- Woman firing gun in Joel Osteen’s Houston Lakewood church killed by off-duty officers The Associated Press
- Lakewood Church deadly shooting: Suspect killed, 2 injured at Joel Osteen’s megachurch near Southwest Fwy in Houston, Texas KTRK-TV
- What to know about a shooting at Joel Osteen’s megachurch in Texas during Sunday services The Hill
- Bullets fly at Joel Osteen Lakewood Church in Houston; child critical USA TODAY
- 2 injured, including child, after shooting at pastor Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church, Houston police say. Shooter is also down CNN
Tag Archives: Lakewood
Meme-inspiring ‘not real’ American Airlines passenger is a Lakewood resident – Lakewood/East Dallas Advocate
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- Woman Behind Viral ‘Not Real’ Airplane Outburst Has Been Identified, Is Real Yahoo Entertainment
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- View Full Coverage on Google News
TikTok challenge: Video shows Lakewood man fall victim to social media trend that teaches thieves to steal Hyundai, Kia cars
LAKEWOOD, Calif. (KABC) — Brad Crihfield of Lakewood is trying to wrap his head around what happened outside his home last Monday.
“It’s confusing to think that that can just happen, and it happened so casually that you don’t really turn your head and really notice it,” he said.
The incident happened around 11:30 a.m. His home surveillance camera captured a man forcing the door to his 2012 Hyundai Tucson open and getting inside.
“So he got in within 30 seconds and then took off right because the Ring (video) also picks up my wife walking by the now empty driveway within three minutes after the fact,” Crihfield said.
He does not know why he was targeted, but authorities across the country are investigating a rise in Hyundai and Kia car thefts.
They’re warning car owners of a new TikTok challenge, which encourages people to break into these cars.
The videos allegedly teach them how to jumpstart the car using a USB cable.
“The scary part is that, as far as I can tell, this started from a TikTok challenge, which shows the power of influence that social media can have especially on young folks,” Crihfield said.
In a statement, a Hyundai spokesperson said:
Hyundai Motor America is concerned with the rise in local auto thefts. The safety and well-being of our customers and the community is and will remain our top priority. These vehicles meet or exceed Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards and engine immobilizers are standard equipment on all new Hyundai vehicles.
James Bell, a Kia spokesperson, said vehicles that are turned on with a steel key are being targeted.
“Kia America is aware of the rise in vehicle thefts of a subset of trim level vehicles. All 2022 models and trims have an immobilizer applied either at the beginning of the year or as a running change. All Kia vehicles for sale in the U.S. meet or exceed Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards,” Bell said.
Crihfield is not holding out hope that he’ll get his car back anytime soon.
He just hopes no one else falls victim to this alleged TikTok challenge.
“The sad part is explaining to your kids, I have a 5-year-old and an 8-year-old, explaining to them where dad’s car is,” he said.
Also, Crihfield said his car is replaceable and he’s just happy no one was hurt during this incident.
He said he has filed a report with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
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Money found in wall of Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church may be tied to 2014 theft case, police say
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — The stash of cash and checks found inside a wall at Lakewood Church could be connected to a 2014 theft, according to Houston police.
Police said the money was discovered on Nov. 10 during a renovation project.
“(At) about 2:30 p.m. on Nov. 10, Houston police officers were called to Lakewood Church for a report of property discovered in the building,” police wrote on Twitter.
Police said a large amount of money, including cash, checks and money orders was found inside a wall.
SEE ALSO: More than half million dollars stolen from safe at Joel Osteen’s Houston church
The discovery comes more than seven years after about $600,000 in cash and checks were taken from a church safe. The incident happened in 2014 between March 9 and March 10.
About $200,000 in cash and $400,000 in checks were taken.
Although police didn’t say how much money was found, evidence recovered suggests this case is connected to the March 2014 theft report, police said.
At this time, an investigation is still ongoing.
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Four Arrested in Relation to Lakewood Home Depot Theft – NBC Los Angeles
Four individuals, who police believe may be involved in the flash mob theft of at least $400 in merchandise from a Home Depot in the Lakewood Center Mall, were in custody Saturday after being arrested in Beverly Hills.
The police investigation is still ongoing, as police work to confirm whether the four individuals arrested were involved in Friday night’s incident.
Police received a call regarding several vehicles driving with no license plates near Beverly Drive and Dayton Way just after 9 p.m. Friday, Sgt. Jeff Newman of the Beverly Hills Police Department told City News Service.
Officers stopped one of the vehicles and took the suspects into custody.
LAPD is on tactical alert after several spots in LA County are robbed on Black Friday. Robert Kovacik reports for the NBC4 News at 11 p.m. on Nov. 26, 2021.
“We’re currently working with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department to see if there is a link to the Lakewood Home Depot incident or any other crimes that have been committed,” Newman said.
Approximately eight males entered the store at 7:46 p.m. Friday, walked directly to the tool aisle and stole various sledgehammers, crowbars and hammers valued at approximately $400, according to Deputy Miguel Meza of the Sheriff’s Information Bureau.
Cell phone video showed a group of teenagers leaving the store.
“One customer actually stood up to them, and then they threatened him, and then he went back,” said one store employee, Luis Romo, said of the incident. “That’s why in the video you could see him, like, panicked. And then they just ran out the front to their cars, and they left in a red Mercedes, I saw.”
Anyone with information about the robbery was encouraged to call the Lakewood Sheriff’s Station at 562-623-3500. Anonymous tips can be given to Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477 or submitted online at lacrimestoppers.org.
It was another in a series of so-called “flash mob” or smash-and-grab robberies across Los Angeles County in the past week, several of them taking place on Black Friday.
A large group of thieves entered the Bottega Veneta store at 8445 Melrose Place — near Croft Avenue and the border with West Hollywood — and stole an unknown number of items before fleeing Friday.
The Los Angeles Police Department lifted a citywide tactical alert Saturday that had been in effect through the majority of the city.
On Wednesday, robbers attacked a security guard and stole designer handbags worth an estimated $25,000 from the Nordstrom store at the Westfield Topanga mall in Canoga Park. Also Wednesday, “flash mob” suspects entered several stores in the 8500 block of Beverly Blvd at the Beverly Center and grabbed merchandise without paying and ran out, the LAPD said.
Those crimes occurred two days after a smash-and-grab robbery by a mob of at least 20 people at the Nordstrom store at the upscale Grove shopping center in the Fairfax district Monday evening. The suspects in that robbery fled the scene in at least four vehicles.
Three suspects were arrested in South Los Angeles following a chase. Officers recovered several items of clothing, at least one cash register and gloves from their vehicle.
Also Monday, at about 9:45 p.m., six suspects entered a CVS Pharmacy in the 5800 block of South Vermont Avenue in the South Los Angeles area and stole three cash registers, taking about $8,500 in cash, police said.
On Sunday, storefront windows of the Louis Vuitton and Saks Fifth Avenue stores in Beverly Hills were smashed during attempted burglaries.
The Lakewood fire has now burned over 160 acres of land
The fire, which was reported at 1:30 p.m., began in Lakewood Township and spread to Garden State Parkway due to windy conditions, New Jersey Forest Fire Service spokesperson Maris Gabliks said in a press conference Sunday.
The blaze is currently 50% contained and still threatens several residential, commercial and business structures, Gabliks told reporters.
“We have extremely strong winds with low humidity that aids the fire in growth but also hampers the fire fighters ability to contain and control the fire,” Gabliks told reporters. “No homes were lost at this point but there are homes that were damaged.”
Several hundred people have been evacuated from affected areas and several road closures are currently in place, but no injuries have been reported at this time, Gabliks said. There was a report of a firefighter injured but Gabliks said they have no further information.
A number of commercial buildings and outbuildings were damaged, but officials are unsure of the exact number at this time, he said.
“During the initial operations there were two commercial structures, one and a half story office buildings, that were exposed by fire–we have a total loss of one commercial structure and we have a partial loss of another,” Lakewood Fire Department Fire Chief Jonathan Yahr said at the press conference.
Firefighters are expected to remain in the area battling the blaze throughout the night to fully contain the fire.
The National Weather Service issued a Red Flag Warning and wind advisory in the area late Sunday afternoon, warning of “critical fire weather conditions” due to strong winds up to 50 mph and low relative humidity.
The warning and wind advisory remain in effect until 5 p.m. and midnight Monday, respectively.
Officials are unsure how the fire started but it is under investigation, Gabliks said.
Correction: An earlier version of this story misstated the name of a township in New Jersey. It is Brick Township.
NJ forest fire consumes 170 acres; homes and businesses damaged in Brick Township and Lakewood, New Jersey
BRICK TWP., New Jersey (WPVI) — Crews in Ocean County, New Jersey are working to contain a massive forest fire that has exceeded 170 acres, damaged nearby structures and seriously injured a firefighter on Sunday.
Officials say the call came in for a brush fire in Lakewood, New Jersey around 1 p.m near Airport Road & Cedar Bridge Avenue. The extremely windy conditions spread the fire into areas of Brick Township.
The fire is more than 50% contained, officials confirmed late Sunday night.
“We’re just trying to hold our lines where we’re at. Eliminate the hot spots and keep it where it’s at,” said Dale Carry with the New Jersey Forest Fire Service.
Maris Gabliks, a spokesperson for the Fire Service, says more than 100 residents in the immediate area had to evacuate, and nearby homes and commercial buildings suffered damage.
According to the Point Pleasant Fire Department, the fire has also damaged multiple structures near the Lakewood Industrial Complex in Brick Township.
A firefighter with the New Jersey Forest Fire Service sustained injuries Sunday. The firefighter is currently listed in critical condition at an area hospital.
The Garden State Parkway between exits 83 and 90 were closed for several hours due to the fire. The roadway has since reopened, according to the Ocean County Sheriff’s Office.
A westbound lane of Rt. 70 from Cedar Bridge Avenue to the Garden State Parkway will remain closed.
Crews from the surrounding area will work through the night to control the brush fire.
The New Jersey Forest Fire Service has put stage 3 fire restrictions into place, which prohibits fires in wooded areas unless contained in an elevated stove using only propane, natural gas, gas, or electricity. Charcoal fires are prohibited.
Firefighters closer to Philadelphia are also battling a brush fire along the Delaware River in Salem County, New Jersey.
Crews are still working to determine what caused both brush fires.
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