PUBLIC SAFETY
Seven suspects were arrested after they approached a rival gang member and got into a fight, police said. The rival, a 17-year-old who was later arrested at his Newport Beach home, pulled out a handgun and fired several shots at the group approaching him, police said.
Also honored were retired helicopter pilot John Susman, Costa Mesa Officer Frank Christian, Park Ranger Matt Pallo and Gang Officers Scott Stafford and Robert Hanson.
Man sentenced for incident that caused brain damageCosta Mesa resident Morteza Bakhtiari, 27, was sentenced to 15 years in prison Monday for a road rage incident that left a father of three with permanent brain damage.
In April, he was convicted of attempted murder, two counts of assault with a deadly weapon, felony hit and run with injury, hit and run with property damage and falsely reporting a crime. After hearing emotional pleas from both sides, Superior Court Judge Francisco Briseno sentenced Bakhtiari to the maximum time for his crimes.
The victim spent months in a coma from his head injuries and has sustained brain damage.
EDUCATIONLocal students graduate, celebrate commencementThe Newport-Mesa Unified School District capped its 2006-07 school year on Thursday when all five of its comprehensive high schools — Corona del Mar, Costa Mesa, Estancia, Newport Harbor and the Back Bay-Monte Vista alternative site — held their commencements.
On the first day of summer, without a cloud in the sky, students gathered at Orange Coast College, St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church and the Newport Harbor and Corona del Mar campuses to turn their tassels around. The ceremonies marked the end of a year in which the district started construction on the Measure F school bond, opened its first new school in five years — Early College High School — and scored an all-time high on the state Academic Performance Index.
Supt. Jeffrey Hubbard, who took office in July, got to enjoy his first full day of high school graduations. Earlier in the month, he had observed commencement at Orange Coast Middle College High School.
"It's a strong reminder of why we do what we do in these schools," he said at OCC's LeBard Stadium during Estancia's graduation. "It's the culmination of our work. So it's a very exciting time."
