SUV Hits Fire Hydrant, Rolls Over

A dark SUV hits four cars, crashes into a fire hydrant and flips over.

A driver was hospitalized late Tuesday night after the SUV he was driving rolled over in the 1800 block of Pacific Coast Highway near Prospect Avenue. Police and fire units from both Redondo Beach and Torrance responded to the scene and blocked off Pacific Coast Highway in the area around the crash site. At about 10:15 p.m., the dark-colored SUV hit four cars parked on the southbound side of Pacific Coast Highway before running into a fire hydrant and flipping the vehicle, according to police and witness reports. The man was ejected from the SUV. "We thought it was a gunshot, it was so loud," said Palos Verdes Inn guest Emma, who declined to give her last name. "By the time we got out here, he was on foot, trying to run away," said Angela …

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Retired Redondo Officer Advocates for Legalizing Marijuana

Retired Redondo Beach police Lt. Diane Goldstein says she supports decriminalizing marijuana as well as investing more into drug addiction treatment programs.

Blotter: Infant Dies, Missing Man Found

The following information was supplied by the Redondo Beach Police Department. Where arrests or charges are mentioned, it does not indicate a conviction.

Officers from the Redondo Beach Police Department tried to save an infant and found a missing man last week, according to the Recent Law Enforcement events release. Infant dies Despite efforts by officers and paramedics, a two-week-old baby who had recently undergone open-heart surgery died last week. According to a release from the police department, police and fire department units responded to a call about a half hour after midnight May 2 in the 600 block of the Esplanade about an infant not breathing. Paramedics transported the infant to a nearby hospital, and he was pronounced dead by the attending physician, police said. The infant's body was released to his family for burial. Missing man found Police officers spent more than an hour…

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DUI Checkpoint Set for Cinco de Mayo

The Redondo Beach Police Department will hold a DUI and driver's license checkpoint from 7 p.m. Saturday until 2 a.m. Sunday.

The Cinco de Mayo holiday may be an excuse to party, but it's not an excuse to drink and drive. The Redondo Beach Police Department Traffic Unit will be conducting a DUI and driver's license checkpoint on Saturday. Officers at the checkpoint, which will be held somewhere within city limits from 7 p.m. Saturday until 2 a.m. Sunday, will check drivers for signs of impairment from alcohol or drugs, as well as for proper licensing, according to a news release from the Redondo Beach Police Department. Motorists caught driving impaired can expect jail, license suspension, insurance increases, fines, fees, DUI classes and other expenses that can exceed $10,000, police said. Funding for the checkpoint is provided by a grant from the California …

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1 Cited in Shoulder-Tap Sting

One person is cited for buying alcohol for a minor during Friday's shoulder-tap sting.

Police cited one person for taking money from a minor, purchasing alcohol and giving it to the minor during a decoy shoulder tap operation last Friday, according to the Redondo Beach Police Department. During the operation, which was part of the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control's Minor Decoy/Shoulder Tap Grant Project, two minors asked 13 adults to buy alcohol for them, police said. Four Redondo Beach establishments were visited during the operation. Police will conduct additional operations at other liquor stores in the city, according to the news release. The Minor Decoy/Shoulder Tap Grant Project is funded by the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

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Body Found Off Redondo Beach Pier

Police suspect that a body recovered off the Redondo Beach Pier early Saturday morning is that of David Thompson, who jumped off the pier two weeks ago.

Officials with the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office are working to identify a body discovered in the water off the Redondo Beach Pier late Friday night, authorities said. Police suspect the body is that of David Thompson, 22, who jumped off the pier with a friend after 11 p.m. April 14. Thompson was the only missing swimmer reported to Los Angeles County lifeguards in the area, according to Redondo Beach Police Department spokesman Sgt. Shawn Freeman. "We can't say for sure (it's Thompson) until the coroner's office confirms," Freeman told Redondo Beach Patch. Recreational divers discovered the body west of the pier, Freeman said. The remains were in 60 feet of water near the 300-foot-deep offshore Redondo Canyon. With the help of the …

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Drop Off Old, Expired Drugs on Saturday

The Redondo Beach Police Department is participating in the DEA's National Prescription Drug Take-Back campaign. There will be two drop-off locations in the city.

Redondo Beach residents with unused, unwanted or expired prescription drugs can anonymously drop off the medication Saturday during the DEA's National Prescription Drug Take-Back campaign, according to a news release from the Redondo Beach Police Department. There are two drop-off locations in the city—one in North Redondo and one in South Redondo—and both will be open from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. In North Redondo, people can drop off the medication at the civic center at 1922 Artesia Blvd. People in South Redondo can leave the drugs at the former Knob Hill Community Center at 320 Knob Hill Ave. "This program is free and anonymous, no questions asked," wrote Police Department spokesman Sgt. Shawn Freeman in the news release. The drop-off …

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RBPD Plans Friday DUI Checkpoint

Police will conduct a DUI and driver's license checkpoint at an undisclosed location in Redondo Beach on Friday evening.

A DUI and driver's license checkpoint is scheduled for Friday night within Redondo Beach city limits, according to a news release from the Redondo Beach Police Department's Traffic Unit. The checkpoint is scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday until 2 a.m. Saturday. Motorists caught driving under the influence will face jail, license suspension, insurance increases, fines, fees, DUI classes and other expenses that can exceed $10,000, police said. Previous checkpoints this year have resulted in the arrests of about a half-dozen people, according to Traffic Unit Investigator Jeff Mendence. Funding for the checkpoints is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, according…

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Sting Nets 13 Unlicensed Contractors

Thirteen people are caught in the joint operation with the Redondo Beach Police Department, City Attorney's Office and Contractors State License Board.

A sting operation conducted by the Redondo Beach Police Department, City Attorney's Office and the Contractors State License Board's Statewide Investigative Fraud Team (SWIFT) last week netted 13 people suspected of being an unlicensed contractor, according to a news release from the CSLB. As part of the operation, "SWIFT investigators sought bids for painting, tree service and concrete projects at a Redondo Beach home," according to the CSLB. "All 13 who bid more than $500 for labor and materials received the notices for contracting without a license." Additionally, investigators discovered that the license of La Mirada resident Edward Arthur Alvarez, 69, was revoked in August. If convicted, he'll face a minimum of 90 days in jail and a …

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