January 2012 Archives
SANTA FE SPRINGS -- A rented moving truck crashed into a donut shop Sunday, however no injuries were reported, officials said.
The crash took place just before 3:30 p.m. at Winchell's 11330 Washington Blvd., Whittier police Lt. Carlos Solorza said.
A rented U-haul truck crashed into the building, injuring no one but prompting concerns about structural damage to the store, fire officials said.
While the truck did not penetrate into the store, it damaged an overhang outside it, authorities said. Fire officials were still determining late Sunday whether the building would have to be red-tagged pending repairs.
person who was with the truck told police that his friend had been driving but fled from the scene on foot, Solorza said.
The crash remained under investigation.
ALBANY, N.Y. -- The federal government should help police departments nationwide obtain the tools and training needed to attack a rising scourge of driving under the influence, two U.S. senators said Sunday.
Sens. Charles Schumer of New York and Mark Pryor of Arkansas proposed that federal funding in a pending transportation funding bill be used for research and to train police. They said police have no equipment and few have training in identifying drugged drivers, who don't show the same outward signs of intoxication as drunken drivers do, such as slurred speech.
"Cops need a Breathalyzer-like technology that works to identify drug-impaired drivers on-the-spot -- before they cause irreparable harm," Schumer said. "With the explosive growth of prescription drug abuse it's vital that local law enforcement have the tools and training they need to identify those driving under the influence of narcotics to get them off the road."
Schumer says drugged driving arrests rose 35 percent in New York since 2001, but he says that's a fraction of the cases.
The Democrats cited a 2009 federal report in which 10.5 million Americans acknowledged that they had driven under the influence of drugs. Schumer said the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported that in a 2007 roadside survey, more than 16 percent of weekend and night-time drivers tested positive for illegal prescription drugs or over-the-counter drugs.
Eleven percent of them were found to have taken illegal drugs.
The administration also found that a third of 12,055 drivers tested who died in car crashes in 2009 had used drugs.
Yet police have no approved equipment to help identify drugged drivers, though saliva tests are being researched.
Pryor wants to create federal grants so police can participate in programs that require up to 200 hours of instruction to detect drugged driving as well as to better detect drunken driving.
Schumer said the effort is prompted in part by two fatal December crashes in the New York City area in which two boys -- one 5 years old and the other, 4 -- died. Prescription drug abuse is being investigated in both cases.
-- From the Associated Press
MONROVIA -- A teenager arrived at a hospital with a stab wound to his arm early Sunday, however the circumstances of the stabbing remained under investigation, police said.
Detectives were looking into the possibility the assault may have been related to a vandalism that was reported minutes before the stabbing in the same area -- California Avenue near Evergreen Avenue, Monrovia police Sgt. Glen Coleman said.
The 16-year-old stabbing victim appeared evasive during police questioning, Coleman said, and ultimately told investigators that he and his friends had been approached on the street by two men in their 20s.
After exchanging words, the victim reported, one of the two men pulled a knife and stabbed the teen in the upper arm, Coleman said.
Only minutes before police received words of the stabbing, however, authorities received another call from California Avenue, just south of Evergreen Avenue, Coleman said.
A resident reported that someone had thrown a cement water meter cover through the front window of their house, the sergeant said. The vandalism victim told investigators he chased a group of vandals for a short distance on California Avenue, but did not report being involved in a fight.
"We don't know if (the stabbing) is related to this vandalism or not, but we have a pretty good hunch," Coleman said.
The investigation was ongoing.
MONROVIA -- A 12-year-old girl struck and badly injured by a hit-and-run driver last week has been upgraded from critical to stable, police said Sunday.
The girl was crossing Huntington Avenue at Canyon Boulevard with some other children just before 4 p.m. Friday when she was struck by a 1995 Infinite J30, Monrovia police officials said. The car continued driving, and the girl was hospitalized in critical condition.
"She is responding well to the doctors," Monrovia police Sgt. Glen Coleman said Sunday.
Emma Tapia-Gonzalez, 23, of Monrovia was tracked down by police in the hours after the crash and arrested on suspicion of hit-and-run, Lt. Nels Ortlund said. She does not have a driver's license.
Tapia-Gonzalez was being held in lieu of $100,000 bail pending arraignment Tuesday in Pasadena Superior Court.
PASADENA -- Authorities jailed two men Saturday on suspicion of auto theft after they were pulled over in an allegedly stolen car.
Clarence Jackson, 30, of Altadena and Termel Mercer, 30, of Palmdale were booked on suspicion of grand theft auto, Pasadena police Lt. Diego Torres said.
Officers spotted the 2011 Nissan Altima driving about 4:30 p.m. at Fair Oaks Avenue and Washington Boulevard and realized it had been reported stolen, the lieutenant said.
They then pulled the Altima over and arrested the two men inside -- later identified as Jackson and Mercer -- without a struggle, Torres said.
According to county booking records, Jackson was being held in lieu of $45,000 bail pending his initial court appearance, while Mercer was being held in lieu of $25,000 bail.
SANTA MARIA -- A police officer under investigation for sexual misconduct with a minor was shot and killed by fellow officers Saturday as they tried to arrest him on California's central coast, authorities said.
The officer was on duty at a DUI checkpoint shortly after 1 a.m. when he was shot, Santa Maria police Chief Danny Macagni said in a statement.
The officer, a four-year department veteran, had just learned of the internal investigation of an alleged sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl, and it became necessary to arrest him immediately, Macagni said.
Officers were sent to arrest him but he resisted them when they arrived, first putting up a physical fight, then pulling and firing his gun but hitting no one, Macagni said.
Several officers came to help the police making the arrest, and one of them shot the suspected officer in the chest once, Macagni said.
"He chose to resist, to remove his weapon," Macagni said at a news conference, according to the Santa Maria Times. "We're saddened by the whole incident."
The wounded officer was taken to Marian Medical Center in Santa Maria, where he was declared dead, the chief said.
Macagni said police had expressed condolences to the officer's family.
The officer who filed the fatal shot, a department veteran of about eight years, has been placed on administrative leave, and the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Department was investigating the shooting, Macagni said. Both moves are customary in shootings involving police.
The name of the officer killed has not been released because some family members were still being notified, and the name of the officer who fired the shot was withheld while the incident was under investigation, police said.
- From the Associated Press
Long Beach and a police officers group ask justices to overturn a Superior Court ruling that the city must provide the names of officers involved in shootings.
POMONA -- The investigation continued Saturday into the discovery of a body inside a flaming car on the side of an onramp to the 10 Freeway.
The grisly find was made about 10 p.m. Thursday on the South Campus Drive onramp to the westbound 10 Freeway after passing motorist reported seeing the newer-model Chevrolet Impala on fire.
While the charred condition of the body still prevented identification, investigators believed it to be that of a man in his mid-30s, Los Angeles County Department of Coroner's Lt. Larry Dietz said.
Identification would likely have to be made through dental records or x-rays, he added.
Once firefighters extinguished the blaze, they found the body in the driver's seat, Pomona police officials said. Arson investigators ruled the fire to be suspicious, and Pomona police homicide detectives launched and investigation.
An autopsy was planned to determine how the man died.
The car did not show signs of being involved in a major traffic accident.
SANTA ANA -- A former Marine convicted of killing three women in Illinois pleaded not guilty Friday to murdering five more women in California.
Andrew Urdiales entered the plea in Superior Court in Santa Ana, said Farrah Emami, a spokeswoman for the Orange County district attorney's office.
Authorities allege Urdiales killed five women in Orange, Riverside and San Diego counties between 1986 and 1995. Many of his victims were prostitutes who were repeatedly stabbed or shot.
Urdiales was convicted in 2002 of two murders in Illinois and a third in 2004 and sentenced to death. Two of those sentences were commuted to life without the possibility of parole in 2002 by then-Gov. George Ryan. When Illinois banned the death penalty, Urdiales' third sentence also was commuted to life without the possibility of parole.
Last year, Urdiales was extradited to Orange County, where prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.
Messages were left Friday for defense attorneys Lewis Clapp and Constance Istratescu.
Orange County prosecutors say Urdiales began a killing spree soon after moving to Southern California in 1984 as a 19-year-old Marine. He murdered four women while in the military and a fifth while vacationing in Palm Springs in 1995, four years after his discharge, prosecutors allege.
The cases went unsolved for more than a decade until Urdiales was arrested after his return to his native Illinois and confessed there to the California killings, prosecutors said.
Urdiales is being held without bail. His next court hearing is Feb. 10.
- From the Associated Press
ARCADIA -- Authorities have announced several temporary road closures Monday to accommodate services for a longtime Arcadia Fire Department firefighter who died earlier this week after a battle with cancer.
Capt. Andy Troncale succumbed to cancer Jan. 23 at the age of 52. He retired in 2009 after 30 years of service to the department.
A funeral is to take place 10 a.m. Monday at the Holy Angels Catholic Church, 370 Campus Drive, with internment to follow immediately after at Rose Hills Memorial Park, 3888 Workman Mill Road in Whittier, according to city officials.
Due to a large anticipated attendance, which is expected to include firefighting apparatus, and the procession, the the following street closures have been announced.
*Campus Drive: Closed for traffic and parking from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. from Holly Avenue to El Monte Avenue. Limited access will be provided to Campus Drive from Santa Anita and El Monte avenues until 8:30 a.m. Monday morning to accommodate Arcadia High School traffic. AHS students may park on Campus Drive, east of el Monte Avenue, if arriving before 8:30 a.m.
*Campus Drive: Closed to traffic from 8:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. between Holly and Santa Anita avenues. Arcadia High School can be reached via Duarte road during the closure.
*Santa Anita Avenue: Closed to traffic from 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. between Duarte Road and Fano street.
*Baldwin Avenue: Northbound traffic shut down from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. between Huntington Drive and the 210 Freeway.
*Huntington Drive: Eastbound traffic shut down from 8:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. between Campus Drive and southbound Holly Avenue.
*Huntington Drive: Westbound left turn lanes at Holly Avenue closed from 8:00 am to 12:30 p.m.
*Huntington Drive: Eastbound left turn lanes at Baldwin Avenue, Gate 1 and La Cadena Avenue closed from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
*Holly Avenue: Northbound traffic shut down from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. between Fairview Avenue and Huntington Drive.
*Park Avenue: Closed to traffic from 8:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Campus Drive.
Traffic is expected to be "extremely congested" during the listed time periods, Arcadia police Lt. Tom LeVeque said.
"Use alternate routes or avoid the area during this time, if at all possible," he said, "If dropping off a student at AHS, we suggest arriving at least 15 minutes early on Monday. Consider dropping off your student outside the listed closures and allowing them to walk. The closures should not impact pick-up from AHS at the end of the school day."
Access to the Westfield Santa Anita shopping mall will also be limited during the funeral procession.
Suggested alternate routes around the area include Foothill Boulevard or Duarte Road for eastbound or westbound travel, and Rosemead Boulevard or Second Avenue for northbound or southbound commuters.
For more information, contact the Arcadia Fire Department at 626-574-5112, or 626-574-5102.
WEST COVINA -- Two robbers pulled a handgun on a store security guard who confronted them while stealing a trash bag full of merchandise from a department store late Friday, police said.
A security guard at Ross, 2753 E. Eastland Center Drive, noticed two men walking toward the exit with a trash bag full of goods just before the store's 10 p.m. closing time, West Covina police Lt. Marty Sevilla said.
One of the men pulled a revolver, pointed it at the guard and told him something in Spanish, Sevilla said.
The robbers then got into a waiting four-door, gray compact car with a third man at the wheel, he added.
Police described the robber who carried the trash bag as a Latino man in his 20s, wearing a black jacket and a dark-colored baseball cap. The gunman was also a Latino man in his 20s, wearing a blue Dodgers jersey with the number "323" written on the back and a dark-colored baseball cap.
Anyone with information is asked to call the West Covina Police Department at 626-939-8500. Tips can also be left with the department's 24-hour anonymous tip line at 626-939-8688.
MONROVIA -- A 12-year-old girl was fighting for her life at a hospital Saturday after being struck by a hit-and-run driver while crossing Huntington Drive, authorities said.
After allegedly fleeing the scene of the crash, police tracked down and arrested Emma Tapia-Gonzalez, 23, of Monrovia on suspicion of hit-and-run, Monrovia police Lt. Nels Ortlund said. She does not have a driver's license.
The young girl was crossing south across Huntington Drive at Canyon Boulevard shortly before 4 p.m. Friday with a group of about four other elementary school-age siblings and friends when she was struck by a westbound 1995 Infinite J30, the lieutenant said. The car fled the scene.
Rescuers rushed the injured girl to a hospital, where she was listed in critical condition, police said. She was described as a student at Clifton Middle School, which is about a mile away from the crash scene.
The crash occurred at a "T" intersection where there are no crosswalks or other markings.
Another vehicle had stopped for the children in the number two lane of Huntington Drive, but Tapia-Hernandez apparently failed to see the children and struck the 12-year-old girl, Ortlund said.
Initial reports indicated that the children were running across the street when struck, he added.
Witnesses provided descriptions of the hit-and-run vehicle, and officers immediately launched a tenacious investigation, Ortlund said.
"Officers worked very, very hard on this. They did some excellent follow up investigation," he said.
The task of tracking down the alleged driver was complicated by the fact that Tapia-Gonzalez has never been issued a driver's license, police said.
"(Officers) went to something like four or five locations before ultimately tracking the vehicle down to her current residence," Ortlund said.
Police then located Tapia-Gonzalez and arrested her just before 8 p.m. Friday at a Duarte business where her boyfriend works, officials said.
Tapia-Gonzalez admitted her involvement in the collision, Ortlund said, and physical evidence such as a broken piece of mirror left at the scene linked her car to the crime.
According to county booking records, Tapia-Gonzalez was being held in lieu of $100,000 bail pending her initial appearance in Pasadena Superior Court.
WHITTIER -- A sheriff's SWAT team, with the help of a K-9, found and arrested a West Covina parolee Friday who barricaded himself in a Whittier garage for more than 10 hours after shooting at police, authorities said Saturday.
Matthew Cloutman, 36, was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder of a peace officer and a parole warrant, Whittier police officials said in a written statement.
He was found hiding in a crawl space and bitten by a sheriff's K-9 shortly before 11 p.m. in the garage in the 6200 block of Washington Avenue where he had remained barricaded since about 12:30 p.m., according to Los Angeles County sheriff's Capt. Mike Parker.
A gun was found during Cloutman's arrest, Parker added.
He was being treated at a hospital for dog bite wounds before being booked into jail, Whittier police Lt. Carlos Solorza said.
U.S. Marshals Service, California Department of Corrections, West Covina police and Whittier police officials joined in an operation to apprehend Cloutman, a parolee who is suspected in a West Covina carjacking, Whittier police spokesman Officer Bradley White said.
The carjacking was believed to have taken place in December, however further details were not available.
As the team of lawmen moved in on the home, Cloutman ran from the main house to a garage in the rear while firing six to seven shots at the marshals. None were hit, and authorities did not return fire.
Other people emerged from the home on the orders of police, officials said, however Cloutman refused, prompting a tense stand-off ensued for the next 10 and a half hours.
AZUSA -- An elderly Azusa woman had died late Thursday after being struck by a car being driven by a drunken elderly man, police said.
Cirila Guzman, 76, was pronounced dead at Los Angeles County-USC Medial Center shortly after the 6:10 p.m. collision at Foothill Boulevard and Dalton Avenue, Azusa police Sgt. John Madaloni said.
The driver, 74-year-old Luis Sanchez, was booked on suspicion of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, as well as drunken driving causing injury, police said.
Police responded to reports that a car had struck a pedestrian, Sgt. Xavier Torres said.
"Upon arrival, officers found that an elderly female pedestrian had been struck by a vehicle, and sustained major head trauma and other significant injuries," he said.
The was flown to the hospital by helicopter, where she succumbed to her injuries a short time later, officials said.
According to county booking records, Sanchez was being held in lieu of $100,000 bail pending his arraignment Monday in Covina Superior Court.
SAN MARINO -- A massive fire caused an estimated $2 million worth of damage to a real estate office early Friday, authorities said.
No one was injured in the four-alarm blaze, which was first reported at 1:11 a.m. at Masters Realty, 2476 Huntington Drive, San Marino Fire Department officials said in a written statement.
The cause of the fire remained under investigation Friday, San Marino Fire Department Division Chief Rick Mayhew said.
"They're actually still trying to dig through all of the rubble to get to the actual point of origin," Mayhew said.
Firefighters arrived to find heavy smoke pouring out of the windows of the business, officials said. They immediately called for additional firefighters and began attacking the flames.
"The extreme fire conditions inside the occupancy kept firefighters from advancing any further into the structure," the statement said.
Firefighters then called for additional backup and used large, truck-mounted hoses to control the fire before sending personnel in with handheld hoses, officials said.
Authorities continued battling the blaze for more than two and a half hours, fire officials said.
"Due to the effective actions all firefighters on scene, the fire was contained to the occupancy of origin, thus preventing any losses to the adjacent business," according to the written statement.
The neighboring business attached to Masters Realty sustained only minor damage, Mayhew said.
In addition to the San Marino Fire Department, officials from the Los Angeles County, San Gabriel, Alhambra, Arcadia, Pasadena, South Pasadena, Monterey Park and Glendale assisted with the fire.
The fire departments make up a cooperative team of agencies that often works and trains with each other, Mayhew explained.
"They did an outstanding job, Mayhew said. "They work really well together."
POMONA -- Authorities extinguished a car fire on a freeway onramp late Thursday and discovered a badly burned body inside.
The car fire was first reported to the California Highway Patrol at 10:01 p.m. on the South Campus Drive onramp to the eastbound 10 Freeway, according to CHP logs.
Because of the condition of the body, it was not immediately apparent if the dead person was male or female, Los Angeles County Department of Coroner Assistant Chief of Operations Ed Winter said.
"(The) Pomona Police Department responded to the scene due to suspicious circumstances determined by LA County Arson investigators," Pomona police Sgt. Patrick O'Malley said. "The vehicle fire and the deceased person are currently being investigated by the Pomona Police Department's detective bureau."
The burning car, a newer-model Chevrolet Impala, was found along the left side of the onramp, with its rear end shifted off the road and resting on a grass hillside.
A CHP log entry at 10:08 p.m. indicated a witness who called 9-1-1, "saw a jacket in the car but doesn't know if someone was inside," as the car was becoming engulfed in flames.
hile it was severely scorched, it did not show damage indicating a major traffic accident.
The onramp remained shut down Friday morning as officials investigated the scene, removed the car and made sure the roadway was safe for traffic.
Anyone with information is asked to call Pomona police homicide detectives Shope or Uribe at 909-620-2095. Tips can also be left anonymously by calling 800-782-7463.
LA HABRA -- Two La Habra men died late Thursday after being shot in a residential neighborhood, authorities said.
Nick Burresch, 24, and Phillip Reinig, 30, were pronounced dead at a hospital shortly after the 7:15 p.m. shooting in the 500 block of South Clifton Avenue, La Habra police officials said in a written statement.
Detectives were left with few clues in the double-slaying.
"The La Habra Police Department received calls of shots fired," according to the police statement. "When officers arrived on scene, they found two gunshot victims outside a residence."
No information regarding the circumstances of the shooting or any suspect description was available early Friday.
Anyone with information is asked to call La Habra Police at 562-905-9750. Tips can be left anonymously by dialing 562-905-9611.
Andy Michael Troncale
4/8/1959 - 1/23/2012
"I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith."
Wonderful husband, father, son and friend, Andy Michael Troncale lost his valiant battle with cancer on January 23, 2012 at the age of 52.
Born to parents Steve and Evelyn Troncale and raised in Covina, CA, Andy graduated from Covina High School in 1977 and attended Mount San Antonio College in Walnut, CA, where he studied fire science. Andy later earned his Bachelor Degree from Cal State Long Beach.
Andy developed an interest in the fire service early in life and began his career as an explorer with Los Angeles County Fire Department at the age of 16. He worked for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection for a brief time before being hired by the Arcadia Fire Department in 1979. Andy received several awards during his career, including the City
of Arcadia Exceptional Service Award and Arcadia Fire Department Firefighter of the Year.
As a senior Captain, he embodied the finest qualities of a true firefighter. Andy served the citizens of Arcadia with honor and distinction for nearly 30 years, retiring from the Arcadia Fire Department in 2009 after being diagnosed with advanced stage colon cancer.
Andy's smile and sense of humor endeared him quickly to all who crossed his path. His greatest love was his family. He married the love of his life, Debbie (Clark) in 1986 and had three sons, Clark, Chad and Clint. He also loved animals, especially his dogs Cocoa and Gigi.
Andy's interests included model trains, fishing, baseball, football, hockey, weightlifting and bicycle riding. Andy enjoyed cooking Italian food using family recipes and was a barbeque expert.
Andy is predeceased by his mother, Evelyn, and his brother, Steven. He is survived by his wife of 25 years, Debbie, and their three sons, Clark (22), Chad (20), and Clint (17), his father, Steve, sister, Paula, in-laws Robert and Diane Clark, brothers-in law, nieces and nephews.
A viewing will be held on Sunday, January 29, 2012 from 4:00 - 7:00 (Rosary at 5:00 pm) at Douglass & Zook Chapel of Remembrance Funeral Home, 600 E Foothill Blvd, Monrovia, CA 91016.
Funeral services are scheduled for Monday, January 30, 2012, at 10:00 am at Holy Angels Catholic Church, 370 Campus Drive, Arcadia, CA. Interment will follow at Rose Hills Memorial Park, 3888 Workman Mill Road, Whittier, CA.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the American Cancer Society or to the Andy Troncale Benevolent Fund by mail through the Los Angeles Firemen's Credit Union, 815 W Colorado Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90041 or online at www.firefamilyfoundation.org.
- Courtesy of the Arcadia Fire Department
INDUSTRY -- A multi-car injury crash briefly shut down four northbound lanes of the 605 Freeway in Industry Thursday, officials said.
The crash was reported at 3:36 p.m. on the northbound freeway, just north of Peck Road, according to California Highway Patrol logs.
Initial reports indicated at least three cars were involved, and one of them had overturned.
The two left lanes were re-opened by 4 p.m., and the remaining affected lines were re-opened shortly after 4 p.m.
It was not immediately clear how many people were injured, or the extent of the injuries.
ALHAMBRA -- Trial began Thursday for an alleged Duarte gang member accused shooting and paralyzing a then-16-year-old boy in 2008, officials said.
Jimmy Santana, 23, is charged with attempted murder for shooting a 16-year-old boy has he rode his bicycle in the 2500 block of Peck Road, in an unincorporated county area near Monrovia, on Jan. 29, 2008.
Investigators have described the wounded teen as an innocent young man who got caught in the crossfire of a feud between black and Latino gangs in the area in late 2007 and early 2008.
After a jury was selected in for the case in Alhambra Superior Court, opening arguments were heard Thursday and the alleged victim took the stand to testify, court officials said.
At a hearing 2 months after the shooting, the young man described how he was riding home from a dairy when a car approached and a gunman, later identified as Santana, opened fire while shouting gang slogans.
According to county booking records, Santana is being held in lieu of $2 million bail.
LOS ANGELES -- California Attorney General Kamala Harris says a backlog for a DNA database has been eliminated and that will allow investigators to analyze evidence within 30 days.
Harris said Wednesday that a review of DNA crime scene evidence once took an average of three to four months, but new technology and shifting the caseload among the state's seven crime labs has improved efficiency.
For example, Harris says a new robotics technology allows investigators to analyze sexual assault evidence in two hours rather than two days.
Harris says timely investigation of evidence found at crime scenes is key to successful prosecutions.
The labs analyzed 5,400 evidence samples last year, compared to 4,800 in 2010.
The state's DNA database contains profiles of 1.8 million offenders and is the fourth largest in the world.
- From the Associated Press
MONTEREY PARK -- The investigation continues into the fatal police shooting of a 22-year-old Chino Hills man who threatened an officer with a large pipe bender outside a fast-food restaurant.
Steve Rodriguez was pronounced dead at a hospital shortly after he was shot by two officers about 9:30 a.m. Monday outside a Carl's Jr. restaurant along Avenida Cesar Chavez. The incident was captured on a cell phone camera by a witness who then posted the video online.
Though the video of the shooting has gone viral on the Internet, Monterey Park police and Los Angeles County Sheriff's officials continued to withhold the names of the involved officers Thursday. The two involved officers were described as 12-year and 3-year veterans of the Monterey Park Police Department.
"We're not, at this point, releasing those names," Monterey Park Police Chief Jim Smith said.
Officials added that the names would likely be disclosed in the over the next few days.
The Sheriff's Homicide Bureau is spearheading the investigation into the shooting.
"Everything right now is new," Smith said. "It's under investigation by the sheriff's (department) and DA's office, which is the normal protocol with us. We'll continue to follow the investigation. And its a tough thing for the officers, for the family, for the witnesses... for everyone involved."
Also withheld by authorities Thursday was the coroner's report in the case.
An autopsy had been carried out on Rodriguez's body Thursday, however sheriff's investigators had placed a security hold on the findings, barring coroner's officials from releasing information on the case, Los Angeles County Department of Coroner Assistant Chief of Operations Ed Winter said.
Because of the security hold, information such as how many times Rodriguez was shot or where the two electrified Taser probed ultimately landed were not available.
Chief Smith declined to comment on the shooting itself.
"It would be inappropriate for me to comment on it at this time," he said. "I need to let the investigators to do their job."
Family members of Rodriguez, as well as the sheriff's detective handling the case, could not be reached for comment Thursday.
The officers involved in the shooting have been placed on paid administrative leave and offered psychological counseling, as is the policy for any officer involved in a shooting, Monterey Park police Capt. Eugene Harris said. They remained on leave Thursday.
"We expect them back to work if not next week, the following week," he added. The amount of time an officer takes for leave after being involved in a shooting varies on a case-by-case basis, but is generally at least three days.
While the digital age has changed law enforcement a great deal in recent years and decades, Harris said the fact that many citizens are now carrying with them cell phones capable of doubling as video cameras makes no difference.
In fact, Harris said, the Monterey Park Police Department has gone "above and beyond" when it comes to using technology to ensure transparency in police work.
Every patrol car is equipped with a video camera, and all officers carry audio recorders, he said.
"Any citizen contact is recorded," Harris said.
The presence of a civilian camera does not alter police behavior, he added.
"We teach people to perform as if you're always being watched, taped or video recorded," he said.
Officers encountered Rodriguez after responding to reports that he was using the heavy tool to smash windows at the restaurant, officials said.
In the video, an officer fires five gunshots at Rodriguez as he advances on the other officer while raising the tool over his head as if preparing to deliver a blow.
Rodriguez stumbles and turns his back to the officers, obscuring the camera's view of him behind a parked car, before second group of five shots is heard.
The man who shot the video, who asked that his name be withheld due to privacy concerns, said he had mixed feelings about what he witnessed.
"I believe it was the correct response to take action and fire those first shots," he said. "But while his back was turned to the officer, he paused and made another five shots. That was uncalled for."
"In my opinion, somebody got shot and that was justified," the witness added. "But somebody dying, that was not justified."
"I'm not a cop, I don't know what they go through. I'm sure it's completely different mentally going through that. But as a police officer, to me, there job is to set an example and be, honestly, perfect in everything they do. They're seen as the higher authority."
Rocky Warren, a retired longtime Placer County Sheriff's Deputy, consultant, instructor, author and sought-after expert witness in court cases involving police uses of force, reviewed the video and offered his thoughts.
"One of the worst failures of law enforcement is not educating the public about use of force," Warren said.
Warren himself is no stranger to officer-involved shootings. In 1982, he became one of only four police officers in the nation to shoot a gun from a suspect's hand on orders in the City of Lincoln.
Warren pointed out that the quality and angle of the video left many factors unknown.
He said, however, that after studying the amateur video of the shooting, "I don't see anything that causes me to believe it's unreasonable," Warren said.
To determine whether a police shooting is justified or not, he said, "The legal standard is: given the facts and circumstances known to the officer at the time, was the use of force reasonable? If the answer is yes, then the shooting was justified."
Public response to officer-involved shootings is often colored by the "Hollywood Effect," Warren said.
"People think that people are shot and fall down," he said. In reality, suspects often are not pacified until shot multiple times.
"People don't understand the threat level," Warren added.
An average citizen may see a person armed with a weapon such as a knife or club standing about 8 feet away from someone and not perceive an imminent threat of serious injury or death, Warren said.
"With my training, I realize your possibility of being killed is good," he said.
Police are trained to understand how fast people can cover ground compared with an officer's reaction time, he explained.
It appeared from the poor quality video that the first five shots were fired by an officer in defense of his partner, who was being threatened by Rodriguez, Warren said.
Because of the limited view of the camera and the fact that Rodriguez went behind a parked car after the first volley of gunfire, "You can't know why that second volley was fired."
Warren said officers are trained to meet deadly force with deadly force. In the past, for instance, officers have died trying to disarm an opponent with their batons rather than shooting them, he added.
"We've literally had many officers killed when they used non-lethal force in a lethal force situation."
SANTA ANA -- A Baldwin Park man has been arrested on suspicion of a violent Orange County rape and kidnapping as officials investigate the possibility he's responsible for other similar attacks.
Jose Luis Capacete, 39, was arrested Jan. 20 on suspicion of rape and kidnapping with intent to commit rape in connection with an alleged vicious attack on a prostitute in Santa Ana on Christmas Eve of last year, Santa Ana police officials said in a written statement.
Capacete, who works as an armored car driver in Orange County, picked the woman up in a van along Harbor Boulevard, officials said.
"Once the victim was inside Capacete's vehicle, Capacete produced a handgun and a Taser," according to the police statement. "The victim's hands were tied behind her back and she was sexually assaulted in the van."
Evidence found at the scene ultimately led police to identify Capacete as a suspect in the kidnapping and rape, and authorities carried out a search warrant at his Baldwin Park home, Santa Ana police Cpl. Anthony Bertagna said.
"We collected evidence that belonged to six different females that have no relation to him," Bertagna said. "That's what leads us to believe there are other victims."
Capacete was arrested Jan. 20 and is being held in lieu of $1 million bail, according to police and Orange County booking records.
Since his arrest, Santa Ana detectives have learned of other strikingly similar kidnappings and rapes and are investigating the possibility Capacete was also involved in those cases.
Another woman, also a prostitute, reported she was kidnapped and raped with the use of a handgun and Taser on Jan. 7 in Garden Grove, Bertagna said.
Additionally, detectives learned following Capacete's arrest that U.S. Department of Homeland Security officials investigating an unrelated case had interviewed another prostitute in August who told them she had been the victim of a similar attack in Santa Ana, the corporal said.
Federal officials did not notify Santa Ana police of the report until after Capacete's arrest.
"This woman that they're working with brought this incident to their attention and told them what happened, but the documentation never made it here, so we never had a case," Bertagna said.
"Unfortunately, that's one of those things that slipped through the cracks," he said.
The investigation into the DHS report and the Garden Grove case remained in their early stages, Bertagna said. The only case in which a charge has been filed is the Christmas Eve assault.
"(The other two) cases are ongoing and being looked into, as well as the six additional pieces of evidence (from Capacete's home)," Bertagna said.
All of the three possible victims identified so far were prostitutes, immigrants and in their 20s, officials said.
Police sought the public's help Thursday in connecting Capacete to any additional crimes.
Though Capacete lived in Baldwin Park, investigators had not linked him to any assaults in the San Gabriel Valley, police said.
The brutality and sophistication displayed in the alleged Dec. 24 assault indicates an experienced attacker," Bertagna said. "With this level of violence, our concern is, how long has he been doing this?"
Capacete appeared in court for arraignment Jan. 24, however it was continued and he did not enter a plea, Orange County District Attorney's officials said. He was scheduled to return to the Central Jail Court Feb. 9.
PHOTO of Jose Capacete courtesy of the Santa Ana Police Department
LOS ANGELES -- A federal grand jury indicted a Pomona man the FBI calls the "Puffy Coat Bandit" on suspicion of carrying out a three-week, three-county bank robbery spree that included a heist in Glendora, authorities said.
Steven Dwayne Paulson, 46, was indicted on seven counts of bank robbery for the alleged string of crimes, which took place between Dec. 20 of last year and Jan. 9, FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller said.
On Dec. 30, Paulson paid a visit to a Glendora Union Bank branch, 601 W. Route 66.
In the Glendora heist, as in the others, the bandit presented the teller a note while claiming or motioning as if he was armed, according to Glendora police and FBI officials.
The Puffy Coat Bandit earned his moniker because of the heavy ski jackets he wore during some of the heists.
He's also accused of robbing the same bank branch in Chino twice, as well as other bank robberies in Cerritos, Rancho Cucamonga, Corona and Lake Elsinore, according to the indictment.
"Paulson was arrested on January 10, 2012, after a detective with the Upland Police Department detained a driver matching the description of the suspect who was driving a vehicle described by witnesses as a getaway vehicle used by the suspect," Eimiller said.
"Further investigation resulted in Paulson's arrest and he is currently being held in federal custody."
The FBI joined the local police and sheriff's agencies where the robberies occurred in the investigation, and Paulson's case will be prosecuted by the Central District Office of the United States Attorney's Office.
SURVEILLANCE photo of Dec. 30, 2011 bank robbery linked to the "Puffy Coat Bandit" courtesy of the FBI.
WHITTIER -- A wanted parolee led police on a chase through Whittier Wednesday before she ultimately pulled over and surrendered, authorities said.
Monique Ramos, 30, was booked on suspicion of evading police and violating parole, Whittier police Sgt. Gregg Hamilton said.
An officer tried to stop her car for running a red light about 9:35 a.m. at Whittier Boulevard and Mar Vista Street, police said.
Ramos refused to pull over and led police on a chase through Uptown Whittier before making her way back to Whittier Boulevard and heading west, the lieutenant said.
The car finally pulled over on Whittier Boulevard at Esperanza Avenue, just west of the 605 Freeway, Hamilton said. She surrendered without further incident.
COVINA -- A naked man was hospitalized for psychological evaluation Tuesday after assaulting random passers-by along Grand Avenue, police said.
The incident was reported about 3:45 p.m. in the 900 block of North Grand Avenue, Covina police Lt. John Curley said.
Police responded to a report that a nude man had approached a resident and attacked him with a dustpan and with his fists, the lieutenant said. The resident was not injured.
Officers found the man in the area, still naked and appearing agitated, Curley said.
The man refused officers' commands and began throwing punches at a man who was passing by, he said. The second alleged assault victim was struck only by glancing blows.
Police then shot the suspect with a Taser, which incapacitated him, and took him into custody without a further struggle, Curley said.
Officials did not initially believe the man was under the influence of drugs, he said.
Police took a report for assault and indecent exposure and placed the man on a psychological hold.
BALDWIN PARK -- An unlicensed and drunken driver who struck and killed a 25-year-old Baldwin Park woman as she was walking to church last year was sentenced to more than 19 years in prison Tuesday, officials said.
Rafael Espinoza Moreno, 27, was sentenced to 19 years and 8 months in prison after pleading no contest to charges stemming from the Aug. 14, 2011 crash that killed Esmeralda Ramirez of Baldwin Park, according to Baldwin Park police and District Attorney's officials.
Ramirez was walking to church with her boyfriend about 2:30 p.m. when Moreno, who was later found to have a blood-alcohol level nearly twice the legal limit, lost control of the 2005 Jeep Laredo he was driving, travelling onto the sidewalk along Baldwin Park Boulevard near Stewart Street and fatally striking Ramirez, Baldwin Park police Lt. David Reynoso said.
"Alcohol and excessive speed were factors in this collision," Reynoso said. "Moreno had never been issued a California Driver's License but had previously received a citation for driving with no license and speeding. Moreno had also been previously deported and was in the country illegally at the time of the crime."
Moreno fled the crash scene and was found hiding about two blocks away and arrested, police said.
"It appears Moreno was in the process of telephoning his family members to pick him up so he can elude arrest," Reynoso said.
The crash occurred on Moreno's birthday.
In Pomona Superior Court, Moreno pleaded no contest to gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, leaving the scene of an accident, drunken driving causing injury or death and driving with a blood-alcohol level above .08 causing injury or death, District Attorney's spokeswoman Shiara Davila-Morales said.
After striking Ramirez, the Jeep Moreno was driving also struck a bus bench and a building, causing significant structural damage, officials said.
Ramirez was pronounced dead at the scene.
PHOTO of Rafael Espinoza Moreno courtesy of the Baldwin Park Police Department.
PASADENA -- Police arrested three teens Tuesday on suspicion of breaking into an apartment.
Officers responded to a report of a break-in about 1:45 p.m. at an apartment in the area of Mentor Avenue and California Boulevard, Pasadena police Lt. Jari Faulkner said.
Police cordoned off the area and performed a search with the help of a police helicopter and K-9, ultimately finding the three 16-year-old Pasadena teens hiding in the neighborhood, the lieutenant said. They were arrested without a struggle.
Cash and jewelry believed to have been taken from the apartment was recovered, she added.
Police instructed nearby Polytechnic School to keep students inside during the search as a precaution, Faulkner said.
GLENDORA -- A woman's tip Tuesday led police to arrest three teenagers in the parking lot of a fast-food restaurant on suspicion of breaking into a home in Azusa, officials said.
Brian Ibarra, 18, of Anaheim, a 17-year-old boy from Anaheim and a 17-year-old boy from Santa Ana were arrested on suspicion of residential burglary and possession of stolen property, Glendora police Lt. Jamie Caldwell said.
A woman called police about 12:20 p.m. to report seeing something suspicious -- three young men going through women's purses while sitting in a car parked at In-N-Out, 1261 Lone Hill Ave., he said.
Officers arrived and found the men still in the parking lot, Caldwell said.
They were found to have items in the car that had just been stolen in a break-in at a home in the 1100 block of North Pasadena Avenue in Azusa, according to Glendora and Azusa police officials.
The homeowner was at work and was not aware her home had been burglarized, police added. All of her allegedly stolen property was recovered.
Caldwell commended the tipster who first reported the suspicious activity.
"That's the stuff I really want to impart on people," he said. "The public -- that's our eyes and ears out there."
Ibarra was being held in lieu of $50,000 bail and was due for arraignment Thursday in Covina Superior Court, according to county booking records.
The juvenile suspects were released to their parents with written promises to appear in court, officials said.
ROWLAND HEIGHTS -- A motorcyclist suffered serious injuries Wednesday morning in a crash on Harbor Boulevard, officials said.
The crash was reported at 7:20 a.m. on Harbor Boulevard, just south of Dublin Way, California Highway Patrol Officer Jennifer Connolly said.
Initial reports indicated a motorcycle had rear-ended another vehicle, and that the motorcyclist suffered injuries including a broken leg, she said.
Both northbound and southbound lanes of Harbor Boulevard were shut down for about an hour as officials investigated the crash.
LA HABRA HEIGHTS -- Deputies investigated Tuesday after a La Habra Heights man heard a noise and found a hole in his garage, leading him to believe a shooting may have taken place, authorities said.
A resident of the 1300 block of East Road heard a bang about noon, Los Angeles County sheriff's Lt. Raymond Enriquez said.
When the man went outside, he noticed a hole in his garage which he did not believe had been there before, the lieutenant said.
No further information was available.
HACIENDA HEIGHTS -- A man was held for psychiatric evaluation Tuesday following a standoff after he was seen firing a BB or airsoft gun in the neighborhood, shattering a neighbor's window, officials said.
The incident was first reported about 9:30 a.m. when a neighbor reported seeing a "man with a gun," in the 15000 of Cargreen Ave., Los Angeles County sheriff's Lt. Raymond Enriquez said.
Follow-up reports indicated that a window had been smashed, however the gun may be a BB or airsoft gun, and the alleged gunman was a possibly schizophrenic neighbor who was now in his backyard.
Police cautiously encircled the home and ordered the man out, Enriquez said. After about two hours, the man's father convinced him to come outside and surrender.
Deputies took the man for a psychological evaluation and wrote a vandalism report for the damaged window, Enriquez said.
ANGELES NATIONAL FOREST -- Authorities have released the name of an 18-year-old man killed Saturday in a hiking accident in the Angeles National Forest north of La Canada Flintridge.
Vigen Sarkisyan of Tujunga was pronounced dead shortly before 3 p.m. after he and two other young men were found to have taken a fall near mile marker 41.9 of Angeles Crest Highway, Los Angeles County Department of Coroner's Chief of Operations Craig Harvey said.
The two other men Sarkisyan was hiking with were hospitalized with serious injuries, Los Angeles County sheriff's officials said.
The details of the accident were under investigation, however it initially appeared the men fell into a steep culvert and tumbled about 600 feet, sheriff's Sgt. Debra Herman said.
One of the injured men managed to climb back up to a roadway and seek help, officials said.
It's was a busy weekend for sheriff's officials and other rescuers in the Angeles National Forest over the weekend, where 15 people were rescued and one body was recovered. Sheriff's officials have put together a summary of the weekend incidents, complete with footage from rescue helicopter crew members' helmet cameras:
ARCADIA -- Police are planning to hold several sobriety checkpoint Saturday, officials said.
The checkpoints will take place "at multiple locations within the city, during the evening hours," Arcadia police Lt. Tom LeVeque said in a written statement.
"We would like to remind everyone of the dangers associated with drinking and driving and encourage the use of designated drivers," he said.
Anyone who spots an impaired driver on the road is encouraged to report it by calling 9-1-1.
MONTEREY PARK -- The fatal police shooting of a man who lunged at a police officer with a metal bar Monday was caught on amateur video.
Steve Rodriguez, 22, was pronounced dead at a hospital shortly after the shooting, Los Angeles County Department of Coroner's Chief of Operations Craig Harvey said. His city of residency was not known Tuesday.
The shooting took place about 9:30 a.m. Monday in the parking lot of a Carl's Jr. restaurant in the 1200 block of Avenida Cesar Chavez, where Rodriguez was reportedly smashing out windows with a three-foot-long metal bar.
Monterey Park police officers responded to reports about the man's window-smashing, sheriff's officials said.
The video shows Rodriguez exit the eatery with a metal bar, when he was immediately confronted by two police officers, who who were not identified Tuesday. One of the officers held a Taser, the other pointed a pistol in his right hand and held a police dog's leash in the other.
The officer with the Taser is seen apparently firing the device<NO1><NO>. At least one of the Taser darts appeared to have hit Rodriguez in the face, the video shows. He swatted at the dart, but it did not slow him down and only appeared to agitate <NO1><NO>him, the video shows.
Rodriguez then turned toward the officer who fired the Taser and began approaching him while grasping the metal bar in a baseball bat grip, the video shows.
The officer who shot at Rodriguez with the Taser appeared to be struggling to remove his pistol from its holster as the second officer opened fire, the video shows.
After a volley of five shots in rapid succession, Rodriguez stumbled back, dropped the metal bar and turned his back to the officers, though he remained on his feet. The officer then fired a second volley of five shots, causing Rodriguez to fall to the ground.
The camera's view of Rodriguez is obscured during the second round of gunfire by a parked car.
The man who shot the cell phone video, who asked that his name be withheld due to privacy concerns, said he was planning on removing the video from the Internet once he learned the man who was shot had died, but changed his mind after seeing "a falsified report," in the news.
He said he read a news story in which, "a female officer described that the suspect swung (the metal bar) twice."
The cameraman said his footage, as well as his memory, told a different story. While Rodriguez took an aggressive stance toward an officer and drew back as though he was about to strike him, he said, there was no swing.
While the amateur video is an important piece of evidence, Lt. Eddie Hernandez of the Sheriff's Homicide Bureau said there is a great deal of additional evidence to be considered.
"Keep in mind, the video that was posted on YouTube, it's a very narrow prism," the lieutenant said. "The investigation is in its infancy right now."
Investigators will also review videos of the incident that have not been released to the public, Hernandez said, including security camera footage from inside the restaurant, footage from neighboring businesses and footage from cameras mounted in Monterey Park police patrol cars.
Detectives were also continuing Tuesday to interview about 25 witnesses, Hernandez said.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department is assisting in the investigation, as is common in officer-involved shootings involving Los Angeles County police agencies.
Hernandez did not know the status of the officers involved in the shooting. Monterey Park police declined to comment on the identity or status of the officers.
Hernandez described the metal bar Rodriguez had been clutching as a "pipe bender" -- a tool used by electricians to bend electrical conduits.
Investigators continued piecing together the events that led up to the shooting, Hernandez said.
Witnesses reported the suspect was not yelling or speaking to anyone as he smashed the windows inside the restaurant, and his motive in the alleged vandalism was unknown.
"In the beginning, he was very nonchalantly breaking windows," said the amateur cameraman.
Once police arrived and confronted Rodriguez, "They were telling him to put his hands up," he said. "He brushed them off as they were shouting orders at him. He got Tasered in the face. He didn't even react to it."
The cameraman added that even after the shooting, he didn't immediately realize what had taken place. Until getting home and seeing news coverage of the incident, "I was really convinced that they were rubber pellets that were shot at him," he said.
The officers involved did not recognize Rodriguez from any previous encounters, Hernandez added.
The only Los Angeles County Superior Court case listed in a county database against a person by Rodriguez's name and birthdate was a drunken driving case filed Dec. 28 in Alhambra Superior Court. The case stemmed from an Oct. 30 arrest in Alhambra. Further details on the case were not available.
No drugs were found on Rodriguez's person, Hernandez said. An autopsy will determined whether any substances were in his system at the time of the incident.
Once sheriff's officials, police, Los Angeles County District Attorney's officials and the County of Los Angeles Office of Independent Review have completed their investigations, the information will be turned over to the district attorney's office for review.
WHITTIER -- A would-be bandit left empty-handed Monday after trying unsuccessfully to rob both a bank and a sandwich shop in Uptown Whittier, police said.
The crook entered the Chase bank branch, 13103 E. Philadelphia Ave., about 12:10 p.m. and handed a teller a note demanding money and stating he had a bomb, Whittier police Lt. Randy Inman said.
The teller turned over no cash, and the failed robber left the bank, he said.
About 10 minutes later, a man police believe to be the same attempted robber showed up at a Subway restaurant around the corner at 7201 Greenleaf Ave., the lieutenant said.
He presented an employee a note demanding cash and stating he had a gun, police said. The employee retreated to the rear of the business, and the suspect again fled empty-handed.
Authorities described the robber as a white man, about 5 feet 5 inches to 5 feet 6 inches tall and about 180 pounds, Inman said. He wore a black baseball cap with a letter "A" on it, a dark-green jacket and blue jeans during the crimes.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Whittier Police Department at 562-567-9200.
- PHOTO courtesy of the FBI
Pasadena Fire Department firefighters doing their thing at a chimney fire Sunday night in the 900 block of South Madison Avenue.- Courtesy of Jamie Nicholson, PFD Volunteer
Sunday's blaze was the second chimney fire handled by the PFD this week.
PFD spokeswoman Lisa Derderian reminded residents to check their chimneys annually, and that now is an especially important time to do so, as recent windstorms may have caused extra debris to accumulate.
ANGELES NATIONAL FOREST -- A man died and two others were injured Saturday after tumbling about 600 feet down a drainage culvert off of Angeles Crest Highway, in the forest north of La Canada Flintridge.
The accident was reported shortly after 3 p.m. Saturday after one of the injured men managed to climb up to the road and seek help, however it was unclear when the men actually fell, Los Angeles County sheriff's Sgt. Debra Herman said. The men were believed to have gone up to the forest to go hiking Friday.
For reasons that remained under investigation, the three men were hiking when they slipped and slid about 600 feet down a steep, cement drainage culvert near mile marker 42 of Angeles Crest Highway, Herman said.
One of them men, initially described only as appearing to be in his 20s, was pronounced dead at the scene, she said.
Officials described the two survivors as Pasadena men who appeared to be in their 20s.
The man who managed to climb back up to the road was hospitalized by ambulance in unknown condition, Herman said. The other injured man was flown to the hospital by helicopter.
Authorities continued investigating the incident and working to recover the body late Saturday.
MONTEREY PARK -- Investigators jailed three men and a woman late Friday in connection with the robbery of two women the previous night, authorities said.
Roger Egoavil, 25, of Alhambra and Isaac Rivera, 23, of Fontana, both parolees, were booked on suspicion of robbery, Monterey Park police Lt. Tina Montoya said. Danny Egoavil, 23, of Alhambra was booked on suspicion of aiding and abetting and Ruth Rivera, 21, of Alhambra was booked on suspicion of criminal conspiracy.
The relationship between the suspects was not clear Saturday.
Roger Egoavil and Isaac Rivera are accused of approaching two women as they walked at McPherrin and Avondale avenues about 10 p.m. Thursday and robbing them of their purses, police said.
Sgt. Frank Duke said detectives identified suspects in the case, though he declined to say exactly how. After carrying out surveillance operations throughout the San Gabriel Valley, police rounded up and arrested the four suspects Friday and early Saturday.
According to county booking records, Roger Egoavil and Isaac Rivera were being held without bail. Danny Egoavil was being held in lieu of $20,000 bail and Ruth Rivera was being held in lieu of $100,000 bail.
All four were due for arraignment Wednesday in Alhambra Superior Court.\
MONTEBELLO -- Nine people awoke Saturday morning to discover their cars had tires slashed and windows smashed out following an overnight vandalism spree, police said.
The cars were parked in the 100 block of North 1st Street, Montebello police Lt. Mike Flores said.
No description of the vandal or vandals was available, he said, and no motive for the damage was known.
Anyone with information is asked to call Montebello police at 323-887-1313.
PASADENA -- The 210 Freeway came to a screeching halt early Saturday as separate big rig crashes forced lane closures for both directions of travel, authorities said.
A big rig hauling milk overturned on the 210 Freeway tunnel in Pasadena Saturday morning, forcing the closure of two lanes of the connector road into the afternoon, according to the California Highway Patrol.
The crash was reported shortly after 7 a.m. on the eastbound 210 Freeway connector road to the eastbound 210 Freeway in Pasadena, near the 134 Freeway junction, CHP logs indicated.
No major injuries were reported in the crash, however two lanes of the road remained closed until about 1:45 p.m. as officials worked to pump the milk out of the overturned truck and clear the wreckage.
Drivers were advised to take the southbound 2 Freeway to the eastbound 134 Freeway in order to get around the crash.
Further slowing morning travels through Pasadena Saturday, another big rig forced the closure of the westbound connector road in the same area for about two hours after it crashed about 7 a.m., according to the CHP.
As is common when rain comes to the Southland, the number of crashes reported to the CHP spiked Saturday morning, officials said.
Prelimary data release by the agency showed 315 collisions reported to the CHP in Los Angeles County between midnight and 9 a.m. Saturday, compared with only 55 crashes reported over the same time period one week earlier on Jan. 14, when the weather was dry.
HACIENDA HEIGHTS -- A 60-year-old man who interrupted two burglars breaking into his vehicle was kidnapped then later abandoned by his captors Friday night, deputies said.
The incident happened at 6:40 p.m. in the 16300 block of Rochlen Street.
Sheriff's Lt. Victor Sotelo said it looks like the resident walked out of the house and saw the car burglary.
"He started fighting, yelling," Sotelo said.
The yelling drew the attention of a neighbor who came out of his house. Sotelo said the suspects then shoved the 60-year-old into their van and took off.
"They dropped him off at Garfield Avenue and the 60 Freeway in Monterey Park," Sotelo said.
He added the victim used a payphone to call his family. Deputies were still at the Rochlen Street house when the man called relatives.
The only description given so far for the suspects are two Latinos in a tan van.
- Ruby Gonzales
AZUSA -- A woman kept her purse and socked a thief when the culprit tried to snatch the bag Friday night.
Sheriff's Lt. Andy Berg said an 18-year-old Azusa woman was walking in the 18300 block of Galatea Street about 6 p.m. when a driver in a small white pickup truck drove alongside her and tried to grab her purse.
"She hangs onto it and won't let go. He punches her. She punches him back," Berg said.
The would-be snatcher hurled an insult at the woman and drove away.
"He didn't get anything from her," the lieutenant said.
Deputies are handling the attempted purse-snatching because it happened in an unincorporated county area near Azusa.
The suspect was described as a Latino, 20 to 25, with a dark complexion and brown hair in a "fade" hairstyle.
- Ruby Gonzales
WEST COVINA -- An attic fire late Thursday cause more than $200,000 in damage to a home but injured no one, officials said.
The fire was reported about 9:15 p.m. in the 700 block of East Merced Avenue, West Covina Fire Department firefighter/paramedic Scott Gilmore said.
Firefighters arrived to find heavy smoke coming from the roof vents and eaves of the home, the firefighter said.
Nineteen firefighters extinguished the fire in about half an hour, he said.
The blaze was determined to have originated with the homes chimney, Gilmore said. It appeared some recent construction at the home may have created a breach in the chimney that allowed flames from the home's fireplace to get into the attic.
Officials estimated the fire cause $175,000 worth of damage to the home and $50,000 to the home's contents.
PASADENA -- Two alleged gang members are in custody in connection with the murder of an 18-year-old Alhambra man last year.
Pasadena police officials announced the arrests of Steven Fleming, 19, of Pasadena and Scott King, 19, of Palmdale Friday after charges were filed against the men in Pasadena Superior Court.
The men are accused of fatally shooting 18-year-old Marvin Laguan as he talked with a friend on the evening of Aug. 22, 2011 in the 400 block of North Mar Vista Avenue, Pasadena police officials said in a written statement.
"On (Wednesday), Pasadena police detectives and law enforcement personnel from the Unites States Marshals Fugitive Unit, California State Parol and the Glendale Police Department arrested (King and Fleming) for Laguan's murder," the statement said. "Both suspects have gang associations and the assault is believed gang-related."
Laguan himself was also believed to have gang ties, according to Pasadena police Lt. Tracey Ibarra.
In addition to Laguan's killing, the two men were charged with the attempted murder of the friend Laguan was speaking with when the gunman opened fire with six to eight shots, wounding Laguan in the neck, investigators said. The friend was not wounded.
Both men were also accused of the special allegation of committing the crime for the benefit of a criminal street gang, and King was additionally charged with being an ex-felon in possession of a firearm, police said.
Both men entered not guilty pleads to all charges, court officials said.
The arrest in this case is another example of the diligent work conducted by the Pasadena Police Homicide Detectives," Police Chief Philip Sanchez said. "This case was very complex and required a great deal of investigation savvy, patience and determination."
Laguan's killing sparked concerns the in local community, where police held a community meeting in the days following the killing to discuss the investigation.
Sanchez pointed out that Pasadena's homicide detectives have an impressive track record.
The city saw seven homicides last year, police said. And other than the Dec. 27 fatal shooting of an Altadena man in the 100 block of Dearborn Street, which remains under investigation, all have been solved.
"I am most proud that the Pasadena Police Department has such a high solvability rate. This ensures that criminals who pose a threats to the safety of this community are taken off streets," Sanchez said.
King was being held in lieu of $4.1 million bail, and Fleming was being held in lieu of $3.04 million bail, officials said.
Both suspects were ordered to return to Pasadena Superior Court Feb. 29 for a hearing.
DIAMOND BAR -- Detective have renewed their call for the public's help in tracking down a man who robbed a bank last year.
The robbery took place about 1:30 p.m. Aug. 30, 2011, at the Cal Bank and Trust, 1200 S. Diamond Bar Blvd., according to Detective Angel Matute of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Major Crimes Bureau.
Authorities have a high-quality surveillance images of the suspect and believe he may still be in the area, so they again called on the public this week to see if they recognize the bandit, Matute said.
"(The suspect) has committed other crimes in the same general vicinity along Diamond Bar Boulevard," according to a wanted flyer issued by the sheriff's department. "It is believed that he either lives in, or regularly frequents, the area."
Information on other crimes the man is suspected of was not available Friday.
Investigators described the robber as a white man in his 40s, about 6 feet tall and 180 pounds, with brown hair, blue eyes and a thin brown and gray beard. He wore a baseball cap, black rimmed glasses, a white long-sleeved shirt with a zipper and denim shorts, and he carried a black bag.
"Due to the thin growth of beard, the suspect may have only grown the beard to help disguise his face. He may now be clean-shaven," according to the wanted flyer.
Anyone with information is asked to call the sheriff's Walnut-Diamond Bar Station at 909-595-2264.
DIAMOND BAR -- A fiery SUV crash forced the closure of most lanes of the eastbound 60 Freeway Friday, however the driver escaped the accident with only minor injuries, authorities said.
The crash was first reported at 10:08 on the eastbound 60 Freeway, just west of Grand Avenue, California Highway Patrol Officer Jennifer Connolly said.
A solo SUV overturned and caught fire, however a woman who was driving the vehicle got out of the car with only minor injuries, the officer said.
Officials briefly shut down all by the carpool lane of the eastbound freeway following the crash, though all traffic lanes were reopened just over an hour later, according to CHP logs.
The cause of the crash was being investigated by the Baldwin Park office of the CHP.
- Staff photo by Watchara Phomicinda
ALHAMBRA -- Police arrested a transient Thursday on suspicion of stabbing another man in an unprovoked attack outside a coffee shop, authorities said.
Richard Covarrubias, 26, was booked on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon in connection with the 5:08 p.m. attack outside a Starbucks coffee shop in the 100 block of West Main Street, Alhambra police Lt. Jennifer Wiese said.
A 43-year-old man was standing outside the coffee shop when he was approached by Covarrubias, who challenged the victim to fight, the lieutenant said.
The victim told police he had seen the man before, but did not know him or why he wanted to fight, Wiese said.
Covarrubias then pulled a knife and stabbed at the man, she said, inflicting a 4-inch gash to the victim's hand.
The alleged attacker fled the scene before police arrived, but officers found him during a search of the area, police said.
According to county booking records, Covarrubias was being held in lieu of $30,000 bail pending his scheduled arraignment Monday in Alhambra Superior Court.
PASADENA -- Authorities jailed a local transient Thursday in connection with a series of arson fires targeting debris piles created by recent windstorms.
Juan Boch, 26, is suspected in at least two of nine intentionally set fires lit along the 210 Freeway between Los Robles Boulevard and Fair Oaks Avenue between Dec. 27 and Jan. 5, Pasadena Fire Department spokeswoman Lisa Derderian said.
He was arrested about 9 a.m. Thursday, booked on suspicion of arson and was being held in lieu of $50,000 bail pending his initial court appearance, according to county booking records.
Thanks to the public's vigilance, we were able to track this suspect down," Derderian said.
Witnesses linked Boch to two of the fires, however investigators were investigating him in connection with the other seven, she said.
The fires targeted piles of debris left in the street in the wake of a massive windstorm that littered the streets of Pasadena with tree limbs and shrubbery in early December.
The fires took place during the same time period that alleged serial arsonist Harry Burkhart, 24, of Hollywood is accused of leaving a trail of destruction and fear by lighting more than 50 arson fires in the Hollywood area.
Unlike the Hollywood fires, however, "This individual was sticking to isolated debris in the streets," Derderian said, adding that the fires did not appear to pose a significant public safety threat.
"We're very fortunate that this did not escalate any further," Derderian said.
Because the fire's did not appear to endanger the public, and because of the nature of arsonists, Derderian said fire officials elected not to alert the public about the firebug as they carried out their investigation.
A motive for Boch's alleged arsons was not clear Friday.
WHITTIER -- Homicide detectives are seeking a gunman who shot and killed a 17-year-old boy late Thursday in an unincorporated county area west of Whittier.
Authorities withheld the name of the victim Friday pending confirmation that his family had been notified, Los Angeles County Department of Coroner Chief of Operations Craig Harvey said.
The shooting was first reported about 10:15 p.m. in an alley behind the 8300 block Norwalk Boulevard, Los Angeles County sheriff's officials said in a written statement.
"Upon their arrival, (deputies) discovered the 17-year-old male Hispanic juvenile lying in the alley," Deputy Benjamin Grubb said. "The victim sustained a single gunshot wound to the upper torso and was pronounced dead at the scene."
The victim was believed to be in an alley behind a friend's home when shot, investigators said.
The initial investigation indicated the shooter was male, Latino and wearing gang attire, officials said. He fled the area in a dark gray compact car, possibly a Nissan.
No further information was released Friday.
Anyone with information was asked to call the Sheriff's Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500.
LA MIRADA -- Officials Wednesday jailed a Whittier man suspected of being part of a serial bank robbery team responsible for five Orange County heists since October of last year.
Andres Soto, 50, is accused of being one of the "Market Duo Bandits," linked to five bank robberies targeting bank branches inside of supermarkets, according to La Habra police and FBI officials.
Police identified Soto as a suspect and arrested him during a traffic stop in the 14000 block of E. Imperial highway in La Mirada without a struggle Wednesday, La Habra police said.
Another suspect, identified as Paul Acosta, 27, of Los Angeles, was arrested Jan. 5 after the bandits' second heist at a bank branch inside a supermarket in the 2100 block of West Imperial Highway, according to the Orange County Register. Acosta was arrested following a pursuit and deputy-involved shooting in Paramount, while a second suspect fled on foot an escaped.
The bandits are also believed to have robbed the same bank branch on Oct. 25, La Habra police officials said in a written statement.
The string of robberies took place in La Habra, Lake Forest, Seal Beach and Placentia, officials said.
A third suspect was reportedly arrested in connection with the robbery spree in the days following Acosta's arrest, however information on that suspect was not released.
According to county booking records, Soto and Acosta were both due to appear Friday in Orange County Superior Court.
Meanwhile, another alleged serial bank robbery suspect is awaiting trial after his criminal career came to and end following a bank robbery in La Habra.
La Habra police officers and Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies arrested 34-year-old Francisco Gallegos Jan. 7 after he robbed a bank branch inside a La Habra supermarket. He's accused of being the "Bubble Wrap Bandit" -- responsible for at least five bank robberies in La Habra, La Mirada, Bell Gardens and South Gate.
POMONA -- A judge sentenced Manling Tsang Williams to death Thursday for smothering her two young children with a pillow and slashing her husband to death with a sword in the family's Rowland Heights home in 2007.
The 32-year-old woman sobbed and shook as Pomona Superior Court Judge Robert Martinez handed down the sentence for the Aug. 7, 2007 murders of her husband Neal Williams, 27, and their sons Devon, 7, and Ian, 3, at the condominium the family shared in the 18200 block of Camino Bello.
A jury convicted her three counts of first-degree murder in 2010, along with the special allegations of using weapons and lying in wait. After one jury hung regarding whether to sentence Manling Williams to death or life imprisonment, a second penalty phase jury recommended last year that she be put to death.
"It is the order of this court that you should suffer the penalty of death," Martinez told Manling Williams.
Manling Williams was dressed in an orange jail jumpsuit and glasses with her hands shackled at the waist during the proceeding. She kept her eyes fixed on the table in front of her throughout.
Jan Williams, mother of Neal Williams and grandmother to Devon and Ian Williams, said she was glad to see the trial, now in it<CF10>s fourth year, draw to a close at last.
"I'm relieved that this chapter is over," she said. "I couldn't take another trial."
Jan Williams added that, "This has had a terrible impact, not just on me and my family, on the Tsang family, but everyone involved."
The judge reflected on the crime at the sentencing hearing.
"The evidence is compelling that the defendant, for selfish reasons, murdered her own two children," Martinez said.
Her motivation, Martinez said, was a "narcissistic, selfish and adolescent," desire to start a new life with another man, free from the hindrances of family life.
Additionally, the judge pointed out, Manling Williams had numerous family members who would have taken in the children should she have decided to abandon them.
After smothering Devon and Ian in their bunk bed, "The defendant savagely, brutally and viciously attacked her husband with a katana sword," Martinez said.
Neal Williams was stabbed and slashed more than a 97 times in the attack, investigators said.
"In the final moments of life, Neal begged the defendant for help," the judge said.
The case was prosecuted by Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorneys Stacy Okun-Wiese and Pak Kouch.
Defense attorneys Tom Althaus and Haydeh Takasugi argued for their clients life to be spared.
Althaus told the court that the killings were not a calculated executions, but a "sudden mistake."
"There's no basis for the prosecution's contention that these murders were planned," Althaus said, adding that Manling Williams was in a state of "extreme mental and emotional disturbance" when she killed her husband and sons.
Mitigating factors also included a difficult upbringing and no previous history of violence, he said.
Althaus acknowledged that his client had had an extra-marital affair, but disputed the prosecution's assertion that the affair formed a motive for the crime.
"There's no good explanation why it happened," Althaus said.
Prior to the killings, Manling Williams was "a kind, generous, troubled woman who loved her husband and children," he said.
Manling Williams sister, Shun Ling Tsang, also urged the judge to spare Manling William's life and sentence her instead to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
"Both families involved in this case have asked the prosecution not to pursue a second penalty phase," Tsang said.
Following the announcement that the first jury had hung in the penalty phase of the trial, both Williams and Tsang family members said they would rather see the prosecution accept a defense plea deal for a life sentence without the possibility of parole that included waiving rights to future appeals.
The prosecution elected to re-try the penalty phase, resulting in a jury recommendation of the death penalty in August of last year.
The ongoing court proceedings entailed on a death penalty case are only serving to cause more pain for family members already devastated by tragedy, the sister said, adding that she believed the prosecution's pursuit of the death penalty was "ego-driven" and "politically motivated."
"Today will not bring about closure or healing," Tsang said.
Jan Williams said she had mixed feelings about the sentence.
"I have some reservations, because it can be hard on the families. It can take decades to resolve," she said.
She said she hoped the appeals process, which begins automatically when a convict is sentenced to death in California, will not require her to continue attending court hearings regularly.
The judge said he himself had concerns over the way the death penalty is administered in California.
The judge expressed sympathy to both the Williams and Tsang families and spoke of his own concerns of the inefficient way in which the death penalty is currently carried out in California, but ruled that that the death penalty was appropriate, considering the law and the facts of the case.
Each of the three killings, Martinez said, were "deliberate, premeditated and committed by lying in wait."
Martinez said that the evidence showed that Manling Williams had planned the killings two months in advance, and immediately began trying to conceal her guilt afterward.
She wore latex gloves as she attacked her husband, he said.
Testimony indicated it takes five to 10 minutes for a person to die by suffocation, meaning that Manling Williams had at least five minutes to contemplate or actions while killing one of her children before killing her other son in the same manner, Martinez said. "She clearly had time to reflect on what she was doing."
Following the killing, the judge said, Manling Williams typed up a note indicating that Neal Williams had killed the children and himself, disposed of bloody clothing and returned home before screaming to neighbors that someone had killed her family.
While being interviewed by detectives after the discovery of the bodies, "For hours, she feigned grief, sadness and bewilderment," he said.
It was only after confronted by investigators with a bloody cigarette box that was found in her car that Manling Williams broke down and admitted the murders, Martinez said.
"It is not for me to forgive, because the ones in the position to forgive are not with us," Martinez told Manling Williams. "I hope your families find peace."
After years of hearings in which the judge remained intentionally stoic, "It was rather chilling to have the judge pronounce his opinion so frankly," Jan Williams said.
Out of more than 700 California death row inmates, less than two-dozen of them are women, and none them have been among the 13 prisoners executed since the penalty was restored.
"This penalty is becoming precariously close to becoming a hypothetical," Martinez said.
"Mz. Williams, I will probably never see you again," the judge added. "I will be long gone when this case and judgement is finalized."
PASADENA -- Police summoned a bomb squad to the 400 block of North Sierra Madre Boulavard late Wednesday after what appeared to be a small homemade bomb was found, authorities said.
Officers went to a home about 8:20 p.m. to investigate a report of a "suspicious item" found inside, Pasadena police officials said in a written statement.
"The appearance of the item led officers to believe it was a small homemade explosive device," the statement said. "Officers evacuated the home and homes on both sides of the residence as a precaution."
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Bomb Squad was called in to deal with the item, officials said.
No further details were available.
DIAMOND BAR -- Two men and a woman suspected of breaking into a Diamond Bar woman's home Tuesday are behind bars, authorities said Wednesday.
Chaka Thomas, 18, Shaquille O'Neil Gordon, 18, and Monquie Scruggs, 30, all of Los Angeles, were booked on suspicion of residential burglary, Los Angeles County sheriff's Lt. Steven Katz said in a written statement.
A woman in the 20000 block of Gold Run Drive was startled shortly after noon by a burglar who forced open the front door of her house, Katz said.
The intruder fled upon seeing the woman, who was able to provide deputies a description of the suspect and the vehicle he fled in, the lieutenant said.
A deputy spotted a car matching the description nearby and detained Thomas, O'Neil and Scruggs, who were later identified as those responsible for the break-in, Katz said.
According to county booking records, all three suspects were being held in lieu of $50,000 bail each pending their initial court appearances Thursday in Pomona Superior Court.
PASADENA -- Police arrested four teenage girls and sought two teenage boys on suspicion of causing thousands of dollars worth of vandalism damage at a Pasadena high school over the long holiday weekend, authorities said.
School officials returned to Marshall Fundamental School, 990 North Allen Avenue, Tuesday morning to find graffiti on every building on the campus, Pasadena police Lt. Phlunte Riddle said. The graffiti was largely consisted of obscenities.
"It was pretty extensive," Riddle said.
Surveillance cameras indicated that the vandalism occurred Saturday and led to the arrest of four 14-year-old girls, and the identification of two teenage boys who had not yet been arrested Wednesday, the lieutenant said.
The four girls were cited and released to their parents, she added.
Four of the six suspects attend the school, police said.
Police estimated the value of the damage at about $4,000.
WHITTIER -- A man showed up at a hospital with a gunshot wound to his leg, but did not appear to be cooperating with police in regard to how he received the wound, authorities said.
Officials received word that a man had arrived at Presbyterian Intercommunity Hospital with a small-caliber gunshot wound to his leg just before noon, Whittier police Lt. Randy Inman said.
The wounded man, who was in his late 20s, did not want to make a report, did not fully cooperate with investigators, Inman said.
He reluctantly told police he was shot in the early-morning hours on Colima Road, north of Mar Vista Street, the lieutenant said.
The victim said he only went the hospital later in the day after the wound appeared to worsen, police added.
Further details were not available.
WALNUT -- A woman accused of fatally stabbing her estranged husband at his home in Walnut last year pleaded not guilty Wednesday to charges stemming from the killing, authorities said.
Socorro Mora, 44, is charged with the murder of 47-year-old George Mora, who was stabbed to death Oct. 19 at the home he shared with the couple's four children in the 21600 block of Brookside Court, investigators said. The children, ranging in age from 8 to 16, were not home during the attack.
In Pomona Superior Court Wednesday, Deputy District Attorney Taraneh Saba filed an amended felony complaint indicating that Mora allegedly grew increasingly violent in the weeks leading up to the killing.
The amended complaint added charges of cruelty to an animal and inflicting corporal injury on a spouse or cohabitant, officials said.
"(The animal cruelty charge) is due to her stabbing the family dog to death with a knife," Taraneh said. That incident is alleged to have taken place Sept. 24.
The domestic violence charge stems from a previous incident between Socorro and George Mora on Sept. 13.
Shortly after the September domestic violence incident, George Mora obtained a restraining order against his estranged wife.
The couple had celebrated their 18th wedding anniversary two months before the killing and separated shortly after, according to family members.
Outside of a domestic incident, a motive in the killing has not been released.
Socorro Mora was found in front of her husband's home suffering from stab wounds, though it was not clear how she received them. George Mora was pronounced dead inside the home.
She also suffered stab wounds in the incident, however authorities have not disclosed how she is believed to have received them.
Socorro Mora was initially hospitalized with serious injuries before being booked into at the Century Regional Detention Center in Lynwood.
She was ordered back into Pomona Superior Court for another hearing Feb. 22, officials said.
According to county booking records, she was being held in lieu of $5 million bail.
A fund has been set up through Bank of America to benefit the Mora children. Donations can be made to the "Mora Children's Fund," account number 07822-77374.
GLENDORA -- In a new twist on an old scheme known as a "distraction burglary," two swindlers used a young girl to help them empty an elderly woman's home of valuable Tuesday, police said.
The burglary took place about 11 a.m. in the 1600 block of Suffolk Place, Glendora police Lt. Jaime Caldwell said.
An 89-year-old woman was in front of her home when she was approached by a woman, described only as a white woman in her 60s, who asked if she had housekeeping work available and kept elderly resident engaged in conversation, the lieutenant said.
As the victim was occupied by the woman, a white man in his 20s got out of a vehicle with a girl of about 5 years old, Caldwell said.
The man asked if he and his daughter could use the resident's bathroom, and the complied, Caldwell said. They were inside the house for about 10 minutes.
Once the man, woman and child had left, the resident discovered that about $1,700 worth of cash and jewelry were missing from her home, police said.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Glendora Police Department.
LOS ANGELES -- Detectives are expected to resume searching an area of Los Angeles
where two dogs found a human head in a plastic bag.
Police say two dog walkers with about nine dogs came across the bag on a popular trail below
the Hollywood sign in the Hollywood Hills on Tuesday.
Sgt. Mitzi Fierro told KCAL-TV that two dogs began playing with the bag. She says an object
fell out and the dog walkers realized it was a severed head, believed to be from a male.
She says the bag was visible from the trail and that it didn't appear to have been in the area
for a long time.
Coroner's investigators will attempt to identify the victim through dental records.
Detectives are expected to search the area again at daybreak Wednesday.\
- From the Associated Press
A crash involving a diesel truck led to explosions and a fire on the 10 Freeway in Montclair late Tuesday, forcing the closure of the freeway for several hours.
The California Highway Patrol received a report of a crash and a semi truck on fire at 11:12 a.m. on the westbound 10 Freeway at Monte Vista Avenue.
Witnesses and police reported seeing several explosions and lanes of the freeway on fire, according to dispatch logs. A helicopter landed on the westbound side of the freeway at 11:50 a.m. to take at least one person to the hospital.
At 12:27 a.m., the CHP completely shut down both sides of the freeway at Monte Vista, according to logs.
The CHP reopened lanes at 6:21 a.m. and canceled a Sig Alert.
- Staff report
HACIENDA HEIGHTS - A high-speed police pursuit of a motorcycle carrying a man and woman ended in a crash on the 60 Freeway late Tuesday, officials said.
Officers from the Los Angeles Police Department's Northeast Station began chasing the motorcycle, which had been reported stolen, about 9:45 p.m., LAPD Officer Rosario Herrera said.
The high-speed pursuit continued for about half an hour until it reached the eastbound 60 Freeway at 7th Avenue, officials said. The motorcycle rear-ended a car and tumbled end-over-end, throwing both riders into the roadway.
The riders, a man and woman, were reportedly in police custody as they were being treated at a hospital for serious injuries.
I
INDUSTRY -- Sheriff's investigators Tuesday released photos of a man being sought on suspicion of molesting an 11-year-old girl at Puente Hills Mall department store last month.
The incident took place on the evening of Dec. 8 at the Ross store at the mall, in the 1600 block of South Azusa Avenue, Sgt. Nancy Drake of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Special Victims Bureau said.
As both the girl and were in line at the store, "He grabbed her buttocks and rubbed them for several seconds," Drake said. "he victim's mother saw the incident while walking toward the victim and yelled at the suspect. The suspect exited the store and fled by quickly walking away."
Detectives obtained surveillance photos of the suspect from another nearby store, however deputies thus
far have been unable to track him down, Drake said.
Officials released the images of the suspect to the public in hopes that someone would recognize him, Drake said.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Sheriffs Special Victims Bureau at 877-710-5273.
PHOTOS courtesy of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department
PASADENA -- Police are looking into reports of gunshots heard at three separate locations in the city late Monday, though no victims or suspects were identified, officials said.
Officers responded to reports of residents hearing gunshots at 5:42 p.m. in the 200 block of West Montana Street; 6:33 p.m. in at Allen Avenue and Orange Grove Boulevard; and at 7 p.m. in the 500 block of West Hammond Street, Pasadena police officials said in a written statement.
"(Officers) were not able to locate the shell casings or any other evidence (at any of the scenes) that would suggest actual gunshots were discharged," according to the police statement.
No witnesses were able to provide specific information, and police suspected fireworks may have been involved, officials said. Two of the callers reported seeing a white Chevrolet Tahoe or another type of white SUV in connection with the shots.
The reports of gunfire took place throughout the city, but all the reports were taken near freeways, police said. California Highway Patrol officials did not respond to reports of shots being fired Monday evening.
The police investigation is ongoing.
PICO RIVERA -- A bank robbery carried out in Pico Rivera last week has been linked to a serial bandit already believed responsible for two other heists, authorities said.
The "Lift and Show Bandit" struck the Chase bank branch at 9125 E. Whittier Blvd. Friday afternoon, shortly before closing, authorities said.
He's also been tied to a Dec. 20, 2011 robbery at the Bank of America, 1520 E. Amar Road in West Covina, as well as a Dec. 4, 2011 robbery at a Chase bank at 925 N. Hacienda Blvd. in La Puente, according to FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller.
The bandit was given his name because of his tendency to lift his jacket during the robberies, exposing a black handgun, and threatening to shoot people, FBI officials said.
He's described as white, 25 to 34 years old, about 5 feet 9 inches tall and 160 to 185 pounds. No getaway car has been reported in connection with the crimes.
Meanwhile, authorities in Rowland Heights had yet to confirm whether a lanky man who robbed a bank branch in that city Saturday was the same serial bandit who robbed another Rowland Heights bank Jan. 11.
The "Stretch Bandit," who earned his name because of his estimated height of more than 6 feet 2 inches, was linked the Jan. 11 robbery at the Bank of the West, 19005 Colima Road, FBI officials said.
A robber bearing a similar description robbed a Citibank, 18847 Colima Road, Saturday afternoon, authorities said.
Saturday's robbery, however, has not been definitively identified as the Stretch Bandit, whom authorities describe as being about 6 feet 3 inches tall and of thin build -- about 190 pounds. He's 35 to 42 years old with blonde hair and blue eyes, and a and a white, 4-door Honda Accord with a tinted rear window and the first two license plate numbers of "3Z" has been spotted in connection with the crimes.
Sheriff's officials further described him as having blonde hair and blue eyes.
Though the Stretch Bandit has claimed to have a gun during the crimes, no weapon has been seen by witnesses, investigators said.
Another serial bandit's spree came to an end this month, as La Habra police and Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies chased down and captured a man dubbed the "Bubble Wrap Bandit" after a heist at the La Habra U.S. Bank branch Jan. 7.
The bandit, now identified as 34-year-old Francisco Gallegos of Cudahy, is suspected in five robberies spanning La Habra, La Mirada, Bell Gardens and South Gate, according to the FBI.
Anyone with information on any of the cases is asked to call the FBI's 24-hour tip line in Los Angeles at 310-477-6565.
PHOTO of Lift and Show Bandit courtesy of the FBI
<USDEFAULT>ARCADIA -- A Lynwood man accused of shooting two Good Samaritans during a botched robbery, including one who stabbed him in the neck, was arrested Monday after arriving at the Methodist Hospital in Arcadia seeking treatment, officials said.
Alleged gunman Kyle Henderson, 30, of Lynwood, is being detained at the hospital in connection with the shooting and failed robbery and being held at the hospital, according to sheriff's officials and county booking records.
Terrance Fair, 47, of Lynwood was also arrested on suspicion of driving the getaway van that dropped Henderson at the hospital, as well as Ischa Criner, 42, of Lynwood, on suspicion of taking part in the attempted robbery, sheriff's Sgt. Pauline Panis said in a written statement.
The incident began shortly before 6 p.m. Sunday when Henderson entered a meat market in the 11800 block of Atlantic Avenue in Lynwood but was confronted by two good Samaritans -- one armed with a kitchen knife, Lt. Dave Dolson said.
The witness with the knife stabbed Henderson in the neck before Henderson shot both of them and fled in a white van, investigators said.
One of them men was no expected to survive his wounds, officials said. The other suffered a gunshot wound to the hand that was not believed to be life-threatening.
Detectives arrested Henderson Tuesday morning after tracking him down at the Arcadia hospital, Panis said. The investigation then quickly led to the arrests of Fair and Criner.
Henderson and Fair, who were already on parole, were being held without bail, according to county booking records. Criner was being held in lieu of $1 million bail.
All three were due for arraignment Wednesday in Compton Superior Court.
BALDWIN PARK -- A man who crashed head-on into a Baldwin Park police officer as he was fleeing while intoxicated in a stolen car last year was sentenced Tuesday to more than 14 years in prison, officials said.
David Perez, 22, of Baldwin Park pleaded 'no contest' in Pomona Superior Court and was immediately sentenced to 16 years and 4 months in prison, court officials said.
"We are glad that this suspect, who shows no regard for the well-being of others, is off the streets so he can't do this to someone else," Baldwin Park police Lt. David Reynoso said.
Police were pursuing Perez in the early-morning hours of July 16 when he crashed, head-on, into a a patrol car being driven by a Baldwin Park police officer on Merced Avenue near Frazier Street, police said at the time of the crash.
The officer suffered a badly broken femur and other injuries in the crash, officials said.
"It was a pretty traumatic injury," Reynoso said. The officer has been unable to return to work since.
"The officer is currently rehabilitating and working hard to return to police work," the lieutenant said.
In court Tuesday, Perez admitted to evading police causing injury and driving a car without the owner's consent, Los Angeles County District Attorney's spokeswoman Jane Robison said. Charges of DUI causing injury and possession of methamphetamine were dismissed.
Perez suffered minor injuries in the crash and was treated before being booked into jail, police added.
LOS ANGELES -- A former executive at Pasadena's Huntington Memorial Hospital has been sentenced to three years in prison for orchestrating a kickback scheme that prosecutors say cost the hospital nearly $5 million.
The U.S. attorney's office says 55-year-old David Hamedany was sentenced Tuesday in Los Angeles and ordered to pay $4.8 million in restitution. He had pleaded guilty in May to two counts of mail fraud.
Hamedany served as the hospital's director of construction from 2006 to 2010. Beginning in
2008, prosecutors say, Hamedany orchestrated a billing and kickback scheme that resulted in the hospital paying more than $3 million to companies for work that was never done at the hospital.
Prosecutors say Hamedany also entered into inflated contracts with companies that performed services for the hospital.
- From the Associated Press
LOS ANGELES -- The sentencing for a man and two women convicted of participating in a 2004 robbery spree that left a Whittier man and a Rowland Heights man dead was delayed Tuesday, officials said.
Jose Resendez, 34, Bernadette Corvera, 30, and Mitzie Oso, 33, have all accepted plea bargains in the case and were scheduled to be sentenced Tuesday, however the hearing was postponed until April 20, court officials said.
The trio is accused in the killings of PCC culinary student and sandwich shop employee Joseph Molina, 22, of Whittier and Dianqiu Wu, 50, of Rowland Heights, during a robbery spree between August and December of 2004 officials said.
Authorities allege the group was responsible for about 14 robberies in cities including Whittier, Alhambra, South Pasadena and Monterey Park.
Resendez pleaded guilty to a count of second-degree murder for Wu's killing, Oso pleaded guilty voluntary manslaughter for the killing's of Wu and Molina and Corvera pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and robbery in connection with Molina's death.
A fourth defendant, Sara Lopez, 29, pleaded guilty on Dec. 18 to one count of being an accessory after the fact in the murder of Wu and has been sentenced to three years of probation.
The final defendant in the case, Leonardo Cisneros, 27, is awaiting trial on suspicion of murdering both Wu and Molina.
Molina was shot to death Dec. 10, 2004, when a group of people robbed a the Whittier Subway sandwich shop where he worked. Wu was fatally shot Aug. 4, 2004, in a parking lot in San Gabriel during a street holdup, police said.
COVINA -- Police arrested a wanted parolee with convictions for home-invasion robbery and auto theft early Tuesday on suspicion of removing a GPS tracking device, officials said.
Francisco George Munoz, 30, of Covina was being held without bail at the Covina Police Department's jail following his 3 a.m. arrest at 7--Eleven on Rowland Street, just west of Barranca Street, according to Covina police and county booking records.
Covina police received word last week that Munoz had removed or tampered with a court-ordered GPS ankle bracelet, Covina police Lt. John Curley said. Police and state parole officials carried out a search for him with no success.
A patrol officer, however, spotted Munoz at the Covina 7-Eleven store and arrested him without incident, the lieutenant said. He was not wearing his GPS tracking device.
Munoz's previous convictions include auto theft and "robbery of an inhabited dwelling," Curley added.
According to county booking records, Munoz was due to appear Wednesday in West Covina Superior Court.
ROWLAND HEIGHTS - For the second time in less than a week, a man using a note robbed a bank along Colima Road, authorities said Monday.
Sgt. Angie Wilkinson of the sheriff's Walnut station said a man walked into the Citibank at 18847 Colima Road about 12:15 p.m. Saturday and handed the teller a note saying he had a gun and demanding money.
Wilkinson said the teller gave the man some money and he fled out of sight. No vehicle was seen leaving the area.
The robber was described as a white man in his late 20s or early 30s, about 6 feet tall and 200 pounds. He was wearing at blue hooded sweatshirt and gray sweatpants at the time.
The incident marked the second bank robbery in Rowland Heights last week.
On Wednesday, a man dubbed the "Stretch Bandit" walked into the Bank of the West Branch at 19005 Colima Road and handed the teller a note demanding money. He escaped with about a $1,000.
FBI officials believe the man robbed the same branch on July 12. He is also suspected of robbing a U.S. Bank branch in Hacienda Heights on July 6.
The robber in Wednesday's incident was described as a white man in his mid 30s with blond hair and blue eyes, about 6 feet 3 inches tall and 185 pounds. He was wearing a tan jacket over a blue hooded sweathshirt.
While Saturday's robbery bears strong similarities to those committed by the Stretch Bandit and occurred less than a mile from Wednesday's robbery, authorities could not immediately confirm if they are connected.
- J.D. Velasco
LA MIRADA -- A car that was stolen earlier this week while containing the cremated remains of the owner's mother has been recovered, along with the ashes, authorities said.
A woman reported Thursday afternoon that her 2005 Ford Taurus had been stolen from the parking lot Stater Bros., 12800 La Mirada Blvd., Los Angeles County sheriff's Lt. Pat Valdez said.
The woman was an Oregon resident whose mother, a resident of South Whittier, passed away several months ago, officials said. The woman was preparing to bring the remains back to Oregon when her car was stolen.
Two sisters of the car's owner were driving through town about 11 a.m. Saturday when they spotted the car abandoned along Imperial Highway, east of La Mirada Boulevard, not far from where it was taken, Sgt. Grady Miles said.
"Fortunately, it wasn't too long of an ordeal for them," he added.
The car was undamaged, Miles said, and the family was relieved to have the remains returned.
WHITTIER -- Authorities Saturday released the name of a 40-year-old Whittier man who died after being struck by car while riding a bicycle across Whittier Boulevard.
Joseph Parra was pronounced dead at the scene of the 10:40 a.m. collision on Whittier Boulevard at Rockne Avenue, Los Angeles County Department of Coroner's Investigator Joyce Cato said.
Parra and another bicyclist were crossing northbound across the boulevard when Parra was struck by a Dodge Magnum, Whittier police said. The other bicyclist was not struck.
The investigation into the cause of the crash was ongoing, however nothing criminal was initially suspected.
WHITTIER -- A young man was wounded in a shooting early Saturday on a residential street in Uptown Whittier, police said.
Whittier police officials received numerous 9-1-1 calls reporting gunshots about 3:25 a.m. in the 12400 block of Pasadena Street, Lt. Carlos Solorza said.
The shots appeared to have come from a large group of people that had been gathered in the street, the lieutenant said.
Officers found no victims or suspects when they arrived, however they did discover bullet casings in the street, he said.
About half an hour later, Solorza said, officials at Presbyterian Intercommunity Hospital notified police that a gunshot victim had arrived at the emergency room.
The victim, an 18-year-old Whittier residents, had been shot several times and suffered a collapsed lung but was expected to survive, police said.
The wounded man was not cooperating with investigators, Solorza added, and a description of the attacker was not available.
Police suspected the shooting may have been gang-related, however the investigation was ongoing.
WHITTIER -- Two men and a woman tied up a resident and stole 23 firearms from a home Friday night.
Sheriff's Lt. Brian Yanagi said two of the suspects were armed but no shots were fired during the 10:35 p.m. home invasion robbery in the 7000 block of Glengarry Avenue, in an unincorporated county area near Whittier.
Yanagi said the robbers got inside a house and demanded property from the resident. They took eight handguns plus 15 rifles and shotguns.
The robbers drove off in a purple sport utility vehicle.
The woman was described as a Latina in her 30s, 5 feet 4 inches tall and 180 pounds.
Her fellow robbers are also Latinos in their 30s.
One has a goatee, stands 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighs 170 pounds. The second man is taller, 6 feet one inch, and heavier at 190 pounds.
- Ruby Gonzales
AZUSA -- Police are looking for the man who stabbed another man at an apartment complex Friday night.
The attack was reported at 9:39 p.m. in the 1100 block of West Arrow Highway.
Sgt. Randy Schmidt said a resident was stabbed twice in the leg.
The suspect fled in a black pickup truck.
The victim believed he recognized the suspect, but once police detained the man indicated by the victim, it was determined he was not involved, Sgt. Dewayne Eldridge said.
Paramedics took the injured man to a hospital for treatment, and the investigation continued Saturday.
MONTEREY PARK -- A burglar broke into a house and took jewelry worth $10,000 and a purse valued at $1,800 on Friday.
The thief pried open a window to get inside the house in the 1500 block of Grandridge Avenue, according to Monterey Park Lt. Eric Kim.
Kim said the residents left the house about 12:45 p.m. and discovered the break-in when they returned at 5:30 p.m.
- Ruby Gonzales
PICO RIVERA -- An armed man robbed a local bank of an undisclosed amount Friday night.
The Chase Bank in the 9100 block of Whittier Boulevard was hit about 5 p.m.
Lt. Brian Yanagi said the gunman demanded money from one of the tellers.
He took the money and left. No getaway car was seen.
The robber was only described as being in his 30s with medium build and medium height. He used a handgun in the robbery.
- Ruby Gonzales
WHITTIER -- A vehicle struck and killed a bicyclist Friday, forcing the closure of the Whittier Boulevard in both directions just east of the 605 Freeway, police said.
The fatal crash was reported about 10:40 a.m. on Whittier Boulevard at Rockne Avenue, Whittier police Lt. Carlos Solorza said.
The bicyclist was initially described only as a man, he said.
A car was westbound on Whittier Boulevard and two bicyclists were northbound on Rockne Avenue when the crash occurred, Solorza said.
One of the bicyclists made it across the street, he said, but the second one was struck by the passing Dodge Magnum.
The victim, initially described as a Whittier man in his 40s, was pronounced dead at the scene, officials said.
The cause of the crash remained under investigation, Solorza said, however the the driver of the Dodge was not initially suspected of any crime.
Police shut down both directions of Whittier Boulevard between Norwalk Boulevard and Redman Avenue well into the afternoon as they investigated.
ALHAMBRA -- Students were evacuated from Alhambra High School Friday after someone phoned in a bomb threat to the campus, though a search of the campus revealed no danger, police said.
The incident began about 11:40 a.m. at the school, 101 S. 2nd Street, when "an unidentified person called this school and basically threatened that there was a bomb on campus," Alhambra police Sgt. Jerry Johnson said.
"Initially there was a lockdown," the sergeant said. "Shortly after the campus was evacuated."
Police conducted a "thorough search" of the campus, he said. Once officials were confident there was nothing dangerous at the school, students were allowed to return to the campus about 2:30 p.m.
Parents were able to pick up their children at the normal time and place, Johnson added.
No information regarding the motive or suspect in the bomb threat was available.
The investigation was ongoing.
LOS ANGELES -- The U.S. attorney's office says a former Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy will plead guilty to taking $20,000 in bribes to smuggle contraband into a downtown Los Angeles jail.
Federal prosecutors say that during an FBI sting, 38-year-old Gilbert Michel took cash in exchange for bringing a cell phone, cigarettes and a note into the Men's Central Jail for delivery to an inmate.
He was charged Friday with bribery of a public official, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison. The U.S. attorney's office says he agreed to plead guilty and will appear in court next week. He also agreed to cooperate in an ongoing investigation.
Michel resigned from the Sheriff's Department last September.
-- From the Associated Press
GLENDORA -- Police jailed a man and woman Friday after they were spotted driving a stolen car, authorities said.
Falecia Pinces, 33, of Pomona, who was driving the car, and Shannon Mendoza, 45, of Glendora, who was a passenger, were both booked on suspicion of possession of stolen property, Glendora police Lt. Rob Lamborghini said.
Pinces, who was already on parole, was also booked on suspicion of possessing metal knuckles, possessing methamphetamine and an outstanding grand theft auto warrant, police said.
A parking enforcement officer was checking on cars parked in the 100 block of North Wildwood Avenue when he noticed a parked car that had been reported stolen from Fullerton, Lamborghini said.
Patrol officers secretly watched the car until two people, later identified as Pinces and Mendoza, got in and drove off, the lieutenant said.
Police stopped the car as it looped back around to the same neighborhood where it was first spotted and arrested the suspects without a struggle, Lamborghini said.
EL MONTE -- An infant hospitalized in critical condition after he stopped breathing Wednesday, leading authorities to a marijuana growing operation allegedly run by the child's parents, has died, officials said Friday.
Three-month-old Caidan Phu died about 3:40 p.m. Thursday at Children's Hospital of Los Angeles, according to El Monte police and Los Angeles County coroner's officials.
He was rushed to the hospital about 10 a.m. Wednesday after his mother awoke and found him not breathing and called 9-1-1, El Monte police Lt. Dan Burlingham said.
While tending to the baby's needs, police noticed an indoor pot growing operation of about 100 marijuana plants growing in a room of the house, Burlingham said.
The baby's parents, Van Phu, 30, and Jing Jao, 21, were arrested on suspicion of cultivating marijuana and child abuse, Burlingham said.
As the investigation continued, he added, police were less convinced abuse was involved in the child's death, Burlingham said. There were no signs of physical trauma on the infant, who apparently suffered from medical conditions.
The investigation into the child's death hinged on the findings of coroner's medical examiners, who will perform an autopsy do determine exactly how the baby died, officials said.
Both suspects were released from jail on $100,000 each pending their initial court appearance in El Monte Superior Court Feb. 23.
LA MIRADA -- Sheriff's officials asked the public's help in tracking down a car the what stolen from a supermarket parking lot with the cremated remains of the owner's mother inside.
The car was stolen about 6 p.m. Thursday from the parking lot of Stater Bros., 12800 La Mirada Blvd., Los Angeles County sheriff's Lt. Pat Valdez said.
The owner of the car is an Oregon resident whose mother, who lived in an unincorporated county area near Whittier, died in August, the lieutenant said.
She was preparing to take her mother's remains back to Oregon when her car was taken, Valdez said.
The stolen car is described as a foam green, 4-door, 2005 Ford Taurus with an Oregon license plate of 717CQL.
Family members were distraught by the theft and hoped to have their loved one's remains returned, Valdez said.
Family members were distraught by the theft and hoped to have their loved one's remains returned, Valdez said.
Anyone with information is asked to call the sheriff's Norwalk Station at 562-863-8711.
WHITTIER -- A vehicle struck and killed a bicyclist Friday, forcing the closure of the Whittier Boulevard in both directions just east of the 605 Freeway, police said.
The fatal crash was reported about 10:40 a.m. on Whittier Boulevard at Rockne Avenue, Whittier police Lt. Carlos Solorza said.
The bicyclist was initially described only as a man, he said.
Police shut down both directions of Whittier Boulevard between Norwalk Boulevard and Redman Avenue as the investigation was carried out.
WEST VALINDA -- A self-proclaimed gang member shot and wounded a man in a residential neighborhood Friday, officials said.
The shooting took place about 9:45 a.m. in the 1000 block of Le Borgne Avenue, Los Angeles County sheriff's Lt. Victor Sotelo said.
The victim, a 23-year-old man, was standing in the area when a gray Nissan Altima passed by and made a U-turn, the lieutenant said.
A Latino man in his mid 30s with a shaved head and a mustache declared he was from the El Monte Flores street gang and asked the victim if he was a gang member, investigators said.
The victim responded that he was not in a gang, and the gunman demanded the victim lift his shirt to prove he had no gang tatoos, Sotelo said.
The victim complied, he said, but the attacker opened fire anyway, striking the victim in the arm. The wounded man was hospitalized with an injury not believed to be life-threatening.
The investigation was ongoing, and anyone with information is asked to call the sheriff's Industry Station.
ARCADIA -- Police arrested a man on suspicion of driving with a blood-alcohol level at twice the legal limit after he crashed and sheared of a fire hydrant at the Westfield Santa Anita shopping mall early Friday, authorities said.
Michael Frye, 25, of Ontario was booked on suspicion of drunken driving in connection with the 1 a.m. crash in a parking lot at the south end of the mall, Arcadia police Lt. Roy Nakamura said.
Officers responded to reports of a car shearing off a hydrant and found the driver, later identified as Frye, appeared to be drunk, the lieutenant said.
A breath analysis indicated Frye's blood-alcohol level was at .16 -- twice the legal limit of .08, police said.
AZUSA -- A man was arrested Thursday night for allegedly trying to poison his wife who ended up in the hospital after tasting something unusual in her cereal.
Fernando Porras, 43, was booked on suspicion of attempted murder early Friday morning at the Azusa Police Department jail where he is being held in lieu of $1 million bail, Azusa police officials said.
"The investigation ultimately revealed that her husband, Fernando Porras, placed a poisonous chemical in her food," Azusa police officials said Friday in a written statement.
The incident began about 8:40 p.m. when police received a call from a home in the 200 block of North Dalton Avenue, Cpl. Randy Schmidt said.
The 51-year-old woman started eating a bowl of cereal and noticed a horrible smell and taste, he said.
The woman was taken to Foothill Presbyterian Hospital for treatment, police said. While there, the husband's behavior raised officers' suspicions.
Porras allegedly told police he was going outside to smoke a cigarette. He left instead.
"He walked away from the hospital," Schmidt said.
Officers found the man on 5th Street and Rockvale Avenue and arrested him on suspicion of attempted murder.
Police said there were family members who heard the man allegedly make incriminating statements.
It was not clear Friday what chemical was believed to have been used in the alleged poisoning, and an update on the woman's condition was not available.
ccording to sheriff's booking records, Porras was due to be arraigned Tuesday in the West Covina Superior Court.
- Staff report
ROWLAND HEIGHTS -- A bank robbery Wednesday was the work of a serial robber connected to two other crimes dating back to July of last year, authorities said.
The "Stretch Bandit" paid a visit to the Bank of the West, 19005 E. Colima Road, about 10:30 a.m., according to FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller.
It was his second robbery at the same bank, which he also robbed on July 12 of last year, officials said.
The same man is also suspected in a July 6, 2011 robbery at a U.S. Bank Branch on Hacienda Boulevard in Hacienda Heights, Eimiller said.
The FBI calls him the "Stretch Bandit" because of his physical description, FBI officials said. He stands about 6 feet 3 inches tall and is of thin build -- about 190 pounds.
The bandit is 35 to 42 years old, and a white, 4-door Honda Accord with a tinted rear window and the first two license plate numbers of "3Z" has been spotted in connection with the crimes.
Sheriff's officials further described him as having blonde hair and blue eyes.
The robbers passes tellers notes demanding cash and claiming that he has a gun, FBI officials said, though no weapons have been seen during the robberies.
Anyone with information is asked to call the FBI's 24-hour line in Los
Angeles at 310-477-6565.
PHOTOS courtesy of the FBI
SANTA FE SPRINGS -- Police arrested two men early Thursday on suspicion of breaking into a vacant business on Firestone Boulevard.
Richard Hall, 49, and Gary Stanislaus, 47, were booked on suspicion of burglary, Whittier police Lt. Carlos Solorza said. Both men are from Norwalk, though Hall is believed to be a transient.
Deputies were on patrol about 2:50 a.m. in the 13300 block of Firestone Boulevard when they spotted an open door and a suspicious vehicle parked at a vacant business that had previously been the target of copper thieves, Whittier police Lt. Carlos Solorza said.
After police surrounded the building, Hall immediately turned himself in and claimed he was the only person inside the business, the lieutenant said.
When officers searched the building with the help of a K-9, however, Stanislaus was found inside and bitten by the dog, police said. He was treated for the bite wounds before being booked into jail.
According to county booking records, the suspects were being held in lieu of $20,000 each bail pending their initial court appearance.
EL MONTE -- Police arrested the parents of an infant after rushing to the family's home after the baby stopped breathing Wednesday and discovering a marijuana growing operation, authorities said.
Van Pho, 30, and Jing Gao, 21, were booked on suspicion of cultivation of marijuana and child abuse, El Monte police Lt. Dan Burlingham said.
The mother awoke shortly after 10 a.m. Wednesday in an apartment in the 11100 block of Elliott Avenue and discovered her 2- to 3-month-old baby boy was unresponsive and not breathing, the lieutenant said.
She called authorities, who rushed the baby to the Methodist Hospital in Arcadia, where doctors were able to find a faint heartbeat, Burlingham said. The child was then rushed to Children's Hospital Los Angeles, where he was listed in critical condition.
While at the home, police observed an indoor pot-growing operation of about 100 plants, officials said. The baby's parents were arrested.
There were no initial physical signs of abuse on the child, and the reason he stopped breathing was unknown, Burlingham said.
Pho and Gao were released from jail Thursday afternoon after posting $100,000 bail each, officials said. They were due for arraignment Feb. 23 in El Monte Superior Court.
LA HABRA -- A serial bank robber linked to five heists, including ones in La Mirada and La Habra, is behind bars, La Habra police announced Thursday.
Francisco Gallegos, 34, of Cudahy, is suspected of being the "Bubble Wrap Bandit," La Habra police officials said in a written statement.
The arrest was disclosed Thursday, though Gallegos was arrested Saturday following a robbery at a La Habra U.S. Bank branch and a police pursuit that ended in a crash in Norwalk, officials said.
La Habra police Saturday responded to a report of a bank robbery at the U.S. Bank inside Vons supermarket, 2101 W. Imperial Hwy., according to the La Habra police statement.
The robber had handed a teller a note demanding cash before fleeing with an undisclosed amount of cash and getting into a white Volkswagon car, police said.
A La Habra police detective spotted a car matching the description, beginning a pursuit that ended with a crash at Firestone Boulevard and Elmcroft Avenue in Norwalk, officials said.
With the help of Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies, officers arrested Gallegos, the police statement said. He was booked into jail Sunday after being treated for injuries he suffered in the crash.
In addition to the La Habra bank robbery, he's suspected of a Sept. 14, 2011 bank robbery at a Bank of the West branch in La Mirada, as well as heists in Bell Gardens and South Gate, according to the FBI.
The bandit earned his moniker because he's been seen carrying a manila, bubble-wrap lined envelope during some of the crimes, officials said.
He pleaded not guilty Tuesday to two counts of robbery and one count of burglary in Orange County Superior Court, where his bail was set at $1 million, officials said.
PHOTO courtesy of the La Habra Police Department
VALINDA -- Homicide detectives suspect suicide after the body of a man reported missing from West Covina Wednesday was found along Valinda Avenue in Valinda, authorities said.
The 51-year-old West Covina man was reported missing about 10:30 a.m. Wednesday after fellow residents of his home in the 1800 block of Summerplace Drive found he was gone, had left a note indicating he was depressed and possibly suicidal and had taken a handgun with him, West Covina police Sgt. Steve Wheeless said.
Authorities searched for the man until 9:17 a.m. Thursday, when a passer-by called authorities to report finding the man's body behind some bushes in the 1300 block of Valinda Avenue, Los Angeles County sheriff's Lt. Victor Sotelo said.
The body showed evidence of a significant head wound, and a handgun was found near the body, the lieutenant said.
An autopsy will be carried out by the Los Angeles County Department of Coroner to determine the officials cause of death.
LA PUENTE -- Thieves with a penchant for copper wire have hit five schools in the Hacienda La Puente Unified School District since November.
In an effort to stop the copper culprits, the school district is offering a $2,000 reward and partnered with WeTip. The reward is for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the thief or thieves.
District officials think the thieves were hitting campuses after school hours.
Sergio Cazorla, coordinator of risk management for the district, said that typically, school employees would come to work and discover the theft.
He said the estimated damages per school ranged from $5,000 to $15,000. That includes labor, materials and the cost of replacing the copper wire.
"We're already strapped for cash and for these people to steal copper wire from a school. It's saddening," he said.
"We want to put an end to the thefts."
The unidentified suspects struck at Newton Middle School, 15616 Newton St. in Hacienda Heights, Los Robles Academy, 1530 Ridley Ave. in Hacienda Heights, Cedarlane Academy, 16333 Cedarlane Drive in Hacienda Heights, Sunset Elementary, 800 N. Tonopah Ave. in La Puente.
School Police Chief Anthony Argott said the most recent theft occurred at Orange Grove Middle School on Jan. 3. The school is at 14505 Orange Grove Ave. in Hacienda Heights.
Cazorla said they have no description of the thieves.
"We have no information so we really need (the public's) help. If they see anything, call WeTip. Help us please," he said.
Anyone with information is asked to call WeTip at 1-800-78-CRIME. Tips can also be left online at www.WeTip.com
- Ruby Gonzales
LA MIRADA -- Two employees at a scrap metal business will be arraigned Thursday for allegedly stealing $152,855 from the till to pay their credit card bills and expenses.
The money was stolen from Star Scrap Metal Recycling in the 14300 block of Firestone Blvd. during a 4-month period.
Magali Herrera, 27, who was the accounts receivable manager, and cashier Monica Barragan, 22, were arrested Tuesday on suspicion of embezzlement. They were being held at the sheriff's Norwalk Station in lieu of $50,000 bail each.
Detectives served search warrants at their residences. About $56,000 was found from Herrera's home in Los Angeles.
The incident started when deputies were called Tuesday afternoon to Star Scrap Metal Recycling about the embezzlement.
The employees allegedly took money from the registers at the end of their shift and falsified documents to indicate a decreased amount of cash receipts, deputies said.
Management conducted an audit and found the discrepancy.
The employees allegedly admitted to management that they've taken several thousands in small amounts from the cash registers since September 2011, according to deputies.
- Ruby Gonzales
PASADENA -- Coroner's officials Thursday released the name of a 30-year-old Desert Hot Springs man who died in a solo-car crash Tuesday.
Christian Robles was pronounced dead at the scene of the 8:37 p.m. crash on Maple Street, just east of Allen Avenue, Los Angeles County Department of Coroner's Assistant Chief of Operations Ed Winter said.
He was driving a sedan west on Maple Street when, for reasons that were under investigation, the car veered toward the right and struck a tree, Pasadena police Lt. Pete Hettema said.
His passenger, a 21-year-old woman, was hospitalized with serious injuries.
MONTEREY PARK - An armed man wearing a green beanie robbed an ice cream store and its customers Wednesday night.
Police said no one was injured during the 9:26 p.m. robbery at the Baskin Robbins, 2084 S. Atlantic Blvd.
Monterey Park police Lt. Jess Alvarado said there were four customers at the shop when the gunman walked in.
"He took all their wallets and money from the business then he ran out the door," Alvarado said.
The robber left in a small gold-colored Toyota Corolla station wagon driven by an accomplice.
While there was no description of the getaway driver, the robber was described as a Latino, 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighing 175 pounds. He wore a black sweater, a beanie and carried a handgun.
- Ruby Gonzales
WHITTIER -- The principal of a private West Covina Elementary School, and former principal of a private elementary school in Whittier, will not be charged in connection with his arrest Tuesday on suspicion of molesting a student in 2008, authorities said Thursday.
Daniel Edwin Weston, 47, of Covina, was arrested Tuesday and booked on suspicion of committing lewd acts with a child while he worked at the Seventh Day Adventist Elementary School in Whittier, Whittier police Officer Bradley White said.
But after reviewing the case, prosecutors elected not to filed criminal charges against him, Los Angeles County District Attorney's spokeswoman Jane Robison said.
"We rejected it because there's insufficient evidence, she said.
Whittier police allege the inappropriate behavior took place with a female student, whose age was not released, in January of 2008, White said. Weston was working at the Whittier campus at the time.
In a court document, Deputy District Attorney Michael Michelena wrote that Weston had no criminal record and made no statements supporting his guilt during the investigation.
"At this point, there is insufficient evidence to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt," Michelena wrote. "I am declining to file this case at this time."
Southern California Conference of Seventh Day Adventists Superintendent of Schools Harold Crook said Weston was immediately placed on administrative leave once the school learned of the investigation Wednesday.
"We are saddened and shocked by this allegation," Crook said.
"Our first and primary concern is for the safety of our children and our schools," he said. "We are cooperating with the authorities while this investigation is being conducted. Our hearts and prayers go out to all those affected by this situation."
After learning the case had been dismissed, Crook said, "I am relieved for our principal and his school."
"It's wonderful news to know that this accusation was not founded," Crook said, adding that, "We'll continue to cooperate in any fashion with the authorities."
Weston's future employment status with the school remained unclear.
"For the immediate time being, he's still on administrative leave as we process this ordeal," Crook said.
In court documents, the prosecutor said the alleged victim is a now-17-year-old girl who was 13 at the time of the alleged incident, while Weston was her teacher at the Seventh Day Adventist Elementary School in Whittier.
The girl alleged that while Weston was helping her with her homework, he "put his hand under her shirt and momentarily caressed her chest," Michelena wrote.
"She immediately pulled back and walked out of the room," he added. "She decided to disclose this now because she is going to college soon and wants to start a new chapter in her life without this hanging over her."
Weston is in his first year as principal at the West Covina campus, officials said. He worked at the Whittier campus for seven years prior, both as a teacher and a principal.
Prior to Whittier, he again worked in West Covina, Crook said. Weston began his career with the Southern California Conference of Seventh Day Adventists -- a private district of about 18 schools -- at the Adventist Elementary School in Santa Barbara in 1987, Crook said.
In addition to being principal at the West Covina Hills Adventist School, according to the website, "Mr. Daniel Weston is the homeroom teacher for the 7th/8th Grades. Mr. Weston teaches Math, Science, and Bible to the 5th through 8th grade classes."
PHOTO of Daniel Weston courtesy of the Whittier Police Department
PASADENA -- A newborn boy became the county's first "Safe Surrender" of the year when his mother turned him over to a Pasadena hospital Tuesday, officials announced.
The Safe Surrender program allows new mothers to anonymously surrender their babies at locations such as fire stations and hospitals within three days of birth, so long as there are no signs of physical abuse, Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe's spokesman Andrew Veis said in a written statement.
"The mother gave birth to the baby boy at home, then called paramedics and said she wanted to safely surrender the infant," according to the statement.
The child was taken to Huntington Hospital in Pasadena and the process of finding a foster family for him had begun.
"The Safe Surrender program was created to give a mother, no matter what the situation is, a safe, secure and anonymous way to get her child into safe hands and protect the baby from abandonment," Veis said.
"This baby boy has a second chance at life and hope for a bright future," he added.
Tuesday's incident was the first Safe Surrender in the county this year, and the 89th to take place since the program was founded ten years ago.
LOS ANGELES COUNTY -- Both violent crime and property crime were down in 2011 compared with the previous year, according to the Los Angeles Angeles County Sheriff's Department, with sheriff's stations in the San Gabriel Valley reporting even more significant decreases in crime rates.
Violent crime in Los Angeles County decreased by nearly 14 percent last year, according to preliminary statistics released Wednesday by the sheriff's department. Property crimes investigated by the sheriff's department decreased by just under 2 percent.
"Sheriff (Lee Baca) believes that the active policing that the sheriff's deputies are doing, the 4,000 volunteers, and Crime Stoppers, which allows allows people to submit tips anonymously, all forges together a unified community to keep crime at historic lows," sheriff's department spokesman Steve Whitmore said.
"But we have to be ever vigilant as we move forward into the future," he added.
But it isn't all good news. At the sheriff's Crescenta Valley, Norwalk, Pico Rivera, and Walnut-Diamond Bar station, incidents of the most serious of crimes -- criminal homicide -- were up significantly over the previous year. The sheriff's Industry Station also showed a slight increase in homicides.
Homicides handled by the sheriff's Norwalk Station more than doubled last year, when deputies investigated nine killings, up from four the previous year, according to the statistics.
At the Crescenta Valley and Walnut-Diamond Bar stations, murders both increased from one reported in 2010 to three reported last year, the data indicates.
The sheriff's Pico Rivera Station saw criminal homicides increase from five in 2010 to seven in 2011, and the sheriff's Industry Station saw an increase from seven in 2010 to eight last year.
The San Dimas and Temple stations reported significant decreases in murders, however. San Dimas detectives investigated one in 2011, compared with three the previous year, and Temple officials saw four killings in their jurisdiction, down from 10 the year before.
Sheriff's officials reported that in 2010, the county saw it's lowest homicide rate since 1965.
Whitmore said that although "one is too many" when it comes to homicides, the statistics must be viewed in perspective.
At the Norwalk Station, for example, where the increase of homicides exceeded 125 percent, the actual change of four to nine homicides last year represents five killings.
"We certainly are focused on those areas," Whitmore said. "We're aware of it, We know it's a trend, and we're going to deal with it."
The number of homicide victims reported to the Norwalk Station doesn't represent the number of fatal attacks, Sgt. Mark Guerrero of the sheriff's Norwalk Station said.
In some cases, he said, multiple people were killed in the same incident, such as an August shooting that claimed the lives of both sheriff's Explorer Scout Cesar Rodriguez, 19, and Larry Villegas, 24, as they were leaving a party in the 11800 block of Painter Avenue, in an unincorporated county area near Whittier.
In another case, Compton woman's body was found buried in a vacant lot in Norwalk, while her husband's body was found buried in Long Beach, officials said. It was unclear where the actual killings took place.
Gang violence and domestic disputes accounted for the bulk of the station's homicides, Guerrero said.
Violent crime rates were down 17.4 percent at the Altadena Station; 21 percent at the Crescenta Valley Station; 7.1 percent at the Industry Station; 18.9 percent at the Norwalk Station; 10.4 percent at the Pico Rivera Station; 3.7 percent at the San Dimas Station; 10.6 percent at the Temple Station; and 11.5 percent at the Walnut-Diamond Bar Station, according to the report.
Reported property crimes were down 25.3 percent at the Altadena Station; 7.4 percent at the Crescenta Valley Station; 8.2 percent at the Industry Station; 1.7 percent at the Pico Rivera Station; 12.9 percent at the San Dimas Station; 10 percent at the Temple Station; and 8.7 percent at the Walnut-Diamond Bar Station, the data shows.
In the area, only the Norwalk Station showed an increase in property crimes of 8.3 percent.
Several key local trends were believed to be behind the increase in property crimes, Guerrero said.
Bicycle thefts had showed significant increases in 2011, along with the theft of third-row seats from SUVs and catalytic converters from cars, Guerrero said. In both instances, the sergeant advised using locks to secure the items when left unattended.
The theft of copper piping and wiring was also a significant problem for Norwalk deputies in 2011, he added.
Theft of items from cars -- principally valuables left in plain view -- were also on the rise in Norwalk last year, Guerrero said.
Elsewhere, major decreases in reports of auto theft at several area sheriff's stations seemed to be helping drive down the property crime statistics.
Car thefts were down 36.1 percent at the Altadena Station; 22.2 percent at the Crescenta Valley Station; 27.5 percent at the San Dimas Station; 12.8 percent at the Temple Station; and 19.9 percent at the Walnut-Diamond Bar Station.
The sheriff's Industry and Norwalk stations experienced slight increases in auto thefts.
ROWLAND HEIGHTS -- A man escaped with about $1,000 after using a note to rob a bank branch Wednesday, authorities said.
The crime was reported about 10:30 a.m. at the Bank of the West, 19005 Colima Road, Los Angeles County sheriff's Lt. Joe Chavez said.
The robber handed a teller a note demanding cash and was last seen fleeing north from the bank on foot, officials said.
He was described as a white man in his mid-30s, with blond hair and blue eyes, about 6 feet 3 inches tall and 185 pounds, wearing a tan jacket over a blue hooded sweat shirt, Chavez said. He was unshaven.
The Sheriff's Major Crimes Bureau, as well as the FBI, were assisting in the investigation.
COVINA -- Fingerprints led to the arrest of three men Tuesday in connection with about 20 residential and car burglaries over the past month, police said.
The arrests were the result of two separate investigations, Covina police Lt. John Curley. One of the probes targeted a series of more than a dozen home break-ins in the north end of town, while the other targeted a series of about half-a-dozen car break-ins.
Michael Finchen, 29, of Covina, was booked on suspicion of burglary, and Jose Villegas, 25, of Covina was booked on suspicion of possession of stolen property in connection with the residential burglary investigation, Curley said.
Officers investigating a break-in Monday at a house in the 1300 block of North Eastburry Avenue was able to collect a latent fingerprint from a bathroom window where the burglar had entered, the lieutenant said.
The fingerprint matched Finchen, Curley said, and detectives also identified Villegas as a possible accomplice. Villegas lives about a block from Finchen.
As police were preparing to serve an arrest warrant at Finchen's home in the 1400 block of North Fenimore Avenue, Villegas came out of his home to see what the commotion was, Curley said.
Officers arrested him on an outstanding DUI warrant before discovering a stolen Honda in the process of being stripped in his garage, police said, as well as apparently stolen items such as birth certificates and passports in his home.
Finchen was then arrested on suspicion of the Monday break-in without incident.
Detectives continued working to connect Finchen and Villegas to other nearby home burglaries reported over the last month, Curley said.
According to county booking records, Finchen was being held in lieu of $20,000 bail pending his initial court appearance, while Villegas was being held in lieu of $80,000 bail.
Also Tuesday, officers arrested Matthew Aguliar, 20, of Covina on suspicion of an attempted car break-in Sunday in the 200 block of East Puente Avenue, in which police were also able to match the suspect to a fingerprint left at the scene of the crime, Curley said.
Police said they were also looking into the possibility Aguliar was connected to another half-dozen or so nearby auto burglaries since December.
Aguliar's father, Ray Aguliar, said his son was released Thursday without charges.
Los Angeles County District Attorney's officials said though Aguliar was due in court Thursday, no case had been filed against him Friday.
Police could not confirm whether the case had been dropped or if Aguliar was released from jail, however criminal charges against defendants being held in custody are generally made within 48 hours of arrest.
LA PUENTE -- Detectives in La Puente are investigating the second reported sexual assault this month, though the attacks are not related, authorities said Wednesday.
The most recent crime took place between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. Saturday, though it was not reported until Tuesday, Los Angeles County sheriff's Lt. Victor Sotelo said.
A 20-year-old woman was raped by an acquaintance at a home in the 200 block of Common Avenue, investigators said. The suspect was described only as a man in his early 30s, and no further details were released.
In an unrelated case, sheriff's officials Friday released a suspect sketch and asked the public's help in finding a man who raped a 14-year-old girl about 8 p.m. Jan. 2 near the dumpsters of an apartment complex in the 17000 block of Main Street.
The man was known to residence of the apartment complex only as "Michael," officials said.
He was described as a Latino or Guatemalan man between 18 and 22 years old. He stood about 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighed 150-160 pounds, and wore his black hair in a distinctive "faux hawk" style.
Anyone with information is asked to call the sheriff's Industry Station.
BASSETT -- Good Samaritans captured and detained an intoxicated driver who tried to flee the scene of a crash on the 605 Freeway, authorities said.
Keith Wardell Jones, 44, of Los Angeles was booked on suspicion of felony driving under the influence, California Highway Patrol Officer Doris Peniche said. Additional charges may be added later.
The 5 a.m. crash snarled the morning commute on southbound 605 Freeway, just north of the 60 Freeway, as it prompted a Sig-Alert for the carpool and fast lane of the freeway for more than an hour, according to California Highway Patrol logs.
The suspect was driving a Chrysler Sebring at more than 100 mph when he became involved in a crash with a Honda Pilot, Peniche said.
"Right after the crash, he was trying to leave the scene," Officer Luis Mendoza said.
"People saw him kind of staggering, walking away from he scene," Mendoza said. "They tried to hold him in place. He became a little aggressive."
"One of the people actually handcuffed the guy with flexcuffs," Mendoza said. "They put the flexcuffs on him and they made him sit down."
Officials were also investigating witness statement that Jones had attempted to carjack another driver after the crash, Peniche said.
When CHP officers arrived, the suspect was not cooperative and refused to submit sobriety tests, she said. Officers determined he appeared to be under the influence of both alcohol and drugs.
The driver of the Honda Pilot that collided with Jones' Chrysler suffered minor-to-moderate injuries, while the passenger in the Honda suffered more serious wounds, including injuries to the head and spine, Peniche said.
UPLAND -- Detectives jailed a Pomona parolee Tuesday they believe to be the "Puffy Coat Bandit" -- responsible for a spree of seven bank robberies in three counties over the past three weeks.
Steven Dwayne Paulson, 46, was expected to appear in court to be charged in connection with the bank robberies today, FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller said.
Paulson is suspected in a string of seven bank heists reported between Dec. 20 and Jan. 9, officials said.
They include robberies in Glendora, Chino, Rancho Cucamonga, Cerritos, Corona and Lake Elsinore, officials said.
The "Puffy Coat Bandit" earned his name because of bulky jackets he was seen wearing during some of the crimes, according to the FBI.
A break in the case came Tuesday afternoon in Upland, Eimiller said.
"A detective with the Upland Police Department detained a driver matching the description of the suspect, who was driving a suspected vehicle," she said. "Further investigation by the Upland PD and the FBI resulted in the arrest of the suspect."
Authorities have previously said an accomplice may have acted as a getaway driver in the robberies.
"With regard to theory that a second suspect/getaway driver may have been involved, an investigation will continue to determine whether an accomplice was knowingly involved in the bank robberies," Eimiller said.
SANTA ANA -- A Pico Rivera woman who helped recruit a killer in a feud over a family business has been sentenced to 14 years in prison.
Edelmira Corona, 34, was sentenced Tuesday. She pleaded guilty last year to manslaughter.
Corona reportedly helped Deborah Perna hire a gang member to kill Perna's brother in 2002 so that Perna could inherit the family's moving and storage business.
That gang member then recruited others. Authorities say they kidnapped David Montemayor and shot him in the head as he fled their car near his Orange County home.
Perna was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison without chance of parole.
Three men received the death penalty and a fourth was sentenced to life.
- From the Associated Press
ANGELES NATIONAL FOREST -- Two men died and two other people were hospitalized Sunday following a crash between a car and an SUV on San Gabriel Canyon Road, authorities said.
The crash took place just before 4:30 p.m. about three miles south of East Fork Road, in the forest north of Glendora, according to California Highway Patrol and Los Angeles County Fire Department officials.
Two men who were riding in a Nissan 240SX when it collided with a Nissan Xterra SUV containing a man and woman, officials said.
The two men in the car were pronounced dead at the scene, CHP Officer Patrick Kimball said.
The man and woman who were in the SUV were flown by helicopter to an area hospital in unknown condition, fire officials said.
Officials from the Baldwin Park office of the CHP were investigating the cause of the crash.
ARCADIA -- Three fleeing armed robbery suspects briefly forced the closure of the 210 Freeway Saturday, officials said.
Authorities chased the robbers from San Bernardino County before the chase came to an end on the freeway at Baldwin Avenue, Arcadia police Lt. Bob Anderson said.
Two of the three suspects were in custody as police from several area agencies continued hunting for the third late Friday, the lieutenant said.
The manhunt closed the 210 Freeway in both directions from about 9:55 p.m. to 10:15 p.m., California Highway Patrol Officer Patrick Kimball said.
The Baldwin Avenue onramps and offramps remained closed through 11 p.m. as San Bernardino sheriff's deputies and local police searched for the outstanding robbery suspect, he added.
The incident began just after 8 p.m. in Rancho Cucamonga with an armed robbery at a Walgreens pharmacy on Carnelian Avenue, San Bernardino County sheriff's spokeswoman Cindy Bachman said.
"Two black males robbed a clerk at the store," she said. They fled the scene in a vehicle, but a witness was able to provide a description.
"The CHP observed a vehicle on the 210 (that matched)," Bachman said. The car failed to pull over for the officer and began a chase westbound on the freeway.
The suspects exited the freeway at Baldwin Avenue and continued to flee on foot, Anderson said.
Two of the three were quickly apprehended, but the third eluded immediate capture, he said.
All freeway lanes and offramps were open late Saturday night as officials continued hunting the third suspect.
PASADENA -- Police are investigating after the body of a woman believed to have jumped from the Colorado Street Bridge was discovered Saturday afternoon.
A person walking by spotted the body about 2:30 p.m. on the west side of the wash beneath the bridge, Pasadena police Lt. Diego Torres said. No one reported witnessing the woman's fall.
She appeared to have been in her 30s, Torres added.
There were no initial signs of foul play, and the death was being investigated as a suicide.
Mike Dancer, 57, of Arcadia, who was previously reported missing, returned home Saturday afternoon, police said.
ARCADIA -- Police asked the public's help Saturday in finding a man who walked away from a retirement home.
Mike Dancer, also known as Mike Harwell, 57, was last seen about 5 p.m. Friday at the Arcadia Royale, 607 W. Duarte Road, Arcadia police officials said in a written statement.
He is legally blind and suffers from seizures, anxiety, depression and possibly other health problems and requires medication several times a day, police said.
Officials described Dancer as white, about 5 feet 11 inches tall, 150 pounds, with white hair, blue eyes and a tattoo of a star on the side of his head.
Anyone with information is asked to call Arcadia police or 9-1-1.
PHOTO of Mike Dancer courtesy of the Arcadia Police Department
COVINA -- Two men were stabbed during a brawl on Badillo Street late Friday, police said.
The stabbing was reported about 11:30 p.m. in the 800 block of East Badillo Street, just west of Grand Avenue, Covina police Sgt. Rob Bobkiewicz said.
A deputy was responding to another call of a loud party when he was flagged down by a witness who reported two of his friends had been stabbed, the sergeant said.
Officials found two men in their 20s suffering from stab wounds nearby, Bobkiewicz said. Both were hospitalized with injuries not believed to be life threatening.
The victims gave conflicting accounts of what took place, police said, but it appeared they were involved in a fight with seven to 10 gang members from an unknown gang.
No further description of the attackers was available.
One of the stabbing victims was wounded in the leg, torso and arm, while the other suffered a wound to his torso, Bobkiewicz said.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Covina Police Department at 626-331-3391.
MONTEBELLO - A Montebello woman was critically injured Friday when her boyfriend allegedly chased and rammed her car which struck a tree and burst into flames.
Montebello police Lt. Mike Flores said the woman sustained multiple injuries and remains at a hospital.
Detectives arrested her boyfriend, 22-year-old Jason Tapia of Los Angeles, on suspicion of attempted murder. He was booked at the Montebello jail and is being held without bail since he has a parole hold. Police also have the pickup truck he used.
The incident started at 4:15 a.m. Friday.
Flores said the woman called police to say she was being chased.
Officers headed to 4th Street and Whittier Boulevard but before they arrived, Flores said a bystander called 9-1-1 to report a car that crashed and was burning on 7th Street and Whittier Boulevard.
"The investigation shows her boyfriend had been chasing the victim from Pico Rivera and began ramming her vehicle when (they) entered Montebello, causing her car to crash into a tree," Flores said.
He said Tapia was arrested Friday afternoon at Fletcher Drive and San Fernando Road in Los Angeles.
Police didn't say what led to the assault.
- Ruby Gonzales
Six Alhambra police officers will ride in the Police Unity Tour in Washington, D.C., in May to honor Alhambra police Officer Ryan Stringer, who died in the line of duty in July 2010.
The officers will hold a fundraiser from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday at 38 Degrees Ale House and Grill, 100 West Main St., Alhambra.
Attendees can purchase food and also participate in a raffle for prizes like an iPod Nano, Kindle Fire and Disneyland tickets. Proceeds will go toward the officers' entry fees.
In May, the officers will ride 250 miles in three days with the tour's Southern California Chapter from Somerset, N.J., to Washington, D.C. To participate in the tour, each officer must raise the $125 entry fee and an additional $1,800 in donations.
Proceeds from the Police Unity Tour, which had its first ride in 1997, go to the National Law Enforcement Officer's Memorial in Washington, D.C. Last year, 1,300 officers participated, raising $1.5 million.
Lieutenant Jennifer Wiese, who is riding in the tour this year, said Alhambra officers have been in the ride before, but this year there is increased participation for a cause that is now closer to home.
"We're like a family and when you lose a family member and it's not expected, it's very difficult, and you have that loss and that void in your life," she said.
Wiese added that in her 23 years with the Alhambra Police Department, Stringer has been the only officer to die in the line of duty. Stringer, 26, was killed on July 10, 2010, in a collision with another police vehicle. Both cars were responding to a reported robbery.
...full story by Lauren Gold
ALHAMBRA -- Detectives are investigating after an elderly Alhambra man was found dead inside his apartment early Saturday, authorities said.
The death was reported just after midnight in the 200 block of South Curtis Avenue, Deputy Peter Gomez of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Headquarter's Bureau said in a written statement.
The man's name was not released pending notification of his family, officials said. Sheriff's investigators initially described him as a 79-year-old man who lived alone in the single-room apartment.
While there was nothing "overtly suspicious" about the scene, "There's just enough unusual things to make us need to do an investigation," Detective Philip Guzman of the Sheriff's Homicide Bureau said. "But it may very well be a natural death."
Guzman said the man's neighbor's became concerned after not seeing him for several days and found his body lying on the floor of his apartment when they went to check on him.
Because the investigation was ongoing and detectives couldn't definitively rule out foul play early Saturday, Guzman declined to discuss what unusual factors were noted.
Alhambra police deferred all comments to the sheriff's department.
MONTEREY PARK -- The body of a 21-year-old Montebello man was found floating in a swimming pool at East Los Angeles City College Thursday, officials said.
Paramedics pronounced Luis Alberto-Marques Carranza dead at 8:28 a.m., shortly after a water polo coach discovered him floating in the pool at the campus, 1301 Avenida Cesar Chavez, Los Angeles County Department of Coroner's Assistant Chief of Operations Ed Winter said.
The death was initially reported as a "possible accident," however an autopsy was pending, Winter said.
The college deferred all questions to the campus' sheriff's station, where a cadet said no one was available to comment Friday afternoon.
LA HABRA -- A hearing to determine whether a La Habra woman accused of killing her infant son last year by throwing him from the fourth floor of a parking structure was postponed Friday, officials said.
Sonia Hermosillo, 31, is charged with murder and child abuse in connection with the Aug. 22, 2011 incident at the Children's Hospital of Orange County in Orange.
She's accused of removing a protective helmet the baby wore because of a medical condition before tossing 7-month-old son, Noe Medina Jr., from the parking structure at the hospital. The infant died from his injuries two days later.
She was scheduled to appear in Santa Ana Superior Court for a mental competency hearing Friday, however the hearing was continued until Feb. 3, Orange County District Attorney's Office spokeswoman Farrah Emami said.
The hearing was previously postponed Nov. 18, officials said.
While a motive in the case has not been officially released, Hermosillo's husband, Noe Medina, has said she suffered from postpartum depression and had difficulty accepting their son, who suffered from two treatable medical conditions.
The fatal fall occurred shortly after the baby's father reported the infant and wife missing, investigators said.
Hermosillo has not entered a plea to the charges pending a hearing to determine whether she's mentally fit to stand trial.
MONROVIA -- A report of a water leak led to the discovery of more than 250 pot plants growing in an apartment earlier this week, police said Friday.
A property owner went to an apartment in the 700 block of West Walnut Avenue about 6:20 p.m. Wednesday after a neighbor reported a water leak, Monrovia police Sgt. Don Newton said.
No one was home in the leaking apartment, so the property owner went in, police said.
"He went inside and found all of the rooms full of marijuana plants," police said in a written statement. "The water leak was caused by the irrigation system for the plants."
The wiring used to provide electricity, which was allegedly stolen from the Southern California Edison grid, posed a serious safety risk, and SCE officials were summoned to cut off power to the unit, Newton said.
More than 250 marijuana plants were seized, along with hydroponic equipment used to grow the pot, officials said.
No suspects had been arrested Friday.
ARCADIA -- An Arcadia man was arrested early Friday on suspicion of using a cell phone to record a portion of "The Devil Inside" at an opening night showing at the AMC Santa Anita 16 movie theater.
Michael Johnson, 29, was booked on suspicion of operating a recording device inside a movie theater -- a misdemeanor -- and released less than an hour later after posting $2,500 bail, according to Arcadia police officials and county booking records.
Employees called police about 1:30 a.m. to report a man had recorded a portion of the horror movie at the theater, 400 S. Baldwin Ave., Arcadia police Lt. Roy Nakamura said.
He was found to have about three minutes of the film recorded on his cell phone, the lieutenant said.
"He said he was taking the footage for his wife who was home sick," Nakamura added.
But regardless of the reason, "It is against the law," he said.
AZUSA -- Two men barged into a house Thursday then beat, bound and robbed an 18-year-old Azusa man.
The injured resident was taken to a hospital, said Azusa police Sgt. Randy Schmidt.
The home invasion robbery happened at 10:23 a.m. in the 900 block of West Momax Street.
Schmidt said the suspects knocked on the door then forced their way inside.
"They overpowered the resident, beat him and bound his hands," Schmidt said.
He said the robbers fled with valuables but didn't say specifically what items they took.
A neighbor called the police. Officers found the injured resident.
One of the robbers was described as either a white man or Latino, 19-20, with dark brown hair, light complexion, unshaven face, 5 feet 9 inches tall and 150 pounds.
He wore a black jacket, blue pants and sunglasses with one cracked lens.
The other suspect was described as a Latino in his 20s, with short brown hair, stands 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighs 150 pounds. He was clad in a gray sweatshirt, blue jeans and black Vans tennis shoes.
Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Cpl. Rob Landeros at 626-812-3228, or Detective Rock Wenrick at 626-812-3223 or the tips hotline at 626-812-3272.
- Ruby Gonzales
ROSEMEAD -- A 40-year-old Rosemead woman fatally shot by a sheriff's deputy while allegedly attacking him with a hammer had a long history of mental illness, officials said Thursday.
Jazmyne Ha Eng died at the scene of Tuesday's 3:40 p.m. deputy-involved shooting at the Asian Pacific Family Center, 9353 Valley Blvd., Los Angeles County Department of Coroner's Chief of Operations Craig Harvey said. Sheriff's officials said she was a Rosemead resident.
Lt. Dave Dolson of the Sheriff's Homicide Bureau said Eng was known to the facility staff prior to Wednesday's incident.
"She had been a patient there suffering from a few maladies relating to mental illness," the lieutenant said. "She'd been dealing with her mental health for many years." He declined to give more details on her conditions.
Three deputies from the sheriff's Temple Station responded to a report that a possibly mentally ill woman was sitting in the lobby of the clinic with a hammer in her lap and "acting sort of erratic," Los Angeles County sheriff's Lt. Tom McNeal said.
Officials said the woman was a patient at the center, which treats issues such as mental health and substance abuse.
According to DMV records, she stood 4 feet 11 inches tall and weighed about 95 pounds.
"When deputies entered the lobby of the location, they encountered (Eng), wielding a hammer above her head, screaming," Deputy Peter Gomez said in a written statement.
Dolson described the weapon as a "full-sized ball peen hammer."
The deputies tried to talk to the woman but she did not respond to their commands, the deputy said. A deputy tried to shock the woman with a Taser, however it was not effective.
"She then advanced towards to deputies, with hammer over head," Gomez said. "Fearing for his safety, a deputy fired two rounds from his duty weapon, striking her."
The hammer was recovered from the scene, officials said.
No one answered the phone Thursday at a number listed in public records as belonging to Eng.
Representatives from the Asian Pacific Family Center could not be reached for comment.
Sheriff's records indicate no previous major incidents at the facility in the past year.
Deputies responded to six calls at the Asian Pacific Family Center in 2011, officials said. They included an out-of-control child, a schizophrenic man who was talking to himself, a burglary alarm, a man passed out in a car, a stolen license plate and suspicious person who was ultimately determined to be a woman whose car had broken down, officials said.
Detectives were continuing their investigation and gathering information on Eng's history, Dolson said.
Sheriff's deputies were called to her Rosemead home about two weeks prior to the shooting when someone reported a possibly mentally ill woman, Dolson said. Deputies spoke with the involved parties and the situation was resolved without further incident.
Sheriff's officials declined to release the deputies names or say whether they were put on leave following the incident.
Like all Los Angeles County deputy-involved shootings, the incident is being investigated by the sheriff's department, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office and the County of Los Angeles Office of Independent Review.
Based on a preliminary review of the basic facts released to the public thus far in the case, use of force expert Rocky Warren of Warren consulting said that while unfortunate, "It sounds like the officer did what had to be done."
Warren teaches police tactics to instructors throughout the country and often testified as an expert witness in police use of force cases.
"There are a lot of factors that go into this," he said, such as the distance between the suspects and deputies and the physical surroundings in which the encounter occurred.
The diminutive size of the suspect, "really doesn't make as much of a difference as people think it does," Warren said. "What's important is how fast can a person travel in three-quarters of a second to a second. That's reaction time."
An average person can cover 12 to 15 feet of ground in three-quarters of a second, he said, the same amount of time required for an officer to decide whether to fire a weapon. The issue is referred to as the "reaction time dilemma."
Warren said he would never train an officer to engage any suspect armed with a weapon capable of deadly force in hand-to-hand combat. "That would be 100 percent foolish," he said.
Wednesday's incident was the second shooting involving deputies from the sheriff's Temple Station this week.
A deputy shot at a man, though it was unclear if he was struck, as the deputy tried to arrest the man on suspicion of drug possession, officials said.
The deputy stopped the man as he rode a bicycle about 4:30 p.m. in the 10600 block of Lower Azusa Road, sheriff's officials said in a written statement.
A fight ensued and the deputy pepper sprayed the man, though he continued to struggle with the deputy, Lt. Tom McNeal said.
When the suspect reached into his waistband, the deputy feared for his safety and opened fire, McNeal said.
The suspect ran off and remained at large, officials said. It was not clear if he was wounded.
PHOTO of Jazmyne Eng courtesy of the California DMV
MONTEBELLO -- Police arrested a doctor Wednesday on suspicion of sexually assaulting a female patient during an exam in July, authorities said.
Dr. Arturo Vargas, 41, was released booked on suspicion of three felony sex crimes and was released from jail within hours of his arrest after posting $200,000 bail, according to Montebello police and county booking records.
The arrest came at the end of a six month-long investigation after a a patient who was examined by Vargas at the Kaiser Permanente Medical Offices, 1550 Town Center Drive, reported being assaulted by the doctor.
"We received a report from a woman in her 30s that during a routine medical examination, she was assaulted by a physician," Montebello police Lt. Luis Lopez said.
Vargas is charged is due in East Los Angeles Superior Court Feb. 6 to be arraigned on felony charges of sexual battery by fraud, sexual exploitation by a physician and sexual penetration by a foreign object, police said.
The woman reported the alleged assault immediately after it took place, Lopez said. The lieutenant declined to specify what type of exam the woman went to the office for, or on what specific date.
After being notified that a case was to be filed against him, "He came in cooperatively," Lopez said. "He came in with his attorney."
Defense attorney Brian Virag said Thursday that he had not yet seen the charging documents against his client, so he could not comment on any specifics of the case.
"We'll be waiting to see what the charging documents, allegations, look like," he said. "I can indicate that Dr. Vargas intends to defend his reputation."
Vargas has worked for Kaiser Permanente since 2005, Virag dded. Information on his employment before Kaiser was not available.
"He has no criminal history," Lopez said.
Vargas was placed on leave from his position at Kaiser in the early stages of the investigation, Montebello Police Chief Kevin McClure said.
"This has been a case in which everyone's been cooperative," he added.
Kaiser spokeswoman Reyna Del Haro said the hospital is and has been taking the allegation very seriously.
When the allegations first emerged, Kaiser "confronted the physician, required him to conduct all future sensitive examinations in the presence of a chaperone, reinforced the importance of professional communications, and warned him that failure to meet expectations could result in disciplinary action up to and including removal from the partnership," Del Haro said.
"We have placed the physician on administrative leave pending any additional information that we may learn from the legal process," Del Haro said. "We have compassion and sympathy for any patient who may believe that he or she has not been treated appropriately, and we investigate all allegations of improper treatment. In cooperation with the police, we will take all appropriate action to ensure continued high quality care and patient safety."
Police said investigators have not discovered any additional victims, however anyone who believes they may have had an inappropriate contact with Vargas is asked to call Montebello police Detective Javier Ornelas at 323-887-1262.
ALHAMBRA -- An Alhambra man is due in court next week in his second murder trial in connection with the death of his girlfriend more than four years ago.
A jury in December was unable to reach a verdict in the trial of Isaac Campbell, 36, who is charged with the Aug. 12, 2007 slaying of Liya "Jessie" Lu, 31, of San Gabriel.
The jury hung 10-2, with 10 in favor of convicting Campbell, Deputy District Attorney Steve Ipson said.
A pre-trial hearing for his second trial has been set for Jan. 12 in Alhambra Superior Court, the prosecutor said.
"I would hope that we could get it to trial within a month after (that hearing)," he said.
Campbell is accused of killing Lu in his apartment before hiding her body in a trash can which he left at a friend's home in Arcadia.
The defense argued during the previous trial that Campbell discovered Lu's body and handled the situation badly, but he did not kill her.
Defense attorney James Duffy could not be reached for comment Thursday.
One obstacle for the prosecution is the fact that coroner's investigators were unable to determine an officials cause of death for Lu, Ipson said, but the case against Campbell remains strong.
"Jurors naturally expect to hear the coroner testify to cause of death, but I think we can overcome that," Ipson said.
Campbell was arrested in Minnesota following the discovery of Lu's body about a month after she was reported missing.
ROSEMEAD -- Authorities Wednesday released the name of a 40-year-old woman shot to death by a sheriff's deputy as she allegedly attacked him with a hammer at a social services office.
Jazmyne Ha Eng died at the scene of Tuesday's 3:40 p.m. deputy-involved shooting at the Asian Pacific Family Center, 9353 Valley Blvd., Los Angeles County Department of Coroner's Chief of Operations Craig Harvey said. Sheriff's officials said she was a Rosemead resident.
Lt. Dave Dolson of the Sheriff's Homicide Bureau said Eng was known to the facility staff prior to Wednesday's incident.
"She had been a patient there suffering from a few maladies relating to mental illness," the lieutenant said. He declined to give more details on her conditions.
Three deputies from the sheriff's Temple Station responded to a report that a possibly mentally ill woman was sitting in the lobby of the clinic with a hammer in her lap and "acting sort of erratic," Los Angeles County sheriff's Lt. Tom McNeal said.
Officials said the woman was a patient at the center, which treats issues such as mental health and substance abuse.
"When deputies entered the lobby of the location, they encountered (Eng), wielding a hammer above her head, screaming," Deputy Peter Gomez said in a written statement.
Dolson described the weapon as a "full-sized ball peen hammer."
The deputies tried to talk to the woman but she did not respond to their commands, the deputy said. A deputy tried to shock the woman with a Taser, however it was not effective.
"She then advanced towards to deputies, with hammer over head," Gomez said. "Fearing for his safety, a deputy fired two rounds from his duty weapon, striking her."
The hammer was recovered from the scene, officials said.
Representatives from the Asian Pacific Family Center could not be reached for comment.
Detectives were continuing their investigation and gathering information on Eng's history, Dolson said.
"It's my understanding that there was a call to her residence the day before," Dolson said. Further details were not available early Thursday.
The deputies involved in the shooting were not identified Thursday.
Like all Los Angeles County deputy-involved shootings, the incident is being investigated by the sheriff's department, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office and the County of Los Angeles Office of Independent Review.
Wednesday's incident was the second shooting involving deputies from the sheriff's Temple Station this week.
A deputy shot at a man, though it was unclear if he was struck, as the deputy tried to arrest the man on suspicion of drug possession, officials said.
The deputy stopped the man as he rode a bicycle about 4:30 p.m. in the 10600 block of Lower Azusa Road, sheriff's officials said in a written statement.
A fight ensued and the deputy pepper sprayed the man, though he continued to struggle with the deputy, Lt. Tom McNeal said.
When the suspect reached into his waistband, the deputy feared for his safety and opened fire, McNeal said.
The suspect ran off and remained at large, officials said. It was not clear if he was wounded.
SANTA FE SPRINGS -- Coroner's officials Thursday identified a 48-year-old La Mirada man who died in an industrial accident at a grocery warehouse.
Joseph Maier was pronounced dead at the University of California, Irvine, Medical Center within an hour of the fatal accident about 7 p.m. Wednesday at Superior Grocers Warehouse at 15510 Carmenita Road, Orange County coroner's officials said in a written statement.
"(Maier) was injured at work when pinned between a truck and a loading dock," the statement said.
It initially appeared the truck backed into Maier and the death was being looked at as an industrial accident, Whittier police Lt. Mike Prysbyl said.
The investigation was ongoing.
SANTA FE SPRINGS -- An employee at a grocery warehouse was killed Wednesday night when a tractor-trailer backed into him and pinned him to a wall, police said.
The man's name wasn't released pending notification of his family.
Whittier police Lt. Mike Przybyl said the 6:38 p.m. incident happened at Superior Grocers Warehouse at 15510 Carmenita Road in Santa Fe Springs.
He said the man was taken to UC Irvine Medical Center where he died of his injuries.
"At this point we're looking at it as an industrial accident," Przybyl said. However, he added that the investigation is ongoing.
- Ruby Gonzales
COVINA -- A wanted parolee ran out of luck Wednesday.
After parking a stolen vehicle, he spotted an officer and fled which led police to check the car's license plate. He tried to elude capture but a 2-year-old boy pointed out his hiding place to officers.
Covina police Sgt. Trevor Gaumer said the toddler told police "Uncle Ian" was in the attic.
Officers already had their eye on the attic area of the apartment in the 300 block of Vecino Drive when the little tipster verified their suspicions.
Ian McGaughe, 28, of Covina was arrested on suspicion of grand theft auto, evading police, possession of drug paraphernalia (a syringe) and driving on a suspended license.
He is also a parolee-at-large, Gaumer said.
McGaughe is being held at Covina jail without bail since he is a parolee.
He reportedly drew the attention of police about 9:30 p.m. in the 300 block of Vecino Drive.
"He parks the car, gets out, sees an officer and runs," Gaumer said.
The officer ran the license plate and found out the 2002 Toyota Camry was stolen two days ago while its owner was delivering Chinese food in Monrovia.
Police closed off the area. Gaumer said officers noticed a lot of people were out and about at a particular apartment.
They found their quarry there.
- Ruby Gonzales
BALDWIN PARK -- Rudolph, the 2-year-old pit bull mix rescued from the 10 Freeway, now has a home.
The dog was adopted New Year's Eve and his owner is from Venice, according to officials with the Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care and Control.
"Although a bit shy at first, he was very kind and gentle, especially when he visited with his new owner," said Lance Hunter, manager for the department's Baldwin Park shelter.
Rudolph was a stray that had been living on a freeway center median when he was rescued by animal control officers on Dec. 21.
California Highway Patrol officers called animal control after they saw the pooch hopping over the center divider and running into traffic lanes.
The CHP shut down traffic for several minutes while animal control officers took the dog from the 10 Freeway, just east of the 605 Freeway.
Animal care staff christened the dog Rudolph because of the holiday season.
- Ruby Gonzales
PHOTOS courtesy of the Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care and Control
MONTEBELLO -- A man accosted a group walking in an alley and robbed a 16-year-old of his iPod touch Wednesday night.
Montebello police Lt. Andy Vuncanon said five people ages 16 to 18 were walking in an alley near Garfield Avenue and Hay Street at 6:49 p.m. when they noticed a white 4-door sedan parked in the alley.
The car was running.
Vuncanon said a passenger got out of the car and approached the group. The suspect threatened to hurt them if they didn't turn over their valuables.
He took the iPod touch, got in the car and took off. He was described as a Latino, 6 feet one inch tall, weighing 160 pounds and wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and black shorts.
The other suspect who drove the car was only described as a Latino wearing a black sweatshirt.
- Ruby Gonzales
MONTBELLO -- A doctor was arrested Wednesday for allegedly molesting a female patient at Kaiser Permanente's Montebello Medical Offices.
Arturo Vargas, 41, turned himself in at the Montebello police station where he was booked on suspicion of sexual penetration by a foreign object, battery by fraud and sexual exploitation by a physician, according to Lt. Andy Vuncanon.
Vargas is out on $200,000 bail.
Police said the woman was molested when she went to the medical offices at 1550 Town Center Drive to be examined by her doctor. They didn't say when it occurred.
She reported the incident to police.
The department's special victims unit investigated the case and obtained an arrest warrant.
Montebello police will hold a press conference about the case noon this Thursday at the station, 1600 West Beverly Blvd.
Investigators are looking for other possible victims. Anyone with information is asked to call Det. Javier Ornelas at 323-887-1262.
- Ruby Gonzales
CERRITOS -- A serial bank robber who robbed in Glendora last week struck for the fifth time in Cerritos Tuesday, officials said.
The "Puffy Coat Bandit" remained true to his moniker as he robbed the Chase branch at 11900 South Street in a winter coat and beanie, according to FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller.
He is also suspected in a robbery at a Glendora Union Bank branch in the 600 block of West Route 66 Friday afternoon; a Dec. 28 robbery at Mission Oaks Bank in Lake Elsinore; a Dec. 22 robbery at Premier Services Bank in Corona; and Dec. 20 robbery at U.S. Bank in Chino, FBI officials said.
He generally passes tellers a note demanding money while motioning as if armed, authorities said. He's described as a white man in his late-30s to mid-40s, of thin or medium build, between 6 feet 1 inch and 6 feet 4 inches tall.
A light-colored sedan, possibly a Ford or Mercury, has also been spotted in connection with the robbery spree.
Anyone with information is asked to call the FBI's 24-hour tip line at 310-477-6565, or 9-1-1.
PHOTO courtesy of the FBI
ROSEMEAD -- Deputies shot and killed a woman who attacked them with a hammer at an office on Valley Blvd., authorities said.
Los Angeles County Sheriff's officials initially described the woman as being in her 40s.
The shooting took place about 3:40 p.m. at the Asian Pacific Family Center, 9353 Valley Blvd., Los Angeles County sheriff's Lt. Tom McNeal said.
Deputies responded to a report of an apparently mentally disturbed woman "sitting in the lobby with a hammer in lap," the lieutenant said.
Three deputies arrived and tried to detain the women, but she attacked them with the hammer, he said.
A deputy tried to shock the woman with a Taser but it failed to stop her, McNeal said.
The woman continued her attack on the deputies, and one of the shot her fatally.
The building was evacuated during the investigation.
ANAHEIM -- Anaheim's police chief says last month's slayings of three homeless men were likely the work of a serial killer.
Police Chief John Welter told a news conference Wednesday that authorities believe one person
is responsible for the stabbing deaths, which occurred between Dec. 20 and Dec. 30.
In each case, a middle-aged man was targeted.
Police reportedly obtained a picture of the murder suspect approaching one of his victims.
The killer was wearing a dark hoodie or sweater and that authorities believe he has a four-door Toyota automobile, according to a newspaper.
Police have circulated flyers in homeless camps throughout Orange County, warning people not to camp in dark, secluded areas.
- From the Associated Press
PICO RIVERA -- Deputies sought a 21-year-old Pico Rivera man Wednesday after he fired a gunshot at his mother's boyfriend during an argument, authorities said.
Isaac Ortega remained at-large after fleeing the scene of the 10:43 a.m. shooting inside a house in the 7200 block of Cravell Avenue, Los Angeles County sheriff's Lt. Robert Smith said.
Ortega became involved in an argument with his mother's boyfriend, a man in his late 40s, after the boyfriend told him to get a job, the lieutenant said.
Ortega then produced a black handgun and fired a single shot, which struck the interior wall of the home near the ceiling, Smith said. No one was struck by the gunfire.
Officials said Ortega then left the area in an older-model, two-door, primer gray Honda Accord with a California license plate number of 4YYJ719.
Anyone who spots Ortega is advised to call 911 immediately.
SAN DIMAS -- Congressman David Dreier Wednesday announced his nominees for the U.S. Air Force, Military, Naval and Merchant Marine academies.
"This is an outstanding group of young people," Dreier, R-San Dimas, said in a written statement. "They would all provide exemplary service as military officers and make our country, state, and communities proud."
Dreier's nominees for the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado are: Adrian Castillo of San Dimas; Paul Dean of La Crescenta; Kelly Dualan of San Dimas; Alex Wei Lee of Arcadia; Evan Luckey of La Crescenta; Gregory Mak of Arcadia; Alexander Pumerantz of Claremont; Melanie Sanchez of Alta Loma; Jaron Swinburn of Rancho Cucamonga; and Ian Taylor of La Crescenta.
Nominees for the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York, are: Andrew Borer of Alta Loma, David Choe of La Cañada Flintridge; One Sik "Michael" Choi of La Canada Flintridge; Floyd Sie-Obadiah Clark II of Rancho Cucamonga; Desirae Grumbine of Alta Loma; Koa LaBonta of Rancho Cucamonga; Steven Liu of San Marino; Joanne Oh of Walnut; Austin Serrano of Rancho Cucamonga; and Bryan Wolak of San Dimas.
Dreier's nominees for the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland are: Steven Backofen of Upland; James Baluyut of Rancho Cucamonga; Adrian Castillo of San Dimas; Patrick Chen of Arcadia; Ryker Convento of Rancho Cucamonga; John Diskin of Upland; Amy Epperson of Upland; Robert Grizzle of Glendora; Austin Grow of Alta Loma, Desirae Grumbine of Alta Loma; Albert Jagels of San Marino; Phillip Juarez of Arcadia; Alexis Kelm of Rancho Cucamonga; Alex Wei Lee of Arcadia; Taylor Mooers of Covina; Kevin O'Toole of a Cañada Flintridge; Alexander Pumerantz of Claremont; Alisha Sako of Rancho Cucamonga; Austin Serrano of Rancho Cucamonga; and Casey Thompson of Arcadia.
U.S. Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, New York, nominees are: Steven Backofen of Upland; John Diskin of Upland; Albert Jagels of San Marino; Kenneth Moore of Arcadia; Brandon Muñoz of San Dimas; Samy Oubeid of Upland; Alisha Sako of Rancho Cucamonga; Alexandra Santrach of Rancho Cucamonga; and Austin Serrano of Rancho Cucamonga.
"The nominees will compete with other applicants from around the nation for the available positions in the classes that will enter in July of 2012," according to the statement from Dreier's office.
Quick stat: According to information from the Arcadia Police Department, officers fielded 48,253 calls for service in 2011, resulting in 6,383 formal investigations.
GLENDORA -- A green laser light that hit a police helicopter Tuesday also led Glendora officers to the alleged culprit who was riding in a car.
But police also carted off the driver to jail after a small amount of drugs was found.
The helicopter that Azusa police contracts for was over Barranca Avenue and Route 66 around 6:15 p.m. when a passenger of a Chrysler Sebring shined a green laser at it three to four times, according to Glendora police Lt. Joe Ward.
He said Glendora officers stopped the car, recovered the laser pointer and arrested Jerrod Ferren, 31, of Glendora on suspicion of using a laser light at the helicopter.
But during the investigation, Ward said police also arrested the driver, 26-year-old William Dixon of Los Angeles, on suspicion of being under the influence and possession of a controlled substance. He said officers discovered less than a gram of methamphetamine.
Both men were being held at Glendora jail. Ferren's bail is $20,000 while Dixon's bail is $10,000.
Sheriff's online booking records show the two will be arraigned Thursday at West Covina Superior Court.
- Ruby Gonzales
NORWALK -- A 25-year-old Bell Gardens man was shot in the elbow by another man who asked him where he was from Tuesday night.
The sheriff's Norwalk Station got wind of the shooting at Flatbush Avenue and Foster Road from a 9-1-1 call at 9:45 p.m.
Sheriff's Sgt. Maybury said the suspect walked up to the Bell Gardens man.
After asking the victim where he was from, the suspect said, "This is Norwalk" and shot him, according to Maybury.
The suspect left in a black Honda Civic which was last seen eastbound on Foster Road. A description of the shooter wasn't available Tuesday night.
The sergeant said the victim was taken to a hospital and treated.
- Ruby Gonzales
WEST VALINDA -- A pedestrian ended up with a gunshot wound to the knee when a driver of a passing vehicle fired a round at him and his friend Tuesday night.
The driver asked the two 18-year-olds where they were from -- a common gang challenge -- before he shot at them, according to Sheriff's Sgt. Ernie Barbosa.
The shooting was reported at 11:42 p.m. on Giordano Street near California Avenue which is in the unincorporated county area.
Barbosa said the West Valinda men were walking west on Giordano Street approaching California Avenue when they saw a black truck or sport utility vehicle heading east.
At about the time the vehicle crossed the intersection, Barbosa said the driver pointed a gun at the two men, asked where they were from and fired. The round hit one of the men in the left knee.
The vehicle had two occupants, described only as Latinos.
The wounded man and his companion ran in different directions.
Deputies who were parked north of the location heard the shot. Barbosa said the deputies started driving to where they heard the sound when the call came in about a possible shooting at Giordano Street.
He said a group flagged down the deputies and pointed out the victim who was lying on the street.
The other pedestrian later returned.
"The victim and the witness were very uncooperative. Initially they did not tell deputies what happened," Barbosa said.
Deputies later got some details about the shooting from the two.
- Ruby Gonzales
LOS ANGELES COUNTY -- Arrests for suspected drunken driving were up slightly over the previous year this holiday season county-wide, officials said, though checkpoints held Friday in the San Gabriel Valley and Whittier area saw few intoxicated drivers.
Throughout Los Angeles County, police, sheriff's and California Highway Patrol officials jailed 2,433 people on suspicion of driving under the influence since Dec. 16, Avoid the 100 Task Force officials said Tuesday in a written statement. Avoid the 100 is a coalition of Southern California law enforcement agencies who take part in specialized anti-DUI campaigns.
Officials made 2,406 DUI arrests over the same time period in 2010.
At a Friday checkpoint on Washington Boulevard near Sorenson Avenue in unincorporated West Whittier, CHP Officer Al Perez was pleased to report, "We came up dry."
Officers screened 476 of the 723 cars that went through the checkpoint, but arrested or cited no one and impounded no cars, officials said.
"It's very unusual to have absolutely no DUIs, or no cars impounded whether for suspended license (or) unlicensed driver," Perez said. "Everyone was doing their part and doing the right thing out there, and we're happy to see that."
"(Drivers) took the media warnings to please don't drink and drive and all the advertising," Perez said. "I think they got the message."
In West Covina, police manned a checkpoint Friday at Azusa and Cameron avenue, where an allegedly drunken driver ran a red light and crashed Dec. 23, critically injuring a 19-year-old West Covina man.
At that checkpoint, officers screened 1,718 cars, West Covina police Sgt. Dennis Patton said. One driver was arrested on suspicion of DUI, 14 drivers received tickets and 11 vehicles were impounded to to driver's without valid licenses.
But the goal of the checkpoints is not only to remove drunken drivers from the roads, but also to inform the public about the issue and provide a deterrence, officials said.
"The whole idea is to get compliance with the law," Patton said.
And the Dec. 23 crash is a prime example of why driving under the influence should never be tolerated, the sergeant said.
Twin 19-year-old twin brothers were in a Toyota Camry that was making a left turn from Cameron Avenue onto Azusa Avenue when a Chevy Impala being driven by an allegedly drunk 23-year-old La Puente man went through a red light at "a high rate of speed" and broadsided the Toyota, Patton said. The driver was critical injured and remained hospitalized in critical condition Tuesday.
The suspect's name was not released pending booking into jail, officials said. He was initially hospitalized following the crash
"Here's kid here who's pretty severely injured because of the actions of a drunk driver," Patton said, adding that DUI often devastates families when it results in major injury or death.
At a police checkpoint in Azusa Friday, one driver was arrested on suspicion of DUI, as well as possessing a small amount of marijuana and driving without a license, Azusa police Cpl. Dean Brewer said in a written statement.
Three other drivers received tickets for driving without valid licensed, resulting in a total of four impounded cars, the corporal said. In all, 1,313 cars passed through the checkpoint, and officers screened 1,213 of them.
Police in Baldwin Park had a much busier time at their most recent holiday checkpoint late Friday.
Baldwin Park officers jailed four DUI suspects and issued a total of 89 tickets, 66 of them for driving without a valid license, Baldwin Park police Lt. David Reynoso said.
Seventy-eight vehicles were impounded altogether, with 11 of them being 30-day impounds and the rest being one-day impounds, he said.
ROSEMEAD -- Deputies arrested a Rosemead man who tried, but failed, to rob a Bank of America branch Tuesday, officials said.
Daniel Solis, 19, was booked on suspicion of attempted robbery, Los Angeles County sheriff's officials said in a written statement.
Authorities responded to a call reporting a robbery at the Bank of America, 8856 Valley Blvd., just before 9:30 a.m., officials said.
"Solis had entered the bank and presented a note to the teller demanding cash," according to the statement. "The suspect became suspicious and fled prior to obtaining any money."
As Solis tried to walk away from the bank casually, a bank employee flagged down a nearby sheriff's deputy
At the same time, a bank employee flagged down a deputy who happened to be passing by and pointed out the would-be robber, officials said. Solis was arrested without a struggle.
The FBI and the Sheriff's Major Crimes Bureau are joining the sheriff's Temple Station in the investigation.
According to county booking records, Solis was being held in lieu of $100,000 bail and was due for arraignment Thursday in El Monte Superior Court.
NORWALK -- An man armed with a handgun robbed a woman of her engagement ring and earrings Tuesday, officials said.
The robbery took place about 11:50 a.m. to the rear of a 99 Cents Only Store on Pioneer Boulevard near Rosecrans Avenue, Los Angeles County sheriff's Sgt. Mike Mendoza said.
The woman was approached by the robber who displayed small black handgun tucked into his waistband and demanded the woman's white gold and diamond engagement ring and earrings, the sergeant said. The woman complied and the robber ran off.
Officials described the robber as a Latino man of about 20 to 25 years old, of skinny build, with a shaved head, a goatee and a black hooded sweat shirt. He had an "LA" tattoo on the right side of his neck and lips tattooed on the other side.
Anyone with information is asked to call the sheriff's Norwalk Station.
PASADENA -- A man previously arrested and released in connection with his girlfriend's death after her body was found inside a burning apartment last year has been re-arrested and charged with her murder, police announced Tuesday.
Corey Lavelle Green, 28, of Los Angeles, was re-arrested Dec. 21 and charged one week later with murder, arson and burglary, according to Pasadena police and county booking records.
He's accused of the Sept. 30, 2011 death of Maria Donnelly, 27, of Pasadena, whose body was found inside her burning apartment in the 00 block of Meredith Avenue, Pasadena police officials said in a written statement.
Though Green was arrested and released without charges in the days following the discovery of Donnelly's body, detectives continued gathering evidence, officials said.
"Through their investigation and several weeks of diligent work, detectives identified Ms. Donnelly's boyfriend as the suspect who beat her to death and set the victim's apartment on fire in an attempt to destroy evidence," according to the statement.
According to county booking records, Green is being held in lieu of $1.3 million at the North County Correctional Facility in Castaic. He was due back in Pasadena Superior Court for a hearing Feb. 16.
BALDWIN PARK - Two suspected burglars were arrested New Year's Day after police used GPS tracking to find an iPhone reported stolen earlier that morning.
Baldwin Park police Lt. Dave Reynoso said a woman living in the 3500 block of Stichman Avenue woke up around 5 a.m. on New Year's Day and found that her purse was missing.
"Apparently someone broke into her house while she slept, possibly from an open door," Reynoso said.
After police arrived at her home, the woman and the officers used the GPS tracking feature of the phone to trace it to an address in the 14800 block of Pacific Avenue - about a mile from where she lived.
Reynoso said the officers responded to the address and detained Alberto Zuniga, 40, of Baldwin Park. When they dialed the woman's phone number, they could hear her phone ringing and found it in Zuniga's pocket.
The officers also detained Manual Alfaro, 28, of Baldwin Park at the same home and found him in possession of the woman's credit cards.
Both men were arrested on suspicion of possession of stolen property. Zuniga was also faces a burglary charge.
Zuniga is being held on $46,502 bail at the Baldwin Park jail. Alfaro is being held on $20,000 bail.
Both are due for arraignment at the West Covina courthouse on Wednesday.
- J.D. Velasco
WHITTIER -- Greenleaf Avenue will be closed between La Cuarta and Walnut streets Tuesday morning as firefighters pay tribute to longtime veteran who died last week.
Capt. Gary Morgan, 56, died on Christmas Day after a long bout with illness, officials said. He retired from the department last year.
Firefighters will hold a ceremony in front of Fire Station 28, which is expected to require the closure of the portion of Greenleaf Avenue from 9:30 a.m. to noon, Whittier police officials said.
The 31-year veteran of the Los Angeles County Fire Department made headlines in October of 2000 when he cheated death after falling through a floor and into a burning basement while battling a massive commercial building fire in Whittier. Fellow firefighters came to his rescue.
After recovering from major injuries including second- and third-degree burns and burned lungs, Morgan returned to work at Station 28.
A funeral service for Morgan is scheduled for 11 a.m. Thursday at Plymouth Congregational Church, 12058 Beverly Blvd., according to Rose Hills Memorial Park and Mortuary.
The service will conclude at the internment site on the Portal Lawn inside Gate 1 of Rose Hills, 3888 Workman Mill Road.
TEMPLE CITY -- A deputy fired his gun at a suspect Monday as they fought during an attempted arrest, officials said.
It was unclear if the suspect, who remained at large, was wounded, Los Angeles County sheriff's officials said in a written statement. The deputy was treated for minor injuries suffered in the confrontation.
The incident began when a patrol deputy stopped a bicyclist about 4:30 p.m. in the 10600 block of Lower Azusa Road, in a mixed commercial and residential neighborhood near the El Monte border.
"The deputy began to affect an arrest of the bicyclist (suspect) for a narcotics charge," according to the sheriff's statement. "The deputy and the suspect became involved in a physical struggle, during which a deputy-involved shooting occurred."
The suspect ran off and the search for him continued Tuesday, officials said. It was not known if he had been shot.
Officials described the suspect as a Latino man of about 35 years old, about 5 feet 8 inches tall and 135 pounds.
As is common practice when a sheriff's deputy is involved in an on-duty shooting, the incident is being investigated by the sheriff's homicide and internal affairs bureaus, as well as the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office and the County of Los Angeles Office of Independent Review.
Anyone with information is asked to call the sheriff's Temple Station at 626-285-7171. Tips can also be left anonymously by calling Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477.
CONTRIBUTORS
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| Frank Girardot, Metro Editor for the San Gabriel Valley Newspapers, brings you behind the yellow tape with takes on true crime, cold cases and more. This is also your forum to discuss crime, its impact on your neighborhood and how we cover it. Have any questions or tips? You can leave a comment here or e-mail Frank. |
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Brian Day is the crime reporter for the San Gabriel Valley Newspaper group. E-mail Brian. |
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