A Florida-based cosmetologist who came to the Bay Area to administer silicone butt injections to a 34-year-old OnlyFans model in 2023 has been convicted in San Mateo County of involuntary manslaughter.

A jury found 53-year-old Vivian Alexandra Gomez guilty of felony involuntary manslaughter, inflicting great bodily injury, and practicing medicine without a license. CBS Miami was the first to report the news following the 15-day trial and three hours of deliberation, with the verdict arriving Monday.

Gomez was accused of flying to the Bay Area on April 19, 2023 to meet with 34-year-old TikTok, Instagram, and OnlyFans model Christina Ashten Gourkani and her boyfriend. The three met at a hotel room at the San Francisco Airport Marriott in Burlingame, where Gomez administered non-FDA-approved silicone injections to Gourkani's hindquarters — part of an ongoing gambit to look more like Kim Kardashian, and there was a decent, if cartoonish, resemblance.

Not long after the injections, Gourkani's boyfriend said that she became ill and she was soon dead of cardiac arrest. The FDA warns that silicone, when injected into the bloodstream, can cause stroke or death.

A month later, Gomez, who had flown back to Miami, was extradited to San Mateo County and charged with causing Gourkani's death. Since then, as CBS Miami reports, she had been free on $200,000 bail pending trial.

Gomez now faces sentencing on May 5, and she could face up to seven years in state prison. She is being held in jail pending trial.

Gourkani, who went by Ashten G and whom fans called "Kim's Twin," said she had invested at least $30,000 into surgeries to look more like her idol, Kim Kardashian, including two breast-augmentation surgeries. She was a resident of San Jose at the time of her death.

Previously: Florida Woman Extradited To Bay Area Over Odd Accidental Death of Kim Kardashian Look-Alike

• 85-year-old Rogelio Barajas Martinez was  arrested in connection with the double-stabbing of a couple in Bay Point and is being held in lieu of $1 million bail at the Martinez Detention Facility. [KRON4]
• The family of 4-year-old Ayden Fang, who was fatally struck by a 19-year-old driver in Burlingame in August, are filing a civil lawsuit against the city as well as the driver after the city declined to press charges. [KGO]
• A sea otter and sea lion were found dead from avian influenza at San Mateo’s Año Nuevo State Park, and 14 elephant seals also died from the virus on the California coast. [Bay Area News Group]

National:

• NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test mission successfully disrupted the orbit of a pair of asteroids, Didymos and Dimorphos, around the sun. Researchers say this confirms the ability of NASA to intercept hazardous objects that could hypothetically be a threat to Earth in the future. [Mashable]
• A red fox from Southampton, England made its way all the way to New York after slipping onto a cargo ship, and it’s now living at the Bronx Zoo. [NBC News]
• BuzzFeed is on the verge of calling it quits after switching much of its workforce over to AI three years ago. [Boing Boing]

Video of the Day:

Enjoy this thrilling scene from Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine featuring Vincent Price driving a cable car across the Golden Gate Bridge.

Image: Leanne Maxwell/SFist

• Community advocates gathered outside the San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office Friday in protest of the DA’s decision to not pursue charges against the 19-year-old driver who struck and killed four-year-old Ayden Fang in Burlingame last year. [San Mateo Daily Journal]
• The US Coast Guard San Francisco Sector posted on Facebook asking for information on the owner of a surfboard that was found Friday evening at Ocean Beach, presumably to verify they’re safe. [USCG SF/Facebook]

• A federal judge ruled Friday that federal agents in Minneapolis are prohibited from detaining or throwing tear gas at peaceful protesters who aren’t obstructing authorities. [Associated Press]
• A fire hydrant at Broadway and Powell streets in San Francisco began gushing water Friday evening when a car crashed into it around 7:06 pm; no injuries were reported. [KRON4]

• A group of San Francisco elementary school students were spotted protesting ICE in the Haight Friday. [David Robinson/Threads]

Image: Leanne Maxwell/SFist

Police say the car in Friday night’s crash in Burlingame was first hit by an e-bike, causing the driver to jump the curb and strike two children before crashing into a restaurant. A 4-year-old boy was killed and a 6-year-old girl was injured.

[Update] A GoFundMe campaign has been set up for the family of 4-year-old Ayden Fang.

As the San Mateo Daily Journal reports, a 19-year-old female driver from San Mateo was exiting Parking Lot D onto Donnelly Avenue around 6:25 p.m. when her car was hit by someone on an e-bike. This caused her to accelerate across Donnelly Avenue and onto the sidewalk, striking the children.

The vehicle came to a stop inside Truffle Poke Bar at 1212 Donnelly Avenue. As KRON4 reports, it was still inside the building as of 10 p.m. Friday.

As the Chronicle reports, the boy was pronounced dead at the scene, and the girl was taken to Stanford Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The driver remained at the scene, and drugs or alcohol are not believed to be a factor.

Lt. David Perna of the Burlingame police told KTVU, “Not in many years has something this tragic happened in our downtown area.”

"I don't know the involvement of the e-bike, but they were going down the avenue like crazy last night," resident Jordana Peil told KGO.  

As KGO reports, Friday’s crash was Burlingame’s third pedestrian death of the year. Pedestrian advocate Mike Swire told KGO the city needs more protections. "The streets of San Mateo County are not safe. People need to walk and shop without fear of taking their lives into their hands," Swire said.

Image: Truffle Poke Bar; James L./Yelp

• US envoy Steve Witkoff will meet Qatar’s prime minister in Spain as Egypt and Qatar advance a ceasefire plan trading all hostages for Israel’s Gaza withdrawal. Over 20 nations have condemned the planned expansion as a “dangerous escalation,” and Germany has halted military exports that could be used in Gaza. [Associated Press]
• According to social media reports, Los Angeles protesters are now referring to ICE rallies as “LA Music Festival” on Tik Tok to avoid censorship. Groups have been steadfastly conducting peaceful actions in front of the Metro Detention Center as well as the Federal Building. [Threads]

• Giants pitcher Kai-Wei Teng led the team 5-0 against the Washington Nationals in the first win of his career at Oracle Park, which he dedicated to his dad on Taiwan’s Father’s Day. [Bay Area News Group]
• One child was killed and another injured Friday evening in Burlingame when a vehicle believed to have been driven by a 19-year-old San Mateo woman struck them on the sidewalk. [KRON4]
• BART temporarily suspended service on its red and green lines Saturday morning, and the yellow line experienced major delays due to power issues that led to single-tracking in the Transbay Tube, which was restored around 7:45 a.m. [KPIX]

• A man and a woman are in stable condition after being shot in North Oakland Friday night around 11:30 p.m. by a group of people who fired over a dozen rounds of bullets at them on the 800 block of 46th Street. [Bay Area News Group]

Image: Leanne Maxwell/SFist

A man was killed in a freeway collision Tuesday night after attempting to flee from a traffic stop on 101 in Burlingame. He was suspected by CHP officers of being under the influence, and after running across multiple lanes of the freeway, he was struck by a passing San Mateo County sheriff's deputy's vehicle.

The deceased, identified only as a 26-year-old Hispanic male, was reportedly driving in the southbound lanes of 101 around 10:40 p.m. Tuesday when he was pulled over by CHP officers, as KPIX reports. (KRON4 is reporting that the man was already pulled over and his Honda Civic was “disabled” at the time CHP officers arrived.)

CHP Officer Art Montiel said in a statement that the officers were conducting a field sobriety test when the man “took off on them, went across the southbound lanes, and went into the center divider.”

The man then ran into the northbound lanes of 101 where he was struck by the deputy’s SUV. The deputy was not involved in the traffic stop, and he was reportedly not injured in the collision but was “a little shocked,” according to Montiel.

The subsequent investigation closed down the northbound lanes and several southbound lanes of 101 until around 5 a.m. on Wednesday.

CHP officers believe the deceased man was under the influence of drugs, but no further details were provided. He has not yet been publicly identified pending notifications to his next of kin.

“If you’re getting arrested just go with the program. Had he just gone along with the program he would be sitting in jail at this point," Montiel said, per KTVU. "But he decided to run and unfortunately it cost him his life."

Any witnesses to the collision are asked to please contact Officer Balvin at (650) 369-6261 with any additional information.

Scroll to the bottom for updates.

Last Thursday, Bay Area dad Ben Patterson was on toddler duty. As he explained in a May 13 Facebook post, his wife was out with friends, and so as a result he was watching the kids solo. Unfortunately for Patterson, things took a turn for the hellishly vomit inducing — and a random concerned lady made sure the experience was extra awful. Fortunately for us, his post to Facebook of screengrabs of the ensuing text narration to his wife was picked up by parenting blog Scary Mommy.

"So this just happened," wrote Patterson after texting a photo of their vomit-covered son, Declan. "I just pulled over and am trying not to throw up myself. Call me"

Needless to say, his wife Stephanie who was likely by this time distracted with her friends, did not call him. And so his messages continued unanswered.

I just threw up trying to clean him up

It smells SO BAD

I'm standing on the side of the road dry heaving, I can't even be in the car it's so awful

I seriously don’t know what to do, I’m barfing every time I try to clean him up

I’m puking on some lady’s lawn in Burlingame and she comes out to ask me if I’m drunk while driving the kids

I’m trying to explain that I’m a sympathetic vomiter and can’t handle the smell

This is SO BAD

Aaaaand now the cops showed up

Aaaaand now a breathalyzer

YOU OWE ME SO BIG

meanwhile Declan continues to barf

WHAT DID HE EAT BECAUSE IT SMELLS LIKE ROTTING WHALE BLUBBER

ANSWER YOUR PHONE!!!!!

At least I passed the breathalyzer

Trying to drive home with the windows down and breathing through my shirt

Ah, the joys of parenthood.

Update: Apparently this story of parenting terror was just too good grotesque to be true, with dad Ben Patterson updating his original Facebook post to admit that he fabricated elements of the barfventure for "dramatic effect."

"I just wanted to clarify that while the rest of the story is true, the part about the police coming and the breathalyzer was just something I added for dramatic effect for my wife in the moment," wrote Patterson. "Now that the story has blown up, I wouldn’t want anyone to think badly of the Burlingame PD because I was joking! The truth counts."

This post has been updated throughout.

Related: Bay Area Newborn's Hair Makes Her An Internet Star

Things took a turn for the unexpected at a Burlingame donut shop early Monday morning when a trio of men showed up wanting more than just a dozen glazed. Surveillance video from the Royal Donut shows one man hopping the counter just before 5:00 a.m., gun drawn, and forcing the clerk into a back room while two other men quickly work at getting the shop's ATM out the front door. As reported by KRON4, one suspect points a gun right in the employee's face and tries to force him into a back office. As shown on the video, however, the donut slinger just wasn't having it, and decided to fight back.

A brawl ensues, and the men scuffle on the floor as the robber attempts to tie the employee up with an apron. The gun is dropped, and the thief grabs some bakery equipment to continue the struggle — waving the metal mixing item above his head wildly.

The entire thing is terrifying to watch, and is made only barely less so by the fact that police determined a gun dropped by one of the suspects turned out to be fake. The unnamed store owner handed the video over to police, and told KRON 4 she hopes the men are caught soon.

"I don't want anyone else to go through what we just went through," she noted. "You know, everyone here is just really shaken up."

Police have yet to identify the suspects, and no arrests have been made.

Related: Bay Area Gets Its First Dunkin' Donuts...In Walnut Creek

Trump burning in effigy at the protest outside of his speech to the GOP state convention pic.twitter.com/XubbrLZym7

— Jose A. DelReal (@jdelreal) April 29, 2016

This guy, dressed as a Mexican wrestler, appears to be fanning the flames as a Donald Trump pinata is burned in effigy outside the California state Republican convention in Burlingame this afternoon, where Donald Trump is speaking. And appears a few eggs were tossed at it for good measure.

Burning effigies of the vocally anti-immigrant Trump has actually become a popular pastime in Mexico, and this was done all over the country during their Easter holiday.

After having to pass through a phalanx of protesters, some of whom tried to block his route to the event by blockading the freeway and a road leading to the hotel where it was taking place — he ultimately had to, on foot, hop over a freeway median to get there — Trump reportedly said from the podium, "That was not the easiest entrance I’ve ever made. It felt like I was crossing the border actually. I was crossing the border, but I got here." You can see our full coverage of the event here.

Here are a few more images, and a video, of the effigy.

Previously: Donald Trump Arrives In Burlingame As Protesters Block Freeway

#Trump protestor told me she's willing to get arrested blocking traffic to get her message across pic.twitter.com/quVqeMIAhP

— Maria Medina (@mariaCBS5) April 29, 2016

Ladies and gentlemen, the Donald has landed. Prominent misogynist and presidential candidate Donald Trump is set to speak today at the Hyatt Regency in Burlingame, where he will attempt to woo members of the California Republican Party ahead of the party's June 7 primary. Republicans are excited, but so are protesters — ABC 7 reports that in anticipation of crowds, Burlingame police have not only asked for assistance from every law enforcement agency in the county, but have also looked to state and federal agencies.

Officials' attempts to cordon off the Hyatt Regency may not be working, however, as reports are coming in that ahead of Trump's scheduled 12:00 p.m. speech, protesters have broken through.

SFist correspondent Joe Kukura is on the ground in Burlingame and will be bringing us some better details this afternoon.

The California Republican primary is of unusual importance this year, as Trump struggles to reach the 1,237 needed to secure his party's nomination for president.

Update: As word comes in that Donald Trump's speaking slot has been pushed from 12:00 to 12:45 p.m., we now learn that protesters are blocking the freeway in an attempt to prevent him from even reaching the Hyatt Regency.

A livestream of the protest outside the hotel shows a lively crowd.

Second Update: It appears Trump made it around the protesters and into the hotel, but he had to jump a highway median to make it happen.

Previously: Trump, Coming To Bay Area, Tells Zuckerberg To Leave

In a second high-profile philanthropic effort in a month, multimillionaire motivational speaker Tony Robbins has offered to pay for a long-term home for an 85-year-old woman who was being evicted from her home of 32 years in Burlingame. That woman is Georgia Rothrock, and she was the longtime roommate of 97-year-old Marie Hatch, whose story made headlines after she was threatened with eviction despite having a lifetime lease and having lived in her home for 66 years. Rothrock's fate was in limbo following Hatch's sudden death last month, in the midst of an unresolved legal fight, but as the Chronicle reports, she'll now be relocating to a senior housing complex in Belmont with Robbins' help.

Way to put our own local tech billionaires to shame again, Robbins.

The noted "CEO whisperer" recently stepped in to purchase a new soup kitchen location for an order of French nuns, the Fraternite Notre Dame Mary of Nazareth, who have been feeding the homeless in the Tenderloin daily for nearly a decade. After they were given a rent hike they could not afford, their story went out to the local media and Robbins decided, with the help of some billionaire friends, to purchase a new building in the Mission for them for $750,000 in cash. He also, reports the Chron, recently bought the nuns a new house to live in as well, though details about that were not given.

Rothrock, meanwhile, says that Robbins has agreed to cover the difference between her Social Security benefits and the rent at the complex, in monthly payments spread out of 10 years and totaling about $50,000.

Robbins has a home in Florida as well as one in Palm Springs, and he recently helped a 100-year-old woman there in a similar situation, donating $24,000 spread over the next to years to cover her rent.

He tells the paper, "This is my goal. I haven’t forgotten what it was like to be poor. I just want to help. ... Georgia is a very sweet woman."

Previously: Tony Robbins Buys Homeless-Serving Nuns A New Soup Kitchen In The Mission

Highway 101 has reopened since the high-voltage lines fell on the freeway, but crews will once again close the roadway tonight to make further repairs.

From Sunday night, at 10 p.m., until Monday morning, at 4 a.m., 101 will be closed again in both directions as PG&E crews continue work on the power lines. According to the CHP, southbound lanes will be closed from Millbrae Avenue in Millbrae to Poplar Avenue in San Mateo, while northbound lanes will be closed from Anza Boulevard to Broadway in Burlingame.

PG&E crews will be erecting a temporary transmission tower and restringing the lines across the freeway. The trouble started on Friday night when a crane working on a roadway improvement project crashed into a transmission tower and sent the wires crashing down onto cars. The freeway wound up being closed for 17 hours as crews de-energized the high-voltage lines and cleared the mess.

Although the initial incident caused a power surge in the area, no blackouts were reported and power was never shut down anywhere as a result of the repairs. No loss of power will be expected tonight, either. "The crews will be able to work around having to shut down electricity," PG&E spokeswoman Evelyn Escalera told the San Jose Mercury News.

The freeway may have to be shut down again at a future date in order to move the wires to a more permanent tower.

Update: both directions of 101 reopened around 2:30 p.m.

Both directions of Highway 101 in Burlingame are expected to remain closed until 5 p.m., Saturday, after power lines fell onto the roadway overnight.

The freeway is closed between Millbrae Avenue and Anza Boulevard, and drivers are being told to take alternate routes such as Interstate 280 or El Camino Real. The lines fell onto the freeway on Friday night around 9:30 p.m. when a crane working on the Broadway interchange project struck one of the transmission towers in the area. According to ABC 7, around 22 drivers and passengers were trapped when the lines fell onto their cars, but were able to safely escape when PG&E de-energized the lines hours later.

The downed lines caused a big power surge to hit the Bay Area, but a spokesman for PG&E told SFGate that there were no outages as a result of the incident. The surge caused the lights to flicker at AT&T Park in the middle of the 7th inning and temporarily knocked out the scoreboard (video).

Amazingly, nobody was hurt, even though the lines carry over 100,000 volts of electricity. Although several drivers were stuck on Highway 101 for hours, at least they had a mariachi band there to entertain them: