
Coast Guard Cutter Halibut operating with LA County sheriff in photo from U.S. Coast Guard. The Coast Guard and local law enforcement work together on a regular basis.
The United States Coast Guard has announced the death of a sailor during drug enforcement operations off the southern California coast this morning. Sailors from the Coast Guard Cutter Halibut were pursuing a suspicious vessel, a panga style craft, and had launched a rigid hull inflatable boat. The suspect craft veered into the pursuing inflatable and two Coast Guard sailors were thrown into the water. Both were recovered immediately and one was determined to have suffered a severe head injury. The Halibut returned to port while first aid was administered to the injured sailor. Emergency personnel at dockside in Port Hueneme, Calif., pronounced the sailor dead.
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