Tag: Hollywood Hills

HOLLYWOOD HILLS—On Sunday, June 30, the Los Angeles Fire Department battled a structure fire in Hollywood Hills West. The fire was reported at 6:59 a.m. at 8100 W. Sunset Blvd.

First-arriving companies reported a one-story single-family dwelling with fire showing from the front. Firefighters proceeded in offensive mode, breaching entrances to fight fire and search for victims. They ascended to the roof to ventilate the pressurized smoke and heat.

Full extinguishment of the blaze was completed in 35 minutes. There was a total of 37 firefighters on-scene. There were no reports of any injuries. The official cause of the fire is unknown and under investigation.

By Trevor

HOLLYWOOD HILLS—The Los Angeles Fire Department reported a two-story fourplex blaze at 3322 N. Barham Blvd. in Hollywood Hills on June 18.

Officials were first alerted about the fire at 5:33 p.m. where firefighters investigating the source of the smoke inside of the two-story fourplex found a small fire involving contents only (no structural involvement yet).

Crews quickly snuffed out the small fire and remained on scene to evacuate the smoke from the building using blowers. There were no reported injuries during the blaze. The cause of the fire is currently under investigation.

By Trevor

BEVERLY HILLS—On Wednesday, May 22, the Beverly Hills Police Department (BHPD) took one suspect into custody after chasing him in high pursuit. Police began following the suspect near Hollywood Hills when the suspect they were following reportedly brandished a weapon.

The incident then escalated into a high-speed chase. The suspect sped into oncoming traffic driving down the wrong side of Mulholland. CBS Videocam footage shows the police in pursuit of a dark-colored SUV traveling down Sunny Cove, to Woodrow Wilson Drive, running red lights, and weaving through traffic as he approached Cahuenga Boulevard W. and the Cahuenga access road. The suspect appeared to be driving on the shoulder of Oakcrest Drive, onto the shoulder of Cadet Drive to Bennet Drive, and Barbara Court, picking up speed while weaving through all lanes and the shoulder of Ventura Boulevard and Vineland Avenue.

CBS KCAL helicopter footage shows the driver of a white SUV exiting his vehicle. He managed to get out of his car and sit on the ground after enduring the impact of the suspect plowing into his vehicle at a high rate of speed.

Reports indicate that the suspect was traveling at nearly 100 m.p.h. when he crashed into another driver at the intersection of Colfax Avenue and Erwin Street. Firefighters made their way to aid the victim of the crash while police continued after the suspect who had not exited his vehicle and ran on foot into a nearby alley.

It appeared that the suspect attempted to break into a nearby home while attempting to elude police. Video footage shows an officer escorting the now handcuffed suspect who appeared to be a light-skinned male wearing gray pants and a white t-shirt.

Canyon News reached out to the Beverly Hills Police Media Relations Department for more information. BHPD Lieutenant Andrew Myers responded with the following information:

The driver and sole occupant of the vehicle was Gagik Arshakyan, a 26-year-old from Van Nuys, California.  

Booking Charges are as follows

245(A)(2) PD – Assault with a firearm.

2800.2(A) VC – Evading a peace officer: reckless driving.

4463(A)(1) VC – Forge/Alter vehicle registration.

11350(A) H&S – Possession of a controlled substance.

20001(A) VC – Hit & Run causing injury.

148 PC – Resisting or obstructing a public officer.

245(C) PC – Assault on a police officer.

According to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department inmate locator, Arshakyan was booked into the Beverly Hills Police Department jail. His bail was set at $50,000.  His court date is Friday, May 24, at 8:30 a.m. at Los Angeles Superior Court on La Cienega Boulevard.

Arshakyan has a criminal record with 22 charges against him dating back to 2022.

By Sharon

 

HOLLYWOOD HILLS—On Thursday, May 9, the Los Angeles Fire Department disclosed they rescued a hiker in Runyan Canyon. The LAFD were informed at 7:20 p.m. of a hiker who suffered injuries near 2469 N. Solar Drive.

The 35 year-old hiker sustained injuries secondary to a 15-foot fall in a remote area of Runyon Canyon. Crews on the ground and in the air coordinated to locate and assist the patient, who was able to walk down the trail.

He was able to meet an LAFD paramedic ambulance for treatment and was transported to a local hospital for treatment.

By Trevor

HOLLYWOOD HILLS—On March 24, several homes in the Hollywood Hills area were damaged after recent rainfall. According to local meteorologists, Sunday’s bouts of rain added to the already saturated ground sending mud and debris down below the hillside on the 9200 block of Flicker Way.

The area near Sierra Mar Place, where comedian Jerry Seinfeld use to live, has also been one of the places most seriously affected by the Spring rains this year.

According to The Landslide Blog, on EOS written by Dave Petley, due to a landslide, four homes in the area have been red-tagged or declared “unsafe for occupation.” Petley explained that aerial video footage showed the rotation of blocks of sandstone and siltstone bedrock has caused large amounts of “weathered material” into the homes below.

According to the Washington State Department of Natural Resources, “Rotational slides (slumps) are landslides that occur along a curved or spoon-shaped surface. Back-tilting may occur near the scarp of the landslide and there is often a toe of displaced material. Rotational slides often occur because the internal strength of the material is overcome by its own weight.”

According to World Weather information, Hollywood Hills has a sixty-one percent chance of more rain in the forecast for Saturday, March 30, and Sunday, March 31.

By Sharon

HOLLYWOOD HILLS— On Monday, February 12, a shooting took place during a house party at the 1600 block of North Crescent Heights Boulevard near the Chateau Marmont hotel, Los Angeles Police Department’s Officer Madison confirmed with Canyon News. 

At 12:10 a.m, LAPD officers responded to a radio call of an assault with a deadly weapon. Officer units arrived at the scene and located two shooting victims – identified as both male and 24 and 25-years-old – suffering from gunshot wounds. The party and incident reportedly took place at an AirBnb rental property, Officer Madison said. A couple of loaded firearms were located in the bushes of the residence, no further description of the weapons were disclosed nor  if they were the weapons used. 

Both victims were transported to a local hospital and listed in stable condition.

A video posted on Instagram by @stillbrazy, shows several LAPD officer units at the scene. LAPD Air Ops can also be heard above. Officers appeared to be transporting the victims to a location down the street and away from the scene, to be transported into an ambulance. In the video, one victim – a black male – appears to have been shot in the rear and bleeding. This victim can be seen getting walked from the officer vehicle and transported on a gurney to be put in the ambulance. 

Two possible suspects were apprehended and questioned at the scene, but were later released, Officer Madison said. Suspects remain at-large with no further description disclosed at this time. No other victims or injuries were reported. 

This is an on-going investigation.

By Lacy

HOLLYWOOD HILLS—More than 50 RV’s were being removed from Forest Lawn Drive in Hollywood Hills on Wednesday, December 6, as part of Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass’ Inside Safe Program. Bass signed the Executive Directive back in December 2022.

The Inside Safe Program is aimed to help those encountering homeless get into stable housing. Inside Safe will assess street homelessness across Los Angeles and proactively engage with people living in tents and encampments based on which locations are chronic and where people are most in crisis.

Inside Safe will support the following five goals:

-Reduce the loss of life on our streets
-Increase access to mental health and substance abuse treatment for those living in encampments
-Eliminate street encampments
-Promote long-term housing stability for people experiencing homelessness
-Enhance the safety and hygiene of neighborhoods for all residents, businesses, and neighbors

The city is working to remove makeshift encampments that have been littered throughout the area in recent years. There were dozens of RVs on the street for more than 2 miles on the road.

Andrew Rindge informed reporters that people were informed a few days earlier that they were going to “clean the whole area.”

“There was nothing written down or anything, just people coming from the city and telling them they had to leave,” Rindge told ABC 7 Los Angeles.

The portion of Forest Lawn Drive that was being cleaned up was closed to traffic as the vehicles were removed.

By Trevor

Hollywood Hills—On Tuesday, November 14, at approximately 7:00 p.m., a driver in a four-door, dark-colored sedan drove into the storefront of Jones Hollywood Café located at 7141 Santa Monica Boulevard causing significant damage to the building. No injuries have been reported at this time.

Jones’s Hollywood Café is known for its fresh-baked bread and vegetarian items along with a wide variety of desserts including apple pie for two that according to the menu is served hot.

There is limited information available on this accident. There have been no reports that alcohol or drugs were a factor in the accident. If you were there and have any information on the incident, please contact the Hollywood Community Police Station at 1358 N. Wilcox Avenue in Hollywood, California or call 213-972-2971 Voice or after hours and on weekends, 213-485-9899 TDD/TTY.

By Sharon

HOLLYWOOD HILLS—The Los Angeles Police Department is offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to the identification and arrest of a suspect – or suspects – involved in the murder of Mercy Melissa Martinez, the LAPD released in a statement on April 12, 2023. 

On June 13, 2022, 28-year-old Martinez’s skeletal remains were found by the workers of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power inside a sewer drain in the Hollywood Hills. The exact location was not disclosed. Detectives found evidence at the scene which prompted them to believe Martinez’s body was placed there by someone else, the LAPD reported. 

Martinez was last seen by her family in April 2021, and was last known to be alive during a police incident on June 15, 2021. She was experiencing homelessness and was dealing with substance abuse issues at the time of her disappearance.

“Mercy was someone very special in our lives and to say we’re heartbroken is an understatement,” Martinez’s family said in a GoFundMe post. “Mercy was a person who always put others happiness before her’s and was always willing to help anyone.”

Martinez is survived by her 14-year-old son, Sandorson, her 7-year-old son, Danny, and her mother. 

LAPD detectives are requesting the public’s help in aiding in the arrest of the suspect(s) involved in her death, as well as any information about Martinez’s whereabouts between the time of her last known contact and the day her remains were discovered. 

Anyone with information is asked to contact Detectives John Lamberti (serial number 40252) or Tamara Momayez (serial number 40279) at (213) 382-9470. Anonymous tips may also be reported via text by logging onto www.lapdonline.org and clicking on “Anonymous Web Tips.”

By Lacy