Authorities are warning the public after fake QR codes were discovered on parking meters across Redondo Beach.

Stickers with the fraudulent QR code were discovered on approximately 150 parking meters along the Esplanade and Riviera Village areas, according to Redondo Beach police.

City officials only work with two companies to collect parking fees — ParkMobile and PayByPhone. ParkMobile uses a QR code that directs users to the ParkMobile App. 

PayByPhone can accept payments on their app or on their official website.

The fake QR codes were much larger and placed directly underneath or next to the official city-approved stickers.

When scanning the fake stickers, users are taken to a website labeled “poybyphone.online” and prompted to input their their location and payment information. The official website is “paybyphone.com.”

City officials said all fraudulent QR code stickers have since been removed.

“If anyone feels that they have been defrauded, please contact the Redondo Beach Police Department at your earliest convenience to file a report,” authorities said.

The public can call the Redondo Beach Police Department at 310-379-2477. 

Two brothers remain hospitalized in the ICU after a shooter opened fire on a busy street in Riverside County.

The incident happened on Aug. 14 as Ivan Pineda and Luis Pineda were walking on the 1000 block of West Florida Avenue in Hemet.

Around 3:30 p.m., the brothers and the suspect appeared to have an angry exchange of words. The suspect, who was riding a bicycle, makes a U-turn and pulls up alongside the brothers.

The suspect reaches into his pants pocket, pulls out a gun and fires two shots at one of the brothers. The second brother runs over and tackles the gunman as another three shots are fired out. 

The two men get into a fistfight in the middle of the street, blocking the roadway for oncoming vehicles. Eventually, the gunman wrestles free from the victim’s grip and runs away from the scene.

Police arrived shortly after and transported the victims to a local hospital. Both brothers are hospitalized in the ICU where Ivan remains in critical condition and Luis remains in stable condition. 

The victims’ sister, Lucia Pineda, said her brothers were on their way to work when the violence unfolded. 

Upon their release from the hospital, Lucia said both men will be required to stay at an assisted living facility for physical therapy until they fully recover.

“We’re a very close family so when something like this happens, it’s very hard on all of us,” Lucia said. “They’re just normal, regular people who were just trying to make some money.”

Lucia said she is heartbroken that her brothers were in the wrong place at the wrong time.

A GoFundMe page to help the Pineda family with hospital bills and treatment costs can be found here.

The suspect remains at large as police work to track down his identity.

Anyone with information on the case can call the Hemet Police Department at 951-765-2400.

A Los Angeles County man was baking cookies in the early hours of Saturday morning when he was greeted by an unexpected guest.

According to authorities, a man called police just after 2 a.m. to report that a bear was in the kitchen of his Claremont home. He saw the bear when he went to go check on some cookies that were in the oven.

The bear, police said, entered the home through a screen door. It later exited through another screen door and was lingering in some of the neighborhood’s backyards when officers arrived.

Neither the bear or the resident were harmed during the encounter. It’s not clear if the man offered the bear any of his delicious cookies.