5.1 magnitude quake shakes Los Angeles: USGS

A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck near Los Angeles on Friday, rattling a wide swath of Southern California, the US Geological Survey said.

A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck near Los Angeles on Friday, rattling a wide swath of Southern California, the US Geological Survey said.

There were no immediate reports of damage or injury from the temblor, centered outside suburban La Habra, about 20 miles (32 km) from downtown Los Angeles, a Los Angeles Police Department spokeswoman said.

"However the earthquake just happened a few minutes ago so we have to give our officers the time to do an inspection," the spokeswoman said.

The quake, initially reported as a magnitude 5.3, struck shortly after 9pm pacific time and was very shallow, only 1.2 miles (2 km) deep, according to the USGS.

It was felt across four counties, as far east as Palm Springs and north as Ventura County.