Welcome to L.A. TACO’s daily news briefs, where we bring our loyal members, readers, and supporters the latest headlines about Los Angeles politics and culture. Stay informed and look closely.
—Palms: El Barrio Neighborhood Tacos was broken into this morning and posted security video footage of three thieves methodically breaking the glass doors to sneak into the business before running out with their arms full. A co-owner of the taqueria (a favorite of L.A. TACO's and a mainstay on our 69 Best Tacos In L.A. list) tells us, “They took the safe and register. Cash tips for the employees were in there also. Just sad how people target small businesses. Every penny counts.” Please support! [Upachef/Instagram]
—Koreatown: 17-year-old Dylan Martinez was shot and killed on Tuesday night as he sat in his car with a friend in Koreatown. An unknown suspect approached them and reportedly demanded property from the vehicle's two occupants, who police believe were just looking for a place to eat. As the driver panicked and tried to drive away, the suspect is said to have opened fire, striking Martinez, who was later pronounced dead by paramedics. [CBS]
—Irwindale: A SUV that crashed off the 210 Freeway this morning and landed on nearby train tracks was then struck by a Metrolink train. No injuries were reported, as the driver had left the scene before the collision and no Metrolink passengers were reported to be hurt. [NBC]
—Whittier: Police detectives Cynthia Lopez and Salvador Murillo were charged with assault yesterday over allegations that they shot a fleeing, unarmed suspect twice in his back in 2020, severing his spine and paralyzing him from the waist down. [LAT]
—Research at the University of Colorado's Anschutz Medical Campus finds that practices such as encampment sweeps, sleeping bans, move-along-orders, and cleanups that force the unhoused to relocate away from essential services "lead to substantial increases in overdose deaths, life threatening infections, and hospitalizations." [9News]
—Kogi founder and L.A. son Roy Choi is collaborating with savory cannabis snack brand Tsumo on two new flavors that will launch this Friday at MedMen before gracing other California dispensaries in May. Each bag of Choi's "Spaghetti & Meatballs" and "Spicy Cheesy Ramen" Tsumo comes with 100mg of THC worth of puffed snacks. Choi says of the collaboration, "I tapped into my dream world and envisioned scenes of outer space through a psychedelic kaleidoscope lens." [Ember]
—After a Twitter video spread featuring action hero, former California Governor, and alleged groper Arnold Schwarzenegger filling in a neighborhood pothole, a spokesperson for the city of L.A. clarified that it was not actually a pothole he was filmed filling, but "a service trench that relates to active, permitted work being performed at the location by SoCal Gas." [NBC]
—Archaeologists claim to have discovered a more than 1,000-year-old a stone tablet, believed to be an ancient scorecard for a ball-based sport, at the Mayan archaeological site Chichen Itza in Mexico's Yucatan peninsula. The scorecard features hieroglyphic writing surrounding two players standing next to a ball. [CNN]
—The O Hongana Manyawa, one of the last surviving indigenous cultures in Indonesia, is watching their forests disappear and their very existence threatened by a vast nickel-mining operation meant to fuel a growing global demand for batteries that power electric vehicles, despite the industry frequently being touted for its greener practices when compared to traditional automobiles. Tesla alone has reportedly invested $5 billion into nickel mining projects in the country. [Vice]
