By Matt Hamilton, Los Angeles Times (View original article)

An Uber driver in Orange County has been charged with raping a passenger who was riding home from a work-related event, authorities said.

The alleged rape occurred March 30, when Angel Sanchez, 36, picked up a woman at a company gathering in Newport Beach, according to the Orange County district attorney’s office.

The Uber ride was requested by colleagues of the woman, who was under the influence of alcohol at the time, prosecutors said.

Sanchez drove the woman near her home in Santa Ana and sexually assaulted her in his 2016 Toyota Sienna, prosecutors alleged.

The woman fled Sanchez’s vehicle and called 911.

Police arrested Sanchez, a resident of Costa Mesa, on April 1. He was formally charged Tuesday with a felony count of raping an intoxicated victim.

If convicted, Sanchez faces up to eight years in state prison. He is scheduled to be arraigned May 1 in Santa Ana.

Uber spokeswoman Tracey Breeden said the company assisted law enforcement with the investigation.

An attorney for Sanchez could not be reached for comment.

Los Angeles police are seeking the public’s help in identifying a man wanted in connection with a fatal stabbing incident in Westlake.

Officers released footage on Wednesday that they say shows the man fleeing the scene holding a knife.

Authorities were called to the 700 block of South Westlake Avenue shortly before 11 p.m. on April 16 regarding an assault with a deadly weapon, according to a statement from the Los Angeles Police Department.
Responding officers found a man suffering from multiple stab wounds. Parademics transported the victim to a nearby hospital, but he succumbed to his injuries there and was pronounced dead, police said.

Detectives later determined the victim and assailant were in an apartment building when they began arguing, according to LAPD.

The attacker allegedly approached the victim with a knife and stabbed him multiple times.

The suspect is described as a Latino man between 25 and 35 years old. He is about 5 feet, 7 inches tall with short brown hair and heavy build, officials said.

Surveillance video showed him wearing a black shirt, black shorts and black shoes

A man who allegedly broke into a Fontana home stabbed a homeowner several times with a kitchen knife when he was confronted early Monday, officials said.
The incident was reported about 1:30 a.m. The victim was asleep in his home when he was awakened by his barking dogs, according to Fontana police Officer Jay Sayegh.

The victim was getting out of his room when he was confronted by the suspect, who was armed with a large kitchen knife, officials said.

The suspect, identified as Lonnie Shrum, then allegedly stabbed the victim multiple times. The two men fought, but Shrum was able to get out of the home and jump several fences, police said.

Shrum left behind a trail of blood and authorities were able to find him inside a halfway house where he was staying.

He was arrested and authorities discovered he was on parole for assault with a deadly weapon, officials said.

Shrum eventually admitted that he crawled into the home through an open window.

The victim is in critical but stable condition after being taken to a hospital, officials said.

The victim and suspect do not seem to know each other, Sayegh said.

“It appears to just be a crime of opportunity,” he told KTLA.

One neighbor, Victor Calderon, said the victim’s home may have looked like an easy target as it appears unoccupied.

“The house always looks empty, so maybe they thought it was an easy get-in,” he said.

Another neighbor, Daisy Vega, said the incident was unusual for the area.

“Never in my mind I thought something like this was going to happen here,” Vega said.

A Chino Hills father was able to apprehend a group of men who allegedly entered his residence Monday afternoon while he was home with his wife and children.
Just after 1 p.m., four men between 18 and 20 years old and one juvenile entered the Zhang family’s home in the 13000 block of Gemstone Court via a balcony off the Zhang family’s back yard, San Bernardino sheriff’s officials said in a statement.

As the suspects attempted to enter the home through an upstairs door, Yan Zhang grabbed his handgun and confronted them, the agency said.

“They were home and then several kids kind of tried to pry the door open, tried to get in,” neighbor Tony Tran told KTLA. “(Zhang) got a gun so he fired a warning shot and was able to apprehend them until the police showed up.”

The father held the group at gunpoint while his wife sheltered the children, and a neighbor called 911, according to deputies.

Pictures Tran said were posted by Zhang on Chinese social media appear to show the suspects down on the ground as the family waited for authorities to arrive.
Two of the five suspects were able to flee, but neighbors assisted deputies in locating them, officials said.

Roberto Alonso Salmon, 18; Garret Rogers, 19; Ruben Medivil, 19; Joaquin Leonardo Salmon Garcia, 20; and a 17-year-old boy were all arrested on suspicion of attempted burglary.

“It was a relief because that particular time there was more than just him at home,” Tran said.

Rogers, Medivil, Salmon and the 17-year-old — whose name was not released due to his age — reside in Chino, while Garcia lives in Chino Hills.

The four adults were booked into West Valley Detention Center, and the juvenile was cited and released to his parents, deputies said.

A 13-year-old boy was arrested after allegedly stabbing a female relative multiple times Wednesday in Garden Grove.

Officers were called to the 11000 block of Gilbert Street around 5:45 p.m. to respond to a woman who was stabbed, according to a release from Garden Grove police.

The 48-year-old woman was found suffering from abdominal stab wounds on the ground outside a home, Lt. Carl Whitney said. Gilbert Street was shut down for several hours between Katella and Orangewood avenues Wednesday evening while police investigated.
Neighbor Lauren Gonzalez said she discovered the woman on the sidewalk and attempted to stem her bleeding.

“Blood for her waist down to her legs — blood,” she told KTLA. “I was kind of shocked like, ‘Oh my God, what happened,’ because I didn’t hear no noise.”

As officers attempted to render aid to the victim, she told them the teen who attacked her is a family member. Police did not immediately disclose how the two are related.

The woman was transported to a nearby hospital, where she was listed in critical condition, according to police.

Officers searched the residence, but the boy had fled. He was later found at a shopping center about half a mile away and taken into custody without further incident.

No weapon had been recovered and the teen was still being interviewed Wednesday night. Detectives had yet to establish a motive.

Officers had been called to the home multiple times before and the boy had a record, according to Garden Grove police Lt. William Allison.

Garden Grove police continue to investigate the crime.

Investigators are hoping that blood found at the scene of an attempted robbery will help them find whoever fatally shot a store clerk in the Harvard Park neighborhood of South Los Angeles Sunday night.
The shooting occurred after police say multiple would-be robbers entered the Martinez Market, located in the in the 6500 block of South Normandie Avenue, at about 8 p.m.

At some point the intruders opened fire, striking the employee, who was described as a man in his 60s, Los Angeles Police Department Sgt. Thomas Bojorquez said.

The employee died at the scene.

Investigators believe the employee may have been armed as well, and may have wounded at least one of the robbers.

Blood found at the scene may belong to one of the intruders, police said.

“We believe that it is the suspect’s,” LAPD Detective Nathan Khouri said.

It was unclear if the suspects fled on foot or in a vehicle after the shooting.

Investigators are checking the store for any surveillance video of the incident.

The store is located in a known gang area and has been subject to several robberies in the past, Bojorquez said.

An investigation was underway after threatening words were found spray-painted on a wall and a garage door outside a West Adams neighborhood auto repair shop in South Los Angeles where several cars caught fire early Tuesday morning.
Firefighters responded to a vehicle fire outside Richard’s Auto Repair in the 3500 block of South Crenshaw Boulevard about 2:43 a.m., according to Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Erik Scott.

Five vehicles were damaged in the fire, but firefighters managed to keep the flames from spreading to nearly two dozen others, Scott said.

Video from the scene showed the words “I will kill your family” spray-painted in red on a garage near the burning cars. Also, the words “I will kill you” had been spray-painted on the auto repair shop’s wall.
Arson investigators are treating the fire and the graffiti threat as related incidents, and have deemed the fire as suspicious, Fire Department Investigator Brian Bueller said.

Investigators are hopeful that evidence collected at the scene, as well as victim and witness statements, will help them find the person or persons responsible, Bueller said.

The fire was contained to the parking lot, leaving three nearby businesses intact, Scott said.

No injuries were reported in the incident.

Three dogs appeared to be dead after LAPD said police opened fire on the canines as they were biting a person in Downtown Los Angles Wednesday morning.

Authorities initially responded to the 500 block of Stanford Avenue around 8:30 a.m. after receiving an officer needs help call in the area, Los Angeles Police Department Officer Rosario Herrera said.

When police arrived, they found a victim being bitten by multiple dogs, prompting the officer-involved shooting, according to LAPD Officer Mike Lopez.

Sky5 video over the scene showed that four dogs were hit by the gunfire: three of the animals appeared to be dead; one was still moving.

It was unclear whether the person who was attacked by the dogs was injured, or whether he or she was transported to a hospital. No officers were injured in the shooting, Lopez said.

A portion of the street was cordoned off while police investigated the incident.

A Los Angeles-area woman who was assaulted during a date with a man she met on Instagram last summer has shared her terrifying tale, hoping it will be a lesson to others.

India Ali, 32, says she met James Baker, 27, through social media and eventually felt comfortable enough to set up a date with him last July.

“He didn’t really look like a creep from his pictures. He looked like he had it going on,” Ali said.

The two decided to go out for a night on the town. Baker posted several videos on Instagram of the two out drinking at a restaurant and enjoying themselves.

Ali said she doesn’t remember leaving the restaurant with Baker or their ride back to the area around Los Angeles International Airport, but Baker posted videos of those events as well.

The two ended up in Baker’s hotel room at the Westin hotel near LAX. When Ali woke up the next morning, something was wrong.

“It was horrible. I woke up. I lifted my head up. I was lying in a puddle of throw up. So I look around and I see blood everywhere and my clothes everywhere,” Ali said.

Ali then saw her reflection in a mirror and could see how badly she had been beaten.

“Oh my God. I can’t believe that happened. What if they come back and kill me?” Ali thought.

She realized her cellphone and car keys were gone, so she used the hotel phone to call 911. A recording of the call provided to KTLA included the following interaction:

911 operator: “So they just beat you up?”

Ali: “There’s blood all over the room.”

911 operator: “Where are you hurt, ma’am?”

Ali: “I’m hurt in my face.”

Ali was taken to Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, where doctors determined she had suffered significant head injuries.

“She had been punched in the head so badly that it had caused a swelling in the brain. The brain, when it expands, has nowhere to go so it forces down – and that’s what triggers the vomit action. It pressures the fourth vertebrae,” Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney David Berger said.

Police used the Find My iPhone app to look for Ali’s cellphone. Investigators located the phone — and Baker — a few miles away, in the victim’s car at the Courtyard Los Angeles LAX in El Segundo. He was arrested by the Los Angeles Police Department’s Pacific Division on July 21, inmate records show.

Surveillance video from the Westin showed Baker leaving the hotel in Ali’s car at about 2 a.m.

Investigators later found Baker had prior out-of-state convictions and was on bail for allegedly using fake credit cards, Berger said.

At the Airport Courthouse on April 14, Baker was found guilty of felony assault, auto theft and use of forged credit cards. He is being held at the downtown L.A. Men’s Central Jail, with a sentencing hearing scheduled for June 5.

Ali, meanwhile, is hoping her story will remind others to be cautious about who they meet online.

“I wouldn’t want anybody to go and meet up with anybody that they don’t know. Please don’t ever do that,” Ali said. “You have to value your life.”

By Alicia A. Caldwell, Associated Press (View source article)

Hundreds of federal and local law enforcement fanned out across Los Angeles in pre-dawn sweeps, serving arrest and search warrants as part of a three-year investigation into the ultra-violent street gang MS-13.

Federal prosecutors unsealed a sweeping indictment Wednesday morning charging dozens of members and leaders of the brutal street gang with a variety of crimes, including murder.

Acting U.S. Attorney Sandra Brown said the 127-page anti-racketeering indictment targets 44 members and associates of the gang, including the one-time leader of a Los Angeles faction of MS-13. Three people accused of murder could face the death penalty, she said.

Twenty-one people named in the indictment were arrested in pre-dawn raids across Los Angeles and Brown said warrants were served at more than 50 locations. Jail officials around the region also conducted cell searches, as some of those indicted were already in custody on unrelated charges. About a dozen of those arrested were so-called “shot callers” for the gang. At least three people were still at large Wednesday.

“It’s one of the largest and most entrenched gangs in Los Angeles,” Brown said. “Today’s actions will deal a critical blow to the top leadership.”

Brown said MS-13 is responsible for murders of rival gang members, drug and human trafficking, prostitution and illegal alcohol sales, among other crimes. She described the racketeering case as one of the largest single cases targeting MS-13, a gang that started in Los Angeles but has expanded to nearly every state and El Salvador. The gang is blamed for horrific violence that has sent Salvadoran immigrants fleeing that country for the United States.

Because of the group’s propensity for violence, federal and local agencies used tactical and SWAT teams to serve some of the warrants, including at a storefront along a strip of dilapidated buildings near downtown that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said was being used as a “casita,” or sort of club house, for one group of gang members.

Just before 4 a.m., heavily armed ATF agents raided the building and found at least seven people locked in a room. FBI Assistant Director in Charge Deirdre Fike said investigators are trying to determine if those people are human trafficking victims.

As the agents made their way through the building, they described over a police radio a labyrinth of walls and secreted rooms, something that made clearing the building time consuming

The raids and the indictment are part of a multi-agency case led by the FBI that started in 2014. More than half of those arrested and charged in the case are in the country illegally, Fike said. It was unclear how long they had been in the United States or what countries they are from.

Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck and others said the suspects’ immigration status was of little consequence, given the nature of the criminal charges.

“These are criminals. Regardless of their immigration status they are going to go to prison,” Beck said. “If they ever get out…their immigration status may become an issue, but it has nothing to do with their arrest today.”

The chief said this latest indictment and raid marks the seventh time that local, state and federal authorities have targeted MS-13 and its leadership. That law enforcement pressure, he said, has led to a steady decline in the gang’s influence in the Los Angeles area. In 2012 and 2014, his department ranked the group as the number one street gang in the area, but the group has since dropped to seventh, Beck said.

There are currently about 800 known MS-13 members in the city, down from a peak of about 1,200 in recent years.

Beck said the indictment and arrests may not dismantle the gang, but they will have significant impact on its power structure, as have previous busts.

MS-13 has become a primary target of the Justice and Homeland Security departments amid the Trump administration’s broader effort to crack down on illegal immigration and violent crime. President Donald Trump and members of his administration have repeatedly said MS-13 poses a particular risk to American communities and is among the most ruthless street gangs.

Trump signed an executive order in February specifically directing federal law enforcement to focus resources on combating street gangs and transnational criminal organizations.

MS-13 leaders in El Salvador were targeted for financial sanctions by the Obama administration in 2012 as part of an earlier executive order targeting such groups.

A 3-year-old child is safe after two people allegedly stole the car she was in a led police on a pursuit through Whittier before one was eventually detained, officers said.

The car’s driver, 50-year-old Whittier resident David Phillip Gonzales, was taken into custody following the brief chase, but an unidentified female was able to escape, Whittier police said in a statement posted to Facebook.

The toddler’s mother called police around 12:30 p.m. to report the car was stolen from the 8700 block of Nogal Avenue with her child still inside.

Responding officers soon located the vehicle in the neighborhood and found Gonzales inside with a female passenger, as well as the kidnapped child, police said.

The two led officers on a brief pursuit before abandoning the car in the driveway of a home on the 13200 block of Foxley Drive and fleeing on foot.

At that point the child was rescued, and officials found she was unharmed.

Police erected a perimeter around the area and soon captured Gonzales, who was arrested without incident. He has been booked on suspicion of kidnapping, child endangerment, grand theft auto and felony evading, officers said.

The female, however, still has not been found. Police did not release her identity or provide a suspect description.

Gonzales is being held on $100,000 bail and is scheduled to be arraigned on Wednesday.

Anyone with information on the incident can call the Whittier Police Department at 562-567-9270 or report anonymously at 562-567-9299.

An 18-year-old man was booked on suspicion of attempted murder after allegedly assaulting his mother in Anaheim Tuesday night, authorities said.

Officers responded to the 5800 block of East La Palma Avenue around 8:50 p.m. after receiving a call of a possible assault in a mobile home, according to Anaheim Police Department Sgt. Daron Wyatt.

When they arrived at the scene, they learned from witnesses that a teen who lived at the location with his mother had run away from the scene with a baseball bat, according to Wyatt.

Officers peered inside the residence and found a woman down with apparent severe blunt force trauma, prompting them to force entry, he said.

The victim was rushed to a hospital and remained in extremely critical condition Wednesday morning.

Wyatt told KTLA the victim is a sworn peace officer who works for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

A few minutes after police responded to the mobile home, dispatchers received a call from someone advising them he was the victim’s son, and that he was in a riverbed. The Santa Ana River is located not far from where the assault took place.

Officers went to the location he gave and found the man, who had a baseball bat in his possession, according to Wyatt.

Police on Wednesday identified the suspect as Seth White.

He was taken into custody and booked on suspicion of attempted murder.

No additional information was immediately released.

Prosecutors on Thursday asked for the public’s help in identifying possible additional victims of a Garden Grove man accused of sexually assaulting two girls.

Victor Norman Ealey, 56, was charged Monday with two felony counts of lewd acts on a child under the age of 14, with a sentencing enhancement alleging multiple victims, according to a news release from the Orange County District Attorney’s Office.

Around April 30, Ealey allegedly committed lewd acts on a 10-year-old girl, who went to the Garden Grove Police Department and reported the assault.

During the investigation, a second alleged victim came forward.

Ealey is accused of accusing performing lewd acts upon the second child — who was around 10 years old at the time — between Jan. 1, 2014, and Dec. 31, 2016, according to prosecutors.

He is being held at the Men’s Central Jail in Santa Ana on $1 million bail. Ealey’s arraignment was continued to June 6, the DA’s Office said.

The defendant had access to children and was in a position of trust when the incidents took place, and investigators are looking into whether there are any other victims in the case.

Anyone who believes they may have been a victim is urged to call Supervising DA Investigator Eric Wiseman at 714-347-8794.

Two suspects, including a 17-year-old with an outstanding murder warrant in Colorado, were arrested Monday night following a home invasion in Torrance, according to police.

Officers were called to the 3600 block of Sara Court around 10:40 p.m. by the victim’s neighbor, who noticed two men entering the woman’s residence and thought it was suspicious, according to Torrance Police Department Lt. Steve D’anjou.

When police arrived, they heard screaming coming from the home; two people then ran outside, D’anjou said.

One of the suspects was taken into custody at gunpoint in front of the house, but the second suspect managed to flee the location, according to the lieutenant.

A perimeter was set up as authorities from multiple law enforcement agencies searched the area for the second suspect. About 90 minutes later, the second individual was taken into custody.

Both suspects were expected to face a multitude of charges in connection with the home invasion, including burglary, auto theft and elder abuse. The vehicle had apparently been stolen out of Torrance earlier Monday evening, according to D’anjou.

It was not immediately clear whether the teen would be prosecuted in Southern California first, or if he would be extradited to Colorado for prosecution on the murder warrant, he said.

Torrance police did not release the names of either suspect, but the Denver Police Department identified the 17-year-old as Dmarco Blake and confirmed he had been wanted in connection with a homicide that occurred on May 15 in the 3900 block of South Spruce Street.

The Los Angeles Times identified the second suspect as an 18-year-old Colorado resident who wanted there in connection with a robbery.

Meanwhile, the victim was taken to hospital for injuries received in the incident; she has since been released.

A neighbor described the woman as “elderly,” and told KTLA she had recently lost her husband.

The suspect accused of shooting a man in an Apple Valley Target parking lot on Memorial Day was shot and wounded by deputies on Tuesday after a warrant was issued for his arrest, authorities said.

At about 6:08 p.m., deputies were in the 25000 block of Flathead Road — in an in unincorporated part of Apple Valley — to conduct a follow up investigation related to the earlier shooting, according to a news release from the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department.

Investigators had identified the suspect in the shooting as 41-year-old Dearld Wicker, of Apple Valley, and had obtained an arrest warrant for him, the release stated.

Deputies arrived at the location and contacted Wicker, who was armed with a handgun at the time, authorities said.

At least one deputy opened fire on the suspect, wounding the man. Wicker was airlifted to Loma Linda University Medical Center, where he was last reported to be in unknown condition, according to the release.

No other details about the shooting were immediately released, with the department saying only that it would provide new information when it became available.

Wicker is suspected of pulling out a weapon and opening fire during an argument with several people outside the Target located at 20288 State Highway 18 on Monday evening, the Los Angeles Times reported.

One man was struck by the gunfire in the back of the head. He was airlifted to Loma Linda hospital and is expected to survive, sheriff’s officials told the newspaper.

The deputy-involved shooting is being investigated by the sheriff’s Homicide Detail.

Anyone with information is urged to call Detective Lisa Guerra of the sheriff’s Homicide Detail at 909-387-3589.

Those who would like to remain anonymous can contact the We-tip Hotline at 1-800-782-7463, or by leaving information on the We-Tip Hotline at http://www.wetip.com.

A man wanted in connection with the death of his ex-girlfriend found shot on the side of the road in Sylmar has been transported back to Los Angeles following his arrest in Mexico, police said Monday.

After receiving an anonymous tip suggesting Jose Benjamin Rodriguez had fled south of the U.S. border, detectives were able to locate him in the state of Colima, where a gang member associate of his resides, the Los Angeles Police Department said in a statement.

Rodriguez was taken into custody by Mexican immigration officials and Colima State Police on May 24 and returned to Los Angeles on Saturday, May 27, police said.

He is being held on suspicion of killing Eloise Elizarraraz, his former girlfriend who was found laying next to her BMW suffering from a gunshot wound on Jan. 7. Paramedics soon determined she was dead.

The 34-year-old mother of three was on her way to work that morning when her car was run off the road, according to police. Her car and body were found on the sidewalk at the intersection of Harding Street and Tripoli Avenue.

.Rodriguez is accused of pursuing her in a stolen vehicle and forcing her vehicle off the road before shooting her.

A warrant for his arrest on suspicion of murder was issued on Jan. 12 after investigators learned of his tumultuous relationship with Elizarraraz, police said. In an April 18 news conference, LAPD Detective James Fillmore described their relationship as “portentous” and “filled with jealousy and violence.”

Detectives had uncovered threatening messages Rodriguez sent to Elizarraraz and evidence he was attempting to find her, officers said.

According to Fillmore, Rodriguez was so infuriated after Elizarraraz told him she loved another man he drove from South L.A. to Sylmar and waited outside her home until she left that morning.

Rodriguez is a gang member with a long history of domestic violence and assaulting women, Fillmore said. He was believed to have been incarcerated on drug charges in November, and was apparently out on bail at the time of Elizarraraz’s death, he added.

Officials did not announce when Rodriguez was scheduled to be arraigned

A young woman was killed in a chain-reaction crash on Saturday after a suspected drunken driver slammed into her vehicle, causing it to crash into a San Bernardino County sheriff’s transport van, police said.

A sheriff’s deputy — who was transporting several prisoners to a facility — was headed eastbound on Fifth Street when he stopped at the intersection of H Street for a red light at approximately 1:46 a.m., according to a San Bernardino Police Department news release.

The victim’s vehicle, which was behind the van, also stopped at the red light.

As both drivers waited for the light to turn green, a vehicle being driven by 34-year-old Irineo Del Castillo approached the two vehicles from behind and rear ended the victim’s car, pushing it into the back of the sheriff’s transport van, the release stated.

Witnesses told police the driver appeared to be speeding when the collision occurred.

“We were at the stop light, it just turned green and (we) notice this truck that wasn’t stopping,” witness Sasa Taliau told The Press-Enterprise in a message over Facebook. “We waited ‘til it passed and then heard the car hit the cars at the next light. One car literally had its backseat crashed in.”

The female driver suffered major internal injuries, and was found unresponsive in her car in the immediate aftermath of the crash, according to the release.

She was taken to a hospital, where she died of her injuries.

The San Bernardino County coroner’s office identified the 26-year-old victim as Ariell Gipson, of San Bernardino.

The sheriff’s deputy and at least one inmate in the transport van received minor injuries in the collision.

Police arrested Del Castillo, of Riverside, on suspicion of DUI causing injury, according to the release. He was transported to Arrowhead Regional Medical Center before being taken to the West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga.

He has since been released on bail, inmate records showed.

The DA’s office has yet to file charges in the case; a court date has also not been scheduled.

The fatal crash remains under investigation. Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Peck at 909-384-5664.

A woman being sought in connection with stabbing her two grandchildren, one of them fatally, and her daughter has been arrested, Colton Police Cpl. Ray Mendez told KTLA.

Nicole Darrington-Clark, 43, is believed to have stabbed her relatives about 9:10 a.m. Monday in an apartment complex along the 1400 block of East Santo Antonio Drive.

An 18-month-old girl died and the other victims were reported to be in critical condition.

She was taken into custody Tuesday morning while she was in her car, previously described by authorities as a Hyundai Sonata.

A San Bernardino County Sheriff’s deputy spotted her car parked on 9th Street and Waterman Avenue and ran the plate number. Darrington-Clark was then arrested is being questioned, Mendez said.

The names of the victims have not been formally identified, but a neighbor said the toddler was named Damani and the older sibling is a 5-year-old named Arleya. The mother, the neighbor said, is named Glorious.

Darrington-Clark has a violent past.

She pleaded guilty to two counts of attempted murder in connection with stabbing her son and pushing her daughter out of a moving vehicle in 2005, but the court ruled her insane, the San Gabriel Valley Tribune reported in 2007. At the time she was expected to remain in a mental institution, but was released in 2010, Mendez told KTLA. It is unclear why she was released.

The motive behind the 2005 crime, as well as Monday’s incident, remain unknown.

A little boy was rushed to the hospital by deputies after he was struck by gunfire in a gang-related shooting in the unincorporated East Compton area shortly before noon Wednesday, authorities said.

Deputies from the Compton Sheriff’s Station responded to the area of Compton Boulevard and Lime Avenue about 11:42 a.m., according to a news release from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

When they arrived, they found a child who had been hit by gunfire in the upper torso, the release stated. They placed the child in their patrol car and rushed him to a hospital.

He went into surgery and was in critical condition, Deputy Ryan Rouzan said. A sheriff’s news release later indicated the child was stable.

At a brief news conference on scene, Rouzan described two black men and three Hispanic men getting into a confrontation that escalated into a physical fight. One of the Hispanic men pulled out a firearm and opened fire on the black men, who ran westbound, Rouzan said.

The little boy – between the ages of 2 and 4 – was struck by a stray bullet, the deputy said. Authorities initially believed the boy was hit in crossfire, Rouzan said.

Witnesses told KTLA they heard about five to six gunshots.

The child was with his mother, riding in the back seat of a sedan that was going westbound on Compton Boulevard when he was struck.

At the scene at Atlantic Avenue and Compton Boulevard, a green SUV had a shattered passenger-side rear window. The two people inside that vehicle were not injured, authorities said.

The shooting occurred a block away in front of a liquor store on the corner at Lime Avenue, Rouzan said. Evidence markers were placed in front of the store, which is across from a child development center. East Rancho Dominguez Park is also nearby.

As deputies searched for the men involved, “an active crime scene containment” was in effect in the surrounding area. Residents in the area were told to shelter in place, including via an announcement from a sheriff’s loudspeaker. Deputies could be seen surrounding an apartment building.

One male was handcuffed and placed in a deputy’s vehicle, video from the scene showed. Another person was also seen being taken into custody in the area. The two people are believed to be related to the crime and may end up being considered suspects, Rouzan said.

Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call the Compton Sheriff’s Station at 310-605-6500. Anonymous tips can also be left by dialing “Crime Stoppers” at 800-222-8477.

One person was killed and three others was critically injured in a Panorama City shooting that apparently led to a crash early Friday, officials said.

The incident was reported about 2:05 a.m. in the 14700 block of West Plummer Street, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.

A preliminary investigation by the Los Angles Police Department indicates that the shooting occurred and the van the victims were in was shot Capt. Peter Casey said.

The driver was shot in the head and chest and declared dead at the scene.

His front passenger was also shot and injured in the wreck and is in critical condition, Casey said.

One of the back seat passengers suffered a broken back was undergoing surgery Friday morning. The other backseat passenger suffered non-life-threatening injuries, but will not talk to police, Casey said. He added that the people in the back seat were thrown around during the crash.

Casey said the car was struck by gunfire at least seven times, but police did not find bullet casings at the scene, leading police to believe the shooter or shooters were also in a vehicle.

At least one of the victims was described as having tattoos from the MS 13 gang and police believe the shooting may have been gang-related.

After being shot, the driver crashed into several parked cars in the area, Casey said. The van suffered major front and side damage and firefighters had to extricate the victims, video from the scene showed.

Police were canvasing the area looking for possible witnesses, Casey said.

Plummer Street in the area is closed during the ongoing investigation