Off-duty SDPD officer identified in alleged road rage shooting
OCEANSIDE -- Police weren't saying much Monday about a suspected road rage incident Saturday night in which an off-duty San Diego police officer shot and wounded a Camp Pendleton woman and her 8-year-old son. The off-duty officer, Franklin "Frank" White of Oceanside, fired an undisclosed number of shots during the incident, which happened at about 9:30 p.m. in a shopping center parking lot off Old Grove Road, said Oceanside police Sgt. Kelan Poorman. The woman and child remained hospitalized Monday, but authorities said their injuries were not life threatening. White is on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the Oceanside Police Department's criminal investigation and an internal review by the San Diego Police Department, Chief William Lansdowne said Monday. White has worked for the San Diego Police Department since October 2005. Poorman said the incident apparently began when one car cut off another car in traffic. He said one driver followed the other driver to the parking lot of the Lowe's Home Improvement store on Old Grove Road, where the shooting took place. He declined to say which car White was driving. The other driver, a white female in her 20's, was not armed, according to Poorman. Parties from both cars called police, he said. Poorman said he did not know whether White -- who was accompanied by his wife at the time of the incident --- was inside or outside of his car during the shooting, or whether White acted in self-defense. "I think that's probably why the shots were fired, but I'd be speculating," Poorman said. The injured woman is married to a Marine and lives on Camp Pendleton, Poorman said. She was taken to Sharp Memorial Hospital in San Diego, where she is still a patient. As of Monday afternoon, she had not been interviewed, but investigators did speak with her son at Rady Children's Hospital, Poorman said. He said Oceanside investigators are still trying to obtain surveillance video from businesses in the area White was not in a police vehicle at the time of the incident, Poorman said. State and federal laws give off-duty police officers the right to carry a weapon. A countywide policy adopted in May 2007 addresses when and how off-duty officers may intervene when they observe a law being broken, said San Diego Police Department spokeswoman Monica Munoz. The policy states that law enforcement officers retain "full power and authority" to perform policing duties when not on duty, including carrying a weapon. Munoz said she could not comment on whether San Diego police official believe White fired his gun in a police capacity because they are not conducting the investigation into the incident.

National Auto Defect Law Firm Bisnar Chase Wins Settlement Against Ford in Fatal 15-Passenger Van (E-350) Rollover Accident Case
Ford Motor Company agreed to an out-of-court settlement of an automobile defect claim involving a Ford E-350, 15-passenger van accident. The lawsuit was brought by Jose Estrada and Rita Cruz Quintero, on behalf of the estate of Jessica Estrada, their daughter. The settlement amount is "Confidential." National automobile defect law firm Bisnar Chase represented the parents in the Los Angeles Superior Court Case Number BC 354232. Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) March 19, 2008 -- Ford Motor Company agreed to an out-of-court settlement of a fatal15-passenger Ford E-350 van accident case that alleged a defective Goodyear tire. The lawsuit was brought by Jose Estrada and Rita Cruz Quintero, on behalf of the estate of their daughter, Jessica Estrada. The terms of the settlement agreement required the parents to keep the settlement amount "Confidential." National automobile defect law firm Bisnar Chase represented the parents in the Los Angeles Superior Court Case Number BC 354232. On May 27, 2006, Jose Estrada was driving a 2005 Ford E-350 15-passengeer van that carried several members of his family on their return trip to San Diego from a family vacation when a rear Goodyear tire failed according to the police report. The failed tire caused Estrada to lose control of the van according to the report. The van rolled over, collapsing the roof, causing fatal injuries to Jessica Estrada. According to the lawsuit, Ford knowingly designed and manufactured the Ford E-350 15-paseenger van with defective roof supports, did not use an advanced electronic stability system that was readily available and used tires that were defectively designed and manufactured by Goodyear. Ford put their profits ahead of consumer safety, according to the lawsuit. "The 15-passenger van is probably the most dangerous non-commercial vehicle on our highways," said Brian Chase, who led the litigation team. "Users of these vans typically have no idea how inherently dangerous these vehicles are until it is too late. What is a real shame is that for a few hundred dollars Ford could make these vans substantially safer." About Bisnar Chase Bisnar Chase is a California personal injury law firm that represents people who have been very seriously injured because of an accident, a defective product or negligence. Most of their accident and defective product cases are auto-related. They include cases against negligent drivers who have caused serious traffic accidents and against auto companies like Ford and General Motors that have manufactured defective vehicles.

2 Dead, 1 Wounded in Car-to-Car San Diego Highway Shooting
SAN DIEGO — Two passengers were killed and a third injured when a young man driving on state Route 54 just before midnight was shot by someone in another car, sending his car into a rollover crash. The eastbound side of the freeway remained closed ten hours later. The four young men were heading east on state Route 54 just past Briarwood Road at 11:45 p.m. Sunday when another vehicle pulled alongside and someone inside started shooting at them, said sheriff's homicide Lt. Dennis Brugos. “The driver was shot and lost control of the car,” Brugos said. The dark-colored Honda smashed into a concrete wall at a high speed and flipped over. One passenger was hurled from the car and another fell partly outside; both died. The driver and the third passenger were hospitalized, and one was undergoing surgery Monday morning, Brugos said. All the victims appeared to be in their late teens to early 20s, Brugos said. He said they are believed to be from the area near the crash site. Brugos said he did not know if the men who died were killed by the crash or bullet wounds, or how many shots were fired. “We are reconstructing what happened,” Brugos said. Once the sun came up, investigators began walking along the lanes looking for bullet casings and other evidence, Brugos said. Deputies don't know what motivated the shooting, nor do they have any description of the assailant or assailants or their vehicle. Eastbound lanes of SR-54 were shut down between Woodman Street and state Route 125 and were expected to remain closed until at least 8 a.m. Brugos said they hope that someone who may have witnessed the shooting will come forward. He asked anyone with information to call (858) 974-2321 or San Diego County Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477, where they can remain anonymous. The identities of the dead men have not yet been released.

Honda Flips Following 120 MPH Chase
IMPERIAL BEACH, Calif. -- A parolee is taken into custody following a high-speed pursuit through San Diego that ended in a crash, according to officials. The incident started around 3:30 p.m. in Spring Valley. According to CHP spokesman Officer Brian Pennings, an officer tried to pull the driver of the silver Honda Accord over for an alleged seatbelt violation. The car failed to yield and began leading officers on a slow-speed pursuit, Pennings said. Eventually, the driver took off, Pennings said, leading the CHP on a chase, topping speeds between 100 and 120 mph west on state Route 54. At times, officials said the driver was using the center divide and was driving across all lanes of the 54. He then transitioned onto southbound Interstate 5 before exiting the freeway and heading west on Palm Avenue in Imperial Beach. According to the CHP, the car overturned near the intersection of Palm and 12th Street. The driver ran from the wreckage, but officers were able to stop him about 50 yards from the crash site, Pennings said. The man, identified as Jesse Valdez, 25, resisted arrest and officers used a Taser gun on him. He was transported to a hospital due to minor injuries received from the crash. Valdez, a parolee from Chula Vista, faces charges of felony evading and felony reckless driving, according to Pennings. No other drivers were injured in the pursuit.

Car Torn Apart In 3-Vehicle Crash
City police told NBC 7/39 that one victim was seriously injured in the wreck on Torrey Santa Fe Road in Torrey Highlands. Investigators said it would take several hours to process the scene, partly because of the complexity of the investigation and partly due to fog in the area. According to police, the incident started when a Honda Civic was "drifting," which is a slang term referring to a driving technique in which a car slides at an angle. Investigators said that when the Honda struck a Lexus head-on, a passenger in the rear seat of the Honda was ejected. Soon after that crash, a Toyota Camry ran into the existing accident scene. The driver of the Honda was arrested at the scene on suspicion of driving under the influence, NBC 7/39 reported, as was the Camry's driver Another person riding inside the Honda was also taken to the hospital. The ejected passenger has serious injuries to the lungs, pelvis and head, police said.

Man killed in late-night crash on I-805
SAN DIEGO – A 49-year-old San Diego man was killed late Tuesday night in an accident on Interstate 805, the California Highway Patrol said. The accident happened shortly after 11 p.m., CHP spokesman Brad Baehr said. The man was driving a 1999 Volkswagen Jetta in the slow lane northbound near the 43rd Street overpass when he lost control of the car, veered across all northbound lanes and struck a concrete median head-on, Baehr said. The car bounced off the median, spun back across the lanes and hit a call box on the right shoulder. The car came to rest facing southwest on a dirt embankment. The driver, who was not wearing a seat belt, was taken to Mercy Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, Baehr said. The county Medical Examiner's Office had not released his name pending notification of relatives.