Whittier man killed in Seal Beach boating accident

WHITTIER — Friends and family Friday mourned and remembered a Whittier great grandfather killed when his fishing boat capsized off the coast of Seal Beach.
Randale Walker, 75, was pronounced dead at Los Alamitos Medical Center shortly after Thursday’s 12:45 p.m. accident just yards off the coast near the 100 block of Surf Side Avenue, Orange County coroner’s officials said.
An 8-year-old-boy and his 40-year-old father, friends of Walker, were also on the boat but were not seriously injured, Orange County sheriff’s officials said.
“Witnessed described what they thought was the boat capsizing in an oncoming wave,” sheriff’s spokesman Dan Salcedo said.
Family members said Walker, known as “Randy,” was a fun-loving, giving man who had a special affinity for children.
“He was outgoing, charismatic. He loved people,” said his wife, Joanne Walker. “He was a very, very religious man.”
They couple would have been married 20 years in December.
Walker was an avid fisherman who took his boat out on the ocean with friends every chance he got.
On Thursday, he had taken out a friend and his son for an excursion when disaster struck, said his step-daughter, Debbie Pendleton.
“He was a really great guy. He was always wanting to help people and doing things for other people,” she said.
Walker is survived by his wife, three children, four step-children, grand children, step-grandchildren and great grand children, family members said.
“It’s a big loss. He was a wonderful person. My kids just adored him,” Pendleton said.
“He loved the kids,” she added. “He came to everything they did. He was at all their track meets, all their football games.”
Born in Oklahoma, Walker was raised in the agriculture area north of Bakersfield, Joanne Walker said.
He worked as a contract harvester before moving to Arizona and getting involved in horse-racing, she said.
Ultimately, Walker made his career installing sprinkler systems. He moved to Southern California and joined the Sprinkler Fitters Local 709 in Whittier.
He lived in Whittier for the past 20 years.
When the 18-foot-long boat flipped over, “The 40-year-old man was thrown clear,” Salcedo said, but Walker and the boy became trapped beneath the vessel.
Lifeguards, Seal Beach police and Hunting Beach fire responded to help.
“They only managed to lift the boat up enough to get the victim and 8-year-old out,” Salcedo said. They were unable to flip the boat back over.
Salcedo said he did not know whether the boaters were wearing life vests.
Coroner’s officials planned to carry out an autopsy to determine how Walker died.
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Alhambra man, former teacher, sentenced for murdering estranged wife in Monterey Park

ALHAMBRA — A judge sentenced a Alhambra man and former Huntington Park school teacher to 69 years to life in prison for the murder of his estranged wife in 2008.
Alhambra Superior Court Judge Jared Moses handed down the sentence to Aaron Leonel Raigoza, 37, who pleaded guilty last year to shooting 32-year-old Ana Maria Acosta to death in front of her parents’ house in Monterey Park
“Raigoza, who has been tracking the victim using a global positioning system device, ambushed her as she sat in her car on Feb. 4, 2008,” Los Angeles County District Attorney’s officials said in a written statement. “Acosta was shot five times.”
Raigoza and Acosta were in the midst of a divorce when the murder occurred, investigators said.
“(Raigoza) attacked her within 10 minutes of the victim reporting a child custody issue to the Monterey Park police,” the statement said.
He was then working as a teacher at City of Angels independent study school in Huntington Park, authorities added.
In addition to first-degree murder, Raigoza also pleaded guilty to the special allegation that he personally fired a gun in the killing, officials said.
Prosecutors said Raigoza also pointed a gun at a man who came out of his house after the shooting in the 500 block of South Russel Avenue in Monterey Park.
Detectives arrested Raigoza nearly three weeks after the killing in Yucca Valley.
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Fire leads to discovery of indoor marijuana grow at Hacienda Heights house

HACIENDA HEIGHTS — A small house fire Wednesday led officials to discover an indoor marijuana growing operation, authorities said.
The blaze was reported about 6:30 p.m. at a single-story house in the 15600 block of Senadale Street, Los Angeles County sheriff’s Sgt. Ernie Barbosa said.
Firefighters extinguishing the fire notices several bedrooms in the home were being used to grow marijuana, the sergeant said.
More than 200 plants were found inside the house, he added.
No one was home at the time of the fire, he said, and an investigation into who was responsible for the pot plants was ongoing.
The blaze caused about $10,000 worth of damage to the home, officials said. It was likely sparked by the electrical equipment and lights used to grow the plants.
The home’s electrical system bypassed the electric meter, Barbosa added, so the house was stealing its power from Southern California Edison.
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No one hit in Azusa officer-involved shooting

AZUSA — Police shot at, but missed, an allegedly drunken man who crashed his SUV into several homes and a garage, authorities said.
The shooting took place about 4:30 p.m. in the 1200 block of Pine Needle Court, near West Annandale Lane, Azusa police Lt. Frank Chavez. 
Though not struck by gunfire, the man was taken to a hospital for examination at the recommendation of paramedics, the lieutenant said. His name was not available Wednesday afternoon pending booking.
Police noticed the man driving erratically and crashing prior to contacting him, officials said. He struck about three condominiums before crashing through the garage door.
Two police officers then “perceived a threat,” Chavez said. “Several rounds were fired.”
It was not clear how many shots were fired by each officer, however no one was injured by the gunfire.
Further details regarding the circumstances of the shooting were not available as the involved officers had not been thoroughly interviewed, Chavez said.
“There’s not a whole lot of details at this point,” he said.
The driver was expected to be booked on suspicion of drunken driving and resisting police officers, officials said.
An empty bottle of tequila at the scene was marked off by police, however it wasn’t clear if the bottle was believed to have belonged to the driver.
Shelley Harrell, who lives in a condominium struck by the SUV, described a frightening experience.
“I felt the whole house shake, it scared me to death and I didn’t really know what happened,” she said.
Joshua Normington, a 16-year-old resident of another condominium struck by the SUV, said he heard “tires screeching and then heard a big crash. I went outside and saw a big hole in the corner house.”
He said he then went outside and heard three to four gunshots fired.
Normington described the driver as a quiet man who had lived on the street for more than 10 years. He keeps mostly to himself and speaks primarily Spanish.
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Posted in OIS

Suspect in series of violent SGV robberies arrested

ALHAMBRA – Police Wednesday arrested a parolee suspected of committing a series of more than 20 armed robberies targeting lone women coming home throughout the western San Gabriel Valley over the past few months, authorities said.
Jose Avila, 29, of Chino was arrested in connection with the series of robberies early Wednesday, according to investigators and sheriff’s booking records. He was already on parole for home-invasion robbery.
Monterey Park police Capt. Gene Harris said as the number of robberies climbed, a task force of officers and detectives from Alhambra, Monterey Park and San Gabriel was assembled for the express purpose of identifying a suspect. It was unclear Wednesday whether others were still being sought.
In the majority of the crimes, which number as many as 20, a suspect confronted women as they arrived at home late at night and robbed them, investigators said.
In March and April, at least nine such robberies were reported in Alhambra, as well as at least nine in San Gabriel and four in Monterey Park, investigators said. In one of the Alhambra cases, a victim was pistol-whipped.
Detectives are also looking into the possibility that crimes in South Pasadena and Arcadia may also be linked, Harris said.
In Arcadia, a woman who arrived home with a small child just after midnight Friday was shot in the face with some sort of BB during a similar robbery, though it was unclear if it was related to the string.
Harris said the task force was working near 6th Street and Valley Boulevard when one of the members spotted a car matching the description of the suspect’s vehicle about 10:20 p.m.
Investigators stopped and searched the car after discovering that the driver, Jose Avila, 29, of Chino was on parole for home-invasion robbery.
Harris said inside the car, they found the gun believed to have been used in the robberies, along with clothing and other evidence that implicated Avila in the crimes. The gun was described as a toy or replica, possibly an “airsoft” gun, which shoots large BBs.
After he was taken into custody, investigators obtained a warrant and searched his home in Chino, where they found items they believe belong to some of the robbery victims.
Avila is being held without bail at the Alhambra jail and is due for arraignment Friday at Alhambra Municipal Court.
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Four suspected in Santa Fe Springs middle school break-in

SANTA FE SPRINGS — Police arrested a group of teenagers late Tuesday on suspicion of breaking into a a middle school and stealing a cash register, a bicycle and other items, authorities said.
Michael Figueroa and Kristine Valladares, both 18 of Norwalk, were arrested along with two 17-year-old Norwalk girls, Whittier police Sgt. Brent Anderson said.
Officers responded to a burglary alarm about 11:30 p.m. at Lake Center Middle School, 10503 Pioneer Blvd., when they spotted three people walking away from the school, the sergeant said.
“One of them was in possession of a cash register,” he added.
After detaining the suspects, police found they had clothing, office supplies and several items that appeared to have been stolen from the school’s student store, Anderson said.
Further investigation led police to a fourth suspect, who was arrested in Norwalk and found to be in possession of a bicycle believed stolen from the school, he added.
According to sheriff’s booking records, Figueroa and Valladares were being held in lieu of $20,000 bail each. Information was not available regarding their initial court appearance, however criminal suspects held in custody are generally brought before a judge for arraignment within two working days of arrest.
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Posted in 459

5 suspects jailed after jumping from car during police chase in Arcadia

ARCADIA — Police arrested five young men — two adults and three juveniles — who jumped from a still-moving car during a chase on the 210 Freeway Wednesday, authorities said.
The incident began about 10:10 a.m. when a police officer tried to pull over a car for traffic violation, but the vehicle refused to stop and got onto the westbound 10 Freeway, Arcadia police Lt. Colleen Flores said in a written statement.
As officers chased the car, which had five people inside, “The suspect vehicle slowed to approximately 15 mph and all five occupants exited the moving vehicle,” Flores said. “The unoccupied vehicle rolled into the center median of the 210 freeway east of Madre (Street).”
The two adults and three juveniles who fled from the vehicle were all captured and arrested on suspicion of evading a police officer, burglary and possession of burglary tools, police said.
Police found items inside their car that were believed to have been stolen, Flores said.
The names of the adult suspects were not available Wednesday afternoon pending booking, she said.
One of the adult suspects was taken to a hospital for treatment of minor injuries suffered while jumping from the moving car, police said.
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Burglar wearing hospital scrubs ransacks Arcadia home

ARCADIA — A resident spotted a hospital scrubs-clad burglar fleeing the scene of a home break-in Tuesday, police said.
The crime was reported about 1:10 p.m. in the 2500 block of Lee Avenue, Arcadia police Sgt. Tom Le Veque said in a written statement.
A resident arrived at home and found an unknown man standing on the doorstep the the home’s front door wide open, the sergeant said.
The man walked immediately made his way to a parked black Nissan Maxima  and told the resident in Korean that he was a friend of the resident’s son, police said. The car was last seen driving off toward Longden Avenue.
“The resident entered the home and found it to be ransacked,” Le Veque said. “The suspect apparently turned off the power at the home circuit breakers and then forced open a rear screen, entering through a window. The loss included a laptop computer and a watch at time of report.”
Police described the burglar as an Asian man of about 40 years old, 5 feet 6 inches tall, of thin build, with brown hair and brown eyes. He wore green hospital scrubs.
Anyone with information is asked to call Arcadia police detectives at 626-574-5160.
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Four people killed in pickup truck crash in La Habra

From the Associated Press:
LA HABRA — Police say four people were killed and two injured when a pick-up truck that may have been speeding through a residential neighborhood in La Habra went out of control and crashed into a tree.
La Habra police Sgt. Jeff Baylos says the fatal accident happened shortly after 1 a.m. Sunday.
Three men and a woman, ranging in age from 25 to 21, were pronounced dead at the scene. Two women in their 20s were hospitalized.
None of the victims’ names were released, and the conditions of the injured were not immediately known.
All six were riding in the cab of the truck, which had a back seat.
Police are investigating whether alcohol was involved and whether the driver was speeding.
The area speed limit is 25 miles per hour.
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Probe continues into Hacienda Heights church arson

HACIENDA HEIGHTS — An arsonist may have destroyed a house of worship over the weekend, however St. John Vianney Church is as strong as ever, clergy and parishioners said.
Los Angeles County sheriff’s investigators have determined a massive fire that caused an estimated $8 million worth to damage to the church,1345 Turnbull Canyon Road, just after midnight Saturday was intentionally set.
“The extensive structure fire at St. John Vianney Church in Hacienda Heights has been confirmed as an act of arson,” sheriff’s officials said in a written statement.
“We are actively investigating to identify the suspect responsible. At this time we are not able to share any leads that we are working on.”
Richard and Maria Navarro, who have been attending the church for 38 years, said they were devastated by the destruction behind the church’s scorched main building.
“Whoever did this is just… there’s no name for it,” Maria Navarro said. “They did it to a whole community.”
“(But) it is a building, and they did not destroy the church. We are the church.”
Despite the outrage over the senseless destruction, parishioners and church staff also spoke of forgiveness.
“It’s a very troubled person that did this, and we’ll pray for him as well,” Maria Navarro said.
The Navarros said they have made countless wonderful memories inside the gutted church. All three of their children received their first communion there, and one of their daughters was married there.
Masses are being held in the church’s activities center, to the rear of the damaged main church building.
Father Ricky Viveros reiterated that the loss of a building will not weaken the church.
“Our parish is alive and well,” he said. “We’re the church. The people.”
Viveros also called on the community to pray for whoever’s responsible for the blaze.
While Viveros acknowledged that the fire has cause caused some broken hearts, “There’s a sense that we’re going to triumph over this act of evil and move forward.”
St. John Vianney Church, he said, “will be rebuilt.”
Viveros was one of three church officials inside on on-campus house when the fire broke out.
“What woke me up was what sounded like glass breaking,” he said. “I thought someone was breaking in.”
When he looked out his second-floor window, the church was already engulfed in flames.
He gathered the other two men inside the home and all three exited unscathed.
Despite preliminary official reports that one of three priests who were inside a house on the church property suffered minor smoke inhalation, Viveros said that was, luckily, not the case.
A firefighter suffered a cut to his hand while battling the blaze, Los Angeles County Fire Department Dispatch Supervisor Bernard Peters said. He was treated at a local hospital and released later Saturday.
Anyone with information about the fire is asked to call the sheriff’s Industry Station at 626-330-3322.
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