California

PHELAN, CA – According to the San Bernardino County Sheriff‑Coroner Department, deputies from the Victor Valley Station responded to a report of a burglary in the 3900 block of Harding Road after a resident reported an unknown male inside her home. Deputies were dispatched at 5:24 p.m. on October 2. The victim initially saw the man in her front yard and approached him. The suspect, later identified as 21-year-old Javier Soltero of Fontana, grabbed her cell phone and ran into the residence. Once inside, Soltero armed himself with a BB gun found in the home and fired several rounds toward the victim, striking her in the arm. Deputies arrived to find Soltero still inside. After transporting the victim to safety, deputies attempted to have Soltero exit, but he armed himself with a kn...

FAIRFIELD, CA – A 52-year-old man was killed in a solo motorcycle crash in the area of Noonan and Cement Hill Road, according to Fairfield Police. The crash occurred around 6:45 p.m. on October 3. Police and fire personnel responded to multiple calls and found the rider with major injuries. He was transported to a local hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries. His identity is being withheld pending notification of next of kin. The roadway remained closed for several hours and reopened around 11 p.m. The cause of the crash remains under investigation. Anyone with information or who may have witnessed the collision is urged to contact the Fairfield Police Traffic Division at (707) 428-7300.

VENTURA, Calif. – Five juveniles have been charged in connection with an assault involving three victims at a Simi Valley movie theater parking lot on August 1, 2025, according to Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko. Three of the juveniles are facing felony charges of assault with force likely to produce great bodily injury, each with a special allegation of a hate crime. A fourth juvenile has been charged with felony assault, along with misdemeanor counts of criminal threats and battery. The fifth juvenile is charged with misdemeanor criminal threats and battery. Two of the minors are 16 years old and three are 17. Due to their age, their identities are not being released. In addition to the August 1 incident, two of the juveniles are also being charged in connect...

BLOOMINGTON, Calif. – October 3, 2025 – According to the Rialto Police Department, officers responded to Joe Baca Middle School in the 1600 block of S. Lilac Avenue at approximately 12:25 p.m. on October 2 after a text to 911 reported an armed individual on campus. The school was placed on lockdown while officers, assisted by surrounding agencies, conducted a systematic search. No armed individual was located, and the lockdown was lifted. Detectives traced the phone used in the report to the campus at the time of the notification. Subscriber information led investigators to an address in Bloomington, where they determined a minor student possessed the device and had made the false report. The student was released to family, and the phone was seized as evidence. The motive remains...

RIVERSIDE, CA – A new study from UC Riverside’s School of Public Policy concludes that agricultural conservation is the most economical strategy for preserving Colorado River water, outperforming infrastructure projects such as reservoirs, canals, and wells. File Photo (September 2025) The analysis, led by graduate student Paloma Avila and conducted in partnership with the Utah Rivers Council, evaluated 462 federally funded water conservation and supply projects from 2004 to 2024. The projects totaled roughly $1 billion in 2023 constant dollars, based on data from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. The study found that agricultural conservation programs cost as little as $69.89 per acre-foot of water saved, while infrastructure supply efforts averaged more than $2,000 per acre-foot. ...

PALMDALE, CA – A man was killed following a head-on collision Sunday morning after reportedly losing control of his vehicle in Palmdale. The crash occurred around 11:27 a.m. on September 28, 2025, near 50th Street East and Club Rancho Drive. According to the preliminary investigation, a male Hispanic adult was driving a 2015 white Hyundai Elantra southbound on 50th Street East at an unknown speed when he lost control and veered into oncoming traffic. The Elantra struck a 2001 silver Honda Civic traveling northbound. The driver of the Hyundai was pronounced deceased at the scene. The driver of the Honda Civic was transported to Antelope Valley Hospital in stable condition. The investigation is ongoing and being handled by the California Highway Patrol, Antelope Valley Office. ...

OJAI VALLEY, CA – Human skeletal remains discovered in the Ventura Riverbed south of Baldwin Road have been identified as Zyanya Valora, a Mira Monte woman reported missing in 2024, the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office confirmed. On September 24, 2025, at approximately 10:27 a.m., a local conservancy group clearing invasive plants in the area located the suspected remains. Deputies from the Ojai Patrol Station, along with detectives, members of the Major Crimes Bureau, the Ventura County Medical Examiner’s Office, and additional support units including Search and Rescue, UAV, and CSI teams, responded to the scene. Due to the condition of the remains, immediate identification was not possible. On September 26, 2025, the Ventura County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed the remains...

VICTORVILLE, CA – A 30-year-old motorcyclist was killed in a collision Monday evening at the intersection of Bear Valley Road and Mesa View Drive. The crash occurred around 5:16 p.m. on September 29, 2025. According to the San Bernardino County Sheriff-Coroner Department, Charles Gilmore, 76, of Victorville, was driving a brown Buick Lacrosse eastbound on Bear Valley Road and attempted to turn north onto Mesa View Drive. As Gilmore made the turn, he crossed into the path of a westbound black Yamaha YZF-R1 motorcycle driven by Fidelmar Duran Perez, 30, also of Victorville. The motorcycle broadsided the vehicle in the intersection. Duran Perez sustained major injuries and was pronounced deceased at the scene. Gilmore remained at the scene and is cooperating with investigators. D...

LOS ANGELES, CA – The U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division filed a landmark lawsuit today against the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, alleging a systemic violation of the Second Amendment through prolonged delays in issuing concealed carry weapon (CCW) permits to law-abiding citizens. This is the first affirmative Second Amendment lawsuit brought by the Justice Department. The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, follows a civil rights investigation launched on March 27, 2025, in response to widespread complaints of unreasonable CCW permitting delays. According to the complaint, the Civil Rights Division analyzed records from more than 8,000 CCW applications and found that only two had been approved during the ...

LOS ANGELES, CA – The U.S. Department of Justice, in coordination with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), has filed a civil lawsuit against Iconic Hearts Holdings Inc. and its founder and CEO Hunter Rice, alleging violations of federal consumer protection laws related to the Sendit social media messaging app. Filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, the complaint accuses the defendants of violating the FTC Act, the Restore Online Shoppers’ Confidence Act (ROSCA), and the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). The lawsuit alleges the company generated and sent millions of anonymous and often romantic or sexual messages to users—many of whom are minors—falsely implying the messages were from social media contacts. Defendants allegedly mis...