Latest news with #OrangeCountySheriff'sDepartment
Yahoo
07-07-2025
- Yahoo
Car crashes into restaurant, injuring 9 and causing significant damage
A woman drove her SUV into a Lake Forest restaurant on Sunday afternoon, injuring several people and causing extensive damage to the long-standing eatery, Inka Grill, located in a shopping center off Rockfield Blvd. The crash occurred around noon, when witnesses say a Toyota RAV4 slammed into the front of the restaurant, shattering the glass storefront and barreling into occupied tables and booths. 'The woman came barreling through, shattering the glass storefront, crashing tables and booths,' a witness told KTLA. Footage taken in the aftermath shows a large section of the restaurant's front destroyed, with shattered glass, toppled furniture, and debris scattered across the dining area. At least nine people were injured in the incident, including one woman who witnesses said became pinned beneath the vehicle. 'Multiple people got taken away. One of the kids busted his arm, and one of the ladies from the front busted her knee and had cuts everywhere,' said Kia Rashidian, a bystander who witnessed the crash. 'The driver, I think, had no clue what happened. She came out and said 'I'm fine,' and we were like, 'Yeah, you're okay, but you're in the middle of a restaurant.'' KTLA confirmed with the Orange County Sheriff's Department that nine people were injured in total: six were treated at the scene, and three were transported to local hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries. Authorities said the crash appears to have been accidental, though the investigation remains ongoing. The Inka Grill has been a staple in the Lake Forest community for 27 years. The owner, Anna Scandalos, said she was at church when they received word of the crash. Their immediate concern, she said, was for the safety of their customers and staff. 'That's what's most heartbreaking of all, that these people were coming here to have lunch with their families,' Anna Scandalos told KTLA. 'They come from all over just to have a meal here on their day off. That's why my heart sinks. I hope that nothing happened to any of those people.' The restaurant is expected to remain closed for several months as repairs are made. Despite the damage, the owners said they remain hopeful and plan to rebuild. Scandalos added that she feels incredibly grateful that no one was seriously hurt. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Los Angeles Times
01-07-2025
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
Lawsuit alleges O.C. deputies forced 2 Muslim women to remove their hijab
Two Muslim women arrested during a pro-Palestinian encampment protest at UC Irvine last year are suing the Orange County Sheriff's Department, alleging deputies wrongfully forced them to remove their hijabs while in custody. The Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Muslim civil rights group known as CAIR-LA, announced the federal lawsuit with Asian Law Caucus, during a Tuesday news conference at its Anaheim office. 'If this country means what it says about freedom of religion,' said Dina Chehata, CAIR-LA's civil rights managing attorney, 'then it must mean it for Muslim women, not just in theory, not just in court, but also in the fluorescent-lit backrooms of detention facilities when no one is watching and no cameras are rolling.' Salma Nasoordeen, a youth coordinator with CAIR-LA, and Hasna 'Shenai' Aini, a UC Irvine student, attended the protest on May 15, 2024 when personnel with the O.C. Sheriff's Department and other law enforcement agencies clad in riot gear swept through the encampment after an unlawful assembly declaration and arrested 47 people. Court documents allege that a deputy 'repeatedly and deliberately stomped' on Aini's hijab during her arrest, which caused it to unravel and exposed her hair to male officers and activists in the area. Fox 11 and KTLA 5 news channels also broadcast the arrest to a wider audience. 'My hijab, my hijab,' Aini pleaded, to no avail. Aini alleged that a woman deputy at the Orange County Intake Release Center demanded she remove her hijab during a search. The headscarf remained off when a deputy took her booking photo. Both incidents, lawyers allege, happened within the possible sight of male deputies. 'My hijab is the ultimate sign of my faith,' Aini said during the press conference. 'This was an attack, not only on myself, but every Muslim woman on that day.' Nasoordeen alleged that a woman deputy ordered her to remove her Adidas hijab and additional religious headscarf during a search in an area accessible to men. Like Aini, she said her booking photo was taken without the head covering, allegedly within the possible view of male deputies. 'When I was asked to remove my hijab, I was shocked,' Nasoordeen said. 'I felt helpless and embarrassed.' Filed on Monday, the complaint names the County of Orange, O.C. Sheriff Don Barnes and unnamed deputies as defendants. Carrie Braun, a sheriff's department spokesperson, called the claims made during the news conference 'misleading' and 'inaccurate.' 'No women were required to remove their hijabs in front of male employees or male members of the public,' she said. 'Women were asked to privately remove their hijabs only once while inside the jail facility for a booking photo, and this occurred with only female deputies present.' The department has a policy in place on religious head coverings that requires any search needing the removal of them be done by deputies of the same gender in a private area out of the view of the opposite gender. With regard to booking photos, the policy prohibits individuals from wearing religious head coverings but requires that the photographer be the same gender as the arrested person. 'Part of what we are arguing in our lawsuit as well is that the deputies are not being even properly trained on the policies on the books,' Chehata said. 'The policy that exists does not go far enough, because it compels them to be photographed without their headscarf, which we believe is a very profound violation of their sincerely held religious beliefs.' The lawsuit argued that other law enforcement agencies, like the New York Police Department, allow for photos to be taken with religious head coverings on. Attorneys for the two women also pointed to a lawsuit filed in 2007 against the O.C. Sheriff's Department for religious discrimination after jailers allegedly ordered a Muslim woman to remove her hijab, asserting it could be used to choke someone. The suit was settled in 2013 with an agreement from the sheriff's department that Muslim women detainees would not be ordered to remove their hijabs within view of men and be provided with temporary headscarves when needed. Belinda Escobosa litigated that case and she is an attorney in the current suit. Braun told TimesOC the booking photos can't be released under the California Public Records Act and that jail security video documented the booking process in question. 'False and divisive statements made to the public only serve to undermine trust and incite fear,' Braun said, adding that the sheriff's department actively works with various religious groups. Aini began wearing the hijab last year at UC Irvine while surrounded by a large Muslim community she didn't grow up with. She decided to file suit so that other Muslim women who wear the hijab don't have the same alleged experience with the sheriff's department. 'A year later, I am still deeply affected,' Aini said. 'I still hear my pleas to be covered, along with flashbacks reminding me that my religion was disrespected and I was spiritually harmed.'
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Yahoo
Man, 54, arrested for alleged racist, threatening rant in Orange County
A 54-year-old Orange County man has been arrested in connection with a video that reportedly shows him spewing hateful and racist language at a business where several Hispanic adults can be seen. In the footage, which has racked up nearly 15,000 views on at least one Instagram account, a man, who police say is Lake Forest resident Eric Walter Ramminger, is captured screaming graphic insults and obscenities at a woman who works at the business on May 30. 'In America, we do not like you, okay? We do not like you!' he's seen yelling while violently pounding on the shop's window. The 54-year-old, who appears to be inebriated, is also seen threatening the woman and her customers. 'You think you're safe, but you're not going to be safe for soon,' he says. 'You might get away with this one, but you're going to have a f****** problem.' He goes on to call the woman a 'piece of s***' and an 'a**hole' before saying, 'Listen, I will blast your face off,' while encouraging the woman to come outside, presumably to fight him. Teenage boy, 15, killed, 5 others hurt in parking lot crash during pick up at L.A. school The woman, who looks like she's trying to get Ramminger out the door, dodges one of his swings and swipes back at him, prompting one of the men in the room to stand up, possibly to come to the woman's aid. It's unclear how the situation ended. A man narrating the Instagram video to his followers said that the woman called the police and they took hours to get there, arriving only after 'the danger had ended.' In a news release, officials at the Orange County Sheriff's Department disputed that claim. 'We received a call about a man yelling at a business near Ridge Route and Lake Forest drives at 6:47 p.m. on Friday, May 30,' the release states. 'With the information provided to dispatch, the call was assigned as a low-priority call. The deputies responded to the call and arrived at the business in less than 30 minutes.' Sheriff's officials said that a report was taken and given to investigators, who took Ramminger into custody on Wednesday at around 2:30 p.m. on suspicion of trespassing, assault and battery, criminal threats and charges related to hate crimes. Anyone who witnessed the incident or has information about the investigation is asked to contact OCSD at 949-770-6011. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Los Angeles Times
24-05-2025
- General
- Los Angeles Times
Around Town: Huntington Beach police, O.C. Sheriff's Department offer free e-bike training
Join the Huntington Beach police and the Orange County Sheriff's Department Saturday, May 31 for a hands-on e-bike training event featuring six 70-minute sessions focused on safe riding practices, traffic awareness and California e-bike laws. Riders can take their own bicycles and helmets to the event, which takes place from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at Dwyer Middle School, 1502 Palm Ave., in Huntington Beach. Registered participants can receive prizes, giveaways and a sticker for completing the course. Registration is required, and all riders under 18 need a permission slip to attend. To register, visit the event's Eventbrite page. The Orange County fairgrounds' Heroes Hall Museum invites the public to attend a free Speaker Series talk on May 31, from 2 to 4 p.m., titled 'Beyond the Battlefield: Navigating the Journey of Veterans with PTSD.' The event begins with a viewing of the documentary film 'The Volunteer,' which documents the journey of veteran Bruce Nakashima as he searches for and reconnects with a fellow Army Ranger and friend who saved his life in Vietnam. The screening will be followed by a panel discussion on post traumatic stress disorder and its impact on veterans and their families featuring Nick Berardino, a Marine Corps veteran who served in Vietnam; Tom Clark, a Vietnam veteran and Distinguished Flying Cross recipient; and Tim Higle, veteran and director of the South County Veterans Center. Heroes Hall is located at the O.C. fairgrounds, 88 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa. Admission is free. Local residents are encouraged to join Costa Mesa Planning Commissioners Tuesday, May 27 at 6 p.m. to discuss future land use concepts and key components of the Fairview Developmental Center Specific Plan, which will guide future growth at the 85-acre site. Topics for discussion will include the proposed land use distribution, open space framework, circulation network and overall site organization on the grounds of the decommissioned state hospital site. Tuesday's study session takes place at Costa Mesa City Hall Council Chambers, 77 Fair Drive, in Costa Mesa.
Los Angeles Times
22-05-2025
- Business
- Los Angeles Times
‘Everything is more expensive': Orange County looking at $1.2-billion hike in annual budget
Orange County officials are proposing a $10.8-billion budget for the 2025-26 fiscal year, an increase of about $1.2 billion over the current year's spending plan. The general fund budget, which offers the most flexibility, is projected at $5.4 billion, up from last fiscal year's $4.8 billion. The remainder of the budget is generally restricted by law, limiting the county's ability to adjust how those funds are used. 'It is higher than last year,' Orange County Supervisor Donald P. Wagner told City News Service. 'We have enormous new mandates from [the state] Legislature to deal with, issues from the court, so it's a frustration. Yes, it's bigger than last year. I won't defend that. But that is in the inevitable way of government budgets everywhere, and I wish we could get a handle on it. Everything is more expensive.' The county expects $1.2 billion in general purpose funds, an increase of $78.5 million, largely due to a $72.1 million rise in property tax revenue. The one-half cent tax to fund law enforcement from Prop. 172 is down 2.5% this year compared to last fiscal year, officials said. The estimated revenue is $427.6 million, with $342.1 million allocated to the Orange County Sheriff's Department and $85.5 million to the district attorney's office. The county is expected to receive $27.5 million from 'realignment revenue' over last year for a total of $945 million. Of that, $266.4 million is budgeted for health, mental health and social services, $666.7 million forpublic safety and social services and $11.4 million for juvenile criminal justice. The county is planning to eliminate 163 jobs by not filling vacant positions, although department heads may attempt to restore some of those cuts. For instance, officials from the district attorney's office recently met with county leaders about the upcoming budget, Wagner said. 'They were asking we take a hard look at the positions that were frozen and see if there's relief there,' Wagner said. The county can hire back some retired employees on a part-time basis but only for about six months or so, Wagner said. 'If the Legislature wants to give us relief from that then that would help,'' Wagner said of the pension restrictions that prohibit longer tenures for returning employees. The Prop. 172 revenue decrease is bad timing, Wagner noted. 'The 172 revenue is down but the demands on law enforcement, the public defender and D.A. are increasing, so it is a challenge to continue to provide the level of support... without making cuts in other places,' Wagnersaid. `'So we've been very clear with department heads that belt tightening has to happen, which has been happening.' One looming financial concern is the Airport fire of last September and the series of resulting legal claims that blame the county Public Works Department for its ignition. 'We are reserving some money,' to prepare, Wagner said. 'We are perhaps being a bit more frugal with restoring augmentations than we'd like to because that money we're going to need to make [legal claim] payments. It's not a great big bill due immediately, but over several years now, and we are planning accordingly. This budget and next will be tight. We've made no secret about that.''
