Author: Edward Campbell

WINTERS, Calif. — People riding e-bikes and other electric transportation devices in Winters now face tighter restrictions as the city moves to separate faster-moving vehicles from pedestrians and other users of public spaces. The updated rules took effect Sept. 2 and prohibit e-bikes, e-scooters and similar electric transportation devices from operating on city sidewalks, in city parks, on school grounds and along the Creek Walk. The restrictions also cover city streets that have been closed to traffic for special events. The changes follow complaints about unsafe e-bike activity on sidewalks and streets. City officials and police have said the goal…

WASHINGTON — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer Christian Castro is back in federal custody after being indicted over statements investigators say he made about a January shooting that wounded a Venezuelan immigrant in Minneapolis. Castro was taken into custody in Texas on Thursday, shortly after a federal grand jury returned a six-count indictment against him. The indictment had not yet been publicly unsealed, and he was expected to make his first federal court appearance Friday. The federal case adds a new development to a dispute that has stretched across Minnesota and Texas for months. Castro was already facing state…

A powerful round of severe thunderstorms swept across the Pittsburgh area Thursday evening, bringing tornado warnings, flash flooding, damaging winds and widespread power outages across western Pennsylvania. The fast-moving storms left neighborhoods dealing with fallen trees, blocked roads and flooded streets as emergency crews worked overnight to respond to damage. By early Friday, more than 120,000 utility customers across the region remained without electricity after strong wind gusts damaged power lines and utility infrastructure. Restoration efforts continued through the night as crews assessed the extent of the damage. The National Weather Service issued multiple tornado warnings as the strongest storms…

A deadly shooting at a downtown Minneapolis apartment building began during a child custody exchange Wednesday before moving inside the building, where two residents were killed and two Minneapolis police officers were wounded, authorities said. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension identified the two residents who died as 61-year-old Muse Afrah and 63-year-old Dale Henry Spry. Both lived at Shoreline Plaza, located at 15 East Grant Street near Loring Park. The suspected gunman, identified by authorities as 35-year-old Carlton Neal Johnson II, also died during the incident. Two Minneapolis police officers who were shot were identified as Joseph Michnowski and…

A theft at a Palmdale hardware store took an unexpected turn when a pregnant employee followed a suspected shoplifter outside and pulled a heavy air-conditioning unit away from him. Surveillance video from the Ace Hardware at Rancho Vista Plaza shows a man taking the 46-pound AC unit from inside the store and heading toward the exit. The employee, who was four months pregnant, followed him as the confrontation moved from the store into the parking lot. According to store manager Carlos Morales, the employee acted on instinct after seeing the man leave with the merchandise. The suspect reportedly stumbled while…

A driver accused of being behind the wheel of an allegedly stolen Mercedes was taken into custody Thursday night after leading authorities through South Los Angeles and onto the eastbound 10 Freeway. The pursuit began in the Paramount area shortly before 10 p.m., according to authorities. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department initially followed the vehicle before the California Highway Patrol took over. The pursuit later continued under Los Angeles police involvement as the driver made his way through city streets. Officers deployed a spike strip, leaving the vehicle with a damaged tire, but the driver continued moving. At one…

BROOKLYN CENTER, Minn. — A newly filed search warrant is providing more details about the driver involved in a Brooklyn Center crash that killed 6-year-old Dreme Damara Williams and left another young girl critically injured. The Aug. 27 collision happened around 3 p.m. at Brooklyn Drive and 63rd Avenue North. Williams and another girl were riding a motorized minibike eastbound on 63rd Avenue when they were struck by a vehicle traveling south on Brooklyn Drive. Emergency crews provided medical aid, including CPR, before both children were taken to North Memorial Health Hospital. Williams later died from her injuries. The other…

Four people have been arrested in connection with an attack and robbery involving a family at Westfield Culver City earlier this week, according to Culver City police. The incident happened Monday, Aug. 31, at a retail location in the 6000 block of Sepulveda Boulevard. Police were initially called around 4:40 p.m. after receiving reports of a group of juveniles harassing people at the shopping center. The situation escalated when members of the group allegedly attacked a man who was at the mall with his girlfriend and their two young children. The man suffered significant injuries and was taken to a…

A Brooklyn neighborhood was left with a long trail of damaged vehicles and scattered car parts Tuesday evening after police say an unlicensed teenager crashed into 13 parked cars in Gravesend. The crashes happened on East Second Street shortly before 7 p.m., according to police. The 17-year-old driver allegedly left the scene after the collision, but he and a 16-year-old passenger were later taken into custody. Residents described hearing a series of loud impacts as the vehicle moved through the street. Sandi Alashkar said she had parked her car and gone inside only about 10 minutes before the crash. When…

CARSON, Calif. — A body recovered from the Dominguez Channel in Carson has been identified as that of a young girl believed to be between 6 and 13 years old, while investigators continue looking into a second death reported nearby the following day. The girl was found Tuesday, Sept. 1, near the Dominguez Channel Bike Path in the area of South Avalon Boulevard and the Victoria Golf Course. Authorities were called shortly after noon after a person at the golf course reported seeing what appeared to be a body floating downstream. Emergency crews recovered the body from the channel. Authorities…