Aliso Viejo residents are fighting back against their community association after several people became seriously ill from herbicides being sprayed in their neighborhoods. Residents said they’ve been complaining about the chemicals for months, however, the Aliso Viejo Community Association claims there’s nothing to worry about. Carolyn McCuan, an Aliso Viejo resident, said the chemicals have caused her to suffer a variety of symptoms. “I had headaches, rashes on my face and arms, chronic fatigue,” said McCuan. McCuan is part of a Toxic-Free OC, a group of Aliso Viejo residents who aim to stop ..read more

There's frustration among residents on the westside after several vehicles were broken into early Thursday morning. Numerous break-ins occurred in the Play Del Rey neighborhood. Trent Marlow was one of the victims. His car was broken into by the thief. Marlow says at least five other vehicles were targeted in the area. "I don't know what they were looking for," Marlow said to KTLA 5's Sandra Mitchell. "I didn't have any valuables in my car, so they didn't get anything." There were many surveillance cameras in the area that captured the suspect at work. The individual uses a small hammer-like t ..read more

An Orange County man who worked as a youth counselor was arrested and accused of inappropriately touching young girls. The suspect was identified as Elijah Domminic Barrera, 29, according to the Garden Grove Police Department. The alleged incidents took place in August 2014 while Barrera worked as a counselor at the Boys & Girls Club located at 9860 Larson Avenue in Garden Grove. Both victims were young girls who were 6 and 7-8 years old at the time of the alleged incidents. In March 2023, police were contacted by a victim who said they were touched inappropriately by Barrera. During ..read more

A former U.S. Customs and Border Protection employee has pleaded guilty to his wife's kidnapping that resulted in her death. The United States Department of Justice announced that 38-year-old Eddy Reyes admitted to orchestrating his estranged wife's 2016 kidnapping after suspecting she had an affair. The victim -- identified as 21-year-old Claudia Sanchez Reyes -- died a short time after the kidnapping. Eddy met Claudia in El Salvador in 2014. The pair got married and he helped Claudia and their son move to Southern California. Court documents show that the victim filed a restraining order aga ..read more

USC has canceled all commencement speakers for this year’s graduation ceremony amid controversy surrounding the revocation of the university's valedictorian speech. “Given the highly publicized circumstances surrounding our main-stage commencement program, university leadership has decided it is best to release our outside speakers and honorees from attending this year’s ceremony,” the University of Southern California announced on Friday. The announcement means the cancellation of keynote speaker — filmmaker Jon M. Chu — who was expected to speak on May 10 at the main-stage ceremony, and othe ..read more

A dangerous pursuit that began in Hawthorne ended with the arrest of a suspect who allegedly stole a vehicle. The incident began around 5:30 p.m. Friday when a gold-colored Kia Soul with multiple occupants was making its way southbound on the 110 Freeway. The suspected stolen vehicle was involved in a collision while on the 110, causing significant damage the front end. Officers with the California Highway Patrol began tailing the suspect, but elected not to engage in a ground pursuit, and instead, used its air patrol to follow the vehicle. The pursuit made its way into the South Los Angeles a ..read more

A man from Ojai has pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter for the 2019 slaying of his friend and roommate. Authorities say 28-year-old Cameron Scott Lykins killed Houston Auer on May 12, 2019, at Auer's grandmother's home on the 1100 block of Meyer Road in Ojai. Lykins and Auer got into an altercation in a bedroom of the home, which led to Lykins using a sledgehammer to bludgeon Auer to death. Following the killing, Lykins dragged Auer's body out of a window and dumped the victim's remains in the Angeles National Forest. Lykins then went to his mother's home in Lone Pine, where he arranged ..read more

Authorities are investigating after a body washed ashore on a Ventura County beach. On Wednesday, Ventura County deputies responded to reports of a body found at Sandy Dune Beach on Pacific Coast Highway. The body was only identified as a man in his 30s, officials said. The man was pronounced dead at the scene by medical crews. The sheriff’s Major Crime Investigators and the Ventura County Medical Examiner’s Office responded to the beach to investigate. The cause and circumstances surrounding the man’s death are unclear. "Anytime a body is found in the ocean, it is always regarded as suspiciou ..read more

Retail theft has been an ongoing issue in Los Angeles County, with shoplifting rates increasing by roughly 80 percent from 2022 to 2023. The L.A. County Sheriff's Department implemented a new task force to curb the growing number of retail thefts in September of 2023. The Major Crimes Retail Task Force is conducting undercover sting operations at local big box stores to catch suspects in the act. “Target and Walmart are big targets here for people coming in conducting thefts," LASD Miguel Kanemoto told KTLA 5's Rachel Menitoff during a sting in Rosemead. Menitoff was on hand with deputies duri ..read more

A Los Angeles man with a history of associating with a violent white supremacist group has been sentenced to nearly five years in federal prison. Ryan Scott Bradford, 35, of Reseda, was sentenced Friday to 57 months in prison for being a convicted felon in possession of ammunition and possessing eight "conversion devices" that allow for semi-automatic firearms to function as machine guns. He previously pleaded guilty to the federal weapons charges in January. Bradford is a known associate of an extremist white supremacist group in the San Fernando Valley, prosecutors said in a criminal affidav ..read more