Author: Stephanie Chavez

Critical debris basins along the San Gabriel Mountains are near capacity or overflowing as another band of rain and thunderstorms bears down on the charred foothills this afternoon, prompting officials to order more evacuations as they brace for the possibility of more damaging mudslides.

Evacuation orders are in place for about 500 homes in parts of La Cañada Flintridge, La Crescenta and Acton. At least 41 houses have been damaged or destroyed in a hillside neighborhood in La Cañada Flintridge. The city of Sierra Madre, where saturated foothills are threatening to break loose, has also issued evacuation orders.

"I hate to say this, but there might be more damage," said Nicole Nishida, spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, noting that two large debris basins above La Cañada Flintridge are full. A Red Cross shelter has been set up at La Cañada High School. Residents whose cars were destroyed or stuck in mud have been ferried to the shelter by deputies.

The evacuations in Sierra Madre include all streets above Churchill and Canyon Crest; all streets above Brookside and Sturtevant; all streets above Lotus Lane at Camillo; and the private sections of Auburn Avenue above Elm Street.

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Works said mud and debris flows are also possible in La Cañada Flintridge, La Crescenta, Glendale, Sunland-Tujunga, Soledad Canyon, Acton and Aliso Canyon. Information is available at the Department of Public Works website. 

The National Weather Service has extended its flash-flood warning for the San Gabriel Mountain foothills until 2:45 p.m. as more showers and thunderstorms move into the region.

"Any additional rainfall will result in continued mud and debris flow activity at least through the mid-afternoon hours," according to a National Weather Service statement.

The storm that moved in Friday had not been expected to sit over the Los Angeles region so long, but an overnight high pressure ridge over the central United States unexpectedly stalled and preventing the weather front  from swiftly moving out. The intensity of the predawn rains appeared to catch residents and officials alike by surprise.

Authorities are most concerned this afternoon about the northern edge of Ocean View Boulevard near Manistee Drive in La Cañada Flintridge, a neighborhood that was deluged by a river of mud, rocks and trees as it bore the double blow of a collapsing hillside and an overflowing debris basin overnight.

At least five homes have been tagged as uninhabitable and at least six other are inundated with mud and debris. About 25 vehicles were damaged when they were struck by the K-rails that were put in place to protect homes. The sound and smell of hissing gas wafted through the neighborhood in the late morning and workers were out capping gas lines.

Crews were taking advantage of a respite from the heavy rains and were feverishly working to clear out the clogged and overflowing Mullally Debris Basin, at the northern tip of Ocean View Boulevard, and the Pickens Canyon debris basis near Ocean View and Foothill boulevards. Bulldozers were shoveling out muddy water, boulders and debris in anticipation of more rain.

Debris basins are designed to hold in mud, rocks and trees to prevent them from smashing into homes.

L.A. County Fire Capt. Richard Baligad said that he estimates one boulder inside the Mullally basin weighs between six to ten tons. That caused the flooding, he said.

"It came from who knows where up there," he said, pointing up at the muddy hillside. "Once that thing got plugged, they [residents] were done."  A forklift was digging away at the boulder, and in early going was able only to scratch it.

A public works official on the scene said workers hoped to be able to clear away enough debris to free a clogged 60-inch drain pipe.

The hillside above the homes at Ocean View and Manistee came down just as the basin began to overflow, inundating them in a rumbling instant.

"We are just going to keep monitoring the situation and be ready for emergencies," said Capt. Drew Smith of  the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

The homes that were most severely damaged are at the base of hills charred by the Station Fire, where blackened trees are now washed away.

Elsewhere, the flooding led to the closing of portions of several Southern California freeways Saturday. The Long Beach Freeway was closed in both directions at Willow Avenue in Long Beach at about 4:30 a.m. because of flooding, CHP Officer Francisco Villalobos said. Caltrans was called, and some lanes were opened at 8:33 a.m. and the entire freeway was back to normal about a half hour later.

All lanes of the northbound Interstate 5 at Lankershim Boulevard in Sun Valley were closed from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. until Caltrans could clear the way, Villalobos said.

Just after the I-5 was opened, flooding caused authorities to close the transition of the southbound 110 to the northbound U.S. 101 near downtown Los Angeles for about a half-hour.

Topanga Canyon Boulevard was closed at about 4 a.m. between Pacific Coast Highway and Grand View, south of Malibu,  Villalobos said. The CHP did not know when it would open. Villalobos said there had been reports of a rock slide but no confirmation.  

In addition, the Balboa Boulevard offramp off the eastbound 118 in Granada Hills was closed at 7:25 a.m. because of flooding. It remained closed.

Brian Humphrey, a spokesman for the Los Angeles Fire Department, said the calls his department has received have been minor, including reports of mud on the curbs and trees down. There have been no mandatory evacuation orders within the city’s 470 square miles, but the department was closely monitoring hillsides. Scattered power outages have affected thousands of customers served by Southern California Edison and the Department of Water and Power.

— Victoria Kim and Ruben Vives, reporting from La Cañada Flintridge,

and Rong-Gong Lin II and Jeff Gottlieb, reporting from Los Angeles

Photo credit: Irfan Kahn / Los Angeles Times

FULL COVERAGE OF THE MUDSLIDES

–Times photo gallery from the scene

–Interactive map of evacuations by The Times” Rong-Gong Lin II

–The latest rain news as it happens

The city of Sierra Madre has issued mandatory evacuation orders on the northern edges of the foothill city where hillsides are saturated and officials fear mudslides could occur as another band of heavy rain bears down on the San Gabriel Mountains.

The evacuation orders in Sierra Madre were in place for all streets above Churchill and Canyon Crest; all streets above Brookside and Sturtevant; all streets above Lotus Lane at Camillo; and the private sections of Auburn Avenue above Elm Street.

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Works said mud and debris flows are also possible in La Cañada Flintridge, La Crescenta, Glendale, Sunland-Tujunga, Soledad Canyon, Acton, and Aliso Canyon. Information is available at the Department of Public Works website. 

The evacuation orders in Sierra Madre were in place for all streets above Churchill and Canyon Crest; all streets above Brookside and Sturtevant; all streets above Lotus Lane at Camillo; and the private sections of Auburn Avenue above Elm Street.

Sierra Madre has set up an evacuation center at the Community Recreation Center at 611 E. Sierra Madre Blvd., and crews were working to build a "debris deflection structure" at Brookside Lane and Woodland Drive.

–Rong-Gong Lin II reporting from Los Angeles

FULL COVERAGE OF THE MUDSLIDES

–Times photo gallery from the scene

–Interactive map of evacuations by The Times” Rong-Gong Lin II

–The latest rain news as it happens

At least 41 homes have been damaged on the northern edge of Ocean View Boulevard near Manistee Drive in La Cañada Flintridge, a neighborhood that was deluged by a river of mud, rocks and trees after being hit by the double blow of a collapsing hillside and an overflowing debris basin in the midst of an unexpectedly powerful rainstorm.

At least five homes have been tagged as uninhabitable and at least six other are inundated with mud and debris. About 25 vehicles were damaged and were struck by the K-rails that were put in place to protect homes. At least 65 homes in the area are under mandatory evacuation orders and officials are considering expanding the evacuation zone before the next storm hits this afternoon.

"I hate to say this, but there might be more damage," said Nicole Nishida, spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, noting the debris basins near the burn area are full. A Red Cross shelter has been set up at La Cañada High School. Residents whose cars were destroyed or stuck in mud have been ferried to the shelter by deputies.

Crews were working feverishly to clear out the clogged and overflowing Mullally Debris Basin at the northern tip of Ocean View Boulevard and the Pickens Canyon debris basis near Ocean View and Foothill boulevards. Bulldozers are shoveling out muddy water, boulders and debris in anticipation of another band of severe storms expected to hit in a few hours.

Debris basins are designed to hold in mud, rocks and trees to prevent them from smashing into homes.

L.A. County Fire Capt. Richard Baligad estimates that one boulder in the Mullally basin weighs 6 to 10 tons. That caused the flooding, he said.

"It came from who knows where up there," he said, pointing up at the muddy hillside. "Once that thing got plugged, they were done," referring to area residents. He was motioning to where the water was rising.

A forklift is digging away at the boulder in the Mullally basin. But at this time it is only scratching at it, leaving marks.

A public works official on the scene said workers hoped to be able to clear away enough debris to free a clogged 60-inch drain pipe.

The hillside above the homes came down just as the basin began to overflow, inundating the houses in a rumbling instant.

"We are just going to keep monitoring the situation and be ready for emergencies," said county Fire Capt. Drew Smith.

The homes that were most severely damaged are at the base of hills charred by the Station Fire, where blackened trees are now washed away.

–Victoria Kim and Ruben Vives, reporting from La Cañada-Flintridge, and Rong-Gong Lin II, reporting from Los Angeles

Photo: Mud flows through a home on Manistee Drive in La Cañada. Credit: Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times

FULL COVERAGE OF THE MUDSLIDES

–Times photo gallery from the scene

–Interactive map of evacuations by The Times” Rong-Gong Lin II

–The latest rain news as it happens

A surprisingly fierce rainstorm has prompted evacuations in parts of the La Cañada Flintridge burn area at the top of Ocean View Boulevard, where several homes in the neighborhood have been severely damaged by mudslides, cars have been swept down the boulevard and a torrent of debris and mud has rushed nearly a mile to Foothill Boulevard.

No injuries have been reported. The force of the mudflow has inundated several homes, pushing furniture into yards, collapsing garage doors and blanketing yards with several feet of mud. A flash-flood warning is in effect Saturday morning for the Station Fire area, extending into Sierra Madre and east to Glendora. More heavy rain is expected later today.

"It looked like the Niagara Falls was coming down the street," said Amanda Manukian, whose home along the 5400 block of Ocean View Boulevard was strewn with mud and remnants of sandbags. "This hill right here, half of it came down," she said, pointing to a hill about a quarter-mile above her  home.

At Ocean View Boulevard and Manistee Drive a resident described how in the predawn hours she and her family held on to whatever they could in their home to prevent themselves from being washed away. When they awoke, the water inside their one-story house was already waist deep, said the woman, who did not give her name. After about 20 minutes she, her husband and their 20-year-old son managed to scramble out the back door.

Across the street on Manistee Drive, neighbor Jeff Schroeder’s front door and garage were jammed shut by a wall of mud. One of his cars washed away, another was stuck in the garage and debris had clogged the engine of a third. "I don’t know what choice I got," he said.

Ocean View area resident Henrik Hairapetiani said he helped rescue his 90-year-old neighbor, whom he found floating on her bed. Her home had been flooded with up to  four feet of water.

Above La Cañada Flintridge, trees were flung inside one home on the 5600 block of Ocean View Boulevard, making it uninhabitable, and the garage door was crumpled like a piece of paper. Torrents of water pushed around cars that were once parked in driveway, cramming them against the side of homes. A truck was wedged in between a home and a tree, while the bumpers of a Nissan Altima and Toyota Prius were shorn off, their tires wedged in a foot of sticky mud.

Fire officials were going door-to-door Saturday morning, warning La Cañada Flintridge residents of mandatory evacuations. Authorities were placing yellow police tape to mark homes already evacuated. Some residents were refusing to leave. Officials said they will escort others down mud-slicked roads.

The evacuations follow several frenzied hours this morning in which work crews bulldozed muddied roads, clearing the way for safe evacuations. Fire officials said they are focusing on areas evacuated during last month’s rainstorms.

The rain was so intense at times early this morning that residents reported hearing thunderous sounds, not knowing whether it was real thunder of the roar of mudslides.

Although an early band of heavy rain, which dumped about 2  1/2 inches in La Cañada Flintridge, is moving out of the Los Angeles area, another wallop is on the way, according to the National Weather Service. The next band of moderate to heavy rain is expected to arrive in Los Angeles County by noon and there is an increased threat of thunderstorms.  Three-quarters to 1  1/4 inches of rain are expected to fall in the Station Fire burn area through this evening, with peak rainfall expected between noon and 4 p.m.

Jamie Meier, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said the intensity of the overnight storm was a surprisingly stronger than expected.

"We expected the storm to move a little bit quicker, and in this case the storm set up and did not go anywhere," she said. "That’s why we had so much rain."

One rain gauge north of Eaton Canyon registered 3  1/2  inches of rain. Nearly 2 inches of rain fell in downtown Los Angeles overnight. "And there is still a lot on the way," Meier said.

Elsewhere, in Long Beach, the California Highway Patrol closed the 710 Freeway at Willow Street because of flooding. This is the same stretch of the 710 that was flooded during storms last month.

Hydroplaning is being blamed in part for three fatalities in two separate crashes overnight.

In Santa Clarita, a hydroplaning vehicle on the Golden State Freeway (Interstate 5) stuck another vehicle south of Calgrove Boulevard and sent it off an overpass, plunging 80 to 100 feet to the Old Road below. In the City of Industry, two people were killed in a hydroplaning pickup truck on the westbound Pomona Freeway (California 60) near the Crossroads Parkway exit.

In the Sunland area, a Los Angeles fire engine had reportedly become stuck in mud near Oro Vista Avenue and Big Tujunga Canyon Road. And a flow of mud across Blanchard Canyon Road in the Tujunga area reportedly has made it impassable earlier in the morning.

In San Pedro a hillside collapsed, sending a plume of mud onto West 25th Street. Elsewhere, downed trees caused problems on Sunset Boulevard in Westwood and in La Puente.

Officials were focusing their attention in neighborhoods surrounding Ocean View Boulevard, where a sheriff’s deputy was turning away the curious from walking up to the top of the mountain to see the mudflows.



"There’s a giant hill up there. It’s soaked and it’s loose," said Kevin Gavaghan, a sheriff’s deputy, manning a roadblock on the 5400 block of Ocean View Boulevard.  He had to turn away three nearby residents headed uphill with video cameras wanting to see what was going on. "If you’re in a high home and you don’t need to get anywhere, you’re fine."



He said there are utility crews standing nearby in case any electrical or gas lines break because of flooding or mudslides. Crews were also cutting down trees and clearing off the roadway.



He warned that anything on the street could be washed down if it starts raining again.

— Victoria Kim and Ruben Vives, reporting from La Cañada Flintridge, and Rong-Gong Lin II, reporting from Los Angeles

FULL COVERAGE OF THE MUDSLIDES

–Times photo gallery from the scene

–Interactive map of evacuations by The Times” Rong-Gong Lin II

–The latest rain news as it happens

A surprisingly fierce rainstorm overnight and Saturday morning is prompting evacuations in the La Cañada Flintridge burn area, centered at the top of Ocean View Boulevard.

Several homes in the area have been damaged by mudslides, cars have been swept down Ocean View in a torrent of debris and mud has flowed nearly a mile to Foothill Boulevard.

No injuries have been reported.

Fire officials were expected to go door to door warning residents, and they plan to use the reverse 911 warning system to make notifications. Officials will escort residents down mud-slicked roads. This follows several frenzied hours this morning in which work crews bulldozed muddied roads, clearing the way for safe evacuations. Fire officials said they are focusing on areas evacuated during last month’s rainstorms.

The rain was so intense at times early this morning that residents reported hearing thunderous sounds, not knowing whether it was real thunder of the roar of mudslides.

–Victoria Kim and Ruben Vives reporting from La Cañada Flintridge

Click here for the latest storm coverage on L.A. Now

A fierce, slow-moving rainstorm overnight and Saturday morning has triggered a damaging mudslide along Ocean View Boulevard in the La Cañada Flintridge burn area, flooded freeways and caused numerous traffic problems and mudslides throughout the region. The National Weather Service has issued a flash flood warning in the Station fire burn area through 8:45 a.m.

Fire officials were setting up a command post at Ocean View Boulevard and Foothill Boulevard, where at least knee-deep mud and debris were reported. Mudflow down Ocean View swept away several parked cars, moved k-rails and damaged several homes.

[Updated 8:14 a.m.: Los Angeles County fire officials advise residents who live high up on Ocean View Boulevard and its side streets to stay inside their homes until work crews can clear the mud from their streets. Fire Inspector Frederic Stowers said that officials are evaluating whether to issue evacuation orders, but at this time the streets in the area are too dangerous to travel and some streets are impassable.

"We are trying to clear debris so that residents can get out safely," Stowers said. Mud has damaged several homes and firefighters rescued at least one resident whose home was inundated with mud.

As rain pelted the area in the pre-dawn hours, some residents tried to flee down mud-slicked streets, causing dangerous traffic jams, Stowers said.

The rain was so intense at times early this morning that residents reported hearing thunderous sounds, not knowing whether it was real thunder of the roar of mudslides.

Henrik Hairapetiani, 40, an Ocean View resident, said cars were picked up and stacked on top of each other, garage doors have been ripped from hinges and in some places up to three feet of mud clogged the streets and pushed up against homes.

He said he helped rescue his 90-year-old neighbor, whom he found floating on her bed. Her home had been flooded with up to  four feet of water.

Resident Diane Stibal, 68, a 40-year-resident along Normanton Drive, said she saw at least four damaged homes. She made her way down the mountain about 4 a.m. and has been keeping in touch with her neighbors, who are awaiting word about when it is safe to leave.]

In Long Beach, the California Highway Patrol has closed the 710 Freeway at Willow Street because of flooding. This is the same stretch of the 710 that was flooded during storms last month.

Hydroplaning is being blamed in part for three fatalities in two separate crashes overnight.

In Santa Clarita, a hydroplaning vehicle on the Golden State (5) Freeway stuck another vehicle south of Calgrove Boulevard and sent it off an overpass, plunging 80 to 100 feet to the Old Road below. In the City of Industry, two people were killed in a hydroplaning pickup truck on the westbound Pomona (60) Freeway near the Crossroads Parkway exit.

In the Sunland area, a Los Angeles fire engine had reportedly become stuck in mud near Oro Vista Avenue and Big Tujunga Canyon Road.

Near the burn area, the heavy, steady rain also triggered a mudslide that covered part of Fairhurst Drive about 3:30 a.m., but there were no reports of mud intruding into homes. And a flow of mud across Blanchard Canyon Road in the Tujunga area reportedly has made it impassable.

In San Pedro a hillside collapsed, sending a plume of mud onto West 25th Street. Elsewhere, downed trees caused problems on Sunset Boulevard in Westwood and in La Puente.

The current band of heavy rain, which dumped about 2 1/2 inches in La Cañada Flintridge, is moving out of the Los Angeles area. But there were will be only a several-hour respite before another band of storm cells moves over the region this afternoon through the evening.

"We expected the storm to move a little bit quicker, and in this case the storm set up and did not go anywhere" overnight, said Jamie Meier, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. "That’s why we had so much rain."

One rain gauge north of Eaton Canyon registered 3.5 inches of rain. Nearly 2 inches of rain fell in downtown Los Angeles overnight. "And there is still a lot on the way," Meier said.

— Ruben Vives and Victoria Kim reporting from La Cañada Flintridge

Photo: Mud and debris flows caused damage to cars in La Canada. Credit: Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times

Click here for the latest storm coverage on L.A. Now

FULL COVERAGE OF THE MUDSLIDES

–Times photo gallery from the scene

–Interactive map of evacuations by The Times” Rong-Gong Lin II

–The latest rain news as it happens

The lead investigator in the slaying in Mexico of El Monte educator Agustin Roberto "Bobby" Salcedo has been killed in an ambush, officials said today. 

It was not clear whether the death of investigator Manuel Acosta will have any effect on the case, in which little progress had been reported. Authorities would not speculate on whether Acosta’s killing was related to Salcedo’s.

Hundreds of law enforcement officers and judicial officials have been slain in Mexico in recent years, often in an effort to thwart investigations and silence witnesses. It is a tactic that usually works, as the vast majority of crimes in Mexico go unresolved.

Salcedo, an El Monte school board member, was visiting his wife’s relatives during the Christmas holidays in Gomez Palacio, a city in Durango state that has become increasingly violent as drug traffickers battled for turf. He and five other men were yanked from a bar after midnight Dec. 30 by gunmen. They were killed and their bodies dumped in a field on the outskirts of town.

Acosta, in an interview with The Times at the time, pledged to get to the bottom of the killings.

But on Jan. 15, Acosta was ambushed by gunmen in a five-seat red pickup truck, the kind frequently used by drug traffickers. He was hit as he returned to his offices from another deadly crime scene.

Acosta, 42, survived in critical condition. Authorities did not disclose the attack, saying they hoped to better protect Acosta by letting his assailants assume he was dead.

But on Tuesday he succumbed to his wounds, including multiple gunshots to the chest and torso.

His death was first was reported in the Milenio newspaper in a dispatch from Gomez Palacio and confirmed today to The Times by Martin Chavez, spokesman for the city.

Chavez declined to discuss whether Acosta’s death dealt a setback to the Salcedo investigation, one of several cases the agent was handling. Chavez referred a reporter to the state prosecutor’s office in Gomez Palacio. Calls there went unanswered today.

Salcedo’s widow, Betzy, reached by telephone, was startled by the news. She said the family had not been informed of any progress in the search for her husband’s killers. "I don’t know what to say," she said.

[Updated at 1:25 p.m.: El Monte Mayor Andre Quintero, who was a friend of Salcedo’s, called the news "devastating."

 

"On behalf of my community, we are so grateful for Mr. Acosta’s life and work and for trying to get justice for Bobby and for other people," he said. "This is very typical of what is happening in Mexico. When people are trying to bring these individuals to justice, they get slaughtered."

 

The killing offered one more reason to redouble efforts against lethal Mexican cartels, Quintero said, adding: "We have to be relentless. We have to persevere. We have to give the Mexican government the support they need to continue hunting down these evil people. We have to be even more determined than they are."]

The FBI recently joined the case and has sent investigators to Mexico to assist in analyzing evidence from the site where the bodies of Salcedo and the five other men were found. FBI participation had created expectations among some people that this case might not end up in the same swirl of impunity that most Mexican cases do.

[Updated 1:52 p.m.: U.S. Rep. Judy Chu, who has pushed for strong response to the Salcedo case, said she was dismayed by the news. Salcedo’s death was shocking, she said, and Acosta’s “doubly shocking.”

Chu said she was struck by the brazen nature of the act. So certain are the cartels of impunity "that they would murder the lead investigator in a case such as this one," Chu said. "It shows the degree to which the drug cartels are out of control."

Chu said she has argued for the investigation to be put into the hands of federal authorities in Mexico instead of local ones — a case she made recently to the U.S. ambassador to Mexico Carlos Pascual. Mexican law requires that cases meet certain legal requirements to qualify for federal investigation, she said. Pascual has agreed to look into the issue.

But hearing of Acosta’s death "gives me further resolve to push to have this made a federal case," Chu said.

Chu said that the FBI was "involved and actively working” on the case and that forensic evidence was being analyzed. Salcedo "did not deserve to die," Chu said. “There really has to be justice in his case."]

The death of Salcedo, a doctoral student at UCLA, sent shock waves through the Los Angeles area, where he was born and raised. A few days after the killing, about 5,000 people gathered for a vigil in his honor in El Monte, where he had been a beloved teacher, coach and school administrator. He is believed to have been the first U.S. elected official killed in the 4-year-old Mexican drug war.

— Tracy Wilkinson in Mexico City

Jill Leovy in Los Angeles contributed to this report.

Photo: El Monte educator Bobby Salcedo

A 65-year-old man was critically injured in a North Hollywood house fire, Los Angeles fire officials said.

Firefighters responded to the blaze shortly before midnight along the 6500 block of Fulcher Avenue, said LAFD spokesman Devin Gales.

While firefighters doused the flames, they found a man with no pulse inside the home, Gales said. Two veteran fire paramedics were able to resuscitate him, and he was taken by ambulance to Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, Gales said. The man’s condition is unknown, he said.

The fire was extinguished within 10 minutes. The estimated cost of damage to the home is $150,000, Gales said. The cause of the blaze is under investigation.

— Ruben Vives

 

A 17-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of killing two other teenagers and wounding a third in a Pomona park Friday afternoon, Pomona police said. 

[Updated at 3:24 p.m.: Pomona police said this afternoon that one of the teenagers who they earlier reported had been killed was hospitalized but brain dead.]

Police said they got "numerous calls" from witnesses reporting the shooting that occurred shortly before 4 p.m. at Ted Greene Park at North Orange Grove and East La Verne avenues. 

Officers arrived to find the two most seriously injured boys still at the park. Both died after they were transported to a hospital. The third youth was also treated for gunshot injuries and is expected to survive.

[Updated at 3:26 p.m.: The youth who died has been identified as 17-year-old Timmy Moore. The second teenager who was earlier reported to have been shot dead is brain dead, according to police, and has not been identified.]

The officers tracked down the suspect shortly after, they said. He was hiding behind a house at the southern edge of the park on North Orange Grove Avenue. They booked him into the Pomona Police Jail on suspicion of murder. 

Detectives are seeking additional information. Anyone with information about the incident is encouraged to call them at (909) 620-2085. 

–Jill Leovy

Two women were killed early this morning in La Verne after the driver of the car they were riding in fled the scene of a hit-and-run and crashed into a tree, authorities said.

Alan McConnell, 27, was with two women in a 2000 Pontiac when he struck a car near Foothill Boulevard and Damien Avenue about 12:45 a.m., La Verne Police Lt. Nick Paz said. McConnell then fled east on Foothill and hit a tree in the median of the road near Wheeler Avenue, less than a half-mile away.

Officers found McConnell inside the car, dazed but with no apparent injuries. He was arrested and charged with murder, felony DUI and hit-and-run, Paz said.

One of the female passengers was pronounced dead at the scene. The other passenger was taken to Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center where she later died. The names and ages of the victims are being withheld, pending family notification, an L.A. County coroner’s official said.

[Updated at 7:16 p.m.: The L.A. County coroner’s office has identified the women as Telassie Dague, 22, and Renee Hardy, 20, both of Alta Loma.]

No other injuries were reported.

— Corina Knoll

Rain-weary Southern Californians seeking a break at Mountain High Ski Resort or a play day in the snow won’t be able to get there this afternoon. Angeles Crest Highway, north of La Cañada Flintridge, is closed because of storm damage. And there is so much traffic on the northern side of the mountain, via Highway 138, that the California Highway Patrol has shut off access at the Los Angeles County line.

"There is just no where to put them," CHP Officer Francisco Villalobos said of the multitudes of travelers hoping for a sunny, snowy day.

Some frustrated motorists have pulled off the highway, parking on the side of the road. Hopeful snowboarders and sledders are walking up the last few miles of the mountain in search of a snowy slope. Parents are letting kids out on the side of the road for a round of snow fights. All this has caused even more traffic woes and potentially dangerous conditions on the ice-slicked roads.

Chains are required on all mountain passes.

In La Canada-Flintridge, motorists with skis and inner-tubes tied to their cars were being turned away just north of La Canada, where the suburb meets the forest.

"Until it’s safe, they are going to maintain the closures," said Villalobos.

Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy Bonnie Jones spent the morning patiently explaining to travelers that the road was closed and directed them to Frazier Park in Kern County if they were looking for snow.

Among the disappointed was 14-year-old James Gregory, who arrived at the barricade with members of his church group from South Los Angeles. He and his friends were bundled up in sweaters. They had taken the wheels off their skateboards to use as makeshift snowboards.

Elizabeth Brown, an attorney from La Cañada, had planned to take her family up to play in the snow after checking to make sure the road was open. "I called the sheriff’s office this morning and they said to look on the Caltrans website. We tried the CHP website and it also said to check with Caltrans … and here we are."

— Bob Pool reporting from Angeles Crest Highway, Irfan Khan reporting from Wrightwood, and Rong-Gong Lin II and Corina Knoll reporting from Los Angeles.

Earlier: 11:48 a.m.: Spectacular scenery but horrible traffic on the road to Mt. Baldy, Mountain High and Big Bear

 

The spectacular view this morning of snow-topped mountains is luring throngs of travelers, snowboarders and skiers to local mountain resorts, clogging traffic along mountain highways, where chains are required and icy road conditions have prompted the California Highway Patrol to escort vehicles along some treacherous strips.

Angeles Crest Highway is backed up to the Los Angeles County line, California Highway Patrol reported, where traffic is clogged with cars and buses moving at a walking pace. The congestion is so bad many cars are turning back. Other motorists are pulled over on the side of the highway struggling to wrap their car wheels in chains.

Cars filled every single parking spot at Mountain High in Wrightwood, where traffic is bumper-to-bumper to Interstate 15, an employee of the ski resort said. The resort, blanketed with up to 4 feet of snow, was sold out through this afternoon and was likely to sell out for the entire day.

Over in the Big Bear Lake area, covered with about 5 feet of snow, some phone lines were down after snow-covered trees collapsed, said a San Bernardino County fire official. Mt. Baldy snow measured about 7 feet.

A handful of snowboarders and skiers on their way to Snow Summit Mountain Resort had stopped at Kujo’s BLT Restaurant in Big Bear Lake this morning, and a large crowd was expected later in the day.

"The roads have about four inches of packed ice," said Allison Savela, head server at Kujo’s. "It’s kind of chilly, but the sun’s out now and it’s luminescent on the snow, it glitters."

Skiers and snowboarders who made it up to the San Gabriel or San Bernardino resorts tweeted enthusiastically about their feat; those stuck in traffic expressed their frustrations.

As noon approached, some travelers gave up. On Friday, the Twitterer going by the handle of drock100 complained of waiting for three hours to get to Big Bear. He tried again today, but turned back shortly before noon.

"Heading back" to the Inland Empire, drock100 wrote, before unleashing an obscenity.

Others condemned the hordes of other skiers and snowboarders coming up.

"Don’t wait in traffic for 2 hrs," warned alias_amanda, who decided to head up to Mt. Baldy after being thwarted by Big Bear traffic.

Some on the road remained optimistic. "Still in traffic to get to mountain high!" wrote gage909. "Doesn’t matter though, today’s gonna be epic."

–Richard Winton, reporting from Mountain High, Rong-Gong Lin II and Corina Knoll, reporting from Los Angeles

Update: 2:10 p.m.: CHP turns away motorists en route to Mountain High Ski Resort near Wrightwood

Photo credit: Twitpic by kyledlc.

At least three people were injured early this morning in Van Nuys after two suspected drunk drivers crashed into each other, authorities said.

An eastbound car in the 13800 block of Sherman Way was in the process of making a U-turn when it was struck by an eastbound pickup truck, Los Angeles Police Officer James LaForce said. The car was pushed onto a curb, while the truck spun and pushed a parked sport utility vehicle onto a parked Ford Mustang.

The driver and passenger of the truck ran away. However, the driver was quickly arrested by an officer responding to the scene of the crash, LaForce said. About an hour later, the passenger was found in the area attempting to kick in the door of a residence, police said. Both are men about 22 years old. The driver is under arrest for a felony hit-and-run and under investigation for a misdemeanor DUI.

The driver of the car, a woman in her 20s, was injured and taken to a hospital. She is under investigation for a felony DUI. The two passengers in her car, a male and a female, both in their early 20s, were also hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries.

"It was ugly," LaForce said of the crash scene. "They’re lucky they’re alive."

— Corina Knoll

Taking advantage of the dry and sunny weekend, crews with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works have begun to assess damage caused by a series of pounding storms and are out clearing roadways, underground storm drains and debris catch basins near the recently burned areas, officials said.

"When the sun comes out, we start work again," department spokesman Bob Spencer said. "We have a lot of road crews clearing out the roads of mud and debris. Flood control people will be in the basins."  

Crews are inspecting 1,000 miles of underground storm drains and 500 miles of flood control channels. But priority cleanup efforts are targeted at the 155 basins, many which have reached capacity levels. Road crews will also begin to clear out many of the canyon roadways affected by mud and debris.

"We’re going to be busy like this through the winter season," Spencer said.

In addition, Spencer said 75,000 acre-feet of water has been collected in reservoirs, the equivalent of serving about 150,000 families for the year.

— Ruben Vives