Features

Elderly man indicted for concealed knife at LAX 

LOS ANGELES – A federal grand jury indicted a 71-year-old man who was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport for carrying a cane containing a hidden 18-inch knife. 

Amir Farhang Motamedi, of Los Angeles, was indicted Friday on a charge of attempting to carry a concealed weapon onto an aircraft. 

Motamedi, who had reservations for a flight to Zurich, Switzerland, was arrested Oct. 2 after he passed through a metal detector at the Bradley International Terminal. 

Motamedi told authorities that he had bought the cane at a Chinatown store and hadn’t known there was a knife inside. 

It was not considered a terrorist act, U.S. Attorney’s spokesman Thom Mrozek said Saturday. 

Motamedi was free on $150,000 bond and was scheduled to be arraigned Monday. 

Babysitter arrested in toddler’s death 

LANCASTER – A 17-year-old babysitter was arrested for investigation of murder after the death of a toddler that authorities alleged was abused. 

The teen, whose name was withheld because he is a minor, was being held without bail Saturday at juvenile hall in Sylmar, Los Angeles County sheriff’s Deputy Scott Butler said. 

The boy called authorities Friday from a Lake Los Angeles home to report that the 1-year-old boy he had been watching was not breathing. The toddler was pronounced dead at a hospital, Butler said. 

The teen said he left the baby in the bathtub for a short time and when he returned the child had stopped breathing, Butler said. 

“But our investigators found external trauma to the baby’s body that was inconsistent with the suspect’s statement,” Butler said. 

San Diego State officials turn down donation 

SAN DIEGO – San Diego State University officials rejected a $2,500 donation from an alumni group that wants to bring in an Aztec warrior mascot to cheer at sporting events. 

The school turned down the offer from the Aztec Warrior Foundation Thursday because the mascot’s presence would be a distraction, SDSU athletic director Rick Bay said. 

The school has been without an official mascot since last year, when the Monty Montezuma mascot was banned after student groups complained that his loincloth attire and aggressive behavior were culturally insensitive. 

Members of the Aztec Warrior Foundation said they were disappointed about the decision, especially because the athletic department has run up a $1 million-plus deficit.