Los Angeles, Ca
Southern California hope to save lives from DUI drivers on St. Patrick's Day
![Southern California hope to save lives from DUI drivers on St. Patrick's Day Southern California hope to save lives from DUI drivers on St. Patrick's Day](https://ktla.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/03/snapshot-3-11.jpg?w=900)
As revelers prepare for St. Patrick’s Day festivities this Sunday, authorities will be ramping up their presence and patrolling the streets for drunk drivers.
California Highway Patrol officers will be out in full force across Southern California, hoping to keep the streets safe and prevent any unnecessary injuries or deaths.
Officers said St. Patrick’s Day is one of the major holidays when driving under the influence is unfortunately prevalent.
As revelers head out for a night of drinking and celebrating at local bars and restaurants, watchful CHP officers like Luis Quintero are making sure people can get home safely.
“We tend to see more drivers go out and drink and drive,” Quintero said. “So, the sole purpose of the task force is to saturate that area and get these drivers off the road.”
Quintero took KTLA’s Rachel Menitoff on a ride-along through Baldwin Park and downtown Los Angeles as he explained the goals of CHP’s Impaired Driving Task Force. The task force is typically deployed during holidays and at monthly intervals.
“I’m looking for driving patterns that I’ve seen throughout my career that indicate some kind of impairment,” Quintero explained.
Authorities will be holding DUI checkpoints at designated locations. Los Angeles police will be deploying plainclothes officers to liquor stores to ensure alcohol isn’t sold to anyone under 21 or to anyone who is visibly drunk.
He explains the idea is to saturate highly-populated areas with officers from several local divisions to ensure partiers are not endangering themselves or innocent citizens.
“Drivers under the influence tend to lack awareness and not notice or sometimes see us. This is another indicator right here,” Quintero said as he spotted an SUV driving without any lights on.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, St. Patrick’s Day is one of the deadliest times on the road nationwide.
A 2021 report found that 13,384 people died from alcohol-impaired crashes, marking a 14% increase from 2020.
This doesn’t mean that partygoers should avoid drinking, but rather, planning ahead is the most important thing, authorities said. Whether choosing to travel through a rideshare company or a taxi or going home with a designated sober driver, ensuring a safe ride to and from party locations can save lives.
“If you are going to drink, do it responsibly,” Quintero said.
Authorities are also reminding the public that alcohol isn’t the only substance that can cause impairment. Marijuana, prescription medication or over-the-counter drugs can also impair the ability to drive.
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Los Angeles, Ca
Iconic Santa Monica Pier Ferris wheel to light up for Team USA
![Iconic Santa Monica Pier Ferris wheel to light up for Team USA Iconic Santa Monica Pier Ferris wheel to light up for Team USA](https://ktla.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/07/Pacific-Park%C2%B9s-Ferris-Wheel-2024-Summer-Games-American-Flag-Photo-Image-by-@dougbasscomedy.jpg?w=900)
The iconic Ferris wheel on the Santa Monica Pier will light up nightly during the Paris Olympics to cheer on Team USA beginning Friday.
The nightly light display will feature the five colored rings to symbolize the Olympic rings, a 90-foot-tall waving American flag to celebrate Team USA, a French flag for the current host country and the American flag to represent the games returning to the United States, specifically Los Angeles in 2028.
The Ferris wheel will be lit up from sunset until 12:30 a.m.
The Pacific Wheel is the world’s only solar-powered Ferris wheel, featuring 174,000 LED lights mounted on its 40 spokes and two hubs. The wheel’s lighting system features 16.7 million color value combinations to display dynamic, custom, computer-generated lighting entertainment, according to a news release.
Visitors can visit the theme park from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. to catch a ride on the nine-story carnival ride, which takes riders to heights of more than 130 feet over the Pacific Ocean.
If you can’t make it out to the Santa Monica Pier yourself, Pacific Park offers an online stream of the Ferris wheel.
Los Angeles, Ca
Security guard attacked, hit with skateboard in Santa Ana
![Security guard attacked, hit with skateboard in Santa Ana Security guard attacked, hit with skateboard in Santa Ana](https://ktla.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/07/Santa-Ana-skateboard-assault.png?w=900)
Police asked the public for help this week in their search for a man who attacked a Target security guard with a skateboard in Santa Ana last month.
The altercation occurred on June 10, when the security guard asked a trespassing suspect to leave the store located at 1441 W. 17th Street, according to the Santa Ana Police Department.
“The suspect struck the victim multiple times with his skateboard, causing injuries, and then fled the store,” the Police Department stated in a post on Instagram.
Video embedded on the post shows the suspect swinging a skateboard at the guard and then running out of the store.
The attacker was described as a White man between 18 and 25 years old. He had a thin build, curly blonde hair, and was wearing a black sweatshirt, light-colored shirt, blue plaid shorts, black socks and black shoes.
Anyone with information was asked to call police at 714-245-8441.
Los Angeles, Ca
'Macy Fire' in Riverside County triggers mandatory evacuation orders
!['Macy Fire' in Riverside County triggers mandatory evacuation orders 'Macy Fire' in Riverside County triggers mandatory evacuation orders](https://ktla.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/07/Macy-Fire-11.png?w=900)
Fire crews in Riverside County were battling a fast-moving wildfire Thursday night that prompted officials to issue mandatory evacuations.
The “Macy Fire” was first reported around 5:45 p.m. near the intersection of Orange and Macy streets in El Cariso, an unincorporated community in Lake Elsinore, according to a Riverside County Fire Department post on X, formerly, Twitter.
Fire officials said the approximately 50-acre brushfire was burning at a rapid rate of spread and that additional equipment and crews had been requested.
Just before 7 p.m., flames were able to jump Highway 74, prompting officials with the California Highway Patrol to shut down both directions of the highway between San Juan Capistrano and Lake Elsinore, City News Service reported.
In an update at 8:30 p.m., officials reported that the fire had grown to 134 acres and was 0% contained.
Mandatory evacuation orders were issued for all properties:
- South of Grand Avenue
- East of Fairview Street
- West of Highway 74
Elsinore High School, located at 21800 Canyon Driver in Wildomar, was serving as a temporary evacuation center, officials said.
A photojournalist with Inland News, a news video service, reported that at least three structures have been destroyed by the flames. KTLA has not yet confirmed that information with RCFD.
A night-flying helicopter, according to CNS, was requested to make water drops to help crews on the ground. Firefighting aircraft restricted to daylight hours were forced to leave the area.
So far, no injuries have been reported. The cause of the blaze was not immediately known.
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