Coast Guard Suspends Search For Missing 18-Year-Old Swimmer

A search for an 18-year-old man who went missing Saturday after he was overcome by a strong current in the water near Asilomar State Beach in Pacific Grove was suspended late Sunday morning, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

The Coast Guard Station Monterey responded to a report of two swimmers in distress after they were swept by a heavy rip current around 5 p.m. Saturday.

A surfer brought one of the swimmers, the younger brother of the 18-year-old man, back to shore, Coast Guard officials said.

The surfer returned to the water to rescue the 18 year old but was unable to find him, according to the Coast Guard.

Coast Guard crews launched at 47-foot motor lifeboat and a helicopter from Air Station San Francisco to search for the man throughout the night and into Sunday morning, Coast Guard officials said.

Personnel from the Monterey Fire Department and state park lifeguards set up a command post to assist boat crews searching the shoreline, according to Coast Guard officials.

The search was called off shortly before 11:45 a.m. Sunday, Coast Guard officials said.

“The decision to suspend a search-and-rescue case is one of the hardest parts of my job,” Capt. Greg Stump, commander of Coast Guard Sector San Francisco, said in a statement.

“Our thoughts are with the family and friends of the missing, who are trying to cope with this tragedy,” Stump said.

Candle On Front Porch Sparks House Fire That Displaces Three Adults

A one-alarm house fire in San Jose sparked by a candle displaced three adults Sunday evening, a fire captain said.

Firefighters responded to a report of a fire in the 800 block of McLaughlin Avenue around 7 p.m., San Jose fire Capt. Reggie Williams said.

Williams the fire was accidentally started by a candle that was part of a memorial on the home’s front porch.

The blaze was extinguished within 15 minutes of crews arriving on scene, according to Williams.

The adults displaced by the fire sought assistance from family members, he said.

No injuries were reported.

Man Suspected Of Battering, Sexually Assaulting Girlfriend Arrested

A man suspected of battering and sexually assaulting his live-in girlfriend early Sunday morning in Palo Alto and fled the scene was arrested, police said.

Tyler Wallace, 28, was arrested on suspicion of domestic battery and sexual assault at a residence in the 2800 block of Alma Street that was reported around 3:20 a.m., according to police.

Wallace’s girlfriend, a woman in her 20s, alerted police of the incident soon after it happened, police said.

Arriving officers were unable to find Wallace, who fled on foot through a back door of the home.

Officers set up a perimeter and conducted a search with the assistance of police K-9 until 6 a.m. when they were unable to find the suspect, police said.

Investigators learned Wallace allegedly brandished a knife in the incident and located one during their search, but have yet to determine if it was the same blade Wallace had when he left the home, according to police.

The woman did not need medical treatment, police said.

Wallace was taken into custody without incident as of 7 p.m. and police are expected to release additional information on the case on this morning.

Woman Shot, Killed This Afternoon Identified

A woman shot and killed in East Oakland on Sunday afternoon has been identified as 30-year-old Perla Avina, police said.

Officers responded to reports of a shooting in the 400 to 600 blocks of 98th Avenue just after 12:30 p.m.

Avina was a passenger in a black 1998 Toyota Camry traveling south on 98th Avenue where she was shot at least once, according to police.

She was pronounced dead at the scene.

Investigators believe the shooting may be linked to a road rage incident, police said.

No suspects have been arrested in connection with the killing.

Oakland police and Crime Stoppers of Oakland are offering a reward of up to $20,000 for information leading to an arrest.

Anyone with information on the case is asked to call Oakland police Homicide Unit at (510) 238-3821 or Crime Stoppers of Oakland at (510) 777-8572.

Unit Sustains Major Damage In 1-Alarm Fire At Public Storage Facility

A storage unit sustained major damage in a one-alarm fire at a Public Storage facility in San Jose on Sunday evening, a fire captain said.

Fire crews responded to a report of a fire at the facility at 1500 Story Road east of U.S. Highway 101 around 7:15 p.m., San Jose fire Capt. Reggie Williams said.

Firefighters had to force their way into the involved unit that was locked before they extinguished the blaze, Williams said.

The blaze was under control at 8 p.m., a fire dispatcher said.

While battling the fire, crews opened seven to eight units with power saws to ensure the fire did not spread, according to Williams.

The involved unit was the only one damaged and the cause of the fire is under investigation.

No injuries were reported.

About 70 Vehicles Destroyed In 2-Alarm Fire At Powersports Dealership

About 70 vehicles were destroyed in a two-alarm fire at a powersports dealership in San Jose on Sunday evening, fire officials said.

Fire crews responded to a report of a fire at G.P. Sports at 15050 Camden Ave. in the city’s Cambrian Park neighborhood around 5:05 p.m.

The blaze at the powersports dealership was under control about an hour later, according to fire officials.

Firefighters were able to save nearly a dozen vehicles, fire officials said.

The dealership carries new and used motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles, utility vehicles and watercrafts by Honda, Suzuki, Yamaha, Kawasaki and Sea-Doo, according to the distributor’s website.

No injuries were reported.

There were 50 firefighters who assisted in battling the blaze, fire officials said.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Man Injured In Collision With Car And Died Saturday Identified

A 51-year-old man who was struck and injured by a car while riding his bicycle in Antioch last week and died days later has been identified as Karl Smith, a Contra Costa County coroner’s deputy said Sunday.

Smith succumbed to his injuries in a hospital on Saturday, four days after a collision at Hillcrest Avenue and East Tregallas Road, police said.

Police said Smith appears to have been riding his bicycle along the roadway’s center median into opposing traffic around 4 p.m. Tuesday when he suddenly veered across several lanes and was hit by an oncoming car.

The driver of the car was uninjured and remained at the scene of the collision. Police said she is not suspected of driving under the influence.

Smith was taken to a hospital where he underwent surgery, according to police.

Smith was a transient from the Antioch area, according to the coroner’s office.

The investigation into the collision is ongoing and anyone with information is asked to call Antioch police at (925) 778-2441.

Car Crashes Into Slough Off Of Grizzly Island Road

Fire and sheriff’s officials responded Sunday afternoon to a report of a vehicle that went off of a Suisun City roadway and into the water, according to a Solano County Sheriff’s Office dispatcher.

The collision was reported around 1:30 p.m. in the 2500 block of Grizzly Island Road, according to sheriff’s officials and the California Highway Patrol.

According to the CHP, all of the vehicle’s occupants were reportedly able to exit the vehicle.

No further information was immediately available.

DUI Patrol Nets Two Arrests

A Saturday DUI saturation patrol netted two arrests in Burlingame on Saturday, according to police.

Police stopped 19 vehicles during the patrol, administered two field sobriety tests and arrested two drivers on suspicion of DUI.

One person was also cited for driving with a suspended license, and two other citations were issued, police said.

The patrol occurred between the hours of 6 p.m. Saturday and 2 a.m. Sunday.

Police Investigating Infant Death

Police announced Sunday that they are investigating an infant death in Oakland.

Officers were at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland on Sunday morning to speak with the infant’s parents, according to Oakland police Officer K. Templeman.

The officer said he did not know whether foul play is suspected.

Further information was not immediately available.

Four Injured In Separate Shootings Saturday

Four people were wounded – one person critically – in a string of shootings over eight hours in Oakland on Saturday, according to police.

The victim who was most seriously injured was shot around 11:25 p.m. near the intersection of 105th Avenue and Topanga Drive in East Oakland, according to Oakland police Officer K. Templeton.

He was taken to a hospital in critical condition.

That shooting came after several other violent incidents in Oakland on Saturday, according to police.

One person was shot and wounded near 76th Avenue and Spencer Street around 3:10 p.m. Saturday. That victim went to a hospital in stable condition, Templeton said.

Another shooting happened around 8:30 p.m. in the 4000 block of Broadway near Piedmont Avenue. One victim hit by the gunfire was transported to a hospital in stable condition, according to police.

Around 10:30 p.m., one person was shot and wounded near 90th and Bancroft avenues, Templeton said.

That victim was able to get to a hospital in stable condition.

In each incident, one or more suspects appear to have fled the scene in a vehicle, according to police.

No arrests have been made in connection with any of the shootings.

CHP Chief Addresses Allegations Against Dublin Area Officer

A California Highway Patrol chief spoke out Saturday about the investigation into a Dublin area CHP officer who is accused of sending nude photos of a DUI suspect from her cellphone to his own phone while the woman was in custody.

Chief Avery A. Browne of the CHP’s Golden Gate Division said in a news release late Saturday that the alleged misconduct of 35-year-old Officer Sean Harrington occurred within the Dublin CHP Area office and is not a widespread practice among CHP officers.

He said there is no evidence to support recent reports that Harrington’s alleged theft of explicit photos from a female suspect is a widespread practice throughout the CHP.

“I’m very disappointed and disgusted with the allegations of misconduct, and I want to thank the young lady for having the courage to bring this to our attention,” Browne said during a news conference Saturday.

“As an organization, we expect the highest levels of integrity and moral strength from everyone in the California Highway Patrol, and there is no place in our organization for such behavior,” he said.

Court records show an investigator from the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office is recommending Harrington be charged with felony computer theft. No charges have been filed in the case.

Harrington’s alleged misconduct came to light after the purported victim, a 23-year-old San Ramon woman, realized that about half a dozen nude or semi-nude photos of herself had been forwarded from her cellphone to an unknown number that she traced to the officer who had arrested her on Aug. 29.

Investigators served a search warrant at Harrington’s Martinez home on Oct. 16 and seized his cellphone and laptop that contained the explicit photos as well as text messages and instant messages from the woman’s cellphone, according to the search warrant.

Harrington and his CHP partner had stopped the woman, whose name is not being released and is referred to in court documents as Jane Doe, for an unsafe lane change on Interstate Highway 680 in San Ramon just before midnight on Aug. 29.

According to court records, Doe failed field sobriety tests, and her blood alcohol level was measured at .29, more than three times the legal limit to drive.

Officers took the woman to county jail in Martinez, and she was later issued a notice to appear in court and released.

She later noticed six photos of her had been secretly sent from her cellphone to an unknown number from the 707 area code while she was in police custody.

On Oct. 7, Doe and her attorney Rick Madsen provided a statement to the district attorney’s office, and a judge issued a search warrant for Harrington’s home.

“When I read the accounts and responses that were mentioned in the search warrant documents, the callousness and depravity with which these officers communicated about women is dehumanizing, horribly offensive and degrading to all women,” Browne said. “As we progress through the investigation, I want to reiterate our commitment to public safety, service and security to the people of California.”

Fatal Crash On Interstate Highway 80 Cleared

The California Highway Patrol on Sunday morning cleared the scene of a fatal crash on westbound Interstate Highway 80 in San Francisco.

The crash was reported at 4:20 a.m. at the Fifth Street on-ramp, according to the CHP.

The CHP issued a Sig-alert, because the westbound on-ramp is closed as crews work the scene.

The crash was cleared around 6 a.m., and the Sig-alert was lifted.

Officials said a vehicle crashed into a wall.

All Lanes Of Interstate Highway Reopened Following Fatal Crash

The California Highway Patrol reported that all lanes of Interstate Highway 880 in Fremont reopened following a fatal crash on Sunday morning.

The crash occurred on southbound Interstate Highway 880 at the Auto Mall Parkway on-ramp just before 3 a.m.

The CHP issued a Sig-alert because all of the lanes of the highway were blocked due to the crash. The Sig-alert was cancelled at 5:05 a.m.

Officials said two to three vehicles were involved in the crash.

Weather Forecast For The San Francisco Bay Area

Sunny skies are likely Bay Area this morning, before becoming partly cloudy. Highs are expected to be in the 60s to lower 70s with westerly winds of up to 15 mph.

Mostly clear skies are likely in the Bay Area this evening. Lows are expected to be in the 50s, with westerly winds of up to 20 mph.

Sunny skies are likely Tuesday morning. Highs are expected to be in the 60s to lower 70s with southwesterly winds of up to 15 mph.