Video shows police chase getting too close for comfort

Talk about having a front-row seat.

While KNBC-TV Channel 4 covered a police chase through Inglewood late Sunday, YouTube user Jason Lee was up close to the action. As the station showed police pursuing a stolen vehicle, Lee's video pulls back to show the chase rounding a corner through the window of a house. 

"I thought he was going to crash through the window," Lee commented on his YouTube page, joking that the video showed "real life Grand Theft Auto" at the "Inglewood Raceway." 

The chase continues past Lee's window and the house, until it is out of view -- from his seat, at least.

During the two-hour pursuit, which began about 11 p.m., the driver displayed gang signs and weaved in and out of traffic, KTLA-TV Channel 5 reported. The man, whose name has not been released, was arrested after police deployed spike strips, blowing out a tire on the car.

Police said the man had a number of weapons in the car, KTLA reported.

In September, during another made-for-Hollywood chase through South L.A., bank robbery suspects threw fistfuls of money out their car's windows, drawing hundreds of spectators as the event unfolded on TV news.

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Bright objects streak through sky as Geminid meteor shower peaks

Stargazers who braved the chilly weather Thursday night were treated to a spectacle as the annual Geminid meteor shower reached its peak.

The bright streaks across the sky were remnants of the asteroid Phaeton that burned up as they hit Earth's atmosphere. Earth orbits through Phaethon's debris field at this time every year.

The annual Geminid show got its name from the constellation Gemini, because the objects appear to fall near one of its primary stars.

As a bonus this year, the meteor shower is getting a boost from dust left behind by the comet Wiratanen, NASA said. The space agency’s Meteoroid Environment Office predicted that the dust could create up to 30 additional meteors per hour.

Wirtanen has not crossed paths with Earth since it was discovered in 1948.

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Crews search for possible drowning victim in MacArthur Park lake

Los Angeles rescue crews searched Tuesday for a man suspected of drowning in MacArthur Park lake.

A caller reported seeing an unidentified man swim into the lake and not emerge shortly before 6:41 a.m., said Shawn Lenske, a spokesman for the Los Angeles Fire Department.

Los Angeles Police Department officers were also at MacArthur Park and a dive team was headed to the lake to conduct a search, Lenske said.

Authorities also found clothes on the eastern bank of the park's lake, KTLA-TV reported. 

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Map: Approximate location of search shown in black. Credit: Los Angeles Times Mapping L.A.

Police search for suspect believed wounded in pizza delivery robbery

Long Beach police were searching Monday for a suspect who authorities believe was shot by officers after he robbed a pizza delivery man.

Armed with a handgun, the suspect took off with the delivery man's wallet, cellphone and pizza just before 8 p.m. Sunday, KTLA reported.

Officers shot at the suspect following a foot pursuit, authorities said. The man got away but is thought to be wounded, they said.

No description of the suspect was immediately available.

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Police arrest intruder with scissors at Miley Cyrus' house

This post has been corrected. See the note below for details.

Los Angeles police said they arrested a man found hiding in the bushes of Miley Cyrus' Studio City home on Saturday morning.

The suspect was held on suspicion of trespassing, police said.

Officers responded to a radio call of a prowler at the residence, LAPD Deputy Chief Jorge Villegas said. Upon seeing the officers, the suspect fled and hid in some bushes, where officers apprehended him, he said.

KTLA caught the arrest on video.

The man, who identified himself as Jason Luis Rivera, had a pair of scissors when he was apprehended, officials said.

KTLA reported that Cyrus was not home at the time.

[For the Record, 1:23 p.m. Sept. 8: An earlier version of this post stated that the suspect found hiding near Miley Cyrus' home was held on suspicion of trespassing and burglary. He was held on suspicion of burglary.]

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Hollywood producer found dead in apparent suicide

Family members say a man who died when his vehicle plunged over the side of Angeles Crest Highway on Wednesday was producer Brian Gerber, who worked with Leonardo DiCaprio on the environmental film, "11th Hour."

Gerber, whose producing credits include a number of documentaries, was reported missing Monday, according to authorities.

Authorities say they had been notified by his family that he was distraught and thinking of running his car off a cliff in the area.

Wednesday morning, deputies received a call about 6 a.m. about a crash near mile marker 31.

Investigators also found a suicide note nearby.

Family members issued the following statement on his Facebook page Wednesday.

"Our worst fears regarding Brian Gerber have been confirmed. Brian's family thanks you for all the condolences, good thoughts, prayers and asks for your patience and understanding during this most difficult of times. Obviously they are overwhelmed with this situation and are asking for privacy. We will be in touch as soon as arrangements have been made for services."

Gerber, 41, was one of the people behind the popular event Digital Hollywood. He is survived by two sons and his wife, actress Arabella Fields.

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KTLA helicopter makes emergency landing in Hollywood

A KTLA-TV Channel 5 helicopter made an emergency landing on Franklin Avenue in Hollywood, the Los Angeles Fire Department said.

The copter was smoking as it landed at 6338 Franklin Ave.  near Las Palmas Avenue, but no injuries or fire were reported, officials said. The aircraft had an apparent oil leak, according to fire officials.

KTLA-TV news said on its Twitter account that the aircraft landed in a parking lot. No other details were immediately available.

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Map shows area where helicopter landed. Credit: Times Mapping L.A.

Joan Rivers says Costco book ban like 'beginning of Nazi Germany'

Television personality Joan Rivers created a little mayhem Tuesday at a Costco in Burbank, chaining herself to a shopping cart and shouting from a bullhorn as part of a protest that also happened to promote her new book.

Clad in chunky jewelry and oversized dark glasses, Rivers went onto Costco’s property to denounce the fact that the wholesale giant does not sell her book, “I Hate Everyone … Starting With Me.” Police officers were called to the scene but no citations were issued.

Rivers ultimately left, but only after speaking extensively with television reporters. She said her book had been banned by the chain because it has cuss words on the back cover.

“People should have the right to have the literature they want,” the nasal-voiced comedienne told KTLA News. “This is the beginning of Nazi Germany.”

Rivers had her own film crew in tow for her protest, said Burbank city spokesman Drew Sugars. "She had a whole entourage," Sugars told The Times. "Sounds like a staged media event."

Rivers made no mention of her protest on her Twitter account, instead sending tweets about the stretch bangle bracelets and the QVC shopping network. But she did tell KTLA she wasn't entirely satisfied with her publicity stunt.

"They kicked me out without giving me any free samples,” she told the station.

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Small plane crashes in Corona; no word on injuries

A small plane crashed shortly before 6:30 p.m. Friday in Corona, less than two miles from the municipal airport.

According to KTLA-TV Channel 5, the plane went down near Lincoln and Harrington streets.

Officials have not said how many people were aboard the aircraft, nor whether there were any injuries or fatalities. KABC-TV Channel 7 is reporting that there were two people on board who managed to escape.

The Corona Municipal Airport, which is north of the 91 Freeway on the edge of the Prado Flood Control Basin, is managed by the city's Parks and Community Services Department. A city website describes the airport as "extremely active, with approximately 50,000 annual operations." 

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Villaraigosa and girlfriend Lu Parker call it quits

Villaraigosa and Parker: More photos

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and television news reporter Lu Parker have broken up, a publicist for Parker said Monday.

“I can confirm that Lu Parker ended her three-year committed relationship with Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa as of May 25,” said Juliette Harris, the owner of It Girl Public Relations, which represents Parker, a former Miss USA who works for KTLA-TV Channel 5.

Parker, 44, had rarely been seen with the mayor in recent weeks. She attended Villaraigosa’s State of the City speech on April 20 and walked the red carpet with him a week later at Britweek, an event celebrating California’s ties with Great Britain. But she did not show up at a June 6 garden party hosted by Villaraigosa at Getty House, the taxpayer-owned mansion in Windsor Square that serves as the mayor’s residence. And it was Villaraigosa Deputy Chief of Staff Matt Szabo, not Parker, who rode with the mayor in West Hollywood’s gay pride parade three days later.

PHOTOS: Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Lu Parker

Over the last three weeks, Villaraigosa has repeatedly declined to answer questions from The Times about the status of his relationship with Parker -- calling one reporter an “idiot” for asking. He has also refused to say whether Parker has moved out of Getty House.

On Wednesday, Villaraigosa discussed the breakup five years ago of his marriage to Corina Villaraigosa during an appearance at Loyola Marymount University. But when asked afterward about his relationship with Parker, he said: “My personal life isn’t any of your business any more than yours is mine.”