In a rare return to the Southern California coast, a beloved family of orcas made a few star appearances for whale watchers on Friday.

Lucky viewers got to witness a visit from a mother killer whale and three of her offspring around 9 a.m. off Laguna Beach and then again in the afternoon in Newport Beach, according to Davey’s Locker Whale Watching.

A company representative said this particular pod of orcas is well known among California whale-watching enthusiasts as the CA51 pod is “a family of orcas with a reputation for their playful nature interacting with boats.”

Footage from Friday’s sightings shows Star, the mother, who is about 40 years old, her two sons Orion and Bumper – Bumper is purportedly known for his 6-foot tall dorsal fin and playful behavior around boats – and Star’s daughter, Comet.

These killer whales were last seen on Dec. 15 about 17 miles off the Orange County coast, according to Davey’s Locker Whale Watching, but, before then, the CA51 pod hadn’t been seen locally in around six years.

Experts said the members of this family are also referred to as ‘transient’ orcas, meaning they cover a large range between southeast Alaska to the Mexico border.

“Lucky passengers aboard our whale watching boats were thrilled to see this family of orcas again today, as they used to be one of the most frequently-sighted killer whale pods in Southern California between 2012-2018, but now, we don’t encounter them much at all,” said a company representative in a release.

Although a clear reason for their change of routine is not yet known, experts said the pod’s diet leads them to wherever seals and sea lions are plentiful.

Three people were transported to a Los Angeles County hospital with major injuries Friday morning after they were involved in a fiery crash on the Angeles Forest Highway.

The crash happened before 11 a.m. and involved at least two vehicles, one of which was a Maserati sports car.

First responders found the Maserati crashed on the side of the road with flames engulfing the vehicle. Firefighters were able to knock down the fire around 11:15 a.m. to rescue the injured patients.

According to the Los Angeles County Fire Department, three people were transported from the scene, including one person in critical condition.

Video from Sky 5 showed the scorched car on the side of the roadway where it apparently hit the hillside. A second vehicle with major damage, a Toyota van, was being loaded onto a flatbed, with California Highway Patrol officials stating that the vehicle was driven by an innocent bystander traveling in the opposite direction of the Maserati.

A third vehicle, which appeared to be a Porsche, was parked near the side of the road not far from the scene of the crash.

Authorities are investigating the possibility that the Maserati and the Porsche were street racing in the moments leading up to the violent crash.

The crash remains under investigation and the roadway was closed to through-traffic for over an hour as crews cleaned debris from the scene. By 12:20 p.m., all lanes of the roadway were reopened to traffic, according to the CHP incident log.

A man was arrested for attempted murder after an argument led to gunfire at a San Bernardino County grocery store Thursday.

The suspect was identified as William Timoteo Moller, 37, an Apple Valley resident, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department.

The incident occurred at a Stater Bros. market on the 21600 block of Bear Valley Road in Apple Valley shortly before 2 p.m.

Deputies responded to an altercation in which Moller reportedly pulled out a handgun and fired at another person. The suspect was arguing with another shopper, an unidentified 37-year-old man, when a handgun was brought out and one round was fired. 

No one was injured during the incident, authorities said. The heated altercation prompted employees to evacuate the supermarket.

A 6-year-old boy was also at the scene when the confrontation took place.

Moller was arrested and booked into the High Desert Detention Center on charges of attempted murder. He is being held on $2 million bail.

The incident remains under investigation. Anyone with information is asked to call Deputy K. Mullins with Apple Valley Police at 760-240-7400, or dispatch at 760-956-5001. 

Anonymous tips can be provided to We-Tip at 1-800-782-7463 or online at wetip.com.