LOS ANGELES (AP) — Four people have been arrested in connection with a burglary earlier this summer at a Los Angeles home reportedly owned by actor Brad Pitt, police said Tuesday.

Officers responded June 25 to a break-in at the house in LA’s Los Feliz neighborhood.

Related Articles

Here’s what Joan Steffend did when TikTok began mocking ‘Decorating Cents’

‘Chimp Crazy’ star sentenced to nearly 4 years in prison for lying that primate had died

Brandon Blackstock, Kelly Clarkson’s ex-husband and former manager, dies at 48

Kelley Mack, ‘The Walking Dead’ and Dr Pepper ‘Fansville’ actor, dies at 33

‘Ketamine Queen’ accused of selling Matthew Perry fatal dose gets September trial date

Police said at the time that suspects broke in through the front window, ransacked the home and fled with miscellaneous property.

Detectives have made four arrests, Officer Drake Madison said Tuesday. He said the suspects’ names could be released later in the day.

Officials could not identify who owned or lived in the home, and no information was available on what was stolen.

Pitt reportedly bought the property for $5.5 million in April 2023, according to Traded, a commercial real estate website.

A representative for Pitt declined to comment Tuesday.

Pitt had been out of the country in June on a globe-spanning promotional tour for his new movie, “F1.”

By JIMMY GOLEN

A Hawaii real estate investor and broker are suing Shohei Ohtani, claiming the Los Angeles Dodgers star and his agent got them fired from a $240 million luxury housing development on the Big Island’s coveted Hapuna Coast that they brought him in to endorse.

Related Articles

Delivery drones may soon take off in the US. Here’s why

Trump’s rhetoric about DC echoes a history of racist narratives about urban crime

Musk says he plans to sue Apple for not featuring X or Grok among its top apps

H-1B visas: Federal government mandates in-person interviews for overseas renewals

Researchers say immigration raids taking emotional toll on children

According to the lawsuit filed in Hawaii Circuit Court on Friday, Ohtani’s agent, Nez Balelo, increasingly demanded concessions from developer Kevin J. Hayes Sr. and real estate broker Tomoko Matsumoto before demanding that their business partner, Kingsbarn Realty Capital, drop them from the deal.

“Balelo and (Ohtani), who were brought into the venture solely for (Ohtani’s) promotional and branding value, exploited their celebrity leverage to destabilize and ultimately dismantle Plaintiffs’ role in the project — for no reason other than their own financial self-interest,” the lawsuit claims.

The suit accuses Ohtani and Balelo of tortious interference and unjust enrichment. Hayes, a developer with 40 years of experience, and Matsumoto, who was to be the listing agent for the houses averaging $17.3 million each, say that Ohtani and Balelo also tried to undermine their interests in a second, neighboring venture.

A spokesman for Balelo’s agency, CAA Baseball, declined comment. Attempts to reach Kingsbarn officials for comment were not immediately successful.

“This case is about abuse of power,” the lawsuit says. “Defendants used threats and baseless legal claims to force a business partner to betray its contractual obligations and strip Plaintiffs of the very project they conceived and built.

“Defendants must be held accountable for their actions, not shielded by fame or behind-the-scenes agents acting with impunity. Plaintiffs bring this suit to expose Defendants’ misconduct and to ensure that the rules of contract, fair dealing, and accountability apply equally to all — celebrity or not.”

Ohtani, 31, arrived from Japan in 2018 as perhaps the most heralded international star in baseball history, with an ability to both pitch and hit that made him doubly valuable to his team. A five-time All-Star and three-time Most Valuable Player, he signed a record 10-year, $700-million contract with the Dodgers before last season and helped the team win the 2024 World Series.

Investment materials for The Vista at Mauna Kea Resort, which remained online on Monday night, listed Hayes and Matsumoto as part of the management team, along with Kingsbarn. It called Ohtani “Japan’s Babe Ruth” and the “1st Resident,” giving him top billing ahead of the iconic Mauna Kea Resort, “one of the most celebrated hotels in Hawaii,” Hapuna Beach, “rated the #1 beach in America by Conde Nast Traveler” and two golf courses – one designed by Arnold Palmer, the other by Robert Trent Jones Sr.

“Ohtani will act as the celebrity spokesperson for the project and has committed to purchasing one of the 14 residences within the project,” the brochure says. “He also intends to spend significant time at The Vista in the off-season and will construct a small hitting and pitching facility for preseason training.”

The suit says the developers spent 11 years working on the deal and “as part of a bold marketing strategy” signed an endorsement deal in 2023 with Ohtani, “one of the most high-profile endorsements imaginable.”

“This partnership with Ohtani will elevate the demand and create buzz within the Japanese luxury vacation home market, which is a primary target audience for the project,” the investment brochure said. “We see Shohei Ohtani’s homeownership as having a significant impact on the global exposure of the project and expect to accelerate the pace of sales, thereby helping us achieve our pricing objectives.”

The suit said Balelo “quickly became a disruptive force,” threatening to pull Ohtani from the deal if concessions weren’t made.

“Kingsbarn began capitulating to Balelo’s every whim,” the suit said. “Over time, it became increasingly obvious that Kingsbarn was more concerned about preserving its relationship with (Ohtani) than honoring its obligations to its business partners.”

Last month, in what the suit called “a coordinated ambush,” Kingsbarn fired Hayes and Matsumoto.

“Kingsbarn openly admitted during the call that Balelo had demanded the terminations and that they were being done solely to placate him,” the suit said. “Plaintiffs stand to lose millions of dollars in compensation tied to projected homebuilding profit, construction management fees, and broker commissions.”

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

By BILL BARROW and NADIA LATHAN

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas Republican leaders said Tuesday that they were prepared to end their stalemated special session and immediately begin another standoff with Democrats in the GOP’s efforts to redraw congressional maps as directed by President Donald Trump.

Related Articles

Trump’s rhetoric about DC echoes a history of racist narratives about urban crime

Work requirements and red tape ahead for millions on Medicaid

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth belongs to an archconservative church network. Here’s what to know

Justice Department demand for state voter lists underscores their importance

Trump says Intel CEO has an ‘amazing story’ days after calling for his resignation

It’s the latest indication that Trump’s push to redraw congressional maps ahead of the 2026 midterm elections will become an extended standoff that promises to reach multiple statehouses controlled by both major parties.

Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows confirmed the plans during a brief session Tuesday morning that marked another failure to meet the required attendance standards to conduct official business because dozens of Democrats have left the state to stymie the GOP’s partisan gerrymandering attempts ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

Burrows said from the House floor that lawmakers will not attempt to reconvene again until Friday. If Democrats are still absent — and they have given no indication that they plan to return — the speaker said Republicans will end the current session and Gov. Greg Abbott will immediately call another.

The governor, a Trump ally, confirmed his intentions in a statement.

“The Special Session #2 agenda will have the exact same agenda, with the potential to add more items critical to Texans,” Abbott wrote. “There will be no reprieve for the derelict Democrats who fled the state and abandoned their duty to the people who elected them. I will continue to call special session after special session until we get this Texas first agenda passed.”

FILE – Texas Gov. Greg Abbott speaks to reporters outside the West Wing of the White House, Feb. 5, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

Abbott called the current session with an extensive agenda that included disaster relief for floods that killed more than 130 people. Democrats balked when Abbott added Trump’s redistricting idea to the agenda. Burrows on Tuesday did not mention redistricting but chided Democrats for not showing up for debate on the flood response package.

The redistricting legislation would reshape the state’s congressional districts in a design aimed at sending five more Republicans to Washington.

The scheme is part of Trump’s push to shore up Republicans’ narrow House majority and avoid a repeat of his first presidency, when the 2018 midterms restored Democrats to a House majority that blocked his agenda and twice impeached him. Current maps nationally put Democrats within three seats of retaking the House majority — with only several dozen competitive districts across 435 total seats.

Texas Republicans have issued civil warrants for the absent Democrats. Because they are out of state, those lawmakers are beyond the reach of Texas authorities.

Burrows said Tuesday that absent Democrats would have to pay for all state government costs for law enforcement officials attempting to track them down. Burrows has said state troopers and others have run up “six figures in overtime costs” trying to corral Democratic legislators.

Barrow reported from Atlanta.

GENEVA (AP) — A U.N.-backed investigator says his team has turned up significant evidence of “systemic torture” in Myanmar’s detention centers, including electric shocks, strangulations, gang rape and burning of sexual body parts over the last year.

Related Articles

Groups seek to influence plastic pollution treaty talks at the UN as negotiations wind down

Parts of Europe burn as millions are facing record heat

Increasing the danger: Journalist killing in Gaza sends a chilling message

Europe’s sidelined leaders urge Trump to defend security interests at his summit with Putin

Today in History: August 12, Charlottesville car attack

Nicholas Koumjian was speaking as the international independent team he heads released its latest annual report on Tuesday, focusing on a one-year period running through June 30.

Myanmar has been in turmoil since the army seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021, triggering a civil war. After peaceful demonstrations were put down with lethal force, many opponents of military rule took up arms, and large parts of the country are now embroiled in conflict.

The team said it has made advances in identifying security personnel involved in operations at the detention facilities and “perpetrators who have summarily executed captured combatants or civilians accused of being informers.” Perpetrators included security forces, affiliated militias and opposition armed groups, it said.

The report “details the documented torture in Myanmar’s detention facilities which includes beatings, electric shocks, strangulations, gang rape, burning of sexual body parts and other forms of sexual violence,” a summary of its findings said.

“Our report highlights a continued increase in the frequency and brutality of atrocities committed in Myanmar,” Koumjian said. “We are working towards the day when the perpetrators will have to answer for their actions in a court of law.”

“We have uncovered significant evidence, including eyewitness testimony, showing systematic torture in Myanmar detention facilities,” he said.

His team has opened new investigations into atrocities committed against communities in Rakhine state as the military and the opposition force known as the Arakan Army battle for control of the territory.

More than 700,000 people from the Rohingya minority fled to neighboring Bangladesh in 2017 to escape persecution in Myanmar. About 70,000 others crossed the border last year when the Arakan Army effectively took over Rakhine.

The Independent Investigative Mechanism on Myanmar has been working since 2018 under a mandate from the U.N.-backed Human Rights Council to help document rights abuses and violations in the country.

It has shared evidence with authorities looking into cases involving the Rohingya at the International Criminal Court and the U.N.’s International Court of Justice.