CALIFORNIA BRIEFING / LAGUNA BEACH
Teenagers in Laguna Beach pulled the body of a man out of the ocean Monday, one day after a 22-year-old swimmer disappeared after jumping from a nearby cliff.
Authorities have been searching for William Barrientos, 22, of Lake Forest, since he disappeared Sunday evening. Barrientos jumped off a rocky cliff near Table Rock Beach and was struggling to get back to land when he went underwater, witnesses told police. Another person tried to swim out to rescue him but couldn’t, said Laguna Beach police Sgt. Jason Kravetz.
About 2 p.m. Monday, a group of teenagers who were passing time at nearby West Street Beach saw a body in the surf. Two teens jumped into the ocean, brought the body to the beach and then alerted nearby lifeguards, Kravetz said.
The body matched the description of Barrientos but has not been positively identified, Kravetz said.
-- Paloma Esquivel
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