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“Alarming upward trend” as this year’s hit-and-run crashes outpace 2022 crashes

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:56:32 GMT

Hit-and-run crashes this year are so far outpacing crashes in 2022, an “alarming upward trend,” the Colorado State Patrol said in a Wednesday news release.The CSP has seen a 22% increase in hit-and-run crashes in the first quarter of 2023 compared to the same time frame in 2022. This year in January, the month that saw the sharpest increase, there were 260 hit-and-run crashes. January 2022 saw 192 crashes.“If you hit a vehicle, a person, or another piece of property, don’t panic,” Colorado State Patrol Chief Matthew C. Packard said. “Operating out of fear will only worsen this situation. Stay at the scene, check to make sure (whether) you and anyone are injured and call 9-1-1 to report the collision.”Leaving the scene of a crash can lead to multiple criminal charges, including felonies, that pile onto any charges associated with the crash. For example, if an uninsured motorist stayed at a property crash scene, they could be charged with careless driving and no proof of i...

Hard Rock Cafe’s 16th Street Mall lease is coming to an end this year

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:56:32 GMT

Hard Rock Cafe, a mainstay of Denver’s 16th Street Mall, is getting ready to play its last show.The Florida-based chain of rock ’n’ roll-themed restaurants made its debut at 500 16th St. Mall in downtown Denver when the Denver Pavilions first opened in 1998. But the Hard Rock Cafe’s lease is ending this fall. So, will the Hard Rock Cafe close for good?Well, Mark Sidell, president of Gart Properties, which owns the Denver Pavilions, confirmed that a possible closure “is not inconsistent with the previous discussions we’ve had with the company.”Hard Rock Cafe did not respond to a request for comment.If the tourist attraction, popular for its burgers, rock ‘n’ roll memorabilia and a 20-foot neon guitar sign, does close before the end of the year, this will be the first time that the 11,736-square-foot space, which sits in a prime spot on the 16th Street Mall, will be available for lease.In 2021, Hard Rock Cafe filed a lawsuit against landlord G...

22-year-old woman fatally hit while walking across I-70 in Aurora

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:56:32 GMT

A 22-year-old woman who died after walking across Interstate 70 may have been hit by several vehicles, and Aurora police investigating the death on Thursday appealed for help from the public.A BMW 330xi moving west on I-70 between Pena Boulevard and Chambers Road struck the woman late Wednesday, around 11:20 p.m., Aurora police said. “Investigators believe it is possible the pedestrian was hit by several vehicles” and that the drivers of those vehicles “do not know they were involved,” police spokeswoman Sydney Edwards said.Related ArticlesColorado News | Man dies in Colorado River when thrown out of raft in Garfield County Colorado News | Trinidad police fatally shoot man during warrants call; another man injured Colorado News | Denver police investigating homicide that left 1 dead, 1 seriously injured Colorado News | Fountain police shoot suspect, dog while responding to domestic violence call ...

Colorado woman hit by train while trapped in police car says memory loss should block criminal case against her

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:56:32 GMT

The Colorado woman who was hit by a train after police officers locked her inside a patrol vehicle that was parked on railroad tracks in Weld County says the memory loss she suffered in the crash should block the criminal case against her.Yareni Rios-Gonzalez, 21, was stopped by Fort Lupton and Platteville police officers on Sept. 16 after a 911 caller told dispatchers that she’d flashed a gun at him during a road rage incident. Officers took Rios-Gonzalez into custody and then locked her in the back of a police vehicle that was parked on train tracks near U.S. 85 and Weld County Road 38.The officers then failed to move the police SUV or help Rios-Gonzalez as a train bore down on the vehicle, horn blaring, and as Rios-Gonzalez screamed for help. The train hit the SUV with Rios-Gonzalez inside. She suffered significant injuries that included broken ribs, broken and dislocated wrists, a punctured lung, a broken leg, a traumatic brain injury and amnesia, according to the 28-page ...

Charges against Aurora parents in co-sleeping death of 2-day-old baby draw condemnation from pregnancy justice groups

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:56:32 GMT

The criminal case of an Aurora couple charged in the co-sleeping death of their 2-day-old baby has spurred outcry from state reproductive justice groups who describe the prosecution as part of a growing trend across the country in which pregnant and postpartum people are facing more criminalization.Brittany Diekneit, 27, and her husband Sean Byrne, 26, are each facing a felony charge of child abuse resulting in death. Diekneit and baby Walker returned home from the hospital on Sept. 22, and Walker died sometime that night or early morning. In April, three months after the autopsy was completed, arrest warrants were issued for the pair. The Aurora police arrest affidavits allege that the couple was drinking alcohol before sharing a bed with the baby and “ignored the substantial and unjustifiable risk of co-sleeping with Walker while being incapacitated and they were thus unable to check on him.”The 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office also upped the detective...

Studio City Starbucks removes customer seating citing safety issues

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:56:32 GMT

A Starbucks Coffee in Studio City is drawing attention after the store removed all customer seating.Only to-go orders are allowed at the 10965 Ventura Blvd. location of the popular coffee shop, as indicated by a sign posted to the door.While Starbucks did not directly attribute the decision to any one cause, a spokesperson implied that the seating was removed due to a safety concern and that the decision was made at that specific store, and not at the corporate level.The sign alerts customers that there is no seating at a Starbucks in Studio City, California. May 25, 2023. (KTLA)"Our local leaders are, and have always been, empowered to use the many resources at their disposal to modify store operations and create the best experience for our communities," the statement said. "Our first priority is to make sure our partners are safe at work. We will continue to work to make sure that partners can focus on crafting exquisite beverages and creating connections in a safe, warm, and welc...

Riverside County deputy hits, kills pedestrian

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:56:32 GMT

A Riverside County sheriff’s deputy struck and killed a pedestrian early Thursday morning in Moreno Valley, officials confirmed.The collision happened just before 4 a.m. on Cactus Avenue between Heacock Street and Gilbert Street, and next to a U.S. Postal Service Distribution Center.Footage from the scene showed the victim was struck near a row of trees that separate both directions of Cactus Avenue. There is no crosswalk at the location.Footage from the scene showed the victim was struck near a row of trees that separate both directions of Cactus Avenue. May 25, 2023. (OnScene.TV)It is unclear if the deputy was responding to a call at the time of the collision. No information about the victim was immediately available.California Highway Patrol is handling the investigation, the Riverside County Sheriff's Department said.

Woman wins $2 million on scratcher ticket bought in L.A.; had previous $100K win decade earlier

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:56:32 GMT

Some people have all the luck, don't they?A California Lottery player is one of the state's newest millionaires after she won $2 million from a scratcher ticket she purchased from a Compton doughnut shop.Ruby Evans purchased an Instate Prize Crossword scratcher from Sweet Time Donuts in Compton. She scratched the ticket in her car and was shocked to see she had won $2,000.She told the California Lottery that she was so excited that she immediately went back into the doughnut shop to get a claim form. But when the employee scanned her ticket, she was shocked to see that she hadn't won $2,000 — she had won $2,000,000. Can you remain anonymous when claiming lottery winnings? Evans thought she was in for a nice chunk of change, but she ended up winning the game's top prize and a life-changing payday. “I’ll tell you what, this is a big blessing. It’s given me a chance to pay off my bills, my mortgage, and help my daughters,” Evans told the California Lottery. Oddly enough, this isn't ...

Reward offered for information in boy's drive-by killing in Long Beach

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:56:32 GMT

Long Beach City Council members on Tuesday approved a plan to partner with county officials to offer a reward for information on a drive-by shooting that killed one Long Beach teenager and wounded another earlier this month.The May 9 attack left 12-year-old Eric Gregory Brown III with a fatal gunshot wound to his upper body. An unidentified 14-year-old girl suffered a non-life-threatening wound to her lower body, police said at the time.Another girl, 13, was also at the scene but was physically uninjured.To help identify the shooter or shooters — believed to be two male suspects — the Long Beach City Council voted 9-0 to partner with the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on a reward of at least $25,000 for anyone with information."My heart goes out to the family of Eric Gregory Brown III, a young child with a promising future. Together, we are determined to find those responsible for this devastating loss and are held accountable," Mayor Rex Richardson said in a statement. "We...

Police seek hit-and-run driver who injured bicyclist in Westlake

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:56:32 GMT

Los Angeles Police Department investigators are asking the public to help them identify and track down the driver of a Nissan Sentra who struck a bicyclist in Westlake earlier this month and fled the scene.At 8:45 p.m. on May 13 at Hoover and Carondelet streets, an older model white Nissan hit a cyclist, who "landed on the hood and windshield of the vehicle and rolled off the vehicle landing in the street," police said in a news release.The Nissan fled — likely with damage to its front end, hood and windshield — leaving the cyclist with severe, though not life-threatening, injuries, police said.A reward of up to $25,000 is available for information leading to the conviction of the driver or a resolution through a civil compromise.Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Juan Campos at 213-833-3713 or email him at [email protected] weekends and non business hours, calls can be made to the Central Traffic Division Watch Commander at 213-833-3746 or the department's to...