Local Briefs

Beaches Closed

All County Beaches Posted Against Use Until Friday, October 8. Recent rain said to have caused contaminated storm drain runoff

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) cautions residents who are planning to visit the below Los Angeles County beaches to be careful of swimming, surfing, and playing in ocean waters due to possible contamination caused by storm drain discharge.

Ocean and bay recreational waters, especially near discharging storm drains, creeks and rivers can be contaminated with bacteria, chemicals, debris, trash, and other public health hazards from city streets and mountain areas after a rain fall.

Individuals who enter the water in these areas could become ill. Rain advisories remain in effect for 72 hours after the rainfall ends.

Advisory for ALL County beaches until Friday October 8 at 7:00 A.M.

Recorded information on beach conditions is available 24- hours a day on the County's beach closure hotline: 1-800- 525-5662. Information is also available online.

Ship Blamed for Oil Spill

The US Coast guard is investigating there possibility that a container ship waiting to offload in Long Beach Harbor, could have caused the 130,000 oil spill off Newport Beach last week.

The Rotterdam Express, a German-flagged ship nearly 1,000 feet (305 meters) long, was assigned to anchorage SF-3, the closest designated parking spot for ships to where the pipeline ruptured off Huntington Beach.

Hapag-Lloyd, the shipping company that operates the Rotterdam Express, confirmed Thursday that investigators boarded the ship Wednesday while it was docked at the Port of Oakland in San Francisco Bay.

The visit to the Rotterdam Express container ship came as investigators try to determine whether an anchor snagged, dragged and bent the pipeline owned by Amplify Energy, a Houston-based company that operates three offshore oil platforms south of Los Angeles.

Due to a shortage of trucks and truck drivers, ships have had to wait up to 30 days to offload in the Port of Long Beach and at LA’s San Pedro Harbor.

Police Seek Murder Suspects

10/7/21 - Police have released composite sketches of the two suspects in a shooting involving an attempted carjacking in the early morning of September 22. Two suspects remain at large in the September 22 early-morning shooting

At approximately 3:00 am on that Wednesday morning, Santa Monica police received multiple calls regarding the sound of shots fired. Shortly thereafter, the victim himself called police, reporting he'd been shot in the face.

The victim had been sleeping in his car in the area of Ocean and Pacific. Two suspects approached his car and demanded he give them the keys to the vehicle. A verbal altercation ensued, during which Suspect #2 used a taser on the victim and Suspect #1 shot him in the face with a 9 mm handgun.

Both suspects fled in what is described as an older SUV, possibly a Sequoia, 4Runner, or southbound Nielson Way through Ocean Park Boulevard.

The victim was located by police and transported to a local hospital.

The composite sketches are of two men, both identified as Hispanic and in the range of 18 to 25 years of age.

SMPD is asking for the public's assistance in identifying and locating both suspects and the the vehicle believed to be involved. Anyone with this information is strongly encouraged to contact Detective Nicole Murphy at (310) 458-8941 or [email protected] , Sergeant Art Williams at (310) 458-8475 or the Watch Commander (24 hours) at (310) 458-8426.