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Daily Mail
a day ago
- Daily Mail
Girl, 11, is mauled by mountain lion outside family's stunning Malibu home
An 11-year-old girl was mauled by a mountain lion while feeding chickens near her family's beautiful Malibu house. Authorities were called to a home on the 32500 block of Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu after the mountain lion supposedly attacked a young girl. The girl had been feeding chickens at the property when the mountain lion launched at her and bit her on the arm, according to KTLA. It's unclear which home the girl lived in on the block, but the surrounding homes sprawl across prime Malibu real estate and have sold for as much as $26 million. Officials with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's Lost Hills Station said deputies responded shortly after 5:30 pm on Sunday evening. The severity of the girl's injuries remains unknown, but she was rushed to the hospital and is expected to be okay. Emergency responders arrived at the scene on Sunday, including officials with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, who managed to track the lion down and shoot it dead. DNA samples were taken from the 11-year-old to be compared with the mountain lion's to ensure they tracked down the correct animal. It's not the first mountain lion attack in Malibu in recent years. Last year, a five-year-old boy was attacked by a mountain lion at Malibu Creek State Park - an 8,215-acre park with 15 miles of trails with a creek, rock pool and lake. The attack happened at around 4:30 pm while the child was having a picnic with family members at the state park. The animal grabbed the child's head in its jaws and tried to run away with its prey before the boy's father wrestled him free. The first fatal mountain lion attack in 20 years took place in Georgetown, California, last March. One man died and another suffered 'traumatic injuries' to the face following a mountain lion attack in the rural area. The men, two brothers aged 21 and 18, were searching for shed antlers in a remote part of Georgetown, a small community 50 miles outside Sacramento. The 18-year-old phoned 911 to say that he and his brother were attacked, leaving him with 'traumatic injuries to his face,' and added he had been separated from his brother. First responders arrived at the scene around 20 minutes later. They began treating the 18-year-old and launched a search for the 21-year-old. 'Shortly after the search started, they located a man down, and next to that individual was a mountain lion in a crouched position,' Kyle Parker, a spokesman for the sheriff's office, told KCRA 3. Since 1890, there have been only six fatal mountain lion attacks in California, and the most recent in March 2024 was the first in two decades. Mountain lions can weigh up to 150 pounds and are known for being one of the most reclusive animals in US forests, according to the National Parks Service. Less than a month ago, a dog in Colorado was killed by a mountain lion while trying to save its owners. While on their nightly walk in Boulder, Taulere and Arrone Appel witnessed their 10-pound dog Bodhi horrifyingly killed by a mountain lion at around 9pm. Within just three minutes of their walk, Bodhi was attacked by the mountain lion. 'He was ten pounds, he was our little baby,' Taulere said. Arrone said that if not for his poor pup, the animal would have attacked him instead.
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Yahoo
Attack by homeless man in L.A. leaves woman, 52, with broken nose, concussion
A woman brutally assaulted by an alleged transient in Los Angeles' Los Feliz neighborhood is calling on city officials to do more to keep residents safe. The violence unfolded on June 18 when Donna DeChristopher, 52, was walking home from running errands in what she describes as a normally safe, walkable area near her residence on Sunset Drive. The 52-year-old spotted a homeless man that she's seen in the area and believes lives in a nearby encampment not far from Thomas Starr King Middle School. She says the man, described as a Hispanic male in his 20's, ran up to her and punch her in the face at least three times before she went unconscious. The 52-year-old, who said she suffered a concussion, a broken nose, complications with her eye and psychological street from the traumatic assault, said she may have been hit again while she was on the ground and blacked out. 2 brothers reported missing found dead off California highway Fortunately, a Good Samaritan who witnessed what happened came to help her. The 52-year-old is now calling on the police department, the district attorney and city leaders to do more to prevent these attacks, especially since there are children in the area who attend the nearby middle school. 'I know that so much is going on right now, but this should not be falling through the cracks,' DeChristopher told KTLA News. 'If this happens to me, I'm vocal. I don't want this to happen to anyone else. Who else has he attacked that he has hurt that is too afraid to come forward? Who is he going to hurt the next time he's out on the streets?' Councilmember Nithya Raman, who represents DeChristopher's district released the following statement: 'While our work has yielded results, including a 40% drop in the number of people living on the streets in our district last year, much more remains to be done and we will continue to deploy every resource available toward address this issue.' Just days after she was attacked, the Los Angeles Police Department arrested a homeless man believed to be DeChristopher's attacker, who has reportedly trespassed onto properties in the area. The man had a previous warrant out for his arrest and is currently being held without bail. KTLA has reached out to the district attorney's office for confirmation, asking if that arrest is linked to DeChristopher's assault and, if so, what charges he will likely be facing. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
New York Post
09-06-2025
- General
- New York Post
LA family's been visiting empty grave to mourn their mother for 4 years after headstone mishap at cemetery: lawsuit
Grave error. Loved ones who spent years grieving their beloved family matriarch at her Los Angeles burial site were horrified to learn they had been visiting an empty grave the whole time due to a misplaced headstone, according to a lawsuit and reports. The family of the late Hasmik Demirchayn – who fled oppression from the Soviet Union in the 1980s for a better life in the US – spent the past nearly four years coming to grieve, pray, celebrate birthdays and even put up a decorated Christmas tree at an empty plot that had a headstone with her name, according to local reports. 3 Hasmik Demirchayn was buried in an unmarked plot at a cemetery, while an empty plot was given her gravestone, according to a lawsuit. Demirchyan Family Photo Marine, Hasmik's middle child, has been overwhelmed with guilt and shame for visiting the wrong gravestone, she tearfully recalled to NBC4 Los Angeles. 'When she passed, I thought, 'At least, we have given her a peaceful, respectful place to rest.' But seeing her memorial tablet placed on the wrong grave, it felt like losing her all over again,' the daughter said. 'We were just talking to an empty spot.' After Hasmik Demirchayn died of a heart attack in 2021, her children buried her in one of the plots that the family had purchased in 2008 at the Hollywood Hills location of Forest Lawn Memorial Park. Since then, her children have come to visit the gravesite and commemorate a woman they described to NBC Los Angeles as the 'perfect mom.' 'For a year, I was there every weekend, taking her flowers, and sitting and talking to her,' Marine told local station. It wasn't until this April when the children had to bury their father, who had been happily married to his wife for several decades, that they realized there had been a terrible mistake. Chris, Hasmik's son, told KTLA News that during his father's funeral service, a mortician confessed to him that his mother's headstone was above an empty plot, while her body was buried in a plot with no marker. The gravestone had been placed in 'space 1,' while the beloved matriarch was buried in 'space 2,' one plot over to the right, according to KTLA. 'It was an embarrassing moment. It was a shocking moment. It's a violation of trust,' Chris said, recalling the shocking conversation. 'I feel betrayed because we have been speaking to an empty plot.' 3 The gravestone of Hasmik Demirchayn, who died of a hear attack in July 2021. Demirchyan Family Photo Despite the cemetery fixing the mistake and moving the headstone to the right burial spot, the family has filed a lawsuit in the hopes that a similar mistake can be avoided in the future. The Demirchyan family sued Forest Lawn Mortuary and the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Association for fraud, breach of contract, negligence and negligent infliction of emotional distress and is seeking compensatory and punitive damages, according to a lawsuit obtained by PEOPLE. 'While we appreciate Forest Lawn for taking appropriate action to correct their error right after they discovered it, it still is inexcusable because this would not have come to light if my client hadn't suffered another loss,' Rosie Zilifyan, the family's attorney, told local outlets. 3 The family of Hasmik Demirchayn is suing after they learned that they had been visiting an empty plot for four years, according to the suit. AP Apologizing and fixing the mistake doesn't take away the heartache, the family said. 'They think saying sorry and moving it makes up for what was four years of mourning that we did, and we're still grieving,' George Eskichyan, Hasmik's grandson, told KTLA. 'This adds an extra layer of hurt and pain.'
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Yahoo
2 found dead inside tent in Westlake months after fatal fire at same encampment
A man and a woman were found dead inside a tent in Westlake on Monday, months after another person died in an RV fire at the same encampment, authorities said. The Los Angeles Police Department responded to the 1200 block of Huntley Drive — near the 110 Freeway and Downtown Los Angeles — around 7:20 p.m. and found two bodies, according to a department spokesperson. The L.A. County medical examiner's office is working to determine how they died. Police are not investigating the deaths as homicides, the spokesperson said. The woman was identified as 46-year-old Lucrecia Macias Barajas, according to a spokesperson for the medical examiner. The man was in his 30s, and his identity is being withheld until authorities can reach his family, the spokesperson said. KTLA News reported that Barajas' family members found her body after they were unable to reach her for several days and tore open her tent, which was locked from the inside. ABC7 News captured video of Animal Services picking up Barajas' dogs from the encampment Monday night. A spokesperson for Animal Services said the department responded to a request from the LAPD to retrieve two dogs from the encampment — a pit-bull mix and a shepherd mix — and took them to North Central Animal Shelter. A man living nearby told KTLA that his dogs had been attacked by dogs living in the encampment, which he said has caused persistent problems in the neighborhood. 'This place has been a danger zone,' the man told the outlet. 'People don't feel safe, and nothing is ever done to clear it for good.' Read more: 24 fires a day: Surge in flames at L.A. homeless encampments a growing crisis On Jan. 7, a person was found dead inside a burned vehicle at the encampment. A second person, a 38-year-old man, was taken to a hospital in the incident, Los Angeles Fire Department Spokesperson Margaret Stewart said. The death rate among people experiencing homelessness in L.A. County increased by 55% between 2019 and 2021, an uptick public health officials have attributed to a surge in fentanyl overdoses. In 2023, 2,508 people experiencing homelessness died in L.A. — which is equivalent to 6.9 deaths a day. Drug and alcohol overdoses were the leading cause of death, accounting for 45% of all fatalities. Encampment fires are also a contributor to deaths among people living on the streets or in vehicles. From 2018 to 2020, the number of fires related to homelessness nearly tripled, accounting for roughly 38% of all fires the department responded to in that time frame, according to a Times analysis. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Yahoo
Anaheim police kill driver in high-speed pursuit, crash in Orange County
Anaheim police fatally shot a man Wednesday night after a high-speed pursuit that ended when he crashed his truck on a bridge over the Santa Ana River, authorities said. The chase began shortly after 7:45 p.m. when officers responded to a shooting at a motel in the 300 block of North Brookhurst Street, according to Anaheim police Sgt. Matt Sutter. The victim of the motel shooting, a man, was taken to a hospital in stable condition. The suspected shooter drove away and police pursued him, Sutter said. He led officers on a wild chase — blowing through intersections, striking other vehicles, weaving through traffic and losing a tire, according to video captured by a KTLA News helicopter. The man raced along the 91 Freeway in a white pickup truck before zooming onto surface streets, where police officers made several unsuccessful attempts to halt the truck, the station reported. After an almost hourlong chase, the pursuit ended near West Memory Lane and North Bristol Street, Sutter said, about eight miles from the shooting. Police positioned on a bridge over the Santa Ana River executed a PIT maneuver, strategically hitting the side of the suspect's truck and sending it into a guard rail. It bounced back into the road, striking a bridge divider, and came to rest, according to KTLA. Read more: Girl was kidnapped by man who messaged her on Roblox, officials say. 10-year-old found safe As smoke poured out of the vehicle, officers rushed to surround it. Police opened fire at 8:38 p.m., and the driver was pronounced dead at the scene, Sutter said. A passenger in the car surrendered to police and was escorted away, KTLA reported. Information on the suspect's and shooting victim's identities was not immediately available. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
