Skip to Content
Highland Park

Headlines: Fake Blood Splattered Across Franklin High School Hallway Spell Out ‘Keep the Kids Safe;’ Stabbing Spree in Long Beach

Photo via @highlandpark90042/IG.

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.

—Reports of vandalism in the form of fake splattered blood across the school halls were reported this morning at Franklin High School this morning, causing a brief lockdown. The fake blood was also used to write out statements like "Keep the Kids Safe." To date, in 2022, 227 mass shootings at school campuses have been reported, the highest recorded so far. L.A. TACO has reached out to LAPD to confirm details.

—Activists with Black Lives Matter L.A. have begun a vigil in front of the Eagle Rock home of City Councilmember Kevin DeLeon, whose voice was heard on leaked audio recordings revealing racist discussions between DeLeon, Nury Martinez, and Gil Cedillo. The activists plan to stay until DeLeon resigns or is forced to step down from his seat on the City Council. [Proud Member of the Blacks]

One person was killed and eight others injured when the driver of a car plowed through a taco stand in Pomona last Friday night before fleeing the scene. A fundraiser has been set up for Gilberto Cazares Payan, who was waiting in line when his life was taken, as well as for the injured vendors. [CBS]

—City preservationists claim that UCLA has scrubbed all references to Kevin DeLeon, once a "distinguished policymaker-in-residence and senior analyst" at its Luskin School of Public Affairs, from its websites. [Esotouric]

—Alexander Torres of Long Beach has filed a federal lawsuit against the L.A. County Sheriff's Department after the man spent more than 20 years of a 40-year prison sentence for a murder he didn't commit. Torres was found guilty for second-degree murder for a supposed role in the 2000 New Year's Eve killing of a gang member in Paramount and is claiming he was framed for the crime. His sentence has been vacated before he was set free. [LBPT]

—The San Diego Padres beat The Dodgers 5-3 on Saturday, taking our team out in game four of the National League Division Series and ending the Dodgers' season. [SI]

—Recently released footage shows an 82-year-old man in a wheelchair being randomly stabbed in the neck at Mar Vista's Taco Bell by a skateboard-holding, tattoo-covered assailant on October 3rd. The victim was rushed to the hospital and survived. [MSN]

—Police are said to be investigating two alleged stabbings on the oceanfront walk in Long Beach this morning. [KTLA]

—George Gascón: " I can’t say that they were wrong about me... I am, as Martinez said, 'with the Blacks.' Supporting one group, particularly a group that has been marginalized, does not mean standing against another group.” [Gascón For LA]

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from L.A. TACO

Five L.A. Menus to Stretch Your Recession-Era Dollar

Recession menus are the new happy hours. Here's how restaurants in L.A. are coping with today's economy, from Long Beach to West Covina.

April 20, 2026

From the Kitchen to the Octagon: One L.A. Chef’s Journey Into the World of Mixed Martial Arts

Chef Walther Adrianzen survived a diabetic coma. He then lost more than 30 lbs. and fought in his first mixed martial arts match.

April 19, 2026

You Think L.A. Smog is Bad Now? Let’s Set the Record Straight

“I remember my eyes stinging and my lungs burning [from smog]," UCLA environmental law professor Ann Carlson writes in ‘Smog and Sunshine.'

April 18, 2026

Daily Memo: ICE Arrests Plaintiff of Federal Lawsuit Challenging ICE Raids

A second ICE-custody death has also been reported this week, while acting ICE Director Todd Lyons has submitted his resignation and will leave the agency after the end of May.

April 17, 2026

The 4/20 Guide to Underground Parties and Events in L.A.

A free music festival, a record shop pop-up, and other underground ways to celebrate 4/20 cannabis culture in 2026!

See all posts