Cops fatally shoot stabbing suspect near USC
Tomo Chien
January 14, 2025
Good morning. It’s Tuesday, and I’m watching stunning footage of a “dolphin stampede” off Dana Point. Onto the five USC, Los Angeles, and California stories you need to know for today.
Correction: Yesterday, I misread an LAPD announcement and incorrectly reported that a stabbing suspect was in “stable condition.” The victim was stable — the suspect is dead. More below.
1.
Cops said they fatally shot a man who brandished a knife near campus Saturday. Brian Rolstad, pronounced dead at the hospital, lived at a residential treatment facility and allegedly stabbed a staff member in the face with a folding knife. Police said they shot Rolstad after he advanced on officers with the weapon.
2.
A legal effort to classify USC athletes as employees has fizzled out after an advocacy group withdrew its complaint with federal labor officials. The group said it reneged in part because athletes could soon earn salaries under a separate legal settlement.
3.
Forecasters warned of a “particularly dangerous” situation in broad swaths of LA and Ventura counties starting this morning — bad news for fire crews who made progress on existing blazes overnight. This season, major fires have broken out every time officials issued the warning, which is reserved for the most dangerous conditions.
4.
Four new lawsuits accused Southern California Edison of sparking the Eaton fire in Altadena. Authorities haven’t released an official cause for the blaze, but photos and videos show the fire appeared to start under a transmission tower, and officials previously said they’re investigating the site.
5.
People keep saying LA’s fires look like a movie, wrote screenwriter Amy Chozick. Except, she continued, “Every on-screen apocalypse has a leader. So where is ours?” In an elegant (and witty) essay, Chozick captured the fear and frustration of Angelenos: “I want people to step in who care more about saving the city than saving their careers.”