Laguna Beach Police seek alleged attacker A...

Laguna Beach Police seek alleged attacker

A woman told police she was attacked by a man who offered to walk

her home from a supermarket.

Police did not release the name of the woman, a 56-year-old Laguna

Beach resident. She told police that at about 1 a.m. on Sunday, she

was approached by a man while she was carrying groceries outside the

Ralph’s supermarket on South Coast Highway, Sgt. Jason Kravetz said.

The woman told investigators that without provocation, the man

punched her in the face and knocked her on the ground, before she

retaliated.

“She then kicked him from the ground in the groin area,” Kravetz

said. “It must have hurt him, because he ran off.”

Police are still looking for any witnesses. The woman described

the attacker as 6-feet tall, weighing 170 pounds, with blond hair and

blue eyes.

Speed limit reduced on portion of highway

Laguna police are advising drivers to obey a new speed limit on a

stretch of South Coast Highway.

The speed limit on South Coast Highway between Cardinal Way and

Vista del Sol was lowered from 45 to 40 mph about three weeks ago,

Sgt. Jason Kravetz said. The new limit was set by Caltrans in

response to petitions from South Laguna residents who were worried

about speeding cars and increased pedestrian use of the area.

Police were waiting for drivers to get accustomed to the new

limit, Kravetz said, but have already begun to enforce the new rule.

“Since it’s been up for three weeks, we are writing tickets,” he

said.

Special care needed for Halloween safety

In anticipation of Halloween, Laguna police have released a set of

safety tips to advise Lagunans on how to stay safe during the

holiday.

Tips for adults:

* Welcome trick-or-treaters with your porch lights and exterior

lights on.

* Coordinate with your neighbors and patrol your streets

occasionally to discourage speeding motorists, acts of malicious

mischief and crimes against children.

* Set a time limit for your children to trick-or-treat. An adult

should accompany any children under eight years of age.

* Instruct children never to eat anything until they are home and

the treats have been examined. Cut and wash fruit before eating.

Throw away anything unwrapped.

* Check the wrappers of commercial treats for tampering.

* Report any suspicious or unusual activity immediately to the

police department at (949) 497-0701, ext. 0.

* Exercise extreme caution when driving a vehicle. Be on the alert

for excited youngsters who may have their vision restricted by masks.

Tips for trick-or-treaters:

* Do not accept rides from strangers.

* Carry a flashlight and use it when crossing streets.

* Cross only at street corners, never between parked cars and

never diagonally across an intersection.

* Look in all directions before crossing the street, and obey all

traffic lights. Walk, never run across the street, and use sidewalks

instead of the street for walking, if possible.

* Never trick-or-treat alone. Have at least two “buddies” with you

for the entire evening.

* Do not go inside anyone’s home. Remain on the porch at all

times.

* Do not take short cuts through backyards, alleys, or parks.

* Trick-or-treat on well-lighted streets. If possible, daylight

hours are best.

Costume tips:

* Make sure your child’s costume is not flammable. Show your child

how to roll on the ground in the event his/her costume catches fire.

In case of fire, do not run, as this makes the fire spread more

rapidly.

* Your child should have at least one hand free at all times to

avoid injury in case of a fall.

* Make sure that your child’s mask does not restrict his/her

vision and that it has adequate breathing holes. It is preferable to

use nonallergenic makeup for the disguise instead of using a mask.

* Use reflective tape of retro-reflective material for costumes.

* Swords, knives and other such accessories should be of soft,

flexible material.

Candy tips:

* Instruct your child not to eat or drink any candy or food until

he/she arrives home to be inspected by adults.

* Accept only professionally wrapped candy. Discard all candies

which are not wrapped or whose wrapping appears to have been opened

or punctured.