Community Corner

Man Arrested After Driving Four Feet Into Beach Surf

The suspect is now under psychological observation after driving his car from the parking lot onto the sand beneath Long Beach Museum of Art, and into the foamy surf off of Ocean Boulevard.

A man who drove his car from a parking lot into the ocean Friday in Long Beach was undergoing psychological observation, police said.

The driver was not hurt in the the 3:10 p.m. incident in the 2100 block of East Ocean Boulevard, said Nancy Pratt of the Long Beach Police Department.

The driver and a male passenger jumped out after the white Nissan Maxima stopped about four feet into the surf, the Press-Telegram reported.

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The passenger fled into the bluffs and lifeguards apprehended the driver, who tried to swim farther from shore, according to the newspaper.

"With the assistance of Long Beach fire, he was detained until we arrived, Pratt said.

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The passenger was not found, Pratt said.

"The beach was crowded. Fortunately no one was hurt," Long Beach Fire Department Capt. Richard Brandt told the Press-Telegram.

Witnesses said the driver was yelling, "This is my beach," and calling out his Social Security number before steering the car into the water, the newspaper reported.     

"He is being held for observation ... at a hospital," Pratt said.

-- City News Service


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