Actress Heather Locklear, 47, was arrested yesterday afternoon in Montecito after an area resident alleged she was "driving erratically," according to the Associated Press. Her vehicle was parked on a state highway when she was approached by a CHP officer, who "determine[d] that she seem[ed] to be under the influence of something," and then took her the local police station for testing. "She was booked at 7 p.m. on suspicion of driving under the influence......

Good news. Andrea Wilson-Smith, the 14-year-old we reported on yesterday, was found early this morning. The LAPD writes in an update to the media... "On September 5, 2008, at around 3:00 a.m., a CHP patrol unit found missing person Andrea Wilson-Smith near Foothill Boulevard and Michillinda Avenue, in Pasadena. She was taken to LAPD’s Northeast Division, where she was picked by her parent. Investigators still haven’t determined why the teen ran away from her home."......

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Bomb Squad is en route to an overpass at Valley Circle Blvd. and the 101 Freeway in Calabasas at the Los Angeles city border. A suspicious package found on an overpass was alerted to officials. The California Highway Patrol is considering closing all lanes of the freeway on both sides pending the opinion of the bomb squad, according to Heather Hoglund of the CHP over the phone.......

Two people have died in a crash that happened around 1:25 p.m. today on the Northbound 5 Freeway, just south of the 14 Freeway interchange, according to the LA Fire Department. A Sigalert has been issued by the CHP for a duration of an unknown period of time for the right three lanes and the truck lane.......

The Southbound 110 at Sepulveda Boulevard in Carson was shut down last night due to an oil spill that created a "slippery mess" on the lanes. After the CHP shut down the lanes, clean up crews cleaned up the mess, and the 110 reopened early this morning. It is unclear what caused the oil spill.......

It's been all the rage and everyone is talking about it -- today is day one of the new cell phone law. No more putting that phone to your ear unless it's an emergency. Otherwise, it's all about ear pieces or in-car systems (for more info on help buying the system for you, check out this post from LAist). And if you choose to break the law, it will be depend on where you are,......

Tomorrow, this will be illegal Photo by berbercarpet via flickr Tomorrow talking on your mobile phone pressed up against your ear while driving will be just as illegal as running a red light, speeding or driving under the influence. In today’s LA Times a spokesman for the CHP, Tom Marshall, said the CHP would enforce the law "fairly and aggressively." What are you planning to do to avoid getting yourself a ticket? The law......

All southbound lanes will be closed at Burbank Boulevard until at least 1 p.m. due to an multi-car accident, including a private ambulance near the junction of the 405 and the 101 around 11 a.m., according to SigAlert.com. "Seven patients were transported to area hospitals suffering from a range of injuries from minor to critical," according to the LAFD, one child was among the injured, and one person had to be extricated from a vehicle.......

If you plan on breaking the hands-free cellphone law tomorrow and in the future, your chances of being pulled over will be determined by where you are the LA Times finds. The California Highway Patrol plans to be the most aggressive about it and with the annual beef up (80% of officers on the roads) in staffing around the 4th of July, the two will go hand-in-hand well together. As for the LAPD, enforcement will......

Using your cell phone after July 1st could get you a $20 ticket (up to $100 in LA County after fees and the such). But if you cause an accident that ends in someone's death, a misdemeanor manslaughter charge could come with that, resulting with a year in jail for each death, reports the LA Times. That's because driving while talking on a cell phone (except for when using a hands-free device) can more easily......

On Monday, California Highway Patrol officers announced that several students at El Camino High in Oceanside had died over the weekend because of drunk-driver incidents. In fact, so many fell victim, 26 in all, some students thought there might have been a gang shooting. Tears, screams and all the emotions were heard throughout classrooms. Then, at some point later in the day, came the "just kidding! Don't drink and drive, kids." Students were outraged, but......

A woman was shot and killed by a California Highway Patrol officer last night. The incident occurred just off the freeway exit near Hellman and Garfield Avenues in Alhambra around 11:10 p.m. after officers pulled her over for speeding and driving erratically in her BMW sedan on the eastbound 10 freeway. As the officers approached the vehicle, she allegedly brandished a gun, prompting one of the officers to use deadly force shooting one round into......

On July 1st, after a two year warning, driving while talking on your cell phone, unless it is with a hands free device, will be illegal. There's some confusion, however, on how it all plays out and it depends on whether you are a teen or adult. Adults (that's 18 and over) can hold a phone, dial a number or answer a phone, but must converse hands free. Teens cannot do any of that, including......

Early Tuesday morning, California Highway Patrol officers made a routine traffic stop that ended with deadly results. Around 12:15 a.m., officers stopped a gold Mercedes near 7th Street at South Westmoreland when the driver exited the vehicle per instructions given. But as the man got out, he allegedly produced a hand gun, prompting officers to shoot him more than once "in self defense," ultimately killing him. This incident comes on the heels of a Sunday......

Those of you who rarely use your cell phones while driving need not take too much notice of the following announcement (oh, and p.s.? Thanks for being better than other people). For those of you, however, who insist on multi-tasking throughout your driving experience, watch out: that phone call you're making while wending your way down the 101 might just get you pulled over and fined, fined, fined. The CHP just released a press......

More details have come out today regarding the alleged Sunday morning Freeway shooting in Sherman Oaks near Van Nuys Blvd on the 101. A car with a young man, now identified as 20-year-old Marlon Gordillo-Sical, was found shot in his car after it crashed on the freeway. He was taken UCLA Medical where he was pronounced dead. Police were cautious in assuming details yesterday as KNBC reported (emphasis added): The Honda sedan could have been......

*UPDATE: 4:30 p.m. After six hours the 101 eastbound at the 405 was reopened. No witnesses have come forward with information about the incident, which is believed to be a car-to-car shooting that took place following a dispute. Police are asking for any witnesses to come forward to help the investigation. This is the second post-argument car-to-car shooting on the 101 in the Valley this year. *UPDATE 10:40 a.m.:The eastbound 101 at the 405 has......

"little green leaf," by Melle Music via LAist Featured Photos Pool on Flickr For those who thought oil spills only happened when big tankers in Alaska collided with icebergs, may I point you to the South Bay? Crews were busy Saturday cleaning up about 5,500 gallons of oil that spilled into the wetlands area around Machado Lake. The oil apparently overflowed from an oil-and-water separator at the Cooper & Brain Oil Co. field near PCH......

View Larger Map There was an officer-involved shooting down the street from Washington Irving Middle School and near Forest Lawn Memorial Park-Glendale at the intersection of Drew St. and Estara Ave. in Glassell Park. One man died and another was sought by police according to Officer Kate Lopez at the LAPD. The Southbound 2 San Fernando Rd. off-ramp was shut down due to police activity, according to Officer Jimenez of the California Highway Patrol. Other......

*Updates as of 10:53am: The LA Times is now reporting: "Witnesses described a man approximately 64 years old leaping from the Wilton Place crossing over the northbound Hollywood Freeway near Sunset Boulevard at about 8:30 a.m."A man jumped to his death from the 101 North overpass at Sunset Boulevard this morning; reports are coming in from Sigalert.com that traffic is badly snarled. LAist spoke to a witness at the scene who was caught in......

On the Pier in Santa Monica Mr. Lincoln, we like your pennies, says the US Postal service, just a day shy of his birthday. To celebrate, they announced today that postage will go up by 1 cent to 42 cents, effective May 12th. A 15-minute car chase had CHP officers trying to catch up with a woman wanted in a forgery case today. The pursuit began in El Monte and ended in Sylmar, reaching......

Everyone's inside watching TV right now | Photo by manmadepants via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr Oceanic Air flight 815 from Sydney, Australia to Los Angeles crashed in mid-2004, killing 318 passengers. Six, miraculously survived. Markland at blogging.la draws the connections from LOST to Lost Angeles. North Hollywood Auto Vs. Pedestrian hit-and-run leaves pedestrian dead. Stay safe out there! Double dipping in that Superbowl dip today? "Three to six double dips transferred......

In Sunday's wee hours, an unusual car chase took place on our local freeways, between the LA County Sheriff and a Vons big rig. According to the San Jose Mercury News:Officials say the hourlong pursuit began when LA County Sheriff's deputies responded to a report that a big rig was weaving. Sheriff's Sergeant Dan Raimo says the driver failed to yield and headed onto Highway 101. The big rig eventually stopped near Cerritos and......

Last month a program called Project 50 aimed at identifying homeless individuals most in need of immediate housing was begun in Los Angeles, and a similar program kicked off today in the City of Santa Monica. This morning teams began training for safety and census-taking skills, and are preparing to take to the streets early next week in the late night (or early morning) hours, tracking the areas where groups of homeless people congregate and......

At 10 a.m. this morning, a big rig carrying a cargoload of tires collided with a sedan causing the southbound 5 Freeway to shut down for hours. Read the full story on LAist from earlier today here. More photos of the incident after this post's jump.......

A big rig carrying a cargoload of tires collided with a sedan around 10 this morning on the 5 Freeway south of 4th Street, causing a two-hour-long shutdown of the major arteries through Downtown and a blaze that was apparently visible from over 20 miles away. It took 60 firefighters 38 minutes to knock down the flames, according the LAFD, which lept from the burning vehicles to nearby palm trees, as witnessed by other......

California Highway Patrol Officer Joshua Blackburn, charged with stealing $1 million worth of cocaine being held as evidence, has had his arraignment postponed at his lawyer's request until early next month, KTLA is reporting. The 32-year-old Murietta man (pictured) has been with the CHP for six years, and remains in the Orange County Jail on $4 million bail. His arraignment had been scheduled for yesterday, but the alleged drug nabber's attorney has stated that he......

Vitals details in the killings of two South LA residents who were found shot to death in their 11th Ave apartment remain unknown. The LAPD was notified late Monday afternoon of gunshots heard, and soon after discovered the bodies of Shelton Sumerall, 32, and Monica Youngblood, 23, both of whom suffered fatal shots to their heads. The motive and a shooting suspect have not been determined. A Van Nuys man was stabbed yesterday when he......

Chief William Bratton has cut crime in New York City and now here. Other cities are trying to do what he does, but it doesn't always work. So how do we model the success? Manhattan Beach solidarity. A two-year veteran of the MBPD is undergoing cancer treatment. Fifty officers, firefighters and city employees shaved their head to support the officer who is going through chemotherapy and one hundred people donated O-negative blood specifically for......

One thing that separates LA from the rest of the world are our televised high-speed vehicle pursuits. Glendale PD tried to pull over a man in a white pickup truck a little over an ago. The driver peaced-out and floored it north onto the 5 freeway. Here we are now at 2:27 pm and KCAL's SKY9 is all over it. Speeds have reached above 100 miles per hour. What's most interesting is that the......