Riverside County deputies unveil pursuit-stopping tool called "The Grappler"
The Riverside County Sheriff's Department is deploying a new tool called "The Grappler," a safer option to bring pursuits to an end without putting other drivers at risk.
Watch CBS News
Joy Benedict is an Emmy Award-winning journalist who's called CBS LA home since 2011.
Known for her in-depth coverage of breaking news, community issues, and human-interest stories across Southern California, she has built a reputation for compassionate storytelling and strong field reporting. It is her unscripted coverage during live breaking news situations that makes her most memorable.
Following the Easy Fire in 2019, Joy won a Gold Mike Award for a 41-minute live shot as horses were rescued from a barn in Simi Valley. From the Eaton Fire in Altadena, the Thomas Fire in Ventura County, and mudslides in San Bernardino County, Joy has been at the front lines of some of Southern California's most devastating moments, informing the community and helping to keep people safe.
But she says, "It's not our hardest moments that defines us, it's how we rebuild and move forward. And it's our job as journalists to continue to tell that story too."
In addition to breaking news, Joy has a passion for human interest stories. Whether it is a knitting circle making emotional support chickens, or an old-fashioned candy maker, you'll see her highlighting humanity in ways that make us see our neighbors differently.
Joy's 25 years in television have taken her all over the country. From Iowa, to Alabama, Ohio and California- she's covered hurricanes, tornadoes, floods and snowstorms. She's worn many hats in her career, not only as a reporter and correspondent but as a news anchor, producer, host, and consumer investigator on local and national programs. She even worked as a field producer covering the NBA & NFL for almost a decade.
In addition to working for CBS LA, Joy has also worked for CBS Network and CBS Newspath as a correspondent, and she still reports national stories from time to time.
She spent time growing up in West Covina and Irvine, but moved to Kansas in High School and calls Lawrence, KS "home." She is an avid fan of her alma mater, The University of Kansas, Jayhawks. And frequently volunteers at high school and college fairs to sit at the recruiting tables.
She is an avid fiction reader who loves local coffee shops and talking to strangers. She raises monarch butterflies and is proud that her cat has more followers than she does on social media.
The Riverside County Sheriff's Department is deploying a new tool called "The Grappler," a safer option to bring pursuits to an end without putting other drivers at risk.
Meet Max Alexander, the West Los Angeles fourth grader who is now the youngest fashion designer ever to have a show at Paris Fashion Week.
Several days of ongoing U.S. military operations in Iran have evoked old fears for some families of service members who lost their loved ones in Afghanistan.
After nearly two days of closed-session meetings, the Los Angeles school board placed Superintendent Alberto Carvalho on paid administrative leave amid a federal investigation into his time as the head of Miami's school district.
At least 10 donkeys have been killed since December in a series of mysterious attacks in Riverside County, leaving wildlife activists desperate for answers.
A total of four people were transported to a local hospital with major injuries from the collision.
Ashley Nevel is still in shock after a portable charger exploded and left her with chemical burns all over her arm.
Wildlife activist Sandy Steers, who spearheaded the eagle nest cam, has died, according to the Friends of Big Bear Valley.
Gordon Abas Goodarzi was denied bail during an arraignment hearing on Tuesday.
An Altadena family who received two tickets on their RV from Los Angeles County Parking Enforcement officers while living outside of their home, which was burned in the Eaton Fire last January, says that they've been given more time to address their situation.
Janina Akporavbare recalls the day when she thought she was going to die. It was August 25, when she was driving on the westbound lanes of the 10 Freeway, near the Tippecanoe exit.
Dozens of people gathered on Tuesday to protest a possible change coming to Rancho Springs Hospital in Murrieta, where officials are considering ending their midwifery program.
A San Bernardino mother is calling for justice after he daughter was fatally shot in the back following an argument outside of their home over the weekend.
A Corona family is outraged after learning that the hit-and-run driver who killed their son in 2020 is being released less than three years into her nine-year sentence.
"If you don't have the training or the right equipment, you will end up like I did," said Manny Vasquez, who fell 300 feet while hiking up Mount Baldy.