Category: Southern California

6 People Dead After Plane Crashes and Catches Fire in Southern California, Officials Say

MURRIETA, Calif.—Six people died after a plane crashed over a Southern California field on Saturday morning before bursting into flames. The plane was engulfed in fire along with about one acre of vegetation when deputies arrived. The plane crashed near an airport in the city of Murrieta, California, in southwest Riverside County, located between Los…


6 Killed When Small Plane Crashes, Bursts Into Flames in Field Near Southern California Airport

MURRIETA, Calif.—Six people were killed when a small plane crashed and burst into flames in a field during the second of two landing attempts in fog at a Southern California airport before dawn Saturday, authorities said. The crash of the Cessna C550 business jet occurred around 4:15 a.m. in Murrieta, about 80 miles southeast of…


Laguna Beach Animal Shelter Receives $30,000 Donation From Deceased Animal Lover

The Laguna Beach Animal Shelter has received a nearly $30,000 donation from the now-finalized estate of a former resident, according to city officials. Edward Burkart, who was also an aerospace computer engineer before retiring, bequeathed the amount to the facility before his death in 2015 at the age of 86, officials said. The donation will…


Leslie Van Houten, Follower of Cult Leader Charles Manson, Is One Big Step Closer to Freedom

LOS ANGELES—California’s governor announced Friday that he won’t ask the state Supreme Court to block parole for Charles Manson follower Leslie Van Houten, paving the way for her release after serving 53 years in prison for two infamous murders. In a brief statement, the governor’s office said it was unlikely that the state’s high court…


Woman Found Dead in SUV Near Mexican Border; Husband Suspected

SAN DIEGO—Authorities reached out to the public on July 6 for help in finding a fugitive suspected of killing his wife, a Santa Barbara County resident whose body was found just north of the U.S.-Mexico line in San Ysidro on the Fourth of July. German Luna Salazar, 44, allegedly bludgeoned 32-year-old Leyva Oregel Garcia to…


2 Arrested in Countywide Crime Spree in San Diego

SAN DIEGO—A man and a woman were in custody July 7 after a violent crime spree that spanned from Coastal North County to the South Bay, the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department said. Around 7 p.m. on July 5, a man called 911 to report he was the victim of a carjacking in the 800…


2 Arrested in Long Beach Shooting That Killed 12-Year-Old Boy

LONG BEACH, Calif.—Two people were behind bars July 7 in connection with a May 9 drive-by shooting in Long Beach that left a 12-year-old boy dead and injured a 14-year-old girl. Reshawn Strother, 20, of Cypress, was already in custody in an unrelated attempted murder case but booked on suspicion of murder for the Long…


Southern California Leaders Honored by Business Group at Bizzi Awards

Several business and government leaders were honored June 28 by the Los Angeles County Business Coalition (BizFed) at the 2nd Annual Bizzi Awards held at the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles. The federation represents more than 215 business associations, 410,000 employers, and more than 5 million employees throughout the Southern California region. “We…


3 Teens Arrested in Fatal Shooting of Pizza Deliveryman in Stanton

SANTA ANA, Calif.—Three men were behind bars July 6 in the killing of a good Samaritan who intervened in the violent robbery of a 76-year-old man in Stanton last year. Two of them were charged for the case the following day. Henry Diep Le, 19, of Garden Grove, and Adrian Castaneda, 19, of Anaheim were both…


DOJ Sues Los Angeles County Claiming ADA Violations at Vote Centers

The federal government is suing Los Angeles County for allegedly violating the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by restricting access for disabled people at vote centers during the 2020 primary and general elections, and the 2022 general election. In the complaint filed June 29 in U.S. District Court, the Department of Justice (DOJ) seeks a…