LOS ANGELES (KTLA) – Some 40,000 Southern California Edison customers were without power on Christmas Eve after a transformer failed in the Downey-Norwalk area earlier in the afternoon.  

According to SCE’s outage map, the problems began around 1:30 p.m., with Kathleen Dunleavy, a spokesperson for Southern California Edison, telling KTLA that the utility company did not have a timeframe for when power would be restored.  

“Our crews are on scene working to restore power as quickly and as safely as possible. We recognize that this is a tough time to be without power, right before a holiday,” Dunleavy said. “We recognize that this is an incredibly important situation, and we want to get the power back up for our customers.”  

Metro’s C (Green) Line trains were temporarily halted between the Norwalk and Willowbrook/Rose Park stops as a result of the outage, though normal C Line train service resumed right around 5 p.m., Metro officials said in a post to X, formerly Twitter.  

Officials in the City of Downey deployed police to help manage traffic control at intersections where traffic lights were out.  

“We encourage residents to exercise caution when driving through affected areas,” officials said in a statement.  

There were also reports of last-minute Christmas shoppers perusing the darkened aisles of local retailers also affected by the outage.  

The Santa Monica Police Department is seeking help in identifying a driver that allegedly hit and killed a person on Sunday.

The fatal crash took place at about 6:40 p.m. on Sunday on the intersection of Chelsea Avenue and Wilshire Boulevard. According to authorities, the victim, who is yet to be identified publicly, was crossing Wilshire southbound when they were struck by a white Toyota Rav4 heading eastbound on Wilshire.

The Toyota’s driver then fled the scene at a high rate of speed.

The pedestrian, a Vietnam War veteran and Santa Monica resident, was pronounced dead at the scene.

On Tuesday, police released graphic video footage of the collision. In that video, the Toyota can be seen speeding off after the crash sent the elderly victim flying.

Additional photos released showed a clear image of the suspect’s Toyota and security footage of the alleged driver.

The photo showed what appeared to be a bearded man wearing glasses, a black hoodie and gray sweatpants.

No additional details were immediately made available. Anyone who may have information related to this incident is encouraged to contact Investigator Raleigh at Evan.Raleigh@santamonica.gov, Investigator Lewis at Lantz.Lewis@santamonica.gov or the Watch Commander 24 hours a day at 310-458-8427.

An inmate facing 11 felony charges at the Robert Presley Detention Center was pronounced dead in his cell, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office announced on Monday.

An inmate locator search showed that the deceased, who officials identified as 39-year-old Anthony Wayne Brooks of Riverside, faced 5 felony counts of lewd acts on a child under the age of 14, as well as charges for illegal gun possession, DUI, vandalism, paraphernalia and more.

According to the sheriff’s office, deputies found Brooks unresponsive in his housing unit cell on Sunday and attempted to perform life-saving measures until paramedics arrived.

However, despite their efforts, the sheriff’s office said Brooks was ultimately pronounced deceased.

“Investigators from the Riverside Sheriff’s Office Corrections Central Investigations Unit responded and assumed the investigation,” the sheriff’s office wrote in a release.

Investigators did not immediately find any signs of foul play, according to officials.

According to the inmate locator search, Brooks was arrested on June 6, 2023, by the Jurupa Valley Police Department and did not have bail posted. Brooks had a court date set in February 2025.

Three years earlier, the Riverside Police Department arrested Brooks on Aug. 7, 2020, for negligent discharge of a firearm, felon in possession of a firearm and high capacity magazine, and violations of both probation and Post Release Community Supervision, according to the department’s Facebook page.

At the time of his 2020 arrest, police said Brooks had been residing at a sober living house. 

“During a search of the house, officers found a semi-automatic handgun, high capacity magazine, and numerous ammunition,” stated the department.

The sheriff’s office said Brooks’ death is an ongoing investigation, and that no further information was available as of Monday night.

Officials encourage anyone with information regarding this incident to contact Investigator Justin Williams at 951-922-7152.