BRIEFLY IN PUBLIC SAFETY

Female pedestrian injured in accident

A 49-year-old Laguna Beach woman was struck in a crosswalk at 6:32 p.m. Tuesday at Aster Street and North Coast Highway, Laguna Beach police Sgt. Jason Kravetz said.

The woman suffered broken bones in her upper body and head injuries. She was taken to Mission Hospital and is doing “OK,” Kravetz said.

The woman was struck as she crossed Aster Street by a woman driving northbound on Cliff Drive.

The driver, a 44-year-old from Huntington Beach, was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Police are determining whether to find her responsible for the accident, Kravetz said.

Teens suspected of vandalism spree

Four Laguna Beach teenagers, including two juveniles, were arrested Saturday on suspicion of damaging nine mailboxes and a police radar trailer near Alta Laguna Boulevard and Cresta Way, Kravetz said.

Multiple mailboxes were reported vandalized around midnight Sept. 5, according to police records. The mailbox damages total $2,195, Kravetz said.

The total damage to the radar trailer — a device placed on roads to indicate the speed of vehicles — was not known.

Witnesses in the area reported that kids who had allegedly toilet-papered a home in the Top of the World neighborhood were walking through the area hitting mailboxes with a baseball bat, but apparently the weapon was a skateboard, Kravetz said.

A license plate led police to a home on Thalia Street, where all four suspects were apprehended at 2:14 a.m.

Bryce Fontenot and Torin O’Hara, both 18, were booked and taken to Orange County jail, and two male juveniles were booked and released to their parents on charges of felony vandalism and conspiracy to commit a crime, Kravetz said.

Anaheim man dies from injuries in Aug. 30 beating

A 35-year-old Anaheim man has died from injuries apparently inflicted Aug. 30 in a fight at a home in the 1800 block of Rim Rock Canyon Road, Kravetz said.

Officers had been summoned to the location by someone who called “911.” Inside a bathroom, police found Alfonso Jason Gallegos with serious head and facial injuries.

Alleged suspects had fled the scene.

Gallegos died Sept. 10 at Mission Hospital.

Police have identified four persons who fled the residence after the fight. No arrests have been made.

Wooden ship stolen from shop patio

A wooden ship in a case was reported stolen from a front patio of a gallery in the 1200 block of North Coast Highway at 2:29 p.m. Saturday. The value was given at $1,000.

Lifeguards pull four from ocean off Aliso

Lifeguards had to pull a 14-year-old girl from the ocean at Aliso Beach as well as three people who went in after her, at 7:07 p.m. Saturday, according to police records.

Woman arrested again after allegedly ducking bill

A woman who had been arrested Aug. 23 on suspicion of burglary in connection with unpaid bills at two luxury hotels — the Montage Resort & Spa in Laguna Beach and the Ritz Carlton in Laguna Niguel — was arrested again on similar charges at 5:31 a.m. Sunday at the Best Western Inn in Laguna Beach, Kravetz said.

Susan Lim, of Los Angeles, 56, gave one night’s deposit at the motel and stayed four nights, Kravetz said. When she couldn’t pay the bill, she was evicted from the room, but allegedly refused to leave the premises or the area, and police were called. Lim was arrested on suspicion of defrauding the innkeeper and transported to Orange County Jail, Kravetz said.

Wedding guests suspected in theft

Four cases of wine, valued at $400, were reported stolen at 1:56 p.m. Sunday from a wedding location in the 600 block of South Coast Highway.

The operator suspects four guests who demanded wine after a wedding reception had ended may have broken into a shed.

Camera wildfire monitoring approved

Digital cameras will assist in investigations and as a tool for wildfire prevention in Laguna Beach. Self-contained cameras, which can operate for up to 30 days, will be used to monitor the wildland-urban interface during severe fire-weather conditions and could be deployed in areas where vegetation fires ignite.

The cameras were approved by the Laguna Beach City Council on Sept. 2.

Fire department investigators have conducted preliminary testing and are pleased with the results, according to Division Chief Tom Christopher.

— Barbara Diamond