Mountain lion involved in study killed by vehicle in Santa Monica Mountains

CALABASAS — A mountain lion that was part of a National Park Service study was fatally struck by a vehicle in Southern California’s Santa Monica Mountains along the same road where her mother was similarly killed.

The adult female cougar, dubbed P-54, died Friday on Las Virgenes Road, south of Mulholland Highway, the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area said.

P-54 was outfitted with a radio tracking collar by biologists who are studying how the big cats live in habitat fragmented by urban sprawl, barriers that limit genetic diversity, and with hazards ranging from poisons to roads and freeways.

The park service said P-54 was the 29th mountain lion killed by vehicles since 2002 in the study area, which includes the Santa Monica range, Simi Hills, Santa Susana Mountains, Verdugo Mountains and Griffith Park in Los Angeles.

P-54 was born in January 2017. Her mother, P-23, was killed by a vehicle farther south on Las Virgenes Road in January 2018.

In May 2020, P-54 gave birth to a litter that researchers believe did not survive. Later that year, she gave birth to two males. One of them, P-97, was killed two months ago on the Interstate 405 freeway in L.A. near the Getty Center.

LOS ANGELES — A gunman who killed two Southern California police officers died by suicide, a coroner’s report said Saturday.

Justin Flores, 35, died of a gunshot wound to the head and the manner of death was suicide, according to online records of the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner.

Flores died on a sidewalk outside a suburban motel on Tuesday after shooting El Monte Police Department Officer Joseph Santana, 31, and Cpl. Michael Paredes, 42.

The coroner’s records also show that Santana died from a gunshot wound to the head and Paredes was killed by gunshot wounds to the head.

The officers were sent to the motel to investigate a report that a woman had possibly been stabbed.

Sheriff’s homicide Capt. Andrew Meyer has said that the officers confronted the suspect and gunfire erupted inside the motel room. The gunman ran outside and there was more gunfire with other officers.

Flores was on probation for a gun charge at the time of the shooting, which occurred a day after his probation officer requested that he return to court later in the month, court records show.

A public candlelight vigil for the slain officers was scheduled for Saturday evening on the front steps of the El Monte civic center.

VANDENBERG SPACE FORCE BASE — A reconnaissance satellite for Germany was launched from California on Saturday.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the SARah-1 satellite lifted off from foggy Vandenberg Space Force Base at 7:19 a.m. and the first stage successfully returned, according to the SpaceX webcast.

It was the third launch and landing for the reusable booster.

SARah-1 is part of a radar satellite system that allows observation of Earth’s surface regardless of time of day or weather conditions, according to builder Airbus.

SAN FRANCISCO — A man with an “edged weapon” attacked passengers inside a San Francisco International Airport terminal on Friday, leaving

three with cuts and scrapes before he was arrested, authorities said.

The man drove to the airport, went into the International Terminal, “walked around the departure terminal and pulled out an edged weapon” before attacking three men at about 6 p.m., police said.

The travelers were in the pre-security area when they were attacked, airport duty manager Russell Mackey told the San Francisco Chronicle.

Police officers arrived and arrested a man, whose name wasn’t immediately released.

The victims were treated for minor injuries before continuing on their travels and other airport operations weren’t affected, officials said.

RIVERSIDE — A home for Cheech Marin’s collection of Chicano art has debuted in Southern California.

The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture opened Saturday in Riverside, east of Los Angeles.

Marin rolled up in a blue 1962 Chevy Impala lowrider, hopped out and unlocked the doors for opening day of “The Cheech,” The Press-Enterprise reported.

“We hope that this building and this collection and this participation of the community will be a beacon for everybody else around the country to finally redefine inclusion,” Marin said during a ceremony.

The museum is located in the city’s former main library, adjacent to the historic Mission Inn Hotel & Spa.

The center houses hundreds of paintings, photographs, sculptures and other works from Marin’s collection, which the actor and comedian began building in the 1980s.