Tag: Los Angeles County Sheriff Department

MALIBU—At around 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, September 8, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station announced that the 31600 block of Sea Level Drive East near Lechuza Point and Lechuza Beach is closed to the public. The closure was due to a large sinkhole caused by strong surf and coastal erosion, which damaged a private driveway leading to a beachside residence owned by actor Nicholas Cage, TMZ first reported.

Firefighters from the Los Angeles County Fire Department discovered it around 5:45 a.m., after receiving a report of a broken gas line underneath the street. They contacted the Southern California Gas Company, which sent crews to shut off the line.

Through the sinkhole, waves are visible, along with items that fell into the hole, including a green portable toilet, pieces of concrete, and parts of a fence. No one was injured, as the house was unoccupied when the driveway collapsed.

Firefighters closed off the area with help from deputies from the LASD.

Workers from the gas company were on scene, along with workers from Malibu Public Works and HOA contractors, to assess the situation. It is unknown when the road will reopen to the public.

Nicholas Cage has starred in the following movies: “Gone in Sixty Seconds,” the “National Treasure” franchsie, “Con Air,” “Face Off,” “The Weather Man,” “World Trade Center,” “Family Man,” and the 2006 remake of “The Wicker Man.” He played the Marvel Comics character Ghost Rider, and Spider-Man Noir, a version of Peter Parker reimagined as a 1930s private detective, in the Spider-Verse animated films and the series Spider-Noir, which was released on MGM+ and Amazon Prime Video.

By Daniel Diquinzio

WEST HOLLYWOOD—On September 4, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department West Hollywood Sheriff’s Station issued a public safety update announcing deputies stopped a person who was allegedly operating an illegal tow truck near the intersection of Fountain Avenue and La Brea Avenue.

The truck’s owner was allegedly soliciting services from a driver who was involved in a traffic accident. Deputies became suspicious after they saw the truck didn’t have the logo or name of the towing company visible. They learned that the registration expired in 2014. They also found a police scanner, which illegal tow truck operators use to monitor emergency broadcasts so they can arrive at an accident scene before a licensed tow truck.

Deputies arrested the driver for illegal towing and for possessing a police scanner. Authorities advise citizens to remember that if they are in a traffic accident, they should use only a towing company recommended by a law enforcement officer or their insurance company. Citizens should remember that a legitimate tow truck will display both a permit number and the company name.

On October 10, 2023, California Assembly Bill 1263 from the 2023–2024 session of the California State Legislature became law.  It expanded the authority of the California Bureau of Automotive Repair, or BAR, and gave it the power to target illegal towing or bandit towing operations within California.

By Daniel Diquinzio

MALIBU—At 11 a.m. on Friday, August 7, deputies from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Malibu/Lost Hills Station responded to a report of a car fire at the intersection of Lost Hills Road and Agoura Road in Calabasas.

WEST HOLLYWOOD—On Tuesday, July 14, Lucki Camel Junior, who performs and produces rap music under the stage name Lucki, had his West Hollywood home, which, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department West Hollywood Station, is located in the 9000 block of Santa Monica Boulevard, burglarized around 10:30 p.m.

According to NBC 4 Los Angeles, the thieves took about $500,000 in items, including personal items, clothing, and bags.

Lucki was born in Chicago and spent his early years performing in the underground hip-hop scene.  In 2013, he released his first mixtape, “Alternative Trap.” He has released several more mixtapes, including “Watch My Back” in 2017 and “Freewave 3” in 2019.  He has also released several albums, including “Flawless Like Me” in 2022 and “Dr*gs Bad” in May 2026.

He contacted the LASD West Hollywood Station, which dispatched deputies who reviewed footage from local surveillance cameras and canvassed the surrounding region in an attempt to determine when the burglary occurred and the identity of the culprits.

According to the West Hollywood Sheriff Station, Lucki was with another person when he discovered the burglary and the break in occurred while they were out of town.  Car keys belonging to several of the victims’ vehicles were stolen, but the vehicles were left behind.

The investigation is ongoing, and no suspects or details about them have been disclosed. The LASD West Hollywood Sheriff Station is asking anyone with information regarding the burglary to call the station at 310-855-8850.

By Daniel Diquinzio

WEST HOLLYWOOD—On Tuesday, July 14, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department West Hollywood Station issued a traffic advisory stating that Melrose Avenue was closed between Robertson Boulevard and San Vicente Boulevard due to a traffic collision that transpired around 12:45 p.m.

According to reports, a white Tesla and a blue pickup truck were involved in the collision. The Tesla was turning left onto Melrose Avenue when it hit the pickup truck and collided into the front of the building of the Guess Jeans retail store.

Both drivers received medical treatment at the scene from firefighters and were taken to a local hospital for examination. Their condition remains unknown. None of the store’s employees were injured during the incident, but the establishment sustained significant damage.

The West Hollywood Sheriff Station advised delays and urged commuters to use Santa Monica Boulevard as an alternate route. The investigation into the events leading up to the collision is ongoing, and the extent of the damage to the building is unknown. No further information has been released to the public.

By Daniel Diquinzio

WEST HOLLYWOOD—On Sunday, July 5, an unidentified man was found holding what appeared to be a rocket-propelled grenade, otherwise known as an RPG. The man told deputies that another man asked to see the item and had been the one walking around showing it to people near the 9000 block of Sunset Boulevard. That second man had already left the scene before deputies arrived.

Several 911 calls were received around 2 a.m., alerting authorities to the suspect with what looked like a military-style weapon in the popular nightlife district.

Deputies from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department arrived on scene and determined the weapon was a non-working replica. Authorities took a misdemeanor report for brandishing a replica firearm, an offense that carries a minimum of 30 days and up to six months in county jail, plus up to $1000 in fines, under California Penal Code 417.4.

Brandishing an imitation firearm under Penal Code 417.4 is charged only as a misdemeanor in California, unlike brandishing an actual weapon or firearm under Penal Code 417, which can be elevated to a felony under certain aggravating circumstances such as serious injury or brandishing near a day care.

No arrests were made, and the names of both men involved have not been released to the public.

By Milan Manesh

WEST HOLLYWOOD—The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD) and the Los Angeles County Coroner’s office are seeking the public’s assistance in identifying an individual found dead on March 31 (Easter Sunday) in the 8700 block of Santa Monica Boulevard in WEHO. The Los Angeles County Coroner/Medical Examiner’s office pronounced him, “Dead at the scene.”                                                                                     

Canyon News reached out to the Los Angeles Coroner’s office for more information. The Los Angeles Medical Examiner’s Office responded with the following information on the victim:

“The decedent appears to be homeless. On the morning of March 31, 2024, he was found unresponsive on the sidewalk of Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood and pronounced dead at [the] scene. The decedent appears to be a black male, aged approximately 45 to 60 years old. No tattoos were noted. His right eye has corneal opacity/cloudiness. He was wearing a black t-shirt with “LOVE FROM LEXI BENEFIT RIDE In honor of Berlyn Victoria Flores Saturday, July 24, 2010″ on the back, black pants, and gray socks.”

According to the Medical Examiners report, the victim had brown eyes, was 69″ tall and weighed 146 lbs.

LASD encourages anyone with more information or who may remember seeing the deceased while he was alive to contact the LASD Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500.

By Sharon