Briefly In Public Safety

Pretrial conference continues

The pretrial conference for Juan Manuel Alvarez, accused of murdering 11 people in the January Metrolink train derailment, was continued Friday to May 9.

Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty against Alvarez, a 25-year-old construction worker from Compton, who is charged with arson and 11 counts of murder with special circumstances for allegedly parking his 1993 Jeep Cherokee on the train tracks near Chevy Chase Drive and dousing it with gasoline, causing the three-train wreck Jan. 26 that killed 11 people and injured nearly 200 others.

Alvarez's public defenders, Rose Reglos and Luis J. Rodriguez, and Los Angeles County Deputy Dist. Atty. Alan Jackson hope to start the trial this year.

Motorist injured in freeway accident

The carpool lane of the westbound Ventura (134) Freeway at Forest Lawn Drive was blocked for more than an hour Friday morning as crews worked to clear an overturned vehicle in the lane, California Highway Patrol officials said.

Three cars were involved in the collision that happened at about 11:30 a.m., and left one SUV overturned in the carpool lane of the freeway, CHP Officer Vince Ramirez said.

At least one person was injured in the crash, Los Angeles Fire spokesman Ron Meyers said. He could not confirm the significance of the injuries.