Harbor City Ca

Members of a Harbor Gateway gang accused in the racially motivated slaying of 14-year-old Cheryl Green later killed a man who witnessed the attack, fearing he would testify against them, prosecutors charged Friday. Five members of the 204th Street gang allegedly stabbed 21-year-old Christopher Ash 80 times and cut his throat before dumping his body in the middle of a Carson street Dec. 28, according to the L.A. County district attorney's office. Lt.

A Harbor City man refueling an airport SuperShuttle van with natural gas was killed Saturday when the fuel tank on the vehicle exploded, Los Angeles County sheriff's officials said. The explosion occurred shortly after 10 a.m. at a Clean Energy station on South Figueroa Street in Carson, Deputy Ed Hernandez said. Hernandez declined to name the victim, but KCAL-TV Channel 9 identified him as Bob Mancuso, 61. The force of the blast threw the shuttle driver 10 to 20 yards away, Hernandez said.

A 20-month-old girl was killed after being run over by her uncle's car while he was backing out of a driveway in the 1300 block of West 251st Street, police said. Los Angeles Police Department officials said the uncle, who was not identified, told officers that he saw the toddler before he started backing up but also knew that her father was nearby and assumed he had gotten her out of the way of his vehicle.

They were killed within an hour of each other, one as he stood in his driveway, the other while paying for groceries at a convenience store. Both were 34. They were killed in the same part of town, and police suspect gang members in both shootings. And as best as anyone can tell, neither was doing anything more than minding his own business.

Like the best creature tales, this one begins with something lurking in a lake. The story has been unfolding in Harbor City, just north of San Pedro, where people have packed into Ken Malloy Harbor Regional Park for three days. They scan the water for a glimpse of what authorities believe is a spectacled caiman, a crocodile cousin from Central and South America.

For five days now, the alligator lurking in a lake in the middle of Harbor City has been locked in a standoff with authorities. Park rangers hoped the wayward, 7-foot alligator could be caught when it roamed on shore. But the creature has proven elusive, swimming just below the surface -- often with only its piercing eyes visible, like something out of "Crocodile Hunter." So on Tuesday, officials flew in two alligator rustlers from Colorado to finish the job.

The battle of wits between a renegade alligator and a crew of Colorado "gator wranglers" stretched into its second day Wednesday as boats dragged an enormous fishing net across Harbor City's Lake Machado, but twice failed to snag the 7-foot reptile. As a Los Angeles recreation and parks truck hauled the massive net out of the murky waters Wednesday evening, scores of spectators crowded around to see whether the net contained "Harbor Park Harry," as some have nicknamed the beast.

A new crew of wranglers has rolled into town, intent on nabbing the 7-foot alligator that has been lurking in Harbor City's Lake Machado. But the result Tuesday remained the same: The alligator was still on the loose. The hunt resumed late Monday after the four-man team flew in from Florida and offered to do the job for free, with expenses such as travel and lodging paid by the city.

Old Bob, a 4-foot-long, 100-pound alligator snapping turtle, was a local legend for years before repairs to Fullerton's Laguna Lake dredged him up last September. A monitor lizard appeared several years ago in a dam pond near Yuma, Calif., but was never captured. Now an alligator in Harbor City's Lake Machado has alternately thrilled and tantalized a growing crowd.

The alligator remains on the lam, but the alleged alligator dumpers have been snared. Two San Pedro men -- one a former Los Angeles police officer -- were arrested Wednesday on suspicion of allegedly dumping an alligator into Lake Machado. For two weeks, the creature has eluded self-styled gator wranglers from Colorado and Florida. The gator's name is Reggie, and he grew too big for his backyard jungle.