Freeway Shootings Rattle Los Angeles

John Atterberry had worked with Jessica Simpson, Michael Jackson

(NEWSER) - The record executive who was critically wounded in Friday's Hollywood shooting rampage died last night, the AP reports. John Atterberry, 40, had been a vice president of Death Row Records, then home to Tupac Shakur and Dr. Dre, before going on to work with artists including Jessica Simpson, Christina Aguilera, and Michael Jackson, the Los Angeles Times reports. More»

Thief opens fire near campus: cops

(NEWSER) - Two students from the University of Southern California were shot at a party near the USC campus yesterday. Several students confronted a man who appeared to be stealing items from an apartment complex where the party was taking place. He opened fire, shooting a male student in the chest and a female student in the hand, said police. The male student underwent surgery and is listed in critical but stable condition. There have been no arrests yet, reports the Los Angeles Times . More»

(NEWSER) - Every time a cop pulls someone over, he or she is liable to hear an excuse. And every so often, a driver manages to surprise even the most jaded ticket-writer, the San Jose Mercury News reports. Like the pair of Frenchmen one officer caught speeding on Highway 101. They’d studied US driving laws and were sure speed limits were posted on white signs with black numbers—like the one reading “101.” The cop let them off. More»

34,000 plants growing in Topanga State Park

(NEWSER) - A $100 million marijuana plantation was destroyed by a police raid in Topanga State Park in Los Angeles on Friday. The 34,000-plant operation deep in the park's back country is the largest busted by cops in the Santa Monica Mountains in seven years, reports the Los Angeles Times . No one was arrested, but three men were spotted fleeing the scene. Park rangers and sheriff's deputies discovered the operation after finding a dam that was diverting water from a creek to irrigate the plants in the park, which is located entirely within LA city limits. More»

Oblivious texter nearly walks into new neighbor

(NEWSER) - There goes the neighborhood. A black bear apparently sick of roughing it in the wilds of California decided to check out a suburb 10 miles north of Los Angeles in the Verdugo Mountains area. The bear was spotted lounging on a lawn before investigating several backyards, shooting him to the top of the list of suspects tearing through trash bins the last few weeks, reports AP . One pedestrian was so focused on his cell phone that he didn't notice his new neighbor until the last minute—then sprinted to safety. Despite the bear's powerful jaws and giant claws, the three-year-old male appeared to be "pretty mellow," said one ranger. He was eventually tranquilized while napping under a tree, and removed to a woodsy area where the taxes aren't so high. More»