World of Darkness World of Darkness: Attrition - WoD:A - News & Current Events

[Dave ST]

SANTA MONICA – Police discovered the remains of another victim last night washed up under the Santa Monica Pier. That total is now seven in the past three months. Like the previous bodies discovered it appears to be the victim of a brutal shark attack.

Police are considering Closing Santa Monica Beach, but have yet to reach a decision.

PACOIMA — A tragic suicide in Pacoima, has community grieving.

Gabriel Timbrook a paraplegic who lived at San Fernando Road and Kelowna Street was discovered early this morning around 10:15 a.m.

He was pronounced dead on the scene from three self-inflicted gun shot wounds to the torso and back of the head.

LONG BEACH – The body of the beached killer whale that was discovered yesterday washed up on the shores of Long Beach was found this morning reduced to nothing but a bleached white skeleton. Works returned this morning with the equipment necessary to help return the killer whale back to its home in the water and were shocked by the discovery.

The only clue Long Beach C.S. Investigators discovered was some strange, clear, jelly-like plasma at the scene. It’s been submitted for testing.

BURBANK – Police raided a home early yesterday afternoon on an anonymous tip, which led to the arrest of five men, and three women who are in custody on charges of manufacturing “Crimson”.

Crimson is a deadly new drug that has growing in popularity in recent months. Police have issued a no tolerance warning to anyone in the possession or involved in the manufacture of this substance.

[Vivi OOC]

VENICE BEACH- A street performance turned tragic last night when two performers reportedly ignited a nearby oil drum with their pyrotechnics. The two young men, whom witnesses described as having been engaged in a rather spirited display with flaming props, were purportedly throwing the torches back and forth in some sort of juggling demonstration. Their exchange apparently triggered an accidental explosion when one of their tools missed the target and struck the flammable container. Both men died as a result of injuries sustained in the explosion before paramedics could arrive, and neither have been positively identified. Police believe them to be a modern variety of panhandlers, part of a growing subculture of artists and performers who have begun flocking to Venice Beach in recent years.

City officials would like to remind everyone that fireworks and flammable or otherwise hazardous chemicals are illegal inside the city limits without proper permits and compliance with EPA storage requirements.

Anyone who believes they may have information regarding violations of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, or questions about what materials qualify, should contact the Los Angeles County Fire Department’s Health Hazardous Materials Division.

[Dave ST]

7/29/08

LOS ANGELES - A strong earthquake shook Southern California on Tuesday, causing buildings to sway and triggering some precautionary evacuations. No immediate damage was reported.

The jolt was felt from Los Angeles to San Diego, and slightly in Las Vegas.

Preliminary information from the U.S. Geological Survey estimated the quake at magnitude 5.8, centered 29 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles near Chino Hills in San Bernardino County. Ten aftershocks occurred in the next dozen minutes, including three estimated at 3.8, and the U.S. Geological Survey estimated the quake was about 8 miles below the earth's surface.

Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Brian Humphrey said there were no immediate reports of damage or injury in Los Angeles. San Bernardino County fire dispatch also had no immediate reports of damage.

The quake struck at 11:42 a.m. PDT. Buildings swayed in downtown Los Angeles for several seconds.

Workers quickly evacuated some office buildings.

[Vivi OOC]

08/01/08

LOS ANGELES- Investigators are still no closer today to determining what killed a harbor seal at the Los Angeles Zoo Tuesday evening. Zoo staff found the seal, named "Betty," the following morning while making their feeding rounds. The fence that surrounded her enclosure had been cut, and her remains partially devoured, but all other animals at the park have been accounted for following the incident.

"We're looking into several possible motives and theories, and reviewing the security footage, but I'm afraid that we can't disclose much more since the investigation is still ongoing," says Los Angeles Zoo Director John Lewis. "Whatever happened, the perpetrator seems to have entered through the border fence, so we'll be considering options for increased security there, too. We have an obligation to protect the animals in our care."

"Betty," who was an eight-year old seal known for her gregarious, playful behavior and impromptu underwater acrobatics displays, is already being mourned by patrons: a small gathering of flowers, candles, and children's drawings of the beloved pinniped is now located in front of her vacant habitat.

[Vivi OOC]

08/02/08

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, LOS ANGELES- A dare among friends following a fraternity party on the UCLA campus turned deadly early this morning.

Daniel Sumrok, 19, was pronounced dead on arrival at UCLA Medical Center, less than five minutes from the backyard of the Epsilon Tau Sigma fraternity house where the party took place. Preliminary toxicology reports indicate that the cause of death was an overdose of the new street drug, Crimson, which has gained some notoriety in recent weeks for both its potency and its lethality.

According to the statement of UCLA junior Mike Dunkerson, who called 911 at approximately 3:35am, Sumrok discovered a small eyedropper containing a red liquid in the backyard of the fraternity house. He and his friends, who had decided to remain at that location because they had been drinking, speculated on the properties of the substance for quite some time before Dunkerson and another friend, sophomore Andrew Kuhlo, dared Sumrok to ingest it. The betting reached nearly $100 before the 19-year old agreed, but within minutes he collapsed and became completely unresponsive.

Paramedics rushed to the scene following Dunkerson's frantic 911 call, but were unable to resuscitate the freshman en route to the hospital.

None of the parties involved could be reached for comment.

[Vivi OOC]

CELEBRITY GOSSIP FLASH - Earlier today, wealthy UCLA playboy and Calvin Klein model, Lucien "Banana Hammock" Hunt made quite the boo-boo in looking for some boom-boom on a California web forum.

That number, guys and dolls, is 486-8769 (that's "HUNT ROX" for you digit divas). Don't worry! We've been assured by our legal staff that this information became public domain as soon as it was made... Well, public! Get those desperate voice mails in now, because you can bet your Blahniks that number will be history PDQ.

[Jess OOC]

Tue Sep 2, 6:15 AM ET

LOS ANGELES - A man accused of shooting at a traffic light was arrested near the University of California at Los Angeles with five loaded semiautomatic pistols and thousands of rounds of ammunition in his possession, police said.

Gene Bush, 52, was being held Monday at a county jail and was expected to make an initial court appearance Tuesday.

He was arrested late Friday by campus police after he allegedly shot at a traffic light a block away from the university. Police searched him, his van and a storage unit, finding weapons, ammunition and what police called an anti-government manifesto.

"Given the situation, with the amount of guns and ammunition involved, we thought it best that he remain in custody until we know the full story behind him," said UCLA police Sgt. Phil Baguiao. "We would consider him a danger to society given the circumstances."

Police said officers found Bush carrying the pistols — which were equipped with laser sights — and 400 bullets. They also found another 7,800 rounds of ammunition in his van and 3,000 more in his storage locker, police said.

A press release said Bush appeared to have no criminal history and was living out of his van.

After his arrest, Bush made anti-government statements and told police to look in his nearby suitcase for "the secret," the release said. A Los Angeles police bomb squad found timers, paint thinner and other suspicious items inside, as well as his manifesto.

UCLA police spokeswoman Nancy Greenstein said police believe Bush was acting alone and didn't have a specific target. "He had writings and a lot of them seemed to be anti-government, talk about 9/11," she said.

It wasn't immediately clear why police didn't announce Bush's arrest until Monday, more than three days after the incident. It wasn't known if Bush had retained an attorney.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080902/ap_on_re_us/ucla_shooting_arrest

[Guest Collin OOC]

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, LOS ANGELES It seems that there’s a strange terror on the loose here in the City of Angels. In just the past several weeks, at least 6 young co-eds have checked into the Emergency Room, complaining of pains and faintness. The girls supposedly all were fine, but the next morning found dead in their hospital rooms. Autopsies performed after the strange occurrences found shocking news: the girls were all inexplicably missing their kidneys. Hospital officials declined to comment on this bizarre turn of events, but an unnamed source gave us the inside story(see below.)

“It was the weirdest thing I’ve ever seen in my life, and that’s saying a lot. All of the women in question were missing their kidneys, but that’s not what the strangest part is. The only wounds on the women were small wounds, right above where one of their kidneys should be. Thing is, the wounds were small, there’s no way you could get someone’s kidney out through them.”

When asked what they thought might have happened, the source replied, “I don’t know, man, but it creeped the **** out of me.”

Nobody knows who this new killer is, but this reporter feels it’s safe to warn all women in the area to stay in after dark.

[Vivi OOC]

Saturday, Sept. 13, 3:20am ET

LOS ANGELES- A commuter train carrying 222 people collided head-on with a freight train during the Friday afternoon rush, killing at least 10 people, injuring more than 100 and trapping an unknown number of others in a passenger car crushed by its own engine.

Firefighters extinguished a blaze under part of the wreckage and freed people from the destroyed Metrolink commuter car, which was left toppled on its side with the train's engine shoved back inside it. Two other cars in the passenger train remained upright.

"It was horrendous," said Leslie Burnstein, a psychologist who saw the collision from her home and rushed to pull victims from the wreckage. "Blood was everywhere. ... I heard people yelling, screaming in pain, begging for help."

Firefighters worked on the wreckage for hours after the 4:23 p.m. collision, and shortly after 11 p.m. Fire Chief Dennis Barry said during a news conference that firefighters were still in the "rescue and extrication phase," although he did not indicate whether any victim was known to be alive in the wreckage.

Get the full story here.

[Sarah Dead-Wolf]

Tuesday, Sept. 1, 5:00am PT

LOS ANGELES - Wildfires continue to roar out of control in the hills above Glendale and Pasadena.

For an interactive map of current fires, click here.

[Sarah Dead-Wolf]

Thursday, Oct. 8th

LOS ANGELES - Instructors Rushed To Save UCLA Stabbing Victim