Author: Ruben Vives

The Los Angeles Police Department on Sunday released the names of the four men killed at a San Fernando Valley restaurant.

Three were pronounced dead at the scene: Hayk Yegnanyan, 25, of Glendale; Sarkis Karadjian, 26, of Sherman Oaks; and Harut Baburyan, 28, of North Hollywood. The fourth man, Vardan Tofalyan, 31, was pronounced dead at a hospital. Coroner’s officials did not say where Tofalyan lived because they had not yet informed his family of his death

Police investigators said the four men were inside the Hot Spot café, a Mediterranean restaurant on Riverside Drive, when a gunman or gunmen opened fire before fleeing. Apart from the four men shot and killed, two others were injured but were expected to survive.

Deputy Chief Kirk Albanese, commanding officer of operations at the Valley bureau, said all six of the  men had been targeted but that a motive for the shootings was not known.

"We don’t have a crazed gunman running around North Hollywood that presents an immediate threat to public safety, to anyone in their homes or businesses in the area," Albanese said. "However, this is also not a random act of violence; this was an intentional act."

Police said the restaurant was packed with customers when the gunfire broke out at 4:40 p.m. Investigators were trying to determine the exact number of shooters and whether the gunman walked into the restaurant or was inside shortly before the gunfire broke out.

Detectives spent much of Saturday night canvassing the area for evidence, taking photographs outside the restaurant, including the sidewalk and parked cars, as well as inside. Riverside Drive was closed off between Colfax and Irvine avenues.

"This is a peaceful community that doesn’t usually have to experience this kind of a shocking crime," said Councilman Paul Krekorian, whose district includes North Hollywood. "We will get to the bottom of this," Krekorian said.

Law enforcement sources, who asked not to be identified because of the ongoing investigation, said they believed the shooting might have involved Armenian gangs.

But they also said they had no evidence that the victims were involved in gangs, noting that the case was in its early stages. The shootings come after a series of killings in the last two weeks that have diminished gains made this year in reducing the city’s homicide rate.

— Ruben Vives

More than two dozen residents were evacuated from their apartment homes early Saturday when the Huntington Beach Fire Department’s hazmat team was sent to investigate a possible drug lab in an apartment unit, but nothing was found — not even the source of a noxious odor that affected three police officers.

Huntington Beach Police officers responded shortly before 3 a.m. to a report of suspicious activity at an apartment unit at 8142 La Paz. When they arrived in the vicinity, they were affected by unknown fumes and suffered respiratory discomfort, according to Deputy Marshal Jeff Lopez.

A hazmat team was sent to the apartment complex and about 25 people were evacuated. The Red Cross set up a temporary shelter at Murdy Community Center, Lopez said. The three officers affected by the odor were decontaminated and sent to a local hospital as a precaution before being released, Lopez said.

About seven hours later, the hazmat team was unable to find a drug lab or the source of the odor, Lopez said.

— Ruben Vives

Police detectives were investigating the death of a woman who was found dead from a gunshot wound to the back of the head inside her parked vehicle Friday night in Hollywood.

Patrol officers were sent around 8:30 p.m. to the 5800 block of Lexington Avenue in the Little Armenia area to investigate a possible death, said Officer April Harding of the Los Angeles Police Department. When officers arrived, they discovered the woman, who was in her 30s, Harding said.

No further details were available.

[Updated at 11:30 a.m.: Since January 2007, L.A. County coroner’s officials have reported at least 20 homicides within one mile of the 5800 block of Lexington Avenue, according to data collected for The Times’ interactive Homicide Report.]

— Ruben Vives

The Hemet Police Department warned residents Friday about a burglary scam involving a 9-year-old boy who diverts homeowners by asking for help finding his lost cat.

In two reported incidents, the boy knocked on the front door of a home and told the homeowner his cat has wandered into the backyard, said Cpl. Jeff Dill of the Hemet Police Department.

When the homeowner is occupied looking for the cat in the backyard with the boy, a man walks in the front door and starts burglarizing the home.

"It’s a new take on an old burglary scam," Dill said.

Typically, the burglars are two men who say they need to use the phone because their car broke down, and once inside, one of them will ask to use the restroom but will instead begin stealing items from the house," he said.

Both incidents occurred this month during the evening in the 600 block of Shasta Way. Both time the homeowners were alone, but it was unclear whether the intruders knew that, Dill said.

Police did not have a description of the boy but said they were looking for a white man in his 20s, about 5-feet-5 with a thin build. He was last seen wearing a brown fishing hat and driving a black, full-sized  late-model pickup truck, Dill said.

Anyone with information may call Hemet police at (951) 765-3897.

— Ruben Vives

California Highway Patrol officials issued an early Sig Alert for the southbound Golden State Freeway on Friday morning as they investigate a fatal accident involving a big rig and a car.

All lanes of the freeway were shut down at 4:41 a.m., and traffic was being diverted just north of the Buena Vista Street offramp, Officer Patrick Kimball said.

[Updated at 7:55 a.m.: CHP officials have reopened all lanes of the freeway.]

The Sig Alert is expected to last about two hours, Kimball said. Morning commuters are urged to take alternative routes such as the eastbound 210 Freeway or the south 170 Freeway.

The fatal accident was reported at about 4:14 a.m., Kimball said. The person inside the car that collided with the big rig was killed. There were no further details about the crash, Kimball said.

— Ruben Vives

Photo: KTLA

More breaking news in L.A. Now:

Teacher who had sex with student ‘couldn’t
live with what she did,’ attorney says

Hollywood gang spreading heroin in Glendale,
La Crescenta, police chief says

Dennis Hopper, battling cancer, to get star on
Hollywood Walk of Fame

Grunion runs lure sharks as well as human
hunters off Newport Beach

A memorial service was held Saturday afternoon for Poway High School senior Chelsea King, the 17-year-old girl who was attacked, killed and buried in a shallow grave at a community park in the Lake Hodges area.

The service was scheduled to begin about 2 p.m. at Poway High’s stadium. Students wrapped ribbons around 8,000 sunflowers to hand out at the service, according to reports.

The honor student and cross-country runner went missing Feb. 25 after she went for a jog on the winding trails of Rancho Bernardo Community Park.

Three days after her disappearance, registered sex offender John Albert Gardner III, 30, was arrested in connection with her death. Since then, Gardner has pleaded not guilty to murder with a special allegation of rape or attempted rape, and on another count of assault with intent to rape another woman in December at the same park.

Investigators also are trying to determine if Gardner is linked to the disappearance and death of Amber Dubois, 14, an Escondido High School teen whose skeletal remains were found March 6 in a remote area of north San Diego County. She disappeared last year on her way to school.

At the time, authorities say, Gardner lived a couple of miles from where Dubois vanished near the high school. No solid leads had emerged for the entire year that she had disappeared until Gardner’s arrest, authorities said.

Her parents helped in the search for King.

–Ruben Vives

Photo: People gather at a memorial service at Poway High School for
slain teenager Chelsea King.

Credit: Associated Press

A man was stabbed to death during a fight outside a liquor store in an unincorporated area of South Los Angeles on Friday, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said.

The fatal stabbing was reported about 11:45 p.m. in the 8800 block of South Vermont Avenue, the department said in a statement. The man was taken by paramedics to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. 

Authorities are searching for two men in connection with the stabbing, but description details were not yet released. Anyone with information about the incident can call the sheriff’s homicide bureau at (323) 890-5500. Callers can remain anonymous.

— Ruben Vives

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department on Saturday is searching for a gunman who shot and wounded two men inside an MTA bus in Hollywood.

The shooting was reported about 8 p.m. Friday when the bus was near Wilton Place and Santa Monica Boulevard, said Lt. Steve Brannigan of the Sheriff’s transit unit. The motive for the shooting was not known, but Brannigan said it was most likely from an argument.

One man was shot in the arm and was taken by fire paramedics to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. The man was listed in stable condition. Another was grazed on the leg and was also taken by paramedics to Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center, where after several hours he was released, Brannigan said.

A description of the gunman, who ran away after the shooting, was unavailable.

— Ruben Vives

Photo Credit: KTLA-TV

Federal, county and local police agencies in Escondido have concluded a two-day search for clues connected to last year’s disappearance of 14-year-old Amber Dubois at a small pond in Kit Carson Park, which is two miles north from where Poway High School senior Chelsea King went missing last week.

Law enforcement officials said a body discovered Tuesday in a shallow grave on a tributary of Lake Hodges is that of King, though a positive identification has yet to be made. The 17-year-old high school senior went missing Feb. 25 after going for a jog at the lakeside park.

Meanwhile, authorities in Escondido say they were focusing their search efforts at Kit Carson Park after receiving a recent report that children had found what looked like human hair in a plastic bag last May, about two months after Amber Dubois had been reported missing.

"Investigators located a portion of the bag that we believe may have been the bag the youth discovered in May 2009," said Escondido Police Lt. Craig Carter in a statement. "Detectives have concluded that no evidence of hair was present in or around the recovered bag."

Authorities said no other evidence was found in the search.

Dubois, who was 14 when she disappeared, was last seen walking to Escondido High School in the morning of Feb. 13, 2009. Her case has received renewed attention after a registered sex offender was arrested in the rape and murder of Chelsea King.

— Ruben Vives

Photo: Amber Dubois. Credit: FBI

RELATED: Park is searched for clues about girl missing for a year

An 18-year-old was struck by a car and killed in Canoga Park while running from a
would-be robber on a bicycle, the Los Angeles Police Department
said Saturday.

Officers responded about 8 p.m. Thursday to a report of a traffic
collision in the 20600 block of Sherman Way, where they discovered
Miguel Alvarenga lying unconscious on the street. Investigators said
Alvarenga was approached by a man on a bicycle who attempted to rob
him.

Alvarenga fled, running into the street, but was
struck by a passing vehicle. The attempted robbery suspect, police said, fled on his
bicycle. Alvarenga was taken by fire paramedics to a local hospital and
was listed in critical condition. But on Friday, Alvarenga died from
his injuries, police said.

Now homicide detectives are seeking help from the public in
identifying the man on the bicycle. Anyone with information about the incident can
call (818) 756-3363. Callers can remain anonymous.

— Ruben Vives

A Santa Clarita City Council candidate who was arrested on suspicion of sexually assaulting two teenage girls was released from jail early Saturday after prosecutors failed to file criminal charges against him, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said.

Citing insufficient evidence, the district attorney’s office said no charges would be filed against 26-year-old Johnny Pride, sheriff’s spokesman Steve Whitmore said.

"This is a pending investigation for us," Whitmore said, adding that investigators are now waiting on results from medical examinations of the two girls.

Pride was arrested Thursday evening on suspicion of rape, lewd acts and oral copulation of two 14-year-old girls. Investigators said he allegedly gave the girls alcohol at his apartment before allegedly assaulting them on Feb. 27.

The girls reported the assaults Tuesday, Whitmore said. "We interviewed the girls separately and their stories matched," he said.

While Pride was being held in lieu of $500,000 bail, investigators said they served a search warrant at his apartment.

Pride, a male model and a former reality TV show contestant, is running for a seat on the Santa Clarita City Council in the April 13 election.

— Ruben Vives

Photo: Johnny Pride. Credit: Myspace

A 14-inch water main broke and flooded at least three homes in Gardena early Saturday.

The water main break was reported shortly after 3 a.m. at 134th Street and Budlong Avenue, said Los Angeles County Fire Dispatch Supervisor Bernard Peters. He said three residential units were damaged from the flooding.

Repair crews with Golden State Water Co. were called to the scene to shut off the water. At least one home had about a foot of standing water inside, said John Dewey, a spokesman for the company. He said a claims adjuster was helping the displaced families with their living arrangements.

"We’re working with them to cover any of their damages," Dewey said.

A portion of Budlong Avenue was closed to traffic as crews repaired the cast-iron main. Water also remained shut off for about 40 residents.

[Updated 3:31 p.m.: Crews finished repairs to the damaged main by early Saturday afternoon. Officials also said the repairs did not require that they shut off service to the 40 residents.]

"We’re hoping to return water service by this evening," Dewey said.

The water main break was the second to occur in Gardena within about 24 hours. The first break was reported about 3 a.m. on Friday at Marine Avenue near Normandie Avenue, Dewey said, adding that no damages were reported. About 30 customers were affected by the break as repair crews worked on the 6-inch cast-iron main. Water was later restored to those customers, Dewey said.

— Ruben Vives

The massive earthquake that struck near the coast of central Chile has prompted the National Weather Service to issue a tsunami advisory for Southern and Central California. People are urged to avoid local beaches.

Forecasters said widespread inundation is not expected, and officials don’t believe there is a major threat of damage.

The NWS urged residents to stay away from the ocean through the early afternoon as a precaution, though forecasters stressed they don’t expect damage. "Wave fluctuation" of 2 feet or less is possible at Santa Monica Pier around 12:25 p.m.

"The Coast Guard strongly encourages waterfront users to take extra precautions in preparation for the possibility of a surge, to include securing vessel mooring arrangements and possible sources of pollution," according to a U.S. Geological Survey statement.

The advisory was issued after an 8.8 magnitude earthquake that struck about 200 miles southwest of Santiago, Chile, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Here is the NWS advisory:

A MINOR TSUNAMI MAY BE RECORDED IN SOME AREAS OF THE COAST WHICH COULD PRODUCE DANGEROUS CURRENTS AND SURGES IN HARBORS AND BAYS.

PEOPLE ARE ADVISED TO STAY AWAY FROM THE BEACHES AND MARINAS. WAVE HEIGHTS AND CURRENTS ARE AMPLIFIED BY IRREGULAR SHORELINES AND ARE DIFFICULT TO PREDICT.

MINOR WAVE FLUCTUATIONS TWO FEET OR LESS ARE EXPECTED TO BEGIN WITHIN 30 MINUTES OF THE ESTIMATED ARRIVAL TIMES LISTED BELOW: PORT SAN LUIS HARBOR…AT 1235 PM PST. SANTA BARBARA HARBOR…AT 1231 PM PST. SANTA MONICA HARBOR….AT 1225 PM PST. SAN PEDRO HARBOR…….AT 1215 PM PST.

THESE MINOR WAVE FLUCTUATIONS COULD CONTINUE FOR SEVERAL HOURS. THE INITIAL WAVE MAY NOT BE THE LARGEST. MARINERS IN WATER DEEPER THAN 600 FEET SHOULD NOT BE AFFECTED BY THE TSUNAMI.

–Ruben Vives and Shelby Grad

Sheriff’s detectives are searching for a San Clemente businessman, his wife and two children who went missing from their northern San Diego County home about two weeks ago.

According to friends and family, Joseph Bryan McStay, 40, and his wife, Summer, 43, and their children,  Gianni, 4, and Joseph, 3, have not been seen or heard from since Feb. 4, according to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department.

But the family was not reported missing until Monday, when McStay’s brother, Michael, called the Sheriff’s Department and requested a welfare check at the family’s two-story home in Bonsall.

Deputies did not find the family at the house and called homicide detectives because the family’s disappearance seemed suspicious. Investigators said it did not appear that the family had gone on a planned trip. In fact, the family’s two dogs were left uncared for, according to published reports.

Investigators also learned that the family’s white 1996 Isuzu Trooper was found abandoned near the U.S.-Mexico border four days after their disappearance, according to published reports. Homicide detectives have notified Mexican authorities about the family.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to call the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department at (858) 974-2321 or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477.

–Ruben Vives