Motorcycle rider, passenger in vehicle both killed in Mission Beach crash
A motorcycle rider and a passenger who was riding in a Toyota Prius were killed early Thursday when the two vehicles collided on a Mission Beach road, San Diego police said.
The 34-year-old motorcycle rider was heading west on West Mission Bay Drive just before 9 a.m. when he ran into the Toyota, which was about to turn right onto Dana Landing, police said.
The motorcyclist was trying to pass the Toyota on the right at a high rate of speed when he struck the car, police Sgt. Victoria Houseman said in an email.
The rider was thrown from the motorcycle and landed in the northwest corner of the intersection.
He died before he could be taken to a hospital, police said.
A 39-year-old woman — a frontseat passenger in the Prius — was fatally injured.
Video shot by OnScene TV showed the Prius had been cut open from the roof in order to give firefighters and paramedics access to the wrecked car.
The passenger was taken to a hospital, where she died, police said. Police initially reported the passenger was a "female juvenile."
A 38-year-old woman in the car suffered a minor scrape.
The driver of the Prius and two other passengers, who were described as juveniles, were uninjured. KAREN KUCHER U-T
Man hit by two vehicles while walking on road dies
VALLEY CENTER
A man was killed after two vehicles struck him while he walked across a road in Valley Center Tuesday evening, a California Highway Patrol official said.
The pedestrian was walking south across Lilac Road near Hideaway Lake Road when he was hit by a Nissan SUV around 8:35 p.m., CHP Officer Hunter Gerber said in a news release Thursday.
The 32-year-old man was struck a second time by a Dodge minivan driving behind the SUV, Gerber said.
Officers and paramedics arrived and tried to perform lifesaving measures on the man, Gerber said. He died before he could be taken to a hospital. His name has not been released pending the notification of next of kin.
Gerber said the 19-year-old SUV driver and 63-year-old minivan driver were not injured.
It isn’t known if alcohol or drugs were factors in the crash, Gerber said.
CHP officers asked anyone with information about the incident to call their Oceanside area office at (760) 643-3400.
CALEB LUNETTA U-T
Schools locked down after report of possible gun
OCEANSIDE
Three Oceanside schools were briefly locked down Thursday afternoon when a student reported seeing a person who may have had a gun near an elementary school campus, a police official said.
The three schools were Palmquist Elementary, Lincoln Middle and Oceanside Adventist. They are all on or near California Street at Ridgeway Street, a few blocks south of Oceanside Boulevard just east of Interstate 5.
Police spokesperson Jennifer Atenza said a staffer from Palmquist called and said two or three students had reported seeing a person on a hillside, possibly with a gun. The call to police came in just before 1:25 p.m.
Authorities at the three schools placed the campuses on lockdown, Atenza said.
Police responded — “We were on campus very quickly,” she said — and checked in and around each school.
“We deployed a ton of resources. There was a large presence there,” she said.
Some officers went to the school grounds, others combed the hillside and surrounding areas. The department also sent up a drone. Officers did not locate a threat, and the lockdowns were lifted.
In an abundance of caution, police maintained a presence on the campuses through the rest of the school day, Atenza said.
TERI FIGUEROA U-T
Shooter targets tow truck; suspect arrested in Carlsbad OCEANSIDE
A 61-year-old Oceanside man was arrested Wednesday in conmirrors nection with a vehicle-to-vehicle shooting on a city street earlier that morning, police said.
No one was injured.
The shooting occurred about 12:50 a.m. in the area of Mesa Drive and Pear Tree Lane, just east of El Camino Real. Police said the driver of an SUV shot at a tow truck, which was towing a car, then took off.
The tow truck driver pulled over and called police. He provided a license plate number for the SUV, and that information led police to the registered owner’s address in Carlsbad.
Carlsbad police found the SUV parked in front of the home and arrested a man on suspicion of assault with a firearm. Later, a search warrant was served at the house, where investigators found a gun they suspect was used in the shooting.
Oceanside police spokesperson Jennifer Atenza said investigators believe the man who was arrested “is connected to” the car that was linked to the tow truck, but he is not the registered owner.
It was unclear why the car was towed.
Anyone with information was asked to call the Oceanside Police Department at (760) 435-4237 or an investigator at jvandenberg@oceansideca.org.
DAVID HERNANDEZ U-T
Man accused of prying side mirrors off vehicles
SAN DIEGO
A 23-year-old man was arrested this week after police say two witnesses spotted him prying side off of 17 vehicles — and police now believe the man removed mirrors from as many as 50 vehicles in less than a week.
The vandalism series occurred in University City and La Jolla over roughly five days, San Diego police said in a news release Thursday.
On Tuesday, two people called 911 to report seeing someone prying mirrors from cars. Police did not say where or what time the incident occurred, but said officers arrived and arrested the man.
Since his arrest, nearly a dozen more cases dating to May 12 surfaced. Investigators believe between 30 and 50 vehicles were vandalized. Sometimes one car was hit, sometimes it was several. But in all instances, mirrors were removed.
Replacing them can be pricey, police said, noting the repairs can run between a few hundred dollars to nearly $3,000, depending on the car make and model.
The suspect remained jailed Thursday in lieu of $342,000 bail. Jail records indicate he was to be arraigned Thursday, but it was not immediately clear whether that happened.
Police are asking for victims of what they called a “unique style of vandalism” to come forward and file a report. Investigators also want to hear from witnesses and are hoping that someone will provide video evidence.
To make report or share information, call San Diego police at (619) 531-2000. Anonymous tips can be with Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477. TERI FIGUEROA U-T