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Santa Monica man creates 'diversion security' device to deter homeless camping

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Santa Monica man creates 'diversion security' device to deter homeless camping

Frustrated by the unhoused population in his neighborhood, a Santa Monica man has developed a chirping deterrent that he believes bothers transients enough that they will find another place to camp out.  

Stephen McMahon, who has lived in Santa Monica for decades, calls his motion-sensing device the Blue Chirper because of the blue strobe light and cricket-like noise it emits.  

“I call it diversion security, that is we’re diverting them away from our 20-block radius somewhere else,” McMahon told KTLA’s Carlos Saucedo.  

The Santa Monica resident said he came up with the idea after seeing an influx of homeless people using alleyway-facing carports to sleep in overnight.  

“I’ve lived here for over 30 years, and I’ve seen this neighborhood, which was just paradise, it was beautiful, deteriorate over the last five to six years,” he said. “I want to push these people out of here and bring Santa Monica back to the way it was.”  

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  • Blue Chirper to deter homeless
  • Blue Chirper to deter homeless
  • Blue Chirper to deter homeless
  • Blue Chirper to deter homeless
  • Blue Chirper to deter homeless

Building the Blue Chirper, though, wasn’t an easy undertaking, with McMahon saying he had one failure after another until, finally, he had an aha moment.  

“I changed the approach that I was using, and it worked,” he explained.  

The device’s electronics are held inside a wooden box that McMahon makes by hand. The device has worked so well with neighbors that he is now branching out, selling the Blue Chirper to local businesses.  

“They barely even sit down and they leave,” McMahon said of transients who come across the noise and light the device creates.  

His personal surveillance cameras have caught quite a few people leaving the carport immediately once the device starts blinking and chirping.  

So far, he’s made about a dozen of the Blue Chirpers and says he has about a dozen more on backorder. He believes the demand for his device will go up while the homelessness crisis continues.  

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“Look, as long as it’s a sound you hear in nature and it’s not louder than an actual cricket, you’re going to be fine,” he said. “Nobody can complain about it.”  

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Los Angeles, Ca

Vehicle, 2 occupants plunge into crowded Southern California harbor

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Vehicle, 2 occupants plunge into crowded Southern California harbor

Two people were taken to the hospital after a vehicle they were inside plunged into the harbor Sunday night in Marina Del Rey, officials confirmed to KTLA.  

Details are limited and It’s unclear exactly how the incident occurred, but authorities with the Los Angeles County Fire Department responded to 4675 Admiralty Way just after 6 p.m. on reports of the vehicle in the water.  

L.A. County Fire Department Public Information Officer Marco Rodriguez said the two occupants were able to get themselves out of the vehicle after it went into the water.  

Both were examined by medical personnel with the fire department and taken to a nearby hospital in unknown condition.  

Rodriguez said that two L.A. County Lifeguard divers were deployed to ensure there were no other occupants trapped in the vehicle.  

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  • Car into Marina del Rey harbor
  • Car into Marina del Rey harbor
  • Car into Marina del Rey harbor
  • Car into Marina del Rey harbor
  • Car into Marina del Rey harbor
  • Car into Marina del Rey harbor
  • Car into Marina del Rey harbor

A witness, Johnny Hamcheck, told KTLA that a third person, a woman, exited the vehicle before it went into water, though officials did not confirm that detail.  

Footage of the recovery effort showed crews attaching large yellow floating devices to the vehicle as it was anchored to a crane and eventually pulled out of the water and loaded onto a tow truck.  

The vehicle showed heavy front-end damage, presumably from crashing through the steel railing and into the water.  

An investigation into the crash is ongoing and no further details were provided.  

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Los Angeles, Ca

Armed robbers hit couple in broad daylight on high-end Beverly Hills street

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Armed robbers hit couple in broad daylight on high-end Beverly Hills street

Two people were hospitalized after a broad daylight armed robbery on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills Sunday, police confirmed to KTLA.  

Officers with the Beverly Hills Police Department responded to the 400 block of North Rodeo Drive, at the intersection of Brighton Way just before 1:30 p.m. on reports of the incident.  

According to a BHPD news release, a man and a woman were waiting outside a boutique when they were approached by four suspects, one of whom pulled out a gun during a physical altercation between the victims and the suspects.  

“During the altercation, the suspects forcibly took two designer handbags – one from each victim – containing cash and cellphones,” police said. “One cellphone was recovered nearby. The suspects also attempted to steal the male victim’s jewelry but were unsuccessful.”  

  • Beverly Hills armed robbery
  • Beverly Hills armed robbery
  • Beverly Hills armed robbery
  • Beverly Hills armed robbery

In video of a portion of the incident obtained by KTLA, four suspects all wearing dark clothing and hooded sweatshirts can be seen running from the scene. At least one of the suspects has an item, possibly one of the handbags, in his hands.  

The crew was last seen running up Rodeo Drive and ducking into an alleyway. 

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It is unclear if anyone was injured, but the male victim was seen on the ground as the victim and another person knelt over him, one of which was yelling for help.  

Medical personnel with the Beverly Hills Fire Department responded to the incident, but authorities said the man and woman sought their own medical attention at a local hospital.

Their conditions were not immediately available.

An investigation into the robbery remains ongoing and anyone with information is urged to contact BHPD at 310-285-2125. Those wishing to remain anonymous can call the L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers Hotline at 800-222-8477 or leave tips online at www.lacrimestoppers.com.  

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Los Angeles, Ca

Authorities searching for at-risk missing teen last seen in Lancaster

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Authorities searching for at-risk missing teen last seen in Lancaster

Authorities in Los Angeles County are searching for a teenage girl they say could be at risk.

According to the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department, 13-year-old Aleah Ashley Salgado was last seen at 11 p.m. Friday night on the 3000 block of East Avenue H-2 in Lancaster.

Authorities say her family is concerned for her well being.

Salgado was described as Hispanic, 5-foot-4 and 120 pounds, with long black wavy hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a black T-shirt, grey sweatpants and black shoes.

Anyone with information about this incident is encouraged to contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, Lancaster Station at 661-948-8466.

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