Skydiver's death follows five others at Perris facility last year

A skydiver killed Saturday while taking part in a competition at the Perris Valley Skydiving Center has been identified by the Riverside County coroner's office as Sean Carey, 35, of San Diego.

Carey was attempting a solo maneuver in the competition about 9 a.m. Saturday when he suddenly plunged to the ground, officials said.

Carey was treated at the scene but died a short time later at the Riverside County Regional Medical Center. The cause of the accident was not immediately clear.

Five people died in fatal accidents at the Perris skydiving facility in 2011. Carey's death was believed to be the 15th since 2000.

Anyone with information about the situation is asked to contact officials at (951) 210-1000 or PerrisStation@RiversideSheriff.org. 

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Photo: A skydiver over Perris. Credit: Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times

Skydiver killed during Perris competition

A 35-year-old man was killed Saturday morning while skydiving in Perris, the Riverside County Sheriff's Department said.

The man was participating in a skydiving competition around 9 a.m. and was attempting a solo maneuver at the Perris Valley Skydiving center when he suddenly plunged to the ground. He was treated at the scene but died later at the Riverside County Regional Medical Center.

The county coroner is investigating, according to Sheriff's Sgt. Raymond Huskey. The man's name was being withheld until his relatives could be notified, Huskey said.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact officials at (951) 210-1000 or PerrisStation@RiversideSheriff.org.

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Mother charged with murder in daughter's bathtub drowning

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-- Jean Merl

Reader photos: Southern California Moments, Day 49

Red line: Passengers stand on the Wilshire/Vermont subway platform as a train passes in this photo by Diogo Bessam taken on Aug. 16, 2011.

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-- Armand Emamdjomeh

twitter.com/emamd

Every day, we're featuring photos of Southern California submitted by readers. Share your photos on our Flickr page or reader submission gallery. Follow us on Twitter or visit our Facebook page for more on this photo series.

ICE office where shooting occurred has had a troubled few years

The shooting that left one federal immigration official dead and another wounded follows a troubled few years for the Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Los Angeles field office.

A high-ranking ICE official and his wife, an intelligence analyst, have been indicted and are on trial in federal court on charges of defrauding the government. Another official, suspected of doctoring his college diploma, has been on leave for more than a year while a grand jury investigates the matter.

According to court files, two other ranking supervisors were internally investigated and disciplined for an extramarital affair and related professional misconduct.

Thursday's shooting occurred at the federal building in Long Beach.

Ezequiel Garcia, 45, who supervised a document and benefit fraud task force, allegedly shot Deputy Special Agent in Charge Kevin Kozak, 51, in the upper torso, legs and hands before being shot and killed by another immigration official.

Kozak, a 30-year veteran agent who previously served as acting head of ICE's Los Angeles operations, remains hospitalized but is in stable condition, alert and talking, federal officials said at a news conference Friday. Officials did not identify the third supervisor, who has been placed on leave, citing "concern for his privacy."

LAUSD Supt. John Deasy addresses Miramonte sex-abuse allegations

This post has been corrected. See the note at the bottom for details.

In the wake of teachers being charged with lewd acts with students, Los Angeles Unified School District Supt. John Deasy has sought to reassure teachers and staff in a video address.

The two accused teachers at Miramonte Elementary School have been removed and face criminal charges.

In his four-minute address, Deasy said the rest of the staff at Miramonte, which had been temporarily relocated to the unopened Augustus Hawkins High School nearby, will have the opportunity to eventually return.

PHOTOS: Parent uproar over sex-abuse claims

"The reason that I wanted to address you is because I know that the actions of the arrested teachers at Miramonte, and the other schools, do not reflect on you or your professionalism," Deasy said. "I want to say that again. Just because a few members have [allegedly] done terrible things, that are being dealt with appropriately by law enforcement officials, that does not reflect on the amazing teaching, leadership and classified staff that I see every day in LAUSD."

He also said that lessons could be learned from the tragedy, and that the primary lesson is that the district could bolster training of its staff on how to handle and report child abuse.

"Despite our efforts to improve instruction and survive massive budget cuts, our first responsibility is to protect the children in our care," he said, adding, "It is important that our communities continue to feel safe in our schools. As you know, better than any, often our schools serve as a refuge for families."

For the record, 9:52 p.m., Feb. 18: A previous version of this post incorrectly reported that Deasy said the investigation into the allegations at Miramonte was complete. In fact, he said: "After all investigations are complete and no additional issues emerge, every staff member from Miramonte who is now at Augustus Hawkins will have the opportunity to return to the school."

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FULL COVERAGE: Teacher sex-abuse investigation

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-- Rick Rojas

Photo: Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent John Deasy listens to board members at a meeting on Tuesday. Credit: Damian Dovarganes / Associated Press

Alhambra man tries to claim his piece of 'Linsanity'

An Alhambra man is trying to get in on the excitement surrounding New York Knicks star Jeremy Lin.

Yenchin Chang has become the first person to file a trademark application for the term "LINsanity," which popped up as a catchphrase and Twitter hashtag after Lin's spectacular performance in guiding the Knicks to a recent winning streak.

On Feb. 7, Chang filed for a trademark on the term so that it could be used on T-shirts, hats, headbands, hoodies and any other piece of apparel on which it could be emblazoned.

PHOTOS: Absolute Lin-sanity

Two others have filed to trademark the term: Andrew Slayton of Los Altos, Calif., filed on Feb. 9 (he has filed for "Linsanity"); and a Washington lawyer, on Feb. 13, filed on behalf of Jeremy Lin (the variation: "LINSANITY").

Although lawyers say Chang won't likely be able to cash in on Linsanity, the 35-year-old says he wants to support another Taiwanese American.

"I wanted to be a part of the excitement," Chang told Bloomberg News. "I'm very proud of Jeremy."

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Immigration agent hailed as hero for halting gunman's attack

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-- Rick Rojas

Photo: Jeremy Lin drives past Isaiah Thomas of the Sacramento Kings. Credit: Chris Trotman / Getty Images

 

Small quake shakes part of northwest Los Angeles County

A small earthquake shook the northwest part of Los Angeles County and eastern Ventura County early Saturday morning, according to the United States Geological Survey.

The quake, which registered magnitude 2.8, struck at 6:45 a.m. about 6 miles northwest of Fillmore. At least 30 people in the Santa Clara River Valley reported on a USGS website that they felt the quake. Justin Pressfield, a spokesman for the USGS, said earthquakes of this magnitude are common, though they are not always noticed.

“We had a ton last week in the 1 to 3 range,” he said. “Most people don’t feel anything under 3. For Californians to really get excited about it, it’s usually in the 5 range.”

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Mother charged with murder in daughter's bathtub drowning

Immigration agent hailed as hero for halting gunman's attack

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-- Hector Becerra

Credit: United States Geological Survey website

Parole violator shot after threatening officer with knife

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department is investigating an officer-involved shooting in Duarte in which an officer shot a parolee who pulled a knife on him, officials said.

Investigators said the parole officer, who was dressed in plain clothes, was searching for a parole violator and believed he spotted him in the 1900 block of Huntington Drive in Duarte.

At one point, the suspect pulled out a knife and demanded the officer's cellphone, authorities said. The officer identified himself, and the suspect came at him with a knife, prompting the officer to fire. The officer shot the suspect several times in the upper torso.

The suspect was taken to a local hospital and later released. He has not been identified by authorities and has yet to be arrested, although he will be booked on suspicion of attempted robbery, assault with a deadly weapon on a peace officer and a violation of his parole, authorities said.

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Image: Map shows the location where an officer-involved shooting occurred in Duarte. Source: Google Maps

Deputy named in fatal shooting of unarmed Marine

The Orange County Sheriff's Department said the deputy who fatally shot an unarmed Marine earlier this month is Darren Sandberg, a 15-year veteran of the department.

Sandberg shot Marine Sgt. Manuel Loggins Jr. in the parking lot of San Clemente High School in the predawn of Feb. 7 after Loggins crashed his GMC Yukon through a gate and refused orders, authorities said. Sandberg was first identified by Patch.com on Friday.

Sheriff's spokesman Jim Amormino said the deputy had feared for the safety of Loggins' two daughters, who were in the Yukon.

The Orange County district attorney's office is investigating the incident.

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Mother charged with murder in daughter's bathtub drowning

Immigration agent hailed as hero for halting gunman's attack

Black powder ignites during film shoot; stuntman critically hurt

-- Christopher Goffard

Whitney Houston memorial service begins in New Jersey

A week after Whitney Houston died in a Beverly Hills hotel room, her family and friends gathered Saturday in Newark, N.J., for an invitation-only service called a "home-going ceremony."

A number of Houston's celebrity friends were expected to perform in memory of the 48-year-old pop titan. The service, at New Hope Baptist Church, will also include her aunt, Dionne Warwick; her mentor and producer, Clive Davis; Alicia Keys; and Tyler Perry.

Houston's principal from the elementary school she attended was also invited. "How many people can say they were principal of Whitney Houston's elementary school?" Henry W. Hamilton told The Times.

FULL COVERAGE: Whitney Houston's death

Hamilton said one could never know if a student is going to achieve the kind of stardom Houston achieved in her lifetime.

"You can never tell," added Hamilton, who has been principal of the elementary school, renamed in Houston's honor in 1997, for 40 years. "As I tell my boys and girls every day, the sky is the limit."

See full coverage of the funeral at the Times' Pop & Hiss blog.

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Photo: Rev. Jesse Jackson, left, arrives for the funeral serives for Whitney Houston at the New Hope Baptist Church on Saturday in Newark, New Jersey. Credit: Bennett Raglin/Getty Images