Boat found, immigrants sought in Orange County

LOS ANGELES — The discovery of a panga-style boat that may have been used to smuggle immigrants onto an Orange County beach triggered the temporary lockdown of an elementary school as authorities searched the area for the vessel’s occupants Tuesday morning.

The boat came ashore on Moro Beach, in Crystal Cove State Park, about 6:25 a.m. with people on board, said California State Parks spokesman Jorge Moreno.

El Morro Elementary School in Laguna Beach was placed on lockdown for roughly two hours, starting at 7:30 a.m., as Laguna Beach and Newport Beach police, along with U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents, combed the area around Crystal Cove. At least four people were located by 7:40 a.m., according to authorities.

An Orange County Sheriff ’s Department helicopter crew and a Laguna Beach police drone equipped with infrared technology helped with the search.

It remains unclear where the vessel came from.

During the search, Laguna Beach Unified School District officials tweeted that El Morro Elementary “is safe, but currently on lockdown.” The lockdown was lifted by 9:35 a.m.

This is the second time this month that a panga-style boat was found beached in the Crystal Cove State Park area.

An abandoned boat that may have been used for human smuggling was discovered June 11 on the beach near Reef Point. Authorities believed about 12 people entered the country illegally on that boat.