Identification

A 24-year-old Costa Mesa man was identified Friday as the swimmer who died two days earlier when he was caught up in a riptide about 40 yards offshore. The man was identified by Orange County coroner's investigators as Armando Pina Haro. Haro was caught in the deadly undertow just off the Balboa Peninsula about 2:30 p.m. Wednesday as he swam with his older brother. The unidentified brother also was caught in the riptide but was rescued.

A project aimed at identifying and deporting illegal immigrants being held in the city jail drew praise Thursday from Rep. Christopher Cox (R-Newport Beach). "It's very important to know right up front who we're dealing with," said Cox. He said illegal immigrants often give phony names to police officers at the time of arrest then fail to appear in court if released on their own recognizance. The result, Cox said, is those immigrants escape justice by becoming "lost to the bureaucratic system."

Specialized license plates have become such popular highway fashion statements that more than 1.5 million California cars are adorned with various themed plates showcasing military deeds or loyalty to an alma mater or a favorite cause.

A 17-year-old boy fatally shot as he and a friend got out of a station wagon at a McDonald's restaurant was identified Tuesday as Ray Lee Chafin of Midway City. About 7 p.m. Monday, one or two men walked up to Chafin in the parking lot of the hamburger restaurant and fired multiple rounds, police said. Chafin died on the way to Columbia Huntington Beach Hospital and Medical Center. The assailants fled the scene and are still at large, police said.

A 59-year-old woman found dead in a car trunk Friday evening was identified Saturday as a person reported missing earlier in the week, authorities said. Doris Bennett of Lancaster had been missing since Wednesday, said Lt. Tom Schwabe, of the Los Angeles County coroner's office. Her body was found behind an apartment complex in the 44000 block of Division Street, said Deputy Elsa Avila, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

Investigators have released artist renditions of two unidentified bodies, hoping the public will help them name the men. Orange County coroner investigators and artists developed a sketch of one man and a clay model re-creation of the second man's face. The sketch is of a man whose nude body was pulled Monday morning from the waters south of the Newport Jetty. He was 5-foot-11, 160 pounds with brownish red hair, freckles and blue eyes.

An 18-year-old woman in critical condition in a Bellflower hospital was identified Thursday as a Los Alamitos teen, after her mother saw a news report showing the teen's distinctive tattoo, authorities said. Stacey Posey, who was struck by a car while skateboarding Wednesday evening in the 9400 block of Rosecrans Avenue, had no identification with her, according to Los Angeles County Sheriff's Sgt. Jaime Baltazar.

A critically injured teenager left unconscious when she was struck by a vehicle while riding a skateboard in Bellflower was identified 24 hours after the accident as an 18-year-old resident of Los Alamitos. Stacey Posey was identified Thursday night when her mother saw pictures of her on a television news broadcast, said Lt. Margo Carpini of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. Posey was struck by a vehicle about 6:30 p.m.

Two teenagers gunned down in Bowling Green Park were identified Wednesday as Jeremy Ryan Foster and Thang Cong Nguyen, friends from the same neighborhood, police said. Foster and Nguyen, both 18 and both Fountain Valley residents, were shot to death about 8:30 p.m. Tuesday in what appeared to be an ambush-style attack off Parkview Avenue near Bowling Green Street in Westminster, authorities said.

The skeletal remains of a young adult were found in a remote area of Orange County by three hikers, a sheriff's spokesman said Monday. The remains, including a skull, were discovered in heavy brush by hikers near Trabuco Canyon off Trabuco Creek Road, said sheriff's Lt. Ron Wilkerson. The area is northeast of O'Neill Regional Park. The victim's sex, age and cause of death could not be determined at the scene because of deterioration.