Latest news with #AnaheimPoliceDepartment
Los Angeles Times
2 days ago
- Los Angeles Times
Two arrests made after violent brawl between Angels and Dodgers fans at Angel Stadium
A dispute over a cap triggered a violent brawl in the stands at Angel Stadium on Wednesday night during a Freeway Series game between the Angels and Dodgers. Two men identified by the Anaheim Police Department as being 26 years old and from Tustin were arrested. The primary attacker was charged with felony assault and the other man with misdemeanor assault. A portion of the brawl was recorded on video and posted on social media. A fan wearing a Mike Trout jersey and sitting in a seat was punched and kicked in the head from one row above him by a man wearing a Dodgers jersey. The video had 350,000 views on X as of early Friday morning. A police spokesperson said the fight started because someone was accused of stealing a hat. The victim declined to be taken to a hospital by stadium personnel.
CBS News
16-07-2025
- CBS News
Police pursuit in Orange County ends with violent crash, leaving 3 dead
At least three people died on Wednesday morning after a police pursuit in Orange County ended in a single-car crash. The crash was reported just before 3 a.m. Monday near Brookhurst Street on the northbound lanes of the 5 Freeway in Anaheim. The Anaheim Police Department confirmed that a suspect driver was wanted on suspicion of burglary, leading to the pursuit. At some point, the driver lost control and crashed on the right-hand side of the northbound lanes of the 5. Police said three people were pronounced dead at the scene. Their identities have not yet been revealed publicly. It's not yet clear if all three were involved in the alleged burglary. No other injuries were reported. No additional details on the nature of the pursuit were immediately made available. As of 6 a.m., only the carpool and left lanes were open on the northbound lanes in the Brookhurst and La Palma Avenue areas. KCAL News issued a Next Traffic Alert as backup extended to Lincoln Avenue. It's not yet clear when the lanes will reopen.
Miami Herald
22-06-2025
- Miami Herald
Massive sculptures worth $2.1 million stolen from SoCal warehouse in mysterious heist
LOS ANGELES - The two towering sculptures comprising thousands of pounds of bronze and stainless steel took artist and filmmaker Sir Daniel Winn more than a year to complete. They vanished in a weekend. Police believe that on June 14 or 15 at least one thief made off with both "Icarus Within" and "Quantum Mechanics: Homme," - sculptures valued at a combined $2.1 million - from a warehouse in Anaheim Hills. Other artwork and valuables inside the warehouse that would have been easier to move were untouched. Authorities have scant details about the heist. "Unfortunately, we have little information but we are investigating," Anaheim Police Sgt. Matt Sutter said. The life-sized "Quantum Mechanics: Homme" artwork, composed of lucite, bronze and stainless steel, depicts a winged and horned man and was featured in the award-winning short film "Creation" in 2022. It's valued at $1.8 million. A second Winn piece, "Icarus Within," based partially on the sculptor's chaotic childhood escape from Vietnam, is a steel and bronze sculpture that also stands 8 feet tall, weighs a ton, and is valued at $350,000. Both sculptures were being stored in a temporary facility and were last seen by warehouse workers in Anaheim Hills on Saturday, according to the Anaheim Police Department. When the workers returned to the facility Monday, both pieces were missing, according to police. Winn believes the pieces may have been stolen by an unscrupulous collector while an art recovery expert suspects the two sculptures will be destroyed for scrap metal. "Typically these sculptures, when we do exhibitions, take about a dozen men and two forklifts to move it and a flatbed or a truck to carry it," Winn said. "This is not an easy task." Winn told The Times that the last few days have been stressful and that his anxiety has been "through the roof." Winn is considered a blue-chip artist, meaning his work is highly sought after and has a high monetary value. The former UC Irvine medical student, who was once homeless after switching his major from medicine to art, said he blends fine art, quantum metaphysics and philosophy into his work. The Vietnamese refugee owns the Winn Slavin Fine Art gallery on Rodeo Drive and was appointed earlier this month as Art Commissioner for John Wayne Airport. The loss of his art has pushed Winn "to a dark place," he said, though he's found some catharsis in talking about the situation. "These are my children," he said of each of his individual works. "I have no physical, organic children. Every artwork I create is my child." The larger of two sculptures, "Homme," was the seventh and only unsold work in Winn's Quantum Mechanics series, which explores philosophical concepts, universal truths and tries to answer the enduring question: why are we here? The smaller "Icarus Within" focused on Winn's struggle around the age of 9 in emigrating to the United States in the final days of the Vietnam War. The sculpture was tied to Winn's movie "Chrysalis," based on his memoirs, that is supposed to premiere this fall. Winn said the level of sophistication in the theft led him to suspect he was targeted and that his pieces may be on the black market. He turned over a list of individuals who have recently inquired about his sculptures to police, he said. Sutter, the Anaheim Police sergeant, said this is the largest burglary he's seen in his 25 years with the department. "We've had our share of high-end homes that were burglarized, but this type of crime, involving forklifts, trucks, crews and the sheer size of the sculptures is something I can't remember us having before," Sutter said. Sutter said investigators are asking businesses near the warehouse for any footage that could help them identify a suspect. "I have no idea where these sculptures are," Sutter said. "They could be in somebody's house or in a shipping container somewhere. That's what we're trying to find out." Chris Marinello, founder of the dispute resolution and art recovery service named Art Recovery International, said the sculptures will likely be scrapped for their metals. Marinello said scrap yards tear apart such works into thousands of small pieces to cloak the metal's origin. "Unfortunately, the criminals are not that bright and they don't see artwork but, instead, a sculpture worth millions that is more valuable to them for the raw metals like steel and bronze," Marinello said. Marinello pointed to a two-ton Henry Moore bronze sculpture, known as the Reclining Figure, stolen from the artist's foundation in Hertfordshire, England in 2005. The piece was valued at 3 million pounds, but authorities believe it was scrapped for just 1,500 pounds. "You can't sell sculptures of this magnitude on the market," Marinello said of the Winn's stolen pieces. Copyright (C) 2025, Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Portions copyrighted by the respective providers.
Los Angeles Times
21-06-2025
- Los Angeles Times
Massive sculptures worth $2.1 million stolen from warehouse in mysterious heist
The two towering sculptures comprising thousands of pounds of bronze and stainless steel took artist and filmmaker Sir Daniel Winn more than a year to complete. They vanished in a weekend. Police believe that on June 14 or 15 at least one thief made off with both 'Icarus Within' and 'Quantum Mechanics: Homme,' — sculptures valued at a combined $2.1 million — from a warehouse in Anaheim Hills. Other artwork and valuables inside the warehouse that would have been easier to move were untouched. Authorities have scant details about the heist. 'Unfortunately, we have little information but we are investigating,' Anaheim Police Sgt. Matt Sutter said. The life-sized 'Quantum Mechanics: Homme' artwork, composed of lucite, bronze and stainless steel, depicts a winged and horned man and was featured in the award-winning short film 'Creation' in 2022. It's valued at $1.8 million. A second Winn piece, 'Icarus Within,' based partially on the sculptor's chaotic childhood escape from Vietnam, is a steel and bronze sculpture that also stands 8 feet tall, weighs a ton, and is valued at $350,000. Both sculptures were being stored in a temporary facility and were last seen by warehouse workers in Anaheim Hills on Saturday, according to the Anaheim Police Department. When the workers returned to the facility Monday, both pieces were missing, according to police. Winn believes the pieces may have been stolen by an unscrupulous collector while an art recovery expert suspects the two sculptures will be destroyed for scrap metal. 'Typically these sculptures, when we do exhibitions, take about a dozen men and two forklifts to move it and a flatbed or a truck to carry it,' Winn said. 'This is not an easy task.' Winn told The Times that the last few days have been stressful and that his anxiety has been 'through the roof.' Winn is considered a blue-chip artist, meaning his work is highly sought after and has a high monetary value. The former UC Irvine medical student, who was once homeless after switching his major from medicine to art, said he blends fine art, quantum metaphysics and philosophy into his work. The Vietnamese refugee owns the Winn Slavin Fine Art gallery on Rodeo Drive and was appointed earlier this month as Art Commissioner for John Wayne Airport. The loss of his art has pushed Winn 'to a dark place,' he said, though he's found some catharsis in talking about the situation. 'These are my children,' he said of each of his individual works. 'I have no physical, organic children. Every artwork I create is my child.' The larger of two sculptures, 'Homme,' was the seventh and only unsold work in Winn's Quantum Mechanics series, which explores philosophical concepts, universal truths and tries to answer the enduring question: why are we here? The smaller 'Icarus Within' focused on Winn's struggle around the age of 9 in emigrating to the United States in the final days of the Vietnam War. The sculpture was tied to Winn's movie 'Chrysalis,' based on his memoirs, that is supposed to premier this fall. Winn said the level of sophistication in the theft led him to suspect he was targeted and that his pieces may be on the black market. He turned over a list of individuals who have recently inquired about his sculptures to police, he said. Sutter, the Anaheim Police sergeant, said this is the largest burglary he's seen in his 25 years with the department. 'We've had our share of high-end homes that were burglarized, but this type of crime, involving forklifts, trucks, crews and the sheer size of the sculptures is something I can't remember us having before,' Sutter said. Sutter said investigators are asking businesses near the warehouse for any footage that could help them identify a suspect. 'I have no idea where these sculptures are,' Sutter said. 'They could be in somebody's house or in a shipping container somewhere. That's what we're trying to find out.' Chris Marinello, founder of the dispute resolution and art recovery service named Art Recovery International, said the sculptures will likely be scrapped for their metals. Marinello said scrap yards tear apart such works into thousands of small pieces to cloak the metal's origin. 'Unfortunately, the criminals are not that bright and they don't see artwork but, instead, a sculpture worth millions that is more valuable to them for the raw metals like steel and bronze,' Marinello said. Marinello pointed to a two-ton Henry Moore bronze sculpture, known as the Reclining Figure, stolen from the artist's foundation in Hertfordshire, England in 2005. The piece was valued at 3 million pounds, but authorities believe it was scrapped for just 1,500 pounds. 'You can't sell sculptures of this magnitude on the market,' Marinello said of the Winn's stolen pieces.
Los Angeles Times
18-06-2025
- Los Angeles Times
Motel murder case a setback in Anaheim's ‘Rebuild Beach' initiative?
Cheers erupted from onlookers in late May when an excavator tore into the sides of the Rainbow Inn, a seedy motel on Beach Boulevard that Anaheim bulldozed to make way for affordable housing. But a recent murder at a nearby motel shows that progress along Anaheim's 1.5 mile stretch of the highway still has a long road ahead. On June 14, Anaheim police responded to reports of a shooting at the Villa Inn around 6:15 p.m. Officers encountered a man in his 60s suffering from at least one gunshot wound. Paramedics treated the victim at the scene before transporting him to a local hospital. The man, whose identity is not being released pending family notification, died about an hour after sustaining his injuries. Police arrested Amir Karkehabadi, 59, at the Villa Inn without incident and recovered a handgun at the scene. He was booked at the Anaheim Police Department on suspicion of murder. Homicide detectives are investigating what led to the fatal shooting. Authorities are not disclosing any relationship Karkehabadi, an Anaheim resident, may have had with the victim. 'It is another tragic event on Beach Boulevard,' said Mike Lyster, an Anaheim spokesperson. 'We certainly remain in a transition period.' Two weeks before the murder, the Rainbow Inn's demolition represented another step toward realizing the city's decades-long crusade to rebuild along the highway that has otherwise fallen into blight with an oversupply of motels serving as a magnet for crime. So far, the city has spent $35 million in acquiring and demolishing motels on the strip. As part of its 'Rebuild Beach' initiative, Anaheim rolled out damning crime statistics when the City Council authorized eminent domain powers to take the Rainbow before buying the property for $6.9 million last September. The Rainbow Inn accounted for 120 arrests through 2021, including a non-fatal shooting that year that left a man at the motel critically injured. By contrast, police and city officials claim that, despite the Villa Inn murder, the motel isn't a major magnet of crime. Sgt. Matt Sutter, an Anaheim Police Department spokesperson, stated that there have been just 16 calls for service from the Villa Inn so far this year. He added the calls have ranged from traffic stops to medical assistance. In rare cases, serious crimes have been reported. Having been an Anaheim policeman for 25 years, Sutter didn't characterize the establishment as a problem motel. 'I've responded to the Villa Inn only a handful of times,' he said. 'Compared to other locations in the area, it has not historically generated a high volume of police activity.' Thirteen motels remain along Anaheim's strip of the highway. Lyster notes that not all of them pose public safety challenges and well-managed motels remain part of future plans for the area. Still, Anaheim Police carried out 477 arrests on Beach Boulevard last year. 'Despite the best efforts of operators, there's a bit of shuffling going on,' Lyster said. 'As we go in and close motels, the problems can go to other motels.' The city is hopeful that building new housing opportunities will be a key step. Construction crews are transforming the site of demolished motels into affordable housing and townhomes near Beach Boulevard and Lincoln Avenue. Demolishing the Rainbow Inn also gave Anaheim a continuous 2.7-acre plot to consider 120 apartment units and 15 market-rate townhomes in the future. A trio of popular chains, including Dutch Bros, have signed up to be new tenants in the area. The city expects that new businesses and residents will become partners in retiring the highway's sullied reputation for crime. 'We have to keep going in our effort to rebuild Beach,' Lyster said. 'The only long-term answer is redevelopment on the boulevard.'
