Actor James Handy's alleged killer found mentally incompetent for prosecution
Actor James Handy's alleged killer found mentally incompetent for prosecution
A judge found Monday that a man charged with murder in the stabbing of actor James Handy is not mentally competent for criminal court proceedings. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Maria Cavalluzzi ruled that 44-year-old Michael Gledhill cannot understand the case against him and cannot rationally assist his lawyer in his own defense. Handy, the 81-year-old actor whose credits include "Jumanji" and "Top Gun: Maverick," was in a relationship with Gledhill's mother and was found stabbed in the chest and lying unconscious outside her home on June 3, police and prosecutors said. He was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. "This is not how anyone's life should end, stabbed in the chest and left dying in the front yard of a home," L.A. County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said at the time. "The victim, James Handy, deserved to live out his later years enjoying what he had worked so hard for and enjoying it with those he loved and cared about." Gledhill was arrested after telling police he was the person they were looking for. Officers had responded to the home after a 911 caller said, "I am the son of man, I just killed the man of sin," police said.
Grand Theft Auto suspect leads police chase through South LA streets
A suspected Grand Theft Auto suspect led police on a chase Monday afternoon through the South Los Angeles area, authorities said. The pursuit began around 5:20 p.m. near Melrose Avenue and Orange Drive, where at least two suspects were reportedly seen attempting to break into a white Kia Forte, said the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD). NewsChopper 4 captured the suspect driving recklessly through city streets before heading toward the area of 85th Street and Hoover Street. Here, the suspects abandoned the vehicle and fled on foot. No injuries were reported.
Gunman in deadly California library shooting wanted to do Columbine-style massacre, police say
A gunman who entered a library in Northern California and opened fire Monday night was hoping to commit a massacre akin to the Columbine High School shooting, Chico police officials said. The Chico Police Department received a 911 call at 5:12 p.m. about an active shooter inside the Chico Branch of the Butte County Library, Police Chief Billy Aldridge said at an evening news conference. The call audio captured gunshots and screaming, he said. Two adults were killed, and a child was taken to Enloe Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, police said. Police have identified the suspect as 18-year-old Bradley Scott Sayer. He was arrested and booked into Butte County Jail on two counts of murder, Chico police said in a Facebook post. Authorities have determined Sayer acted alone and there is no indication that he had any prior connection to any of the victims in the library, according to the police. “Sayer’s motivation appears to be founded in a desire to commit a Columbine High School massacre type of shooting,” the department said.
FBI arrests man accused of scratching out firearm’s serial number, scrawling phrase used by school shooter
A Macomb County man is behind bars today after being accused last week of violating federal gun laws and possessing a rifle with a printed phrase linked to the Oxford High School shooter Ethan Crumbley. Eleazareli Maycock, 20, of Macomb Township, made his first appearance Thursday, June 18 before U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Kimberly G. Altman, who ordered him detained. He is scheduled to return Tuesday for a detention hearing, court records show. Maycock is accused of possession a firearm with a removed serial number, a 10-year felony upon conviction. According to a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, the FBI alleges Eleazareli Maycock violated federal law by possessing a firearm with its serial number intentionally scratched off. An air marshal assigned to an FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force said Maycock scratched the phrase “there is no God” on a Savage Arms .22 caliber rifle with an obliterated serial number that was recovered by investigators in May. The phrase included a star surrounded by a circle. Investigators said that same phrase was uttered by Crumbley in a video he posted the night before he killed four students and injured seven others on Nov. 30, 2021. His full sentence was “there is no heaven, there is no God, there is no Satan, there is no hell. The earth is just hell.”
TSA seizes more than 300 drones at World Cup events; violators face federal charges
U.S. security officials said Tuesday that hundreds of drones have been confiscated during World Cup events so far, and that violators face federal charges. Transportation Security Administration Federal Air Marshals, working with state and federal partners, have seized more than 300 drones, the TSA said in a post on X. Officials did not provide a breakdown of which venues had the most drone violations, but said violators face steep fines and possible prison time. “Flying a drone in a restricted zone is a federal crime and can result in fines up to $100,000, prison time and drone confiscation,” the post said. Earlier in June, the Federal Aviation Administration warned soccer fans that drones would not be allowed to fly near any FIFA World Cup 2026–associated venue. Under the restrictions, all aircraft operations, including drones, are prohibited within a 3-nautical-mile radius and up to 3,000 feet above ground level around stadiums unless authorized by air traffic control.
Calif. officers attach magnet to drone, disarm suspect inside home
In a “nationwide first,” police officers used a drone to intercept a weapon from an armed suspect, signaling a potential shift in local law enforcement operations, California officials announced Monday. In a June 22 video posted on the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office’s Instagram page, an officer wearing goggles can be seen operating a drone to retrieve a knife from an armed suspect hiding inside a cluttered house. “After not responding to negotiators, a drone was deployed inside the residence,” the post says. “Drone pilots located the suspect hiding in a corner of a garage” and then used a high-powered magnet attached to the drone to grab the knife out of the suspect’s hand. In the video — which is soundtracked by the “Mission: Impossible” theme song — the intercepted knife can be seen spinning around in the air as the drone carries it back to the deputies.
Public Safety News
LAFD expects to put out nearly week-long Boyle Heights fire in coming days
Firefighters expressed optimism Monday about extinguishing a fire at a 500,000-square-foot cold food storage building in Boyle Heights later this week. The fire that started nearly a week ago on the building's solar panel-covered rooftop continued to generate smoke that was degrading air quality in parts of Los Angeles County and other areas. A particulate pollution advisory remained in effect Tuesday morning and could be extended. Speaking at a Monday news conference, LAFD Fire Chief Jaime Moore said he hopes to turn control of the building back to the Lineage company in the coming days. "We are grateful and encouraged by the news from the Los Angeles Fire Department that, while things can always change, they are looking to extinguish the fire in days and turn over the building to the owner and our company for clean up as early as Friday," Lineage said in a statement Monday. "The bravery and expertise we have seen from the firefighters of the LAFD is nothing less than extraordinary. Attacks on the fire, which had sporadically produced dark plumes of smoke that blanketed nearby neighborhoods, included runs by water-dropping helicopter, rarely deployed outside of responses to brush fires in less urban areas. Firefighters battled flareups in the following days and made progress over the weekend by tearing down an exterior wall, allowing them to pour water on the interior.
Train Fatally Strikes Pedestrian in South Los Angeles
A person was struck and killed by a train in South Los Angeles Monday. Firefighters responded at approximately 6:15 p.m. Monday to the 4100 block of South Long Beach Avenue to reports of a collision involving a train and a pedestrian, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. Despite life-saving measures, the pedestrian was pronounced dead at the scene, fire officials said. The victim’s name was being withheld pending notification of relatives. There were no injuries reported on board the train, and the cause of the collision was under investigation.
