Category: California crime

Former USC Dean Sentenced in Mark Ridley-Thomas Bribery Case

LOS ANGELES—Marilyn Flynn, an 84-year-old former dean of the University of Southern California’s (USC) School of Social Work—who admitted to bribing longtime Los Angeles politician Mark Ridley-Thomas while he served on the county Board of Supervisors—was sentenced on July 24 to three years probation and ordered to pay a $150,000 fine. U.S. District Judge Dale…


Man, Woman Found Shot to Death in Rancho Palos Verdes

RANCHO PALOS VERDES, Calif.—A man and a woman were found shot to death July 24 inside a bullet-riddled car in Rancho Palos Verdes. Deputies were sent to the 7000 block of Palos Verdes Drive at 6:50 a.m., the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department reported. The two people were found inside a parked, blue Subaru sedan….


Man Convicted Of Murdering Brother With Crossbow At City Heights Park

SAN DIEGO—A Northern California man who fatally shot his brother with a crossbow at a City Heights park was convicted of first-degree murder last week. Adam Thomas, 22, was found guilty by a San Diego jury in the Aug. 9, 2021, killing of his 22-year-old brother Trenton Thomas. The defendant was 20 years old at…


Man Faces 26 Years in Prison for Murdering Brother With Crossbow in San Diego

SAN DIEGO—A Northern California man who fatally shot his brother with a crossbow at a City Heights park was convicted of first-degree murder last week. Adam Thomas, 22, was found guilty by a San Diego jury in the Aug. 9, 2021, killing of his 22-year-old brother Trenton Thomas. The defendant was 20 years old at…


Man Arrested in Shooting Death in San Diego

SAN DIEGO—A 39-year-old man was in custody on July 24 in connection with the killing of a man during an argument in the Redwood Village neighborhood. Esteban Elizondo was arrested around 11:30 a.m. on July 23 during a traffic stop of a vehicle in which he was a passenger, according to San Diego police. He…


Girl, 15, Wounded in Shooting at Northridge Party

NORTHRIDGE, Calif.—A 15-year-old girl attending a house party in Northridge was wounded when a shot was fired, authorities said July 23. The shooting occurred about 10:10 p.m. Saturday at 8523 Oak Park Ave., according to a dispatcher at the Los Angeles Police Department’s Operations Center. The girl heard a gunshot and realized she was struck…


Man Killed, 2 Youths Wounded in Gardena Party Shooting

GARDENA, Calif.—A man about 18 to 21 years old was shot to death and two other youths were wounded during a party at a business in Gardena, authorities said July 23. The shooting was reported at 2:08 a.m. in the 100 block of West 155th Street, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. Deputies…


Glendora Police Recover 14 Catalytic Converters After Vehicle Chase

Two teenagers attempted to steal a catalytic converter at a movie theater in Glendora, triggering a vehicle pursuit and the eventual recovery of 14 stolen catalytic converters as well as a loaded handgun and the tools used to cut the converters from vehicles, authorities said on July 22. Officers were dispatched at about 11:50 p.m….


Lake Forest City Councilman Denies Domestic Violence Misdemeanors

A Lake Forest city councilman charged with domestic violence said on July 21 that he was innocent of the allegations. Benjamin Yu, 40, was charged on July 7 with corporal injury on a spouse or cohabitant and false imprisonment, both misdemeanors, according to court records. He is scheduled to be arraigned Aug. 23 in the…


Army Vet Convicted of Sex Assault Murder of Elderly Neighbor in Garden Grove

A 36-year-old U.S. Army veteran was convicted on July 20 of fatally beating a 68-year-old neighbor during an attempted rape in Garden Grove nearly six years ago. Michael Aon Varela was convicted of murder with a special circumstance allegation of murder during an attempted rape. It was Mr. Varela’s second trial. A previous jury deadlocked…