Suicide

Burbank police today identified the man who they say shot and killed himself in his parked vehicle last week as 47-year-old Harold M. Sommer of Simi Valley. Sommer shot himself Oct. 13 in his parked vehicle after receiving a citation from the California Contractors State License Board, police said in a statement, adding that he "may have been despondent" after being cited. Officers responded to reports of a gunshot victim in the 200 block of South Keystone Street at 11:34 a.m. Paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene.

Paul M. Anderson LA CRESCENTA -- Investigators ruled this weekend that a 37-year-old man who fell to his death from the La Crescenta overpass of the Foothill (210) Freeway was trying to kill himself. The man, who authorities did not identify, scaled a 10-foot chain-link fence and tumbled onto the eastbound lane of the freeway at about 8:20 p.m. Friday, police said. One of the witnesses who struck the man with her car said he jumped over the bridge, said Los Angeles County Sheriff's Det. Mike Bumcrot.

Glendale is more than 1,600 miles from South Sioux City, Neb., but on Wednesday, Hoover High School student Lauren Arana overcame the constraints of distance to help save a friend who was trying to commit suicide in the central United States. Lauren, who is 14 and a ninth-grader at Hoover, woke up early on Wednesday to get to a 7 a.m. class. As she was getting ready, she got a text message on her cell phone from one of her closest friends, whom she had met when she lived in South Sioux City two years ago. The message in the text read, “OMG . .

LOS ANGELES — Defense attorneys started their closing arguments Thursday in the case against Juan Manuel Alvarez, telling jurors that he never intended to kill anyone, and that prosecutors’ attempts to portray Alvarez as an arsonist belie his true intent: suicide. Alvarez is charged with 11 counts of murder with special circumstances and one count each of felony murder, train-wrecking and arson for his role in the Jan. 26, 2005, Metrolink crash that left 11 dead and 184 others injured.

Police respond to Burbank shooting Glendale Police were dispatched Thursday afternoon to an apparent double murder-suicide in Burbank, police said. The incident in the 600 block of East Cypress Avenue left three dead, including a man who after shooting another man and woman, committed suicide, Burbank Police Sgt. Matthew Ferguson said. Another injured man was being treated for injuries at Providence St. Joseph Medical Center, Ferguson said. Immediately after the shooting, Burbank Police locked down the area.

I'd like it very much if I could only write about happy things. As it turns out, life is not always about the happy stuff. And achieving happiness is not as simple as the Armenian motto: "Lav usenk, lav gullah," (Let's say good; so it can be good.) I was sadly reminded of this truth a few weeks ago. A friend informed me that an acquaintance of hers had committed suicide. In my lifetime, I have known three people who have tragically ended their own lives in dramatic circumstances.

PASADENA — A 28-year-old man was sentenced to life in prison Wednesday for trying to kill his ex-girlfriend by slashing her arm and writing several suicide letters in attempt to show they had planned to kill themselves together, officials said. Jose Galdamez was convicted of attempted and premeditated murder for planning to fatally wound his 21-year-old ex-girlfriend, Yesenia Flores. He was also found guilty of false imprisonment, terrorist threats and preventing a victim from reporting an emergency.

GLENDALE — A judge on Thursday refused to dismiss charges against 29-year-old Juan Manuel Alvarez, who is accused of causing a 2005 Metrolink derailment that killed 11 people and injured nearly 200 others. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge David S. Wesley rebuffed defense attorneys’ claims that not enough evidence had been given to the court at a May 2005 pretrial hearing where Alvarez was ordered to stand trial. Alvarez was charged with 11 counts of murder with special circumstances and one count each of arson and train wrecking.

It has been an interesting few weeks in Glendale. Our fair city has seen more than its fair share of mayhem recently, leading to a few tough decisions about coverage. Before I get into this, however, I want to announce what I’m calling a “Meet the Editors” event. This Wednesday, Glendale News-Press editors and reporters will be at Tavern on the Brand, 208 N. Brand Blvd., to meet you and answer your questions. I’ll be there from 6 to 8 p.m., as will City Editor Jason Wells and anyone else I can persuade to come.

The seven candidates competing for three seats on the Glendale Unified school board addressed district issues before dozens of people Thursday night at the La Crescenta Library in the final candidates forum of this election season. Hosted by the Crescenta Valley Community Assn., the candidates discussed how they would include students' opinions in school board plans and how Glendale Unified could better collaborate with Glendale Community College. But it was a question about what could be done to intervene with suicidal students - following public suicides at Crescenta Valley High and, most recently, La Cañada High, which is outside the district - that stirred the forum the most.

The 46-year-old man who jumped to his death Wednesday morning from the northbound Glendale (2) Freeway overpass was living with his parents and suffering from depression, police said. The man, Michael Romo, of Glendale, left a suicide note inside his 2001 Toyota Camry before he plunged to his death just before 6 a.m. from the overpass near Chevy Chase Canyon, Glendale Police Sgt. Tom Lorenz said. Police received a call from a witness who saw Romo standing on the ledge of the overpass just before it happened, Lorenz added.

A man who apparently jumped to his death Wednesday morning from an overpass of the Glendale (2) Freeway near Chevy Chase Canyon, snarling the morning commute, left a suicide note, police said. The Glendale man, whose identity had not been released Wednesday afternoon pending notification of his family, jumped before 6 a.m. from the northbound overpass, landing on to Chevy Chase Drive, Glendale Police Sgt. Tom Lorenz said. A witness seated inside his parked car under the overpass heard screams just before seeing the man in his 30s fall, Lorenz said.

Documentary film producer Brian Gerber took his own life late Tuesday or early Wednesday by steering his car off a cliff on Angeles Crest Highway, according to county officials. Ed Winter, assistant chief at the Los Angeles County Coroner's office, confirmed that Gerber's body was found near mile marker 31 at 7:35 a.m. Wednesday. Winter said investigators found a suicide note by the highway, near where the car went off the side. Gerber, 41, produced the global warming documentary “The 11th Hour” for actor Leonardo DiCaprio and was involved in numerous other productions for the film, television and music video markets.

The Glendale Unified school board on Tuesday rejected a $2-million claim filed against the district by the parents of Drew Ferraro, who jumped to his death at Crescenta Valley High School in February. John and Deana Ferraro are seeking $1 million for the wrongful death of Drew and $1 million for emotional distress, according to the claim, which was filed July 23 . With the claim rejected, the stage is set for a lawsuit. The Ferraros allege in their claim that the district failed to “prevent the constant bullying” of their 15-year-old son, that they weren't warned of the potential of suicide and that officials did not “take steps to prevent it.” They also allege the district did not “institute any plan or course of action to educate staff and students about bullying and ways to prevent it,” according to the claim.

A 35-year-old transient from Honduras who broke through the glass of his third-story window at Glendale Memorial Hospital and Health Center on Wednesday evening was safely retrieved by emergency crews after threatening to jump, police said. The man, who was not immediately identified, had been admitted to the hospital after overdosing on methamphetamine, Glendale Police Sgt. Tom Lorenz said. He apparently broke through his third-story hospital window shortly before 6:40 p.m. and threatened to jump, prompting a massive response from emergency crews who put down giant inflatable bags below the drop site.

The family of a student who committed suicide at Crescenta Valley High School earlier this year has filed a $2-million claim against Glendale Unified, alleging that school officials failed to protect him from “constant bullying.” Drew Ferraro, 15, climbed to the roof of a three-story building on the La Crescenta campus on Feb. 10 and leaped to his death in front of numerous students and staff. Public safety officials have said that the teenager had a history of mental health problems.

The parents of Drew Ferraro - the sophomore who jumped to his death from a Crescenta Valley High School building on Feb. 10 in front of dozens of students - were reportedly notified that the teen “was thought to have been suicidal” a day earlier, according to a report accompanying autopsy results released this week. Drew, 15, climbed to the roof a three-story building at the La Crescenta campus and jumped into a cement courtyard. Four suicide notes were found in his backpack nearby, authorities said.

Our communities have been rocked in the last few weeks with a spate of suicides: Two teenage boys have killed themselves and a 13-year-old girl tried to do so. What is going on? In the case of 15-year-old Drew Ferraro, the specter of bullying has been raised by fellow students and his parents. Drew jumped to his death from a three-story building on the Crescenta Valley High School campus during lunch period in early February. But school and public safety officials have steadfastly denied bullying was the cause, pointing to a series of suicide notes stating a different reason.

A 13-year-old girl attempted to commit suicide Wednesday when she jumped 35 feet into the Verdugo Wash and sustained non-life-threatening injuries, Glendale police said. The girl, whose name wasn't released because she's a minor, was taken to Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center, where she was treated for a herniated disc, police said. Police received calls about 4:30 a.m. that the girl was screaming for help after she jumped into the wash at Jackson Street and Monterey Road, police said.