Gun tossed during pursuit, four arrested A...

Gun tossed during pursuit, four arrested

A loaded gun discharged when it was thrown out of a vehicle

involved in a police chase shortly before 11 p.m. Saturday at the

intersection of Newland Street and Slater Avenue, police said.

A Huntington Beach Police officer tried to make a traffic stop on

a white Mitsubishi heading east on Warner Avenue, but the driver of

the vehicle, Javier Medrano, 19, of Santa Ana, didn’t stop,

Huntington Beach Police Sgt. Dave Bunetta said.

The Mitsubishi then traveled south on Newland, running through red

lights and driving on the wrong side of the road at Newland Street

and Slater Avenue, police said.

Officers then saw a woman passenger throw a firearm out the

window, Bunetta said, adding that it fired when it hit the ground.

Officers stopped in the area and found the gun and the bullet

while other officers continued to pursue, Bunetta said.

The vehicle continued onto Whitehorse Street into Fountain Valley,

where police said the vehicle turned on to a dead-end street and had

nowhere to go. Medrano was arrested on suspicion of felony evading

police and possession of a loaded firearm. Hernan Cortes, 20, of

Santa Ana, and Vianey Uribe, 18, of Santa Ana, were also charged with

possession of a loaded firearm.

The female passenger, a juvenile, was charged with possession of a

loaded firearm, felony evading and destruction of evidence.

Former PTA official charged

Michael Rangel, the former PTA treasurer at Kettler Elementary

School, charged with stealing $40,000, pleaded not guilty Tuesday in

West Justice Center in Westminster,, Deputy Dist. Atty. Nancy Lewis

said.

Charges include 24 counts -- three counts of forgery with the

remaining counts of burglary.

Lewis said that Rangelcommitted commercial burglary when he

entered the bank, where he deposited the allegedly stolen money into

his account. Lewis said commercial burglary can be defined as

entering a commercial establishment with the intent to commit a

theft.

Rangel’s next hearing is set for Dec. 2.

Firefighters honored by brethren

Members of the Huntington Beach Fire Department will be honored by

members of the New York Fire Department at a 4 p.m. ceremony Saturday

at Pier Plaza.

Firefighters from Huntington Beach will be presented with a small

statute in the shape of a Maltese cross made from the wreckage.

“We have a long history with the guys from New York,” Huntington

Beach Firefighter Randy Babbitt said. “We started participating in

their St. Patrick’s Day Parade in 1998. We were the first group of

non-East Coast firefighters to march in the parade.”

After the events of Sept. 11, 2001, Huntington Beach firefighters

were again dispatched to New York to help out at Ground Zero and

attend funerals of fallen firefighters.

Saturday’s ceremony is in recognition of the bond the firefighters

share.

“It’s an event to honor the brotherhood we have with New York,” he

said.

Department gets DUI grant

The Huntington Beach Police Department has been awarded a grant

from the California Office of Traffic Safety.

The two-year grant for a DUI-interdiction program will incorporate

prevention, education and enforcement efforts related to driving

under the influence. The grant will address enforcement with weekly

DUI team patrols and checkpoints.