Here’s some stories we’ve been following this week:
* ROSEMEAD — Deputies responding Sunday morning to a family disturbance shot and killed a machete-wielding man after he threatened them with that weapon and a baseball bat.
The incident occurred about 11 a.m. in the 3500 block of Temple City Boulevard, Los Angeles County sheriff’s Deputy Byron Ward said.
Ernesto Castaneda, 22, of Rosemead was pronounced dead at an undisclosed hospital a short time later, authorities said.
* WALNUT — Officials said a young man and woman were lucky to be alive Saturday after their convertible flipped over several times on Valley Boulevard.
The driver of the Porsche Boxster, 22-year-old Tze Shyu of Irvine, was flown to Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center with major injuries, California Highway Patrol Officer Sam Corder said.
His passenger, 24-year-old Karen Fung of El Monte, was hospitalized with minor injuries, he said.
“These two are very, very lucky to still be alive today, considering the amount of damage to that car,” Corder said.
The crash was reported about 6:30 p.m. on eastbound Valley Boulevard near Brea Canyon Road in an unincorporated county area near Walnut, Los Angeles County sheriff’s Sgt. Bruce Lang said.
* AZUSA — Police arrested three teenagers late Friday after they allegedly shot a bystander during a fight, authorities said.
A 15-year-old Duarte boy suspected of being the gunman was booked on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and taken to Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall in Downey, Azusa police Lt. Paul Dennis said.
Two 15-year-old boys from Duarte were also arrested in connection with the incident and were released to their parents with a written promise to appear in court, Dennis said.
The woman wounded in the attack was believed to be an innocent bystander, the lieutenant said.
“It appears she was just emptying out her trash,” the he said.
* POMONA — Two people were killed Saturday morning after their small plane crashed in the hills above Pomona, authorities said.
The victims were described as a man and a woman. They were not identified Saturday night.
The plane, a single-engine Piper Cherokee, crashed into a hillside in the 2600 block of Pomona Boulevard, Federal Aviation Administration officials said.
The crash occurred just three minutes after the 1979 Piper model PA-28-236 left Brackett Airfield in La Verne at 11:12 a.m., according to recorded information from FAA spokesman Ian Gregor.
* ALTADENA – Two men dressed in police-type uniforms barged into a home Thursday and handcuffed a man before stealing about $2,000 in cash and other items.
Two men knocked on the door of a home in the 3400 block of Fair Oaks Avenue about 8:50 p.m., authorities said. They were wearing dark-colored police officer-type uniforms, gun belts and were armed with handguns, authorities said. One man was wearing a baseball cap with the word “police”on the front.
Authorities said the 42-year-old man at the home first believed the men were police officers but became concerned when he did not see a marked police car on the street and noticed the men were wearing tennis shoes.
The men then forced the victim into a bedroom, handcuffed him and demanded at gunpoint to know the location of the man’s safe. The victim’s arms and legs were tied up and socks were placed in his mouth.
* ARCADIA — A woman was robbed of her purse Wednesday in what police believe may be the latest in a string of crimes carried out by two serial robbers.
The latest crime was reported about 8:30 p.m. Wednesday in the 500 block of Las Tunas Drive, Arcadia police Lt. Larry Goodman said.
A woman was approached from behind by a man who grabbed her purse and fled to a nearby car with a waiting driver, Goodman said.
“The suspect and vehicle description are similar to the other recent strong-arm robberies in town,” police said in a written statement.
Two other robberies with similar suspect and vehicle descriptions were reported March 7, Goodman said, though they have not been definitively linked to each other or Wednesday’s robbery.
