figure in conservative politics, became a confidant of President Donald Trump after founding Arizona-based Turning Point USA, one of the nation’s largest political organizations. He brought young, conservative evangelical Christians into politics.

    In the days since Kirk’s assassination, Americans have found themselves facing questions about rising political violence, the deep divisions that brought the nation here and whether anything can change.

    Despite calls for greater civility, some who opposed Kirk’s provocative statements about gender, race and politics criticized him after his death. Many Republicans have led the push to punish anyone they believe dishonored him, causing both public and private workers to lose their jobs or face other consequences at work.

    ___

    Seewer reported from Toledo, Ohio.

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  • Suspect left note saying he planned to kill Charlie Kirk, later confessed in texts, prosecutor says

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    Prosecutors brought a murder charge Tuesday against the man accused of assassinating Charlie Kirk and outlined evidence, including a text message confession to his partner and a note left beforehand saying he had the opportunity to kill one of the nation’s leading conservative voices “and I’m going to take it.”DNA on the trigger of the rifle that killed Kirk also matched that of Tyler Robinson, Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray said while outlining the evidence and announcing charges that could result in the death penalty if Robinson is convicted.The prosecutor said Robinson, 22, wrote in one text that he spent more than a week planning the attack on Kirk, a prominent force in politics credited with energizing the Republican youth movement and helping Donald Trump win back the White House in 2024.”The murder of Charlie Kirk is an American tragedy,” Gray said.Kirk was gunned down Sept. 10 while speaking with students at Utah Valley University. Prosecutors allege Robinson shot Kirk in the neck with a bolt-action rifle from the roof of a nearby building on the campus in Orem, about 40 miles (64 kilometers) south of Salt Lake City. Robinson appeared briefly Tuesday before a judge by video from jail. He nodded slightly at times but mostly stared straight ahead as the judge read the charges against him and appointed an attorney to represent him. Robinson’s family has declined to comment to The Associated Press since his arrest.Was Charlie Kirk targeted over anti-transgender views?Authorities have not revealed a clear motive in the shooting, but Gray said that Robinson wrote in a text about Kirk to his partner: “I had enough of his hatred. Some hate can’t be negotiated out.”Robinson also left a note for his partner hidden under a keyboard that said, “I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and I’m going to take it,” according to Gray.The prosecutor declined to answer whether Robinson targeted Kirk for his anti-transgender views. Kirk was shot while taking a question that touched on mass shootings, gun violence and transgender people.”That is for a jury to decide,” Gray said.Robinson was involved in a romantic relationship with his roommate, who investigators say was transgender, which hasn’t been confirmed. Gray said the partner has been cooperating with investigators.Robinson’s partner appeared shocked in the text exchange after the shooting, according to court documents, asking Robinson “why he did it and how long he’d been planning it.”Parents said their son became more politicalWhile authorities say Robinson hasn’t been cooperating with investigators, they say his family and friends have been talking.Robinson’s mother told investigators that their son had turned left politically in the last year and became more supportive of gay and transgender rights after dating someone who is transgender, Gray said.Those decisions prompted several conversations in the household, especially between Robinson and his father. They had different political views and Robinson told his partner in a text that his dad had become a “diehard MAGA” since Trump was elected.Robinson’s mother recognized him when authorities released a picture of the suspect and his parents confronted him, at which time Robinson said he wanted to kill himself, Gray said.The family persuaded him to meet with a family friend who is a retired sheriff’s deputy, who persuaded Robinson to turn himself in, the prosecutor said.Robinson was arrested late Thursday near St. George, the southern Utah community where he grew up, about 240 miles southwest of where the shooting happened.Robinson detailed movements after the shootingIn a text exchange with his partner released by authorities, Robinson wrote: “I had planned to grab my rifle from my drop point shortly after, but most of that side of town got locked down. Its quiet, almost enough to get out, but theres one vehicle lingering.”Then he wrote: “Going to attempt to retrieve it again, hopefully they have moved on. I haven’t seen anything about them finding it.” After that, he sent: “I can get close to it but there is a squad car parked right by it. I think they already swept that spot, but I don’t wanna chance it.”He also was worried about losing his grandfather’s rifle and mentioned several times in the texts that he wished he had picked it up, according to the texts shared in court documents, which did not have timestamps. It was unclear how long after the shooting Robinson was texting.”To be honest I had hoped to keep this secret till I died of old age. I am sorry to involve you,” Robinson wrote in another text to his partner.Prosecutor says Robinson told partner to delete textsRobinson discarded the rifle and clothing and asked his roommate to conceal evidence, Gray said.Robinson was charged with felony discharge of a firearm, punishable by up to life in prison, and obstructing justice, punishable by up to 15 years in prison.He also was charged with witness tampering because he had directed his partner to delete their text messages and told his partner to stay silent if questioned by police, Gray said.Kash Patel says investigators will look at everyoneFBI Director Kash Patel said Tuesday that agents are looking at “anyone and everyone” who was involved in a gaming chatroom on the social media platform Discord with Robinson. The chatroom involved “a lot more” than 20 people, he said during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in Washington.”We are investigating Charlie’s assassination fully and completely and running out every lead related to any allegation of broader violence,” Patel said in response to a question about whether the Kirk shooting was being treated as part of a broader trend of violence against religious groups.The charges filed Tuesday carry two enhancements, including committing several of the crimes in front of or close to children and carrying out violence based on the subject’s political beliefs.Gray declined to say whether Robinson’s partner could face charges or whether anyone else might face charges.Kirk, a dominant figure in conservative politics, became a confidant of President Donald Trump after founding Arizona-based Turning Point USA, one of the nation’s largest political organizations. He brought young, conservative evangelical Christians into politics.In the days since Kirk’s assassination, Americans have found themselves facing questions about rising political violence, the deep divisions that brought the nation here and whether anything can change.Despite calls for greater civility, some who opposed Kirk’s provocative statements about gender, race and politics criticized him after his death. Many Republicans have led the push to punish anyone they believe dishonored him, causing both public and private workers to lose their jobs or face other consequences at work.___Seewer reported from Toledo, Ohio.

    PROVO, Utah —

    Prosecutors brought a murder charge Tuesday against the man accused of assassinating Charlie Kirk and outlined evidence, including a text message confession to his partner and a note left beforehand saying he had the opportunity to kill one of the nation’s leading conservative voices “and I’m going to take it.”

    DNA on the trigger of the rifle that killed Kirk also matched that of Tyler Robinson, Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray said while outlining the evidence and announcing charges that could result in the death penalty if Robinson is convicted.

    The prosecutor said Robinson, 22, wrote in one text that he spent more than a week planning the attack on Kirk, a prominent force in politics credited with energizing the Republican youth movement and helping Donald Trump win back the White House in 2024.

    “The murder of Charlie Kirk is an American tragedy,” Gray said.

    Kirk was gunned down Sept. 10 while speaking with students at Utah Valley University. Prosecutors allege Robinson shot Kirk in the neck with a bolt-action rifle from the roof of a nearby building on the campus in Orem, about 40 miles (64 kilometers) south of Salt Lake City.

    Robinson appeared briefly Tuesday before a judge by video from jail. He nodded slightly at times but mostly stared straight ahead as the judge read the charges against him and appointed an attorney to represent him. Robinson’s family has declined to comment to The Associated Press since his arrest.

    FBI

    Tyler Robinson, suspect in Charlie Kirk’s assassination

    Was Charlie Kirk targeted over anti-transgender views?

    Authorities have not revealed a clear motive in the shooting, but Gray said that Robinson wrote in a text about Kirk to his partner: “I had enough of his hatred. Some hate can’t be negotiated out.”

    Robinson also left a note for his partner hidden under a keyboard that said, “I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and I’m going to take it,” according to Gray.

    The prosecutor declined to answer whether Robinson targeted Kirk for his anti-transgender views. Kirk was shot while taking a question that touched on mass shootings, gun violence and transgender people.

    “That is for a jury to decide,” Gray said.

    Robinson was involved in a romantic relationship with his roommate, who investigators say was transgender, which hasn’t been confirmed. Gray said the partner has been cooperating with investigators.

    Robinson’s partner appeared shocked in the text exchange after the shooting, according to court documents, asking Robinson “why he did it and how long he’d been planning it.”

    Parents said their son became more political

    While authorities say Robinson hasn’t been cooperating with investigators, they say his family and friends have been talking.

    Robinson’s mother told investigators that their son had turned left politically in the last year and became more supportive of gay and transgender rights after dating someone who is transgender, Gray said.

    Those decisions prompted several conversations in the household, especially between Robinson and his father. They had different political views and Robinson told his partner in a text that his dad had become a “diehard MAGA” since Trump was elected.

    Robinson’s mother recognized him when authorities released a picture of the suspect and his parents confronted him, at which time Robinson said he wanted to kill himself, Gray said.

    The family persuaded him to meet with a family friend who is a retired sheriff’s deputy, who persuaded Robinson to turn himself in, the prosecutor said.

    Robinson was arrested late Thursday near St. George, the southern Utah community where he grew up, about 240 miles southwest of where the shooting happened.

    Robinson detailed movements after the shooting

    In a text exchange with his partner released by authorities, Robinson wrote: “I had planned to grab my rifle from my drop point shortly after, but most of that side of town got locked down. Its quiet, almost enough to get out, but theres one vehicle lingering.”

    Then he wrote: “Going to attempt to retrieve it again, hopefully they have moved on. I haven’t seen anything about them finding it.” After that, he sent: “I can get close to it but there is a squad car parked right by it. I think they already swept that spot, but I don’t wanna chance it.”

    He also was worried about losing his grandfather’s rifle and mentioned several times in the texts that he wished he had picked it up, according to the texts shared in court documents, which did not have timestamps. It was unclear how long after the shooting Robinson was texting.

    “To be honest I had hoped to keep this secret till I died of old age. I am sorry to involve you,” Robinson wrote in another text to his partner.

    Prosecutor says Robinson told partner to delete texts

    Robinson discarded the rifle and clothing and asked his roommate to conceal evidence, Gray said.

    Robinson was charged with felony discharge of a firearm, punishable by up to life in prison, and obstructing justice, punishable by up to 15 years in prison.

    He also was charged with witness tampering because he had directed his partner to delete their text messages and told his partner to stay silent if questioned by police, Gray said.

    Kash Patel says investigators will look at everyone

    FBI Director Kash Patel said Tuesday that agents are looking at “anyone and everyone” who was involved in a gaming chatroom on the social media platform Discord with Robinson. The chatroom involved “a lot more” than 20 people, he said during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in Washington.

    “We are investigating Charlie’s assassination fully and completely and running out every lead related to any allegation of broader violence,” Patel said in response to a question about whether the Kirk shooting was being treated as part of a broader trend of violence against religious groups.

    The charges filed Tuesday carry two enhancements, including committing several of the crimes in front of or close to children and carrying out violence based on the subject’s political beliefs.

    Gray declined to say whether Robinson’s partner could face charges or whether anyone else might face charges.

    Kirk, a dominant figure in conservative politics, became a confidant of President Donald Trump after founding Arizona-based Turning Point USA, one of the nation’s largest political organizations. He brought young, conservative evangelical Christians into politics.

    In the days since Kirk’s assassination, Americans have found themselves facing questions about rising political violence, the deep divisions that brought the nation here and whether anything can change.

    Despite calls for greater civility, some who opposed Kirk’s provocative statements about gender, race and politics criticized him after his death. Many Republicans have led the push to punish anyone they believe dishonored him, causing both public and private workers to lose their jobs or face other consequences at work.

    ___

    Seewer reported from Toledo, Ohio.

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  • Police investigate double shooting in downtown Lodi

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    Two people, including a minor, have been arrested after a shooting in downtown Lodi that left two people injured, Lodi police said.Officers responded to the 300 block of North Sacramento Street at 8:17 p.m. Sunday. They found two gunshot victims, who were taken to area hospitals in unknown condition.A KCRA crew at the scene spotted multiple evidence markers placed on the ground outside of a bowling alley.According to police, officers located the suspect vehicle nearby, and the two people inside were identified as being involved in the shooting. Police identified the suspects only as a juvenile and an adult.Officers searched the vehicle and found two firearms inside, police said.A motive for the shooting is unknown, but police said it is being investigated as a targeted incident.Police said there are no active or outstanding threats to the community.Community members are urged to avoid the area as investigators continue collecting evidence through the night.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel

    LODI, Calif. —

    Two people, including a minor, have been arrested after a shooting in downtown Lodi that left two people injured, Lodi police said.

    Officers responded to the 300 block of North Sacramento Street at 8:17 p.m. Sunday. They found two gunshot victims, who were taken to area hospitals in unknown condition.

    A KCRA crew at the scene spotted multiple evidence markers placed on the ground outside of a bowling alley.

    According to police, officers located the suspect vehicle nearby, and the two people inside were identified as being involved in the shooting. Police identified the suspects only as a juvenile and an adult.

    Officers searched the vehicle and found two firearms inside, police said.

    A motive for the shooting is unknown, but police said it is being investigated as a targeted incident.

    Police said there are no active or outstanding threats to the community.

    Community members are urged to avoid the area as investigators continue collecting evidence through the night.

    See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel

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  • What we know about Tyler Robinson, the suspect who allegedly killed Charlie Kirk

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    Tyler Robinson, the 22-year-old accused of killing conservative activist Charlie Kirk, grew up in a quiet, close-knit community in Washington, Utah, where most neighbors attended the same neighborhood church and know each other by their first name.

    “I’m shocked,” said Kristin Schwiermann, a 66-year-old neighbor. “That’s not the kid I knew.”

    Like most of the people in the community, Robinson, his parents and two brothers attended the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints church less than a mile away, Scwiermann said.

    So it was strange to Schwiermann and others when the quiet neighborhood became filled with strange vans, SUVs and other unmarked police cars at about 7:30 p.m. Thursday. She wondered if it had anything to do with the shooting of Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University, but she had no inkling it would involve Tyler Robinson.

    Three doors down, inside the Robinson home, a drama was unfolding.

    Tyler Robinson’s father, Matt, came to realize his son was the focus of a desperate manhunt as images of him in a long-sleeve T-shirt and jeans began flashing across television and computer screens nationwide.

    The family called their church bishop — also a neighbor — when Robinson threatened to take his own life, according to a law enforcement source who was not authorized to discuss the investigation.

    This photo released by the Utah Governor’s Office shows Tyler Robinson.

    (Utah Governor’s Office via Associated Press)

    Robinson had been close to his parents and two brothers growing up, and would often go on outings camping or hunting, Schwiermann said. According to public records, both of his parents held hunting licenses.

    “They’re close, hardworking and smart,” she said.

    Robinson attended Riverside Elementary, about a half-mile away from the family home, and where Schwiermann also worked as head custodian.

    “He was quiet, but he had friends in school, and he never caused problems,” Schwiermann said.

    He had been regularly active in the church when he was a child, but she said he attended less as he grew older.

    He graduated from Pine View High School in St. George in 2021, and Schwiermann described him as bright and good with his schoolwork, which helped him earn a scholarship.

    His mother, Amber Robinson, wrote on her Facebook page in 2020 about her son’s college aptitude test score, and posted a video of Robinson reading a letter for a scholarship.

    Robinson attended Utah State University in 2021, where he majored in engineering, but took leave after one semester.

    He later attended Dixie Technical College, where school officials said he was in his third year of study in the electrical apprenticeship program.

    There are no signs that Robinson has a criminal record in the state of Utah, based on his name and birth date.

    Robinson had registered as nonpartisan in Utah, while both of his parents were registered Republicans, according to registration data reviewed by The Times. His father worked with granite countertops and his mother was a licensed social worker.

    A well-wisher prays at a makeshift memorial in Phoenix after the shooting death of Charlie Kirk.

    A man prays at a makeshift memorial set up at Turning Point USA headquarters in Phoenix after the shooting death of Charlie Kirk.

    (Ross D. Franklin / Associated Press)

    At a press conference announcing Robinson’s arrest Friday, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said a family member told investigators, “Robinson had become more political in recent years,” and expressed dislike for Kirk, who Robinson said was “full of hate” and “spreading hate.”

    Investigators are still looking through evidence and trying to determine a motive in the slaying.

    Along with a bolt-action rifle that was abandoned in a wooded area, investigators also recovered ammunition that bore various markings, according to authorities.

    Engraving on one bullet casing in the rifle read, “Hey fascist! Catch!” according to Cox.

    Other casings bore references to memes from online chat rooms, including “notices, bulges, OwO, what’s this?” and “If you read this, you are gay LMAO.” One was etched with lyrics from an Italian antifascism song from World War II

    When asked about the motive of the gunman, Cox suggested the “Hey fascist” marking clearly showed the gunman’s intent: “I think that speaks for itself,” he said.

    But experts in extremism said it was too early to ascribe a motive, especially based on the markings on ammunition.

    “It is increasingly difficult to immediately ascribe motivation as many lone young assailants are often a mix of grievance, mental distress and aggressions picked up in social circles and online,” said Brian Levin, professor emeritus at Cal State San Bernardino and founder of its Center for the Study of Hate.

    “Verbiage, memes, targeting, crude humor and cultural references that are immediately available often telegraph motives for violent symbolic attacks, but can also be amorphous or disjointed,” he said.

    Joan Donovan, assistant professor of journalism at Boston University and an expert on extremism, said the initial rumors about the bullet casings being marked with Antifa or trans ideology symbols seemed too obvious.

    The messages on the casings reminded Donovan of other recent manifestos and mass shooters who used memes, like the 2019 Christchurch, New Zealand, shooter who killed 51 people in a mosque and an Islamic center.

    “With memes the message was really about talking to other would be shooters,” Donovan said. “It wasn’t about communicating to the media or communicating even a serious message.”

    The engravings on Robinson’s bullet casings come across as a hodgepodge of messages that don’t fit together comfortably, Donovan said. In online misogynistic circles, someone who trades in these types of cynical messages could be described as “black pilled” according to Donovan.

    “It’s both impostor and mocking at the same time,” Donovan said. “When we’re talking about ‘black pilled’ youth and those that are just upset with the entire system, it does make sense that you’d have someone engraving bullets with very nihilistic hubris.”

    Los Angeles Times staff writers Anita Chabria and Jenny Jarvie contributed to this report.

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  • FBI says Charlie Kirk shooter is college age, blended into university as he fled

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    OREM, Utah — Authorities said Thursday they have fresh leads in their massive manhunt for a college-age shooter who killed influential right-wing activist Charlie Kirk with a single bullet as he spoke at a Utah college campus.

    No suspects were in custody Thursday, more than 18 hours after the shooting, and officials have yet to identify the gunman. However, Robert Bohls, the special agent in charge of the F.B.I.’s Salt Lake City office, said that investigators recovered the weapon they believe was used to kill Kirk — a high-powered bolt-action rifle they found in a wooded area near the campus — as well as the suspect’s footprints and palm prints.

    “We are and will continue to work nonstop until we find the person that has committed this heinous crime, and find out why they did it,” Bohls said.

    A close ally of President Trump who founded the conservative youth group Turning Point USA, Kirk was killed Wednesday by a single shot fired from the rooftop of a nearby building as he addressed a question about mass shootings at a Utah Valley University campus in Orem.

    Investigators are tracking a suspect who appeared to be college age and blended in on the university campus, Bohls said at a Thursday morning news conference. They have scoured dozens of feeds from campus security cameras and collected footwear impressions, a palm print and forearm imprints for analysis.

    Video of the crowd captured by an attendee shows a lone figure in black dashing across the rooftop of the Losee Center, a building about 150 yards from where Kirk was speaking.

    Beau Mason, commissioner of the Utah Department of Public Safety, said investigators “are confident in our abilities to track” the shooter and had “good video footage” that they were not ready to release.

    “We are working through some technologies and some ways to identify this individual,” he said.

    After scouring camera security footage, investigators believe the shooter arrived on campus at about 11:52 am and moved through the stairwells, up to the roof, across the roof to the shooting location, Mason said.

    “We were able to track his movements as he moved to the other side of the building, jumped off of the building and fled off of the campus and into a neighborhood,” Mason said. “Our investigators worked through those neighborhoods, contacting anybody they can, with doorbell cameras, witnesses, and have thoroughly worked through those communities trying to identify any leads.”

    Bohls said investigators recovered a high-powered, bolt-action rifle in a wooded area where the shooter had fled. Bohls did not answer reporters’ questions whether the rifle had been traced to an owner.

    The Utah Department of Public Safety said Wednesday night its State Crime Lab is working “multiple active crime scenes” — from the site where Kirk was shot to the locations he and the suspect traveled — with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Utah County Attorney’s office, the Utah County Sheriff’s office, and the local police departments.

    Hope for a speedy capture of the suspect faded Wednesday night after the F.B.I. released the man its director, Kash Patel, had said was a subject of the investigation. After thanking local and state authorities for taking into custody “the subject for the horrific shooting,” Patel announced that the man had been released after an interrogation by law enforcement.

    “Our investigation continues,” Patel said.

    Another man who was taken into custody a few hours earlier was later released after being booked by Utah Valley University police on suspicion of obstruction of justice.

    Speaking at the Pentagon Thursday at an event commemorating the Sept. 11 attacks, President Trump said he would posthumously award the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Kirk.

    “Charlie was a giant of his generation, a champion of liberty and an inspiration to millions and millions of people,” Trump said.

    The shooter is believed to have fired about 20 minutes after Kirk began speaking Wednesday on a grassy campus courtyard under a white canopy emblazoned with the slogan “PROVE ME WRONG.” The event, attended by about 3,000 people, was the first stop on Kirk’s American Comeback Tour of U.S. campuses.

    Some experts who have seen videos believe that the assailant probably had experience with firearms, given the precision with which the single shot was fired from a considerable distance.

    Videos shared on social media show Kirk sitting on a chair, taking questions in front of a large crowd of people.

    “Do you know how many mass shooters there have been in America over the last 10 years?” an audience member asks.

    “Counting or not counting gang violence?” Kirk responds.

    Almost immediately, a shot rings out. Kirk falls back, blood gushing his neck. Video show people screaming and fleeing from the event.

    The killing — the latest incident in a spate of violent attacks targeting American politicians on the left and the right — led to swift condemnation of political violence from both sides of the ideological divide. But it also led to a blame game.

    After President Trump celebrated Kirk as a “patriot who devoted his life to the cause of open debate” and “martyr for truth and freedom,” he said in an evening video broadcast from the Oval Office that “‘radical left” rhetoric was “directly responsible for the terrorism that we’re seeing in our country today.”

    Trump — who did not mention recent acts of political violence against Democratic lawmakers — called for a crackdown on leftwing groups.

    Even as the House of Representatives observed a moment of silence for Kirk Wednesday when he was still in critical condition, the floor descended into chaos when some Democrats pushed back on a Republican legislator’s request that someone lead the group in prayer.

    Florida Representative Anna Paulina Luna, a former conservative influencer and close friend of Kirk, pointed angrily at Democrats. “You all caused this,” she shouted.

    Kirk, 31, was one of the Republican Party’s most influential power brokers.

    The founder of the influential conservative youth organization Turning Point USA, Kirk had a vast online reach: 1.6 million followers on Rumble, 3.8 million subscribers on YouTube, 5.2 million followers on X and 7.3 million followers on TikTok.

    During the 2024 election, he rallied his online followers to support Trump, prompting conservative podcast host Megyn Kelly to say: “It’s not an understatement to say that this man is responsible for helping the Republicans win back the White House and the U.S. Senate.”

    Just after Trump was elected for a second time to the presidency in November, Kirk frequently posted to social media from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, where he had firsthand influence over which MAGA loyalists Trump named to his Cabinet.

    Kirk was known for melding his conservative politics, nationalism and evangelical faith, casting the current political climate as a state of spiritual warfare between a righteous right wing and so-called godless liberals.

    At a Turning Point event on the Salt Lake City campus of Awaken Church in 2023, he said that gun violence was worth the price of upholding the right to bear arms.

    “I think it’s worth it to have a cost of, unfortunately, some gun deaths every single year so that we can have the 2nd Amendment to protect our other God-given rights,” he said. “That is a prudent deal. It is rational.”

    He also previously declared that God was on the side of American conservatives and that there was “no separation of church and state.” In a speech to Trump supporters in Georgia last year, he said that “the Democrat Party supports everything that God hates” and that “there is a spiritual battle happening all around us.”

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    Grace Toohey, Jenny Jarvie, Richard Winton

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  • Dozens of cargo containers fall off vessel at Port of Long Beach. Investigators search for answers

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    At least 50 shipping containers slipped off a vessel at the Port of Long Beach on Tuesday morning, leaving officials scrambling to determine what happened.

    Port spokesperson Art Marroquin said the ship, the Mississippi, was berthed at Terminal G just before 9 a.m. when the containers mysteriously fell overboard into the water.

    Marroquin and other port officials did not respond to questions about the ship. They confirmed, however, that no injuries were reported and all operations have been temporarily suspended as responders work to secure the containers.

    Port officials are in the preliminary stages of investigating what caused the incident.

    An online site dedicated to tracking ships says the Mississippi flies under a Portuguese flag and was last docked in China two weeks ago.

    The incident happened only four days after the port was named the Best West Coast seaport in North America for a seventh straight year by the trade publication Asia Cargo News.

    The port handles more than 9 million 20-foot containers per year from 2,000 vessels, moving one-fourth of all containers on the West Coast.

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    Andrew J. Campa

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  • Future of citizenship applications, USCIS reinstates decades-old policy to vet immigrants

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    The landscape around immigration is shifting again under the Trump administration.Last week, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services released a memo bringing back “neighborhood investigations,” a method once used to evaluate an immigrant’s moral character. The practice dates back to the 1980s and was discontinued in 1991.See the report in the video aboveNow, immigration attorneys are working to understand what its return could mean for their clients.”It’s not well-defined, like, what the discretion is,” said Brian Blackford, an immigration attorney in Omaha, Nebraska. “Even with this policy memo, we don’t exactly know all the considerations.”According to the USCIS memo, investigators are permitted to talk with people living near an applicant’s residence and place of employment. Blackford said that raises concerns.”Is that going to result in them being denied citizenship because a neighbor doesn’t like them? We don’t know, like, what this entails,” Blackford said.The memo states the practice is meant to improve background checks during citizenship applications. Blackford said it is something he has never seen in his decades-long career.”They would do that to make sure there’s no marriage fraud, but that would be the extent of USCIS investigators looking into somebody that has a pending application before the agency,” he said.The agency memo said neighborhood investigations began in 1981 to better determine a person’s moral character and eligibility for citizenship. The practice stopped in 1991.”They just made the decision to stop doing that and to instead just go off of people’s biometrics, and run their background that way to make the process more streamlined,” Blackford said.Blackford said reinstating the practice could discourage immigrants from applying.”This can have some really chilling effects on speech and on applying for citizenship altogether,” he said.He added that the policy is impacting immigrants seeking status through legal means.”These are people that have been lawful permanent residents for either 3 or 5 years minimum,” Blackford said. In a statement to KETV, USCIS said the agency is ensuring “aliens are being properly vetted” and added the directive will “enhance these statutorily required investigations.”

    The landscape around immigration is shifting again under the Trump administration.

    Last week, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services released a memo bringing back “neighborhood investigations,” a method once used to evaluate an immigrant’s moral character. The practice dates back to the 1980s and was discontinued in 1991.

    See the report in the video above

    Now, immigration attorneys are working to understand what its return could mean for their clients.

    “It’s not well-defined, like, what the discretion is,” said Brian Blackford, an immigration attorney in Omaha, Nebraska. “Even with this policy memo, we don’t exactly know all the considerations.”

    According to the USCIS memo, investigators are permitted to talk with people living near an applicant’s residence and place of employment. Blackford said that raises concerns.

    “Is that going to result in them being denied citizenship because a neighbor doesn’t like them? We don’t know, like, what this entails,” Blackford said.

    The memo states the practice is meant to improve background checks during citizenship applications. Blackford said it is something he has never seen in his decades-long career.

    “They would do that to make sure there’s no marriage fraud, but that would be the extent of USCIS investigators looking into somebody that has a pending application before the agency,” he said.

    The agency memo said neighborhood investigations began in 1981 to better determine a person’s moral character and eligibility for citizenship. The practice stopped in 1991.

    “They just made the decision to stop doing that and to instead just go off of people’s biometrics, and run their background that way to make the process more streamlined,” Blackford said.

    Blackford said reinstating the practice could discourage immigrants from applying.

    “This can have some really chilling effects on speech and on applying for citizenship altogether,” he said.

    He added that the policy is impacting immigrants seeking status through legal means.

    “These are people that have been lawful permanent residents for either 3 or 5 years minimum,” Blackford said.

    In a statement to KETV, USCIS said the agency is ensuring “aliens are being properly vetted” and added the directive will “enhance these statutorily required investigations.”

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  • Infant Emmanuel Haro may have died days before being reported missing, prosecutors say

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    Emmanuel Haro, the infant who was at the center of a weeklong missing persons investigation, may have died more than a week before the day he was reported missing, according to Riverside County prosecutors.

    In the criminal complaints filed against Emmanuel’s parents, Rebecca and Jake Haro,prosecutors list the potential date of death for 7-month-old Emmanuel as anywhere between Aug. 5 and Aug. 14, the day his mother said he vanished. The parents have been charged with one count each of murder with malice.

    According to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, Rebecca Haro said she was attacked in a Yucaipa parking lot Aug. 14 outside a Big 5 store while changing Emmanuel’s diaper. She told them that when she woke up, her child was gone. But investigators said there were inconsistencies in her initial statement, and when they confronted her about those details, they said she stopped cooperating.

    Seven-month-old Emmanuel Haro.

    (San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department)

    In an interview with KTLA-TV before her arrest, Haro, who had a black eye, pleaded for the return of her son. “If you know anything, please come forward or take him to the cops,” she said. “Please come and bring my son back. I’m begging you.”

    During the investigation, the couple surrendered their phones to investigators and allowed detectives to search their Cabazon home, said attorney Vincent Hughes, who represents Jake Haro in a separate criminal case. Investigators also took two iPads, including one that had not been taken out of the box, and three Xbox video game consoles. Their vehicle was also taken by investigators as part of the search for their son, according to Hughes.

    Sheriff's investigators at the Cabazon home of 7-month-old Emmanuel Haro on Aug. 22.

    Sheriff’s investigators at the Cabazon home of 7-month-old Emmanuel Haro on Aug. 22.

    (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

    The Haros were arrested at their home Friday. Authorities said they faked the story about a mysterious attacker who abducted their son.

    “It is believed Emmanuel is deceased and the search to recover his remains is ongoing,” the Sheriff’s Department said in a statement. “While these arrests mark a significant development, our focus remains on finding Emmanuel.”

    Sheriff’s investigators are now focused on finding Emmanuel’s remains. Over the weekend, search teams scoured an isolated field in Moreno Valley. They were accompanied by Jake Haro but did not find anything, officials said.

    The couple is being held in lieu of $1 million bail each. They are scheduled to be arraigned on Sept. 4.

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    Nathan Solis

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  • Dozens charged after influencers broke into Kentucky Speedway, posted videos

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    More than 30 people have been arrested after officials say “influencers” broke into the Kentucky Speedway and posted videos to social media.Gallatin County Sheriff Bud Webster says it’s been happening since June, when the first video was posted to social media. Video above: Kentucky Speedway treats seniors to victory lap around racetrack”It’s been quite the ordeal since then,” Webster said. “When they post to social media, it’s my understanding that they get paid if they get so many followers or hits, so that’s what the purpose of it is.”He said they’ve been getting into the speedway by jumping the fence or even cutting through.”There’s been vandalism and damage to the property,” Webster said.While the speedway no longer hosts NASCAR or IndyCar races, it’s still used for smaller events. Parts of the property are also rented out to companies.”I’m not sure what the future holds for the speedway, but they still maintain the property, they still operate, and they have staff on hand,” Webster said.He said videos have prompted others to go inside.”Those gentlemen had posted to social media about an abandoned speedway and since then, it’s been one group after another coming in there from all over,” Webster said. The sheriff emphasized that the Kentucky Speedway is private property and is not abandoned.The Kentucky Speedway opened in June 2000 and is owned by Speedway Motorsports.

    More than 30 people have been arrested after officials say “influencers” broke into the Kentucky Speedway and posted videos to social media.

    Gallatin County Sheriff Bud Webster says it’s been happening since June, when the first video was posted to social media.

    Video above: Kentucky Speedway treats seniors to victory lap around racetrack

    “It’s been quite the ordeal since then,” Webster said. “When they post to social media, it’s my understanding that they get paid if they get so many followers or hits, so that’s what the purpose of it is.”

    He said they’ve been getting into the speedway by jumping the fence or even cutting through.

    “There’s been vandalism and damage to the property,” Webster said.

    While the speedway no longer hosts NASCAR or IndyCar races, it’s still used for smaller events. Parts of the property are also rented out to companies.

    “I’m not sure what the future holds for the speedway, but they still maintain the property, they still operate, and they have staff on hand,” Webster said.

    He said videos have prompted others to go inside.

    “Those gentlemen had posted to social media about an abandoned speedway and since then, it’s been one group after another coming in there from all over,” Webster said.

    The sheriff emphasized that the Kentucky Speedway is private property and is not abandoned.

    The Kentucky Speedway opened in June 2000 and is owned by Speedway Motorsports.

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  • Third suspect arrested and charged in the 2017 stabbing death of hairdressing mogul

    Third suspect arrested and charged in the 2017 stabbing death of hairdressing mogul

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    Authorities say they have arrested the mystery man who allegedly teamed up with an accomplice to fatally stab famed hairstylist Fabio Sementilli seven years ago at a Woodland Hills mansion.

    Prosecutors allege Christopher Austin was the second man involved in the killing, along with the lover of Sementilli’s wife.

    Austin was recently arrested in connection with the killing and extradited from Washington state. On Oct. 18, after being sent back to Los Angeles, Austin pleaded not guilty to a charge of murder with the special allegations of the use of a deadly weapon, and pleaded not guilty Wednesday to an additional charge of conspiracy to commit murder.

    The 38-year-old Austin, prosecutors allege, conspired with Monica Sementilli, the hairstylist’s wife, and her lover Robert Louis Baker in January 2017 to kill her husband as part of a scheme to pocket his $1.6 million in life insurance. Austin’s alleged conspirators have been behind bars for more than five years, but until recently Austin’s identity and whereabouts had been unknown.

    Sementilli was the father of three and an executive at the hair-care giant Wella.

    Baker, 62, last year admitted that he killed the celebrity hairdresser on Jan. 23, 2017, leaving him in a pool of blood on a back patio in what was initially thought to be a home-invasion robbery gone wrong. Baker is serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole.

    Six months after the killing, Los Angeles police detectives arrested Baker and Monica Sementilli, revealing that they had been in a relationship for 18 months. Baker, a convicted sex offender, met her at LA Fitness, where he was a racquetball instructor.

    Baker, after admitting to the crime, has said that Monica Sementilli did not know about the murder plot. Prosecutors and LAPD investigators contend that extensive evidence shows she was tied to the killing.

    Monica Sementilli’s trial is pending, and she and Baker have been held in the Los Angeles County jail system for more than five years. She had pleaded not guilty, and her attorney, Leonard Levine, said that she was falsely accused and that Baker will testify to that.

    Her trial has been postponed a few times, and the arrest of Austin could change the dynamics. Prosecutors allege that Baker stabbed the hairstylist several times with a knife and that Austin stabbed the victim in the neck with a knife.

    Baker is alleged to have told Austin that the victim’s wife wanted to get her husband’s life insurance money. As part of the conspiracy alleged by prosecutors, Baker gave Austin money to buy a ticket to fly from Anchorage to Los Angeles and a roll of gold coins after the slaying, according to the complaint.

    Austin was arrested in Washington state and extradited to L.A. County, where he is being held on more than $2 million bail pending a Dec. 2 court appearance.

    Initially, when LAPD responded to the home and found Sementilli stabbed to death, investigators considered it to be the work of knock-knock burglars who plagued parts of San Fernando Valley.

    But though the home’s master bedroom was ransacked, the assailants never took the hair mogul’s valuable watch on his wrist, piquing the interest of detectives, said then-Robbery Homicide Division Capt. Billy Hayes. Security surveillance video showed two hooded men jogging up to the home before the slaying. Afterward, the men drove away in Sementilli’s Porsche and were recorded on another surveillance camera as they abandoned the vehicle five miles away.

    In an apparent attempt to cover up their actions, the two men took a video recording system hidden in the garage of Sementilli’s home that captured video from six cameras around the house, prosecutors said.

    Detectives closed in on Baker after discovering blood in the abandoned Porsche. His DNA had previously been captured after he was convicted of a lewd and lascivious conduct with a minor in 1993 and forced to register as a sex offender, Hayes said at the time.

    Prosecutors alleged Monica Sementilli told Baker how to remove the home’s video recording system. They presented evidence that she watched a live feed of the area shortly before the killing to ensure Baker had a clear path to her husband. Prosecutors alleged that she also let her 16-year-old daughter come home first and discover the crime scene.

    “Monica fully intended for Fabio to be murdered,” Los Angeles County Deputy Dist. Atty. Beth Silverman told a grand jury in 2017. “She wanted him out of the way because she wants to be with Robert Baker. She’s unhappy in her marriage, even though at the same time she’s acting like the loving, adoring wife.”

    Baker pleaded no contest in July 2023 to one count each of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder. He also admitted the special circumstance allegations of murder for financial gain and murder while lying in wait.

    One of Monica Sementilli’s attorneys, Leonard Levine, told reporters after Baker’s plea that the defense was confident that his plea and his “truthful testimony will finally establish once and for all that Monica Sementilli had nothing to do with the planning or the murder of Fabio Sementilli, her husband. And we’re looking forward to the trial, which we believe will establish that fact.’’

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    Richard Winton

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  • Christopher Dorner gun found at Airbnb of alleged ‘crime tourists’ after Beverly Hills robbery of $1 million watch

    Christopher Dorner gun found at Airbnb of alleged ‘crime tourists’ after Beverly Hills robbery of $1 million watch

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    A gun once registered to Christopher Dorner — the notorious former L.A. cop who killed four people including two law officers — was found in the L.A. Airbnb of a pair of alleged “crime tourists,” federal prosecutors say.

    The two South American nationals are accused of stealing a $1-million watch at gunpoint last week on the patio of the Beverly Wilshire hotel.

    Did they use Dorner’s gun to carry out the alleged crime?

    Assistant U.S. Atty. Jena MacCabe would not confirm the weapon was used in the alleged robbery, KCAL reported, but an affidavit says it was the only weapon found in connection with the arrests.

    “We’re still trying to figure it out,” MacCabe said.

    Prosecutors say the suspects held up the victim in front of his wife and twin 5-year-old daughters at the high-end Beverly Hills hotel. One held a gun while the other took off the man’s luxury watch, a Patek Philippe, then fled in a car with a stolen plate, the affidavit says.

    Street cameras near the Beverly Wilshire captured the Aug. 7 armed robbery of a man in front of his family.

    (U.S. District Court)

    Jamer Mauricio Sepulveda Salazar, 21, of Colombia, is charged with two felony counts related to the armed robbery. Nineteen-year-old Jesus Eduardo Padron Rojas, of Venezuela, is charged with felony conspiracy to commit robbery.

    Sepulveda said the crew had been doing surveillance for two weeks in an effort to steal a Patek Phillipe watch, the complaint says, and both men admitted their involvement in stealing a $30,000 Rolex in Beverly Hills two days before the $1-million watch theft.

    Investigators found a handgun in Padron’s pillowcase at the suspects’ Airbnb on Browning Boulevard in Los Angeles. The gun was registered to Dorner, a former officer who targeted LAPD officers who he felt had wronged him.

    Over nine days in 2013, Dorner killed four people — two police officers, the daughter of a former LAPD captain and her fiancé — and injured three others. He died in a cabin in Big Bear that went up in flames after a shootout with authorities.

    MacCabe said investigators were “trying to figure out how this gun from so long ago, somehow came into their possession and was tied up in this violent armed robbery series.”

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    Sandra McDonald

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  • A smashed Polaris Slingshot, friends inside the CHP. How investigators unraveled an insurance plot

    A smashed Polaris Slingshot, friends inside the CHP. How investigators unraveled an insurance plot

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    The scheme had a lot of moving parts, but was surprisingly simple.

    The Inland Empire Automobile Insurance Task Force, which has been investigating the plot for nearly two years, said it unfolded like this: Andre Angelo Reyes, 36, allegedly purchased traffic collision reports that contained personal information of drivers involved in crashes across Southern California from Rosa Isela Santistevan, a 55-year-old California Highway Patrol employee.

    Investigators say Reyes would give the documents to a third individual, Esmeralda Parga, 26, who would call the drivers and pretend to be from their insurance company. She would allegedly coordinate for their damaged cars to be taken to a specific repair center, CA Collision, whose owner, Anthony Gomez, 35, was also in on the scheme, authorities said.

    Then the repair shop would contact the insurance companies and demand cash to have the cars released, authorities said.

    Investigators allege the scheme resulted in 19 fraudulent claims resulting in a loss of more than $353,000 to insurance companies. This month, a total of 15 people involved in the scheme, including Reyes, of Corona; Santistevan, of Irvine; Parga, of Pomona; and Gomez, of Jurupa Valley, were charged with insurance fraud, grand theft by trick and false impersonation, state investigators wrote in a press release. The others were:

    • Ezequiel Baltazar Orozco, 30, of Los Angeles
    • Antonio Terrazas Perez Jr., 19, of Los Angeles
    • Erika Garcia, 31, of Los Angeles
    • Israel Avila Sandoval, 45, of Pomona
    • Luis Alberto Ramirez Jr., 32, of San Bernardino
    • Robert Arzac, 49, of West Covina
    • Antonio Ramirez Perez, 44, of Los Angeles
    • Brian Anthony Lopez, 25, of Anaheim
    • Emily Marie Boatman, 26, of Ontario
    • Ricardo Parga Jr., 23, of Pomona
    • Steven Anthony Alfaro, 38, of Buena Park

    The Inland Empire Automobile Insurance Task Force, which includes representatives from the California Department of Insurance, the California Highway Patrol, the San Bernardino County district attorney’s office and the Riverside County district attorney’s office, launched its investigation in November 2022 after it was discovered that a CHP employee was apparently selling traffic collision reports.

    Investigators say the scheme began after Reyes donated to several CHP events and parties and befriended Santistevan and other CHP employees.

    While executing search warrants on various properties during the investigation, authorities said they found evidence, including a video, of another type of insurance fraud called “collusive collisions,” in which participants intentionally crash cars to collect insurance payments.

    The video showed someone driving a Polaris Slingshot through a darkened road at night, blasting hip-hop music. The video cuts to someone doing donuts in the vehicle while another person films it. The next scene shows a BMW slamming into the front of the Slingshot. The man filming the crash says, “Oops.”

    Authorities said the individuals involved in the scam claimed the damage resulted from two separate crashes that occurred on a freeway.

    “And that’s just how we do it,” the unidentified man says in the video as the two cars are being loaded onto a tow truck. “Two birds killed in one shot.”

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    Hannah Fry

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  • A South L.A. teen died after a fight at school. Officials ruled the death an accident. What comes next?

    A South L.A. teen died after a fight at school. Officials ruled the death an accident. What comes next?

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    The Los Angeles County medical examiner has ruled a 16-year-old girl’s death from blunt force head trauma an accident, raising questions from her family about how thorough and conclusive officials have been with the case.

    The girl’s mother has pointed to video from a shocking school fight that showed her daughter, Shaylee Mejia, hitting her head during the melee just days before she died. Her mother, Maria Juarez, blames the high school for failing to protect her daughter, and doesn’t understand how the medical examiner could rule the death an accident.

    The determination of the manner and cause of the girl’s death is just one of thousands made by experts each year in Los Angeles County — most of which go without much notice, while others, such as the case of Shaylee, have raised questions about the process.

    Juarez told Univision this week that the determination, made last weekend, has left her outraged and disappointed.

    “I don’t know why they would call it an accident,” said Luis Carrillo, a civil rights attorney representing Juarez. He said he requested information about how officials came to such a conclusion, but no further details have been shared. He didn’t know if the medical examiner’s investigation included reviewing the cell phone video from the fight.

    The deputy medical examiner “should see those videos before she absolutely determines it was an accident,” Carrillo said.

    The Times has requested the final autopsy report, but it hasn’t yet been completed. Odey Upko, the chief medical examiner in Los Angeles County, declined to comment on the case pending that final report.

    Carrillo and Juarez are now considering obtaining an independent autopsy, Carrillo said.

    While finding the manner of death an accident doesn’t automatically close a case, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles Police Department said Friday that the probe into Shaylee’s death has been completed, citing the accidental death determination. He did not cite any further evidence and referred further questions to the medical examiner’s office.

    An LAPD spokesperson had previously said Shaylee had fallen before her death, but few other details were provided.

    Carrillo said he is still looking into the case with plans to eventually file a lawsuit.

    The Times spoke with forensic pathologist experts about what an accidental death ruling means, how such a decision is made and if that determination could eventually change.

    What is a ‘manner of death’?

    The manner of death is one of the two major determinations made following an autopsy, along with the cause of death.

    “The manner of death is about the circumstances,” Upko said. This is a determination for how an injury or disease led to someone’s death.

    There are five possible conclusions for the manner of death:

    • Natural: when a medical issue causes a death, such as a disease, heart attack or pneumonia.
    • Suicide: when someone takes their own life in an intentional act of self-harm.
    • Homicide: when the death is the result of another individual, such as from a shooting, stabbing or fight.
    • Accident: when a death is caused by something unnatural but was also unintentional. This can be a car crash, an overdose or a deadly fall.
    • Undetermined: if an investigator cannot find enough evidence to substantiate a determination, this will be the finding. This is rarely used by medical examiners, experts said.

    This determination is made after the body is examined in an autopsy and an additional investigation is done, said Iain M. McIntyre, a forensic toxicologist consultant who previously worked for almost 20 years at the San Diego County Medical Examiner’s office.

    “Often times the manner of death is not obvious even after the autopsy,” McIntyre said.

    How is that different from cause of death?

    “The cause of death is most often the medical reason why the person died, …or what actually is responsible for the death,” McIntyre said. This is usually quite clear from the autopsy, he said, unlike the manner of death, which often takes more time.

    “The manner of death can take a while if the circumstance is not very clear,” Upko said.

    While there are only five options for the manner of death, there are many options for the cause of death — often with multiple reasons contributing to a death.

    How do forensic pathologists make such a decision?

    “Once you determine the cause of death, that’s the first step, then manner of death is the second step,” Ukpo said.

    McIntyre said the medical examiner will consider everything available.

    “Hospital records, police reports, reports from their own investigators, toxicology, histology reports,” McIntyre said, “and obviously autopsy findings.”

    Medical examiners do their own independent investigation to determine the manner of death, but Upko said investigators can also consider police reports or other investigative information.

    “Ideally, what we’re supposed to do is independently investigate and look at the body on our own,” Upko said. But, he said “we can gather information from [a law enforcement] investigation as well.”

    Cases in which an injury led to a death can make determining the manner of death challenging, the experts said, especially when trying to distinguish between an accident or a homicide.

    “You can’t make a determination just from the physical injury,” McIntyre said.

    McIntyre and Upko both said a manner-of-death determination can change if new information later becomes available.

    Upko said videos can also be relevant to such an investigation, but he called that very rare. He declined to say whether investigators reviewed video in Shaylee’s probe.

    How is that determination used?

    Both experts said it’s important to understand that the manner of death is a medical determination, not a legal one. So law enforcement and prosecutors can use the medical examiner’s findings in their cases, but that doesn’t determine what happens in the criminal justice system.

    “The legal system works differently,” McIntyre said. For example, the manner of death could be ruled a homicide, but it may not be a crime — such as in cases of self defense.

    There are also ways an accidental death could result in someone being held criminally responsible or liable in civil court, such as an overdose death in which officials prosecute the drug dealer.

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    Grace Toohey

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  • She sold his Encino home out from under him for $1.5 million. Then he killed himself

    She sold his Encino home out from under him for $1.5 million. Then he killed himself

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    Miracle Williams detailed to a federal judge the dire situation that led to her partner’s suicide. She talked about the woman she holds responsible for his death.

    Robert Tascon had been embroiled in a legal dispute since 2021, Williams said through tears, over a house he owned in a beautiful, exclusive area in Encino. That September, investigators say, a woman named Caroline Herrling fraudulently sold his house out from under him for $1.5 million.

    Herrling, 44, pleaded guilty last year to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and was sentenced Friday by Judge Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong to 20 years in federal prison.

    “He was trying to sell the house so we could start our lives over,” Williams told the judge during Herrling’s sentencing hearing, her voice cracking with emotion. “The situation made him feel helpless.”

    Tascon came from a wealthy family that set up two trusts for him in California, according to a U.S. Postal Inspection Service report. They provided enough money for him to spend freely, Travis Hartgraves, a lawyer and case manager for Tascon, told investigators last year.

    But Tascon developed an alcohol problem, Hartgraves told investigators. Williams persuaded him to move with her to Abilene, Texas, in 2018 to get away from negative influences.

    Tascon’s Encino home was his last asset, although he still had monthly payments from the trusts, Hartgraves told Lyndon Versoza, a postal inspector working the fraud case.

    Tascon wanted to sell the home, according to the postal inspectors’ report, which was filed as part of the case against Herrling. But he couldn’t because it had become occupied by squatters. It is still unclear how Herrling found the property.

    She sold Tascon’s home by using a co-conspirator with fake identity documents to pose as the homeowner, according to the U.S. Justice Department. Herrling had represented herself to the buyer as a licensed California attorney representing property owners in distressed situations needing to sell, according to an affidavit from Mark O’Donnell, a homicide detective supervisor with the LAPD.

    In a plea agreement, Herrling admitted to setting up bank and E-Trade accounts to receive the proceeds of the sale, which Tascon did not authorize and which was accomplished through identity theft.

    Hartgraves told Versoza that the house was sold for half its value.

    Herrling used money from the sale to help pay for a home in West Hills, according to the affidavit.

    After the house was sold out from under him, Tascon filed a lawsuit in an attempt to get it back.

    “I am never going to get my house back,” Hartgraves recalled Tascon telling him.

    “The fraudulent sale just about crashed him,” Hartgraves told Versoza.

    The fraudulent sale was the final straw; it consumed Tascon, Hartgraves said, according to court filings.

    Tascon killed himself on Sept. 11, 2022. He was 53. The police report noted that he had a history of mental illness and was involved in fraud litigation.

    Robert Tascon in an undated photo.

    (Los Angeles Police Department)

    When investigators interviewed Herrling in January 2023, she denied having anything to do with the sale of Tascon’s property. She claimed her only involvement was driving Tascon to a notary to facilitate the sale of the house — and that she was only paid around $150 to do so.

    When Versoza asked Herrling to describe Tascon, she couldn’t, saying that he had worn a hat and a mask. Later, when confronted, Herrling didn’t deny profiting off the sale, saying instead that she did not leave Tascon destitute, according to the affidavit.

    During sentencing, Herrling’s attorney, Alex Kessel, said he didn’t think there was “any evidence to suggest that my client directly caused the death” of Tascon.

    “He had a mental illness that developed long before the house in California was fraudulently sold,” Kessel said, citing a previous suicide attempt by Tascon in 2021. “We never know why somebody kills themselves … I haven’t been given in evidence any suicide note where he laid out his state of mind and mental state at the time.”

    Asst. U.S. Atty. Andrew Brown stressed that Tascon “had one property and he lost it.”

    Frimpong agreed with the prosecutor. During the sentencing hearing, she said there was evidence “enough to find the death was a suicide and it was caused in part by the loss of [Tascon’s] property.”

    Tascon bequeathed his assets to Williams, his common-law wife, investigators said. However, with the fraudulent sale of the Encino home, he had nothing left to give her.

    When Williams spoke in court, she acknowledged that Tascon was “mentally fragile,” but she said the sale of his home had only worsened matters.

    Williams held a framed photo of Tascon when she first spoke. She described him as her “best friend.” After his death, Williams told the judge, she’d also tried to kill herself.

    “This lady is a big manipulator and a con artist and she’s gotten away with using the dead,” Williams told the judge, referring to Herrling. “Hold her accountable and don’t let her do this to anyone else. Because this has ruined my life.”

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    Brittny Mejia

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  • As Chevy Camaro thefts skyrocket more than 1000% in L.A., police unlock a secret of car thieves

    As Chevy Camaro thefts skyrocket more than 1000% in L.A., police unlock a secret of car thieves

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    The Chevy Camaro muscle car sitting abandoned at a South L.A. intersection looked suspicious enough.

    But then LAPD gang detail investigators spotted two teenagers running from the scene near Slauson Avenue and Broadway and were able to stop them.

    One of the youths was carrying an electronic device that police said provides a window into why thefts of the popular Camaros have shot up by more than 1000% in L.A. this year, with 90 vehicles stolen since the beginning of the year. Police said the spike comes at a time when there are increasing numbers of the high-powered vehicles turning up at street takeovers.

    The device is essentially a hand-held computer that enables the user to create a replacement smart key — using a new key fob — that can unlock Camaros and other vehicles, bypassing the vehicle’s existing security system, investigators said. Once the user punches in the make, model and year of the vehicle into the computer, it is then able to reprogram the car’s ignition system and generate a new or universal car key.

    LAPD investigators believe a 16-year-old suspect used the device to create cloned ignition keys to steal muscle cars. A new Camaro can cost tens of thousands of dollars.

    “This young person was stealing the Camaros and taking them to street takeovers and then selling them for $2,000 or $3,000 on social media,” Newton Division Capt. Keith Green said. “A 16-year-old was capable of stealing high-end cars.”

    LAPD’s Newton Division, which covers the northernmost section of South L.A., saw the number of Camaro thefts jump from 2 to 10 in the first two months of the year, while citywide they jumped from 7 to 90, Green said. Investigators, he said, now may have the answer to why thefts are soaring.

    The technology to clone key fobs is commercially available, and with a little bit of tech wizardry even a high school youth can become a skilled thief of technology-dependent cars, Green said. Investigators say that thieves can generate replacement keys in less than three minutes with the right program and hardware.

    Vehicles used in street racing and burnouts — the practice of keeping a car stationary while the wheels are spinning, causing the tires to smoke — suffer so much wear and tear that participants often prefer to use stolen vehicles, police said. This is why thieves often target prized muscle cars.

    The LAPD did not indicate the exact method the teenager might have used in the South L.A. incident. But in several cases documented by other jurisdictions, people used a similar device to connect with the vehicle directly or used a wireless system to download all of the car’s information to create a duplicate electronic key fob.

    Green said it was too early to say exactly how many thefts are tied to the youth, who was turned over to his parents after his arrest on Feb. 25. Detectives will refer the case to the district attorney’s office, which will decide whether to pursue charges.

    The best way to stop thieves is to employ extra security measures such as fuel cut-offs, steering wheel locks and keeping the vehicle in a more secure place, Green said. Also, detectives advise drivers never to keep key fobs inside a vehicle. Security cases are available on the market that may be utilized to prevent key fob signals from being transmitted. Improvised strategies such as wrapping fobs in aluminum foil or placing fobs inside tin cans have proved effective.

    Nationwide, American muscle cars have become the target of some large theft rings. In 2022, dealers in Michigan reported a series of thefts that investigators later tied to key fob cloning.

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    Richard Winton

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  • John Doe found in Orange County 25 years ago is identified

    John Doe found in Orange County 25 years ago is identified

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    Human remains discovered in a remote part of Orange County 25 years ago were recently identified as a man who went missing at the time in Los Angeles County.

    Donald Raymond Loar, 54, was last seen in the city of Bellflower and was reported missing in February 1998, investigators announced Tuesday in a news release after his remains were positively identified.

    But it’s unclear how he wound up in southeastern Orange County later that year. A research biologist for the ranch and habitat reserve Rancho Mission Viejo Company found human remains on Aug. 29, 1998, and notified the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.

    The remains of Donald Raymond Loar, 54, were positively identified on Jan. 24, 2024 by investigators.

    ( (Orange County Sheriff’s Department))

    Investigators who arrived at the scene did not immediately discover any signs of foul play, the news release said. The next day, they returned to the site to conduct a wider search of the area, but did not find any additional evidence.

    Outside sources called in by coroner’s and homicide investigators determined that the remains belonged to a Caucasian or Latino man, over 40 years old, who was 5-foot-6 to 5-foot-8, according to the Sheriff’s Department.

    In September of the same year, investigators found what they believed was a shallow grave near where the human remains were first found. In the same general area, they found additional human remains and clothing. Homicide investigators gathered the evidence but were unable to identify the man, the news release said.

    There was no development in the case for decades.

    In January 2023, Orange County sheriff’s investigators working with the California Department of Justice Laboratory in Richmond, Calif., submitted forensic samples to Othram Laboratories in Texas.

    The following month, Othram provided a genetic profile to help identify the man. Investigators said they started to use publicly accessible genetic databases available to law enforcement as part of their case.

    Several months later, investigators found a tentative match in Loar, who was last seen wearing clothing similar to the pieces found near the remains of the John Doe back in 1998, Orange County sheriff’s officials said.

    By December 2023, Orange County investigators had met with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department to get more information about Loar’s case and his disappearance. Investigators also met with his family and took a sample of their DNA.

    The California Department of Justice confirmed on Jan. 24 that the John Doe was Loar, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Department. Investigators are looking into what led to his death.

    Anyone with information can call the Orange County Crime Stoppers at (855) TIP-OCCS or reach them through crimestoppers.org.

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    Nathan Solis

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