VENTURA, Calif. -- A U.S. Coast Guard member was killed and
another was injured when their small boat was rammed by a smuggler's
vessel before dawn Sunday off the Southern California coast.
Terrell
Horne III of Redondo Beach was pronounced dead after being brought
ashore at the Port of Hueneme, said county chief deputy medical examiner
James Baroni. He suffered a traumatic head injury, Coast Guard
officials said.
The second man was treated for minor injuries. His name wasn't released.
The
smuggler's panga, which was running without lights, maneuvered at a
high rate of speed directly at the small boat before fleeing, according
to a Coast Guard statement. Both Coast Guard members were thrown into
the water.
Another Coast Guard vessel stopped the fleeing panga, and detained two suspects.
"Our
fallen shipmate stood the watch on the front lines protecting our
nation, and we are all indebted to him for his service and sacrifice,"
said Admiral Robert J. Papp, Coast Guard Commandant.
The small
Coast Guard boat was deployed by the cutter Halibut, which was
conducting an investigation into suspected smuggling near the Channel
Islands west of Malibu.
The smuggler's vessel was initially detected by a Coast Guard maritime patrol aircraft.
Associated Press