Los Angeles, Ca
Southern California woman killed by rock smashing through windshield on highway identified
A woman who was killed by a rock that was thrown at her windshield on a Southern California highway was identified as the search for a suspect continues.
On Oct. 8, Sarina Rodriguez, 25, and her boyfriend were on their way home to Lancaster. They were driving on Highway 138, just east of Highway 18 in the Antelope Valley area at around 12:10 a.m.
Franko Martinez recalls the frantic moment he heard a popping sound and noticed Sarina, who was driving at the time, suddenly fall unconscious.
Thinking quickly, he immediately grabbed the steering wheel to stop the car. He then spotted a hole in their windshield.
Somewhere along the highway, a suspect had launched a rock toward their windshield which smashed through the glass, instantly killing Sarina.
After pulling over, Martinez called the authorities and, despite searching the area, no suspects were found.
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The location on Highway 138, just east of Highway 18 in the Antelope Valley area where Sarina Rodriguez was killed on Oct. 8, 2024. (KTLA) -
Sarina Rodriguez’s family are devastated and hope the suspect responsible for her death will be caught soon. (KTLA) -
Sarina Rodriguez’s loved ones plan to honor her memory by placing a large wooden cross near the spot where she lost her life. (KTLA) -
Sarina Rodriguez and her sister, Sylvia Perez, are seen in a photo provided by family. -
The location on Highway 138, just east of Highway 18 in the Antelope Valley area where Sarina Rodriguez was killed on Oct. 8, 2024. (KTLA)
At the moment the rock was launched, Martinez noted there was another vehicle passing them by in the opposite direction.
“Before we got to the bend, a vehicle with headlights came and then [I heard] a pop noise,” he told KTLA’s Shelby Nelson.
It remains unclear where the rock was initially thrown from — whether it came from a passing vehicle or from someone on the side of the road.
Just two days earlier on Oct. 6, another driver also reported being struck by a rock that smashed through their windshield, injuring two people. The incident happened in the same area and late at night at around 11:30 p.m.
On Thursday, Oct. 10, the Lancaster Sheriff’s Station told KTLA that a suspect, Alexander Veloz, was arrested for allegedly throwing rocks at traffic on the same morning Sarina was killed.
However, investigators note it’s unclear whether he is related to either Sarina’s case or the Oct. 6 incident. He was also arrested near Avenue F and Sierra Highway which was located over 40 miles from where Sarina was targeted.
The woman’s family remains heartbroken as they remember a loving daughter and sister who brightened their days with her lively spirit.
“She was just so happy,” said Sylvia Perez, Sarina’s sister. “My sister was full of life.”
“She was a lot of joy,” said Danny Rodriguez, Sarina’s father.
Her friends and family are left with many unanswered questions. Most importantly, they’re hoping the suspect who is responsible for her death will be caught soon.
“I just want to see justice,” said Danny.
“She is something that we can never get back,” said George Rodriguez, Sarina’s brother. “I really hope they find this [suspect].”
Her family plans to honor her memory by placing a large wooden cross near the spot where she lost her life.
“Please inform the authorities of any suspicious activity in the area because it’s time to catch this person,” a loved one said.
“Given these recurring incidents, the California Highway Patrol Southern Division Major Crimes Unit and the CHP Antelope Valley Area are actively investigating these incidents and are seeking assistance from the community,” detectives said.
Anyone with information on the case is urged to call the California Highway Patrol at 323-259-3200.
Long Beach will hold a pride festival this weekend after the one they originally had scheduled was canceled.
Long Beach city officials said the celebration was nixed after the nonprofit that organizes it, Long Beach Pride, failed to submit the required information for an event permit.
It was supposed to start on Friday and last through Sunday.
“Despite continued collaboration and multiple deadline notices, the City did not receive the required documentation needed to complete safety reviews, inspect critical event infrastructure, such as the stage, electrical systems and tent, and emergency exiting plans to ensure compliance with public safety standards,” the city of Long Beach said in a statement. “With event programming scheduled to begin on May 15 at 5 p.m. with Teen Pride and essential information still outstanding, there is no longer sufficient time to safely permit the festival this year.”
Officials noted that they were working to see if a “shortened event” could be held this weekend, and indeed, an agreement was reached to stage a one-day gathering on Sunday.
Billed as “Canceled? Never Heard of Her!” and emceed by comedian and drag queen Jewels, it will still bring the city’s LGBTQ community together after Sunday morning’s Long Beach Pride Parade, which was not canceled.
“Long Beach Pride weekend is a culmination of celebrations put on by our community, including our many vibrant restaurants, bars and businesses, and that will never change,” Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson said in a press release issued late Saturday night. “Along with the Pride Parade, we are proud to join the party with this new event that reaffirms what this City has always stood for: that every person belongs here.”
“The festival may have been canceled, but Long Beach drag artists don’t cancel joy,” added Jewels Long Beach.
The one-day “Canceled? Never Heard of Her!” festival will take place at Bixby Park from noon to 7 p.m. Sunday. A free event, it will include music by several performers and a drag show.
More information can be found here.
Los Angeles, Ca
L.A. Jewish institution among targets of foiled terrorist attack, U.S. officials say
A Jewish institution in Los Angeles was among the locations targeted in a recently foiled terrorism plot, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Jay Clayton announced this week.
The thwarted terrorist attacks were the result of the recent arrest of Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi, an Iraqi national and senior member of Kata’ib Hizballah, U.S. officials said.
“Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi, a commander for the terrorist organization, Kata’ib Hizballah, faces serious charges for his role in numerous attacks against U.S. interests across the globe, including his efforts to kill on U.S. soil,” Clayton said. “As alleged, for years, Al-Saadi committed himself to furthering the terrorist goals of Kata’ib Hizballah and the IRGC, two terrorist organizations dedicated to harming the United States and its allies.”
Al-Saadi recently attempted to carry out attacks in the U.S., officials said, including attacks at Jewish cultural places of interest in New York, Los Angeles and Scottsdale, Ariz.
“Al-Saadi attempted to disrupt American society through intimidation and violence,” a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office reads. “… Those who engage in or support terrorism against Americans and on U.S. soil should take note: the whole of the federal government is committed to dismantling terrorist organizations and bringing their members to justice.”
In a three-month period, Al-Saadi allegedly directed 18 terrorist attacks throughout Europe, including bombings, arson, and assaults targeting American citizens and points of interest. Prior to his arrest, national security officials say he was planning similar attacks on U.S. soil. Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg said that Al-Saadi “presented a serious threat to our national security.”
The European attacks included the bombing of the Bank of New York Mellon, an American bank, in Amsterdam on March 15. On April 29, two Jewish men, one of whom was a dual U.S.-British citizen, were stabbed and seriously injured in London.
In 2020, Al-Saadi took to social media, calling for others to attack and kill Americans in retribution for the deaths of Iranian military officer Qasem Soleimani and Iraqi military commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, U.S. officials said. In more recent months, Al-Saadi allegedly used social media to encourage the killing of Americans and Jews to further the terrorist goals of Kata’ib Hizballah and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
“In or about February 2026, for example, AL-SAADI posted on one of his social media accounts a message in Arabic, which read in part, ‘Do not abandon the blood of your Imam of the time, oh Shiites of Iraq. Kill everyone who supports America and Israel. Do not leave any of them remaining. Civil and military targets, as well as voices of discord, kill them everywhere.’” U.S. officials said.
NYPD Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch confirmed that one of the U.S. targets was a Manhattan synagogue. On April 3, Al-Saadi allegedly spoke to an undercover law enforcement officer whom Al-Saadi believed could carry out attacks in the U.S. That same day, Al-Saadi allegedly texted the undercover officers photographs and maps showing the exact location of a prominent Jewish synagogue in New York City.
Officials have not said what specific locations in L.A. and Arizona were targeted by the terrorist group.
Al-Saadi now faces numerous charges for these crimes in U.S. court. If convicted, he could be sentenced to life in prison.
The case is under investigation by the FBI’s New York Joint Terrorism Task Force, which is comprised of investigators and analysts from the FBI, the NYPD, the FBI Washington Field Office, Counterterrorism Division, and more than 50 other federal, state, and local agencies. Investigators also received help from the Department of Justice’s National Security Division, Counterterrorism Section, the Office of International Affairs of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
A man armed with a knife was shot by L.A. police officers responding to an assault with a deadly weapon call overnight, authorities said.
According to the Los Angeles Police Department, officers with the Hollenbeck Division responded to an apartment complex in the 3000 block of Glenn Avenue in Boyle Heights at 1:45 a.m. Saturday after callers reported a male suspect was armed with a knife and had just assaulted someone in the complex.
Arriving officers found the suspect in front of the residence, but he did not comply with officers’ commands to drop the weapon. He then advanced toward the officers and an officer-involved shooting occurred, LAPD confirmed.
“The suspect was struck by gunfire and remained non-compliant,” the LAPD Public Information Officer said on X early Saturday morning. “Officers deployed a 40mm foam round and ultimately took the suspect into custody.”
Video obtained by KTLA shows the man being loaded into an ambulance and taken to a hospital; officials said he was transported in stable condition, adding that his knife was recovered at the scene and booked as evidence.
No officers or community members were injured during the incident. The man’s name was not released.
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