Results tagged “Pico Rivera” from Crime Scene

The District Attorney's Office charged the son of a city councilman with petty theft Thursday for allegedly offering to pay three others to steal campaign signs belonging to his father's political opponent.

James Beilke, 18, and Paul Puente, 20, of Pico Rivera, were charged with one count each of petty theft, officials from the District Attorney's Office said. James Beilke is the son of City Councilman Ron Beilke.

If convicted, Puente and James Beilke each could face up to six months in county jail or a fine of up $1,000, said D.A. spokeswoman Jane Robisoncq. Ron Beilke was not implicated. He did not return a phone call seeking comment Thursday but previously said his son is innocent.

Despite the mostly good news, there remain problems in some areas patrolled by the Sheriff's Department. Most notably in the communities serviced by the Industry Station, violent crime is on the rise.

LOS ANGELES -- The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office declined to file charges against three Whittier-area men in connection with a fatal shooting at a Pico Rivera pizza parlor, asking sheriff's investigators instead to go back and do more work on the case.

As such, two of the three suspects -- Rudy Ruiz, 30, of unincorporated Whittier, and Christopher Johnson, 18, of Montebello -- have been released, according to sheriff's Capt. Mike Rothans of the Pico Rivera station.

The third suspect, John Perez, 43, of Pico Rivera, remains in custody on a prior arrest, Rothans said.

The trio had been booked Friday on suspicion of murder in the June 27 shooting at Falcone's Pizza, where a fundraiser was being hosted in the parking lot by the Old School Riders motorcycle club.

Last week the Azusa, California Police Department issued a "tactical alert" that the Mongols were planning a party at a restaurant on Foothill Boulevard, old Route 66, in Azusa. When the partiers arrived they were greeted by a command center and officers from the Montebello, Azusa, Glendora, Arcadia and Monrovia Police departments. The Mongols and friends were also surveilled by a Los Angeles County Sherriff's Department helicopter.

A source has alleged that ATF Case Agent John Ciccone and another well known "outlaw motorcycle gang investigator" named Chris Cervantes both attended the event with their special spy cameras. Cervantes works for the Montebello police and his hobbies include the Mongols.

There are rumors of an underground horse racing in the Whittier Narrows wash posted on a Bethania Palma story about a dead horse found in El Monte. Here's what sallysays wrote in the Topix Forum:

I have two horses at Whittier Equestrian Center and every once in awhile a group of about 75 to 100 people (mostly spectators) go out on the trail and race horses so hard their noses were bleeding, they bet on horses and drink beer. They throw their trash on the ground. They block the trails and ride aggressively towards you if you dare ride where they are racing. I did, they rode towards me and my horse threw me off. Once we got back to the stables we called the Whitter P.D., the County Police, Temple City Police, and El Monte. Every Police Dept. kept saying not our job. Finally, one call to Pico Rivera Sheriff's got at least 4 cars and a helicopter. All the bad guys left. They came back the next couple of weekends but so did Pico Rivera Sheriff's when we called. Finally, the bad quit showing up! Thank you Pico Rivera Sheriffs!

I hoping that by sharing these two letters with Crime Scene readers, you all can help me provide some facts. Here's the first:

How u doing Frank, Won't take to much of your time. I grew up in Pico and graduated from EL RANCHO in 1979. As a kid I lived on Olympic blvd near North Ranchito. Address was 8726 Olympic blvd. I'm currently a 21 year LAPD police officer, I'm trying to find an old 1970's murder/suicide case which occurred at my next door neighbors on Olympic. I believe it involved a police officer who lived there. I was only a kid maybe 3rd or 4th grade. Thanks for your time,

Anyone remember this?

Here's the second letter, which I received earlier this week:

I have contacted you before on some of your stories/articles in the past. The purpose of my email to you is due to a horrific event that occurred in Whittier which I don't think I will ever forget. Around 2000 or 2001 a young lady was murdered by being set on fire in a Whittier alley behind a auto shop. She was kidnapped by a father and his stepson after they robbed her of her paycheck, tied her up and then set her on fire, alive. For some reason I wish to remember her by her name and/or picture and not as a Jane Doe.

So, can we help these guys?

Thanks.

I just watched a series of stills from an attempted Starbucks robbery in Pico Rivera.

A gunman walks around the counter and opens fire on an employee, who was saved by the glass muffin case.

As soon as I get a usable copy I will post it here. Cops are hoping that viewers of the video will help them identify the shooter, who appears to be quite ruthless.

More cutting and pasting. This time there's three sources. First, Kate Kealy, night editor, reports:

This is a press release from Supervisor Gloria Molina's office. It came just two days after an emotional hearing before the Supes about the deaths of Good Samaritans who try to stop graffiti vandals throughout the county:

Los Angeles County Supervisor Gloria Molina will join Lieutenant Gil Carrillo of the Sheriff's Department Homicide Division to publicize a $25,000 reward for anyone with information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person(s) responsible for the death of Luis Sandoval, a 71-year-old East Los Angeles resident who was shot in the abdomen after witnessing two males spray-painting graffiti on the side of a business located at the corner of East Olympic Boulevard and South Hicks Avenue. 

Mr. Sandoval had been riding his bicycle home and lived just four houses away from the scene of the crime.  Though the shooting took place on February 25, 2007, Mr. Sandoval died approximately four months later on June 13, 2007.  Authorities have since confirmed that his death was due directly to the injuries he sustained as a result of the shooting and are now asking for the public's help to solve this homicide--the third graffiti-related killing to occur in the First District.  (Robert Whitehead of Valinda was shot and killed in March 2006 while trying to stop graffiti taggers from spray-painting his neighbor's garage; Maria Hicks of Pico Rivera was shot and killed in August 2007 while trying to stop graffiti taggers from spray-painting a wall in her neighborhood.) 

Surviving relatives of Luis Sandoval will be available at tomorrow's press conference for interviews and pictures of the crime scene will be on display.
 
"Luis Sandoval was a hard-working, retired steel worker with a large family whose only transgression was being at the wrong place at the wrong time," Molina said.  "The anguish his death has caused his family is indescribable--and it is particularly painful to the community since it is the third graffiti-related homicide to take place in the First Supervisorial District.  It is my sincere hope that this $25,000 reward compels someone to bring information forward that will help us catch the people responsible for Luis Sandoval's murder."

Detectives from the Pico Rivera substation sought a man who flashed three young girls Monday afternoon in Pico Rivera.

The girls, described as 11 and 12 said the flasher was a male hispanic in his 40s with dark hair, a mustache.

"He was dark skinned, heavy set and short," Los Angeles County sheriff's Lt. Maria Gutierrez said.

The man was wearing a Hawaiian shirt and black pants, Gutierrez said. There is no composite drawing available.