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UPDATE: Wednesday, JUNE 18 at 10:25 a.m.
By Brian Hews
Hundreds of witnesses who were attending Father’s Day picnics at Cerritos Regional Park this past Sunday when they witnessed an adult man leap into a murky fishing lake and drown.
The victim, only being described by members of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department as “an adult male” apparently decided to “take a swim” in the 16-foot lake that is stocked regularly with fish but realized that was in immediate distress.
Hews Media Group interviewed several witnesses of the incident less than a half hour after the drowning took place and after an officer from the Cerritos Sheriff’s Station jumped into the lake in attempt to save the unidentified victim.
Family members saw the drowning take place, and that one of the daughters of the victim captured the entire incident on a cell phone.
Family and friends of the victim did not speak to the several reporters who quickly converged on the park that is located at Bloomfield Avenue and 195th Street.
One witness, from Compton, said that two people jumped into the lake to help save the man to no avail.
Homicide detectives were interviewing witnesses.
A group of local residents from Cerritos and Artesia gathered at the location and began placing memorial candles where the death took place.
Ed Winter, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles County Coroner told HMG-CN on Wednesday afternoon that the name of the victim had not been released to members of the media pending notification purposes.
By Brian Hews and Randy Economy
First post: Sunday June 15, 8:00 pm
Hews Media Group-Community News has learned that a drowning has occurred at Cerritos Regional Park. Sheriffs are converging on the lake to investigate.
Update: 9:00 pm
Reports into HMG-CN say that Sheriifs have pulled a body from Cerritos Regional Park lake.
Update:
HMG-CN has learned that a 31 year old male was pulled from the lake.
UPDATE: 9:29 p.m.
Witnesses have told HMG-CN that the victim jumped into the lake at the Cerritos Regional Park to apparently “take a swim” but once he was in the murky water realized that was in immediate distress.
The deceased victim was pulled from the lake from a female officer with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. Witnesses also tell the newspaper that the victims family members saw the drowning take place, and that one of the daughters of the victim captured the entire situation on a cell phone.
Family and friends of the victim, did not speak to the several reporters who were at the park who converged on the park located at Bloomfield Avenue and 195th Street. One witness, from Compton, said that two people jumped into the lake to help save the man.
Homicide detectives were interviewing witnesses.
A group of local residents from Cerritos and Artesia have gathered at the location and are placing memorial candles where the incident took place.
Approximate location where the drowning took place at Cerritos Regional Park on Fathers Day afternoon.
10:17 p.m. UPDATE:
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has sent the following statement to HMG-CN about the drowning at Cerritos Regional Park.
DATE: Sunday, June 15, 2014 TIME: 6:24 P.M. LOCATION: 19000 blk Bloomfield Avenue, Cerritos
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Homicide detectives responded to the 19000 block of Bloomfield Avenue, Cerritos, to investigate the circumstances surrounding the drowning death of a male adult. The male adult was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead. There does not appear to be any evidence of foul play. There is no additional information available at this time.
Anyone with information about this incident is encouraged to contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Homicide Bureau at (323) 890-5500. If you prefer to provide information anonymously, you may call “Crime Stoppers” by dialing (800) 222-TIPS (8477), or texting the letters TIPLA plus your tip to CRIMES (274637), or by using the website http://lacrimestoppers.org.
UPDATE AT 11:16 p.m.
HMG-CN has confirmed that family members of the victim and other visitors at Cerritos Regional Park first called for help at about 6:30 p.m. after the man did not resurface after he voluntarily jumped into the lake.
Witnesses also tell the newspaper that the victim had apparently been drinking alcohol and was attending a Family Reunion at the popular park.
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