Police probe pipe bomb incidents Huntington Beach...

Police probe pipe bomb incidents

Huntington Beach Police continue to investigate a series of three

pipe bomb explosions that occurred in a one-week period.

The first explosion occurred at Holland Drive and Marken Lane on

Aug. 31; the second at Pacific Coast Highway and 12th Street on Sept.

5; and the third at Frankfort Avenue and Hill Street, also on Sept.

5.

A woman who witnessed the explosion at Frankfort Avenue saw a

flash and felt sand hit her leg when the bomb went off, said Lt.

Craig Junginger. She was not injured, Junginger said.

The pipe bombs were constructed from segments of galvanized metal

pipe filled with an unknown black powder, Junginger said.

Investigators from the Orange County Sheriff’s Department are

analyzing the bomb material.

Metal pipe bombs, like those found last week, can be extremely

dangerous.

“When they blow up, there’s fragments of steel blowing out,”

Junginger said.

The bombs were planted within a one-mile radius of one another.

In one case, a person was seen leaving the area where a bomb

exploded. He was described as a man in his early 20s, about 6 feet

tall, wearing a dark-colored baseball cap, denim shorts, a white

T-shirt and a white nylon windbreaker, police said.

Police do not have any solid leads and are asking for the

community’s help.

“Someone in the community knows who’s doing it or saw him doing

it,” Junginger said.

Anyone who sees something that appears to be a bomb should call

police immediately.

“Don’t touch it , don’t go near it, call us,” Junginger said.

Teens hospitalized after stabbing

Three young men were hospitalized with stab wounds after a fight

broke out at a house party late Friday in the 6200 block of Hamshire

Drive, police said.

A 17-year-old who was stabbed in the chest with a knife remains in

critical condition at UC Irvine Medical Center, said Lt. Craig

Junginger.

David Patterson, 19, of Fountain Valley and Wills Truman, 19, of

Huntington Beach suffered minor stab wounds. They were treated and

released, police said.

Police believe a fight erupted at the party and the altercation

spilled out onto the street. Ten to 15 people were involved in the

fight, but police have not yet identified any suspects.

None of the victims lived at the house where the stabbings

occurred, Junginger said.

Firefighters arrive in New Orleans

Four Huntington Beach firefighters who left last week to assist in

disaster recovery efforts in the South have been stationed at a base

camp outside New Orleans, said Fire Chief Duane Olson.

Capt. Gary Finney, Capt. Robert Culhane and paramedics Tomas

Vasquez and Joshua Sandidge departed Orange County for Atlanta Sept.

7. The firefighters then traveled from Atlanta to a small parish

outside New Orleans, Olson said.

The firefighters are working in the field on reconnaissance

missions, assessing the damage at ground level. They check in on a

regular basis, and despite working amid damage and destruction, they

are staying healthy, Olson said.

“They were picked for this because of their training and

background,” he said.