Body Recovery MacArthur Park

On December 11, 2012,  Boat 3, Engine 49 and Battalion 6 were dispatched to 2032 Wilshire Blvd for a reported “Drowning” in MacArthur Park Lake at 0706 hours. The initial dispatch, at 0641 hours, included Task Force 11, Rescue 13 and Battalion 11.

Engine 49, Boat 3 and Battalion 6 were dispatched at 0706 hours and were designated as Dive Group. Equipment from Boat 3 including; dive equipment, extra SCUBA bottles, dive communications and the Mesotech Sonar equipment were loaded into Rescue Ambulance 649. Fire Boat Mates from Boat 3 and Boat 4 responded with the Dive Group. At 0754 hours, the LAFD Dive Group arrived on scene.  A Recreation and Parks boat was made available and provided to the Dive Group. 




After it was determined that the incident was strictly a search and recovery operation, in coordination with LAPD, the Mesotech Sonar was assembled and prepared for deployment near the last known location of the victim. The Mesotech Sonar was deployed via boat and relocated three separate times to identify targets and narrow the search area. The sonar search revealed underwater hazards, plumbing and support structures.  Divers encountered zero visibility due to the heavy silt at the bottom of the lake. The dive team cleared the first two targets and located the victim at the third target location. The victim was found in 11 feet of water, 12 minutes after the search was initiated, total dive time was 19 minutes.

The dive team reported that the victim had been located and they initiated the “marking” procedure, with consideration to scene preservation for investigative purposes.

LAPD Detectives and the Coroner’s Office responded to the incident and dictated procedural operations following the locating of the victim. LAPD Divers secured the victim in a body bag for removal from the water. A medical report was completed by RA 13 and the Coroner initiated the appropriate protocol.