Los Angeles, Ca
Woman intentionally rams vehicle into Canoga Park taco shop
A woman was arrested after intentionally crashing her car into a taco shop in Canoga Park Friday night.
Los Angeles police responded to the destructive scene at Taco Reyes near Topanga Canyon Boulevard and Saticoy Street at around 7:15 p.m.
Witness video showed the female driver drove directly through the glass front entrance and into the dining area. She repeatedly rammed her vehicle against the inside wall as she switched between backing up her car and then quickly accelerating again.
Around 15 people were inside the restaurant at the time. The destructive scene drew a large crowd of bystanders across the street as the mayhem continued before police arrived.
Bailey Thompson works at the bar next door to the taco shop. The bar shares a wall with the restaurant that was repeatedly rammed by the suspect driver.
“I saw a woman in the handicap space [out front] honking incessantly and she was telling people to get out of the way and she hit the opening of the taqueria, backed up, hit it again and again,” Thompson recalled. “So, she gave time for people to get out of there, but once the car was inside, she kept backing up and ramming into different walls, in the kitchen and she rammed through the wall connecting to the bar so both [businesses] are pretty much in ruins.”
Another witness, who did not wish to be identified, recalled the chaotic ordeal as officers surrounded the taco shop.
“A couple of shots were eventually fired [by officers],” the witness said. “They went for the tires and then finally a police squad went up with a riot shield until they were able to get into physical contact and pull the suspect out of the car.”
The woman was eventually subdued and taken into custody by LAPD. No customers or workers were injured.
Although the motive behind the violent rampage remains unclear, the owner of Taco Reyes told KTLA the woman was a former employee who was recently fired from the shop.
They said the suspect had previously vandalized one of their taco trucks. She was arrested for that incident and held for two days before being released.
The incident remains under investigation by police.
Late Friday night, family members were seen cleaning up the debris and boarding up the restaurant. The bar next door also remains closed as both businesses work to repair the substantial damage.
Los Angeles, Ca
Millions of dollars worth of counterfeit luxury goods found in downtown L.A. bust
Authorities discovered millions of dollars worth of counterfeit luxury goods in a downtown Los Angeles bust.
On May 14, detectives from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department executed a search warrant at two locations — a retail store in the 500 Block of South Los Angeles Street and a commercial warehouse in the 500 Block of Main Street.
Inside the warehouse, deputies found a significant amount of counterfeit luxury merchandise. In total, the retail value of the goods was estimated between $5 million and $10 million.
Two unidentified suspects, a man and a woman, were taken into custody.
“This remains an active investigation,” LASD said. “Additional arrests or charges are possible as the case progresses.”
Anyone with information on the case is asked to call LASD’s Major Crimes Bureau’s Tip Line at 562-946-7893.
Anonymous tips can be provided to L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online at lacrimestoppers.org.
Los Angeles, Ca
Early morning Montebello fire leaves resident critically injured
At least one person was critically injured in a house fire that erupted in Montebello early Thursday morning.
Crews responded to the blaze engulfing a detached unit in the 100 block of South 5th Street near West Whittier Boulevard around 5 a.m.
Flames quickly spread to a nearby electrical pole, blowing a fuse and knocking out power in the area. Sparks could be seen as a loud pop was heard in a Citizen.com video later obtained by KTLA.
At least one person was believed to be in critical condition due to burn injuries, though officials have not released further details.
There was no immediate word on a possible cause of the fire.
A neighbor told KTLA that three people lived inside the home, including a child.
This is a developing story.
Los Angeles, Ca
Deputies reveal what led to violent L.A. County bus crash that injured 13 people
Authorities revealed new details Wednesday afternoon about the violent Santa Clarita crash involving a city transit bus, an overturned semi truck and two other vehicles that left 13 people injured.
According to the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station, the driver of a semi truck hauling a full load of gravel may have been traveling as fast as 70 mph when the vehicle approached a yellow light at the intersection of Golden Valley Road and Centre Pointe Parkway around 9:30 a.m.
Investigators said the driver then attempted to make a right turn to avoid running the red light before crashing into the bus and two passenger vehicles.
“[The driver] tried to make a right-hand turn to avoid running the red light and then crashed into the bus and the other two passenger vehicles,” Capt. Brandon Barclay of the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station told KTLA.
Officials noted that the speed limit on Golden Valley Road is 50 mph.
Sky5 aerial footage showed the heavily damaged Santa Clarita Transit bus pushed onto a curb while the semi truck overturned nearby, and another vehicle appeared pinned beneath the front right side of the bus.
“When you look at it, it looks like a scene from Universal CityWalk,” Barclay said.
Authorities said 13 people were injured in the crash.
One passenger seated in the back of the bus had to be freed using the Jaws of Life and remained hospitalized in critical condition Wednesday afternoon, KTLA’s Angeli Kakade reported.
Seven additional people were transported to hospitals while five others declined medical treatment at the scene.
“You have a bus that was hit by a semi truck, so it’s very impactful for this community,” Barclay added.
Former Santa Clarita transit bus driver Darryl Richardson said he was stunned when he saw the aftermath of the crash.
“I know how a person feels to see a big old truck coming right at you,” Richardson told KTLA. “Thank God if it had broadsided the driver, we’d be talking about a different conversation right now.”
The City of Santa Clarita said road closures around the crash scene were expected to continue for several hours as deputies investigated what led up to the collision.
All directions of Centre Pointe Parkway between Golden Valley Road and Ruether Avenue remained closed Wednesday afternoon. Eastbound Golden Valley Road was also shut down from Robert C. Lee Parkway to Centre Pointe Parkway.
Drivers were urged to avoid the area and use alternate routes.
The crash remains under investigation.
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