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VISALIA Foster mother arrested in alleged beating of 1-yearold
Authorities say a foster mother has been arrested in central California in connection with injuries suffered by a 1-year-old boy that his grandmother says include severe brain trauma and broken bones.
The Fresno Bee reports Darlene Valdovinoaguilera was taken into custody Friday in Visalia on child abuse-related charges. It wasn’t immediately known if she has an attorney.
Police Officer Gary Williams says an investigation concluded the boy’s life-threatening injuries were the result of child abuse inflicted by Valdovinos-aguilera.
Williams says officers responded Aug. 12 to a call of an unresponsive child as a result of a fall.
He says the child’s injuries did not appear consistent with what was described by Valdovinoaguilera, prompting the investigation.
FALLBROOK Bar patrons tackle gunman after being held at gunpoint
Authorities say patrons tackled and disarmed a man after he held them at gunpoint outside a Southern California bar.
The San Diego Uniontribune reports sheriff’s officials say the man had pulled a gun from his waistband and pointed it at people in the parking lot outside Red Eye Saloon at 2 a.m. Saturday in Fallbrook.
He demanded their wallets and cellphones and fired a shot into the air.
Authorities say several patrons rushed and tackled the gunman, holding him on the ground until deputies arrived.
Deputies recovered a 9 mm pistol with a loaded 16-round magazine and one spent shell casing on the ground. Authorities say the man also had two additional loaded 10-round magazines in his pocket.
He was arrested on numerous charges and booked into the Vista jail.
SACRAMENTO Video shows California police car strike teen on sidewalk
A police video from Sacramento shows a swerving police cruiser striking a 16-year-old boy on a sidewalk, sending him into the air and onto the hood of the car.
The Sacramento Bee reports the teen was being chased by officers who stopped him for not having a forward-facing light on his bike. The video released Friday is from an incident July 22 that prompted an outcry in the community.
In bodycam footage from the officer driving, the car veers across a lane, hits the boy on the sidewalk and comes to a stop in the front yard of a home. The teen’s injuries were not lifethreatening.
It’s unclear whether the officer hit the boy intentionally.
Sgt. Vance Chandler says officers are not trained to collide with a suspect. He says the officer driving the car has undergone additional training.
CERES Suspect who pulled gun at California park shot by police
Authorities say police shot and killed a suspect who allegedly pointed a handgun at a crowd of people at a park and then led officers on a chase in central California.
Police in Ceres say officers responded Saturday following reports that a man in a darkcolored Lexus sedan was brandishing a gun at Smyrna Park.
While on their way to investigate, police also received a call about a hit-and-run crash near the park involving a car with a similar description as the Lexus.
Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Sgt. Tom Letras says after a short pursuit, a man got out of the Lexus and ran while holding a handgun.
Letras says shots were fired and a Ceres police officer struck the suspect, who died at the scene.
It wasn’t immediately clear if the suspect had fired at officers.
LOS ANGELES Cable company plans 24/7 TV news station for Los Angeles
Cable TV giant Charter Communications is planning a 24-hour local news channel for Los Angeles.
The Los Angeles Times reported Saturday that the first-of-its-kind network will be available in 1.5 million La-area homes that get the company’s Spectrum pay-tv service. It’s set to launch in November.
Spectrum executive vice president Mike Bair says the focus will not be on the crime stories and car chases that are the bread and butter of current local news shows.
Bair says he hopes the channel will explore community issues and happenings that typically fly below the media radar — such as charity events and high school sports.
The Times says the round-the-clock news channel is part of an ambitious expansion for Charter — which includes launching nine other local news channels nationwide.