San Fernando authorities rescue 14-year-old boy swept away in Pacoima Wash
A 14-year-old boy was swept away by the rapid waters of the Pacoima Wash and pinned against a barrier before being rescued by police and firefighters Saturday.
Officers responded to calls of a boy in the wash around noon Saturday, said Sgt. Irwin Rosenberg of the San Fernando Police Department.
They drove to different points along the wash where people swept away by the waters typically end up. They located the boy against a wall near Laurel Canyon Boulevard, Rosenberg said.
Police officers readied flotation devices and kept the boy calm until Los Angeles firefighters arrived to pull him out of the water. The boy was unharmed.
The Pacoima Wash is fenced off, and visitors aren’t permitted to venture in. But some still do.
People are swept away by the wash “once or twice a year,” Rosenberg said, and officers in the area get special water-rescue training.
Though there was no recent rain, the Los Angeles County Flood Control District sometimes releases water into the channel, which creates fast currents. There was only about 2 feet of water in the wash Saturday, but even that can be dangerous, Rosenberg said.
“It can be very deceiving to people. But just a few inches of that water can sweep people off of their feet and cause serious injury,” Rosenberg said.
Twitter: @frankshyong
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
