A former California Highway Patrol (CHP) officer collapsed in court today as she was found guilty of first-degree murder. Tomiekia Johnson, 32, was accused of intentionally shooting her 31-year-old husband, Marcus Lavar Lemons, to death on a Compton street on February 21, 2009. more ›

Before you reach for your keys after that third glass of eggnog or that fifth holiday brew this holiday season, think "Avoid the 100." Drunk and drugged drivers will be targeted during a two-week campaign of DUI/driver's license checkpoints and hundreds of roving DUI patrols. Enforcement begins on Friday, December 16 and ends on Sunday, January 1. more ›

Los Angeles County, pat yourselves on the backs. Go on. So far over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, zero traffic fatalities have occurred. But then stop gloating and hang your heads in shame. DUI arrests have already surpassed last year's total, and it's only Saturday. more ›

A parolee who gunned it when he saw CHP lights in his rearview mirror last night is dead after leading cops on a high-speed chase through San Bernardino and slamming into three cars. Eight other people were hurt, including passengers in the parolee's car. more ›

When a law enforcement officer tells you to get out of the car, if you've ever seen even just one episode of "COPS," you know you'd damn well better get out. But what if you are a disabled motorist? Should you be treated any differently? more ›

As we mentioned earlier, officials have been traffic courting celebs to help get the word out about the short term end of the world known as Carmageddon. As if our prayers were answered in tight shorts and retro shades, Metro has announced a new Public Service Announcement alerting the public of the July 16-17 I-405 closure with the help of none other than our our hometown CHiP, actor Erik Estrada. more ›

January 1 is right around the corner, and for California drivers, that means a slew of new laws go into effect. The California Highway Patrol sent out a reminder and details about all of the state's new traffic laws that will govern the roads and their drivers starting with the turn of the calendar. more ›

The California Highway Patrol hopes everyone has a safe and happy Thanksgiving holiday...but warns motorists in the Golden State that the extra-long holiday weekend happens to be a Maximum Enforcement Period (MEP). Between 6 p.m. Wednesday, November 24th, and 11:59 p.m. Sunday November 28th, the CHP will have all available officers on the lookout for motorists who are endangering themselves or other drivers on the road. They aren't just looking for drivers who take the wheel while under the influence of a bit too much holiday libation--the CHP is looking for people speeding and not wearing seat belts, too. more ›

The driver of a stolen vehicle evaded arrest by the California Highway Patrol by pinning the officer pulling him over against a fence, according to LA Now. The CHP motorcycle officer observed the suspect running a red light at around 7:30 p.m. on Eastern Avenue in East Los Angeles last night. He gave pursuit, using his lights to signal the driver should pull over. more ›

The driver of an off-road vehicle taking part in a California 200 race lost control and plowed into the crowd of spectators yesterday, killing 8 and injuring at least a dozen others, reports LA Now. more ›

The funeral, processional, and burial of fallen California Highway Patrol Officer Philip Ortiz began with a service Downtown at Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, then moved solemnly across the city on the same freeways Ortiz served for so many years to his burial place in Culver City. more ›

Five California Highway Patrol officers have died in the last two months, making this one of the deadliest years in agency's history. The total deaths are in addition to the three that have occurred in the Los Angeles region since June 11th. more ›

A 28-year-old California Highway Patrol Officer died this weekend on the 15 Freeway in the Barstow area. Officer Justin McGrory (pictured right) and his partner were conducting a traffic stop when a red 2009 Pontiac G6 rammed into McGrory, according to the San Bernardino Sun. Police do not believe alcohol was involved, but the 18-year-old driver who stopped at the scene was arrested for vehicular manslaughter. more ›

With each new iPhone application or technological advancement, new questions emerge regarding legality of using such devices in the car. A common habit, for example, is to use Google Maps while driving as a primary source of directions. But are drivers doing it legally? more ›

Phillip Ortiz, the California Highway Patrol Officer injured while conducting an enforcement stop on the 405 Freeway June 9th, has died. Ortiz, 48, "succumbed to his injuries on June 22, 2010 at approximately 5:50 P.M.," explains a press release. He was a 28-year veteran of the CHP, and had been "a motor officer for over 20 years in the West Los Angeles Area." more ›

The California Highway Patrol has released their figures following New Year's Eve and New Year's morning, and while the number of fatal accidents is lower than last year, there were more arrests made, according to an AP report published on abc7. There were "five fatal vehicle accidents" reported, which is "five fewer than last year," claiming five lives--of which one was a pregnant woman. However, the CHP "made 527 DUI arrests between New Year's evening and morning 2010, compared to 438 in 2009." Locally, the LAPD had several checkpoints set up to check for possible DUI conditions during the holiday and will continue to do so this and other weekends. more ›

From Christmas Eve through the end of Sunday, the California Highway Patrol arrested 1104 people on suspicion of a DUI, according to a state report released today. 251 people, accounting for nearly 23% of those arrests statewide, were in Los Angeles County. more ›

A 28-mile stretch of the 101 Freeway has been identified as one of the DUI-related high-collision areas in Los Angeles County. Between 2005 and 2007, 19 people died and 619 were injured in crashes involving a drunk driver along the corridor between North Hollywood and Westlake. more ›

Never will we understand why people don't like or forget to wear seatbelts, but it happens all the time. Many like to complain, citing the usual government fundraiser line, but if you look a little closer, there are two facts to consider. Obviously one is the safety factor: seatbelts save lives. There are those who will call survival of the fittest in those cases, but many survive seatbelt-less crashes, ending up in the hospital. And that's where we have a big problem: who foots the bill for those drivers without drivers or health insurance? more ›

A crash involving four vehicles prompted a SigAlert on the eastbound 118 Freeway during rush hour this morning. A witness told police that a driver of black honda was text messaging prior to hitting a bus, spinning out and hitting other vehicles. Another bus and a box truck were also involved in the crash, which was located before Reseda Boulevard. more ›

Last year, 40 people died statewide on roadways patrolled by the California Highway Patrol during Labor Day weekend. This year the number plummeted to 12 with 9 of those victims found not wearing seat belts at the time of the crash. “Wearing a seat belt needs to become a habit for drivers and passengers alike,” said CHP Commissioner Joe Farrow. “Buckle up every trip, every time. It may save your life or the life of someone you love.” (we actually feel naked when our seat belt is not on). Also, DUI arrests were down 11 percent this year with 1,417 people caught by officers statewide. Last year, there were 1,586 DUI-related arrests. “Making an arrest is far easier than having to make a notification to the family member of someone whose life was cut short by a drunk or drugged driver," said Farrow. The agency credits the decline to their Maximum Enforcement Period they instituted, which assigns every available officer to the roads. more ›

It's the last holiday weekend of the summer and that means more drinking and driving than usual. Last year Labor Day, 40 people died on California freeways--half of those killed were not wearing a seat belt, according to the California Highway Patrol. That said, the agency will begin a Maximum Enforcement Period statewide at 6:01 p.m. through midnight on Monday, meaning every available officer will be on the road keeping a vigilant eye out for errant drivers, mainly for violators of the three major causes of highway deaths: speeding, drinking and driving and not wearing a seat belt. more ›

If you saw that car chase going up the 405 this morning, here's what happened, according to the California Highway Patrol. Officers attempted to pull over a man driving northbound on the 405 freeway in the Carson area around 8:45 a.m. But the man fled, going up to speeds of 90 miles per hour (he was going opposite of rush hour traffic at times). He made his way to the San Fernando Valley, hooked a right onto the 118 Freeway before heading back south on the 5 Freeway, exiting at Roscoe Boulevard in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Sun Valley. The chase ended around 9:40 a.m. in the driveway of a house on a side street in neighboring Arleta when police surrounded and arrested him. His name has not been released yet, nor the reason why officers initially wanted to pull him over. more ›

Early Tuesday morning, California Highway Patrol officers made a routine traffic stop that ended with deadly results. Around 12:15 a.m., officers stopped a gold Mercedes near 7th Street at South Westmoreland when the driver exited the vehicle per instructions given. But as the man got out, he allegedly produced a hand gun, prompting officers to shoot him more than once "in self defense," ultimately killing him. more ›

So that's why cops were all over the Valley this morning. The Daily News is reporting that around 200 cops raided 15 homes, arresting 16, in an early morning operation called "Wild Card" which is "the police department's effort to challenge a particularly active and violent clique of Vineland known as the Jokers." more ›

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At 11:13 p.m., the Los Angeles Fire Department alerted of a small helicopter has crashed at the southbound 110 Freeway and Century Blvd. One person was dead on board the fiery crash. Fire officials are describing it as a "small, private type, possibly home made type" aircraft. more ›

At 10 a.m. this morning, a big rig carrying a cargoload of tires collided with a sedan causing the southbound 5 Freeway to shut down for hours. Read the full story on LAist from earlier today here. More photos of the incident after this post's jump.
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A big rig carrying a cargoload of tires collided with a sedan around 10 this morning on the 5 Freeway south of 4th Street, causing a two-hour-long shutdown of the major arteries through Downtown and a blaze that was apparently visible from over 20 miles away. more ›

California Highway Patrol Officer Joshua Blackburn, charged with stealing $1 million worth of cocaine being held as evidence, has had his arraignment postponed at his lawyer's request until early next month, KTLA is reporting. more ›