Gas leak prompts limited evacuations along cliffs Emergency officials ordered a small-scale evacuation of Sunset Cliffs residents May 29 after an apparent construction accident involving a 4-inch gas line. Firefighters were dispatched to Point Loma Avenue near Froude Street shortly after 8:30 a.m., when the construction crew reportedly ruptured the gas line in an alley. Officials with the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department said six homes were evacuated. Roughly a dozen people were impacted by the evacutions. Repair crews from San Diego Gas & Electric were dispatched to cap the leak. Man, 18, held after knifepoint robbery An 18-year-old man was taken into custody May 26 after allegedly accosting two boys ages 11 and 12 on Brighton Avenue and demanding money from them. According to police, the suspect, identified as Terral Blomquist, rode up to the boys around 2:15 p.m. on a gold skateboard and showed them a switchblade-type knife. Investigators said Blomquist then demanded money from the boys. One of the victims handed him some money and the other told Blomquist he did not have any money. One victim contacted the police after the suspect fled, and officers located Blomquist nearby. He was arrested after a brief scuffle, said police. The victims were not injured. Laser pointing at Harbor Police draws citation A Chula Vista man was issued a citation after allegedly pointing a laser at a San Diego Harbor Police Department patrol vessel shortly before midnight on May 22 near Ladera Street near Ocean Beach. Harbor Police officials said the vessel was lit up several times by a green laser pointer, prompting officials to alert land-based units to the vicinity. Officers located several adult men on the beach below Sunset Cliffs and apprehended one suspect with the laser pointer. The 24-year-old was issued a citation at the scene. No injuries were reported. ‘Mr. Magoo Bandit’ learns parole date Scott James Larson, 44, who robbed a Point Loma bank twice and held up 10 others during a spree perpetrated by the so-called “Mr. Magoo Bandit” was given a parole date of June 2014. Larson, who was sentenced to serve 37 months in federal prison, is an inmate at Sandstone, Minn., according to federal authorities. Some of any wages he could earn in prison will reportedly go toward his $21,798 restitution that a judge ordered Larson to pay after the bank robberies in 2010 and 2011. U.S. District Court Judge Anthony Battaglia said he didn’t impose a longer sentence because Larson walked into an FBI office on Oct. 17 and made a full confession without an attorney. No weapon was displayed or used in any of the robberies. “In order to live with myself and make peace with God, I had to turn myself in,” wrote Larson in a letter to the judge. Larson’s lawyer told the judge his client robbed banks after he lost his job and became homeless. “You realized you couldn’t keep doing this,” said Battaglia, who also said tough economic times are “no excuse” for committing robbery. — Neal Putnam

OBMA seeks volunteers, cook-off entries Ocean Beach MainStreet Association organizers are putting out the call to fill the final spots for entrants in the wildly popular chili cookoff section of the 33rd annual Ocean Beach Street Fair on June 23. Organizers said there are still roughly 10 spots left for entrants to put their chili-recipe prowess to the test. Entries are $30, and participants must cook up 10 gallons to compete in the event. Applications are available at www.OceanBeachSanDiego.com, at the OBMA office: 1868 Bacon St.  Setup and check-in begins at 7 a.m. on the grassy area just south of the main lifeguard tower and tasting begins at 11 a.m. For more information, call (619) 224-4906. The OBMA is also seeking helping hands to volunteer in various capacities during the OB Street Fair and Chili Cook-Off Festival. Volunteers may sign up for three- or four-hour shifts and receive a free event T-shirt. A variety of jobs are available, including setting up chairs and tables at the eating areas, helping sell T-shirts and miscellaneous OBMA products, selling tickets to the chili cook-off, assisting with the community mural, break down and other tasks. To volunteer, call (619) 222 1231, or email [email protected] to leave a street or email address. Applications will be sent.