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CBS News
5 days ago
- General
- CBS News
Victim of downtown Los Angeles knife attack recounts harrowing experience
One of the two victims of a violent knife attack in downtown Los Angeles over the weekend is recounting the terrifying experience he had upon returning home from work. "I have staples in my head that start ... at the crown of my head," said Kyle Levitt. He was just about to step into his apartment complex on Sunday morning after work when he says he was attacked from behind. He believes he was struck at least four times, causing him to fall to the ground. Levitt suffered cuts to his head, ear and right hand with what Los Angeles police are now calling a large butcher knife. It was previously reported that the weapon used was a machete. "Both of the tendons leading to my thumb were completely severed," Levitt said. "I could see them." It wasn't the only similar crime that happened in the area that morning either. About a quarter of a mile away a man in his 60s was also attacked. He died after being taken to a nearby hospital, police said. Sometime after beginning their investigations, police were pointed to the attacker by witnesses in the area. They took the suspect, 26-year-old Caleb Daniels, into custody and recovered the knife they believe he used. "I can say I don't hold it against him," Levitt said. "Obviously, I wish it didn't happen to either myself or the man who unfortunately passed away." He does, however, want Daniels to be held accountable and to make sure that he gets the help he needs. Daniels was previously arrested in March 2024 for a criminal threat, but his case was rejected by the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office at the time. As he continues to recover, Levitt is calling the incident a learning experience. "Making sure I'm doing all I can to be alert and aware so something like this doesn't happen again," he said. Daniels is scheduled to appear in court in front of a county judge on July 3.
CBS News
02-06-2025
- General
- CBS News
Machete-wielding man kills one, wounds another in downtown Los Angeles, police say
Machete-wielding man kills one, wounds another in downtown Los Angeles, police say Machete-wielding man kills one, wounds another in downtown Los Angeles, police say Machete-wielding man kills one, wounds another in downtown Los Angeles, police say One person was killed and another was wounded after they were allegedly attacked by a man armed with a machete in downtown Los Angeles early Sunday morning. The first attack happened just after midnight in the 1100 block of S. Grand Avenue near 11th Street, Los Angeles police said. While they were on scene and conducting life-saving measures, officers were made aware of a second similar incident happening in the 1000 block of S. Broadway near 15th Street, police said. They arrived to the area and found a second victim. Both victims were taken to nearby hospitals, where one later died. He has only been identified as a man in his 60s. The second victim, a man believed to be in his mid-30s, was in stable condition as of Sunday night. One person was taken into custody in connection with the incidents and the alleged weapon was recovered, police said. He has not yet been identified.
Fox News
29-05-2025
- General
- Fox News
Wild LA party devolves into chaos with vandalism, fire breathing man, and injured cops
A wild Los Angeles crowd featuring a fire-breathing man caused havoc on Sunday night, vandalizing train cars, businesses and a police cruiser, injuring four police officers. Hundreds of individuals, some dressed in party gear, gathered around midnight Sunday in downtown LA and rapidly devolved into vandalism and property destruction, The LA Times reported. The mob originated as an unsanctioned music event at a rooftop party spanning two parking lots, the LAPD said in a statement. The parties were promoted on social media without the property owner's knowledge, per the LAPD. Some 700 people attended the party and when police were called to break it up, some 100 revelers broke off and embarked on a destructive vandalism spree. The scene was chaotic, a torch-wielding man blew flammable liquid into the flames and shot fire into the air, another man ascended a light pole and rested his feet on a street sign as he filmed himself with his cell phone as a helicopter hovered overhead. When the LA metro's A Line train stopped on Washington Avenue, troublemakers began spray-painting the train's exterior and hammering on the windows. Police received two calls of disturbances on trains, but no arrests were made in response to either of them, an LAPD spokesperson told the LA Times. "Around midnight, approximately 50 trespassers blocked two A Line trains traveling northbound and southbound at the intersection of Washington Boulevard and Maple Street, south of downtown Los Angeles. The trespassers began to spray paint on both trains and gained entry into the southbound train and sprayed paint on the interior of the train. During the incident, no operators or passengers were harmed and service was delayed around 20 minutes," the LA Metro said in a statement. LAPD officers decked in riot gear stood in a long line across the street from the unruly mob. Some individuals were so brazen that they posed for selfies in front of a defaced LAPD squad car, and shot fireworks and kicked the police vehicle as officers attempted to drive away from the scene. Police declared an unlawful assembly and fired non-lethal bullets into the crowd in order to clear the scene, police said. A fire was reported on one of the rooftops, police said. Four officers were injured in the fracas, according to a police statement. "We were on top of a parking lot. So what ended up happening is that it got too crazy, it got too crowded," a witness told KCAL. He said attendees were using lighters and hairspray as makeshift flamethrowers. The witness said that the mob were pelting police with beer cans and water bottles and shooting fireworks in their direction. "That's kind of like the energy of those type of shows, people are just going to go there to let out all the frustration and anger that they have built from life, family, society," the witness told KCAL. No arrests were made in response to the incident, but the LAPD vowed to find those responsible. "Our officers were heavily outnumbered and so the decision was, clear the area rather than make arrests. But I can assure you we will find those responsible," Los Angeles Police Department Cmdr. Lillian Carranza told the LA Times. Nearly every business near the scene had been covered with graffiti, including a Panda Express and dialysis center. One business suffered broken windows. "This type of vandalism happens every day but never to this extent, we really need to teach the future generations how to care for one another. How would you like it if this happened to your home?" Dr. Afshin Akhavan, who runs the House of Health clinic on Washington Boulevard, told the LA Times. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass called the incident "unacceptable" and pledged to get to the bottom of it at a Memorial Day event. "It is unacceptable under any and all circumstances, and those people who perpetrated this have to be held accountable to the full extent of the law," Bass said.
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Yahoo
Chaos unfolds in downtown Los Angeles as large mob vandalizes police car, train, businesses
Officers had to form a skirmish line to clear a large mob that vandalized a Metro train, a police car and several businesses in downtown Los Angeles on Saturday night. A Los Angeles Police Department spokesperson confirmed to KTLA that units were dispatched to the 1700 block of Trinity Avenue near Washington Boulevard for reports of a group that was trespassing in the area around 10 p.m. 'The group vandalized a Metro train on Washington Boulevard. They also vandalized some businesses in the area,' the spokesperson said. Video from the scene obtained by KTLA shows dozens of vandals punching the slow-moving Metro train and spray painting it as it came to a halt. 'Around midnight, approximately 50 trespassers blocked two A Line trains traveling northbound and southbound at the intersection of Washington Boulevard and Maple Street, south of downtown Los Angeles,' Metro said in a statement given to KTLA. 'The trespassers began to spray paint on both trains and gained entry into the southbound train and sprayed paint on the interior of the train. During the incident, no operators or passengers were harmed and service was delayed around 20 minutes.' Several individuals were also seen vandalizing an LAPD squad car – even posing for pictures in front of it, shooting fireworks at it, kicking it and spray painting it as the officers started to drive away. Many of those who were not actively engaging in the vandalism were recording the chaos on their cell phones. Multiple area businesses also had graffiti scrawled on them, including a Panda Express, a WaBa Grill, a dialysis clinic and a medical building, among others. Footage from news stringer service OnSceneTV even shows a firebreather entertaining people on the sidewalk. At least one person was seen scaling a pole to get a better view of the chaos from above. Officers, who were positioned in the area in riot gear, eventually declared an unlawful assembly and formed a skirmish line. By 1 a.m. Sunday, the group had cleared out of the area, the LAPD spokesperson said. Metro added that the LAPD is continuing to investigate the incident, and that anyone with additional information is urged to contact LAPD Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (800-222-8477). There was no information indicating any arrests were made as of 3 p.m. Sunday. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
