Buena Park Ca

For the second time in six months, Buena Park pastor Wiley S. Drake has called on his followers to pray for the demise of leaders of Americans United for Separation of Church and State. Last week, Drake learned that the IRS had launched an investigation into his endorsement of former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee's presidential bid, an inquiry that Americans United had urged. The endorsement was written on church letterhead and announced during a church-affiliated Internet radio show.

An attorney and an accountant have been charged in an alleged medical insurance scam in which thousands of patients across the U.S. were allegedly recruited to undergo unnecessary procedures at a Buena Park surgical center in exchange for cash or gifts.

Police arrested a suspected drunk driver Sunday in connection with a fiery two-car crash in Buena Park that killed two men, authorities said. The rear-end collision occurred about 1:20 a.m. as both vehicles were heading north on Alondra Boulevard near La Mirada Boulevard. The impact caused the victims' sport utility vehicle to roll and burst into flames that rose more than 20 feet, police said. No rescue was possible because of the fire.

A man riding a motorcycle was killed Thursday after hitting a sports car and a tractor-trailer, authorities said. Brandon Garcia, 23, of Irvine was switching lanes heading south on Beach Boulevard about 7:45 a.m. His handlebar struck the tractor-trailer and he veered into a Mercedes-Benz, witnesses told police. The motorcycle bounced off the car back toward the tractor-trailer, which ran over the man. He died at the scene.

A teenage bicyclist who was hit by a drunk driver died Monday, according to police. Jessica Poungchailpuek, 16, of Buena Park was westbound on Crescent Avenue about 4:30 p.m. Sunday when a Chevrolet Suburban ran a red light at 40 mph and crashed into her, police said. She suffered major head trauma and was airlifted to UCI Medical Center in Orange. George Bridgeforth Jr., the driver of the SUV, was arrested on suspicion of felony drunk driving and vehicular manslaughter.

Police on Saturday were looking for three men allegedly involved in the fatal shooting of a fourth man the night before. The victim, whose name was not released, was gunned down about 10:25 p.m. Friday as he walked west on La Palma Avenue near La Costa Circle. Witnesses reported seeing him shot several times by one of two men who approached him, authorities said. The two men got into a green GMC pickup driven by a third man and fled.

More than 170 Metrolink passengers boarded the first 10 trains to pull into Orange County's 11th and newest station, which opened Tuesday in Buena Park. A contingent of City Council members, city staffers and county Supervisor Chris Norby arose early to take the first train that rolled into the Lakeknoll Drive station at 4:45 a.m.

The weekend shooting death of a 27-year-old man in Buena Park may have been gang-related, police say. The victim, whose name was not released, was walking in the 6300 block of Los Robles Avenue about 7 p.m. Saturday when he was approached by a man who fired two rounds from a handgun. One round struck the victim, who was taken to UCI Medical Center in Orange, where he died early Sunday. A witness reported seeing a car slowly following the shooter, who fled on foot.

An appeals board said a Buena Park man accused of having ties to terrorism but never charged should be deported to Jordan, overturning a judge who blocked his deportation on grounds that he would be tortured. The nine-page ruling by the Board of Immigration Appeals was a double victory for the government in its nearly two-year battle to deport Abdel-Jabbar Hamdan, father of six U.S.-born children.

A federal judge in Los Angeles late Friday struck down a last-ditch effort by the U.S. government to continue jailing a Buena Park man detained for two years because of his alleged ties to terrorism. The after-hours ruling ended a day of roller-coaster emotions for Abdel Jabbar Hamdan and his family. Hamdan, 45, had been ordered freed Thursday by U.S. District Court Judge Terry J. Hatter Jr. and was looking forward to going home.