Articles written by Stefanie Dazio


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  • 7.0 earthquake off Northern California prompts brief tsunami warning

    OLGA R. RODRIGUEZ and STEFANIE DAZIO|Dec 6, 2024

    SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A 7.0 magnitude earthquake shook a large area of Northern California on Thursday, knocking items off grocery store shelves, sending children scrambling under desks and prompting a brief tsunami warning for 5.3 million people along the U.S. West Coast. The quake struck at 10:44 a.m. west of Ferndale, a small city in coastal Humboldt County, about 130 miles (209 km) from the Oregon border, the U.S. Geological Survey said. It was felt as far south as San Francisco, some 270 miles (435 km) away, where residents described a r...

  • Prosecutors seek resentencing for Erik and Lyle Menendez in 1989 killings of their parents

    STEFANIE DAZIO and JAIMIE DING|Oct 25, 2024

    LOS ANGELES (AP) — Prosecutors will recommend Erik and Lyle Menendez be resentenced for the 1989 killings of their parents in the family's Beverly Hills home, providing the brothers with a chance at freedom after 34 years behind bars. Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón announced during a Thursday news conference that his office would recommend the brothers be sentenced to 50 years to life. Because they were under 26 years old at the time of the crimes, they will be eligible for parole immediately, he said. "I came to a place wh...

  • Menendez brothers' family to push for their release as prosecutors review 1989 case

    STEFANIE DAZIO|Oct 16, 2024

    LOS ANGELES (AP) — The extended family of Erik and Lyle Menendez will advocate for the brothers' release from prison during a news conference Wednesday in downtown Los Angeles as prosecutors review new evidence to determine whether they should be serving life sentences for killing their parents. More than a dozen family members traveled across the country to call for the brothers' release in Los Angeles — the largest gathering of relatives since their 1996 sentencing. The news conference is taking place less than two weeks after LA County Dis...

  • A young golden eagle attacks a toddler in Norway, its fourth such assault on humans

    JAN M. OLSEN and STEFANIE DAZIO|Sep 6, 2024

    COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — At first, Francis Ari Sture thought a human was trying to shove him down the steep Norwegian mountainside. Then he saw the golden eagle land. "We are staring at each other for, maybe, a whole minute," Sture told The Associated Press on Monday. "I'm trying to think what's in its mind." The bird then attacked Sture five more times Thursday, scratching and clawing the 31-year-old bicycle courier's face and arms over 10 to 15 minutes as he sprinted down the mountain. The same eagle is believed to be responsible for a...

  • 3rd person in custody over foiled plot targeting now-canceled Taylor Swift shows in Vienna

    PHILIPP-MORITZ JENNE and STEFANIE DAZIO|Aug 9, 2024

    VIENNA (AP) — Austrian authorities on Friday announced a third arrest in connection with the foiled conspiracy to attack three now-canceled Taylor Swift concerts, even as disappointed fans charmed Vienna by trading friendship bracelets and singing the pop star's songs in the streets. The main suspect, a 19-year-old, planned to target onlookers gathered outside Ernst Happel Stadium — up to 30,000 each night, with another 65,000 inside the venue — with knives or homemade explosives during the concert on Thursday or Friday. The suspect hoped...

  • Suspects in foiled attack on Taylor Swift shows were inspired by Islamic State group, officials say

    PHILIPP-MORITZ JENNE and STEFANIE DAZIO|Aug 7, 2024

    VIENNA (AP) — Both suspects in a foiled plot to attack Taylor Swift shows in Vienna appeared to be inspired by the Islamic State group and al-Qaida, Austrian authorities said Thursday, and investigators found bomb-making materials at one of their homes. Officials said one of the two confessed to planning to "kill as many people as possible outside the concert venue." Three sold-out concerts were canceled Wednesday because of the plot, devastating Swifties from across the globe. Many of them had dropped thousands of euros (dollars) on travel a...

  • Bookmaker to plead guilty in gambling case tied to baseball star Shohei Ohtani's ex-interpreter

    STEFANIE DAZIO|Aug 2, 2024

    LOS ANGELES (AP) — A Southern California bookmaker who took thousands of sports bets from the ex-interpreter for baseball star Shohei Ohtani has agreed to plead guilty to running an illegal gambling business, U.S. authorities announced Thursday. Mathew Bowyer's business operated for at least five years in Southern California and Las Vegas and took wagers from more than 700 bettors, including Ohtani's former interpreter Ippei Mizuhara, the U.S. Attorney's office in Los Angeles said in a statement. Bowyer has agreed to plead guilty to running a...

  • USC's move to cancel commencement amid protests draws criticism from students, alumni

    STEFANIE DAZIO|Apr 26, 2024

    LOS ANGELES (AP) — The University of Southern California's decision Thursday to cancel its main graduation ceremony, a move that came 10 days after administrators said the student valedictorian who had expressed support for Palestinians would not be allowed to speak, left students and alumni stunned as protests over the Israel-Hamas war continue to spread on campuses nationwide. "It seems like USC isn't really listening to their student body," said Olivia Lee, a 2023 business administration graduate who said she is rethinking whether to r...

  • Shohei Ohtani's ex-interpreter charged with stealing $16M from baseball star in sports betting case

    STEFANIE DAZIO|Apr 12, 2024

    LOS ANGELES (AP) — Federal authorities charged the former longtime interpreter for Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani on Thursday with federal bank fraud, alleging that he stole more than $16 million from the Japanese sensation to cover gambling bets and debts. Interpreter Ippei Mizuhara, a constant presence beside Ohtani in baseball stadiums across the country since 2018, abused the two-way player's trust in him and exploited the language barrier to plunder a bank account that only he could access, prosecutors said. U.S. Attorney Martin E...

  • Lego head mugshots add to California's debate on policing and privacy

    STEFANIE DAZIO|Mar 27, 2024

    LOS ANGELES (AP) — A Southern California police department has been handcuffed by Lego after the toy company asked the agency to stop adding Lego heads to cover the faces of suspects in images it shares on social media. The Murrieta Police Department has been using Lego heads and emojis to cover people's faces in posts on social sites since at least early 2023. But the altered photos went viral last week after the department posted a statement about its policy, prompting several news articles and, later, the request from Lego. "Why the c...

  • 1 dead, 1 injured following avalanche at California ski resort as storm moves in, official says

    SCOTT SONNER and STEFANIE DAZIO|Jan 10, 2024

    RENO, Nev. (AP) — An avalanche roared through a section of expert trails at a California ski resort near Lake Tahoe on Wednesday, killing one person and injuring another, as a major storm with snow and gusty winds moved into the region, authorities said. The avalanche prompted Palisades Tahoe to close 30 minutes after it opened, and search crews combed the area to see if anyone was injured or trapped. Sgt. David Smith, a spokesperson for the Placer County sheriff, said hours later that one person, a male, died and another person sustained n...

  • Los Angeles County has thousands of 'unclaimed dead.' These investigators retrace their lives

    STEFANIE DAZIO|Jan 5, 2024

    LOS ANGELES (AP) — Arusyak Martirosyan struggles to open the door of a stranger's one-bedroom apartment overflowing with the belongings from a life lived but not claimed in death. Wedged against the door is a giant box of Gain laundry detergent and plastic tubs piled high. Blouses and T-shirts, suspended by hangers over a living room curtain rod, block out almost all sunlight. Bins and boxes, brimming with more clothes, hide the carpet. Empty takeout containers and Tupperware, with bugs trapped inside, cover the stove. The 74-year-old woman d...

  • Looming thunderstorms could threaten firefighting efforts in California-Nevada blaze

    TY O'NEIL and STEFANIE DAZIO|Aug 2, 2023

    JEAN, Nev. (AP) — A brief but heavy downpour Tuesday helped firefighters battling a massive blaze in California and Nevada, but meteorologists warned of the potential for sudden and erratic wind shifts that could endanger crews later on. The York Fire was partially contained by Tuesday morning after igniting last week in the Mojave National Preserve in California and spreading into Nevada, while flames scorched tens of thousands of acres of desert scrub, juniper and Joshua tree woodland. Now the largest wildfire of the season in California, t...

  • Lawyer Eastman faces disciplinary hearing over plot to keep Trump in power after 2020 election loss

    STEFANIE DAZIO AND MICHAEL R. BLOOD|Jun 18, 2023

    LOS ANGELES (AP) — An effort to disbar conservative attorney John Eastman, who devised ways to keep President Donald Trump in the White House after his defeat in the 2020 election, will begin Tuesday in Los Angeles. Eastman is expected to spend the day testifying before the State Bar of California in a proceeding that could result in him losing his license to practice law in the state. He faces 11 disciplinary charges stemming from his development of a dubious legal strategy that was aimed at helping Trump remain in power by disrupting the c...

  • Family's Alaska fishing trip becomes nightmare with 3 dead and search over for 2 more

    STEFANIE DAZIO and BECKY BOHRER|Jun 2, 2023

    JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — An Alaska fishing adventure became a nightmare for a family of eight when disaster struck one of the two boats they chartered over the Memorial Day weekend, leaving three people dead and two more missing despite a desperate search over hundreds of square miles of ocean. The tragedy tore the Tyau family apart: Two sisters and one of their husbands are dead, while the other's partner and the boat captain remain missing off southeast Alaska four days after the boat was found partially submerged off an island. Authorities s...

  • Meet D'Arcy Drollinger, a drag performer who's now the first drag laureate in the US

    STEFANIE DAZIO and HAVEN DALEY|May 17, 2023

    SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Anti-trans legislation is roiling the nation. Bills prohibiting drag performances are cropping up in statehouses. Violence and vitriol are turning children's drag story hour events into headline-news protests. San Francisco is fighting back Thursday by naming the nation's first drag laureate, an ambassador-style position designed to represent the city's famous LGBTQ+ community at a time when rights are under attack. In a city known for its support of LGBTQ+ rights, San Francisco Mayor London Breed says it was a natural s...

  • Video shows struggle for hammer during Pelosi attack

    STEFANIE DAZIO and BRIAN MELLEY|Jan 27, 2023

    Video released publicly Friday shows the husband of former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi fighting with his assailant for control of a hammer moments before he was struck during a brutal attack in the couple's San Francisco home last year. The body-camera footage shows suspect David DePape wrest the tool from Paul Pelosi, 82, and lunge toward him with the hammer over his head. The blow to Pelosi occurs out of the camera's view and the officers — one of them cursing — rush into the house and jump on DePape. Pelosi, apparently unconscious, can...

  • Sheriff: Gunman didn't know Monterey Park dance hall victims

    STEFANIE DAZIO and AMY TAXIN|Jan 25, 2023

    MONTEREY PARK, Calif. (AP) — The 72-year-old gunman who sprayed bullets into a Southern California ballroom dance hall, killing 11 people, had no known connection with the victims and investigators were still trying to determine a motive for the massacre, the Los Angeles County sheriff said. Before the shooting Saturday night, Huu Can Tran parked a motorcycle just a block away from the ballroom in Monterey Park, which investigators believe he had planned to use as a backup getaway vehicle, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said during a n...

  • Lisa Marie Presley hospitalized, mother Priscilla says

    STEFANIE DAZIO and KRISTIN M. HALL|Jan 13, 2023

    LOS ANGELES (AP) — Lisa Marie Presley — the only child of Elvis Presley and a singer herself — was hospitalized Thursday, her mother said in a statement. "My beloved daughter Lisa Marie was rushed to the hospital. She is now receiving the best care," Priscilla Presley said. "Please keep her and our family in your prayers. We feel the prayers from around the world, and ask for privacy during this time." Los Angeles County paramedics were dispatched to a Calabasas home at 10:37 a.m. following a report of a woman in full cardiac arrest, accor...

  • Man who shot Lady Gaga's dog walker gets 21 years in prison

    STEFANIE DAZIO|Dec 4, 2022

    LOS ANGELES (AP) — The man who shot and wounded Lady Gaga's dog walker and stole her French bulldogs last year took a plea deal and was sentenced to 21 years in prison on Monday, officials said. The Lady Gaga connection was a coincidence, authorities have said. The motive was the value of the French bulldogs, a breed that can run into the thousands of dollars, and detectives do not believe the thieves knew the dogs belonged to the musician. James Howard Jackson, one of three men and two accomplices who participated in the violent robbery and i...

  • Powerball ticket sold in California snags record $2.04B win

    STEFANIE DAZIO and SCOTT McFETRIDGE|Nov 9, 2022

    LOS ANGELES (AP) — Someone who bought a Powerball ticket in Southern California has won a record $2.04 billion Powerball jackpot. The winning numbers drawn Tuesday morning at the Florida Lottery draw studio in Tallahassee were: white balls 10, 33, 41, 47 and 56, and the red Powerball was 10. The jackpot ticket was sold at Joe's Service Center in Altadena, northeast of Los Angeles. The business will receive a maximum Powerball bonus of $1 million. The Multi-State Lottery Association said Monday night's scheduled drawing was delayed by nearly 1...

  • Police: Pelosi suspect wanted to break speaker's knees

    LISA MASCARO and STEFANIE DAZIO|Oct 30, 2022

    SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The man accused of attacking House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's husband with a hammer told police he wanted to hold the Democratic leader hostage and "break her kneecaps" to show other members of Congress there were "consequences to actions," authorities said Monday. In a chilling federal complaint, officials say David DePape, 42, carrying zip ties, tape and a rope in a backpack, broke into the couple's San Francisco home early Friday morning, went upstairs where 82-year-old Paul Pelosi was sleeping, and demanded to talk to "...

  • Sheriff: Slain California family, suspect had long dispute

    STEFANIE DAZIO and OLGA R. RODRIGUEZ|Oct 7, 2022

    SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The suspect in the kidnapping and killing of a central California family was a former employee who had a longstanding dispute with them that "got pretty nasty," a sheriff said Thursday. Relatives of the slain family told investigators that Jesus Salgado, 48, had sent angry text messages or emails about a year ago after working with their trucking business, Merced County Sheriff Vern Warnke told The Associated Press. Salgado allegedly kidnapped an 8-month-old baby, her parents and uncle at gunpoint in Merced on Monday and ki...

  • Suspect in 4 New Mexico killings left trail of violence

    SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN and STEFANIE DAZIO|Aug 12, 2022

    ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — In the six years since he resettled in the United States from Afghanistan, the primary suspect in the slayings of four Muslim men in Albuquerque has been arrested several times for domestic violence and captured on camera slashing the tires of a woman's car, according to police and court records. The lengthy pattern of violence — which began not long after Muhammad Syed arrived in the states — has shocked members of the city's small, close-knit Muslim community, some of whom knew him from the local mosque and who initi...

  • Albuquerque police detain suspect in killing of 4 Muslim men

    STEFANIE DAZIO and MARIAM FAM|Aug 10, 2022

    Police announced Tuesday that they have detained a "primary suspect" in the killings of four Muslim men in Albuquerque, New Mexico, whose deaths sparked fear in Muslim communities nationwide. Police Chief Harold Medina made the announcement on Twitter, saying that authorities had tracked down a vehicle believed to be involved in one of the slayings in New Mexico's largest city. "The driver was detained, and he is our primary suspect for the murders," the tweet said. No other information was immediately available. Police planned to provide an...

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