WEST HOLLYWOOD—Around 8:45 p.m. on Thursday, April 9, deputies from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department West Hollywood Sheriff Station arrived at a building in the 1000 block of North Vista Street in response to a report of an assault conducted with a deadly weapon.

According to the report issued by myNewsLA.com, after arriving on the scene, deputies learned that a person had been shot while out on the balcony.  Deputies took the victim to a hospital for medical attention.

The victim’s name has not been released by authorities or their current condition. The LASD West Hollywood Sheriff’s Station is still investigating the case.

 

By Daniel Diquinzio

PACIFIC PALISADES—On Wednesday, April 8, Jasveen Sangha, 42, who is known as the Ketamine Queen who sold the ketamine that led to an overdose by the late actor Matthew Perry was sentenced by United States District Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett. Sangha lives in North Hollywood and holds dual citizenship in the United Kingdom and the United States.

Per the press release issued by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, Sangha was sentenced to 180 months in federal prison.  She pleaded guilty in September 2025.  She pleaded guilty to three counts of distribution of ketamine.  She also pleaded guilty to one count of distribution of ketamine resulting in death or serious bodily injury. She also pleaded guilty to one count of maintaining a drug-involved premises.

Jasveen Sangha, along with Erik Fleming sold ketamine to Kenneth Iwamasa, who was the personal assistant of the late actor Matthew Perry, who starred in the sitcom “Friends,” the remake of “The Odd Couple” and films like,  “The Ron Clark Story,” and “The Whole Nine Yards” and its sequel, and who was injected 51 times with ketamine.

Sangha was sentenced not just for supplying the ketamine that caused Perry to overdose but for her long-term drug dealing.   This included selling four vials of ketamine to Cody McLaury in 2019.  McLaury died later that day as a result of a drug overdose.  According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, Sagnha also used her home in North Hollywood as a place from which she not only sold drugs such as methamphetamine and ketamine, but she also used her home as the place from which the drugs were packaged and shipped, which she started years ago.

Jasveen Sangha was not the only person to be sentenced for the death of Matthew Perry.  Two other defendants were also sentenced which included Salvador Plasencia, who lives in Santa Monica and who also supplied drugs to Matthew Perry, and Mark Chavez, who lives in San Diego, and who operated the drug clinic that Plasencia brought drugs to give to Perry.

Plasencia pleaded guilty in July 2025 to four counts of distributing ketamine and is currently serving 30 months in prison.  He also lost his license to practice medicine in California back in September of 2025.

Chavez pleaded guilty in October 2024.  According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine.  His sentence includes serving three years of probation.  It also includes performing 300 hours of community service and doing 8 months of home detention.

In August 2024, both Erik Fleming and Kenneth Iwamasa pleaded guilty to federal narcotics charges. They will be sentenced for their role in the death of Matthew Perry.

The case is being prosecuted by two different prosecutors which includes Assistant U.S. Attorney Haoxiaohan H. Cai, who works in the Major Frauds Section, and Ian V. Yanniello of the National Security Division.

Canyon News reached out to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California for comment on the sentencing of Jasveen Sangha and the sentencing of Salvador Plasencia and Mark Chavez but did not receive any comment on the case.

 

By Daniel Diquinzio

SANTA MONICA—On April 7, an unhoused woman, later identified as Connie Arreola, 40, was arrested on charged with suspicion of animal cruelty after Santa Monica Police Department (SMPD) officers responded to a call of a woman assaulting her dog until it yelped in pain. Officers arriving at the scene on Main Street near Pico Boulevard arrested Arreola and took her into custody. SMPD Animal Control was called to pick up the dog and take him to the vet to be evaluated. According to the veterinarian the three-month-old puppy had a broken leg. Kann California Law Group (KCLG) explains the charges for animal cruelty on their webpage. “In sum, to be guilty of violating the Animal Cruelty law under CPC §597(a), you must, hurt or kill a living animal and act maliciously.” Kann goes on to explain that for a person to be convicted under CPC §597(a), the prosecutor must prove beyond reasonable doubt that an act was committed involving the maiming, mutilation, torturing or killing a living animal and that act was malicious. Canyon News reached out to Santa Monica Police Department Lt. Lewis Gilmour for a statement. His statement confirmed the aforementioned details.  In addition, Lt. Gilmour indicated that the injured  puppy remains in the care of the veterinarian.   By Sharon

BEVERLY HILLS—On Tuesday, April 7, the Beverly Hills Police Department announced on its Facebook page that it would celebrate Autism Awareness Month.

According to a post, some of the department’s uniformed officers will be wearing special patches to promote understanding of autism, as well as acceptance of people who are autistic.

In addition, the citizens of Beverly Hills can also purchase one of the patches that sell for $10.

Anyone who is interested can contact Sergeant Alatorre of the Beverly Hills Police Department Public Relations Unit whose email is: aalatorre@beverlyhills.org.

 

By Daniel Diquinzio

SANTA MONICA—On April 8, California Governor Gavin Newsom issued a press release announcing $145.5 million in funding through the Homeless, Assistance and Prevention (HHAP) program to prevent and address California’s homelessness. The funding does not include Los Angeles County. The following areas have been identified to be the recipients of Newsom’s latest homeless initiative. -$1.4 million is allocated to Lake County and the Lake County Continuum of Care (LCCoC). -$3.5 million is allocated to be divided between the cities of Irvine, and the Santa Ana-Anaheim-Orange County Continuum of Care (CoC). -$20.4 million — City of Riverside and the Riverside County CoC. -$31.7 million — City of Sacramento, and the Sacramento CoC. -$49.9 million — City of San Jose and the San Jose-Santa Clara CoC. -Almost $4.1 million — Solano-Vallejo CoC. -Over $2.2 million — Yolo-Davis-Woodland County CoC. -$600,000 — Yuba County. Earlier this year, $419 million was allocated to be divided between the areas of Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Francisco, indicates the California Governor’s website, with $159.3 million was awarded to “20 California regions.” A February 2026 report via the California Legislative Analyst’s Office 2025-2026 overview indicated that Governor Newsom spent $37 billion on homelessness since becoming Governor in 2019. The state spent an additional $900 million on homeless encampment removal and cleanup. California Homelessness continues to grow. According to the Los Angeles Almanac there is little difference in the demographics of homelessness between 2019 when Newsom took office and 2025 statistics. Los Angeles County listed 58,936 homeless/unhoused individuals in 2019 and 73,308 in 2025. Several cities included in the coverage area for Canyon News in the report are: -Beverly Hills in 2019 counted 19 homeless individuals and 17 in 2025. -Malibu had 154 in 2019 and 21 in the 2025 count. -Santa Monica had 1,002 in 2019 with 677 reported in 2025. -West Hollywood had 131 unhoused in 2019 and 79 in 2025. The COVID-19 pandemic may have skewed numbers due to mandatory shutdowns. On March 19, 2020, California was the first state to employ a state-wide stay at home mandate. According to the Public Policy Institute of California, California’s population has shown little growth in 25 years. A total of 150,000 left the state in 2019 and 220,000 in 2020. Reports indicate that close to 10 million people left California between 2010 and 2024. Key Wealth Migration Data from early 2026 indicates that 57,000 millionaires have left the state of California for other destinations related to Governor Newsom’s proposed Wealth Tax. This includes entire businesses such as Oracle, Chevron, Tesla, and SpaceX.   By Sharon

WEST HOLLYWOOD—At 2 p.m. on Thursday, April 8, the city of West Hollywood announced on its Facebook page that it would be celebrating Food Day.

According to the post, the event will take place on Sunday, April 12, at Plummer Park located at 7377 Santa Monica Boulevard. Food Day will run from 11 a.m. to 5 P.M.

The purpose of the event is to celebrate sustainability and a healthier and cleaner future.  In addition, according to this post, plant-based food will be served at the food court during Food Day. There will be panels about sustainability and events for children to participate in, along with environmentally friendly vendors.

Sunday, April 12 was selected for Food Day because it falls during Los Angeles Climate Week and Earth Month. Food Day is being sponsored by the city West Hollywood and the Plant Based Treaty Present.

 

By Daniel Diquinzio

TOPANGA CANYON/WOODLAND HILLS—On April 8, detectives from the Los Angeles Police Department Topanga Division announced it is asking for the public’s help to locate an attempted murder suspect.

The LAPD reported on April 6, around 11 a.m., officers responded to a radio call of an “Assault with a Deadly Weapon Stabbing” in the 20500 block of Ventura Boulevard. Responding officers located two victims suffering from multiple stab wounds.

The investigation determined the suspect, identified as Adam Courtney Brown, 32, stabbed both of his parents’ multiple times causing significant, life-threatening injuries. Brown fled on foot and is known to use public transportation in the Los Angeles County area. Brown may have ties to Palmdale, Hollywood, and the Woodland Hills areas.

Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics responded and transported one victim to a local hospital in stable condition. The second victim was transported by a witness to a local hospital in stable condition. Brown is considered armed and dangerous and should not be approached. If seen, call 911.

Anyone with details that can lead to the arrest of Adam Courtney Brown is asked to contact LAPD Topanga Division’s Major Assault Crimes at (818) 756-3264. During non-business hours or on weekends, calls should be directed to 1-877-LAPD-24-7 (1-877-527-3247). Anyone wishing to remain anonymous should call the L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (800-222-8477) or go directly to www.lacrimestoppers.org.

 

By Danny Jones

PACIFIC PALISADES—On Wednesday, April 8, the Los Angeles Fire Department rescued hikers in Pacific Palisades. The incident as reported at 8:23 p.m. on 20825 Entrada Rd.

LAFD firefighters made contact with three hikers after air and ground resources searched for approximately 1 hour for the group. They reported that two more hikers, originally with their party, were trapped on a ridge approximately 200 feet up from trail level.

Though fog initially restricted air resource capability, a change in conditions enabled LAFD Air Ops to perform a hoist rescue — all five individuals have been reunited in a safe area. There were no reports of any injuries.

 

By Danny Jones

WEST HOLLYWOOD—On April 6, at approximately 4:15 p.m. deputies from the Los Angeles County Sheriffi’s Department (LASD) West Hollywood Station responded to a call of a burglary at the Best Buy on La Brea in the Gateway Mall located at 7100 Santa Monica Boulevard. Deputies on scene told reporters that, “It was a robbery. This person walked in grabbed two iPads. Loss prevention tried to stop them. They dropped one, picked it back up, and ran out.” According to reports, the suspect involved included a Black female wearing a white top. According to employees, the suspects first attempted to exit through the back door but were unable to get out. The alarms started to sound, and the suspects began to spray the mace. When heading for the front door, the employee made a grab for the iPad, causing the suspect to drop it, and was hit with mace before the suspect’s exit. No further descriptions were given, and the suspects are at large. One Best Buy employee was transported to an area hospital for treatment. Anyone with information can contact West Hollywood Sheriff’s Station at (310) 855-8850. Next door and Niche report that West Hollywood has a higher crime rate than the national average with property crime being a significant issue. The latest data available indicates that there is a 1 in 15 chances of becoming a victim of a crime in West Hollywood, the report states. Neighborhood Scout gives up-to-date information on crime statistics in the area that include safety tips for this area include: -Being aware of your surroundings, especially in crowds. -Keeping valuables out of sight. -Avoid walking alone at night, particularly in less populated areas. -Report anything suspicious to local law enforcement.   By Sharon

BEVERLY HILLS—On Tuesday, April 7, the city of Beverly Hills announced that the Beverly Hills Police Department was implementing the “Drone-in-a-Box” program, a public safety initiative designed to improve emergency response, enhance officer safety, and provide greater situational awareness across the city.

“As part of my Mayoral initiatives, I am proud to advance cutting-edge technology that keeps Beverly Hills safe ahead of the curve,” said Beverly Hills Mayor Sharona Nazarian. “Our Police Department is already exceptional, with dedicated men and women protecting our community 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Drone-in-a-Box adds another powerful tool, delivering critical real-time, life-saving information that strengthens public safety and helps keep our City secure.”

Drone-in-a-Box systems are automated drone platforms housed in secure, weather-resistant docking stations. These systems enable a rapid deployment of drones within 90 seconds, allowing officers and dispatch personnel to quickly assess incidents without delay.

“This program represents a significant advancement in how we respond to emergencies and protect our community,” said Mark G. Stainbrook, Chief of Police. “By leveraging this technology, we can make faster, more informed decisions while prioritizing the safety of both our officers and the public.”

Key Benefits of the Drone-in-a-Box Program include a faster emergency response. Drones can be deployed instantly from fixed locations throughout the city, significantly reducing response times and providing critical, real-time intelligence during high-priority calls.

Live aerial video allows officers to evaluate potential threats before arriving on scene, helping to de-escalate dangerous situations and minimize unnecessary exposure to risk.

Equipped with high-resolution cameras and thermal imaging capabilities, drones provide a comprehensive view of incidents. This enhanced perspective supports better coordination and more effective incident management.

With no launch lag, drones can be airborne within moments, ensuring immediate operational support when seconds matter most. Strategically placed docking stations throughout Beverly Hills expands coverage, reduces response times, and allows drones to remain on scene longer during critical incidents.

 

By Danny Jones