Author name: CCAR Staff

WHITTIER >> Authorities have released the identity of a 19-year-old special-needs student found dead after being left on a school bus for hours Friday afternoon.

Paramedics pronounced Hun Joon Lee of Whittier dead at the scene after he was found unresponsive in a bus parked at a Whittier Union High School District parking lot at Mulberry Drive and Greenleaf Avenue about 4:25 p.m., Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner Lt. David Smith said. An autopsy was pending.

Lee was believed to have been left alone on the bus for hours before being discovered by the bus driver, though the exact length of time was not clear, Whittier police Officer Brad White said. The investigation is ongoing.

Superintendent Sandy Thorstensen said the incident left the district devastated. She offered condolences to Lee’s family and called for a “speedy and thorough” investigation into Lee’s death.

Lee was a student at the Sierra Education Center’s transitional program, located adjacent to the district parking lot, district officials said.

The involved bus and driver were provided by Pupil Transportation Cooperative, a Whittier-based company providing school bus services to several Whittier area school districts.

PTC representatives could not be reached for comment.

BOGOTA, Colombia >> Actor Tom Cruise flew in a helicopter across the Colombian Andes just 10 minutes before a small plane on the same flight path crashed into a jungled mountain, killing three crew members from his upcoming movie, civil aviation authorities said.

An official with the aviation agency, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the matter, said the cause of the crash Friday that killed two people and seriously injured a third is still under investigation.

Those killed were veteran Hollywood pilot Alan Purwin and Venezuelan Carlos Berl, while another American, Jimmy Lee Garland, survived. All three were experienced pilots, the official said.

They crashed while returning to the city of Medellin on the twin-engine Piper-Aerostar 600 after a day of filming with Cruise for the film “Mena,” which stars the actor as American pilot Barry Seal, a drug runner recruited in the 1980s by the CIA to try to capture the late cocaine kingpin Pablo Escobar.

Cruise, a pilot, arrived in Medellin last month flying the same 1960s-era plane, which was similar to the one Seal would have flown for Escobar’s cartel, the official said. Photos of the actor sitting in the cockpit of the US-registered plane have circulated for days in Colombia media.

On Friday, Cruise left in one of two helicopters transporting crew from the colonial town of Santa Fe de Antioquia at around 5 p.m. local time. When they arrived at Medellin’s Olaya Herrera airport with nightfall approaching, and the plane didn’t show up, they alerted air traffic controllers, the official said.

A plane overhead located the downed aircraft just below a high ridge thanks to a distress signal, allowing rescuers to arrive to the crash site quickly and rush Garland to a hospital in Medellin, where he was in critical but stable condition.

“We were very lucky to get there so quickly,” said the official.

Although there were no reports of bad weather in Santa Fe de Antioquia when the plane took off, the official described the normally 10-minute flight as a “bungee jump” or “roller coaster” requiring a skilled pilot to quickly take the plane from near sea level to a height of 3,000 meters, or 9,800 feet, to clear the Andes before descending sharply for the approach into the steep valley surrounding Medellin.

The official said the three pilots had flown the route at least a half-dozen times in recent days but were flying without the assistance of instruments and could have been disoriented by heavy clouds that regularly form near the crest of the Andes. When filming in other parts of the country, such as the Amazon, the crew of “Mena” had heeded authorities recommendation they have a Colombian pilot on board, the official said.

Colombia’s jagged terrain, heavy rainfall and long, empty distances makes it one of the most dangerous places in the world for aviators. Medellin’s Olaya Herrera airport has been the site of numerous accidents since the 1935 crash that killed famed Argentine tango singer Carlos Gardel. It closes at night and allows only domestic flights.

Cruise was able to land there on Aug. 20 because his flight originated in Barranquilla, along the country’s Caribbean coast, and he was accompanied by a Colombian co-pilot, the official said.

Garland is a flight instructor and manager of a regional airport near Atlanta. A representative at the Cherokee County Airport, who declined to be identified out of respect for her boss’ privacy, told The Associated Press that the producers of “Mena” shot several flight scenes at the facility and were so impressed with Garland’s professionalism as a flying double for Cruise that they brought him to Colombia to continue filming there.

The Colombian official said Garland underwent three operations overnight and a specialist from the U.S. was arriving to assist in his recovery.

Cruise’s spokeswoman, Amanda Lundberg, had no comment on Friday’s accident and the film’s local and US-based producers did not reply to emails and phone calls seeking comment.

Purwin was founder and president of Van Nuys-based Helinet Technologies. On the company’s website, he’s described as “one of the top film pilots of his generation” with a list of credits from television and major Hollywood movies such as “Transformers,” ‘’Pearl Harbor” and “Pirates of the Caribbean.”

“There are no words that can express our heartache for we have lost one of the world’s greatest helicopter pilots and one of aviation’s greatest leaders,” Helinet CEO Steve Gatena said in a statement posted on the company’s website.

In his last tweet sent Wednesday, Purwin expressed joy at flying between 12,000-foot peaks and posted a picture of a plane trailed by a helicopter landing at Santa Fe de Antioquia’s dirt runway.

Associated Press writers Derrik J. Lang in Los Angeles and Jacobo Garcia in Bogota contributed to this report.

Throughout his 18-year career as a high school head football coach, Kirk Bruich has been through plenty of stressful times.

So, what’s been the greatest situation he’s endured?

Was it last year’s CIF State Division II championship game against Clayton Valley Charter? It was white-knuckle time as the Wildcats won the first state championship for a San Bernardino County public school. Or is it during a goal-line call, whether offensively or defensively? Either way, such pressure situations can determine the outcome of any game.

However stressful those events may be, it’s within a coach’s comfort zone. There’s not much that will surprise them, thanks to countless hours of practice and film study.

For Bruich, and the majority of his colleagues, it’s the moments that they have no control over that can cause tension. The surprising part is that it occurs hours before a game, and usually miles from the field. It’s the bus ride, especially to a contest away from the area that requires such exact planning it can resemble a battle plan.

“I’m constantly looking at my watch,” said Bruich about a road trip, such as the one his Redlands East Valley team took Friday night to Ventura. “We have a routine before every game and we want to stick to our schedule. It’s important to us to arrive early, get ready for a game without being rushed.

“You do your best to allow enough time for traffic, but who knows? We’ve had some close calls in the past.”

Like showing up less than an hour before a 7:30 p.m. CIF Southern Section playoff game in Riverside, despite leaving campus nearly three hours beforehand. Or, in an extreme case encountered by another local team, cutting locked gates to reach an alternative freeway route during a massive Friday night traffic snarl.

REV has spent this season on the road. The Wildcarts’ first game was in West Hills against Chaminade (which paid for transportation in exchange for a home game), and Friday’s contest against St. Bonaventure was at Ventura College. Next week, the Wildcats will journey to Moreno Valley to play Rancho Verde.

However, REV falls short of being the King of the Road. Locally, that title belongs to Excelsior Charter in Victorville. Last week, the Eagles traveled nearly 200 miles south to face Calipatria, and will head north to Mammoth early next month. In fact, the shortest road trip was the season-opening hike to Big Bear. Other games include trips to Frazier Mountain, Acton Vasquez and L.A. Animo South.

Excelsior is a school without a league at the moment, waiting for CIF realignment in 2016. Rather than depriving students of the opportunity to play, the administration opted to play a free-lance schedule, a subtle way of saying road games. It’s an expensive proposition for a small school (780 students) that must pay for the charter buses, which cost $2,000 alone to go to Mammoth.

Charter buses are the exception. It’s usually the yellow school bus. However, having to go to Palmdale in the season opener during an extremely warm day, Upland opted to use charter transportation with air-conditioning rather than the yellow alternative.

In the days of tightening budgets, even yellow buses are somewhat in danger. There are some local districts that have trimmed the number of buses, or others than can’t transport athletic teams before a certain hour (usually about 4 p.m.) so students can be whisked home.

REV is the largest school in the area without its own stadium, requiring a road trip each week. Whether it’s home games at Citrus Valley or Redlands High, it’s a trip across town.

Bruich can vividly recall his buses not showing up for a game at Redlands. It’s a nightmare for a head coach, but a liability hurdle for the athletic director, another position Bruich holds.

As such, it’s not just about loading players, cheerleaders and band members upon buses. Bruich’s staff has to take everything it might need/want, packing a separate vehicle each week, a three-hour process designed not to leave anything behind. Think of an item a team will use and there’s an extra included on the list, from headphones, clipboards, spare mouthguards, extra tape, training tables, extension cords, etc, etc. One never knows what may be needed.

At REV, defensive coordinator Chalen Tessitore is the one in charge of transporting game equipment, often referring to the initial lessons issued by the late Ron Gelfand at Fontana when he and Bruich were on the team. Tessitore also has another critical role long before the game. He rides ahead of the buses, updating Bruich with information along the travel route.

On Friday, REV left campus at noon (with a packed lunch). After 21/2 hours on the road, the team stopped off in Oxnard for a team meal (prepaid at HomeTown Buffet) before arriving on site at 4 p.m. and taking a traditional field walk at 5:45. The team was scheduled to arrive back on campus at 1:15 a.m. Saturday.

Each Friday afternoon, usually before the weekend getaway rush, yellow buses criss cross Southern California en route to a game. On board, a coach’s stomach is churning as he keeps a close eye on the time. Some things never change.

WHITTIER >> A 19-year-old special needs student died after he was left inside a school bus parked at a Whittier Union High School District parking lot for hours Friday afternoon, officials said.

The incident was first reported as a patient in “full arrest” about 4:25 p.m. in a school district parking lot along Mulberry Drive, between Painter and Greenleaf avenues, according to Whittier police and Los Angeles County Fire Department officials.

Police officers first responded to a report of a “man down” on a bus at the district parking lot, Whittier police officials said in a written statement.

“The bus company, Pupil Transpiration (Cooperative), driver received a call from dispatch that a student was missing,” Whittier police Officer Brad White said. “He (returned) to his bus and that’s where he found this young man unresponsive.”

It was unclear how much time had passed.

When officers arrived at the scene, “They saw several bus drivers performing CPR on an adult male,” according to the statement. “Officers took over in an attempt to revive the adult male, but their attempts were unsuccessful. The Los Angeles County Fire Department arrived on scene shortly after and pronounced his death at 4:33 p.m.”

The teen’s cause of death was unknown, officials added.

There were no obvious signs of trauma on the body, White said.

Friday’s afternoon temperatures soared well into the 90s.

Police labeled the incident a “suspicious death.”

It was unclear why the young man he did not get off with the other students when it arrived at the district office. District officials said he attended Sierra Education Center’s transitional program, adjacent to the district parking lot.

The bus driver was cooperating with investigators, White said.

“This tragedy has devastated all of us,” WUHSD Superintendent Sandy Thorstenson, said in a written statement.

“We are still gathering information about what happened. The district is calling for a speedy and thorough investigation to determine how something like this could happen,” Thorstenson said. “Our hearts are with our student’s parents and family — we’re all grieving. We’re making ourselves, our counseling services and our staff available to his family and to our students and staff who were close to him.”

The Whittier Union High School District contracts for its buses and drivers with the Whittier-based company Pupil Transportation Cooperative.

PTC also provides school bus services for the Whittier City Elementary School District, the East Whittier City Elementary School District, the Los Nietos Elementary School District, the Little Lake City Elementary School District, the South Whittier Elementary School District and the El Rancho Unified School District.

Representatives of PTC could not be reached for comment late Friday.

SAN DIEGO >> Six Marines were listed in critical condition Friday, a day after the 7-ton truck carrying them rolled over during routine training at Camp Pendleton, killing one Marine and injuring 18.

The Marines were being treated at five area hospitals in San Diego County. Eight others were in stable condition and four were treated and discharged from medical facilities.

The Marine who was killed was from the 1st Marine Division, and that person’s name will not be released until 24 hours after relatives are notified, officials said.

“The command’s priorities are to take care of the Marines, Sailors and families of the unit,” 1st Lt. Colleen McFadden said in a statement. “We want to ensure the Marines and their family members are being provided for during this difficult time.”

Camp Pendleton, a vast seaside base north of San Diego, is the major West Coast outpost for the U.S. Marine Corps.

In November 2013, four Marines were killed there while clearing explosives in a Camp Pendleton training area.

CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. — One Marine has been killed and 18 others were injured in a rollover crash during routine training at Camp Pendleton Marine Base.

First Lt. Colleen McFadden says the rollover happened Thursday afternoon. She says she had no other details.

The identity of the Marine killed was not released, and the extent of the injuries to the others was unclear.

An investigation is underway.

McFadden says “we want to ensure the Marines and their family members are being provided for during this difficult time.”

RANCHO CUCAMONGA >> A 22-year-old man was arrested Friday night after crashing into a vehicle, fleeing the scene and then crashing into a railroad crossing arm.

Kevin Rodriguez was driving a red sedan when he reportedly hit another vehicle at the intersection of Arrow Route and Haven Avenue around 10 p.m., said Sgt. James Mahan, with the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Rancho Cucamonga station.

The victim’s husband, who was in another car, followed Rodriguez as he headed eastbound on Arrow Route. Rodriguez then crashed into the railroad crossing just west of Milliken Avenue.

“He broke off the crossing guard arm and then crashed into the railroad signal,” Mahan said.

Deputies arrived and arrested Rodriguez on suspicion of driving under the influence and hit-and-run, Mahan said.

The street was closed briefly while the scene was cleared. The crossing guard arm will be repaired after the holiday weekend, he said.

RANCHO CUCAMONGA >> A Fontana man who authorities believe left the scene of a fatal crash surrendered late Friday night, authorities said.

Shortly before midnight, Jimmy Awolesi, 22, turned himself into West Valley Detention Center, said Teresa McMahon, spokeswoman for the sheriff’s Rancho Cucamonga station.

“The second driver did turn himself in based on us blasting him on the news,” she said.

Hours before, authorities released a photo of the man on social media and shared it with media outlets.

Awolesi, who was identified as the driver by deputies using photographic evidence, was booked on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter, according to a sheriff’s news release Saturday.

Detectives say the driver of a Ford Mustang was racing another Mustang, when one vehicle broadsided the car of Julio C. Lopez, 46, of Pomona, killing him.

Lopez, a husband and father of two, was making a left turn onto Rochester Avenue from Jersey Avenue, when his car was struck by one of the Mustangs.

The driver of the car involved in the crash, a 16-year-old boy, was also arrested Thursday on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter, sheriff’s officials said.

Awolesi’s vehicle was located in an apartment complex matching the description of the second racing Mustang, the release said.

Authorities released a photo of the man they believe left the scene of a fatal crash in Rancho Cucamonga on Wednesday afternoon.

Detectives say the driver of a Ford Mustang was racing another Mustang, when one vehicle broadsided the car of Julio C. Lopez, 46 of Pomona, killing him.

Lopez, a husband and father of two, was making a left turn onto Rochester Avenue from Jersey Avenue, when his car was struck by one of the Mustangs.

The driver of the car involved in the crash, a 16-year-old boy, was arrested Thursday on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter, sheriff’s officials said.

Anyone who witnessed the fatal crash or has any information about the other vehicle or driver is asked to call the sheriff’s Rancho Cucamonga station at 909-477-2800.