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. This incident comes on the heels of a Sunday......

Those of you who rarely use your cell phones while driving need not take too much notice of the following announcement (oh, and p.s.? Thanks for being better than other people). For those of you, however, who insist on multi-tasking throughout your driving experience, watch out: that phone call you're making while wending your way down the 101 might just get you pulled over and fined, fined, fined. The CHP just released a press......

More details have come out today regarding the alleged Sunday morning Freeway shooting in Sherman Oaks near Van Nuys Blvd on the 101. A car with a young man, now identified as 20-year-old Marlon Gordillo-Sical, was found shot in his car after it crashed on the freeway. He was taken UCLA Medical where he was pronounced dead. Police were cautious in assuming details yesterday as KNBC reported (emphasis added): The Honda sedan could have been......

*UPDATE: 4:30 p.m. After six hours the 101 eastbound at the 405 was reopened. No witnesses have come forward with information about the incident, which is believed to be a car-to-car shooting that took place following a dispute. Police are asking for any witnesses to come forward to help the investigation. This is the second post-argument car-to-car shooting on the 101 in the Valley this year. *UPDATE 10:40 a.m.:The eastbound 101 at the 405 has......

"little green leaf," by Melle Music via LAist Featured Photos Pool on Flickr For those who thought oil spills only happened when big tankers in Alaska collided with icebergs, may I point you to the South Bay? Crews were busy Saturday cleaning up about 5,500 gallons of oil that spilled into the wetlands area around Machado Lake. The oil apparently overflowed from an oil-and-water separator at the Cooper & Brain Oil Co. field near PCH......

View Larger Map There was an officer-involved shooting down the street from Washington Irving Middle School and near Forest Lawn Memorial Park-Glendale at the intersection of Drew St. and Estara Ave. in Glassell Park. One man died and another was sought by police according to Officer Kate Lopez at the LAPD. The Southbound 2 San Fernando Rd. off-ramp was shut down due to police activity, according to Officer Jimenez of the California Highway Patrol. Other......

*Updates as of 10:53am: The LA Times is now reporting: "Witnesses described a man approximately 64 years old leaping from the Wilton Place crossing over the northbound Hollywood Freeway near Sunset Boulevard at about 8:30 a.m."A man jumped to his death from the 101 North overpass at Sunset Boulevard this morning; reports are coming in from Sigalert.com that traffic is badly snarled. LAist spoke to a witness at the scene who was caught in......

On the Pier in Santa Monica Mr. Lincoln, we like your pennies, says the US Postal service, just a day shy of his birthday. To celebrate, they announced today that postage will go up by 1 cent to 42 cents, effective May 12th. A 15-minute car chase had CHP officers trying to catch up with a woman wanted in a forgery case today. The pursuit began in El Monte and ended in Sylmar, reaching......

Everyone's inside watching TV right now | Photo by manmadepants via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr Oceanic Air flight 815 from Sydney, Australia to Los Angeles crashed in mid-2004, killing 318 passengers. Six, miraculously survived. Markland at blogging.la draws the connections from LOST to Lost Angeles. North Hollywood Auto Vs. Pedestrian hit-and-run leaves pedestrian dead. Stay safe out there! Double dipping in that Superbowl dip today? "Three to six double dips transferred......

In Sunday's wee hours, an unusual car chase took place on our local freeways, between the LA County Sheriff and a Vons big rig. According to the San Jose Mercury News:Officials say the hourlong pursuit began when LA County Sheriff's deputies responded to a report that a big rig was weaving. Sheriff's Sergeant Dan Raimo says the driver failed to yield and headed onto Highway 101. The big rig eventually stopped near Cerritos and......

Last month a program called Project 50 aimed at identifying homeless individuals most in need of immediate housing was begun in Los Angeles, and a similar program kicked off today in the City of Santa Monica. This morning teams began training for safety and census-taking skills, and are preparing to take to the streets early next week in the late night (or early morning) hours, tracking the areas where groups of homeless people congregate and......

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.......

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. It took 60 firefighters 38 minutes to knock down the flames, according the LAFD, which lept from the burning vehicles to nearby palm trees, as witnessed by other......

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. The 32-year-old Murietta man (pictured) has been with the CHP for six years, and remains in the Orange County Jail on $4 million bail. His arraignment had been scheduled for yesterday, but the alleged drug nabber's attorney has stated that he......

Vitals details in the killings of two South LA residents who were found shot to death in their 11th Ave apartment remain unknown. The LAPD was notified late Monday afternoon of gunshots heard, and soon after discovered the bodies of Shelton Sumerall, 32, and Monica Youngblood, 23, both of whom suffered fatal shots to their heads. The motive and a shooting suspect have not been determined. A Van Nuys man was stabbed yesterday when he......

Chief William Bratton has cut crime in New York City and now here. Other cities are trying to do what he does, but it doesn't always work. So how do we model the success? Manhattan Beach solidarity. A two-year veteran of the MBPD is undergoing cancer treatment. Fifty officers, firefighters and city employees shaved their head to support the officer who is going through chemotherapy and one hundred people donated O-negative blood specifically for......

One thing that separates LA from the rest of the world are our televised high-speed vehicle pursuits. Glendale PD tried to pull over a man in a white pickup truck a little over an ago. The driver peaced-out and floored it north onto the 5 freeway. Here we are now at 2:27 pm and KCAL's SKY9 is all over it. Speeds have reached above 100 miles per hour. What's most interesting is that the......

Anti-war protesters have been gathering in Downtown Los Angeles this afternoon; the CHP has blocked off two ramps on the 101 because of the protest. Huge meat recall: Topps Meat Company is recalling over 20 million pounds of hamburger patties that may be infected with e.coli: more than a dozen people have gotten sick. The man who threatened Tom Cruise with extortion for stolen wedding pictures was found dead in his home, an apparent......

Today, notable incidents for the LA Fire Department included mutual aid with the LA County Fire Department for a brush fire at the 14 and 5 freeway junction and a near drowning of an 8-year-old boy at a public pool off of Foothill Blvd. He was saved by lifeguards and airlifted to a hospital. A small plane crashed in Kern County with 4 adults and two children, all residents of Santa Monica. Another tornado......

It's called "Lane Splitting" and although it's legal, the CHP warns that "Lane splitting by motorcycles is permissible but must be done in a safe and prudent manner." We're not sure if this example was either safe or prudent, in fact there were a few tight squeezes that made us yell at the screen, but it sure did open our eyes to the possibilities of commuting via motorcycle in this fair city. Yes, we......

Can we say embarrassing? The LA Times reports in an investigation that there are major problems with cell phone 9-1-1 emergency calls.Elementary school counselor Brad Edwards said he waited eight harrowing minutes last year before a dispatcher picked up his cell call about a boy who had collapsed on a Los Angeles schoolyard and begun foaming from the mouth. "The fire station is just a few blocks away. I could have run there faster......

Could changes finally be coming to Sepulveda Boulevard after more than eight long years of debate? Who knew comic book fans could be so violent? Times reporter Geoff Boucher was attacked covering Comic-Con this past weekend. Sounds like a good idea: Hollywood residents are turning to birth control pills to control the pigeon population. Al Gore's son pleaded guilty to possessing marijuana and other drugs this morning. Seriously, you guys deserve it: members of......

All of you looking for a quick getaway Up North might want to think about going tomorrow morning, or taking the scenic route up the 101, or getting ready for some long delays. NBC4 is reporting that due to a semi-truck crash in Castaic, the CHP is detouring northbound cars off the freeway to avoid the wreckage. Several lanes of the Northbound 5 Freeway are closed because of a big rig crash in Castaic,......

- According to the LA Times, people who live next to trains and subways do not use them. - Eek! "From July 1 of 2006 to June 30 of this year, only 3.21 inches of rain fell in downtown Los Angeles — the lowest precipitation level since records started being kept in the 1880s." - After 80 mph driving and weaving on the Hollywood Freeway in March, actress Vivica A. Fox (Kill Bill, Independence Day)......

- Hey hippies, the world’s largest wind energy conference and trade show ever is happening here in town - All American Patriots - LAPD accused of beating up homeless - LAT - Random two sentences out of today's LA Daily News: The 23-year-old star of "Teeny Tarts 4" and president of Hollywood-based Nautica Thorn Productions made a name for herself getting naked on camera. That name pushed her into mainstream consciousness recently as she......

We've all done it: sat in hours-long traffic, eying the swiftly-moving carpool lane, wishing we had brought a friend, a blow-up doll, anything that would "legally" get us into the carpool lane. There's often a moment, as you sit trapped in the fast lane, oh-so-close to the carpool lane and oh-so-late to your intended destination, when you look at the people in the carpool lane. Really look at them. It's then that the obvious......

- Michael Jackson is being sued again, this time by the family of a woman who died in a hospital in SLO and whose room he popped his head into when he had the flu during his last trial - SLO Trib - Oki Dog has always been an "A" in our hearts, now the Health Dept. has given them the top grade - Los Anjealous - How the Internet Superhighway makes its way......

- Bikes + Ditty Bops = Love - bitchinspin - Two microearthquakes in the Valley today and counting... - USGS - Meet Thomas Mauk who will be, for all purposes, the new CEO of LA County - Daily News - Updates on the body found on the wheel well of a British Airways jet at LAX - LA Times - Brandy may be charged with manslaughter per the CHP's recommendation - CBS2 - Ari......

Chilly temps and a plane crash in the valley kept yesterday's news busy while Angelenos enjoyed their Friday before a three-day weekend. Some dressed warm for clubbing in Hollywood, others dressed nice for Sting at Disney Hall and we're sure some cuddled under blankets while watching Academy Awards screeners lent to them by their friends. By the way, did anyone notice just a day after David Beckham's announcement, the Daily News website leaderboard ad......

If you drive, you've probably been in one of these or at least seen it in ongoing traffic: the California Highway Patrol (CHP) puts their lights on and weaves across all lanes, slowing traffic down. "This is called a traffic break. Officers are first trained in our academy how to initiate these because they are so heavily used...especially in Southern California," Officer Joe Zizi told LAist. "Traffic Breaks are utilized to 1) warn motorists......