Wave Sweeps 4 Into Ocean, One Killed

A large wave swept four people off a Los Angeles County jetty as high surf pounded much of the California coast, leaving one man dead and his three companions seriously injured, authorities say. Redondo Beach firefighters responded late Wednesday after witnesses reported people in the water calling for help at King Harbor, the AP reports. Rescuers pulled two men and two women from the waves at the base of the rock jetty, says Mark Winter, the city's fire department operations chief. One man was dead at the scene. The three others were hospitalized in serious condition.

It wasn't clear why the group was on the rocks late at night, but people routinely fish there, according to Winter. He says the surf this week was especially high and people were warned to stay away. "You get one wave every three or four minutes," Winter tells the Daily Breeze. "They feel they can get out and that's just not the case." A wave knocked a Harbor Patrol officer into the water during the rescue. He was not hurt. (More California stories.)