Local News in Brief : 2 Oil Workers Run Over

A private security guard was arrested Tuesday for allegedly running over two striking employees on a picket line in front of the Mobil Oil refinery in Torrance, critically injuring one of them.

Onna Brown, 20, of Los Angeles was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon more than a mile from the main gate of the refinery, where his pickup truck struck the two workers, Torrance police said.

Juan Canizales, 48, of Lynwood, who was thrown onto the hood and windshield, was taken to county Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, where he was reported in critical condition with head and possible internal injuries. Evert Jenkins, 49, of Harbor City, was treated and released.

The injured men are members of the Oil, Chemical and Atomic Workers Union, which has been on strike against Mobil since Feb. 4 in a contract dispute.

Brown, an employee of Excel Security Service of Gardena, was being held on $12,000 bail.

George Hicks, president of the security company, said Brown had been hired six weeks ago and “was not assigned to the refinery” when the incident occurred. “For some reason, he took it upon himself to be at the refinery,” Hicks said.