Firefighters doused a fire Friday aboard a 36-foot fishing boat at the Port of Los Angeles in San Pedro.
The boat, Mary Claire, in a side tie to other vessels at Berth 72, caught fire about 2:50 p.m., U.S. Coast Guard spokeswoman Stephanie Young said.
No one was on board.
People aboard a ship tied next to it noticed the fire and cut the Mary Claire's tie so it would drift into the channel.
The Coast Guard, county lifeguards, Port police and city firefighters responded to the call.
The cause of the fire was under investigation.
By Josh Grossberg
Staff Writer
A Torrance police officer opened fire on two female robbery suspects -- wounding at least one of them -- after he was hit by their speeding getaway car, police said today.
The officer, whose name was not released, was taken to the hospital for treatment after the Saturday night incident outside the Marshalls department store in the 19800 block of Hawthorne Boulevard.
Torrance police Sgt. Bernard Anderson said the officer was sore but did not suffer any broken bones. "He's feeling much better," he said.
Two of the three women allegedly involved in what started out as a shoplifting incident have been arrested. Police are searching for the third.
Workers at the department store notified police at 8:23 p.m. Saturday that they recognized two women suspected of shoplifting at other Marshalls and similar stores throughout Southern California, Anderson said.
When two officers arrived, they saw two women carrying items from the store. As they approached the women, one resisted and the other ran to a waiting car.
"The suspects were confronted and one started an altercation," Anderson said.
The getaway car, driven by a third woman, started moving and one of the officers ordered it to stop. Instead, it sped toward him, Anderson said.
"He landed on the hood and it carried him for several yards," he said.
The fact that the car accelerated toward the officer "shows me there was no concern for that officer," Anderson said.
The car sped off but was abandoned at 182nd Street and Prairie Avenue in Torrance, where two people were seen running away, he said.
Officers from Hawthorne and Redondo Beach joined the search and cordoned off the area, where the injured suspect was found with a bullet wound in a hand. She was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, Anderson said.
The wounded suspect, Delora Roberson, 38, of Los Angeles, was booked on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon on a police officer, robbery and burglary.
Also arrested was Danisha Brown, 18, of Los Angeles, who was booked on suspicion of robbery and burglary.
The third woman remains at large. She is described as black, in her 20s, with short black hair and a ponytail. She was wearing a gray hooded jacket with a Nike logo.
The District Attorney's Office was informed of the officer-involved shooting, as per city policy, and an investigation is ongoing, the sergeant said.
Anderson said several law enforcement agencies have been in touch with Torrance police about the women.
"We believe they were doing similar crimes throughout the region," Anderson said.
Anyone who witnessed the incident or has other information is asked to contact Torrance police at 310-618-5570.
Five fire engines, along with a truck and a hazmat team, are battling a blaze at a home in the 1600 block of Via Montemar in Palos Verdes Estates.
The response came after a report of an explosion around 4:30 p.m. today.
Fire officials said they haven't found any victims in the home, though there is some concern about family pets.
We'll let you know more as we get it.
