Suspected thief gave himself up after jolts, Indio police say
Written by Desert-Sun Staff ReportsMar. 11, 2013 1:20 PM,
A 4.7-magnitude earthquake shook Southern California, including the Coachella Valley, on Monday morning, according to the U.S. Geological Survey."I could hear the rafters shaking and it sounded with a loud rumbling noise like a plane was about to crash in," said Jim Nagy of La Quinta.
DID YOU FEEL IT? Email localnews@thedesertsun.com
The quake, which struck at 9:56 a.m., was centered 12 miles east-southeast of Anza and 14 miles southwest of La Quinta, according to USGS. It struck at a depth of 8 miles and was preceded by at least one foreshock.
The jolts frightened at least one suspected criminal so much, he turned himself in to police who were surrounding his home, Indio police spokesman Ben Guitron said.
The Coachella Valley auto theft task force, RAID, was doing surveillance Monday morning on the suspected thief, after following him with GPS to a home on Jackson Street, just north of Avenue 42.
"This wasn't a high risk situation," Guitron said, so officers were content waiting outside until they got a search warrant.
Then the earthquakes struck, and the man looked out the window, saw all the police outside, and just gave himself up, Guitron said.
The earthquake was on the San Jacinto Fault, the most active in Southern California, said Lucy Jones, USGS science adviser for risk reduction. Aftershocks are expected.
"We've already got two or three dozen that have happened in 20 minutes," Jones said.
Near epicenter, 'big jolt'
In Anza, near the epicenter of the quake, the rumble lasted about five seconds and was more than strong enough to make your heart race, said Julie Roy, who owns the Alpacas of Anza Valley ranch with her husband.
Roy said she rushed away from her windows in case the glass shattered. Her animals did the same, fleeing from their rain shelter in case it tumbled, she said.
"Alpacas are rather smart. They aren't just going to stand there if they sense something is wrong," Roy said. "And they were safe before our heart stopped pounding. It was a big jolt, and I knew right away it was a strong one."Roy said the earthquake did no damage to her ranch. She was shaken, but animals were unfazed.
At the Anza Public Library, students were ready to dive under the tables, but the quake was gone before they got the chance, said Cindy Brenz, a library technician.
Most of the time, earthquakes sort of roll by, "like a train," Brenz said. But this quake was so close to Anza that it shook for only a moment, and then vanished as quickly as it had arrived.
"This time it was just a big boom, and then that was it," Brenz said. "I kept waiting for an aftershock but nothing happened. It was kind of a disappointment, actually."
No damage reported in Coachella Valley
Palm Springs police have received no reports of injuries or damage but have been fielding 911 calls from people wondering if an earthquake had indeed struck. Police asked people to only call 911 to report an emergency.
"If not for the Facebook posting, I wouldn't have known there was an earthquake," said Desert Hot Springs Sgt. Phil Han, who didn't feel the jolts.
His department hasn't received any calls of injuries, damages or even panicked residents wondering what happened, he said.
The Riverside County Fire Department, which covers seven of the nine Coachella Valley cities as well as unincorporated areas, also received no reports of injuries or damage, spokeswoman Jody Hagemann said.
BNP Paribas Open play continued Monday. No matches were under way when the ground shook, and an inspection of the Indian Wells Tennis Garden turned up no damage.
Riverside County sheriff's deputies checked alarms that were thought to have been set off by the jolts, said Cpl. Angel Ramos, a department spokesman.
Quake felt across Southland
The quake was felt all the way up the coast from San Diego to Orange County, Jones said, including in Los Angeles and Twentynine Palms."Thought a truck hit the condo building I'm in," said Bernie Arnowitz of Palm Springs. "Looked up and saw trees swaying."
The quake was widely heard around the Coachella Valley as well.
"Boy did I ever hear and feel that one!" said Steve McHugh of Palm Springs. "First a deep crack and boom....I thought a nuclear weapon had gone off....then loud violent shaking for maybe 10 seconds."
"At first we thought it was a big gust of wind because it seemed to make a 'whoose' sound, then we realized it was the house shaking," Daniel Oates of Sun City Palm Desert wrote in a comment on MyDesert.com.
LAST MONTH: 3.6-magnitude earthquake hit March 21 near Salton Sea
USGS initially estimated the magnitude of Monday's quake as 5.1 and has listed other estimates, but Jones said the magnitude was 4.7.
"There was a slight foreshock beforehand that muddied the waters," Jones said.
There's a 50 percent chance that the area will experience at least a 3.0 magnitude aftershock, she said. There's a 5 percent chance that the earthquake will be followed by something larger, Jones said. In that case, the 4.7 quake would be called a foreshock.
In the 20th century, there were 20 earthquakes of a magnitude 6 or higher along the San Jacinto Fault, where Monday's quake was centered, Jones said.
Temblor serves as reminder
Monday's earthquake is a reminder to be prepared, she said.
EARTHQUAKE PREP: Tips at mydesert.com/earthquake
Now is a good time to check your water supplies, and make sure you have a fire extinguisher and first aid kit, Jones said. Remember to drop, cover and hold on during earthquakes.
"Probably nothing's going to happen, but there is that one chance," she said.Source: http://www.mydesert.com/article/20130311/NEWS0805/303110001/Palm-Springs-area-earthquake-4-7-Anza?nclick_check=1
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