Southwest
Texas man receives probation for death of teen boy who threw feces at his doorstep
A Texas man was sentenced to probation on Wednesday for his actions that resulted in the death of a teenage boy who threw feces at his doorstep in 2022.
Xavier Zarate will remain on probation for 10 years for the death of Brett Cardenas as part of a plea deal with the Travis County District Attorney’s Office, Fox 7 reported.
“One thing that I do believe is that you will live in your own personal prison,” the teen’s mother, Donna Cardenas, said as she addressed Zarate in court after sentencing.
The incident happened on April 10, 2022, when two 13-year-olds threw feces on Zarate’s doorstep, the news outlet reported. Zarate told police he had an ongoing issue with the teens.
TEXAS MAN WANTED IN GYM PARKING LOT MURDER ARRESTED IN MEXICO, DEPORTED TO US
Xavier Zarate will serve 10 years on probation for the April 2022 death of Brett Cardenas. (Austin Police Department)
He chased the teens in his vehicle before getting out and punching one of them. However, he forgot to put the car in park and it rolled over Cardenas. The boy later died at a hospital.
“Do you have any idea what it feels like to want to hear someone’s voice so badly that the silence makes you want to scream?” said his sister, Kaylee Ana Cardenas.
In court, Zarate apologized to the family and said his actions were “not out of malice. It was an accident, but it doesn’t matter. Brett is not with us today, and I bear some responsibility for that, and I take full responsibility for that judge and I will struggle with this for the rest of my life.”
“In a better world, maybe when you lash out in anger and kill a 13-year-old boy, you need to be in jail,” the teen’s brother, Felix Cardenas, said in court. “But the risk of getting less than what he got was still there. So we just wanted to get this over with.”
TEXAS GANG MEMBER TAKEN INTO CUSTODY AFTER HOURS-LONG STANDOFF: POLICE CHIEF
In a statement, the Travis County District Attorney’s office said it felt for the family of the boy and defended Zarate’s sentence.
“Our hearts go out to the family for the tragic loss of their young son. Our office approaches every case the same way: we spend time reviewing the facts of the case, work with the family, and consider what, if anything, can be done to ensure that defendants are held accountable for their actions, the DA’s office said. “While we can never bring back the child whose life was lost, this sentence will ensure the defendant is held accountable with two felony convictions, is supervised by the Courts for a long period of time, that the defendant is able to pay the restitution, has a final conviction in which defendant has waived their right to appeal, and that justice is served.”
The confrontation between Xavier Zarate and Brett Cardenas happened in Austin, Texas. (Reuters/Brian Snyder)
Zarate’s attorney said his client had a “deep-felt sadness” and prays for the Cardenas family every day.
“Nothing that could have been done today in court would bring Brett back, but hopefully by Xavier accepting responsibility for his actions, this resolution will bring some closure for everyone to try and heal,” said attorney Rick Flores.
As part of his probation, Zarate will be required to complete 300 hours of community service, go to therapy and group anger management, and pay the family around $17,000 in restitution.
Read the full article from Here
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.
Dangerous rip currents and high surf are forecast for Los Angeles County beaches, including the Malibu Coast this weekend.
The National Weather Service has issued a hazardous beach statement, warning of the potentially deadly beach conditions. The dangerous conditions are forecast to last from Saturday evening to Monday morning.
“There is an increased risk of ocean drowning,” the NWS forecast reads. “Rip currents can pull swimmers and surfers out to sea. Waves can wash people off beaches and rocks, and capsize small boats nearshore.”
-
A guide to surviving rip currents from the National Weather Service (NWS)
Minor Beach erosion and coastal flooding is possible through the weekend. The flooding is most likely to occur during evening high tides from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Beachgoers are advised to stay out of the water and remain near lifeguard towers. Jetties and tidepools are also especially dangerous during the weekend forecast.
“Rock jetties can be deadly in such conditions, stay off the rocks,” the NWS forecast reads.
Similar hazardous beach conditions are also in the forecast for Santa Barbara County. A high surf advisory is also in effect for Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties this weekend, where 10 to 15-foot waves will be possible.
If you live or want to live in Los Angeles, the city controller has released a new dashboard highlighting some of the city’s most notorious problem rental properties, a tool designed to help renters avoid future headaches.
“This project comes at a time when tenants are reporting harassment and illegal evictions violating the City’s Rent Stabilization Ordinance, Just Cause for Eviction Ordinance and Tenant Anti‑Harassment Ordinance, but very few of the complaints end up leading to strong enforcement or real accountability,” L.A. City Controller Kenneth Mejia said in a media release Thursday.
The new Top 100 Problem Rental Properties dashboard includes a searchable database of all residential addresses with reported housing violation cases within the city of Los Angeles, a ranked list of the 100 addresses with the most violations and an interactive map.
“There has never before been an uncomplicated way for anyone to look up years’ worth of violations by address,” Mejia said in the release.
Data for the dashboard was compiled from multiple sources, including the Los Angeles Housing Department, Los Angeles City Planning and the L.A. County Assessor’s Office, according to the controller’s office.
The release also identified the top three addresses with the highest number of reported housing violations:
1. 636 1/2 North Hill Place, Chinatown
192 housing violation cases
2. 11700 West Wilshire Boulevard, Sawtelle
166 housing violation cases
3. 6650 West Forest Lawn Drive, Hollywood Hills
113 housing violation cases
“Our new dashboard is an easy‑to‑understand public tool that we hope will help renters and organizers document patterns of harm, as well as put pressure on both landlords and the City to act,” Mejia said. “Everyone deserves safe, stable and dignified housing.”
-
San Francisco, CA11 minutes agoSF pet store owners prepare to fight as city plots ban on sale of live animals
-
Dallas, TX17 minutes agoFC Dallas vs San Jose Earthquakes: Lineup notes 📝
-
Miami, FL23 minutes agoMiami Dolphins Discussion: Media Perception Edition
-
Boston, MA29 minutes agoMass General Brigham Sports Medicine provides free preseason physicals for Boston Public Schools – Boston News, Weather, Sports | WHDH 7News
-
Denver, CO35 minutes agoForget Denver, Retire To An Underrated Utah City Near Gorgeous Canyons Instead (And It’s Affordable) – Islands
-
Seattle, WA41 minutes agoSounders vs. Galaxy, livestream: Kickoff, lineups, updates
-
San Diego, CA47 minutes agoSan Diego – Cincinnati live | Marca
-
Milwaukee, WI53 minutes agoMother, son graduating from UWM together – but Panther pride doesn’t stop there