TORRANCE TRIBUNE March 16, 2017 Page 3 Police Briefs South High Student Dies in Car Collision Sixteen-year-old South High School student and star baseball player Jesse Esphorst, Jr. lost his life in the wake of a three-car traffic collision the evening of March 7 that also left his father hospitalized. That night at approximately 10:09 p.m., officers from the Torrance Police Department responded to the collision at the intersection of Crenshaw Boulevard and Crest Road. On arrival, officers discovered that a silver 2004 Audi A6 and a black 2014 Mercedes Benz GLK350 were both traveling northbound on Crenshaw Boulevard when they collided with a white 2000 Toyota Sienna van that was making a left turn from southbound Crenshaw Boulevard to eastbound Crest Road. Jesse Esphorst, 47, was behind the wheel of the Sienna with his son as the passenger. After being treated at the scene by Torrance Fire Department personnel, father and son were transported to a local hospital where Jesse Esphorst Jr. succumbed to his injuries. Classmates, teammates and rivals held a private vigil on the baseball field last Wednesday, while others set up a memorial at the accident scene with photos and flowers. Esphorst, Jr., considered a future professional baseball prospect, had hit a home run in a game earlier that evening against Hawthorne High. His father was still listed in stable condition at the time of this writing. Initial investigations indicate the driver of the Audi was involved in a minor collision in Rancho Palos Verdes with the Mercedes Benz and fled the scene. The Audi driver fled northbound Crenshaw and the driver of the Mercedes Benz GLK350 was following the Audi when both vehicles ran the red signal for northbound Crenshaw Boulevard at Crest Road and both collided with the Toyota Sienna van. After the collision, the Audi fled northbound on Crenshaw and the driver of the Mercedes GLK350 stayed at the scene. The Audi was located a short time later near the scene unoccupied. An extensive follow-up investigation revealed the identity of the Audi A6 driver as 28-year-old Los Angeles resident Darryl Hicks, who was subsequently arrested for vehicular manslaughter, reckless driving and felony hit and run. The driver of the Mercedes Benz, 21-year-old Tung Ming from Rancho Palos Verdes, was treated by Torrance Fire Department personnel at the scene and transported to a local hospital where he was examined, released from the hospital and arrested by the Torrance Police Department for vehicular manslaughter. All charges related to the incident will be submitted to the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office for felony filing consideration. This incident is being investigated under the command of Captain Martin Vukotic, Commander of the Special Operations Bureau. Anyone with information regarding this collision is encouraged to contact the Torrance Police Department’s Traffic Division at (310) 618-5557. Torrance Police DUI Checkpoint on St. Patrick’s Day St. Patrick’s Day has become one of the nation’s favorite holidays to celebrate and party. Unfortunately, too many people are taking to the roads after drinking, making the holiday one of our most dangerous. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 252 people lost their lives in drunk driving-related crashes during the St. Patrick’s Day holiday period from 2011-2015. More than a fourth of them were killed in drunk driving crashes that occurred in the early morning, post-party hours (midnight to 5:59 a.m.). That’s why the Torrance Police Department and the California Office of Traffic Safety are teaming up to reach all drivers with an important life-saving message and warning: Don’t Drive Impaired by Drugs or Alcohol. The Torrance Police Department will conduct a DUI/Drivers License Checkpoint on Friday, March 17 between 8 p.m. and 3 a.m. specifically to stop and arrest drivers showing signs of alcohol or drug impairment. In addition to this St Patrick’s Day enforcement effort, all police, sheriff and the CHP will be on heightened alert ready to stop and arrest any impaired driver throughout the long weekend. “These needless deaths can be prevented,” said Chief Mark Matsuda, of the Torrance Police Department. “Planning a sober ride home before the party begins is the first step in staying safe on St. Patrick’s Day. Don’t wait until you’ve already been drinking to make your transportation decision. Designate your sober driver in advance, and never get behind the wheel if you’ve been drinking.” • Up and Adam Lady Spartans Secure Soccer Championship By Adam Serrao The South High girls’ soccer team has completed a season that is truly one for the record books. A powerhouse team, led by head coach Elizabeth Kitsios, put together a year that saw the Spartans lose only one game all season long. In doing so, South made it all the way through the playoffs where they eventually beat the Claremont Wolfpack by a final score of 1-0 in double overtime at Warren High School in Downey, California. The victory added to a long list of accomplishments for this year’s Lady Spartans team and brought home a CIF Southern Section Division 3 championship to South High and the city of Torrance. If your offense is having trouble scoring goals, why not call on Claire Grouwinkel to get the job done? It wasn’t easy and it took two overtime periods, but it was eventually Grouwinkel who came through with the golden goal to defeat Claremont and bring home a championship trophy. “When the second overtime whistle blew, it was, ‘Okay, this is it,’” Grouwinkel explained of her miraculous game-winning goal. “I don’t know why I chose the most impossible angle, but it went in.” The Lady Spartans may not have been able to score in the first 80 minutes of the championship matchup against a very stiff competitor, but in that final minute of play Grouwinkel hit an impossible shot from an angle that seemingly traveled through the air in slow motion before making the back of the net dance to signal victory for South High. While the Lady Spartans were elated and took to the field in excitement at their newly acquired championship, their worthy adversaries were dejected and left wishing that they could have done just a bit more. “We had our chances and didn’t finish,” Claremont head coach Tim Tracey explained. “That’s the difference. You have to finish them.” Though not many teams or players get much of a chance against South sophomore goalkeeper Hayley Garriott, the Wolfpack was able to put together a few shots on goal late in the second half that just nearly missed the mark. Opposing senior midfielder Mackenzie Boulware had two shots on goal about 10 minutes apart before the break. Both were inches away from getting past Garriott, but managed to find the crossbar each time to stay out of the net and keep the game at 0-0. “We dodged some bullets 100 percent,” Kitsios explained of the two close calls. “It opened some eyes. We are beatable. It made them step up. Something clicked at halftime and they turned it on.” While the Lady Spartans still had trouble getting the ball through the net in the second half of play, their offense did manage to really start clicking. Grouwinkel, along with senior midfielder Holly Kaemerle and junior forward Bridgette Campbell all had shots on goal that had the chance to end the match for good. Grouwinkel even had one go in the net, causing quite a stir on the South 17-1888ps_sby-ie-17-008 ©2017 lacmta Ride for Less, All Over LA County Seniors, customers with disabilities and students are eligible for reduced fares. As a reduced-fare rider, you’re automatically signed up for free Balance Protection, so you won’t need to worry if your card is lost or stolen. It’s free to apply at taptogo.net/reduced-fares. Purple Line Extension Construction Update Construction of the Purple Line Extension is in full swing and a=ects Wilshire Bl from La Brea Av to La Cienega Bl. Excavation at La Brea Av will continue through Fall 2017. Decking activities at Fairfax Av have begun and will take a total of 10 weekend closures to complete. At La Cienega Bl, piling activities have started as well. Thanks for your patience; keep up-to-date on the project by visiting metro.net/purplelineext. Ride Seamlessly on 24 Transit Systems with Stored Value Stored Value is the best way to travel across LA County. Stored Value is money on your TAP card. Just tap when you board and the correct fare will be deducted. Use Stored Value when you ride occasionally, if your trip includes more than one transit agency, or if you’re a visitor and want ?exibility. For more information, visit taptogo.net/stored-value. Free Metro Art Moves Tours Discover artworks featured at Metro Rail stations with free tours led by the Metro Art Docent Council. Volunteer docents provide insights into the artworks, artists and art-making processes. Special tours heighten the passenger experience in novel ways through the perspective of artists and cultural experts. Info and schedule at metro.net/art and metro.net/tours. metro.net @metrolosangeles losangelesmetro Drug Maker from front page drugs. An attorney for the group argued to the SEC that the healthcare debate in Washington and public opinion over patientdrug costs put Amgen and its investors on shakier ground in 2017. Stockholders could be affected if the federal government caps reimbursement for prescription drugs covered through Medicare and Medicaid, attorney and former law school professor Paul Neuhauser wrote to the SEC in January. That letter was a follow-up to another one sent last fall to Amgen CEO Robert Bradway and his management team. The Mercy Investment members were worried about public outrage over pharmaceutical prices and by comments made by President Trump during his campaign. Trump said that drug makers were “getting away with murder” and vowed the federal government would negotiate lower prices on his watch. The group is largely comprised of religious groups, including the Dignity Health system that operates clinics in Inglewood and Torrance. Their attorney reminded the SEC staff that in the past they had sided with shareholders wanting drug makers to explain to them how prices were set on FDA-approved medicines. Amgen, in its own letter to the SEC, said that it already provides drug information on its website. However, the faith-based group says the drug maker is being secretive and that the information it wants is more detailed than what the company has divulged publicly. Drug pricing represents a moral issue for the religious community, Neuhauser said, noting that CEOs of major drug companies have appeared before Congress and been roundly criticized over increases to drug costs, including a 400 percent hike for EpiPen, used by children with severe food allergies. Turing Pharmaceuticals caught flak from Congress and the public after it hiked the price by 5,000 percent on an anti-parasite therapy called pyrimethamine. President Trump in January met at the White House with pharmaceutical executives, including Amgen CEO Robert Bradway. One topic of discussion reportedly was the need to make drugs cheaper for U.S. patients. The President promised U.S. corporate tax cuts from his administration and gave the CEOs a tour of the White House, but he didn’t ask for any specific commitments from the pharmaceutical executives on capping their pricing. The interfaith shareholder group is keenly aware that the President, Congress, insurers and patients are closely watching how Amgen and the industry, known as Big Pharma, respond to the palpable dissatisfaction with high drug costs. Amgen’s business plan “can be upset if there’s enough public pressure,” Neuhauser said. The company’s revenues grew by eight percent annually over a five-year period, according to Amgen figures. Amgen attorney Andrea Robinson successfully argued that drug pricing falls into ordinary business operations, which needn’t be discussed with shareholders under SEC rules. In a letter dated January 10 to the SEC’s Division of Corporation Finance, See Drug Maker, page 6 See Up and Adam, page 4
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