Two men were shot by a masked gunman as they stood in front of a nightclub in Little Tokyo early Saturday morning.

Los Angeles Police Lt. Paul Vernon said both men are in critical condition after surgery following the shooting outside Vault XXI Boutique Lounge, 333 Alameda St.

“We’re lucky more people were not injured in this attack,” Vernon said.  “It appears the victims were targeted by the suspect as they stood at the entrance to the nightclub.”

Witnesses said a man wearing a ski mask walked into the courtyard from the sidewalk on Alameda Street about 1:30 a.m. and start shooting after he barked out a short phrase. Two men in their mid-20s who were smoking at the entrance to the nightclub were the apparent targets, Vernon said. Both fell from multiple gunshot wounds and crawled into the nightclub’s entrance.

Vernon said the shooter ran back to Alameda, then north toward 3rd Street. Witnesses described him as wearing a beige hat, similar to the popular mini-fedoras, a dark flannel shirt and jeans.

Detectives examined the scene and noted more than a half dozen shell casings from a semiautomatic handgun.

“There’s a number of people out there who do know who did this,” Lt. Vernon said. “We’d hope they would come forward right away.”

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-- Richard Winton

Downtown L.A. crime over last six months:

Violent crimes (486)	Property crimes (1,748)

Fire officials released the 911 call Maria Shriver made Sunday after her 13-year-old son, Christopher Schwarzenegger, was seriously hurt in a boogie board accident.

 "A few days ago our son Christopher suffered an accident at the beach," Schwarzenegger and Shriver said Friday in a statement. "While it has been a very scary week, Christopher is surrounded by his family and friends. He is a brave boy and is expected to make a full recovery. 

"On behalf of our entire family, we want to sincerely thank the paramedics and lifeguards who responded so swiftly as well as the doctors, nurses, emergency room and hospital staff who have cared for our son.

They have been extraordinary to him and to us. We thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers and ask for respect and privacy for Christopher and our family." 

Two of Christopher’s siblings tweeted about the accident Friday.

“Thank you everyone for your messages about my brother. This kid is strongest kid I ever seen. Keep praying,” Patrick Schwarzenegger, 17, said.

Katherine Schwarzenegger, 21, also voiced her thanks.

“Thank you guys for ur concern and prayers for my baby brother!” she wrote. “He's a tough little guy and getting better! Please keep praying for him!”

The L.A. County Fire Department released the 911 call but did not identify the victim or the caller.

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Photo: Former California First Lady Maria Shriver, center, arrives at the inauguration in Sacramento with her children, from left, Christina, Katherine, Patrick and Christopher in 2007. Credit: Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday is expected to appropriate $645,000  to a new 1.5-acre dog park for La Crescenta.

The step-wise move should clear the way for construction on the facility, to be located within Crescenta Valley Park, in August.

The park will include two entries for small and large dog sections, with drinking fountains, hose-off areas, walkways, 6-foot fencing, shade coverings and other amenities, according to a county report.

County officials  said construction on the dog park is expected to be completed March 2012, according to the Glendale News Press.

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--Jason Wells, Times Community News

Photo: Dog park in Silver Lake. Credit: L.A. Times

A magnitude 3.3 earthquake struck the Los Angeles area early Saturday with an epicenter about two miles southeast of Gardena, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The temblor, which hit about 12:36 a.m. PDT, registered at a depth of about 10 miles and produced light to moderate shaking in the area, according to USGS data.

Within a half hour more than 2,000 people had responded to the USGS's query "Did you feel it?", a standard question posed on the agency's website.

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Map: Shows location of Saturday's earthquake shortly after it was first reported. Credit: U.S. Geological Survey

A Los Angeles Fire Department ambulance and a Los Angeles Police Department cruiser collided Friday, sending one occupant of each to the hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening, authorities said.

The accident occurred at 6:39 p.m. near the intersection East Imperial Highway and Stanford Avenue in South Los Angeles, said Matt Spence, a Fire Department spokesman.

Details were unavailable late Friday, he said, but the firefighter and police officer were both reported in fair condition.

"Their injuries were not too serious -- thankfully," Spence said.

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A backpack fell from one of the cars onto the tracks of a roller coaster at California Adventure in the Disneyland Resort, shutting down the California Screamin’ ride Friday evening and temporarily stranding 23 riders who were rescued by Anaheim firefighters.

No one was injured in the incident, which occurred at about 6:30 p.m., according to Suzi Brown, a spokeswoman for the resort.

The ride was expected to reopen Saturday.

-- Kim Christensen

Photo: California Adventure, with Mickey Mouse's image on the roller coaster. Credit: Walt Disney Co.

California workplace-safety officials are investigating six possible heat-related deaths since April, including those of two farmworkers, a police officer and a drilling crew member.

Investigators are awaiting coroners’ cause-of-death determinations in all six cases, said Erika Monterroza, a spokeswoman for the state Division of Occupational Safety and Health.

The fatalities include a 47-year-old tractor driver who died July 7 after falling ill while harvesting cantaloupes in 102-degree heat in Blythe, in Riverside County. A 56-year-old farmworker died April 26 after collapsing while picking corn in Imperial County, when the temperature was 84.

Other deaths under review include a 38-year-old grading foreman and a 53-year-old laborer who died after cleaning out waste bins. Both deaths occurred in June in Imperial County, in temperatures exceeding 100 degrees.

Cal/OSHA also is investigating the June death of a 48-year-old member of a drilling crew in Niland, in Imperial County, and that of South Pasadena Police Officer Kevin Sandoval, 23, who fell and struck his head June 14 at a firing range in Azusa.

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange said Friday it has made a $50-million offer to buy the bankrupt Crystal Cathedral.

The cash proposal would allow the Garden Grove church to lease portions of the property for 36 months. At the end of the lease, the ministry would have to find a new location, with the help of the diocese. The lease for each building on the property would be negotiated separately.

"We wanted to be as flexible as possible given their situation," said Alan Martin, a bankruptcy attorney for the diocese.

The Crystal Cathedral, founded by the Rev. Robert H. Schuller and the home of the weekly “Hour of Power” broadcast, filed for bankruptcy in October, citing more than $50 million in debt.

As the bankruptcy unfolds, the cathedral has received several offers for the property, which includes the glass cathedral, designed by famed architect Phillip Johnson, and a 234-foot prayer spire.