Latest news with #Sheriff'sDepartment
Observer
4 days ago
- Observer
3 deputies killed in explosion at Los Angeles training center
Tim Arango The writer is a Los Angeles correspondent for the New York Times Shawn Hubler The writer is the Los Angeles bureau chief for The New York Times Three sheriff's deputies were killed in an explosion at a law enforcement training centre in Los Angeles, local and federal officials said. The deaths were the largest loss of life for the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department from a single episode since 1857, authorities said. It was not immediately clear what caused the blast, which occurred at the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's Biscailuz Training Academy centre in East Los Angeles. A state official familiar with the investigation, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to discuss the investigation, called the explosion a tragic accident that appeared to have stemmed from the handling of on-site explosives. There was no threat to the area, and the explosion was an isolated episode, said Sheriff Robert Luna. He added that the explosion at the training centre occurred around 7:30 am Pacific time. No one else was injured by the blast, he said. The sheriff's department identified the deputies as Joshua Kelley-Eklund, Victor Lemus and William Osborn. They were all assigned to the arson explosives unit, the department said in a statement. Kelley-Eklund joined the sheriff's department in 2006 and served as a training officer and in the narcotics bureau before becoming an arson and explosives investigator in 2022, according to the statement. Lemus joined the department in 2003 and served as a K-9 handler before becoming an arson and explosives investigator last year. Osborn began his career with the department in 1992 and had been with the arson and explosives detail since 2019. Members of that bomb squad unit regularly handle dangerous situations or items, with an average of about 1,110 calls per year, Luna said. 'They are fantastic experts,' he said, 'and unfortunately, I lost three of them today.' The three deputies had responded to a call in Santa Monica to assist police there with explosive devices that had been found, according to Nicole Nishida, a spokesperson for the Sheriff's Department. The Sheriff's Department said it was not clear if those devices were the ones responsible for Friday's explosion. But homicide investigators were seeking a search warrant for the Santa Monica location and had evacuated residents there, Nishida said. A Los Angeles County official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to discuss the investigation said the three deputies had been alone when the explosion occurred, leaving few witnesses to shed light on the cause. A bomb squad from the Los Angeles Police Department rendered the scene safe by late Friday morning, Luna said, allowing investigators to begin to gain access to the site. 'We have to go back, investigate what happened from the very beginning, and we'll get there,' he said. Firefighters and law enforcement officers take part in a procession as the remains of three sheriff's deputies killed on Friday are removed from the Biscailuz training center of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department in East Los Angeles, on Friday, July 18, 2025. (Mark Abramson/The New York Times) Investigators with the FBI, as well as the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and detectives with the county sheriff's department were among those working at the site. Luna called the site of the explosion an 'active crime scene' and said homicide investigators were there. On Friday afternoon, a long procession of black-and-white sheriff's cruisers and officers on motorcycles snaked up and then down a hill on a street near the training center, escorting three medical examiner vans from the site that were believed to contain the remains of the fallen deputies. Residents waving American flags looked on. The training facility, named for Eugene Biscailuz, a long-serving sheriff who helped organise the California Highway Patrol and was its first superintendent, lies east of downtown Los Angeles. The site hosts, among other county offices, the sheriff's Special Enforcement Bureau, a specialised unit that provides a range of tactical, rescue and counterterrorism support services throughout the county, including an explosives detail. Several people who live near the training centre said in interviews that they had not heard an explosion. Mandie Rios, who lives a couple of blocks from the centre, was still groggy with sleep on Friday morning when she heard what sounded to her like a moving truck's door being slammed shut. A little later, she turned on the television and heard the news of the blast. Friday's explosion came more than two years after a deadly episode at a training facility for the sheriff's department. In November 2022, 25 recruits at an academy near the city of Whittier were injured while on a run after a driver going the wrong way ran into them. One of the recruits later died from his injuries, and the driver was charged with vehicular manslaughter and reckless driving. The handling of explosives by police officers and sheriff's deputies in Los Angeles has led to problems in the past. In June 2021, 17 people were injured when part of a cache of illegal fireworks blew up in South Los Angeles in what was meant to be a controlled detonation by bomb squad technicians. Those technicians worked for the Los Angeles Police Department, not the county sheriff's department. Ten of the injured were law enforcement officers. The explosion also caused extensive damage to more than 20 homes and over a dozen businesses. The Los Angeles Police Department later said personnel had incorrectly estimated the weight of the fireworks, and the city last year agreed to pay more than $21 million to settle claims by residents.
Sky News AU
4 days ago
- Sky News AU
Tragedy strikes LA Sheriff's facility as blast claims lives of three officers with FBI and bomb squad joining investigation
An investigation is underway after a deadly explosion at a Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department facility claimed the lives of three staff members early Friday morning, local time (Saturday morning AEST). The blast was reported just after 7.30am at the Biscailuz Training Facility, located less than 10 kilometres from downtown Los Angeles. The site serves as a base for the department's elite enforcement teams and bomb disposal units. Department spokesperson Nicole Nishida confirmed the tragic loss of life, saying three members of the force had been killed. The precise cause of the explosion remains unclear, though early indications suggest it was accidental. Officials are yet to confirm whether it occurred during a scheduled training exercise or while handling potential evidence. California's top officials expressed shock at the incident, which prompted a swift response from local, state and federal agencies. In a post on X, former attorney general Pam Bondi called the explosion a 'horrific incident". 'Please pray for the families of the sheriff's deputies killed," she said. She said federal agents are already on-site gathering information. California Governor Gavin Newsom has been briefed, and his emergency services office is coordinating closely with the Sheriff's Department. The FBI's Los Angeles division confirmed it is assisting with the investigation and agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) are also at the scene. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said on X that fire department arson experts and LAPD bomb squad members are also supporting the investigation. Authorities remain cautious, given the possibility that more explosive materials could still be stored at the site. A law enforcement source told CNN the bomb squad's task has been made more complex by the need to ensure no secondary devices or volatile materials remain at risk of detonation. Kathryn Barger, Chair of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, said the tragedy had rocked the department. 'I am heartbroken to hear of the terrible tragedy that has unfolded today at an LA County Sheriff's Department facility,' she said. 'I am closely tracking the situation as we learn more about what occurred and the condition of those affected. My heart is heavy, and my thoughts are with the brave men and women of the Sheriff's Department during this difficult time. We stand with them and their families as they navigate the hours and days ahead.' Aerial footage from local outlet KABC-TV showed the blast zone was concentrated in a car park filled with sheriffs' vehicles and box trucks. Emergency crews cordoned off the area as investigators began their initial sweep. Further updates are expected as the investigation progresses.
Los Angeles Times
7 days ago
- Los Angeles Times
Creepy texts offer clues in disappearance of SoCal grandpa linked to crypto fortune
Weird texts were the first clue that something sinister had happened to an elderly Rancho Cucamonga man linked to a vast cryptocurrency fortune. They began with robotic responses in a family group chat, included an uncharacteristic refusal to visit his grandkids and were followed by complete silence. Now, the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department is investigating the mysterious disappearance of 74-year-old Naiping Hou, father of noted cryptocurrency investor Wen Hou. Detectives believe that someone used the elder Hou's cellphone to impersonate him. Extensive fraudulent transactions were also made using his bank account around the time of his disappearance, according to the Sheriff's Department. Wen Hou said that more than $1 million was siphoned from his father's savings and used to purchase gold bars online. The younger Hou believes his father has been kidnapped and is personally offering a reward of up to $250,000 for information that leads to his father's return or identifies those responsible for his disappearance. 'We really are devastated, really sad, and we want him back if possible,' Wen Hou told The Times. 'We are pretty upset about how this was discovered so late and a bit upset about ourselves that we didn't find these clues earlier.' Wen Hou last saw his father in March when they rented a boat at the San Pedro Pier and went on a family fishing trip. The bizarre texts began in April, but it wasn't until Naiping Hou's birthday on May 3 that his son began to suspect someone else was controlling his father's phone. The elder Hou had declined via text to come visit his son and grandchildren at their Las Vegas residence on his birthday, so Wen Hou overnighted him a traditional gift of handmade Chinese noodles. Whoever was controlling his phone refused to answer any calls on the birthday and, instead of thanking Wen Hou for the gift, simply texted at 9:18 p.m.: 'Yes I receive it.' The following morning, Wen Hou asked family friends to go check in on his father in Rancho Cucamonga. They found the noodle package sitting on the stoop and made an even more shocking discovery inside. The home was stripped of all its furniture and had a shoddy new paint job on the interior walls, Wen Hou said. His father's cars were missing from his garage, and the man himself was nowhere to be seen. Wen Hou reported his father's disappearance to the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department on May 4. The elder Hou's wife was visiting family in China when he is believed to have gone missing, according to his family. While abroad she received a text from Hou's phone telling her to cancel her flight home, saying that he would come join her in Asia. Detectives say they are currently following several leads but are unable to share further information as the investigation is ongoing. They are asking the public to keep an eye out for the 5-foot-7 Asian male, who has black hair, black eyes, a birthmark on his left upper shoulder and weighs around 170 pounds. They are also seeking information about a silver Toyota Yaris in connection to Hou's disappearance. Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact Det. Vanayes Quezada at (909) 890-4848. Frustrated by the lack of updates in the investigation, Wen Hou launched a website this week dedicated to raising awareness about his father's disappearance. The family is asking the public to share information via text, WhatsApp or Signal to their personal tip line at (213) 564-9366. 'We're really sad and it feels terrible to wait and very devastating to experience this,' said Wen Hou. Although Wen Hou doesn't know who is behind the possible crimes against his father, he fears that contractors who performed work on Hou's home at the beginning of the year may have preyed on his father or even kidnapped him. 'I hope this serves as a caution for elderly people,' he said, adding that his father's disappearance has opened his eyes to how common it is for criminals to take advantage of the elderly. Wen Hou is a well-known hedge fund and cryptocurrency investor who serves as the chief investment officer at Coincident Capital. In 2021, he spent $9.7 million on a Bel-Air home, according to reporting from the Real Deal. In 2022, he and his wife gifted $1.1 million in cryptocurrency to the USC Keck School of Medicine to support research on heart disease. Wen Hou credits much of his success to the lessons taught to him by his father, who was born in the Shaanxi province of China and immigrated to the San Gabriel Valley in pursuit of a better life for his children. 'My journey has been a long one, and it started with my father's decision to move to the U.S.,' Hou told USC in 2022. 'I am thankful to him for giving me the opportunity to thrive in the U.S. and allowing me to reach my potential, which has resulted in this gift.' Through shrewd business decisions, Naiping Hou did well financially and retired comfortably — achieving what Wen Hou considers the American dream, he said. The elder Hou is a family man and enjoys hobbies such as ping-pong, woodworking and fishing.
Los Angeles Times
7 days ago
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
Metro's ridership in June dropped to lowest of the year after immigration raids
After months of a steady climb in ridership, Metro's numbers fell to its lowest levels of the year in June after the immigration raids throughout Los Angeles County. The transit agency estimated a ridership count of roughly 23.7 million last month on its bus and rail systems — a 13.5% drop from May and the lowest June on record since 2022, when numbers had started to rebound since the pandemic emergency, according to Metro data. The large immigration sweeps began June 6. The decline didn't affect the entire system. Ridership on the K Line, for example, rose 28% on weekdays, 85% on Saturdays and 72% on Sundays. Metro attributed the increase to the opening of the LAX/Metro Transit Center. A variety of factors led to the drop elsewhere, including actions taken by Metro to close multiple stations during demonstrations after officials said that protesters breached the A line tracks, burned trash cans outside the Little Tokyo station, which was closed for up to 12 hours a day for nearly a week, and that they surrounded and vandalized Metro buses. In El Monte, where officials said federal agents had been sighted questioning patrons at a Metro station, the busway was closed for several days. The decisions to close stations were made in collaboration with local law enforcement, the Los Angeles Police Department and the county's Sheriff's Department, Robert Gummer, deputy chief of security and law enforcement, said during a board meeting last month. 'During the period of the protests, Metro has been challenged by behaviors that put our customers and our employees at risk,' Gummer said. Outgoing Metro chair and L.A. County Supervisor Janice Hahn expressed concerns that closures left peaceful protesters stranded. 'I think the unintended consequences of shutting down those stations really harmed the people who were peacefully protesting and trying to get out of there,' Hahn said last month. 'There seemed to be a lot of confusion — a lot of people who did not understand what was happening — and a lot of people who didn't know how to get out.' Fears over whether immigration raids would occur on bus or rail lines also affected ridership, which is largely Latino. A 2023 Metro survey showed that more than 60% of Metro bus riders and roughly 50% of its rail riders are Latino. Mayor Karen Bass said the federal response stirred anxiety about using public transit. 'What the administration has done — the provocative actions of the administration — has also led to widespread fear in our city and people being afraid to get on Metro, people being afraid that maybe raids would take place,' Bass said. 'We have to look at how we make sure that people in our city feel comfortable and safe.' Board member and county Supervisor Hilda Solis echoed the concerns. 'I just pray that our staff as well as our patrons — people who ride our system — are not harmed,' Solis said last month. 'They're afraid — they're fearful for their lives.' In a widely shared video in June, masked agents descended on a bus stop in Pasadena and detained several people. The stop, which is owned by the city, was on one of Metro's bus routes. Three men who were detained at the bus stop are Pasadena residents and plaintiffs in an ACLU lawsuit filed against the Trump administration over unlawful stops and a lack of access to legal representation during the ongoing immigration enforcement. According to the lawsuit, the masked agents who detained the men did not identify themselves as immigration officers and did not show any warrants. In detention, the men were provided little food and water and were forced to sleep on the floor of the holding center, the suit alleges. In response, a federal court recently issued two temporary restraining orders to the federal government. The Trump administration has since asked an appeals court to lift the restrictions. Metro has touted its rise in ridership after a drop during the pandemic emergency, and again after a spate of violence on rail lines and buses that affected public trust. During Metro's annual State of the Agency address last week, Chief Executive Stephanie Wiggins said that ridership has increased by more than 53% over the last four years and that in a recent survey, customer satisfaction rose to 87%. It was not immediately clear whether ridership has started to rebound since last month's drop. 'I know that recent events have caused fear, anxiety and heartache in communities we all serve and call home,' Wiggins said, acknowledging the recent turmoil throughout the region. 'Many of us have friends, neighbors and loved ones who have been impacted.'
Yahoo
14-07-2025
- Yahoo
Novi attorney, ultramarathoner dies during 102-mile race in Colorado mountains
A Novi family law attorney and veteran ultramarathoner died Friday, July 11, while running the 102.5-mile Hardrock Hundred Mile Endurance Run in the mountains of Colorado. The San Juan County (Colorado) Sheriff's Department and Silverton, Colorado Medical Rescue team received a search-and-rescue call shortly after 9 a.m. July 11 about CPR in progress on a person on the racecourse by safety team members with the Hardrock 100 ultramarathon, the rescue team said in a news release on Facebook. Response required sheriff's and medical rescue crews to take 4x4 offroad vehicles on backcountry roads and to then hike a quarter mile up a steep, rugged, remote trail to the scene, near Gold Lake on Little Giant Trail. Resuscitation efforts were ultimately unsuccessful. The San Juan County Coroner's office later confirmed the identity of the deceased woman as Elaine Stypula, 60, of Oakland County, Michigan, the rescue team said on Facebook. A cause of death was not released. Stypula ran a family law firm in Novi. Her profile on her website mentions, "In her free time, Elaine has completed multiple Ironman triathlons and currently competes in ultra distance runs, adventure races of 100 or more miles and mountain climbing." Ultramarathons are races longer than a 26.2-mile marathon that can be 100 miles or more and often run in extreme conditions of heat or elevation. Stypula's Instagram page includes photos of her apparently summitting Mount Rainier, Washington, and running ultramarathons in places like South Africa and Denali, Alaska. "My beautiful, vibrant mom unexpectedly passed away this morning. I am at a loss for words," Anna Rose Sebring posted to Instagram on July 11, adding on July 13, "My whole entire heart is with you in heaven. You were an angel to this world making friends everywhere you went. You were my biggest fan, supporter, and believer. You never stopped challenging yourself and always found something new to do." The Hardrock Hundred Mile Endurance Run is a 102.5-mile race in Silverton, Colorado, that features a 33,197-foot climb and descent, for a total elevation change of 66,394 feet, all at an average elevation of more than 11,000 feet. The run is held on a loop course on four-wheel-drive roads, dirt trails and cross-country trails in southern Colorado's San Juan Range. "We are deeply saddened to share that a beloved member of our Hardrock Hundred Mile Endurance Run family has passed away during this year's event," race organizers stated on the Hardrock 100's website. "Our hearts are with their family, friends and fellow runners as we grieve this tremendous loss. We are committed to caring for runners, crews, volunteers and all members of our community through the event's duration and beyond." More: Michigan dispute with Trump administration over funding hits sheriff's marine patrols More: In 1816, Michigan didn't have a 'summer.' Here's how that happened. Icarus Florida Ultrafest, on its Facebook page, noted that Stypula was a multiple-time veteran of its race. "Elaine passed doing what she loved and what kept her motivated," race officials stated. Contact Keith Matheny: kmatheny@ This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Novi attorney, ultramarathoner dies during 102-mile Colorado race
