Man steals pickup truck with toddler inside
States he's his uncle
LAWNDALE, Calif.—A 21-year-old man who allegedly stole a pickup truck in Lawndale with a 2-year-old boy inside was behind bars today, and the toddler was safely back with his family.
The boy's 42-year-old father had just strapped the child into the truck when he returned to his apartment near 173rd Street and Grevillea Avenue at 2:48 p.m. Monday to get a diaper bag he had left behind, said Sgt. Paul Schuerger of the Los Angeles County sheriff's South Los Angeles Station.
When he returned moments later, the pickup, which had been left running with the air conditioner on, was being driven away, he said.
The father called 911 and within five minutes, deputies located the pickup a few blocks away in the area of 168th Street and Hawthorne Boulevard and pulled it over, Schuerger said.
They arrested the suspect, later identified as Christopher Smith of Inglewood, and booked him on suspicion of kidnapping and grand theft auto, Schuerger said. He was jailed at the South Los Angeles Station in lieu of $100,000 bail and was due in court on Wednesday in Torrance, according to sheriff's online booking records.
The child, upset and crying but unharmed, was returned to his father, Schuerger said.
It was unclear if Smith knew the child was in the truck when he took it, said sheriff's Sgt. Charles McDaniels of the South Los Angeles Station. But when he was pulled over, Smith claimed the boy was his nephew, though he didn't know his name, McDaniels said.
The Crenshaw Subway Coalition is gearing up for a possible showdown over additional funding for the Crenshaw-to-LAX light rail line, including a Leimert Park Village Station, but may have to await a May 23 decision by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board on just how bruising—or necessary—a showdown will be.
COMPTON, Calif. — Authorities arrested a man who allegedly tried today to kidnap a woman in Carson and then led deputies on a chase to the Athens Village area, where his car crashed into an SUV at an intersection and burst into flames.
Lawrence Dickerson, 36, was arrested following the crash, which occurred near Avalon Boulevard and 135th Street about 6:30 a.m., according to the sheriff’s department.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. — A man was found shot to death today in a vehicle in Inglewood, the apparent victim of homicide, authorities said.
The 35 year old man was pronounced dead at about 12:30 a.m. in the 600 block of West Hardin Drive, according to Coroner’s Chief Craig Harvey.
Authorities withheld the name of the dead man, pending notification ofhis relatives. The circumstances of the shooting were under investigation.
Candidates running for Inglewood City Council seats bring a diverse collection of experiences to the contest to win a seat to govern in the “City of Champions.” On April 2, at the end of the day, they hope to be the ones left standing so they can deliver a pot of gold to residents in the form of paved streets, quieter airplanes, sewers free of tree branches, and a return to yesterday.
District 1 candidates George Dotson, LeRoy N. Fisher, Felicia Ford and Daniel Tabor, are running against incumbent Mike Stevens.
Chris Wright was playing professional basketball in Turkey last year, working toward achieving his lifelong dream of playing in the NBA, when something strange happened at the end of practice.
“I’m running sprints, just normal sprints, and I run and touch the baseline, go back and my foot gives out,” said Wright, now 23.
“I just thought I slipped or something like that. But I noticed my foot started getting numb and it just got progressively worse.”
