April 2010 Archives

AZUSA -- An 8-year-old boy was hospitalized in critical condition Friday after he was struck by a car while riding his bike, police said.
The incident was reported about 5:10 p.m. in the 100 block of North Pasadena Avenue, Azusa police Sgt. John Madaloni said.
The cause of the crash remained under investigation, he said, however alcohol or drugs did not appear to be a factor, and no citations or arrests were made late Friday.
The injured boy was rushed to the hospital by ambulance with critical injuries, Madaloni said.
The boy was not wearing a helmet, he added.
Anyone with information about the crash is asked to call the Azusa Police Department.

COVINA -- Police arrested a man Friday after he allegedly groped a 19-year-old woman in a Covina movie theater, authorities said.
Miguel Aldaco, 39, of was booked on suspicion of sexual battery and was being held in lieu of $20,000 bail, Covina police officials said.
The incident took place about 7 p.m. at AMC Theaters, 1414 North Azusa Avenue, Covina police Lt. Tim Doonan said.
A 19-year-old woman was watching a movie with her family when she felt something touching her upper legs and buttocks, above her clothing, the lieutenant said.
She saw Aldaco, who was seated nearby in the theater, reaching out and touching her, he said.
The young woman immediately stood up and told her parents what had happened, Doonan said, and Aldaco fled from the theater.
A security guard followed him outside and flagged down a passing California Highway Patrol officer, who arrested Aldaco without further incident, he said.
The woman and her parents were upset, Doonan added, but the alleged victim was not injured.
Aldaco was due for arraignment Tuesday in West Covina Superior Court, authorities said.

INDUSTRY -- A man was wounded in the foot in a drive-by shooting Thursday, authorities said.
The incident took place about 5 p.m. at Nelson and Orange avenues in Industry, Los Angeles County sheriff's Lt. Hiroshi Yokoyama said.
An older-model black Cadillac passed by when a Latino man inside opened fire, the lieutenant said.
After being struck in the foot by a bullet, the 18-year-old victim was able to flee to safety and was later taken to the hospital by family members, Yokoyama said. His injuries did not appear life-threatening.
Deputies learned of the shooting when the hospital called to report receiving a gunshot wound victim in their emergency room, he added.-
A motive in the attack was not known late Thursday, he said, though authorities suspected the assailant was a gang member.

PASADENA -- Police arrested a man Thursday on suspicion of robbing a woman of her iPhone the previous day, authorities said.
Jose Loeza, 22, of Pasadena was booked on suspicion of robbery, Pasadena police Lt. Keith Jones said.
He was taken into custody after police identified him with the help of the alleged victim, he added.
A 19-year-old woman was walking about 10:30 a.m. Wednesday near Sierra Bonita Avenue and Walnut Street when a man approached her from behind and snatched her iPhone from her, police said.
The robber jumped into a nearby Ford Mustang and fled, officials said, and the young woman jumped into her own car and gave chase. The robber eventually pulled over, and the woman was able to retrieve her phone.
The woman obtained the Mustang's license plate number and was able to identify the thief from a photo line-up, Jones said.
Officers contacted him by telephone Thursday afternoon, and Loeza told police they could pick him up in the 1200 block of North Altadena Drive, the lieutenant said. Police arrested him there about 6 p.m.
Loeza was being held in lieu of $50,000 bail, Jones said, and was due for arraignment in Pasadena Superior Court Tuesday.

SANTA FE SPRINGS -- Officials flew a 14-year-old boy to the hospital Thursday after he was struck by a car while riding his bike, authorities said.
The crash occurred just before 5:20 p.m. at Lakeland and Carmenita roads in an unincorporated county area near Santa Fe Springs, according to California Highway Patrol logs.
The young bicyclist suffered injuries to his head and face, but was conscious when taken to Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center with apparently moderate injuries, Los Angeles County Fire Department Capt. Clint Kaller said.
He was flown to the hospital by helicopter as a precaution, the captain added.
The driver of the Mercedes-Benz sedan that struck the boy remained at the scene and appeared to be cooperating with CHP officers, Kaller added.
The cause of the crash was being investigated by the Santa Fe Springs office of the CHP.

IRWINDALE -- Deputies stood in stoic guard for 24 hours Thursday at the spot where Los Angeles County Sheriff's Deputy David March was fatally shot during a traffic stop eight years ago.
To keep his memory alive, deputies from the sheriff's Temple Station, where March, 33, last served, and throughout the county took turns keeping an honor guard for the fallen deputy on Live Oak Avenue, just east of Peck Road.
March was gunned down by Jorge Arroyo Garcia, also known as Armando Garcia, on April 29, 2002, during a routine traffic stop. Garcia is serving a life sentence in prison after admitting to the slaying five years later.
Colleagues of March, a Saugus resident, described him as a dedicated deputy and a soft-spoken, kind man.
Lt. Linda Becker, who worked with March at the sheriff's Temple Station, took a turn standing guard over the site of the killing.
"I just remember him as being such a great, motivated, enthusiastic deputy," she said. "He was just an honorable man. He was respected by all his peers."
She added he was also a good husband to his wife, Teri, and a good step-father to his now-20-year-old step-daughter.
"He's sure missed by everyone," Becker said. "Even today."
Deputies volunteered to stand guard in teams of two or three in half-hour shifts in front of flags, flowers and a permanent memorial to March built by the City of Irwindale. Most of the deputies were off-duty.
Deputy Herb Howland said March was "liked by everybody."
"He was very soft-spoken," the deputy added. "His mannerisms were very quiet. He was just one of those genuinely nice people."
At the time of the shooting, Garcia was an illegal immigrant who had already been deported four times and was also wanted on suspicion of attempted murder in Baldwin Park, authorities said. The attempted murder charges were dropped when he pleaded guilty to murdering the 7-year law enforcement veteran.
He is believed to have fled to Mexico within 24 hours of murdering March, where Mexican authorities arrested him in February, 2006.
He was extradited to the United States to face trial in early 2007, and he pleaded guilty two months later.
Pomona Superior Court Judge Charles Horan sentenced Garcia to spend the rest of his life in prison, without the possibility of parole.
Fellow law enforcement officers used March's handcuffs to bring the killer back from Mexico.

From the Associated Press:

CASTAIC -- Authorities have recaptured two accused armed robbers who escaped from a Castaic jail.
Sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore says the two men were caught about half a mile from the facility following a phone call from a local resident.
Jose Aldana and Winder Barrios were discovered missing from the North County Correctional Facility during a head count at 3:15 a.m. Wednesday.
Whitmore says the 24-year-olds apparently escaped about two hours earlier while working at a kitchen loading dock.
The men are accused of using a shotgun in a home invasion robbery in Encino last year and of robbing motorists in the Hollywood area.

This comes from our counterparts at the San Bernardino Sun:

POMONA -- A 1-year-old boy was killed on Tuesday after his teen mother backed a truck over him, Pomona police said.
Police said the 16-year-old mother, who has not been identified, did not appear to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol but she does not have a driver's license.
The accident happened at 7:50 a.m. after the mother backed her 2000 Dodge Ram truck out a private driveway onto Muir Street, where the boy was apparently playing. He was taken to Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center and died hours later.

MONTEREY PARK -- A man pleaded not guilty Wednesday to murdering his ex-girlfriend and her new boyfriend in a Monterey Park apartment, court officials said.
Richard Tauch, 45, of Corona is charged with two counts of murder in connection with the Jan. 19 shooting deaths of Wenwa Chao, 53, of Alhambra and Jenny Sor, 40, of Los Angeles.
They were found fatally shot just before 8 p.m. inside an apartment in the 200 block of N. Chandler Avenue, officials said.
Tauch was jailed on suspicion of the slaying the following day.
Sor said she had dated Tauch for more than a year in the past, family members said at the time of the killings. She had just recently started dating Chao.
Tauch is due back in Alhambra Superior Court May 15, when officials will set a date for a preliminary hearing. At the hearing, a judge will listen to evidence from both the prosecution and defense to determine whether there is sufficient evidence to order Tauch to stand trial.
According to sheriff's booking records, he is being held without bail.

POMONA -- A judge sentenced a Temple City woman to 24 years in state prison Wednesday for stealing from primarily elderly victims through travel and lottery scams, authorities said.
Pomona Superior Court Judge Tia Fisher handed down the sentence to Delia Socorro Tellez, 53, after she was convicted of 24 felony counts, Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office spokeswoman Shiara Dávila-Morales said in a written statement.
Sixteen victims lost as much as thousands of dollars each in the scams, Dávila-Morales added, which took place between November 2005 and December 2008.
Officials charged Tellez in March with four counts of grand theft, eight counts of residential burglary and 12 counts of theft from an elder, officials said.
In her lottery scam, Tellez and an unknown accomplice would convince victims she'd won the lottery but could not collect the prize because she was an undocumented immigrant, according to the DA's office. After receiving cash and jewelry as "collateral" from the unwitting victims, Tellez left them empty-handed.
In the travel scam, Dávila-Morales, Tellez held meetings at Catholic churches throughout Los Angeles County to sell trips to Jerusalem and other destinations. The victims received nothing after most paid Tellez more than $3,000.

ROSEMEAD -- A Rosemead rock band and Rosemead High School are planning a concert Friday to benefit the families of two 19-year-old former Rosemead High students who were fatally struck by a train over the weekend.
Local rockers "Delta Rose" will headline the show, along with other bands made up of Rosemead High students, Rosemead High School teacher Brian Day.
Day used to teach Richard Haro, who died along with his friend Aaron Gallardo when the two were struck by a freight train in Rosemead Saturday.
The concert will be held at 7 p.m. at the Rosemead High School Auditorium, 9063 E. Mission Drive. The cost is $10.
The show was initially planned to raise funds for the prom for the class of 2012, but after hearing of the deaths of Haro and Gallardo, Day said, both Delta Rose and the Rosemead High class of 2012 decided to donate the proceeds to the Haro and Gallardo families.

ROSEMEAD -- Investigators Sunday continued looking into how two 19-year-old best friends from Rosemead ended up on a set of railroad tracks, where they were fatally struck by a freight train.
Meanwhile, family and community members paid their respects to lifelong Rosemead residents Aaron Gallardo and Richard Haro.
Both men died about 12:30 a.m. Saturday after they were struck by a Union Pacific freight train on the tracks just north of the 8800 block of Grand Avenue, sheriff's and coroner's officials said.
The train's crew reported seeing what appeared to be one person lying across the tracks before impact, but they were unable to stop in time, sheriff's officials said.
The deaths are believed to be accidental, though sheriff's officials released no further information about the circumstances of the crash.
"I miss him so much," said Haro's mother, Kim Alenbaugh said at the crash scene Sunday. "I keep thinking I'm going to wake up from this nightmare."
As a long freight train passed by the crash scene, which friends and family members adorned with flowers and candles, she broke down in tears.
Aaron Gallardo's brother, 20-year-old Jeremy Gallardo, said he was also having a hard time accepting what had happened.
"It's still kind of surreal just trying to think about it," he said. "I'm still kind of thinking this isn't real."
Coroner's officials said an autopsy was expected to be performed on the bodies Monday, and that toxicology tests would also likely be ordered. It could be weeks before an official cause of death is determined.
Haro, a culinary arts student, loved to cook and eat fine foods, Alenbaugh said. He also was fond of music, reading and cars.
"He was just a loving, loving boy," she said. "I always got unlimited hugs and kisses from him, even at 19."
The mother added that Haro was well-liked wherever he went.
"He just lit up the room when he walked in," she said.
Alenbaugh said that after her son finished culinary school, he wanted to start a business in Seattle or Paris.
"He had a real zest for his future plans," she said. He wanted to make a lot of money and travel the world and see things."
Haro's uncle, Ron Alenbaugh, said his nephew was "full of life."
"He had so many dreams and inspirations," he said.
Ron Alenbaugh fondly recalled teaching his nephew to drive a stick-shift.
The car lurched and stalled for hours as Richard Haro tried to get the hang of the clutch.
"He was just laughing," the uncle said.
Kim Alenbaugh said since her son met Aaron Gallardo in the 6th grade, they were rarely apart afterward.
"We couldn't separate those two," she said.
Jeremy Gallardo said his brother, Aaron Gallardo, was a talented artist who prized his individuality.
"He made his own rules," the brother said.
An avid weight-lifter and fan of punk rock music, Aaron Gallardo also loved to draw and was hoping to study drafting at college, family members said.
"He always had the radio on," Jeremy Gallardo said, and his artwork was always displayed on the walls of his bedroom.
Aaron Gallardo largely kept to himself when outside the house, but could be goofy and funny at home.
Andrew Gallardo described his son as a caring young man.
"He was a really good kid," he said. "He wasn't a kid to cause problems or fight with anybody. He has a real mellow spirit to him."
Richard Haro leaves behind a younger brother, while Aaron Gallardo is survived by a younger brother and an older brother, family members said.
Rosemead City Councilwoman Margaret Clark offered her condolences to the mourning families, adding that both young men appeared to have "tremendous potential."
"I'm just so sad that this happened in our community," she said. "Our prayers go out to the families."

AZUSA -- A man and two women were injured Sunday in a possibly alcohol-related car crash, police said.
The crash was reported about 9:20 a.m. in the 3800 block of Fish Canyon Road, Azusa police Cpl. Andy Rodriguez said in a written statement.
Eric Martinez-Montes, 19, of Pomona, was driving his car at "a high rate of speed" north bound on Fish Canyon Road when when he lost control and crashed into a rock and dirt embankment, Rodriguez said.
Martinez-Montes and one female passenger were hospitalized with moderate injuries, officials said. Another woman who was a passenger in the car was treated at the scene for minor injuries.
"Alcohol may have been a factor in the incident," Rodriguez said.
The investigation was ongoing.

PASADENA -- Police sought a man and two children who struck an ice cream vendor in the head with a baseball bat Sunday during a failed robbery in Pasadena, authorities said.
The crime took place about 3 p.m. in the 400 block of N. Chester Avenue, Pasadena police Lt. Keith Jones said. The robbery was carried out by two boys of about 12 to 14 years old and a man who appeared between 18 and 20.
The ice cream vendor, an El Sereno man in his 40s, was walking with his ice cream cart when the two children approached on scooters and asked for ice cream, the lieutenant said.
"As the victim was reaching to get them what they wanted, the older suspect came from behind and struck the victim in the head with a baseball bat," Jones said.
The vendor fell to the ground and the children tried unsuccessfully to pull his fanny pack off, he said.
"The victim was able to fight off the suspects, and they all ran northbound on Chester Avenue," Jones said.
The young suspects left their scooters behind, he added.
The injured victim was taken to Huntington Hospital in Pasadena, Jones said, where he was treated and released later Sunday.

WHITTIER -- Police released a man early Sunday who was arrested on suspicion of two robberies Saturday, authorities said.
Matthew Ortega, 22, of Whittier was arrested along with a 15-year-old Whittier boy shortly after 6 p.m. Saturday on suspicion of robbing two men within minutes of each other, Whittier police Lt. Steve Dean said.
Police released Ortega from jail Sunday morning due to a lack of evidence against him, pending further investigation, Dean said. The teen remained jailed at Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall in Downey.
The robberies occurred just after 6 p.m., police said.
A man was sprayed with pepper spray and robbed of his backpack on the Greenway Trail just east of Painter Avenue, Dean said, then a second man was robbed of his money at knifepoint on Painter Avenue, just south of the trail.
Both Ortega and the teen, whose name was not released due to his age, were arrested in the area, police said.

PICO RIVERA -- Deputies took a "suspicious circumstances" report Sunday after man startled a child in a church bathroom, authorities said.
The incident occurred about 1:40 p.m. at St. Mariana De Paredes Church, 7922 Passons Boulevard, Los Angeles County sheriff's Sgt. John Adams said.
A boy under 12 years old entered a bathroom and found a man already inside, the sergeant said.
The man told the boy something to the effect of, "Your mom told me to pick you up," at which point the boy immediately left the bathroom and told his mother, Adams said. The mother then called sheriff's officials.
The man was described as Latino, in his mid-30s, of thin build, with a light complexion and wearing dark clothing, Adams said.
The circumstances of the event troubled deputies, Adams said, but didn't appear to rise to the level of an attempted kidnapping.
"It's disconcerting, but the man didn't make any overt efforts to grab the child or persist in any way," he said.
While deputies have received no similar calls lately, Adams said, "Obviously, if there's been any other kids experiencing this, we want to know about it."
Anyone with information is asked to call the sheriff's Pico Rivera Station.

AZUSA -- Police jailed two 15-year-old Chino Hills boys late Friday on suspicion of graffiti vandalism, police said.
The incident began when witnesses reported seeing two boys spray-painting on a cinder block wall in the 600 block of S. Cerritos Avenue, Azusa police Sgt. Mike Gurbada said in a written statement.
The boys fled onto the campus of nearby Center Middle School, 5500 N. Cerritos Avenue in an unincorporated county area, the sergeant said.
Officers caught the teens in the campus, and both denied scrawling the graffiti, Gurbada said.
The witnesses were able to identify them as the taggers, however, and both teens had fresh paint on their hands, he said.
Gurbada added that both teens were cited and released to their parents.

WHITTIER -- Police arrested a man and teen Saturday after they allegedly robbed two people within a matter of minutes, police said.
Matthew Ortega, 22, of Whittier and a teenage boy were booked on suspicion of armed robbery, Whittier police Lt. Steve Dean said.
The incident began just after 6 p.m. on the Greenway Trail, just east of Painter Avenue, the lieutenant said.
Ortega and the teen allegedly doused a man with pepper spray and stole his backpack, Dean said.
Minutes later, he said, the man and teen are suspected of brandishing a knife at another man and robbed him of money on Painter Avenue, just south of the Greenway Trail.
With the help of a police helicopter, officers arrested both suspects in the area, Dean said.

ROSEMEAD - Two 19-year-old Rosemead men who friends and family members described as inseparable friends died early Saturday after being struck by a freight train, authorities said.
Aaron Gallardo and Richard Haro were pronounced dead at the scene of the crash, Los Angeles County Department of Coroner Investigator Kim Arnold said.
Deputies at the sheriff's Temple Station received a call from a Union Pacific dispatch center about 12:30 a.m. reporting that a train had collided with the pedestrians on the tracks between Rosemead Boulevard and Walnut Grove Avenue, just north of the 8800 block of grand Avenue, Los Angeles County sheriff's Sgt. Diane Hecht said.
"At this point, it appears to be accidental," she said.
The investigation is ongoing, officials said, and coroner's investigators will likely examine the bodies Sunday.
Lt. Kerry Carter of the sheriff's Temple Station said the conductor applied the train's brakes but was unable to stop in time.
Union Pacific spokesman Aaron Hunt said the engineer and conductor on the westbound freight train initially believed they struck one person, but responding sheriff's officials discovered to bodies.
The train crew was unhurt in the crash and will meet with counselors to discuss the incident.
"This can be a pretty severe experience for our crew," he said.
The railroad track was reopened about 7 a.m., he added.
Family members said Gallardo and Haro had been friends since they met at Rosemead High School. Both were life-long Rosemead residents.
"They were just inseparable," said Gallardo's father, Andrew Gallardo. "No matter what one did, the other did it, too."
Aaron Gallardo loved lifting weights, punk rock music and drawing, his father said.
Under his well-built frame and 12-inch Mohawk hairstyle, Andrew Gallardo said his son had a peaceful and caring spirit.
"He was a loving kid," the father said. "We're going to miss him. It's just a shock right now."
Aaron Gallardo was planning on studying drafting at college, he added.
Haro was a former Explorer with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and was studying to be a chef at Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Pasadena, his aunt, Irma Haro said. He often cooked meals he had just learned to make at school for his family.
"He was just a real fun-loving, good-natured kid," she said. Richard Haro has recently taken time off school to help take care of his ailing grandfather, Irma Haro said.
Friends of Gallardo and Haro visited the crash scene Saturday afternoon to pay their respects.
Jeremiah Grizzelle of Rosemead said he was friends with both young men, but described Gallardo as his best friend.
Both young men often spent evenings at his house listening to music and playing video games, he said.
"They liked to have fun," Grizzelle said.
"(Gallardo) was a good guy. He was hilarious," the friend added. "(Haro) was fun to be around."
Jeremiah Grizzelle's brother, Joshua Grizzelle of Rosemead, said he would also miss Aaron Gallardo and Richard Haro.
"To know that I personally will not hear them laugh as they walk to my home once more brings me to tears," he wrote in a letter. "In high school we were all in the the same niche, we shared the same moments, we've shared almost all our adolescent years together.",
Jeremiah and Joshua Grizzelle's mother, Darlene Grizzelle, said she remembered Gallardo and Haro visiting often with her son.
"They were two good kids," she said. "I just can't believe it."
Gallardo was interesting and full of information, she said, adding that both young men were "adventurous."
The portion of train track where the crash occurred is easily accessible by foot both from Muscatel and Grand avenues, and Darlene Grizzelle said many area residents walk on it daily.
Hunt said Union Pacific discourages trespassing on train tracks and works hard to, "make sure the public is very aware that railroad right of way is a very unsafe place to be."

PASADENA -- Twenty-three years after Vincent Mejia was fatally shot in a robbery at his Pasadena grocery store, prosecutors Friday charged a man with the killing, authorities said.
Richard Curtis Morris Jr., 56, of Pearl City, Hawaii, and a second man who has never been identified, are accused of shooting the 64-year-old Mejia during a May 15, 1987, robbery at his store, the Manor Market, 2540 E. Colorado Blvd., Orange County District Attorney's Office spokeswoman Farrah Emami said in a written statement.
"Morris and his accomplice are accused of demanding money from a clerk standing near the cash register," Emami said. "When store owner Vincent Mejia tried to intervene, Morris and the second man are accused of murdering him by shooting him in the chest."
The robbers held a knife to the throat of Mejia's sister-in-law and were beating his brother with a pistol when he stepped in, witnesses said at the time.
Mejia died at a hospital 18 days after the shooting -- six months before he was expecting to retire at age 65, according to officials and family members.
More than 1,500 people attended Mejia's funeral.
Morris was jailed 10 days after the shooting but later released due to lack of evidence, police said in 1987.
He was convicted in 1988 of a weapons charge for possessing the gun believed to have been used in Mejia's killing, Emami said, but murder charges were never filed.
His arrest in the Pasadena case came after Morris was charged in 2008 with the 1987 Buena Park murder of strip club owner James Stockwell, also known as Jimmy Casino, she said.
He was linked to the Stockwell case via the national DNA database after he submitted a DNA sample in Hawaii in connection with an unrelated case in that state.
"After filing charges against Morris for the murder of Stockwell, the OCDA began re-investigating the murder of Mejia," Emami said. "The amended complaint charging Morris with that murder was lodged (Friday)."
Mejia began working at the Manor Market in 1951. He bought the store from his boss in 1967.
Friends and family members said in 1987 that he was known for giving generous credit to customers and for delivering groceries to the sick and elderly at no charge.

LA MIRADA -- A La Mirada bank was robbed for the second time this month Friday, and authorities said they suspect the crimes may be related.
A man armed with a knife escaped with an undisclosed amount of cash about 2 p.m. after robbing the Bank of the West at Imperial Boulevard and Valley View Avenue, sheriff's Lt. Steve Kenny said.
The same bank was also robbed April 2 by a robber with a similar description, he added.
"(Investigators) believe it may be related," Kenny said.
In Friday's robbery, a Latino man in his mid-20s entered the bank with a bandana covering his face, brandished a knife and demanded money from a teller, the lieutenant said.
Kenny said deputies were retrieving images of the robber from bank surveillance cameras late Friday.
In the April 2 heist, a masked man with a similar description robbed the same bank branch about 9 a.m., Lt. Mark Wilkins said.

EL MONTE - Police jailed an 80-year-old El Monte man Friday on suspicion of inappropriately touching a young girl, authorities said.
Juan Ramirez was booked on suspicion of child molestation, El Monte police Detective Ralph Batres said.
He was arrested about 11:30 a.m., "after a complaint was filed against Ramirez for inappropriately touching a victim under the age of 12," Batres said.
The alleged incident took place in the 12100 block of Exline Street, he added.
Police declined to release further details Friday.
Batres said he was being held in lieu of $100,000 bail and was due for arraignment in Pomona Superior Court Tuesday.

MONROVIA -- A knife-wielding crook robbed a man Friday in Old Town, police said.
The crime was reported shortly after noon in an alley in the 100 block of West Colorado Boulevard, Monrovia police Lt. Nels Ortlund said.
The victim, a Monrovia man of about 60 years old, was walking down the alley when he was confronted by the robber, who brandished a knife and demanded property from the man, the lieutenant said.
The victim handed over $26 and the robber ran off, said.
Officers searched the area but were unable to find the robber, Ortlund added. He was described as a Latino man with a dark complexion and a bushy mustache. He wore a white T-shirt, black pants and black and white shoes resembling Converse All Star tennis shoes.
The victim was not hurt in the incident, he said.

BALDWIN PARK -- Investigators still had little information to work with Friday in the efforts to track down a hit-and-run motorist involved in a crash that killed a Baldwin Park man, California Highway Patrol officials said.
Eliseo Castaneda, 35, of Baldwin Park died at a hospital shortly after Sunday's 4:45 p.m. crash on the westbound 10 Freeway, just west of Baldwin Park Boulevard, CHP Sgt. John Escobedo said.
He apparently rear-ended a a compact car and was thrown from his motorcycle when a passing SUV struck him and continued driving, the sergeant said.
The hit-and-run vehicle was initially described only as a black SUV with with probable damage to the right front side, and no further information had surfaced Friday, CHP Sgt. Jesse Holguin said.
"Any help we could get from the public would be greatly appreciated," he said.
Part of the reason a more complete description of the hit-and-run vehicle was not available was that officers received conflicting information from witnesses, Holguin said. Some described the driver as female, other others said the driver was male.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Baldwin Park office of the CHP at 626-338-1164.

WEST VALINDA -- Deputies jailed two men Thursday on suspicion of robbing a woman of concert tickets near a convenience store, authorities said.
Alfonso Salazar, 21, of West Valinda, and Juan Casas, 39, of West Valinda were booked on suspicion of armed robbery, Los Angeles County sheriff's Lt. Hiroshi Yokoyama said.
The crime occurred about 4:20 p.m. in front of a 7-Eleven store at Francisquito and Orange avenues, the lieutenant said.
Salazar and Casas allegedly confronted a 20-year-old woman with a handgun and demanded her concert tickets, Yokoyama said.
After obtaining the tickets, the robbers drove off in a black Ford sedan, he added.
A car matching the description was found in the 13700 block of Shaver Street, Yokoyama said, and Salazar was inside of it. He was arrested without a struggle.
Upon searching Salazar's home nearby, Yokoyama said deputies found and arrested Casas in connection with the robbery.
The allegedly stolen concert tickets were recovered, he said.

PASADENA -- A teenage boy armed with a machete allegedly robbed a man Thursday, authorities said.
The incident occurred about 6:30 p.m. at Howard Street and Garfield Avenue, Pasadena police Lt. Tom Delgado said.
The apparent victim, a man who appeared to be in his 50s, was walking with groceries when the teen confronted him and threatened him with a machete, the lieutenant said.
After turning over an unknown amount of money to the teen, Delgado said, the man continued walking.
Two people saw the alleged robbery and called police, he said.
The teenage suspect was found in the area with a machete hidden in his pants, Delgado said. He was booked on suspicion of armed robbery and was expected to be sent to juvenile hall.
Police were unable to find the apparent victim, Delgado said. Anyone with information is asked to call the Pasadena Police Department.

ARCADIA -- Police towed five trucks, placed 11 "out of service" and cited 100 equipment violations Wednesday during a commercial vehicle inspection checkpoint, officials said.
A total of 45 trucks were inspected in the checkpoint, which was held during the early morning hours on Peck Road, just north of Clark Street, Arcadia police said in a written statement.
"The purpose of this type of checkpoint is to conduct spot checks on commercial vehicles travelling on our roadways," police said.
Though the California Highway Patrol routinely inspects big rigs on the highway and during visits to large companies, according to the statement, many vehicles that travel only on local roadways are not regularly checked.
"Without regular inspections and maintenance, commercial vehicles pose a potential risk to all those on our roadways," the statement said.

From Newser

Ohio police say they've apprehended a wily white bank robber who threw them off the trail by disguising himself as a black person. Authorities say 30-year-old Conrad Zdzierak would rob the banks in a high-quality mask, then take it off as he drove to his next robbery target, confounding police on the lookout for a black man. He allegedly managed to hit four banks and a CVS within just three hours, ABC reports. 

His mistake? He never disguised his car.

PASADENA -- A woman died Wednesday after apparently jumping from the Colorado Street Bridge in Pasadena, police said.
Police received a call from a passing motorist about 1:50 p.m. reporting that a woman had climbed over the guard rails along the bridge, Pasadena police Lt. Tom Pederson said.
"Apparently, just moments before we arrived, she jumped," the lieutenant said.
Police summoned coroner's officials to the scene to pick up the body and conduct an investigation, Pederson said.
Wednesday's incident was the second time in a week that an apparent suicide has been reported at the Colorado Street Bridge.
A passer-by found the body of a 25-year-old Covina man Saturday, who also apparently leapt from the bridge within days of being discovered, police and coroner's officials said.
Los Angeles County Department of Coroner Assistant Chief of Operations Ed Winter said Wednesday that an autopsy determined Madril died of blunt force injuries and the death was ruled a suicide.

WEST COVINA -- A large fire destroyed two townhomes and sent a firefighter to the hospital Tuesday, authorities said.
The firefighter was hospitalized after becoming weak and dizzy while battling the blaze and remained hospitalized for observation Wednesday, West Covina Fire Department Assistant Chief Bart Brewer said.
The fire was reported shortly after 11 a.m. in the 3600 block of South Sequoia Circle, Brewer said.
Firefighters found the building well-involved with fire wen they arrived and worked to keep the blaze from spreading, Brewer said.
"It got quite a head start on us," he said.
Every available West Covina firefighter was called to help, and the Los Angeles County Fire Department sent firefighters to help as well, Brewer said.
More than 30 firefighters worked to extinguish the fire, he said.
"It took about an hour to really get it under control," he added.
Two townhomes were destroyed in the fire, Brewer said, and a third suffered smoke damage.

BALDWIN PARK - A Baldwin Park man died Sunday after crashing his motorcycle on the 10 Freeway and then being struck by an SUV that continued driving, authorities said.
 Eliseo Castaneda, 35, was taken to Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Baldwin Park in critical condition following the 4:45 p.m. crash on the westbound 10 Freeway, just west of Baldwin Park Boulevard, California Highway Patrol Sgt. John Escobedo said. He succumbed to his injuries a short time later.
 He had just driven his 2009 Honda motorcycle onto the freeway from the Baldwin Park Boulevard onramp when he rear-ended a Toyota Corolla being driven by a 24-year-old Pacoima woman, the sergeant said.
 "The rider was ejected from the motorcycle onto the roadway and was struck by a passing vehicle," Escobedo said.
 That second vehicle, described only as a black SUV, continued driving without stopping, he said.
 CHP officers are asking the public's help in finding the SUV and its driver.
 "There's going to be significant damage to the right front side," Escobedo said, adding that witnesses reported that one of the front headlights was hanging out of place.
 Anyone with information is asked to call the Baldwin Park office of the CHP at 626-338-1164.

PASADENA -- Police jailed a man and woman on suspicion of attempted murder after they allegedly stabbed a La Puente woman during a road rage incident in Old Town Sunday, authorities said.
Elizabeth Cortez, 27, of El Monte, and Erik Mota, 26, of San Dimas, were being held in lieu of $1 million bail each at the Pasadena Police Department Jail, Pasadena police Lt. Keith Jones said.
Cortez is suspected of carrying out the stabbing, while Mota is suspected of driving her away from the scene afterward, police said. They are boyfriend and girlfriend.
The stabbing occurred shortly after 2 a.m. at a parking structure near Green Street and Arroyo Parkway, Jones said.
The alleged victim, a La Puente woman in her early 20s, was hospitalized in serious condition but was expected to survive, he said.
The woman and the two suspects got into an argument following a minor crash inside the parking structure, Jones said.
"(Cortez) got out of the passenger side of her vehicle and reached through the open window and stabbed the victim once in the chest and once in the left thigh," the lieutenant said.
The wounded woman then sped away from the area and made it to Los Robles Avenue and Glenarm Street, Jones said, before she passed out and crashed into a parked car.
Using surveillance footage, detectives were able to track the suspects to a home in San Dimas where they were arrested later Sunday, he said.

A parolee led Montebello police on a high-speed chase in a stolen car late Saturday before crashing in Whittier, authorities said.
Louis Chavez, 30, of Downey was booked on suspicion of grand theft auto, felony evading and parole violations, Montebello police Lt. Rick Rojas said.
He was being held without bail, he added,
The chase began about 9:30 p.m. when an officer tried to pull over a car Chavez was driving at Beverly Boulevard and Garfield Avenue, Rojas said.
Chavez refused to pull over and drove recklessly and at high speeds as he tried to elude police, the lieutenant said.
The pursuit got onto the eastbound 60 Freeway, then onto the southbound 605 Freeway, Rojas said.
At several points during the chase, he said, officers on the ground lost sight of the fleeing car, but a police helicopter was able to keep track of it.
Media reports indicated the chase reached speeds in excess of 100 mph.
As the chase neared Whittier Boulevard, the car Chavez was driving collided with two other vehicles, police said. Those inside the vehicles, including Chavez, suffered only minor injuries.
Chavez continued fleeing on foot, Rojas said, and was found by police a short time later hiding in a tree in the 5900 block of Ben Alder Avenue in Whittier.
Information on Chavez initial court appearance was not available Sunday.

PASADENA -- The body of a man who apparently committed suicide by jumping off the Colorado Street Bridge in Pasadena was found Saturday afternoon, police said.
The body was discovered by a passer-by about 6 p.m., Pasadena police Lt. Keith Jones said.
No description of the dead man was available late Saturday, he said.
It was not clear when the man may have jumped from the bridge, though it is believed to have occurred within several days, Jones said.
Foul play was not initially suspected, however coroner's officials will conduct an autopsy on the body to determine an officials cause of death.

AZUSA -- Police arrested a 16-year-old Azusa boy Friday on suspicion of scrawling graffiti on a bus stop, authorities said.
The teen, whose name was not released due to his age, was booked on suspicion of vandalism and possession of graffiti instruments and released to his parents with a written notice to appear in court, Azusa police Sgt. John Madaloni said in a written statement.
A resident called police about 7:15 p.m. to report seeing a teenager writing graffiti on a bus stop, then get on a bus, the sergeant said.
Police pulled over the bus and found the teen on-board, he added. Several ink markers and "graffiti-style" artwork was found in the boy's possession.
Madaloni said Azusa has a "zero tolerance" policy toward graffiti vandalism.
"The City of Azusa also seeks resitution from convicted graffiti vandals and/or their parents to pay for the cost of repairing the damage," he said.

LA HABRA -- The Orange County District Attorney's Office will not prosecute a La Habra police officer involved in a crash that killed a La Habra couple last year, despite the California Highway Patrol's recommendation that vehicular manslaughter charges be filed.
Charles Antuna, 54, and his wife Susanne Marie Antuna, 55, died in the crash, which occurred April 5, 2009 at Euclid Street and La Habra Boulevard.
La Habra police officer Nancy Garcia was speeding with her emergency lights and sirens on to assist another officer who was chasing a fleeing parolee with a past history of shooting at police, La Habra police officials said in a written statement.
The DA's decision not to file criminal charges does not put the matter to rest, La Habra Police Chief Alan Hostetter said.
"Now that the District Attorney has made his decision regarding the filing of charges, an internal La Habra Police Department investigation and administrative review of her actions will proceed," he said.
In September, the CHP concluded that Garcia's police car went through a red light at 62 mph when it collided with the Antunas' car, fatally injuring the couple. The posted speed limit was 35 mph.
Garcia suffered non-life- threatening injuries in the crash.
Based on the investigation, the CHP recommended that vehicular manslaughter charges be filed against Garcia.
Officials from the Orange County District Attorney's Office, as well as family members of Charles and Susanne Antuna, could not be reached for comment Saturday.
Hostetter said it was the fleeing parolee who was most responsible for the deaths of Charles and Susanne Marie Antuna.
"When people such as the felon attempting to elude police choose to break the law, they oftentimes, as in this case, set in motion dangerous chains of events with potentially deadly consequences," Hostetter said. "While we are gratified that Officer Garcia will not be criminally prosecuted for understandable desire to rush to the aid of a fellow officer in danger, one cannot overstate what a terrible tragedy this was."
The chief offered his condolences to the Antunas' family, adding that the event has devastated Garcia.
"We realize this is a loss that can never be completely repaired," he said.
Family members of Charles and Susanne Marie Antuna said last year that the couple is survived by three adult children and one elementary- school-age child.

ANGELES NATIONAL FOREST -- A wanted parolee allegedly raped, robbed and pepper-sprayed a woman he met at a San Bernardino County casino early Saturday before abandoning her in the Angeles National Forest just south of Mount Baldy, authorities said.
Frederrick Bruno, 31, was booked on suspicion of rape, robbery, assault with a caustic chemical and parole violations, Los Angeles County sheriff's Sgt. Bruce Vallerand said. His permanent city of residency was not clear Friday, however he has been staying with a friend in Upland.
Bruno and the 25-year-old alleged victim, an Upland woman, met at San Manuel Indian Bingo and Casino in Highland and left together in a vehicle Bruno was driving shortly before 3 a.m., the sergeant said.
He drove the woman to Mount Baldy Road, about two miles south of Mount Baldy, where the alleged attack took place.
"He raped her and Maced her in the face," Vallerand said. "He then took off with her purse and left her stranded in a roadside turnout."
"She ended up walking down the mountain in the middle of the night until a good Samaritan picked her up," he added. She was hospitalized for treatment of apparently minor injuries.
Officials from the sheriff's San Dimas Station, which is investigating the incident, contacted San Bernardino County sheriff's officials to check the casino surveillance tapes, Vallerand said.
The San Bernardino investigators were able to locate surveillance footage of Bruno and the woman leaving the casino together, complete with a license plate number.
Officials tracked the license plate to a home in the 1200 block of North Monte Verde Avenue in Upland, Upland police Lt. John Moore said.
Upland police assisted as Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies arrested Bruno about 11:30 a.m. at the home without further incident, officials said.
According to sheriff's booking records, Bruno was being held without bail and was due for arraignment Tuesday in Pomona Superior Court.

From the Associated Press:

FULLERTON -- Arraignment has been postponed for a reputed gang member charged in the shooting death of a college student at a Halloween party in Orange County in 2006.
The district attorney's office says David Anthony Parga's arraignment was postponed Friday until May 21 at the request of the defense.
Parga is charged with street terrorism, committing a hate crime for the benefit of a street gang and using a firearm. The 24-year-old is being held without bail.
California State University, Fullerton student Leland Washington was at a Halloween party in La Habra in 2006 when prosecutors say he was approached by Parga and shot in the chest several times.
Prosecutors say the crime was motivated by his gang's hatred of African-Americans. Parga is Hispanic.

ALTADENA -- Jewelry was stolen from an Altadena home in a burglary Friday morning, officials said.
The crime was reported shortly before 9 a.m. in when a resident returned home to a burglarized home in the 200 block of West Terrace Street, Los Angeles County sheriff's Sgt. David O'Sullivan said.
No description of the burglar or burglars was available, he added.
Sheriff's officials have noted an increase in burglaries in Altadena late last year and early this year.
Officials have said they hoped the arrest of eight burglary suspects in March would help put an end to the trend.

PASADENA -- A fire damaged a unit in an abandoned apartment building Friday that was apparently being used by transients, authorities said.
The blaze was reported about 12:30 p.m. at an abandoned and boarded-up two-story apartment building on Hudson Avenue, just south of Walnut Street, Pasadena Fire Department Capt. A.C. Brown said.
"It remained isolated to the one unit," he said.
Firefighters quickly cut through a chain-link fence surrounding the property to access the fire, he added.
The cause of the fire in the first-floor apartment remained under investigation, the captain said. It initially appeared it may have been sparked by transients living in the unit, possibly cooking or trying to keep warm.
Officials responded to the same building about a month ago after a small fire, presumably caused by transients, ignited inside the building, Brown said.
About 15 firefighters extinguished the flames within five minutes, Brown added. No injuries were reported.
After putting out the blaze, firefighters worked to clear debris from the scorched building.
Other than trash, there appeared to be no contents inside the apartment, he said. The blaze caused an estimated $10,000 worth of damage to the structure.
Officials said gas and other utilities to the building had already been shut off prior to the fire because it was unoccupied.

A Pasadena man who runs an Orange County medical clinic has agreed to plead guilty to five counts of health insurance fraud, authorities said.
Dr. Glen Justice, 65, filed the plea agreement Wednesday in federal court in Los Angeles, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeannie Joseph said.
He stands accused of billing Medicare, as well as other private and publicly funded health insurance companies, for $400,000 to $1 million worth of injectable cancer drugs he never administered, Joseph said. He is also charged with overbilling for drugs he did actually give to patients.
As a doctor, the prosecutor said, Justice had a duty to both his patients and the health insurance companies he did business with.
"For both of those reasons, he was in a position of trust," he said.
The alleged wrongdoing took place between 2004 and October of 2009 at the Pacific Coast Hematology/Oncology Medical Group in Fountain Valley, which Justice owns and operates, U.S. Department of Justice officials said in a written statement.
Justice was arrested in late 2009 and appeared to be continuing the scheme, officials said, even though staff members at his clinic had raised concerns about his billing practices and authorities had carried out a search warrant at his office in November of 2006.
Justice is due back in federal court for arraignment May 3, Joseph said. After that, a sentencing hearing will be scheduled.
Once convicted, she added, it will be up to the California Medical Board to determine if the conviction will affect Justice's license to practice medicine.
He faces a maximum sentence of 50 years in federal prison, fines of up to $1.25 million and may be ordered to pay up to $1 million in restitution, according to court documents.
"No pun intended," Joseph said, "we look forward to justice being served."

PASADENA -- A man was found dead from an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound outside a Pasadena business Thursday, police said.
The name of the man was not released pending notification of family members, Los Angeles County Department of Coroner Assistant Chief of Operations Ed Winter said. He was believed to be in his 70s.
A person found the body just after 8 a.m. after arriving at a house that had been converted to a business in the 200 block of South Orange Grove Avenue, Pasadena Police Commander Darryl Qualls said.
The person who found the body knew the dead person, though the relationship between them was not clear, the commander said.
The body was found with a gun in hand, he said.
Though no foul play was suspected and the shooting appeared to be a suicide, the commander said, coroner's officials will conduct an examination on the body.

1. A black tarp hides the spot where the body of Donglei "Kyral" Shi was found strangled to death on Saturday, April 10, 2010, on Woodward Avenue, just across the street from Story Park.

 

 

2. Sheriff's investigators use tracking dogs to search for clues in the neighborhood where the body was found.

 

3. Officials tow away a Toyota Prius found around the corner from the body, in the 400 block of North Almansor Street. The car was stored as evidence.

WEST COVINA -- An 18-month-old girl who nearly drowned in a pond was hospitalized in stable condition Wednesday, authorities said.
The full extent of the young girl's injuries was not clear, however she was upgraded at the hospital from critical to stable condition, West Covina police Cpl. H. Clements said.
The toddler was playing with three other children, all under 10 years old, about 6:40 p.m. Tuesday in the 1100 block of Sunset Avenue when she fell into a backyard pond, the corporal said. The other children apparently did not see her fall in.
Within minutes, the toddler's mother, who had been watching the children through a window, realized something was wrong, police said. Family members then pulled the child from the pond.
Clements said police believe the child was in the water for no more than five minutes.
A police dispatcher instructed family members to to CPR until help arrived, Clements said. Police officers, and then paramedics continued CPR as the girl was rushed to a nearby hospital.
Though the girl was expected to survive Wednesday, Clements said, it was not clear if she was suffering from brain damage or internal injuries. Officials expected to find out more about the girl's condition Thursday.

View Donglei Shi Crime Scene Map in a larger map

Some would call this living large. The timing is questionable considering the state of West Covina's finances are such that the city can't even afford to pay to televise its council meetings and still faces lawsuits from two employees that could cost $100,000s. 

WEST COVINA - The city's police commanders started a three day and two night team building workshop on Monday at a four star resort and spa in Orange County.

Police Chief Frank Wills said 21 officers and two civilian staffers participated in the first day of the retreat at Marriott's Laguna Cliffs Resort and Spa in Dana Point.

"We need to develop a plan for the future," Wills said. "We're going to have to downsize (because of fiscal challenges) and we have to develope a plan for that."

The resort offers two outdoor heated pools, whirlpools, yoga classes and full-service spa, according to its Web site.

The taxpayer funded California Commission on Peace Officer's Standards and Training (POST) will reimburse the city for about $8,000 in expenses associated with the retreat, City Manager Andrew Pasmant said.

PASADENA -- Police said a man was lucky to be alive after being shot in the head Sunday, and another was behind bars on suspicion of the shooting.
Domingo Reyes, 28, of Pasadena was booked on suspicion of attempted murder, Pasadena police Lt. Keith Jones said.
The incident occurred shortly after 5 p.m. in the 1100 block of north Wilson Avenue, the lieutenant said.
Two men in their 20s told police that they drove to a house to retrieve a cell phone that belonged to one of their family members from a resident of the home, Jones said. It was not clear why the men believed the phone was inside.
The two men and Reyes began to argue before Reyes retrieved a small-caliber handgun from the home and came back outside, Jones said.
"He immediately started firing multiple rounds at the car," he said.
One round struck the window of the car and struck the driver in the head, Jones said. Despite the wound, the driver was able to drive the car to the fire station at Lake Avenue and Villa Street to seek help.
The passenger was not injured by the gunfire, officials added.
The wounded man was treated at an area hospital and released later Sunday evening, Jones said.
"It appears the bullet traversed between his scalp and skull," the lieutenant said.
Officers arrested Reyes at his home and recovered a handgun believed to be the weapon used in the shooting, he added.
Reyes was being held in lieu of $1 million bail Sunday and was due for arraignment in Pasadena Superior Court Tuesday, police added.
Sunday's incident was the second Pasadena shooting in two days.
Police responded to a report of at least two men exchanging gunfire shortly before noon at Glen Avenue and Montana Street, Lt. Chris Russ said. No one was found injured as a result of the shooting.
A man in his 20s was arrested in the area and a gun was found near the scene, police said.
A search of the man's Pasadena home turned up drugs, officials added, and he was booked on suspicion of drug charges. His name was not released.

PASADENA -- Police teamed up with minor volunteers and the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control Saturday and found that employees at two of 17 businesses checked sold alcohol to minors, authorities said.
The decoy operation took place throughout the day, Pasadena police Lt. Chris Russ said.
An employee at Ralphs grocery store, 320 West Colorado Boulevard, and an employee at Heritage Wine Co., 155. N. Raymond Avenue, sold alcohol to minor decoys working with police, the lieutenant said. Both employees received citations.
The sting does not necessarily reveal normal business practices of involved stores, Russ said, but does catch employees who are willing to sell alcohol to kids.
Minor decoys participating in the operation must be under 21, appear to be under 21, and answer truthfully if asked about their age, Russ said.

PASADENA -- A man armed with a knife grabbed a woman in an apparent rape attempt last week in Pasadena, police said Sunday.
The incident occurred just before 11 p.m. Friday as a 22-year-old Pasadena woman was walking on Del Mar Boulevard, between Michigan and Wilson avenues, Pasadena police said in a written statement.
The woman heard a man running up behind her tried to run away from him, police said, but the man caught up with her.
"The suspect grabbed her and brandished a knife as he pushed her toward a nearby alcove," the statement said.
When the woman screamed to a person standing nearby for help, officials said, the attacker released the woman and fled.
Officers searched the area but could not find the man, police added. He was described as Latino, about 30 years old, about 5 feet 6 inches tall, about 180 pounds. He had black hair and wore a blue shirt, jeans and a white baseball cap with blue vertical stripes.
The the attack appeared to be an "isolated incident," police reminded residents to always be aware of their surroundings.
"When possible," police said, "enjoy walks during daylight or with a friend during the evenings."
Anyone with information is asked to call the Pasadena Police Department at 626-744-4241.

ALHAMBRA -- A San Gabriel woman whose body was found near an Alhambra park early Saturday was strangled to death, coroner's officials said Sunday.
A passer-by found the body of 31-year-old Shi Donglei about 4:30 a.m. on Woodward Avenue, just across the street from Story Park, police and sheriff's officials said.
A medical examiner performed an autopsy Sunday and concluded Donglei had been strangled, Los Angeles County Department of Coroner Lt. Cheryl MacWillie said.
"The cause of death is asphyxia... due to neck compression," she said.
A Toyota Prius found around the corner from where the body was found was towed by police and stored as evidence, though it was not clear how the car is believed to be involved.
Alhambra police deferred all inquiries to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, as detectives from the Sheriff's Homicide Bureau are helping Alhambra police in the investigation. The handling sheriff's detectives could not be reached for comment.

PHOTO of Shi Donglei comes courtesy of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department

LA VERNE -- A motorcyclist died Saturday after colliding with another vehicle on the 210 Freeway, authorities said.
Lincoln Juarez, 37, of Canyon Country died at the scene of the crash, coroner's officials said.
The crash was reported just after 9 a.m. on the eastbound 210 Freeway, just west of Fruit Street, California Highway Patrol Sgt. Jesse Holguin said in a written statement.
The rider was thrown from his 2008 Harley Davidson and pronounced dead at the scene after colliding with a 2006 Jeep Cherokee being driven by a 19-year-old Cypress man, Holguin said.
It appeared that either the motorcycle or the Jeep made an unsafe lane change, he said, however officials were continuing to investigate which vehicle caused the crash.
Any witnesses to the crash are asked to call the Baldwin Park office of the CHP at (626) 338-1164.

ALHAMBRA -- Police have arrested a 29-year-old man who allegedly engaged in sex acts with a 15-year-old boy he met on the Internet, authorities said Saturday.
Ryan Daniel Carlson was booked on suspicion of three counts of child molestation and soliciting a child for sex over the Internet, Alhambra police Sgt. Joe Flannagan said in a written statement. Carlson's city of residency was not available Saturday.
An officer spotted a vehicle about 10 p.m. Thursday parked in a secluded part of the parking lot at Story Park, 210 N. Chapel Avenue, the sergeant said.
"When the officer made contact with the occupants, he found a nude 29-year-old male (later identified as Carlson) and a 15-year-old male juvenile engaged in sexual activity," according to the police statement.
According to sheriff's booking records, Carlson was booked at the Alhambra Police Department Jail and released the following day after posting $75,000 bail.
Police said he is due in court for arraignment May 10 in Alhambra Superior Court.
Anyone who believed they may have been contacted by Carlson is asked to call the Alhambra Police Department at (626) 570-5168.

*PHOTO of Ryan Carlson courtesy of the Alhambra Police Department.

ALHAMBRA -- A passer-by found the body of a woman near an Alhambra park early Saturday in an apparent homicide, authorities said.
The body was found about 4:30 a.m. on a grassy area on Woodward Avenue, just east of Chapel Avenue, just across the street from Story Park, Los Angeles County sheriff's officials said in a written statement.
Shi Donglei, 31, of San Gabriel was pronounced dead at the scene, Los Angeles County Department of Coroner Investigator Jerry McKibben said.
"The body was discovered by a passer-by who notified the Alhambra Police Department," Sgt. Diane Hecht said.
Alhambra police Lt. Jennifer Wiese said the person who found the body flagged down a passing police car.
The cause of the woman's death was not clear Saturday afternoon, however police and sheriff's officials said the death appeared to be a homicide.
In the 400 block of Almansor Street, just around the corner from where the body was found, investigators towed a Toyota Prius away as evidence. The car appeared empty except for two coffee thermoses in the front cup-holders and a women's black purse in the rear.
Police and sheriff's officials used a scent-tracking dog to try to search for clues.
Saturday's slaying was the second deadly incident in Alhambra in two days.
On Thursday, Angel Berrios Jr., 24, apparently shot himself to death after fatally shooting his pregnant 23-year-old girlfriend, Natasha Katherine Cobian, and their 1-year-old son, Angel Berrios III, about 4:30 a.m. in the 800 block of South Sierra Vista Avenue, according to police and coroner's officials.
In 2009, Alhambra had no reported homicides.

PASADENA -- Officers responded to a call of gunfire just before noon Friday at Glen Avenue and Montana Street but found no signs of anyone injured or property damaged by bullets, Pasadena police Lt. Chris Russ said.
A witness told police they saw two men walking together and one of them drawing a handgun. He opened fire on a third man, Russ said.
The intended target ran a short distance before pulling his own weapon and returning fire, he said.
All three men were described as black men in their late teens or early 20s.
In a written statement, Pasadena Police Chief Christopher Vicino said one of the suspects was found hiding in the area, and that a gun believed to belong to him was also found. The suspect's name was not released.
A search of the suspect's home turned up illegal drugs, he added.

MONROVIA -- Police arrested a man and woman Friday on suspicion of auto theft, authorities said.
The names of the suspects, who both appeared to be in their mid-20s, were not available late Friday, as they were still going through the booking process, Monrovia police Lt. Jaime Alfaro said.
A resident saw two suspicious people get out of a parked car about 6:20 p.m. in the 600 block of East Lemon Avenue and called police, the lieutenant said.
When police ran the license plate number provided by the caller, he said, officials determined the car had been reported stolen.
Officers found the man and woman at a nearby park and arrested them without further incident.

A 29-year-old man led police officers on a pursuit before he was arrested for marijuana sales and evading arrest Friday, police said.
Officers attempted to stop Baldwin Park resident Jorge Sanchez for a routine traffic violation about 11:15 a.m. at Grovecenter Street and Orange Avenue, West Covina police officials said.
He then allegedly led them on a chase for about two miles, before stopping at Vincent and North Garvey avenues, West Covina police Sgt. Keith Shischido said.
Lt. Marty Sevilla added that police found 11 pounds of marijuana in Sanchez' possession.

WEST COVINA -- Police arrested a parolee Thursday after they found 75 pounds of marijuana in his car during a routine traffic stop, officials said.
Jose Martinez, 32, of Los Angeles was booked on suspicion of parole violations, transporting marijuana and possession of marijuana for sales, West Covina police Lt. Marty Sevilla said.
An officer pulled a car over for an equipment violation about 8:45 a.m. at Vincent and Garvey avenues, the lieutenant said.
"When the officer made contact, he could smell a strong odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle," Sevilla said.
During a search of the car, police found about 75 pounds of pot in the trunk, he added, and Martinez was jailed without incident.
Sevilla said Martinez was being held without bail.

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PASADENA -- Two masked and armed men robbed a Pasadena post office of money orders Wednesday, authorities said.
The crime occurred about 10 a.m. at the U.S. Post Office, 1355 North Mentor Ave., Pasadena police Lt. Tom Delgado said.
The robbers were described as black men who both wore masks similar to those made popular by the 1996 horror movie, "Scream," the lieutenant said. One wore a red hooded sweat shirt, and the other wore a black hooded sweat shirt.
Both robbers were armed with stainless steel handguns,  he added.
"Once inside the post office, they encountered one postal worker and demanded money orders," Delgado said.
They robbers did not ask for cash or anything else, he added. "They were specific about money orders."
The frightened employee turned over several blank money orders, he said, and the gunmen were last seen fleeing on foot.
According to the U.S. Postal Service, Postal Money Orders can be made for amounts up to $1,000 each.

Austin Texas Police Chief Art Acevedo is one of three finalists for the Pasadena police Chief job. Here's an interview he did with Prison Planet's Alex Jones:

From Fox News: 

A television producer for the hit CBS show "Suvivor" is the main suspect in his wife's death after he reported her missing in the Mexican resort city of Cancun.

The body of Monica Beresford-Redman was found Thursday morning in a sewer at the swanky Moon Palace resort where the family was on vacation, according to the official at the office of the attorney general for Quintana Roo state, where Cancun is located.

A witness at the hotel saw the couple arguing Sunday, and Bruce Beresford-Redman has been detained as a suspect, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media about the case.

Beresford-Redman had been missing for two days when her body was found Thursday.  According to reports, she left Monday to go shopping but never returned.

KCAL, a CBS News affiliate, spoke with Bruce Beresford-Redman Wednesday, who told them he could not comment on the matter much because he was hoping to keep the phone lines clear.

"I'm very hopeful someone will find my wife very soon," he said. "She still hasn't been located and we're looking."

Called in to police by relatives about 4:30 a.m. Thursday.

The relationship of the victims remains unclear.
View Larger Map

Reports indicate authorities discovered three dead bodies in Alhambra this morning. The dead were identified as two children and an adult.

Reports indicate authorities discovered three dead bodies in Alhambra this morning. The dead were identified as two children and an adult.

I'm going to reprint the Star-news editorial from this morning here, because it's an appropriate call for open government in a process that has  so far been a perversion of California open public records law:

WE applaud Pasadena City Manager Michael Beck for convening a second, more inclusive and open police chief selection advisory panel.

Criticized by many in the community, including ourselves, for keeping his initial panel shrouded in secrecy, Beck apparently now sees the real need for openness in city government.

Perhaps the city manager had to scramble a bit to finally understand the reasons such openness is important. And we do strongly wish that the names of those on the original committee had been made public, the same as every other commission and committee in City Hall, before its members met, not after. But Beck can't unring that bell. It would seem that he has heard the criticism, and responded in an appropriate manner.

One of the most telling things to come out of the after-the-fact naming of those who did serve on the panel was the panel's clear lack of economic and geographical diversity among its members - a front-loading of insiders and bureaucrats with not even a sprinkling of regular folks.

From Thom Mrozek:

LOS ANGELES - A La Cañada woman who sold fake art - including works purported to be by Picasso, Dali and Chagall - through a rigged televised art auction has been sentenced to 84 months in federal prison.

Kristine Eubanks, 52, was sentenced late yesterday by United States District Judge Gary A. Feess, who said that the fraud scheme was "audacious in its scope" and "blatantly illegal."

The scam, run through a company called Fine Art Treasures Gallery, falsely told customers that art sold on the company's television show had been found at "estate liquidations all over the world." Instead, Eubanks and others sold fake and forged art that they had bought from suppliers, as well as forgeries they had printed themselves and signed on behalf of the artists. The scam brought in well over $20 million from more than 10,000 victims across the country.

Eubanks pleaded guilty in April 2007 to conspiracy to commit mail fraud, wire fraud, interstate transportation of stolen property and to filing a false income tax return. Through this company, Eubanks and her conspirators operated an art auction television show, which aired on Friday and Saturday nights on DirecTV and The Dish Network, and sold art to customers around the United States. Eubanks and her husband, Gerald Sullivan, ran the scheme from 2002 through 2006.

Eubanks admitted that she obtained fake art from various suppliers, and printed other art works in her own printing shop, and sold that bogus art on the auction as genuine. Eubanks and others forged signatures on some of the works, including purported lithographs from Picasso, Chagall and Dali. To support the scam, Eubanks also forged Certificates of Authenticity for certain pieces and provided falsified appraisals for some of the jewelry that was sold to customers. Eubanks and others also rigged the bidding for the auction process by arranging for fake bids to be announced on the program to falsely drive up prices for the art they sold to the public.

Eubanks' husband, Gerald Sullivan, 54, previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and interstate transportation of stolen property. He is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Feess on May 24, at which time he faces a statutory maximum sentence of six years in federal prison.

As part of the investigation into Fine Arts, federal authorities seized approximately $3.8 million from bank accounts controlled by Eubanks and Sullivan. Those funds have been forfeited to the government, which is in the process of notifying thousands of potential victims that they may have purchased bogus artworks.

This case was investigated by the national Art Crime Team at the Federal Bureau of Investigation, IRS-Criminal Investigation, and the Los Angeles Police Department's Art Theft Detail.

Here's the video that basically tells the whole story: Pomona cops are investigating -- and the alleged pervert has been placed on unpaid leave as of this afternoon, offiicials said. Here's Tom Himes' story on the assault:

POMONA -- The owner of a Pomona bakery says a Los Angeles County health inspector sexually assaulted her during a compliance check late last month in an ordeal captured by surveillance cameras.

The woman says health inspector Magdy Tawadros used his county position and the guise of a health inspection to intimidate and grope her in a back room of her business on March 24.

"I didn't know what to do," said the 45-year-old woman, whose name and place of business are withheld to protect her identity. "I was afraid I would get a bad grade on the inspection. I felt helpless."

The woman filed a claim for damage with Los Angeles County on April 1 seeking up to $10 million in damages. Read more: http://www.sgvtribune.com/ci_14829892#ixzz0kMGwJ0au

PASADENA -- A complaint about a party Saturday led to five arrests and the seizure of three handguns and some crack cocaine, police said.
Parolee William Woods, 24, was booked on suspicion of possessing a handgun, Tyree Collier, 25, was booked on suspicion of possessing crack cocaine for sales, Clydell Bryant, 28, was booked for outstanding arrest warrants, Brock Kenoly was booked for outstanding arrest warrants and Darnell Jack, 22, was booked on suspicion of giving a false name to police, Pasadena police Lt. Keith Jones said.
All five suspects are Pasadena residents, and all are believed to have gang ties, the lieutenant said.
Officers responded to the party in the 1500 block of North Raymond Avenue when Collier and Bryant fled from police on foot, Jones said.
They were found in the area a short time later, and Collier was found to be in possession of crack cocaine for the purpose of sales, Jones said.
The other three suspects were arrested at the party, he added.
Woods was found to have a .44-caliber handgun in his waistband during a search, Jones said.
Officers searched a nearby home and seized two other handguns, he said, though they were unable to determine who the weapons belonged to.

PASADENA -- Two sisters were jailed early Sunday after allegedly leading police on a brief pursuit, authorities said.
Catherine Escamilla, 18, of Los Angeles was booked on suspicion of drunken driving and felony evading, Pasadena police Lt. Keith Jones said. Her passenger and sister, 24-year-old Michelle Sardaneta of Los Angeles, was booked on suspicion of public intoxication.
The incident began about 2 a.m. when Escamilla apparently got into an argument with a parking attendant while trying to leave a parking structure at 30 E. Union Street, the lieutenant said.
She accelerated through the mechanical arm blocking the exit without paying and sped down Colorado Boulevard, Jones said.
An officer spotted her speeding and tried to pull the car over, he said, but it accelerated away.
Jones said Escamilla blew through three red lights and briefly drove on the wrong side of the road before finally pulling over at Colorado Boulevard and Patrician Way.
Escamilla exited the car with her hands up, but left the vehicle in reverse, Jones said. It rolled backwards and struck the police car, causing minor damage.
Due to her apparent drunkenness, Escamilla fell to the floor and was nearly run over by her own driverless car, he added.
Escamilla and Sardaneta were then arrested without further incident.

AZUSA -- A Fontana man allegedly stabbed and badly injured a Pomona man Saturday in Azusa, police said.
Art Ontiveros, 31, was booked on suspicion of attempted in murder in connection with the stabbing, which was reported about 6 p.m. in the 300 block of N. Cerritos Avenue, Azusa police Sgt. John Madaloni said Sunday in a written statement.
"Officers responded to a report of a stabbing and a victim down in the driveway," Madaloni said.
They found a 26-year-old man suffering from several stab wounds to his "upper body," the sergeant said.
He was hospitalized with serious injuries, but was expected to survive.
An officer spotted Ontiveros trying to leave the area on foot and detained him, Madaloni said.
He had fresh blood on his clothes and was identified by a witness as the attacker, he added.
According to sheriff's booking records, Ontiveros is being held in lieu of $500,000 bail and is due for arraignment in West Covina Superior Court Tuesday for arraignment.

AZUSA -- Authorities jailed a wanted parolee Sunday after he allegedly led police and California Highway Patrol officers on a wild car chase, then holed up inside an Azusa home for nearly two hours.
Joe Ramirez, 29, of Azusa was booked on suspicion of evading police and parole violations, West Covina police Sgt. David Lee said. Additional charges may be added later.
The incident began about 10 a.m. when West Covina police tried to pull over a car near Merced and Garvey avenues, West Covina police Lt. Ron Mitchell said.
The driver, later identified as Ramirez, led police on a high-speed pursuit that wound through Duarte before ending up in Azusa, CHP officer Rodrigo Jiminez said.
"He was driving recklessly through surface streets," Jiminez said, blowing through stop signs and red lights, and driving the wrong way in traffic at times.
The fleeing 1996 Nissan Sentra allegedly struck at least three civilian vehicles during the chase, he added, though the collisions were minor.
About 11 a.m., Jiminez said, the driver abandoned the car on Virginia Avenue, just north of Gladstone Street, and fled on foot.
A passenger in the car, identified as Shawna Torres, 26, of La Verne, was arrested inside the car, West Covina police Sgt. David Lee said. She was booked on suspicion of evading police and a weapons charge after a handgun was found in the car.
Jiminez said Ramirez jumped over a wall and ran into a nearby house on Aspan Avenue, just north of Gladstone Street.
West Covina, Azusa and Irwindale police and CHP officers surrounded the home for nearly two hours before Ramirez came out.
When he did emerge, Lee said, he acted as if he was a by-stander and didn't know what was going on.
Police received conflicting information from Ramirez and Torres, and there was some confusion about whether Ramirez was the driver who had led police on a chase or merely another person who happened to be in the home.
Still uncertain whether another suspect was in the home, Azusa SWAT officers took positions around the home, and a sniper was placed on a neighboring roof.
About 8 p.m., authorities fired tear gas into the home and forced their way in, Lee said. The home was empty.
"(Ramirez) looks like our main suspect," Lee said.
Houses near the surrounded home were evacuated during the incident.
According to sheriffs' booking records, Ramirez was being held without bail at the Azusa Police Department jail and was due for arraignment Monday in West Covina Superior Court.
Torres was being held in lieu of $75,000 bail at the West Covina Police Department jail, and was due for arraignment Tuesday in West Covina Superior Court.

BALDWIN PARK -- A motorcyclist crashed and severed his arm Saturday on the 605 Freeway in Baldwin Park, authorities said.
The crash occurred about 4:30 p.m. on the southbound 605 Freeway, just south of the 10 Freeway, California Highway Patrol Officer Jaime Rosas said.
For reasons that remained under investigation, he said, "(The motorcyclist) veered to the left, striking the concrete center median wall."
The injured rider, a 56-year-old Santa Ana man, was hospitalized at Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center, where doctors expected him to survive and were working to reattach his arm, officials said.

INDUSTRY -- Sheriff's deputies jailed a suspected car thief Saturday, authorities said.
Hector Cabral Jr., 31, of Downey was booked on suspicion of auto theft, Los Angeles County sheriff's Sgt. Mario Estrada said.
The incident began about 5:15 p.m. when deputies from the sheriff's Walnut-Diamond Bar Station tracked a LoJack vehicle anti-theft system signal to Castleton Street and Hanover Road in Industry, the sergeant said.
Deputies watched as Cabral Jr. and female passenger got into the car and began to drive, Estrada said.
Cabral immediately pulled over when deputies pulled up behind him, he added, even before they turned on their emergency lights. He surrendered to deputies without incident.

ALHAMBRA -- Police arrested a suspected police impersonator Friday after he allegedly pulled over a motorist in Alhambra, authorities said.
Steven Pritz, 37, of Alhambra was booked on suspicion of impersonating a police officer and false imprisonment, Alhambra police Sgt. Joe Flannagan said in a written statement. He is also suspected in another similar incident in February.
An Alhambra officer was driving in the area of Garfield Avenue and Mission Road about 11 a.m. when he saw what appeared to be an unmarked police car conducting a traffic stop using red and blue lights attached to the windshield by suction cups, Sgt. Gabriel Ponce said.
Believing the traffic stop to be legitimate, Flannagan said, the Alhambra officer made a U-turn to assist.
"As the Alhambra officer made the U-turn, he observed that the possible off-duty officer saw him and suddenly and abruptly disengaged the traffic stop," Flannagan said.
The Alhambra officer caught up with the police-style car at Mission Road and Hidalgo Avenue, Ponce said.
While searching Pritz's car, he added, police found red and blue lights with suction cup attachments, a vest patch reading "police," black gloves and a black metal flashlight.
Officers searched Pritz's home, where they found more police-related items such as handcuffs, black police-style boots, and a black patch resembling the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's star logo, Flannagan said.
The person who Pritz allegedly pulled over was not found, Ponce said. Police would like to talk to that person.
Friday's incident was apparently not the first time Pritz has tried to pass himself off as a law enforcement officer, Flannagan said.
"During the investigation," he said, "(Pritz) was identified as the suspect in another incident in February, where he identified himself as a police officer and displayed the police vest patch in an attempt to contact a female driver, and threatened to impound her vehicle because of her driving."
Pritz was released from jail later Friday after posting $50,000 bail, according to sheriff's booking records.
Anyone else who believed they may have been pulled over or contacted by Pritz is asked to call Sgt. Flannagan at 626-570-5161.
Friday's incident was the second time in two weeks that a suspected police impersonator tried to pull over a motorist.
Michael Joseph Defazio, 24, of Glendora, was jailed on March 25 after he tried to pull over a 25-year-old woman in a police-style car in his hometown, officials said.
Authorities are now investigating additional complaints against Defazio.

*PHOTOS courtesy of the Alhambra Police Department.

From reporters Ruby Gonzales and Tim Traeger:

SANTA FE SPRINGS - A gunman escaped on a bicycle after shooting and killing a man who was ordering breakfast at a restaurant Thursday morning.
The incident occurred at 8:40 a.m. at Angelos Burgers #8, 9135 Norwalk Blvd.
The suspect entered the south entrance of the restaurant and fired several rounds at the victim who was at the counter, according to Whittier police spokesman Officer Mike Dekowski.
Dekowski said the victim, a Latino in his 30s, was shot several times, including once in the head. He died at the scene. Coroner's officials didn't release his name.
Witnesses said the shooter ran out of the restaurant and got on a BMX-style bicycle that was leaning against one of the patio tables. He was last seen heading northbound on Norwalk Boulevard.
The restaurant is located at Norwalk Boulevard and Los Nietos Road, a busy intersection in an industrial area.
Paul Graham, a foreman for VCI Telcom Inc., and three colleagues ate at Angelos Burgers just before the shooting. They were at the intersection Thursday doing work for Time Warner Cable.
They heard the shooting after they left Angelos. They returned to the restaurant.
"When we came in, he was lying on the ground. I checked if he had a pulse. He was gone," Graham said.
Graham said a woman working the counter was taken away in an ambulance.
"She lost it. It happened in front of her," he said.
Graham's co-worker, Ralph Flores, said he heard five shots. He also saw the suspect making his getaway.
"He looked scared. He looked really nervous," Flores said.
He described the suspect as Latino, with light brown hair, a pale complexion, 5 feet 8 inches to 5 feet 9 inches tall and about 180 to 190 pounds.
Sheriff's Sgt. Joe Reveles said the sheriff's Norwalk Station received a cell phone call apparently from a worker at the burger place saying that someone had been shot. They forwarded the call to the Whittier Police Department, which provides police services to Santa Fe Springs.
By midmorning, technicians were still processing the crime scene. One dusted a white Jeep SUV parked outside the restaurant for fingerprints.
Several people arrived shortly before the Los Angeles Department of the Coroner removed the body about 1 p.m. They identified themselves to detectives as relatives of the victim.
One of them said he didn't know what happened and declined further comment.

PASADENA -- A judge Friday ordered a mother and her boyfriend to stand trial on charges that they bound the woman's 2-year-old son with masking tape and suffocated him to death last year.
Prosecutor Debra Archuleta argued in Pasadena Superior Court that Gabriel Diaz killed Rene Torres Jr. by binding him with masking tape in his crib, then smothering him with a blanket, and that the boy's mother, Maria Pelaez did nothing to stop him, making her guilty of murder as well.
"They clearly acted with a conscious disregard for this child's life," Archuleta said.
While Pelaez is not accused of directly inflicting any injury to the child, "her failure to act was the act itself," the prosecutor added. "She did nothing to intercede on that helpless child's behalf."
The prosecutor added that evidence showed Pelaez did not interfere as Diaz employed "torture tactics" of binding the child with tape and making him sit still for more than an hour for up to a year.
Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Lisa Lench rejected motions to dismiss the charges made by attorneys for the defendants.
Rene was found dead at the home he shared with Pelaez and Diaz on Aug. 18, 2009.
A detective testified Thursday that Pelaez reported seeing Diaz bind Rene with masking tape before setting him in his crib, then hours later watched as he covered the boy's face with a blanket.
Through his lawyer, Diaz admitted using tape to punish the child, but denies assaulting him in his crib.
Through their defense attorneys, Maria Pelaez, 30, and Gabriel Diaz, 33, both of Pasadena, appear to be turning against each other in court.
Attorney David Cohn, representing Pelaez, argued that Diaz was solely responsible for for the child's death, and that Pelaez was not guilty of a crime because she personally took no actions to harm her son, and did not intend for Diaz to do so.
Cohn said that evidence showed Pelaez voiced concern about Diaz's discipline methods and asked him to stop.
"The fact that a person was present at the scene of the crime and did not stop the crime does not make him or her an aider and abetter."
He added that Pelaez has always been a caring and responsible mother in the past, and that there's no evidence she had intent to harm her child or for Diaz to harm her child.
Archuleta countered that Pelaez's indifference to what Diaz was doing to her son was "beyond neglect," and did amount to aiding and abetting Diaz in the killing.
Furthermore, the prosector said, Pelaez initially lied to investigators about what happened to Rene and tried to hide the tape that bound the child at Diaz's request.
Attorney Sharon Morris, defending Diaz, argued that there was no strong evidence linking her client to Rene's death.
Pelaez has changed her story about what happened over time, while Diaz's story has not changed since his arrest, she said.
"(Pelaez) turned 180 degrees," she said. "My client denied and remained consistent that he never suffocated the child."
Diaz did admit to binding the child with tape the night he died, she said, as well as on other previous occasions.
Morris and Cohn both argued that the torture charge is unwarranted, because there is no evidence either parent intentionally inflicted "great bodily harm" on Rene.
While highly questionable, the use of tape on the child was not shown to have caused any significant injury to the toddler, Cohn said.
Without the infliction of great bodily injury, torture did not occur, Morris and Cohn argued.
Archuleta said the parents were responsible for the "ultimate great bodily injury" to Rene: death.
Outside the courtroom Thursday, Rene Torres Jr.'s father, Rene Torres Sr., said he's consumed with dealing with his son's death, but he hoped the case will serve as an example to parents and social service agencies.
"Parents must be watched to make sure they're good parents," he said.
Pelaez and Diaz are due to return to court April 19 for an arraignment.