BART officer and suspect injured during arrest

Authorities say a transit police officer was hurt and a suspect is in custody after an incident at a Bay Area Rapid Transit station in Oakland over the weekend.

A video of the incident, filmed by another passenger and later uploaded to YouTube, shows the officer removing the suspect from a train and pushing him toward a heavy-duty glass wall, which then shatters. It has prompted an investigation into the officer’s use of force, according to a statement on BART’s website.

BART police Cmdr. Daniel Hartwig says officers responding to a report of a disturbance around 5:40 p.m. Saturday at the West Oakland station found a man, who appeared to be intoxicated, challenging other passengers to fight and yelling racial slurs.

While the officer was trying to take 37-year-old Michael Joseph Gibson into custody, Hartwig said, a window on the station wall shattered, injuring both the suspect and the officer.

The officer suffered several lacerations and a concussion, and has been treated and released, Hartwig said. The suspect was treated for “minor lacerations” and arrested on suspicion of battery on an officer, resisting an officer and other charges, he said.

In a statement issued Sunday, Hartwig called the incident “a use of force case that we will thoroughly investigate. We will review all available information and video and are requesting anybody with any other video or information to please come forward,” Hartwig said.

The officer is unable to perform his duties because of his injuries and has been placed on industrial leave, according to BART.

-- Times staff and wire reports

U.S. moves to seize property housing an Islamic center

Federal authorities moved today to seize a Northern California property housing an Islamic center, alleging that the foundation that owns the land has engaged in illegal financial activities with the Iranian government.

Preet Bharara, U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, filed a civil complaint seeking forfeiture of property owned by the Alavi Foundation in Carmichael, near Sacramento, and in four other states.

The Carmichael property is home to the nonprofit Qoba Foundation, which says on its website that it is an Islamic organization "caring for spiritual needs of the community with a range of religious programs."

It also performs Islamic marriages and burial services, and provides certification of conversion to Islam as well as family counseling for the Islamic community of greater Sacramento, the website says.

The Qoba Foundation is not named in the complaint.

California school boards group snubs state legislators

And the winner is ... no one.

That’s right. Nobody won this year’s Legislator of the Year Award from the California School Boards Assn. because schools suffered so much from funding cuts approved by the state Legislature that the group didn't want to single out any lawmaker for praise.

“Sure, there are some legislators who have done good things for education, and others that we admire for their efforts,” Frank Pugh, the group’s president-elect and a board member for Santa Rosa city schools, said in a release. “But for crying out loud, schools have been cut by $2,100 per student.  We’d be nuts to present this award to anybody in a year when the cuts are going to have detrimental effects on an entire generation of students.  We just have to draw the line somewhere.”

San Jose police investigate alleged videotaped beating of student by officers [Updated]

The San Jose Police Department is conducting a criminal investigation into the alleged videotaped beating of an unarmed university student by two police officers during an arrest last month, a spokesman for the department said today.

A grainy cellphone video posted on the San Jose Mercury News websiteshows police officers subduing the student, who could be heard screaming. Police had been called to a home Sept. 3 after a report that the San Jose State student, Phuong Ho, was assaulting his roommate, police said.

The department is conducting a “thorough investigation” that will be turned over to the Santa Clara County district attorney’s office for review, said Sgt. Ronnie Lopez of the San Jose Police Department.

Lopez said the department launched the investigation immediately after learning about the incident late last week. Investigators are interviewing witnesses and reviewing the posted cellphone video, along with other video.

“Our investigators are reviewing this entire case from beginning to end,” he said. “They want to make sure that the force used was necessary.”

Two officers -- Kenneth Siegel and Steven Payne Jr. -- are seen on the video, police said. Two additional officers were also at the scene. All four are on administrative leave.

After the criminal inquiry is complete, Lopez said, the department’s internal affairs unit will also conduct an administrative investigation to determine whether there was any wrongdoing. In addition to possible criminal charges, the officers could face discipline ranging from a formal letter of reprimand to termination.

Ho, 20, was charged with brandishing a knife and resisting arrest, Lopez said.

Ho is being represented by San Jose lawyer Duyen Hoang Nguyen, according to the Associated Press. Nguyen could not be reached for comment.

[Updated, 4 p.m.]: Nguyen said late this afternoon that his client did not resist arrest and that he pulled out a knife to prepare his dinner after the altercation with his roommate. Nguyen said the argument was over before police arrived.

"There is nothing to justify the use of force," Nguyen said.

Ho, reached by phone this afternoon, said one officer pushed him against the wall of his room and struck him with his hand. Then, he believes, as many as four officers began hitting him with a baton and one of them used a Taser on him. Ho said one of the baton strikes occurred after he was handcuffed.

Ho said he didn’t understand what the police officers wanted him to do, in part because English is his second language.

Ho said the baton strikes left injuries on both of his legs.

“I don’t think they treated me like human,” he said. “I think things need to change so this police brutality doesn’t happen to other people.”

Lopez said the department also plans to review whether additional training is needed.

-- Anna Gorman

Wildfire in Santa Cruz County prompts evacuations [Updated]

A wildfire burning today in Santa Cruz County has consumed about 800 acres and prompted the evacuation of about 150 homes in neighborhoods north of Watsonville, fire officials said.

[Updated 4 p.m.: Fire officials said their earlier estimate of 800 acres burned was incorrect. They now say the fire has burned 600 acres. Winds are fading, and a trailer and two outbuildings have burned. The fire is  20% contained.]

The fire broke out about 3 a.m. in an area off California 17 on the border of Santa Cruz and Santa Clara counties, said Cherie Alver of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Mandatory evacuations were issued about 6 a.m., and the fire is 5% contained.

Warm, windy weather, with gusts up to 35 mph is fueling the blaze, which is burning on the south side of the mountains.

The cause of the wildfire has not been determined, Alver said. About 1,200 firefighters are expected to be on the scene this afternoon, said Jim Crawford, a public information officer with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

The fire is burning near a mountainous area where a wildfire last year destroyed 29 homes and threatened the Mount Madonna retreat center.

-- Nicole Santa Cruz
 

4th teen from same Palo Alto high school commits suicide

For the fourth time in less than six months, a student from one Palo Alto high school has committed suicide, authorities say. The boy stepped in front of a train at the same location where three other students have killed themselves since May.

CalTrain spokeswoman Tasha Bartholomew said the latest suicide of a student from high-performing Gunn High School occurred at 10:50 p.m. Monday. Another Gunn student, a boy, 17, killed himself the same way at the same spot at 8:20 a.m on May 5.

His death was followed by the suicide of a girl, 17, on the tracks at 9:59 p.m. on June 2. The third suicide occurred at the same location on Aug. 21 at 10:45 p.m.

Palo Alto police told the San Jose Mercury News that police are limiting publicity about the suicides for fear of a growing cluster.

"The research we're being told is that the more we talk about it and romanticize it, the easier it is that mentally ill or depressed people will make that leap,'' Sgt. Dan Ryan was quoted as saying. "We're taking a stand and not releasing more information."

Monterey Bay Aquarium report: Demand for seafood leading to oceans' decline

The Monterey Bay Aquarium has been working for years to improve the health of the planet's oceans, and today it has announced new collaborations to spread the word through chefs, seafood buyers and others.

The aquarium, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary, released a report today on the state of the oceans. Prospects for the oceans are improving with a growing consensus to manage wild and farm fishing, the report says. But it also sets out significant problems that remain for the oceans and cites the human demand for seafood as the primary factor in the oceans' decline.

It also released a "Super Green" list, developed with the Harvard School of Public Health and the Environmental Defense Fund, of seafood that is healthy for people and the planet. On the list are some albacore tuna caught in the U.S. or British Columbia, wild-caught salmon from Alaska and pink shrimp from Oregon, among others.

UC protests loud but peaceful; no major disruptions or problems reported

About 700 students, faculty and staff attended a noontime rally at UCLA's Bruin Plaza today as part of a systemwide day of protests against UC fee hikes, class reductions and pay cuts.

The enthusiastic but peaceful rally did not seem to disrupt the rest of life on campus on the fall quarter's first day of classes.

Among those in the crowd was third-year psychology major Vico Melgoza of Santa Ana. He said he was skipping two classes today to be there. "This is more important. That's my personal belief," said Melgoza, 21, adding that he was worried about how fee increases will affect not only his future but also future generations of low-income students. The fee hikes and cutbacks, he said, "are beating the people who are already beaten."

Protest rallies underway at UCLA, UC Berkeley and other UC campuses [Updated]

Union members and supporters are marching and manning picket lines at UCLA, some classes have been canceled and preparations are underway for a large lunch-hour rally to protest rising student fees and cutbacks in state higher education funding. Otherwise, life on the first day of the fall quarter on the Westwood campus seemed to be proceeding much as usual this morning.

While activists throughout the 10-campus UC system called for protest walkouts today, students at UCLA report that most classes are being held, although some professors have said they will devote a portion of the time in their classes to discuss the harmful toll budget reductions are taking on course offerings and student services.

Fourth-year student Rebekah Aladdin said that she had been notified by e-mail that one of her two classes today was canceled in sympathy with the demonstration but she showed up anyway just to be sure. A Pasadena resident who is majoring in world arts and cultures, Aladdin said that was all right with her, adding "You have to make a statement and support the cause."

Bones found at the home of suspected kidnappers Phillip and Nancy Garrido

Investigators today announced that they have found bones at the home of suspected kidnappers Phillip and Nancy Garrido in the Bay Area community of Antioch.

They also found more bones on a property adjacent to the home, but it is not clear if any of the newly discovered bones are animal or human, according to Jimmy Lee, spokesman for the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Department. Deputies have been searching the properties since Tuesday, along with the FBI and several local law enforcement agencies.

"Experts will take a closer look" at the bones, Lee said.

Experts at the state DNA crime lab are still examining a human bone fragment that investigators found on the adjacent property Aug. 30. Authorities have said the bone could be the remnant of a Native American burial ground.

Phillip Garrido, 58, and Nancy Garrido, 54, were arrested Aug. 26 in connection with the kidnapping and rape of Jaycee Lee Dugard, who was snatched near her South Lake Tahoe home in 1991. She lived in a warren of tents in the couple's backyard and bore Phillip Garrido two daughters.

Police are now searching for a possible connection between Garrido and two girls who have been missing for more than two decades: Michaela Garecht, 9, of Hayward and Ilene Misheloff, 13, of Dublin, both cities in Alameda County. Investigators plan to use ground-penetrating radar and magnetometers capable of detecting human remains and other artifacts. They may also raze structures on the properties, according to Hayward Police Lt. Christine Orrey.

Investigators have had to tow away vehicles and comb through piles of debris on the Garrido property, which is about an acre.

"A large amount of debris and trash has been removed from the Garrido property. Much more needs to be hauled off," Lee said.

By the end of today, investigators had finished searching the adjacent house, but not the yard or the Garridos' yard and house, Lee said. He said investigators plan to return tomorrow with dogs trained to sniff out human remains.

-- Molly Hennessy-Fiske

Related:

The Homicide Report: Chronicling L.A. County homicide victims.

Phillip Garrido's bail set at $30 million, will undergo psychiatric testing [Updated]

El Dorado County Superior Court Judge Douglas Phimister approved $30 million bail today for Phillip Garrido, saying he posed a danger to the public and was a flight risk, and also agreed to have him undergo a psychiatric evaluation.

 The judge kept Garrido's wife, Nancy, on a no-bail hold in jail. [Updated at 8:50 a.m.: A previous version of this article said the judge kept Nancy Garrido's bail at its original amount. But there was never any bail set for her.

Phillip Garrido also had been on a no-bail hold before today; even if he were to come up with the bail amount of $30 million, he would have to stay in jail because he remains on a no-bail parole hold for a previous conviction.]

Susan Gellman, Phillip Garrido's attorney, requested the evaluation, and Nancy Garrido's attorney, Gilbert Maines, asked that the option be available to his client in the future. Phimister approved the request.

The couple will next appear in court Oct. 29 for a preliminary hearing.

The Garridos were arrested Aug. 26, the day after a sharp-eyed campus police officer at UC Berkeley stopped Phillip, 58, who was on campus distributing religious materials with two young girls.

The couple faces 29 charges of kidnapping and rape and is being held in El Dorado County Jail in the disappearance of Jaycee Dugard 18 years ago. Authorities believe the couple held Dugard in a ragged warren of tents and outbuildings behind their Antioch home and that Garrido fathered her two daughters there.

Dugard, 29, and the girls, age 11 and 15, have been in seclusion since they were reunited last month with family members. Phillip Garrido was convicted of kidnapping and pleaded guilty to rape in a separate 1976 attack.

He was sentenced to 50 years in federal prison for the former and received a life sentence in Nevada state prison for the latter but served only 11 years.

-- Maria L. La Ganga in Placerville

Photo: Accused kidnapper, Phillip Garrido appears in El Dorado County Superior Court in Placerville, Calif. today. Credit: William Foster / EPA 

San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge reopens

Transit officials today reopened the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge after completing a new half-mile detour that connects the East Span to the Yerba Buena Tunnel and repairing a crack on the bridge that almost caused delays.

The bridge reopened about 7 a.m. with light traffic, said California Department of Transportation spokesman Bart Ney.

The 73-year-old bridge was closed from Thursday, Sept. 3, through Labor Day weekend so crews could remove a 300-foot section near Yerba Buena Island and replace it with a new double-deck section as part of a long-planned seismic upgrade.  But on Saturday, crews inspecting the bridge discovered a 2-inch-thick steel I-bar cracked halfway through, Ney said.

“We have two-year cycle inspections, and that crack was not there two years ago,” he said.

The crack caused officials to mobilize additional contractors and materials and to assign repair crews. By Sunday a team was waiting for parts. Yesterday, as crews made repairs, officials realized they were missing a part to complete the fix.

“We didn’t think we had enough time to have the piece fabricated and inspect it before the bridge was to open up, so we had a press conference to tell people not to expect the bridge to be ready,” Ney said.

But, he said, crews worked long into the night and were able to complete the work by this morning.

“It was the biggest operation in [Caltrans] history,” Ney said.

The last time the bridge was closed was in October 1989, when it was damaged in the Loma Prieta earthquake. Ney said the bridge was closed for a month that year. The bridge, which carries up to 280,000 vehicles a day, consists of two bridge segments: a cantilever portion between Oakland and Yerba Buena Island, and a suspension span from the island to San Francisco, according to the Bay Area Toll Authority and California Department of Transportation.

-- Ruben Vives

Aunt of recovered kidnapping victim says this is 'a joyful time for family'

Tina Dugard, the aunt of recovered kidnap victim Jaycee Lee Dugard, said at a news conference today that “this is a joyful time for my family” now that the family has been reunited after 18 years.

Dugard said Jaycee, who was kidnapped when she was 11 in 1991, remembered all of her family and that she and her two daughters, ages 15 and 11, are spending time with their mother, Terry Probyn, in a secluded location. She said that Jaycee had done “a truly amazing job” of educating her daughters with limited resources.

Phillip Garrido, 58, and his wife, Nancy, 55, were arrested last week and charged in the rape and kidnapping of Jaycee, now 29. Jaycee was abducted as she walked to a bus stop on June 10, 1991, in her South Lake Tahoe neighborhood.

Jaycee bore Garrido two daughters while being held for 18 years in a warren of sheds and tents in his Antioch backyard.

Tina Dugard thanked law enforcement officers for their work since Garrido’s arrest. She also warned that there were some unauthorized organizations soliciting money on the family’s behalf.

She said the family would have no further comment at this time.

In an interview with the Orange County Register, Tina Dugard spoke of Jaycee and her children. "It's clear they've been on the Internet and know a lot of things," Dugard said. "It's clear that Jaycee did a great job with the limited resources she had and her limited education."

-- Carlos Lozano    

Psychiatrist diagnosed Phillip Garrido in 1976 as a 'sexual deviant'

The man accused of kidnapping and rape in the disappearance of Jaycee Lee Dugard 18 years ago was diagnosed in a 1976 court-ordered psychological evaluation as a sexual deviant and chronic drug abuser.

Phillip Garrido, now 58, was examined by a forensic psychiatrist in 1976 while under arrest for kidnapping and raping Katherine Callaway. The evaluation was done in the run-up to his federal trial for transporting Callaway from South Lake Tahoe, Calif., to Reno before the assault.

Dr. Lynn B. Gerow Jr. wrote that Garrido’s “sexual deviation” could have been caused by four years of daily LSD use, along with regular abuse of marijuana, alcohol and cocaine.

[Updated, 4:25 pm: A previous version of this post identified Dr. Lynn B. Gerow Jr. as a psychologist.  She is a psychiatrist.]

Gerow wrote in Garrido's psychological report that his condition was "usually associated with compulsive masturbation. This aspect is clearly present in this man and is part of his multiple sexual deviation.”

Gerow also noted that Garrido was “competent” to understand the charges against him and said that, at the time of the crime, “the defendant as a result of mental disease or defect, did not lack substantial capacity either to appreciate the wrongfulness of his conduct or to conform his conduct to the requirements of the law.”

A separate neurological evaluation by Dr. Albert F. Peterman said that Garrido had no “hard evidence of organic brain damage.” Peterman also reported that Garrido “is looking forward to going to court, has found religion and feels his life will change for the better.”

Garrido was ultimately found guilty of kidnapping Callaway and pleaded guilty to the rape charge.

-- Maria L. La Ganga in San Francisco

Photo: Phillip Garrido appears Friday in a Placerville, Calif., courtroom during his arraignment on 28 felony counts stemming from the abduction of Jaycee Dugard in 1991. Garrido pleaded not guilty to charges including forcible abduction, rape, sexual assault and false imprisonment. At left is Garrido's court-appointed attorney, Susan Gellman. Credit: Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press

Media outlets paying for information in Jaycee Lee Dugard kidnapping case

At week’s end, the Antioch street where Jaycee Lee Dugard lived after she was allegedly kidnapped as a child 18 years ago by Phillip and Nancy Garrido was swarming with media. Satellite trucks parked in driveways, and cameramen and photographers tromped on lawns and knocked on doors up and down Walnut Avenue.

Neighbor Damon Robinson was in his backyard, talking with reporters across a chain-link fence, while another group lined up in the side yard, behind a clothes line, waiting to interview him.

Robinson eventually spoke with reporters from CNN, the Associated Press and The Times about the years he’d lived next door to the Garridos and about the time that his former girlfriend, Erika Pratt, had called 911 to tell authorities about her suspicions that something was seriously amiss in the gray cinder-block house.

Suddenly, a British reporter pushed to the front. He told Robinson that he worked for a media outlet in London and his deadline was fast approaching. He offered to write a check for $2,000 on the spot if Robinson would stop talking to other reporters and give him "an exclusive." Robinson complied.

In the days since, locals who knew the Garridos said they have repeatedly been approached by reporters -- American and foreign, print and television -- who have offered thousands of dollars for information and photographs of the Garridos, Dugard, now 29, and the two daughters she bore Phillip Garrido, ages 15 and 11.

The money can be tempting for some who live in an area pummeled by the foreclosure crisis and the sagging economy.

Manuel Garrido, who lives in nearby Brentwood in Northern California, at first spoke freely with reporters about his son’s past. But now he says he wants to be paid. "No more free information," said Garrido, 88. "Other people are getting paid.”

Rape victim of Phillip Garrido tells of her ordeal

A rape victim of Phillip Garrido, the man accused of kidnapping an 11-year-old South Lake Tahoe girl and holding her for 18 years, appeared on Larry King Live this evening and talked about how she was assaulted and later stalked by Garrido after he was paroled from prison in 1988.

Garrido kidnapped and raped 25-year-old Katherine Hall in 1976, and she testified against him in court after he was caught. She said he was sentenced to 50 years in prison.

A little more than a decade later, Hall said, she was approached in a threatening manner at a Lake Tahoe casino by a man who resembled Garrido. Hall said she called prison officials and learned that Garrido had been paroled in California.

She said she was surprised because she did not expect Garrido to be paroled until 2006 when he would have served nearly 30 years of his sentence.  She made an appointment with Garrido’s parole officer but he essentially informed her that there was nothing authorities could do.

"I've lived in fear ever since," said Hall, who decided to leave the Lake Tahoe area after the incident. "I just knew he was hunting me."

Garrido, 58, and his wife, Nancy, 55, were arrested last week and charged in the rape and kidnapping of Jaycee Lee Dugard, now 29. Dugard was abducted as she walked to a bus stop on June 10, 1991, in her South Lake Tahoe neighborhood.

Bone fragment found in yard of Phillip Garrido's neighbor

Authorities found a bone fragment in the yard next to the Antioch home of Phillip Garrido as they continue to investigate whether the man suspected of raping and kidnapping an 11-year-old girl and holding her for 18 years is involved in other unsolved crimes, including a series of prostitutes’ murders in the 1990s.

The bone was found Sunday in the backyard of Damon Robinson, Garrido’s next-door neighbor, said Jimmy Lee, a spokesman for the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Department. Garrido once lived on the property when he worked as caretaker for the previous owner, he said.

“We are taking that bone back for further examination,” he said. “We don’t know if it’s animal or human.”

Garrido, 58, and his wife, Nancy, 55, were arrested last week and charged in the rape and kidnapping of Jaycee Lee Dugard, now 29. Dugard was abducted as she walked to a bus stop on June 10, 1991, in her South Lake Tahoe neighborhood.

Meanwhile, police from Pittsburg, which borders Antioch, are searching the Garrido home for evidence that Phillip Garrido may have been linked to the series of prostitutes’ murders more than a decade ago. Officers with cadaver dogs are inspecting the properties.

-- Molly Hennessy-Fiske in Antioch

Photo: A satellite image shows the house and backyard of Phillip and Nancy Garrido. Their house is at left center of frame and the lot extends back through the center of the photo. Credit: Pictometry International

Fire in Auburn burns homes, commercial buildings; evacuations ordered

A fire in Auburn, Calif., about 30 miles northeast of Sacramento, has burned through multiple homes and commercial buildings, officials say.

Evacuations are underway in the northern part of Auburn, said Mary Welna, a spokeswoman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Officials did not have an exact count of how many homes and buildings were damaged or destroyed.

The fire, which began this afternoon in hot weather and low humidity, was wind-whipped and by this evening had burned more than 500 acres. It began near Highway 49 and Quartz Drive. It is 25% contained.

-- Rong-Gong Lin II

CHP officers fatally shoot man near Sacramento after high-speed chase

A man who led authorities on a high-speed chase in Sacramento County was killed early this morning after being shot multiple times by California Highway Patrol officers, officials said.

Officers attempted to pull over a white truck in Stockton about 2:30 a.m. when the driver, who was alone, sped onto the northbound 5 Freeway, said Sgt. Tim Curran, a spokesman for the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department.

Firefighters getting handle on Central, Northern California fires

State and federal officials have released new information about several fires burning throughout California. The figures, updating a previous story on LA Now, come from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and the U.S. Forest Service:

 * The La Brea fire, about 21 miles east of Santa Maria, is now 60% contained. It has burned at least 85,686 acres since it began Aug. 8. Two structures – including a non-operational guard station and a hunter’s cabin – have been destroyed, officials said.

 * The Lockheed fire, which has burned about 7,000 acres in the Santa Cruz Mountains, is now 50% contained. It is threatening more than 250 residences in Swanton and Bonny Doon.

* The Vintage fire in southwest Ventura County has burned 150 acres and is 60% contained.

* The Corral fire, located between San Francisco and Modesto, is 85% contained.

* The Yuba fire in Yuba County has blackened 2,200 acres, destroying two residences and threatening about 400 other residences and 30 commercial properties. It is 15% contained.

* The SHU Lightning fire in Shasta County is 90% contained, It has burned 17,623 acres.

* The Fairfield fire, near the intersection of southeast Shasta County and northwest Plumas County, is 30% contained. It has burned 1,400 acres.

* The Coffin fire, in Trinity County, is 100% contained after burning at least 1,200 acres.

* The Wildcat fire in Yosemite National Park, Tuolumne County, has burned 920 acres.

* The Lion Complex fire in Tulare County's Sequoia National Forest has burned more than 3,200 acres.

 -- Ari B. Bloomekatz

Bruce Lisker walks out of prison, but not yet entirely free [Updated]

[Updated at 8:10 a.m. with additional quotes from Bruce Lisker.]

Twenty-six years, five months, and three days after his mother was killed and he was arrested for her murder, Bruce Lisker walked out of Mule Creek State Prison today, not quite a free man, but one no longer confined to a cell.

“It's just amazing. Absolutely surreal," said Lisker at an impromptu news conference at a nearby park. “It’s the culmination of a lifelong dream."

Lisker smiled as he stood beneath a tree, looking at the branches. “We don’t have any trees on the prison grounds.”

Several friends and supporters greeted Lisker, 44, after he was released from the prison in Ione, southeast of Sacramento. One friend had gone to a department store to buy clothes that Lisker could change into before leaving the prison.

Paul Ingels, Lisker’s private investigator who has worked on the case for more than a decade, called his client’s release “one of the best days of my life.”

Lisker was released on bail at 7 a.m., a week after a federal judge overturned his murder conviction, ruling that he was prosecuted with “false evidence” and his defense attorney did not adequately represent him. The judge's findings mirrored those of a seven-month Times investigation published in 2005, which raised questions about key elements of the prosecution's case against Lisker and exposed the LAPD's investigation into the slaying of his mother as sloppy and incomplete.

Ultimately, Lisker’s freedom will be influenced by what government lawyers decide to do next. They could appeal the judge’s decision to overturn his conviction, retry Lisker for his mother’s killing or drop the case altogether.

Fifth child dies in police pursuit crash near Fresno

A fifth child has died in that police pursuit near Fresno that ended in a deadly collision, officials said today.

The death Sunday of 8-year-old Carlos Eric Salazar brought the death toll to eight in the Tulare County crash. The boy was one of five siblings killed when a motorist fleeing police ran a stop sign and crashed into a pickup truck, killing himself and two male passengers.

The other children in the truck were identified as Jocelyn Salazar, 7, Monique Salazar, 4, Michael Salazar, 3 and Sienna Salazar, 1. The four were thrown from the truck and died at the scene. None of the children was said to have been properly restrained.

CHP Officer Chris Wright said the 2005 Dodge Neon that carried the fleeing suspects had been carjacked. When an officer tried to pull the car over for a traffic infraction Saturday afternoon, the driver led authorities on a chase. The car ran a stop sign and slammed into a 1997 GMC Sierra pickup truck, carrying a couple and their five children. No one in the truck was wearing seat belts.

Carlos Salazar Jr., 29, and Jennifer Salazar, 26, were at a Fresno hospital today with minor to moderate injuries. The crash occurred at the intersection of Avenue 424 and Road 120, about four miles from where a Dinuba, Calif., police officer tried to pull over the suspects.

The motorist allegedly ran a stop sign on East Nebraska Avenue and then sped through a second stop sign, crashing into the pickup truck carrying the family, Wright said. All three men in the car died at the scene, and one was thrown from the car. Authorities have not identified the men.

-- Gerrick D. Kennedy

Fresno company recalls ground beef products

A Fresno-based beef company is recalling hundreds of thousands of ground beef products that may be linked to a salmonella outbreak, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service announced today.

The 825,769 pounds of ground beef products, produced by Beef Packers Inc. from June 5 through June 23, bear the code “EST 31913” and were distributed to Arizona, California, Colorado and Utah, USDA officials said in their recall statement.

“Because these products were repackaged and sold under different retail brand names, consumers should check with their local retailer to determine whether they may have purchased any of the products subject to recall,” USDA officials said in the statement.

Firefighter dies during training exercise

A 20-year-old U.S. Forest Service firefighter died Tuesday after falling while rappelling from a helicopter during a training exercise near Willow Creek in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest.

The firefighter, who was not identified, fell 200 feet into the Trinity River during a required safety training exercise, according to Humboldt County Coroner David Parris. He said the accident appeared to be the result of a mistake on the part of the firefighter or the helicopter crew.

"From the statements we have so far, it's definitely a safety oversight on behalf of the crew," Parris said.

The helicopter crew was stationed at a nearby helibase, working the 6,300-acre Backbone fire in the Trinity Alps Wilderness, said Kent Romney of the Forest Service. The fire is burning in the Shasta-Trinity and the Six Rivers National forests, about 12 miles northeast of Willow Creek.

The accident occurred about 10:15 a.m. while the crew was performing a required proficiency and safety exercise, Romney said. The male firefighter was treated at the scene by an ambulance crew assigned to the fire, which was started by a lightning strike July 1.

Last August, nine firefighters died in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest after a helicopter ferrying them to a fire camp crashed.

-- Julie Cart

Bay Area bust nets 70 pounds of heroin

A Mexican national with alleged ties to a Bay Area street gang was arrested in East Palo Alto today when state agents seized 70 pounds of heroin from under the dashboard of his Lincoln Town Car, Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown announced. He said it was the largest heroin seizure ever made in San Mateo County.

Adam Alfonso Herrera, 27, was booked into San Mateo County jail on charges of possession of heroin for sale and possession of a hidden compartment. The state Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement estimated the value of the seized drugs at more than $7 million.

The attorney general said Herrera had ties to the Sac Street Gang, an East Palo Alto gang with ties to Mexican drug-trafficking organizations.

-- Mitchell Landsberg