Gusty Santa Ana winds sweep across SoCal

LOS ANGELES — Santa Ana winds gusted across Southern California on Thursday, sweeping skies clear and raising fire concerns.

Forecasters did not issue red flag warnings but did predict elevated to briefly critical fire weather conditions.

Near-record high temperatures were predicted for most coastal and valley locations through today.

A slow cooling trend will begin Sunday as the high pressure creating the offshore winds weakens, but temperatures will remain above normal into early next week, the National Weather Service said.

SANTA BARBARA — Santa Barbara County authorities have arrested seven juveniles for a series of assaults that occurred on a local high school campus, seriously injuring one student.

The investigation started Tuesday when San Marcos High School administrators notified a school resource deputy that there were videos depicting assaults on the campus, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.

“Specific information about the assaults and the injuries sustained by the victim are not yet available for release,” the office said.

The seven male juveniles were arrested Wednesday for investigation of felonies including assault with force likely to cause great bodily injury and conspiracy.

One juvenile was released to his guardians and the other six were taken to the Santa Maria Juvenile Hall.

RIVERSIDE — One person was killed and six others, including two children, were hospitalized after a crash Thursday morning on a Southern California highway, authorities said.

Witnesses said the crash happened when a Toyota Sienna minivan cut off a truck in southbound lanes of Interstate 215 in Riverside around 7 a.m., according to the California Highway Patrol.

The truck spun out and the Toyota struck a guardrail, said Officer Juan Quintero, a highway patrol spokesman.

All seven victims were in the same vehicle, Riverside Fire Department Battalion Chief Bruce Vanderhorst told the Press-Enterprise.

Quintero said that among the injured, two children had what were described as minor to moderate injuries.

Lorena Negrete, 34, of Ontario, died at the scene, the Riverside County Coroner’s Office said.

The freeway was closed in the area until just after 11 a.m., the newspaper reported.