News 24/7

Rollover collision on the eastbound 10 Freeway

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 14:32:04 -0800

ONTARIO - A multiple-car rollover collision was reported on the eastbound 10 Freeway just south of Mountain Avenue.
The crash was reported about 2:50 p.m. Friday with three lanes blocked.
A Ford Explorer rolled and landed on its side blocking the three lanes, according to a California Highway Patrol Web site.
A red Chevy Camaro apparently spun out of control and caused the accident, according to the Web site.
A red Mitsubishi Eclipse was also involved.
As of 4:01 p.m., there was no report of injuries on the Web site and all lanes were reported open.

Fire burns garage in Ontario

Fri, 24 Apr 2009 20:51:58 -0800

A family was temporarily displaced after a fire destroyed their garage Friday evening.

Ontario firefighters responded to a call of a garage fire at 7:12 p.m. in the 2500 block of Arcadian Shores Road, authorities said.

There were 22 firefighters, including one fire investigator, who responded to fight the blaze, said Ontario fire Capt. Mike Pelletier.

The fire destroyed the garage, one SUV, one compact car, two jet skis and one motorcycle, he said. The blaze caused an estimated $125,000 damage.

No one was injured, but the family will be temporarily forced to stay with family members in area. The cause is under investigation.

-jannise.johnson@inlandnewspapers.com

Ontario police catch burglary suspects following chase

Thu, 23 Apr 2009 08:00:45 -0800

Suspected burglars led police on a chase in a stolen vehicle this morning for several minutes before they crashed into a planter outside Dave & Buster's in Ontario.

Authorities say the burglars, two men and a teen boy from Hesperia, are suspected in three Rancho Cucamonga smash-and-grab burglaries, as well as several other thefts in Rancho Cucamonga and possibly Hesperia.

Police tried to pull over the group at the corner of Eighth Street and Grove Avenue at 3:19 a.m. The driver fled from police for several minutes before crashing in the parking lot at 4821 Mills Circle, police said.

Police found money in the car that had been stolen from a Rancho Cucamonga dry cleaning business.

melissa.pinion-whitt@inlandnewspapers.com

Victorville fairgrounds to host police disaster training

Mon, 20 Apr 2009 11:00:02 -0800

About 350 law enforcement officers will be training in how to handle disasters, riots and other major incidents during a Mobile Field Force training exercise Tuesday.

The event, funded by the state Homeland Security Grant Program, will be at the San Bernardino County Fairgrounds, 14800 Seventh Street, Victorville.

San Bernardino County sheriff's deputies, along with officers from the California Highway Patrol, Ontario, Chino, Upland and Montclair police will train in disasters and civil unrest scenarios.

melissa.pinion-whitt@inlandnewspapers.com

Armed man arrested after chase in Ontario

Sat, 18 Apr 2009 19:24:32 -0800

A man who ran from police while holding a gun was arrested following a brief chase Saturday afternoon.

Officers responded at 5:49 p.m. to the area of Park Street and Plum Avenue to reports of a fight and a man who was seen with a gun, said Ontario police Sgt. David McBride.

Officers spotted the suspect vehicle and attempted to pull the driver over at D Street and Palm Avenue. At that point, an armed passenger darted from the car and ran from police, McBride said.

He led officers on a brief foot pursuit that lasted two minutes. The suspect discarded the gun during the chase.

Officers caught him and arrested him for possession of a firearm, McBride said. The suspect may also be a gang member which will carry enhanced charges.

His name was not immediately available.

-jannise.johnson@inlandnewspapers.com

Alleged MySpace predator sentenced to 180 days

Thu, 16 Apr 2009 13:01:25 -0800

A Riverside man accused of meeting an underage Ontario girl through MySpace and convincing her to perform oral sex on him was sentenced today to 180 days in jail as part of a plea bargain reached with prosecutors.

Celestino Torres Paguyo, 32, initially told the alleged victim he was a 20-year-old college student after he befriended her on MySpace.com, a popular social-networking Web site.

He was arrested on September 4, 2008 after local authorities were notified by federal authorities of questionable online messages sent between Paguyo and the girl.

Paguyo pleaded guilty in February to one felony counts of sending "harmful matter" to a minor online. He must report to Glen Helen Rehabilitation Center in Devore on May 1 to begin serving his jail sentence, a court clerk said.

will.bigham@inlandnewspapers.com

Sig Alert issued on 60 Freeway in Chino following fatal crash

Wed, 15 Apr 2009 06:31:13 -0800

A man crossing the 60 Freeway was struck by several vehicles and killed this morning, forcing the closure of all westbound lanes in Chino.

The California Highway Patrol issued a Sig Alert following the 4:30 a.m. crash on the westbound 60 east of Central Avenue. Traffic backed up several miles to about Haven Avenue.

Officers diverted motorists off the freeway around the crash site.

Witnesses saw the pedestrian walk across the freeway from the center divider, said Officer Jaci Parent. It was unknown why he was on the freeway because it didn't appear he had a vehicle with him.

The duration of the closure was unknown. Officer recommended motorists use Haven Avenue to get to the 10 or 15 freeways to avoid the backup.

melissa.pinion-whitt@inlandnewspapers.com

Three new stores to come to Ontario Mills

Tue, 14 Apr 2009 19:00:47 -0800

Despite the slowing economy, Ontario Mills will soon welcome some new stores.

H&M, J. Crew Factory Store as well as Shiekh Shoes are expected to open by the fall at Ontario Mills, said Ronata Cameron, mall director of marketing and business development.

"We are constantly looking to keep our retail mix new and fresh, and recent nationwide closures of some retail chains have provided opportunities to re-lease spaces to stronger retailers," Cameron said.

With more than 200 manufacturer and retail outlets, Ontario Mills has seen its share of store closures as a result of the economy.

Last year, the Steve and Barry's store closed while Virgin Megastore and Cost Plus World Market departed earlier this year.

liset.marquez@inlandnewspapers.com

Two-hour police standoff ends with arrest of armed Ontario man

Mon, 13 Apr 2009 09:00:31 -0800

An armed man who was upset over losing his job and problems with his girlfriend kept police and SWAT officers at bay for two hours Sunday.

The standoff began after police received an anonymous call at 4:20 p.m. about a man with a gun in the 2600 block of South Bon View Avenue.

When Ontario police arrived, Marty Lou Uren walked outside of his home and began waving a handgun at police.

Officers closed off the neighborhood and surrounding streets while they tried to convince Uren to surrender. He came outside and threatened to shoot police during the standoff, police said.

After two hours, Uren tried drive away from his home, but his vehicle was blocked by a police armored car. Uren rammed the armored vehicle and then tried to run, but was captured after officers released a police dog.

Uren was booked into West Valley Detention Center on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, assault on a police officer, drawing and exhibiting a deadly weapon. Police said Uren also had an arrest warrant for vandalism and other charges.

Witnesses told police Uren was despondent over the loss of his job and his relationship with his girlfriend.

melissa.pinion-whitt@inlandnewspapers.com

Police search for stolen show car

Sat, 11 Apr 2009 16:41:11 -0800

Police are searching for the suspect or suspects that stole an expensive show car early Saturday morning.

The 1970 Chevrolet El Camino was stolen from the 1700 block of Carlos Avenue around 2:25 a.m., according to an Ontario police news release.

The car belongs to Spectre Performance and has an estimated value of $100,000.

The El Camino is used to showcase performance modifications, according to the release.
The car is black, with an aluminum bed cover and tail wing. There is an aluminum splitter on the front grill and the word "Spectre" is written on the windshield.
The California license plate is 9 3 8 7 3 F.

A semi-trailer and semi-truck were also stolen during the theft, according to the release.
The car was inside a black, boxed semi-trailer with the lettering, "Spectre Performance" the sides. The trailer has the California license plate 4 D G 4 3 4 9.
That trailer was towed by a black semi-truck with the California license plate 2 Q P N 6 8 2.

Anyone with information regarding the location of the vehicle is asked to call the Ontario Police Department at (909) 986-6711.

Photos of the stolen vehicles and car can be seen at spectreperformance.com.

-jannise.johnson@inlandnewspapers.com

Man crashes vehicle during 100 mph police chase

Wed, 08 Apr 2009 06:30:55 -0800

A man was arrested this morning after leading police on a 100 mph car chase from Ontario to Rancho Cucamonga.

The man, whose name wasn't available, was captured after he crashed into a guardrail at the northbound 15 Freeway on-ramp from Foothill Boulevard. Police captured him about 50 yards away from the car, police said.

Police first spotted the driver speeding near the intersection of Milliken Avenue and Jurupa Street at 12:50 a.m. Officers caught up to the vehicle at the corner of Fourth Street and Hermosa Avenue and began chasing the driver, police said.

Officers were trying to determine why the man fled because the vehicle wasn't stolen and he had no arrest warrants. The driver was arrested on suspicion of felony evading.

melissa.pinion-whitt@inlandnewspapers.com

Police investigating deadly Ontario shooting

Tue, 07 Apr 2009 08:00:56 -0800

A 40-year-old Ontario man was shot and killed Monday afternoon on G Street.

Eric Rojas died at the scene in the 1000 block of G Street. Police came to the area after receiving a report of shots fired at 2:50 p.m., San Bernardino County coroner's officials said.

Rojas was found suffering from numerous gunshot wounds and paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene.

melissa.pinion-whitt@inlandnewspapers.com

Woman scammed in Ontario

Sun, 05 Apr 2009 15:12:53 -0800

ONTARIO-- Ontario police are searching for a couple who bilked an elderly woman out of $12,000.

The incident occurred at a shopping center in the 1900 block of East Fourth Street, Friday around 11 a.m., according to a police news release.

At that time, the female half of a couple approached the 61-year-old victim crying hysterically. She told the victim that her mother had just died and she needed to get back to Costa Rica to make arrangements.

The two said they were in the country illegally and convinced the victim to drive them to a law office in Rancho Cucamonga in order to get help leaving the country.

During the drive, they convinced the victim they had won $12,000 in the California Lottery, but they needed that same amount in cash to collect their winnings, according to the release.

The suspects told her they needed the money for travel and funeral expenses.
The suspects had the victim stop at a mini mart where they entered and later returned with what the victim thought was a winning confirmation ticket.

The victim felt bad for the couple and offered to give them the cash.

She went to her bank and withdrew the money and handed it over to the suspects.
As she drove back to the law office, the female claimed to feel sick and asked her to stop at a drug store for medicine.

The victim left her cash in the car, and when she returned, the couple was gone.

Ontario detectives are investigating a second similar sounding scam where the suspects match the description in this case, according to the statement.

The female is described as a Hispanic woman in her 50s, with blonde hair in a pony tail. She was last seen wearing a black shirt and black pants.

The male is described as a Hispanic man also in his 50's with black hair, brown eyes and no facial hair. Both suspects only spoke in Spanish. There was no further description.

Police are concerned that more victims may exist, but may be embarrassed to come forward.
Anyone with information about this incident or any similar incidents is asked to call the Ontario Police Department Investigations Bureau at (909) 395-2001. Crimes can also be reported anonymousy by calling the WeTip hotline at (800) 78-CRIME.

-jannise.johnson@inlandnewspapers.com

Families displaced by fire in Ontario

Thu, 02 Apr 2009 17:02:49 -0800

Several people were displaced and an apartment building damaged when a fire erupted inside a car port Thursday afternoon.

The fire was reported at 1:52 p.m. to Ontario Fire Dispatch, authorities said.

The caller reported a vehicle fire inside of a car port at 1026 Sacramento Avenue.

Originally there were 18 firefighters sent to the scene, said Scot Roeber, administrative fire captain for the Ontario Fire Department.

Firefighters arrived, saw the car port fully engulfed in smoke and flames and ordered eight additional personnel, Roeber said.

Two cars were incinerated in the blaze. In addition a dog that was wandering in the area was taken by the Humane Society, Roeber said.

Four families were displaced because power was shut down to the building. Roeber was not sure of the precise number of people who were forced to temporarily leave their apartments.
Those families will not be able to return home for at least one day.

"The farthest east unit sustained fire damage and won't be inhabitable for quite some time," Roeber said.

The family who lives in that apartment and the other families will be helped by the Red Cross.
The fire caused an estimated $120,000 damage to the building. Firefighters had the blaze under control by 2:21 p.m..

No one was injured and the cause of the fire is under investigation.

Ontario police were on scene to assist in traffic control during the incident.

-jannise.johnson@inlandnewspapers.com

Weather could turn cold, rainy

Wed, 01 Apr 2009 08:15:06 -0800

The pleasant spring weather could soon give way to clouds and possible rain.

By the end of the week, forecasters are predicting lower temperatures and chances of rain for the Inland Valley, according to the National Weather Service.

Today will be mostly sunny, with temperatures in the low 70s and calm winds. Tonight will be partly cloudy, with temperatures near 50 degrees.

After some fog in the morning, Thursday will be mostly sunny - a high temperature of 69 degrees in Ontario and 72 degrees in San Bernardino, according to the National Weather Service.

There is a 20 percent chance of rain Thursday night and temperatures could dip into the 40s.

Another chance of rain is possible Friday before 11 a.m. The rest of the day will be mostly sunny, with a high of 59 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.

- lori.consalvo@inlandnewspapers.com