Police Files - April 6, 2000

A California gray whale that washed up near the shore in Sunset Beach

was buried in the sand Wednesday, an official said.

The listless body of the 25-foot mammal first appeared at about 4:30

p.m. Tuesday near the shore by Fifth Street and Pacific Coast Highway,

said Api Weinert, assistant director for U.S. Ocean Safety.

Unsure whether the whale was still alive, lifeguards planned a rescue

until a marine biologist showed up at 10 p.m. to pronounce the animal

dead, he said.

Officials had several options other than burial, such as towing the

carcass into deep waters, blowing it up or cutting it up into little

pieces that could be easily disposed of, he said.

Weinert, a 10-year veteran, said he has never seen a whale wash up at

Sunset Beach before. It is unclear why the whale ended up there, he said.

“It is always sad to see a majestic creature like this come ashore,”

he said.

Man dies trying to direct traffic

A 29-year-old Anaheim man died Sunday after directing traffic around

the scene of a car accident, police said,

At about 7:40 p.m., Simote Taunaholo was involved in a three-car

accident on the westbound side of Pacific Coast Highway, Huntington Beach

Police Lt. Chuck Thomas said. The man stepped out of his car and,

standing by the highway’s yellow painted center divider, appeared to be

helping drivers avoid the accident scene, he said.

For some unknown reason, Taunaholo then stepped into an eastbound lane

directly in the path of a Dodge van that struck him traveling 45 mph, he

said.

He was taken to Hoag Hospital in Newport Beach where he was pronounced

dead upon arrival. The driver of the van, Jerry Madrid, 48, of Newport

Beach, was not injured, Thomas said. Police did not arrest Madrid, but an

investigation continues. The collisions closed Pacific Coast Highway for

four hours, Thomas said.

Suspects sought in gunpoint robberies

Fountain Valley Police are looking for suspects in two separate

gunpoint robberies that happened last week.

Police are still searching for two men who held up a 7-Eleven cashier

at gunpoint March 30. The men entered the store in the 16400 block of

Harbor Boulevard at 1:01 a.m. Thursday posing as customers, police said.

When the cashier attempted to scan food items placed on the counter,

the suspect pointed a small chrome semiautomatic handgun at him and

demanded cash, police said. The clerk handed over $50 to the suspects,

who fled on foot.

Police said both suspects were wearing black nylon jackets, black

clothing and black beanies. One suspect is described as a 25-year-old who

is 5 feet 9 and 160 pounds. The second is described as a 25-year-old who

is 5 feet 5 and 150 pounds.

Police are also looking for a man who held up the One Stop Beer and

Wine in the 16000 block of Harbor Boulevard at 7:43 p.m. March 30.

The man pointed a handgun at the 64-year-old cashier, police said, and

demanded money. The suspect, believed to be in his late 20s, 6 feet tall,

160 to 180 pounds, fled with a substantial amount of cash, police said.

Program about drunk driving returns

The Fountain Valley Police Department, Fountain Valley Fire

Department, the Orange County Coroner’s Office and Fountain Valley

Regional Hospital and Medical Center helped stage a traffic accident in

front of Fountain Valley High School on Tuesday morning as part of the

Every 15 Minutes program.

The injured were transported to the hospital, the fatality was taken

to the coroner’s office and the person responsible was arrested in the

mock tragedy.

Every 15 minutes, a person posing as the grim reaper removed students

from class. Mock obituaries were read, and a police officer and chaplain

delivered death notifications.

Throughout the day, students toured the coroner’s office and a judge

explained to them the penalties for drinking and driving.

The program was named after a national statistic -- every 15 minutes,

someone in the United States dies in an alcohol-related traffic accident,

police authorities said. The program aims to decrease alcohol-related

accidents before the upcoming prom and graduation events.

-- Compiled by Eron Ben-Yehuda and Angelique Flores