Man at large after allegedly gunning down estranged girlfriend and her daughter: LA sheriff
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department
(LOS ANGELES) — A man is at large after he allegedly gunned down his estranged girlfriend and her daughter in their car, authorities said.
Donte Lamont Brown, 41, of Compton, is considered armed and dangerous, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department warned.
La’von Hall and her daughter, Ma’Laysia Martin, were stopped at a traffic light in Compton around 7 p.m. on Tuesday when Brown allegedly drove up alongside their car and shot them, according to the sheriff’s department.
After Hall was shot, she got out of the driver’s seat and fell to the ground, authorities said. Her car kept moving until it struck a pole.
Responders found Hall lying on the ground and Martin in the passenger seat, the sheriff’s department said. The mother and daughter both died at the scene, authorities said.
“Detectives have exhausted all leads” in their search for Brown and are asking for the public’s help to find him, the sheriff’s department said.
Anyone with information is urged to call the sheriff’s department at 323-890-5500 or call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 800-222-TIPS (8477).
Andrew Woodley/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
(MEMPHIS, Tenn.) — A Missouri woman has pleaded guilty in connection with what prosecutors called a “brazen” attempt to fraudulently put Elvis Presley’s Graceland estate up for auction.
Lisa Findley pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud in U.S. District Court in Memphis, Tennessee, on Tuesday. As part of a plea deal, prosecutors agreed to dismiss one count of aggravated identity theft that was previously filed against her.
When asked if she understood what she was pleading guilty to, Findley said, “yes.” She did not make a statement explaining her conduct.
Prosecutors are recommending Findley receive a 57-month federal prison sentence. She is due back in court for sentencing on June 19.
Findley, 53, initially pleaded not guilty to the charges in the wake of her arrest last year. The trial had been scheduled to start in mid-April before Tuesday’s change of plea hearing.
The mail fraud charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
Federal prosecutors said Findley formed a “brazen scheme” to try to “extort a settlement from the Presley family.”
As part of the scheme, prosecutors said Findley forged the signatures of Elvis Presley’s late daughter Lisa Marie and Florida notary Kimberly Philbrick in order to claim that Lisa Marie did not pay back a $3.8 million loan from a purported company called Naussany Investments that listed Graceland as collateral.
Philbrick spoke exclusively to ABC News, telling “Good Morning America” in August 2024 and “IMPACT x Nightline” in October 2024 that she never notarized anything for Lisa Marie Presley and has no idea how her name got involved in the scheme.
Naussany Investments, an unregistered entity that prosecutors said Findley was behind, filed public notices in May 2024 stating that it would auction off Graceland at the front of the Shelby County Courthouse.
A Shelby County chancellor issued a temporary injunction at the eleventh hour that prevented such an auction from taking place, citing an affidavit from Philbrick that stated her signature was forged and she never met Lisa Marie.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(LOS ANGELES) — One of the strongest storms of the season slammed fire-ravaged Los Angeles with heavy rain on Thursday, sending streams of mud and debris across roadways and sweeping a fire department vehicle off a Malibu road into the ocean, authorities said.
A member of the Los Angeles Fire Department was inside the vehicle when it was swept off the road by a large debris flow and into the ocean, according to the department.
“Fortunately, the member was able to exit his vehicle and reach safety with minor injuries. He was transported to a local hospital as a precaution,” spokesperson Erik Scott said.
The atmospheric river dumped 6.34 inches of rain in Los Angeles County, prompting mudslides in the burn scar areas from last month’s devastating Palisades Fire, Los Angeles ABC station KABC reported.
Videos captured by KABC showed bulldozers pushing streams of muddy sludge out of the roads and firefighters trudging through nearly waist-deep swamps of water and mud.
The storm also brought a line of severe thunderstorms with 70 mph wind gusts to Los Angeles County, and a possible tornado hit a mobile home park near Oxnard, California, about 60 miles from LA.
LA Mayor Karen Bass said the city prepared for the storm by clearing catch basins of fire debris, offering residents over 6,500 sandbags, setting up over 7,500 feet of concrete barriers, and having systems in place to capture polluted runoff.
Sheriff’s deputies helped residents prepare with sandbags and passed out mud and debris safety tips, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said at a news conference Wednesday. “Our homeless outreach teams … are actively notifying individuals living in flood-prone areas like the LA River, Coyote Creek and other key waterways, urging them to relocate.”
Evacuation warnings were announced for parts of fire burn zones, including areas impacted by the Palisades Fire, and an evacuation order was issued for parts of Sierra Madre affected by the Eaton Fire, according to KABC.
All Malibu schools were closed Thursday and Friday, according to the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District.
The sheriff urged residents to prepare in the event they needed to evacuate.
“Unfortunately, we’ve witnessed numerous, numerous instances in the past of swift-water rescues where people were caught in dangerous, fast-moving water, and obviously, we want to prevent that,” he said.
“Nothing that you have back home is worth your life. If you decide to stay in your property in an evacuated area, debris from the burn scar areas and storm may impede roads, and we may not be able to reach you,” he warned.
Before pummeling LA, the storm first hit Northern California, bringing rain and flash flooding to the San Francisco Bay area.
Further north, the same storm system brought whiteout conditions and car crashes to Interstate 84 in Oregon.
(LOS ANGELES) — A sheriff’s deputy died in a police chase after his patrol car crashed into a bystander’s car and then slammed into a light pole, splitting the vehicle in half, police said.
The chase began on Monday morning shortly before 11 a.m. in San Bernardino, California, when law enforcement received a call about a possible stolen vehicle that was spotted by a deputy on duty from the Victorville City Station, according to ABC News’ Los Angeles station KABC.
“Deputies attempted a traffic stop but the suspect, Ryan Turner, failed to yield and a pursuit ensued,” according to a statement from the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department. “During the pursuit, Deputy Hector Cuevas, Jr. was involved in a traffic collision with another vehicle.”
During the police pursuit, Cuevas crashed near the intersection of El Evado and Seneca roads, where his patrol car struck a bystander’s vehicle before slamming into a light pole, causing his car to be severed in half.
“Cuevas succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced deceased at the scene,” police said. “The female driver of the other vehicle was transported to a hospital for non-life-threatening injuries.”
The suspect, named as Ryan Dwayne Turner, Jr. — a 22-year-old resident of San Bernardino – continued to flee before stopping his car at El Evado Road and Zuni Lane and attempting to escape on foot, law enforcement said.
The pursuit didn’t last long, and Turner was subsequently caught and taken into custody, police said.
Cuevas was a six-year veteran of law enforcement who worked at the Victorville station for the last three years, according to KABC.
Turner was booked on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and evading a peace officer and causing death or serious injury, San Bernardino County Sheriff Shannon Dicus said during a news conference on Monday.
“I really have no words to describe this tragedy. Hector is the type of law enforcement officer that we all want to be,” Dicus said. “He was a grand and great protector and a great father, and we will be suffering his loss and supporting his family for quite some time.”
Vehicles from multiple law enforcement agencies escorted the deputy’s body in a solemn procession across local freeways to the San Bernardino County Coroner’s Office following the incident, KABC said.
“We currently do not know the exact circumstances surrounding the collision as of yet,” Dicus said, confirming that an investigation on the crash is underway.
“We are deeply saddened to hear about the passing of a San Bernardino County deputy,” the San Bernardino Police Officers Association said in a statement on social media. “Our thoughts and prayers are with their family, friends, and the entire agency during this difficult time. They made the ultimate sacrifice in service to their community, and their bravery will never be forgotten.”
