Husband and wife cyclists hit by van during group ride in Lancaster

Two bicyclists on a group ride organized by a Lancaster bike shop were seriously injured Saturday after a collision with a minivan, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

The crash occurred about 8 p.m. as about 20 cyclists were attempting to cross the intersection of Avenue L and 4th Street West in Lancaster, according to a Sheriff's Department news release. The driver of the minivan was also trying to cross the intersection when it was hit by another vehicle and pushed into the cyclists' path, deputies said.

The cyclists, a husband and wife from Valencia, were hospitalized. The husband suffered a head injury and is listed in critical condition. The wife is listed in stable condition.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation, the Sheriff's Department news release said. All of the bicycle riders were wearing helmets.

-- Scott Glover

Excessive heat warning issued for Southern California

The National Weather Service issued an excessive heat warning for Southern California on Saturday.

Concerned about humidity and temperatures that could reach triple digits in the San Fernando and San Gabriel valleys, officials encouraged residents to limit their time outdoors and drink plenty of water.

As of about 3 p.m., it was 106 degrees in Lancaster, 103 in Burbank and a refreshing 78 in Avalon on Catalina Island.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration recommended scheduling rest breaks in shaded or air-conditioned environments, such as libraries or shopping malls.

Cooling centers are open at community facilities across Los Angeles and can be located by dialing 211.

If you plan to be outdoors, the Los Angeles Fire Department recommends you avoid alcohol and wear sunscreen and loose-fitting clothing. Children, pets and the elderly should be checked on often.

Symptoms of dehydration and heat cramps include dizziness, fatigue, faintness, headaches, muscle cramps and increased thirst, and they should be addressed immediately.

The warning remains in effect until 8 p.m.

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Mexican drug tunnel found in grocery store

Skydivers collide in midair, sustain serious injuries

Hollywood producer must pay $800,000 in sex harassment case

-- Corina Knoll

Reader photos: Southern California Moments, Day 239

Phone home: Jason Hardwick photographs a possible out-of-town visitor on the red line trolley in San Diego on July 23, the weekend of Comic Con. 

Every day of 2011, we're featuring reader-submitted photos of Southern California Moments. Follow us on Twitter and visit the Southern California Moments homepage for more on this series.

Pacoima collision injures four; drunk driver suspected

Four people were injured Saturday in a collision caused by a suspected drunk driver traveling the wrong way on the 5 Freeway in Pacoima, authorities said.

A man driving a black Mini Cooper was traveling south on the northbound freeway about 7:45 a.m. when he struck a white truck, California Highway Patrol Officer Christian Cracraft said.

Several vehicles were involved, including one that overturned, Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Brian Humphrey said. One person was trapped and had to be freed from the wreckage.

The victims, whose names and ages were not given, were taken to local hospitals. One was in fair condition, while the others were listed in critical condition, Humphrey said.

The driver, whose name was not given, suffered minor injuries. He was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence and booked at the Van Nuys jail, Cracraft said.

Three lanes of the northbound 5 were shut down until about 9:15 a.m.

The crash remains under investigation.

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Owner put naked yogurt-store employee inside box, D.A. says

Insurers must cover mental illness on par with physical, court rules

San Diego man arrested on suspicion of stabbing wife and son-in-law

-- Corina Knoll

Man brought pistol into Glendale Galleria mall, police say

A 27-year-old South Gate man was arrested Wednesday evening after he ran from police inside the Glendale Galleria, where a patron allegedly spotted him carrying a gun, police said.

Nathaniel Gonzales, who is on federal probation for drug violations, was taken into custody about 7 p.m. after police officers chased him from the mall through the Anoush Banquet Hall on the 400 block of West Colorado Street, according to police reports.

A mall patron called police about 6:51 p.m. after noticing Gonzales carrying a gun in his shorts pocket as he walked in and out of the mall near Target, according to police reports. The patron told police that Gonzales was acting suspicious.

“I have to give credit to the person who called this in,” police Sgt. Tom Lorenz told the Glendale News-Press. “If you don’t call us, something bad can happen.”

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Mexican drug tunnel found in grocery store

Skydivers collide in midair, sustain serious injuries

Hollywood producer must pay $800,000 in sex harassment case

-- Veronica Rocha, Times Community News

Long Beach man dead after officer-involved shooting

Authorities are investigating an officer-involved shooting in Long Beach that left a 29-year-old man dead.

Long Beach Police officers were dispatched Friday to an area near Long Beach Boulevard and 10th Street about 8:15 p.m. after receiving a call about an injured victim, Sgt. Rico Fernandez said.

The officer who first arrived on scene saw suspects fleeing from two stabbing victims. After a short pursuit on foot, the officer shot one of the suspects, Fernandez said. Details about what led up to the shooting and the officer’s name were not given.

The suspect, who was a Long Beach resident, was pronounced dead at the scene. A coroner’s investigator would not release his name, pending notification of next of kin.

The two stabbing victims were taken to local hospitals.

ALSO:

Owner put naked yogurt-store employee inside box, D.A. says

Insurers must cover mental illness on par with physical, court rules

San Diego man arrested on suspicion of stabbing wife and son-in-law

-- Corina Knoll

Gold Line stabbing victim in critical but stable condition

A 33-year-old man was in critical but stable condition Saturday after being stabbed during what began as a fist fight on the Metro Gold Line as it traveled through Pasadena, authorities said.

The victim, whose name was not given, was aboard the northbound light rail train about 6:30 p.m. Friday when he began fighting with Jose Paul Vasquez Flores, 36, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said.

Metro deputies and authorities with the Pasadena police and fire departments met the train at the Memorial Park Station at 125 E. Holly St. in Pasadena.

The victim was taken to a nearby hospital where he underwent surgery.

Flores was treated for injuries and arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon. His bail was set at $1 million, the department said. A bloody knife was recovered from his pants pocket, authorities said.

About 100 passengers were aboard the train at the time of the incident, Metro spokeswoman Helen Ortiz Gilstrap said. When the train stopped at Memorial Park, all passengers were evacuated except for witnesses, who were interviewed by authorities.

The station closed for the remainder of the evening, although one track was opened about 10:15 p.m. so that trains could pass through, Gilstrap said.

Authorities completed their investigation about 3:15 a.m. Saturday and normal operations resumed a half-hour later.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call the sheriff’s Metro Transit Services detectives at (323) 563-5000.

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Owner put naked yogurt-store employee inside box, D.A. says

Insurers must cover mental illness on par with physical, court rules

San Diego man arrested on suspicion of stabbing wife and son-in-law

-- Corina Knoll

Fist fight led to stabbing on Pasadena rail line, police say

Authorities believe a fist fight on a Gold Line train in Pasadena ended with the stabbing of a 33-year-old man Friday night.

The stabbing comes a week after a fatal stabbing on a Red Line train in Hollywood, the first slaying on the subway.

In the Gold Line case, the victim was taken to a hospital in critical condition.

Jose Paul Vasquez, 36, was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon after a knife with blood on it was recovered from his pants pocket, authorities said. His bail was set at $1 million.

Police said the stabbing occurred about 6:40 p.m. inside the northbound train of the Gold Line light rail system as it approached the Memorial Park station on East Holly Street.

Pasadena officers were there to meet the train and arrest Vasquez.

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Patient assaults Atascadero State Hospital technician

Skydivers collide in midair, sustain serious injuries

Knott’s Berry Farm settles with family injured on roller coaster

-- Dan Weikel

Photo: A passenger catches a Gold Line train at the Pico/Aliso station. Credit: Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times

Alcohol, drugs not a factor in fatal Pasadena Freeway crash

Alcohol and drugs were not a factor in a freeway traffic collision in Highland Park that led to the death of a 1-year-old girl, authorities said Saturday as they continued an investigation into the incident.

The accident occurred about 5:30 p.m. during rush hour on Friday on the southbound side of the 110 Freeway, north of York Boulevard.

According to the California Highway Patrol, Leiana Ramirez was in a car seat inside a 2002 Nissan Altima, which had stopped in the No. 3 lane “due to the front passenger side tire possibly being flat.” A 1999 GMC Yukon SUV rear-ended the Nissan, which caught fire and eventually became fully engulfed in flames, CHP officials said.

Leiana became trapped in the car. Witnesses, including a woman believed to be the Leiana’s mother, tried to free the girl but they were “overcome by the fire,” CHP officials said.

The woman, age 30, suffered second-degree burns to both arms, authorities said. The 22-year-old driver of the GMC sustained third-degree burns to both arms and was taken to hospital. A passenger in his car, also age 22, suffered minor injuries, including pain to the left shoulder, according to the CHP.

ALSO:

Owner put naked yogurt-store employee inside box, D.A. says

Insurers must cover mental illness on par with physical, court rules

San Diego man arrested on suspicion of stabbing wife and son-in-law

-- Ann Simmons

Artillery training at Camp Pendleton could mean noise for neighbors

 
Live-fire artillery training at Camp Pendleton may lead to increased noise in the surrounding area, Marine officials said.

The training in the Whiskey and Zulu areas of the sprawling base was set to begin at 6 a.m. Saturday and last until midnight Tuesday. Depending on cloud cover, the explosions may be heard up to 50 miles away.

--Tony Perry in San Diego

Photo: Marine artillery training. Credit: Marine Corps

Pasadena Police officer fires at suspect in traffic stop

A Pasadena Police officer fired at, but apparently did not hit, a suspect who attempted to flee early Saturday morning, according to authorities.

The incident occurred at 12:50 a.m., when patrol officers attempted to conduct a traffic stop in the area of Los Robles Avenue and Buckeye Street. "The driver fled from the officers and an officer-involved shooting ultimately occurred," the Pasadena Police Department said in a news release.

Officers conducted a search of the neighborhood and a suspect was arrested. Pasadena detectives are actively investigating the incident. There were no reported injuries.

Anyone who has information regarding this incident is asked to call the Pasadena police at (626) 744-4241.

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Women who slashed face of beauty queen admit guilt

'Excessive heat watch' issued for Southern California

Some lanes on 5 Freeway will close for carpool project

-- Monte Morin

Crime alerts for Carthay, University Park and five other L.A. neighborhoods

Crime reports are up significantly for the latest week in seven L.A. neighborhoods, according to an analysis of LAPD data by the Los Angeles Times’ Crime L.A. database.

Seven neighborhoods reported a significant increase in violent crime. Carthay (A) recorded three reports compared with a weekly average of 0.5 over the last three months.

University Park (F) was the lone neighborhood with a property-crime alert. It recorded 25 property crimes compared with its weekly average of 14.6 over the last three months.

One neighborhood triggered alerts for both violent and property crime.

Alerts are based on an analysis of crime reports for Aug. 17–Aug. 23, the most recent seven days for which data are available.

— Ben Welsh, Thomas Suh Lauder

$10-million bail set for man who allegedly held worker in a box

Bail was set at $10 million for a Monterey Park yogurt shop owner accused of kidnapping a female employee and keeping her inside a box in a soundproof room, prosecutors said Friday.

Robert Yachen Lee appeared briefly in Superior Court in Alhambra on Friday afternoon.

Lee allegedly lured the employee to a storage room above O My Yogurt on South Atlantic Boulevard early Wednesday, knocked her unconscious and then -- after removing her clothing and dressing her in an adult diaper -- placed her in a box, authorities said.

The victim told authorities that when she came to, she was bound with tape and had a collar around her neck.

Prosecutors believe Lee planned the kidnapping because the storage room had recently been soundproofed.

The woman was able to free herself and escape to a nearby optometrist's office, where she alerted police.

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Hollywood producer must pay $800,000 in sex harassment case

Mexican drug tunnel found into grocery store

Skydivers collide in midair, sustain serious injuries

--Richard Winton

Photo: Robert Yachen Lee. Credit: Monterey Park Police Department.

Heat wave will peak in Southern California this weekend

Record-setting heat will continue this weekend before a cooling trend slowly begins to take hold.

According to the National Weather Service, temperatures will remain in the 90s in the L.A. basin and above 100 degrees in inland valleys. Desert areas will be even hotter. The one relief valve will be the beaches, where temperatures will hit the 80s.

On Friday, Palmdale set an all-time record for the day, hitting 107 degrees (the old record was 106, set in 1999).

San Diego beach reopened after two shark sightings in two days

After being closed for two days due to shark sightings, a two-mile stretch of beach in San Diego was reopened Saturday morning but with swimmers and surfers advised to be on the lookout.

The stretch of Mission Beach was closed Thursday when a lifeguard spotted a shark's dorsal fin about 100 yards from the beach. The lifeguard estimated the shark to be 12 to 15 feet in length.

On Friday morning, just minutes after the beach was reopened, a surfer spotted a shark's dorsal fin in roughly the same location. The beach was immediately closed.

On both days, a search by lifeguards in boats failed to find a shark. On Friday, a Coast Guard helicopter scanned the water without success.

Lifeguard policy is to close a beach for 24 hours after a shark sighting is deemed credible.

-- Tony Perry in San Diego

4.6-magnitude earthquake rattles Hollister, Central Coast

A 4.6 magnitude earthquake rattled the California Central Coast region early Saturday.

The moderate temblor struck San Benito County at 12:18 a.m., according to the U.S. Geological Survey. It was followed by several smaller aftershocks.

There were no immediate reports of damage or injury.

The quake occurred four miles from Pinnacles, Calif., and about 11 miles from Hollister.

Man stabbed, critically wounded aboard Gold Line train

A 33-year-old man was stabbed and critically wounded Friday evening on a Gold Line train as it traveled through Pasadena, authorities said.

A fistfight between the unidentified victim and another man preceded the stabbing, authorities said.

Jose Paul Vasquez, 36, was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon after a knife with blood on it was recovered from his pants pocket, authorities said. His bail was set at $1 million.

Police said the stabbing occurred about 6:40 p.m. inside the northbound train of the Gold Line light rail system as it approached the Memorial Park station on East Holly Street. Pasadena officers were there to meet the train and arrest Vasquez.

The stabbing comes a week after a fatal stabbing on the Red Line train in Hollywood.

ALSO:

Patient assaults Atascadero State Hospital technician

Skydivers collide in midair, sustain serious injuries

Knott’s Berry Farm settles with family injured on roller coaster

-- Dan Weikel

Photo: A passenger catches a Gold Line train at the Pico/Aliso station. Credit: Allen J. Schaben /  Los Angeles Times