Los Angeles, Ca
Pacific Coast Highway to reopen, residents concerned about crime
Pacific Coast Highway will reopen this Sunday for the first time since the deadly wildfires ignited. Some residents, however, are concerned that allowing public access will bring crime to the area.
Beginning at 8 a.m. on Feb. 2, PCH will reopen with one lane of traffic in each direction. A 25 mph speed limit will be in place and all traffic signals will be flashing red.
Construction, repair work and debris clearing will continue in the area, so drivers are advised to take caution and avoid unnecessary travel on the road.
Although checkpoints will be removed, California Highway Patrol officers will be stationed every half-mile to ease traffic flow and ensure public safety.
“With hazardous materials throughout the area, unstable burned buildings and utility crews, other workers and heavy equipment hard at work, Angelenos are asked to exercise extreme caution,” city officials said.
As public access returns to cordoned-off neighborhoods, many homes remain uninhabitable without power or water. Some residents are concerned about being targeted by looters or squatters, believing public access to the area is premature.
“The concern is obviously for security,” said Eric Hoek, a Pacific Palisades resident. “If anybody can come and go freely and we’re not here full-time because the house can’t be lived in right now, who’s going to stand guard and watch over the house so that it doesn’t get broken into?”
“It’s definitely a concern,” said Adam McFarland, a Pacific Palisades evacuee. “I’ve been coming up most days since the fire and it’s bizarre, the sort of people you’d see on PCH coming through town.”
In a Friday meeting, city leaders tried to quell residents’ concerns, reassuring them that there would be “an unprecedented surge of law enforcement.”
“The LAPD will surge a specific presence into the Palisades community to make sure that everyone is safe,” said L.A. Mayor Karen Bass. “If you do not need to be in the Palisades, don’t be. We have a zero-tolerance policy for crime. The LAPD will arrest, and City Attorney Feldstein Soto and D.A. Hochman will prosecute.”
The surge of police will include 66 officers, six supervisors and the use of automated license plate readers.
“There will be police pretty much everywhere driving around the Palisades streets,” said Los Angeles police chief Jim McDonnell.
“Our recovery effort is based around getting people back home to rebuild as quickly and safely as possible,” Bass said. “We are making sure that the Palisades will be safe as residents access their properties with their insurance adjusters, contractors, tow trucks, moving trucks and more.”
“The safety of our community, first responders, and road crews remains our top priority as we reopen this vital stretch of highway,” said CHP Commissioner Sean Duryee. “We urge all drivers to stay alert, follow posted signs, and respect the presence of personnel still working in the area.”
Los Angeles, Ca
Victims sought after man allegedly points gun at passing cars in Santa Clarita Valley
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department is asking for the public’s help finding witnesses after a man allegedly pointed a handgun at numerous passing cars in Castaic on June 18.
The man was allegedly seen pointing the gun at cars near Lake Hughes Road and Ridge Route Road between 6 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. The suspect was described as wearing a red shirt and black shorts.
Authorities provided a photo of the man seen running in the street while holding something in his left hand.
Anyone who may have witnessed the alleged assaults, is a victim of the incident or has information about the case is asked to call Detective Marinelli at (661) 260-4000 ext. 5618.
Los Angeles, Ca
Sweltering heat wave to grip Southern California next week
Southern California is enjoying a comfortable stretch of below-average temperatures that should continue through Father’s Day, but a strong heat wave is looming.
A significant warming trend will begin early next week before peaking Wednesday and Thursday, according to the National Weather Service.
“Another one of those ridges of high pressure is expected to build in, with temperatures really heating up,” KTLA’s Kirk Hawkins said. “We’re looking at temperatures reaching triple digits in parts of the High Desert and Inland Empire as well.”
An extreme heat watch has been issued for parts of Los Angeles County, including Woodland Hills, Pomona, Pasadena, Santa Clarita and other areas, from Tuesday morning through Thursday evening.
Temperatures in those areas could range from the upper 80s to 100 degrees.
The Weather Service suggested the following actions:
- Continue to monitor the latest forecasts, as the amount of heating is still uncertain
- Adjust plans now to stay cool next week
- Check in with elderly neighbors and family members to ensure they are aware of the hot forecast
The high-pressure system is expected to weaken on Thursday, bringing cooler temperatures as we head into next weekend.
Los Angeles, Ca
Armed, dangerous CHP pursuit suspect tied to double homicide in Pomona
A 48-year-old man who led law enforcement on a dangerous pursuit lasting more than an hour is in custody in connection with the shooting deaths of a man and a woman at an upscale Pomona apartment complex Thursday, police announced.
Officers with the Pomona Police Department responded to the Monterey Station Apartments, located at 180 E. Monterey Ave., near North Garey Avenue, just before 3:30 p.m. on reports of a shooting, according to a department news release.
Police, along with responding Los Angeles County firefighters, found the two victims in a fourth-floor apartment.
Paramedics immediately began life-saving measures, but both victims were ultimately declared dead at the scene, investigators said.
Neighbors told KTLA’s Mary Beth McDade that the suspected shooter, Robert Galtman of Pomona, shot his girlfriend and another resident of the apartment complex.
“He shot the girl, that was the girlfriend,” one woman, a resident of the building who did not want to give her name, told KTLA. “I know them because he had tried to hit on me and told me the situation that she was beating him up and that she cheated on him with this guy, the one that was killed.”
Authorities were searching Galtman, who was believed to be in dark-colored sedan that fled the apartments northbound on Towne Avenue near Holt Avenue.
Just before 5 p.m., officers with the California Highway Patrol spotted his vehicle traveling northbound on the 5 Freeway, officials confirmed to KTLA. When officers attempted a traffic stop, he failed to yield and led authorities on a high-speed pursuit that lasted more than an hour.
During the pursuit, he made a U-turn on the freeway and headed southbound before exiting in Castaic and taking Lake Hughes Road through the hills toward the Antelope Valley.
Sky5 was over the dangerous chase as Galtman was seen tossing unknown items from the vehicle, including some type of liquid, swerving dangerously onto the shoulder and refusing to stop as at least four CHP units followed closely behind.
He initially dodged several spike strips deployed by officers, at one point driving on the shoulder in Lancaster before clipping one of the strips with the vehicle’s left side, causing both tires to deflate.
Still refusing to stop, Galtman continued at about 30 mph until a CHP officer accelerated and performed a PIT maneuver that spun the vehicle and disabled it.
He was quickly surrounded by officers with guns drawn but did not immediately comply.
Following law enforcement commands, Galtman exited the vehicle, surrendered and was taken into custody.
The identities of the two victims are being withheld pending notification of next of kin.
Authorities have not released a motive in the deadly shooting. The investigation is ongoing, and anyone with information is asked to contact the Pomona Police Department’s Detective Bureau at 909-620-2085.
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