Inland Valley

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.

LOS ANGELES — Law enforcement officers will be out in force in the Southland and around the state beginning today as they keep a sharp lookout for motorists driving drunk or violating other traffic laws over the Labor Day weekend, authorities said.

The California Highway Patrol’s “maximum enforcement period” begins at 6:01 p.m. today and will continue through 11:59 p.m. Monday, the agency reported. During that time period, all available officers will be deployed to patrol the roadways.

“Drunk driving is one of the most serious traffic-related issues we face today,” CHP Commissioner Joe Farrow said.

“Make sure your plans for your end-of-summer celebrations always include a safe way to get home for yourself and your passengers,” Farrow said. “If you are caught driving drunk, you will be arrested.”

The Los Angeles Police Department will conduct the following DUI/driver’s license checkpoints tonight:

• 7 p.m. to midnight, at Manchester Avenue and Main Street

• 7 p.m. to midnight, at Florence Avenue and Main Street

• 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. Saturday, at Fairfax Avenue and Fifth Street

• 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. Saturday, at Figueroa and Ninth streets

Checkpoints and increased patrols will be conducted at various other locations through the weekend. Anyone seeing someone driving drunk was urged to call 911.

Paper or plastic? The question is not exclusive to grocery shoppers.

Transit riders transferring to a second bus usually grab a hand-punched, paper transfer from the driver to avoid paying twice. Now, they can use a plastic card with a computer chip preloaded with cash that deducts the transfer fee after tapping the fare box.

By February, or March at the latest, the only option for a transfer will be plastic, namely a Transit Access Pass (TAP) card obtained through Metro, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, for a buck and then loaded with cash by the passenger.

When the 24 related bus agencies in the county also change over, the paper transfer will be eliminated. Like the compact disc and the flip phone, these two-hour tickets to ride that have become so familiar to bus passengers for decades will be history.

“In about six months, we will do away with paper transfers. That’s the plan,” said Felicia Friesema, director of marketing and communication for Foothill Transit, which serves 14 million customers a year in 22 cities in the San Gabriel and Pomona valleys.

Cash still accepted

The Foothill Transit board on Aug. 25 voted to change to TAP card transfers only, the first bus agency outside of Metro in Los Angeles County to do so, Friesema said.

Metro and Foothill Transit, for example, will still allow customers to pay for a bus ride with cash. But without a TAP card, the rider will not get a transfer, and therefore will have to pay full fare each time he or she boards a bus.

A bus ride on Foothill Transit costs $1.50, while a transfer costs 50 cents. Without a TAP card, a rider would pay $3 to take two buses to complete one trip instead of $2.

The changeover to TAP cards negatively affects 8 percent of the county population, particularly those living within walking distance of fixed-route transit options, according to a Metro study. In the San Gabriel Valley, these areas include San Dimas, Glendora and Azusa, Friesema said. Residents of downtown Los Angeles and Pasadena, where Metro light-rail lines run, have access to TAP cards that are sold at train and subway stations.

How to get a TAP card

To fill the gap, Metro plans on distributing 1 million TAP cards in the next seven months at major transfer points, said Metro spokesman Paul Gonzales. He said customers from the Antelope Valley, Foothill Transit, Gardena, Montebello and Torrance use TAP cards less often and have limited access to TAP as compared to other neighborhoods in the Southland.

A card can be purchased and loaded by going to taptogo.net or at 400 vendor locations, such as city halls, senior centers, rail stations and convenience stores. Friesema said Foothill Transit would like to see the cards mailed to future customers.

For Foothill, the changeover involves converting 43 percent of its riders who currently pay cash to TAP cards. Also, Foothill will need to create its own paper transfers for its riders connecting to Omnitrans in San Bernardino County and Orange County Transportation Authority buses, because TAP is only valid in Los Angeles County.

The cashless economy

Many bus passengers in Los Angeles are working-class riders and are not as familiar with a cashless economy as train riders or car commuters, said Bart Reed, executive director of The Transit Coalition in the San Fernando Valley.

“There is a high propensity of people who don’t trust the system. They don’t embrace the technology so they don’t understand that they can get a better deal if they use a TAP card,” Reed said.

About 80 percent of the more than 500,000 Metro bus riders who take the systems’s 2,000 buses are low-income and 90 percent are minorities; about 60 percent of the riders make less than $15,000 a year, according to a Metro report from May 2014.

The high levels of low-income bus riders is one reason why Metro is not doing away with cash rides, only cash transfers. But paying cash would hurt low-income riders who need to transfer: About one-half of Metro riders transfer to a second train or bus to reach their destination, according to Metro.

Why bus drivers prefer TAP

The bus operators’ union supports the move to automatic TAP transfers.

“Anything that removes the operator from the fare collection system process is a good thing. The No. 1 reason for operator assault is the fare box,” said Andrew Gonzales, director of public relations for Smart Transportation division, the union that represents 5,000 bus and train operators for Metro.

Riders will like it because it will speed up boarding lines if drivers don’t have to hand out transfers, particularly at express bus stops that move passengers from Inland Empire park-and-ride lots directly to downtown Los Angeles.

“The TAP system streamlines the process. There is less bumbling; you just hang onto your TAP card and it makes boarding much faster,” Friesema said.

POMONA >> A police officer was recovering Thursday after his patrol unit was stuck by an allegedly impaired driver, authorities said.

Angelina Carcamo of Moreno Valley was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of drugs Wednesday after she allegedly struck the patrol unit at Hamilton Boulevard and Second Street, according to a police statement.

Both Carcamo and her passenger were taken to a hospital as was the officer for a complaint of pain, authorities said. Their conditions was not immediately released.

The collision is under investigation by the Pomona Police Department’s Major Accident Investigation Team.

Anyone with any information about the collision is asked to call the Traffic Services Bureau at 909-620-2081.