Father and daughter burned in alleged electrical theft

A father and his teenage daughter were in critical condition after receiving severe burns during an alleged attempt to steal electricity from high-voltage power lines in Inglewood, a police official said Saturday.

L.A. County Fire officials and police responding to an explosion at a power transformer late Friday found the 52-year-old man and his 17-year-old daughter with extensive electric burns, Inglewood Police Lt. Neal Cochran said.

The man had used tools to tap into a live wire, resulting in a chain reaction and causing the transformer to explode, Cochran said. The father and daughter, whose names were not released, were taken to a nearby hospital pending an eventual transfer to a burn unit, he said.

Power lines connected to the transformer, near Hawthorne Blvd. and 101st Street, were temporarily shut off because of the explosion, according to Cochran. The incident occurred around 11:40 p.m. Friday.

A theft investigation was underway, Cochran said.

-- Victoria Kim

Firefighters gaining on Santa Clarita blaze

A fire that had burned through about 600 acres in an uninhabited area near Mint Canyon in Santa Clarita was expected to be contained by Sunday evening, fire officials said.

The Mint fire started about 8 a.m. Saturday and spread rapidly, but was 50% contained by Saturday evening. More than 300 firefighters were working on building a fire line after the blaze's progress slowed, with the exception of a few hot spots.

Officials said one firefighter suffered a minor injury to his shoulder -- a sprain or strain, said fire information officer Nathan Judy of the U.S. Forest Service. No structures were damaged. 

Judy said calm winds and humidity around 40% were aiding the firefight.

Twenty-six aircraft assisted in the effort to fight the blaze in rolling hills with very limited access near Sierra Highway and California Highway 14, officials said.

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Manny Pacquiao home burglars caught in the act, authorities say

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Unclear why eucalyptus tree fell on car in O.C., killing driver

-- Victoria Kim

Search team looking for missing nursing student finds body

A search team looking for a missing nursing student discovered a body Saturday near a secluded dirt trail in the Bay Area community of Sunol, east of Hayward, authorities said.

Crime scene investigators were inspecting the badly decomposed body, which was found in a brushy area near Pleasanton Sunol Road at Verona Road, said Sgt. J.D. Nelson of the Alameda County Sheriff's Department.

The body was discovered about 10:30 a.m. by member of a search party made up of family members and volunteers looking for 26-year-old Michelle Le, who went missing in May.

Investigators said it could not immediately be determined whether the body was that of Le. Because of the condition of the remains, not even the gender could be discerned, according to a news release by the Hayward Police Department. Police said the Alameda County coroner's office will make a determination on the identity.

Grass fire burning near Mint Canyon in Santa Clarita

A fast-moving fire fueled by dry grass and brush has spread to about 600 acres in an uninhabited area near Mint Canyon in Santa Clarita, fire officials said. 

The blaze, dubbed the Mint Fire, began around 8 a.m. Saturday and quickly spread upslope, rapidly consuming the light vegetation near Sierra Highway and Highway 14, said fire information officer Nathan Judy of the National Forest Service. As of midafternoon, more than 300 firefighters had the fire 20% contained. 

No structures were threatened, and there were no injuries reported. Twenty-six aircraft, including seven air tankers and two super scoopers, were aiding in the effort in the difficult-to-access terrain, Judy said. 

He said that although the fire had slowed during the afternoon, officials were concerned the winds could shift in the evening, sending the flames southwest. The area has been on high fire alert since Labor Day weekend because of dry vegetation and other factors, he said.

The cause of the fire was under investigation.

-- Victoria Kim

Manny Pacquiao home burglars caught in the act, authorities say

L.A. County sheriff's deputies caught four people in the act as they were burglarizing the home of boxing star Manny Pacquiao, officials said.

According to a Sheriff's Department statement, deputies were in Pacquiao's neighborhood and saw the burglary go down. It occurred at 1:30 p.m. in the 500 block of Plymouth Boulevard in Hancock Park. No one was home at the time.

Los Angeles Sheriff's Capt. Mike Parker told The TImes the investigation is ongoing.

"Like any other burglaries, we are investigating to see if these burglars are involved in other crimes," Parker said.

The area is typically patrolled by the Los Angeles Police Department, but the sheriff's deputies were there following up on a crime that had occurred in the Sheriff Department's area. Parker did not elaborate on the nature of the previous crime.

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Unclear why eucalyptus tree fell on car in O.C., killing driver

Guinness World Records: SoCal resident has state's longest tongue

-- Andrew Blankstein

Photo: Manny Pacquiao, center. Credit: Getty Images

Reader photos: Southern California Moments Day 260

Sunset silhouette: The setting sun silhouettes a jogger on the beach in Santa Monica on Sept. 4 in this photo by "bakes79."

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.

$15.50 minimum cab fare from Bob Hope Airport approved

Passengers leaving Bob Hope Airport in a taxi soon will have to pay a $15.50 minimum fare, even if they’re going just a few blocks.

Under a plan approved by city traffic commissioners, the minimum fare takes effect Friday and affects only those who catch a taxi at the airport.

The Burbank Transportation Commission approved the fare in response to taxi drivers who said they were fed up with losing money on short hops to and from the airfield. Many passengers, they say, park in nearby retail parking lots or on city streets and then take a short taxi trip to the airport.

The short trips become a financial burden for taxi drivers, who say they often wait for hours in a queue, only to get a small fare, according to 818 Now.

--Mark Kellam, Times Community News

Bobcat spotted in Brand Park in Glendale

A bobcat was spotted Friday in an open grass area of Brand Park in north Glendale, said city spokesman Tom Lorenz.

The cat, which weighed approximately 20 to 30 pounds, was spotted about 12:30 p.m. before it jumped over a wall into the southeast area of the park. A few seconds later, it hopped back over the wall, returning to the hillside, Lorenz said in an email.

Animal control officers were called to the park, but Lorenz said officials did not consider the bobcat to be dangerous.

"They are regulars all over the hillsides of Glendale," Lorenz told the Glendale News-Press.

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Gang member charged in toddler killing faces 305 years

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Guinness World Records: SoCal resident has state's longest tongue

-- Brittany Levine, Times Community News

Photo: Animal control and Glendale police officers respond to a bobcat sighting at Brand Park in Glendale Friday. Credit: Roger Wilson / Times Community News

Truck at San Diego strip club hits motorcycle; two hurt

A truck full of men on their way to a strip club hit a motorcycle around midnight, injuring the rider and his passenger, San Diego police said Saturday.

Witnesses said a red truck with four to five men hit the motorcycle as the truck was pulling into the parking lot of the Pacers strip club in the Midway district.

The motorcycle rider suffered an open fracture to his leg, and his female passenger suffered abrasions, police said. Both were taken to the hospital.

The truck, described as a late-model Chevrolet, fled the strip club parking lot, with damage to its left front fender, police said.

-- Tony Perry in San Diego

FBI hacking probe began before Scarlett Johansson photos leaked

The FBI investigation into allegations of phone hacking of multiple Hollywood celebrities dates back a year and began well before news reports about Scarlett Johansson and other celebrities having their data breached, according to law enforcement sources.

The federal probe actually began in 2010 after allegations of people hacking into the phones and computers of several Hollywood figures first surfaced, the sources said. That probe is continuing, they added.

On Wednesday, FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller told The Times that the agency was looking into "a series of computer intrusions" by hackers, but would not identify any of the alleged victims.

"I can confirm that the FBI is investigating a series of computer intrusions targeting high-profile figures," Eimiller said.

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-- Andrew Blankstein

twitter.com/anblanx

Photo: Scarlett Johansson at the 2011 Academy Awards. Credit: Al Seib / Los Angeles Times