The Daily Blog

Jun 19

Los Angeles (CNN) — Seven alleged Los Angeles street gang members are charged with kidnapping and robbing a man who testified in court that they were after a Shaquille O’Neal sex tape he had.

Los Angeles prosecutors said they have not verified the sex tape, purportedly showing the retired basketball star having sex with several women, actually exists.

The alleged victim is Robert Ross, who said he was a member of the defendants’ Main Street Mafia Crips Gang before he became a music promoter.

Ross testified at the defendants’ preliminary hearing Monday that the gang members kidnapped him at gunpoint on Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood, California, the night of the 2008 Grammy Awards.

They allegedly took him to the Los Angeles home of lead defendant Ladell Rowles.

“Defendant Rowles escorted victim Ross to a back room where he struck him with his handgun,” the criminal complaint said.

The men took Ross’ diamond chain, Rolex watch, diamond earrings and $15,000 in cash, the complaint said.

Ross, while on the witness stand, said it was then they demanded he hand over the videotape of O’Neal having sex with several women.

He testified that O’Neal knew through a mutual acquaintance that he had the videotape.

Ross, who said he was friends with O’Neal, testified that he tried to place music groups with O’Neal’s record label.

A prosecutor said O’Neal is not involved in the case.

O’Neal did not immediately respond to a CNN request for comment about the allegations in the case.

He recently announced his retirement as a pro basketball player after 19 years in the NBA.

The preliminary hearing, which began last week in Los Angeles Superior Court, was continued until next month.

Jun 12

Nicolas Cage’s Black-Metaller Son Gets Into Violent Altercation.

Although the details are still coming in, Los Angeles police are investigating an altercation in Hollywood on Tuesday involving the son of Nicolas Cage.

According to the L.A. Times, sources close to the case said that Weston Cage, 20, got into a fight with an unidentified individual around 4:10PM near the intersection of Selma Avenue and Ivar Avenue. Weston was taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center where he was treated for unspecified injuries. His superstar father met him at the hospital. No word yet whether Weston is being treated like a crime victim or if he would be charged with a crime for the incident.

Noisecreep readers might already be familiar with Weston from his black metal band Eyes of Noctum. Under the stage name of Arcane, Cage fronts the Los Angeles-based act which formed in the summer of 2008 and so far have released an album called ‘Inceptum.’ The record was produced in Sweden by Fredrik Nordström [In Flames, Opeth with contributions by renowned music producer Jack Douglas [Alice Cooper, Aerosmith]. Eyes of Noctum reportedly have finished work on ‘Narcoma,’ their sophomore album, but no release date has been provided as of press time.

Jun 9

When Los Angeles deputies responded to a burglary-in-progress call in El Monte, they had no idea they’d be stumbling across one of the biggest marijuana grow houses in the city’s history.

On Saturday morning, four men and a teen boy were caught trying to break in to what seemed to be an abandoned warehouse on Continental Avenue. Instead of guns or other weapons, the thieves were armed with gloves and clippers, reports NBC LA. Their getaway car? A U-Haul.

Eventually, one of the suspects tipped authorities off about their intended target: over 3,000 marijuana plants valued at around $1 million. After obtaining a search warrant, El Monte police entered the warehouse to carry out what is being touted as “the biggest drug bust in El Monte history.”

KTLA’s look inside the El Monte warehouse plantation reveals a secret 3-foot high crawl space where a guard was stationed to watch the door through an air-conditioning vent. Inside, a sophisticated system of lighting and irrigation nurtured thousands of marijuana plants that were just three weeks away from harvest. Finally, the growers evaded detection by sourcing their electricity directly from underground wires, which authorities believe enabled them to steal $10,000 of electricity per month.

One of the robbery suspects alleges that the grow house belongs to his family, who was cutting him out of the profits. He had wrangled four friends to help him claim his share. From the Daily News Wire Service:

Benjamin Kwok, 37, of San Gabriel, Xing Xi He, 24, of Baldwin Park, Louie Frank Fraijo, 28, also of Baldwin Park, Raymond Guan, 29, of Rosemead and a 17-year-old boy from San Gabriel were all arrested and booked for commercial burglary…

El Monte is no stranger to jackpot marijuana busts. In 2008, a home in a small gated community was busted for housing a $1 million marijuana plantation. In 2010, police busted two more home plantations with estimated values of $250,000 and $1 million.

May 17

LOS ANGELES (KTLA) — Police say 2 of 3 robbery suspects arrested Wednesday have been charged with the execution-style murder of MTV music coordinator Gabriel Aron Ben-Meir.

The suspects, identified as Jabaar Vincent Thomas, 26 and Destiny Young, 29, both of Los Angeles are charged with murder.

May 4

A pair of Los Angeles traffic officers are in hot water after appearing in a pornographic film.

NBC4 LA reports that the video shows uniformed, on-duty officers performing lewd acts with a porn actress. At one point, the actress performs sexual acts on herself in an official city car. The Los Angeles Department of Transportation is launching a full investigation into the matter.

Los Angeles parking enforcement chief Jimmy Price knew of the film two months ago but did not discipline the workers in question. Price claimed to NBC4 LA, “we were not able to positively identify the individuals as employees” from still photos of the film.

Still, LADOT workers who had shared the film with NBC4 LA claim that Price did know the officers’ identities, and did nothing to discipline them.

Bill Rosendahl, Los Angeles councilman and head of the transportation committee, confirms to KTLA that the two people in the video are indeed city workers. They have been placed on paid administrative leave until the results of the investigation are released.

Mar 21

Knife-wielding man at Staples Center arrested.

LOS ANGELES — A steak knife-wielding man held police and security guards at bay for nearly an hour at the Staples Center before the Los Angeles Clippers’ game Saturday against the Cleveland Cavaliers, authorities said.

The center’s general manager, Lee Zeidman, said the man, who was not identified, walked into the venue through an employee entrance. He said security officers tried to block his entry, but the man was brandishing the blade.

The man ran to the arena floor, where he was met by 25 security staffers who surrounded him until police arrived.

He eventually made his way to the visiting bench, where he spoke to three police officers with their guns drawn from approximately 20 feet away.

Zeidman said the man made no demands or offer a motive for his actions.

“He was talking a lot of gibberish, making a lot of veiled threats, and nobody could really understand him,” Zeidman said. “There were no specific demands. He told us: ‘Just back away or else you’re going to get hurt. Leave me alone. I’m prepared to do whatever it takes to get whatever I want.’ “

Police shot the man with a beanbag gun and detained him after he made a move toward a tunnel leading off the court. He was placed in handcuffs and escorted out by police.

Spectators with VIP access to the 12:30 p.m. game had begun filing into the arena, but were evacuated once the incident began. Players from both teams watched the drama unfold on a TV outside the Cavaliers’ dressing room before they were instructed to return to their locker rooms.

The court was reopened to players, media and arena employees 18 minutes after the man’s arrest.

Officer Norma Eisenman, a police spokeswoman, confirmed the man’s arrest and said an off-duty officer reported the incident, but did not release other details.

Feb 21

Justin Bieber Named MVP of 2011 NBA All-Star Celebrity Game.

This kid really is everywhere, as you learned last night if you caught the NBA’s sold-out All-Star Celebrity Game in Los Angeles.

Contributing eight points, two rebounds and four assists to his team (which lost), Justin Bieber ended up winning the title of Most Valuable Player by game’s end, according to an NPR report, which describes the “vertically challenged” pop star “bouncing with every step” as he “scampered” to the screams of girls in the stands.

What was Bieber’s secret to MVP glory? Recruiting his legion of loyal followers on Twitter to vote via text, and lock up the title for him. It certainly wasn’t due to the 3-pointer he missed, a shot that would have tied the score with just 30 seconds left on the clock.

About his teammate, Rick Fox said, “He has the softest hair.” The former Laker (and recent ‘DWTS’ dancer) reportedly patted Bieber on the head midway through the game.

Bieber’s other Western Conference teammates included ‘Chuck’ star Zach Levi, Trey Songz, Romeo Miller and Lamar Odom’s brother-in-law, Rob Kardashian. They were coached by Magic Johnson, with official assistance from Jimmy Kimmel and ‘Modern Family’ star Ty Burrell. Despite all that talent, the Eastern Conference won 54-49.
Scottie Pippen led his team, coached by Hall of Famer Bill Walton, to victory along with East teammates Common, Jason Sudeikis, Nick Cannon and Michael Rapaport.

The roster of professionals on the court also included WNBA stars Tamika Catchings and Swin Cash.

During the game, Bieber summed it up: “I’m just running back and forth. I’m controlling this whole team. I’m just kidding.”

Feb 13

Jamie Foxx’s Offstage Brawl Disrupts Usher Show.

Usher was on the job Thursday night inside a crowded Los Angeles nightclub, giving a live performance at a vodka launch party, when two scuffling fans just about upstaged his concert.

Celebs in the stunned audience of 1,200 reportedly included Jenny McCarthy, Joe Jonas, Ryan Phillipe, Adam Lambert and ‘DWTS’ star Cheryl Burke.

And their shock probably had something to do with who was fighting: Oscar winner Jamie Foxx caused the commotion, according to RadarOnline, when an altercation with a former manager turned physical, midway through Usher’s set.
A source on the scene says the brawl then “spilled to the outside area,” and soon “security intervened…After some cops approached, both men seemed to make-up with one another before they left.”

No charges have been filed. The actor’s rep has not commented on the incident.

After the fight broke up, Foxx reportedly left the venue scowling. “I don’t know what the guy said to Jamie Foxx, but he was really p—sed,” said the witness.

Back in 2004, Foxx, now 43, got into trouble with the law, charged with disturbing the peace (he was ultimately placed on probation) after he and his sister tangled with security guards at a New Orleans casino, and allegedly resisted arrest.

Last year, the busy performer (who earned an Oscar for 2004’s ‘Ray’) won a Grammy for his T-Pain collaboration, ‘Blame It.’ This month, Foxx has been promoting his new family-friendly movie ‘Rio,’ in which he voices the role of a small yellow canary. He’s also appearing in the upcoming Jennifer Aniston comedy ‘Horrible Bosses,’ as a character named Motherf—ka Jones.

Jan 23

Bryant To Get Cement Prints At Hollywood Landmark.

LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant has championship rings and an MVP trophy, but he’s about to get an honor usually reserved for the stars of Hollywood.

Bryant will become the first athlete to have a hand and foot print ceremony at Grauman’s Chinese Theater in Hollywood.

Representatives for the theater announced Thursday that Bryant will have the ceremony setting his hands and feet in cement as part of the NBA’s All-Star Weekend festivities on Feb. 19, the day before the All-Star game at Staples Center in Los Angeles.

More than 200 Hollywood luminaries including John Wayne, Marilyn Monroe and Brad Pitt have had their hands and feet set in cement in front of the Hollywood landmark.