Man groped Irvine girls going home from school, police say

Irvine police are looking for a man in his mid-20s who they said groped two young girls on their way home from a bus stop last week.

The 12-year-old victims described the man as African American, 6 feet tall, muscular and having curly hair tied back into a short pony tail, according to a Police Department news release.

The girls were walking in the Quail Hill community at 3:30 p.m. when they were approached by the man, who appeared to be jogging. He touched the girls over their clothing, then fled on foot, police said.

The girls saw the suspect shortly later driving in a small, white sport-type vehicle, according to the Daily Pilot.

ALSO:

Burglars report victim's pornography to police

Man used gun fiancee gave him to kill her, prosecutor says

Federal officials begin major crackdown on marijuana operations

— Sarah Peters, Times Community News

Prince Harry in San Diego for some bar-hopping

 

Britain's Prince Harry, in Southern California for military training, reportedly came to San Diego for some relaxation over the weekend.

Harry, a.k.a. Capt. Harry Wales, visited several San Diego nightspots, including McP's Irish Bar and Grill in Coronado, owned by a former Navy SEAL and favored by off-duty SEALs from the nearby base, according to KGTV (Channel 10).

He also visited the rooftop restaurant/bar of the Andaz hotel in San Diego's Gaslamp District.

A tweet from the Andaz staff said that "Harry and his friends relaxed with some drinks while watching rugby."

Mr. P's is a block from the Hotel del Coronado where local legend holds that Edward, Prince of Wales, met Wallis Simpson, who was then married to a Navy officer, during an official visit in 1920. Their marriage caused Edward to renounce the crown in 1936 for "the woman I love."

The 1920 visit is a matter of history. The supposed meeting between Edward and Mrs. Simpson during an official reception has never been confirmed.

A bar at the hotel is named The Prince of Wales Room.

Harry is part of an Army unit spending two months at the El Centro U.S. Naval Air Facility receiving training on the Apache helicopter. Harry has already deployed to Afghanistan and may return soon.

The unmarried 27-year-old is third in line for the British crown.

--Tony Perry in San Diego

Photo: Prince Harry on the island of Spitssbergenon between Norway and the North Pole on an outing with wounded military personnel. Credit: Royal Family website

Sheriff Baca reopens cases of alleged inmate abuse by deputies [Updated]

[For The Record: A previous verson of this post said that L.A. County Sheriff Lee Baca pledged to create two task forces to address jail issues. Baca has alredy created the task forces and announced them to the public on Sunday.]

Amid mounting scrutiny of reported brutality in his jails, Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca released a plan Sunday promising to reexamine multiple allegations of deputy abuse and to improve inmate safety.

Among the cases Baca said his department would reopen is that of a top rookie sheriff's deputy who abruptly resigned after he was allegedly forced by his supervisor to beat a mentally disabled inmate inside Twin Towers jail. In that case, The Times has reported, the rookie’s uncle, a sheriff’s gang detective, was so upset about what his nephew was put through that he allegedly threatened to "put a bullet" in the supervisor’s head.

Baca also pledged to reopen inquiries into dozens of allegations of abuse made by inmates and jailhouse volunteers, including two chaplains, that were recently compiled by the American Civil Liberties Union.

Full coverage: Jails under scrutiny

The sheriff’s move comes amid a flurry of FBI scrutiny of alleged jailhouse abuse and other deputy misconduct.  Federal authorities are probing at least three cases of potential brutality, including an allegation that jailers beat an inmate for two minutes after he became unconscious. Agents also recently set up an undercover sting in which a deputy was offered $1,500 to smuggle a cellphone to a Men’s Central Jail inmate who was secretly working as a federal informant.

Army Ranger from Central California killed in Afghanistan

 
A U.S. Army Ranger from Central California has been killed in combat in Afghanistan, the Pentagon announced Sunday.

Spec. Ricardo Cerros Jr., 24, of Salinas, was killed Saturday during a firefight in Logar province, southeast of Kabul.  Cerros was a rifleman with 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state.

Cerros enlisted in July 2010 and joined the 75th Ranger Regiment in March. The regiment has been continuously deployed to Afghanistan since the U.S. invasion in 2001.

"Spec. Ricardo Cerros could have been anything he wanted in life," said Col. Mark Odom, the regimental commander. "Yet he decided to become a member of the 75th Ranger Regiment and do our nation's bidding. We were blessed to have him in our ranks."

Survivors include his father and stepmother, Ricardo Cerros Sr. and Deborah Cerros, of Salinas, and his mother, Maqueirte Cuevas of Gary, Ind.

--Tony Perry in San Diego

Photo: Army Ranger Ricardo Cerros Jr. Credit: U.S. Army

Man found dead in Baldwin Hills apartment fire

A fire at an apartment building Sunday left one man dead, according to Los Angeles Fire Department.

Firefighters responded to a call at 11:45 a.m. in the 3600 block of South Kalsman Drive in the Baldwin Hills area and saw smoke coming from the first floor of a fourplex, spokesman Brian Humphrey said. Inside they found the body of a man, who has not yet been identified.

The fire was extinguished within 17 minutes, Humphrey said. The fire department and the Los Angeles Police Department are conducting a joint investigation.

— Anna Gorman

 

Reader photos: Southern California Moments Day 282

Up on the rooftop: Damian Gadal sees geometry in the red tiles of this roof in Santa Barbara Oct. 1.

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.

Sheriff Baca reopens cases of alleged inmate abuse by deputies

Amid mounting scrutiny of reported brutality in his jails, Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca released a plan Sunday promising to reexamine multiple allegations of deputy abuse and to improve inmate safety.

Among the cases Baca said his department would reopen is that of a top rookie sheriff's deputy who abruptly resigned after he was allegedly forced by his supervisor to beat a mentally disabled inmate inside Twin Towers jail. In that case, The Times has reported, the rookie’s uncle, a sheriff’s gang detective, was so upset about what his nephew was put through that he allegedly threatened to "put a bullet" in the supervisor’s head.

Baca also pledged to reopen inquiries into dozens of allegations of abuse made by inmates and jailhouse volunteers, including two chaplains, that were recently compiled by the American Civil Liberties Union.

Full coverage: Jails under scrutiny

The sheriff’s move comes amid a flurry of FBI scrutiny of alleged jailhouse abuse and other deputy misconduct.  Federal authorities are probing at least three cases of potential brutality, including an allegation that jailers beat an inmate for two minutes after he became unconscious. Agents also recently set up an undercover sting in which a deputy was offered $1,500 to smuggle a cellphone to a Men’s Central Jail inmate who was secretly working as a federal informant.

Coach’s clash with student prompts review of school search policy

A physical clash between a John Muir High School student and the school’s football coach has prompted Pasadena Unified School District officials to review policies on searching students and their property for weapons and other contraband.

Coach Ken Howard has been placed on administrative leave pending investigation of the Sept. 28 incident, and the 15-year-old student has not returned to campus.

Different versions of events emerge from interviews with the boy and an attorney for Howard.

The incident appears to have started with an attempt by school officials to search a group of students for a knife. Before it was over, the student had suffered scratches and bruises on his neck, according to the boy and his mother, the Pasadena Sun reported.

Pasadena police initially cited the student on suspicion of assault but have since withdrawn the charge pending further investigation, Pasadena Police Cmdr. John Perez said. Howard was interviewed but not cited.

ALSO:

Burglars report victim's pornography to police

Man used gun fiancee gave him to kill her, prosecutor says

Federal officials begin major crackdown on marijuana operations

--Joe Piasecki and Ana Facio-Krajcer, Times Community News

Cars banned on 10 miles of L.A. streets for CicLAvia

Ten miles of city streets between East Hollywood and Boyle Heights will be closed to car traffic Sunday for Los Angeles' third CicLAvia event. The affected thoroughfares will reserved for non-motorized transportation, including bicycles, skateboard and foot traffic, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The event has expanded from 7.5 miles included in the first two events a year ago and last April, with the addition of a southward extension to the African American Firefighter Museum on Central Avenue and a northward extension to El Pueblo de Los Angeles and Olvera Street, ending at Cesar Chavez Boulevard.

There will be six hubs offering water, portable toilets, first aid stations and other amenities. The hubs are located at the Bicycle District in East Hollywood, MacArthur Park, the African American Firefighter Museum, the South Lawn of City Hall, El Pueblo de Los Angeles in the city’s historic center, and Hollenbeck Park in Boyle Heights. 

A map for the event, including crossing points for vehicle traffic, is available on the CicLAvia website.

-- Abby Sewell

Mother killed by train after freeing 2-year-old stuck on tracks [Updated]

A woman was killed by a Metrolink train in Riverside on Saturday evening, but managed to push her 2-year-old daughter to safety.

The mother, whose name has not been released, was pushing her daughter in a stroller on Mary Street approaching the tracks at about 6:58 p.m. Saturday, when the railroad safety arms came down, signaling that a train was approaching, said Lt. Jaybee Brennan of the Riverside Police Department.

[Updated at 9:33 a.m.: Riverside County coroner's officials identified the woman as Susan Dibene, 33, of Riverside].

She attempted to cross the tracks ahead of the train anyway, but the stroller got stuck. The mother was able to free the stroller and push the child out of the path of the oncoming train, but she was struck.

The woman died at the scene. The child was taken to Riverside County Hospital and has been released uninjured to her grandmother, Brennan said.

ALSO:

Burglars report victim's pornography to police

Man used gun fiancee gave him to kill her, prosecutor says

Federal officials begin major crackdown on marijuana operations

-- Abby Sewell

 Photo: Scene near railroad tracks. Credit: KTLA News.

Small fire reported at ConocoPhillips refinery in Wilmington

ConocoPhillips fire personnel were battling a small blaze at the company's oil refinery in Wilmington on Sunday morning, according to security officers at the facility.

No injuries were reported and there were no evacuations ordered, security officers said. Despite visible smoke from the building, production continued as usual, said Andrew Taylor in the security office.

Los Angeles City firefighters went to investigate the smoke but had not been called in to help, spokesman Brian Humphreys said. "At this moment, refinery personnel are handling it and we are on standby," he said.

There was no information on the cause of the fire, security officers said.

-- Anna Gorman



Man dies in officer-involved shooting in North Hollywood [Updated]

A man died after an officer-involved shooting in North Hollywood on Sunday morning.

Officers responding to a report of a man with a gun confronted a suspect around Vineland Avenue and Valerio Street and fired on him around 6 a.m., said Officer Ramon Martinez at the LAPD's North Hollywood station.

[Updated at 10:50 a.m.: Sgt. Aaron Ponce said the suspect had pointed a rifle at the officers and two officers fired on him. Officers initially responded to a report of a man firing shots in the air at about 4:51 a.m. The incident is being investigated by LAPD’s force investigations division and the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office.]

The man, who was not identified, was transported to Northridge Hospital Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead, Martinez said.

No officers were injured. Police released no further details about the incident, which is under investigation.

A command post was set up at Vineland Avenue and Sherman Way and the 7400 block of Vineland was closed to traffic.

-- Abby Sewell

Dream Act could give $14.5 million to illegal-immigrant students

The California Dream Act, which Gov. Jerry Brown signed into law Saturday, could require $14.5 million a year in state grants to illegal immigrants to help them pay for college.

The California Department of Finance estimates 2,500 additional students at public universities and community colleges will qualify for Cal-Grants as a result of the Dream Act, The Times' Patrick McGreevy reports on PolitiCal.

Brown downplayed the cost of the grants, saying they potentially would affect only about 1% of the $1.4 billion in annual Cal-Grant funding.

Apparent gang-related shooting leaves teen dead in Boyle Heights

A teenager was killed in an apparent gang-related shooting in Boyle Heights early Sunday morning.

The victim, described as a 17- or 18-year-old male, died at the scene after an unknown suspect walked up and shot him three times near Michigan Avenue and Chicago Street at about 1:45 a.m., said Sgt. Rick Colombia of the LAPD's Hollenbeck station.

Police believe the shooting was gang related but did not have a suspect description and no arrests have been made.

-- Abby Sewell

Camp Pendleton expands help for war wounded

 
As the war in Afghanistan enters its 10th year, the Marine Corps has announced two new efforts at Camp Pendleton to help wounded and injured Marines and sailors.

On Thursday, the $29-million, 30,000 square-foot Warrior Hope and Care Center was opened to provide counseling and reconditioning for Marines and sailors. The facility has space for chaplains, education specialists, representatives of the Department of Veterans Affairs and family-readiness employees.

Earlier, the Marines announced that the Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton had launched a study of mild traumatic brain injury, a common injury for combatants in Afghanistan and Iraq, where the enemy's weapon of choice is the roadside bomb.

The study will test the effects of a hyperbaric oxygen chamber in aiding troops who have experienced the common symptoms of concussion: memory loss, confusion, headaches and an overall "spacey" feeling.

And at Camp Leatherneck, the Marines' base in Afghanistan, a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) machine arrived last week on a Russian-built cargo plane. It is the first MRI machine in Afghanistan, officials said.

The MRI "will help to diagnose and understand the head injuries that troops are experiencing," said Navy Capt. Jeffrey Timby, a surgeon deployed with Marines.

-- Tony Perry in San Diego

Photo: Magnetic Resonance Imaging machine is unloaded in Afghanistan from an Antonov 124-100M cargo plane. Credit: Sgt. Mitch Moore / Royal Air Force 

Surfer dies at Camp Pendleton beach

A 63-year-old Orange County man collapsed and died Saturday while surfing at Camp Pendleton, the San Diego County medical examiner said.

Charles Solon Todd Jr. of Aliso Viejo was at the stretch of Camp Pendleton known as Surf Beach when he was stricken.

"He was witnessed to ride a wave into shore, sit on his board and collapse forward onto his board," according to a medical examiner report.

Attempts at resuscitation failed. An examination is planned, the medical examiner said.

-- Tony Perry in San Diego

Crashes leave man, woman dead and close lanes of 118 at Sepulveda

The westbound lanes of the 118 Freeway were closed at Sepulveda on Sunday morning after a crash that killed one man.

The man was thrown from his vehicle and landed on Sepulveda Boulevard. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The victim's name has not been released. He was described by California Highway Patrol Officer Jennifer Connolly as a Latino man, approximately 23 years old.

Connolly said it was unknown how many vehicles were involved in the crash. At least one vehicle overturned.

The crash was reported at 3:46 a.m. All westbound lanes remained closed as of 7:30 a.m.

Another crash Saturday night took the life of a woman in Santa Clarita. A car crashed into a pole on the 29000 block of Hasley Canyon Road at about 11:47 p.m.

A woman, approximately 20 years old, died in the crash. Her name has not been released.

-- Abby Sewell

 

Mother killed by train after freeing 2-year-old stuck on tracks

A woman was killed by a Metrolink train in Riverside ib Saturday evening, but managed to push her 2-year-old daughter to safety.

The mother, whose name has not been released, was pushing her daughter in a stroller on Mary Street approaching the tracks at about 6:58 p.m. Saturday, when the railroad safety arms came down, signaling that a train was approaching, said Lt. Jaybee Brennan of the Riverside Police Department.

She attempted to cross the tracks ahead of the train anyway, but the stroller got stuck. The mother was able to free the stroller and push the child out of the path of the oncoming train, but she was struck.

The woman died at the scene. The child was taken to Riverside County Hospital and has been released uninjured to her grandmother, Brennan said.

-- Abby Sewell

 

Man dies in officer-involved shooting in North Hollywood

A man died after an officer-involved shooting in North Hollywood on Sunday morning.

Officers responding to a report of a man with a gun confronted a suspect around Vineland Avenue and Valerio Street and fired on him around 6 a.m., said Officer Ramon Martinez at the LAPD's North Hollywood station.

The man, who was not identified, was transported to Northridge Hospital Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead, Martinez said.

No officers were injured. Police released no further details about the incident, which is under investigation.

A command post was set up at Vineland Avenue and Sherman Way and the 7400 block of Vineland was closed to traffic.

-- Abby Sewell