BRIEFLY IN THE NEWS Baby dies after...

BRIEFLY IN

THE NEWS

Baby dies after sister crashes car into wall

An 18-month-old girl died after her 24-year-old sister crashed

their vehicle into a concrete wall on Tuesday afternoon, Costa Mesa

police officials said.

The sister, 24-year-old Araceli Vega of Santa Ana, was driving

recklessly, weaving into traffic, tailgating at least two vehicles

and traveling at 70 mph on Sunflower Avenue at about 4:45 p.m., Lt.

John FitzPatrick said.

Vega lost control of the vehicle near the intersection of Fuchsia

Avenue when she tried to change lanes, he said. Her right front tire

struck the curb, causing her car to roll and strike a concrete wall

about 125 feet from the point of impact, FitzPatrick said.

The baby girl, Diana Vega, died after the concrete wall crumbled

onto the roof of the vehicle, which then caved in and crushed her

head. She was secured in a car seat in the back on the left side,

FitzPatrick said.

Officials are investigating the incident, and no charges have been

filed, he said. No drugs or alcohol were involved, officials said.

Car crash shakes building, injures three

Three people went to the hospital with minor injuries after two

cars collided in the 2400 block of East Coast Highway, veered up a

sidewalk and hit the pillar of an office building at about 5:30 p.m.

Tuesday, officials said.

A silver Chevrolet Cavalier that was trying to make a left turn

into a parking lot was broadsided by a taxicab going west on Coast

Highway, Newport Beach Police Sgt. Steve Shulman said. A passenger in

the Chevrolet and another passenger in the taxi complained of pain

and were taken to Hoag Hospital Presbyterian, he said.

Both cars were severely damaged, but the building did not suffer

serious structural damage. Jami Dolphin, a hairstylist who works in

the building’s second floor, said the impact from the crash “felt

like an earthquake.”

“The whole building shook for an instant,” she said. “I was pretty

scared. I was hoping the building wouldn’t come crumbling down.”

Accidents, especially those involving people making left turns,

are common along that stretch of Coast Highway, Shulman said.

“We’ve even had fatalities in this area,” he said. “Most of it

arises from the drivers’ not being able to judge the left turn

correctly and not being able to judge the speed of the driver going

in the opposite direction.”

Teens arrested in 7-Eleven robbery case

Costa Mesa police arrested three teenagers on Monday after a

robbery at a 7-Eleven involving a ham and cheese sandwich, a pack of

cigarettes and a brownie, officials said.

Joseph Paul Saylor, 19, and Edgar Zavala and Marcos Fernandez,

both 18, were booked on suspicion of robbery, Costa Mesa Police Lt.

John FitzPatrick said.

The teenagers reportedly entered the store in the 1000 block of

West Baker Street, picked up the items and then tried to leave

without paying, he said. The incident was caught on the store’s

surveillance tape, he added. The teens managed to run out of the

store with a skateboard in hand, Fitzpatrick said, and no weapons

were used.

“The store clerk got into a struggle with the three men,”

FitzPatrick said.

The police officers who saw the surveillance tape were able to

identify the three teens and arrested them at about 5:30 p.m. near

the intersection of Austin Street and Tyler Way, FitzPatrick said.

The teens have been seen in areas where gang members hang out, but

are not confirmed gang members, he said. All three are being held in

Orange County jail in lieu of $50,000 bail each.