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Prosecutors have declined to file charges in the case of a Hollywood 7-Eleven employee who was hospitalized after an altercation with other co-workers at the store in June and later died. LAPD officers responded to the store located in the 5700 block of Melrose Avenue on June 24 at around 2:15 p.m. after a report of two women involved in an argument that turned violent. Hollywood Oct 7 Coroner rules on cause of death of Hollywood 7-Eleven employee in June Air Travel 10 hours ago TSA announces $45 fee for travelers without a Real ID or passport In a charge evaluation dated Nov. 25 and obtained exclusively by NBC4 Investigates, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said all people involved in the altercation were 7-Eleven employees with a history of disputes. A third employee joined the altercation before the fight was broken up by another employee, who said the fight was mutual, prosecutors said. When police arrived, 24-year-old Jessica McLaughlin was found unconscious on the floor of the store, the LAPD said. She was hospitalized in critical condition and later died. The medical examiner determined her death was caused by anoxic encephalopathy, a condition in which the brain is deprived of oxygen for a prolonged period. Other causes listed in the coroner’s report included cardiopulmonary arrest status post cardiopulmonary resuscitation, indicating CPR did not work, and exacerbation of asthma. The examiner’s report noted there were no fatal injuries to McLaughlin’s head, neck or chest. The manner of death was listed in the medical examiner’s report as homicide, indicating the person’s death was caused by another. Homicide can be considered lawful or unlawful. “Because stress from the physical altercation can trigger an asthma exacerbation and subsequent cardiac arrest, the manner of death was classified as a homicide,” prosecutors said their charge evaluation. Deadly force was not used by any of the parties and “although the medical examiner classified the manner of death in this case as a homicide, the evidence is insufficient to prove the homicide was unlawful,” the district attorney’s office said. The DA’s office said several theories of criminal liability were considered, but there was insufficient evidence to prove anyone involved intended to kill or “acted with conscious disregard for human life.” LAPD sources told NBC4 Investigates earlier this year that authorities found no criminal culpability before the case was submitted to the DA’s office for consideration of charges.

A moderate Santa Ana wind event led to gusty conditions in some Southland mountain and valley areas Monday, with more blustery conditions expected later in the week. The National Weather Service issued a wind advisory that will be in effect through 3 p.m. for the Western San Gabriel Mountains and Antelope Valley (14) Freeway corridor, where northeast winds of 20 to 30 mph were likely, with gusts up to 50 mph. A wind advisory was also in place until 3 p.m. for the Santa Clarita Valley, western Santa Monica Mountains Recreational Area, Calabasas, Agoura Hills and the western San Fernando Valley, where gusts of up to 45 mph were possible. Forecasters warned that the winds could blow around unsecured objects and knock down trees or tree limbs, possibly leading to power outages. “This is a much cooler event than the Santa Ana last week and temps across (the) coast and valleys should top out in the mid 60s to lower 70s,” according to the NWS. “Winds will diminish in the late afternoon but with someoffshore breezes through the canyons into Tuesday morning.” Temperatures are expected to cool slightly on Tuesday as onshore flow returns. A freeze warning will be in effect overnight in the Antelope Valley, where temperatures as low as 24 degrees are possible. Another Santa Ana wind event is anticipated later in the week, possibly as early as Wednesday morning into Thursday.

A federal jury sided with Megan Thee Stallion on Monday and agreed that a blogger defamed and harassed the rapper — but limited damages to less than six figures. The federal panel of five men and four women came down in favor of the artist born Megan Pete in her lawsuit against blogger Milagro Gramz, whose real name is Milagro Cooper. The civil suit was over material the defendant posted after the plaintiff was shot five years ago by R&B musician Tory Lanez. Jurors initially awarded the plaintiff $75,000 before U.S. District Court Judge Cecilia M. Altonaga knocked it down to $59,000. The rapper declined to answer any questions from reporters as she left court. The defendant didn’t appear to be particularly pleased or distressed by the panel’s findings. “I’m not ecstatic,” Cooper said. “Of course you want things to go your way but like I said I respect the jury and what they decided.” The blogger’s attorney, Jeremy McLymont, said he’s grateful that jurors didn’t award seven digits of damages. “We respect the jury’s verdict you always have to right?Whether we agree with it or not, we respect it,” he said. “At the end of the day it was not a complete win for any side.” Celebrity News Nov 20 An emotional Megan Thee Stallion testifies in Florida civil trial Crime and Courts Dec 17, 2024 Megan Thee Stallion seeks restraining order, says imprisoned Tory Lanez continues to harass her The musician accused the blogger of being a “mouthpiece,” “puppet” and “paid surrogate” for Lanez, who shot Megan on July 15, 2020, in Los Angeles. Jurors found that Cooper willfully encouraged her thousands of followers on X and Instagram to view a sexually explicit deepfake video of Pete that had been circulating on social media. The blogger’s attorney, Jeremy McLymont, called the verdict and award “not a complete win for either side.” Lanez shot Pete in the foot after the pair left a party at Kylie Jenner’s home in 2020. A Los Angeles jury found Lanez, whose real name is Daystar Peterson, guilty of three felony charges on Dec. 23, 2022: assault with a semiautomatic firearm, carrying a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle and discharging a firearm with gross negligence. He was sentenced to up to 10 years behind bars. Pete said she’s been struggling with mental health issues since the shooting and harassment from the blogger. Juliette Arcodia reported from Miami, and David K. Li from New York. Nicole Duarte contributed.

People who live in Inglewood could see their water and sewage bills increase next month without having a lot of time to prepare. The city of Inglewood has proposed a rate hike for water and sewer fees. Under the plan, the average single-family home with a ¾ inch meter, using 900-cubic feet of water would see a monthly bill go from $60.13 to $78.38, a 30% increase. “It was shocking to me. Just like everything else, everything else is going up,” Faith Tubi, who lives in Inglewood said, explaining the current water and sewer rates are already unaffordable. “We’ve already had to cut off our grass in our front house just to cut down because the water bill was so high,” Tubi said.  Other residents like Jose Valdovinos said the utility bills are creating a burden for families. “We already pay like $240, $250 a month for water and sewer,” Valdovinos said. Los Angeles Oct 14 Los Angeles' trash collection fee could increase after city council gives final approval LADWP Oct 7 Why LADWP bills are surging for Los Angeles customers According to a report by Inglewood’s Department of Public Works, the new rate proposal takes into account inflation, the city’s increased costs of purchasing water and aging infrastructure maintenance. Sewer rates in the city haven’t been adjusted in more than a decade, city officials said. But Inglewood water rates did increase from 2019-2023. Inglewood residents aren’t the only ones in this boat: a September report from UCLA researchers found that household water bills in LA County jumped almost 60% in the last 10 years. According to the city of Inglewood, without these increases, the water fund will be in deficit by next fall, and sewer reserves will be depleted by the end of next year.  The city council must vote on whether or not to approve the increases. A public hearing will be held on Dec. 16 at 2 p.m. on the proposal. People opposing the increase must submit their comments in writing by Dec. 15. NBC Los Angeles reached out to the city of Inglewood for comment.

A tree trimmer fell to his death while on the job in Canoga Park on Monday, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. The tragedy was reported just before 3:30 p.m. along Canoga Avenue and Valerio Street. There, the man was impaled when he fell while working on large trees and landed atop an iron fence. LAFD said the man fell 35 feet and landed on the 10-foot fence. He died of his injuries at the scene. “An LAFD USAR team will utilize a high-angle rope system to carefully recover his body, which is currently covered by a sheet and shielded from public view by a tarp to preserve the decedent’s dignity,” LAFD said in a statement. “The Mayor’s Crisis Response Team is en route to the scene to provide emotional support to fellow workers.” While first responders await the arrival of the Coroner’s office, Valerio Street has been shut down. The identity of the tree trimmer was not released, but LAFD described him as a 44-year-old man.