Monthly Archives: December 2011

Man found dead after Pasadena shooting identified

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PASADENA — Police Wednesday released the name of an Altadena man found dead after being shot in a residential neighborhood.
Edward Santana, 43, was pronounced dead in the backyard of a stranger’s home in the 100 block of Dearborn Street, Pasadena police Lt. Phlunte Riddle said.
Santana was found suffering from a gunshot wound after police responded to reports of gunshots heard in the area about 5:30 a.m. Tuesday, officials said.
The circumstances of the shooting remained a mystery Wednesday, and no description of Santana’s shooter was available, Lt. Tracey Ibarra said. The reason the man was in the neighborhood also remained under investigation.
Police believe there are witnesses to the crime who have yet to come forward, and Ibarra encouraged then to do so.
The residents of the home where the body was found told investigators they did not recognize the victim, officials said.
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Man wounded in Santa Fe Springs shooting

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SANTA FE SPRINGS — A 19-year-old Santa Fe Springs man is expected to survive after being shot in the chest and back on Washington Boulevard late Tuesday, police said.
The victim was talking with friends about 10 p.m. in the 11300 block of Washington Boulevard when a white sedan containing five people approached, Whittier police Officer Bradley White said.
The friends walked away as the car approached and those inside confronted and shot the victim before the car sped away, the officer said.
Friends then took the wounded man to an area hospital where he was treated in an intensive care unit, White said. The wounds were not believed to be life-threatening.
A further description of the attackers was not available, and the motive in the attack was unclear, White added.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Whittier Police Department at 562-567-9200.
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Officials continue DUI crackdown through New Year’s

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LOS ANGELES COUNTY — Arrests for driving under the influence rose by nearly 20 percent over the Christmas holiday season, compared with the previous year, authorities said.
Deputies and police officers jailed 1,506 DUI suspects in the county between Dec. 16 and Dec. 25, Los Angeles County sheriff’s officials said in a written statement.
Officials reported 1,260 DUI arrests over the same time period in 2010.
The arrests are the result of an area-wide coalition of law enforcement agencies dedicated to fighting impaired driving known as Avoid the 100. Participating agencies include police department, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and the California Highway Patrol.
And the efforts are to continue through the New Year’s, task force officials warned.
“All regularly scheduled traffic and patrol officers will focus their efforts at stopping and arresting DUI drivers during normal shifts,” task force officials said in a written statement.
“The CHP will deploy all available officers during the final nights of the Maximum Enforcement Period this holiday weekend beginning Friday,” the statement added.
Additional planned upcoming Avoid the 100 Task Force activities include:
*Friday, Dec. 30: DUI checkpoints in Azusa, West Covina, Baldwin Park and an unincorporated county area near Whittier.
*Saturday, Dec. 31: Multi-agency checkpoint involving Monterey Park, Alhambra, San Gabriel, Montebello and Bell Gardens police, as well as extra patrols with an emphasis on DUI enforcement in communities including Glendora, Covina, Azusa, La Verne, Irwindale, Pomona, South Pasadena, San Marino, Baldwin Park, West Covina, El Monte, Monrovia, Arcadia and Sierra Madre.
*Extra DUI patrols in not-yet-determined portions of the county.
Anyone who sees a drunken driver on the road is asked to report it by calling 911.
Funding for the task force is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
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Possible kidnapping/carjacking reported in Norwalk

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NORWALK — Deputies are looking for the armed man who a witness reported carjacked and kidnapped a woman Tuesday night, authorities said.
The carjacking was reported at 10:36 p.m. at Studebaker Road and the 105 Freeway.
Sheriff’s Lt. Frank Rivera said a witness saw a man with a gun jump into a silver Nissan that was stopped at Studebaker Road. He said the woman driving the Nissan was getting ready to enter the freeway when she was carjacked.
The woman rolled down her car window and yelled, “Help, he’s got a gun,” Lt. Bill Evans said.
The car was last seen heading westbound on the freeway followed by a black BMW. Rivera said the witness thinks the gunman came from the BMW.
Sheriff’s officials had received no reports of a woman going missing Wednesday morning, Evans said.
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D.A. warns of telephone banking scam

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LOS ANGELES COUNTY — Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley warned the public Tuesday about an automated phone call scam targeting victims’ bank accounts.
“The ‘robo-calls’ play recorded messages claiming to be from major banks,” District Attorney’s officials said in a written statement. “The messages state there is a problem with the banking network and ask for verification of banking account information, including credit card and debit card numbers, along with personal identification numbers (PINs).”
Cooley advised residents to be “extremely wary” of telephone calls requesting sensitive personal information.
“Legitimate banks and financial institutions do not call their customer to request personal identifying information or discuss banking network problems,” he said.
Once criminals have the personal information, they can take over victims’ bank accounts, apply for credit cards with victims’ information or withdraw money from accounts using victims’ debit card and PIN numbers, officials said.
Anyone who received such a call is advised to provide no information and to contact their bank’s customer service department via a land-line telephone, in person or via a secure Internet connection.
Anyone who believes they may have been victimized in this type of scam is asked to contact local law enforcement.
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Man killed in Christmas Day house fire in Valinda identified

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VALINDA – Officials have released the name of a 73-year-old man who died in a house fire on Christmas Day.
Jim Dan Clark, 73, was pronounced dead at the scene of Sunday’s 7:55 p.m. fire at his home in the 1800 block of Aileron Avenue, Los Angeles County Department of Coroner’s Chief of Operations Craig Harvey said.
An autopsy was planned to determine Clark’s cause of death, Harvey said.
The cause of the fire remained under investigation Tuesday, Los Angeles County Fire Department Battalion Chief Ken Douglass said.
Firefighters led by LACFD Station 26 arrived to find “smoke and fire showing from a single-family residence,” Douglass said. They used “offensive” tactics to beat back the flames.
When they entered the home through the front door, they found the living room “fully involved” with fire, he said.
After extinguishing the flames, “the victim was found in the kitchen during a primary search,” the battalion chief said.
He was pronounced dead at the scene. No other injuries were reported.
The single-story house was destroyed by the blaze, according to sheriff’s officials.
The West Covina Fire Department’s Engine 4 assisted with the fire, Douglass added.
Because the fire involved a death, detectives from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau are taking part in the investigation, authorities said.
The handling detective could not be reached for comment early Tuesday.
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Man found dead following Pasadena shooting

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PASADENA — Police found a young man dead after responding to reports of gunshots in a residential neighborhood early Tuesday.
Someone reported hearing gunshots about 5:40 a.m. in the area of Marengo Avenue and Dearborn Street, Pasadena police officials said in a written statement.
“Officers conducted an extensive area check and found a male Hispanic,approximately 20 years old, deceased in the 100 block of Dearborn,” the statement said. “The cause of death is unknown at this time.”
As authorities investigated, traffic was restricted in the area on Marengo Avenue, Dearborn Street, Summit Avenue and Tremont Street.
No further details were available.
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UPDATE: La Puente man accused of shooting neighbor

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LA PUENTE — Deputies arrested a man on suspicion of wounding his neighbor in the leg Saturday after an what was believed to be an ongoing dispute escalated into a shooting, authorities said.
Robert Evans, 41, was booked on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, Los Angeles County sheriff’s Sgt. Ernie Barbosa said.
The incident was reported about 12:30 at Loukelton Street and Lanny Avenue, he said.
A man, who had been involved in an ongoing dispute with Evans, crossed the street and entered his neighbor’s yard, the sergeant said. The man began speaking with his neighbor’s father.
Evans armed himself with a gun and came outside, Barbosa said.
Evans told investigators he saw an object in the neighbor’s hand and feared for his safety when he shot his neighbor, the sergeant said. Deputies recovered no weapons from the shooting victim.
The wounded man, 43, was taken by a private car to an area hospital with injuries not believed to be life-threatening, Barbosa said.
Deputies arrested Evans without a struggle and seized the .357-caliber revolver believed to have been used in the shooting.
The dispute stemmed from Evans accusing his neighbor of taking his car without permission in recent months, officials added. The alleged victim had gone to his neighbor’s house to “further discuss” the issue when the shooting took place.
The investigation was ongoing.
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UPDATE AGAIN: Sinkhole slows traffic on 60 Freeway in Hacienda Heights

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HACIENDA HEIGHTS — A sink hole slowed holiday travels Saturday on the eastbound 60 Freeway in Hacienda Heights, officials said.
Officials reported a “very large sunken-in slab of cement” in the No. 3 lane just east of Hacienda Boulevard about just after 12:20 p.m., according to California Highway Patrol logs.
The affected lane was shut down, as well as the right-hand lane, were shut down for about half an hour as a temporary patch was put in place, CHP Officer Krystal Carter said.
Both lanes were reopened by 2:07 p.m., however they were again closed about 3:20 p.m. as Caltrans crews made permanent repairs to the roadway.
A Sig Alert was in effect for No. 3 and 4 lanes of the eastbound freeway, as well as the northbound Hacienda Boulevard onramp to the eastbound 60 Freeway, through 5:20 p.m., Carter said.
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Young man shot while playing basketball in Hacienda Heights

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HACIENDA HEIGHTS — A young man was shot and wounded late Friday while playing basketball on a residential street, officials said.
The victim and another young man were playing basketball in the street at Walbrook Drive and Olympus Avenue about 9 p.m. when a vehicle passed by and someone inside opened fire, Los Angeles County sheriff’s Deputy Russell Verduzco said.
The victim, who was shot in the elbow, was taken by private car to an area hospital where he was treated, officials said. His companion was not injured.
Neither man was believed to have gang ties, Verduzco added.
No description of the shooter or the vehicle was available.
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