Suspect jailed in Pasadena attempted carjacking

PASADENA — Police jailed a transient early Sunday after he tried to carjack a man on Colorado Boulevard, authorities said.
Trevon Vickers, 22, was booked on suspicion of attempted carjacking following the 1:20 a.m. incident on Colorado Boulevard, just east of Fair Oaks Avenue, Pasadena police Lt. Diego Torres said. He is a transient known to frequent the Pasadena area.
Two men in their 30s were inside a parked car when they were confronted by Vickers, the lieutenant said.
“The suspect approached the driver of the car and demanded he give him the keys,” Torres said. “The victim refused, and a they got into a physical altercation.”
No weapons were believed to be involved in the fight, which resulted in no significant injuries, he added.
Meanwhile, Torres said, the passenger was able to flag down a nearby police officer, who immediately detained Vickers.
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UPDATE: Robbery suspect fatally shot by police in Pasadena; co-suspect accused of murder

PASADENA – An officer involved shooting late Saturday near the intersection of Fair Oaks Avenue and Orange Grove Boulevard resulted in the death of a 20-year-old Azusa man, police said.
Kendrec Lavelle McDade died at a hospital shortly after the 11 p.m. shooting, police said.
No officers were injured, Pasadena police Chief Phillip Sanchez said Sunday morning.
A second suspect arrested in connection with the incident, a 17-year-old Pasadena boy, was booked on suspicion of murder, Pasadena police Lt. Tracey Ibarra said.
The incident began when an unidentified victim was robbed at gunpoint by two suspects near a taco truck at Oaks Avenue and Orange Grove Boulevard, the lieutenant said.
Pasadena police officers responding to the scene spotted McDade, who was running north on Fair Oaks, Ibarra said. The officers, who were not identified, tried to detain him.
“The suspect put his hands in his waistband at some point,” Sanchez said. “Both officers fired striking the suspect.”
No weapon was found at the shooting scene Sunday, though police continued combing the area, Ibarra said.
McDade was taken to a local hospital where he died, according to police and coroner’s officials. A second suspect, identified as a 17-year-old Pasadena boy, was arrested nearby without incident.
The teen was booked on suspicion of murder under the legal theory that he committed a felony that resulted in the death of a co-suspect, Ibarra said.
In the initial robbery, a customer of a taco truck spotted at least one of the suspects removing items from his car, Ibarra said.
The details of what took place next remained under investigation, she said, but the victim reported that one of the suspects, “displayed a handgun to the victim in a threatening manner.”
The man called police and reported he had just been the victim of an armed robbery and followed his robbers while relaying to police their descriptions and directions of travel, Ibarra said.
A team of investigators from the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office is also investigating the shooting, Sanchez said.
Police kept Sunset Avenue, between Orange Grove Boulevard and Yale Street, closed down as they investigated the scene Sunday morning.
It it a protocol of the Pasadena Police Department to have officers meet with a psychologist prior to returning to work, Ibarra said.
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Toddler dies after family struck by pickup truck while sitting at bus stop in El Monte

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EL MONTE — An 18-month-old girl died and her grandmother and 12-year-old uncle were injured Saturday after they were struck by a car while sitting at a bus stop, authorities said.
The toddler’s name was not released Sunday pending confirmation that her family had been notified, Los Angeles County Department of Coroner Lt. Cheryl MacWillie said.
The crash took place just after 2 p.m. as a 36-year-old El Monte woman was sitting with her 18-month-old granddaughter and 12-year-old son on a bus stop bench at Valley Boulevard and Mountain View Road, El Monte police Lt. Richard Cano said.
A 59-year-old El Monte man tried to park his 1999 GMC pickup truck in the parking lot of a nearby Walgreens, officials said.
“For an unknown reason, the vehicle accelerated, jumped the curb and struck a bus bench occupied by the victims, coming to a rest against an Edison pole and guide wire,” according to Motor Officer Ryan Abbott.
The toddler died from her injures at an area hospital, police said. Her her grandmother remained hospitalized in critical condition Sunday, and the woman’s 12-year-old son was listed in stable condition.
The driver of the pickup truck remained at the scene and cooperated with investigators, Cano said, and no crime was initially suspected.
The crash is being investigated by the El Monte Police Department’s Traffic Safety Bureau.
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UPDATE: Worker badly burned in explosion at Industry pottery company

INDUSTRY – A chemical explosion at an pottery company Saturday left a worker hospitalized in critical condition,authorities said.
The explosion was reported at 1:17 p.m. at a business at Laguna Clay, 14400 Lomitas Avenue, Los Angeles County sheriff’s and fire officials said.
A 36-year-old employee was cutting an old metal barrel with a torch when it exploded, apparently due to residue of an unknown flammable material that had been stored in it, sheriff’s Sgt. Tom Wilson said.
The badly burned man was hospitalized in critical condition, officials said.
Sheriff’s officials had previously reported that two employees had been injured, but later said that only one employee was hurt.
A hazardous material crew was unable to identify what the substance in the barrel was, but determined it was non-toxic, Wilson said.
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Memorial Park in Sierra Madre targeted by graffiti vandals

SIERRA MADRE — Visitors to Memorial Park Saturday morning found extensive graffiti damage, police said.
Benches, walls and the playground area of the park, 222 W. Sierra Madre Blvd., were found to be vandalized, Sierra Madre police Sgt. Joe Ortiz said.
Officials estimated that the park sustained $800-$1,000 worth of damage.
Anyone with information is asked to call Sierra Madre police at 626-355-1414.
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Burglar tries to force way into occupied Sierra Madre home

SIERRA MADRE — A burglar smashed the window of a family’s house early Saturday, but apparently ran off before getting inside, police said.
The incident was reported about 8 a.m. in the 600 block of Holly Trail Path, Sierra Madre police Sgt. Joe Ortiz said.
“Residents were home. They heard the sound of breaking glass,” Ortiz said.
The would-be intruder apparently fled after realizing the home was occupied, the sergeant said. A description of the burglar was not available.
Police found that a window screen at the home had been pried off and a window smashed, he added.
Anyone with information is asked to call Sierra Madre police at 626-355-1414.
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Missing Arcadia sex offender found at hospital

ARCADIA — A missing registered sex offender who suffers from dementia turned up safe, but disoriented, at a hospital Friday after going missing for 11 days, police said.
James Randall McCain, 58, went missing from his home on West Huntington Drive March 12, according to Arcadia police. Police asked the public’s help in finding him as he suffers from medical conditions including dementia.
“Mr. McCain was transported to the hospital after experiencing an undisclosed medical condition and will be hospitalized for an undetermined amount of time,” Arcadia police officials said in a written statement.
McCain was confused and appeared as if he had been wandering the streets for some time, however he did not appear to have been the victim of any crime, Lt. Bob Anderson said.
McCain is a registered sex offender for a conviction of lewd or lascivious acts with a child under 14, according to a state registry.
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2nd UPDATE: Local man found shot to death in La Puente

LA PUENTE — Little information was available Saturday after a man was found fatally shot on sidewalk in a residential neighborhood of La Puente.
The body of Ellis Rachal Jr., 44, of La Puente, was found shortly before 4 a.m. in the 15900 block of Hill Street, according to Los Angeles County sheriff’s and coroner’s officials.
He was first found lying on the sidewalk with a gunshot wound to his chest by a passer-by, coroner’s officials added.
Several nearby residents said they heard what they believed to be gunshots shortly before the body was found, however officials were also looking into the possibility the shooting occurred elsewhere and the body was dropped off on Hill Street.
Nearby resident Jaime Gonzalez said he was awakened about 3:30 a.m. by what sounded like three to four gunshots, but was not aware of the death until he left his home for work several hours later.
Authorities cordoned off the area during their initial investigation and prevented residents from leaving until about 6:30 a.m., he said.
The shooting is being investigated by the Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau, and anyone with information is asked to contact homicide detectives at 323-890-5500.
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West Covina man convicted of manslaughter for fatal crash; jury deadlocks on murder charge

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POMONA — A jury convicted a West Covina man of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and other crimes for a fatal car crash just over a year ago in which his 19-year-old passenger was killed.
The jury failed to reach a verdict on the charge of murder, officials said.
William Garzon, 22, already had two drunken driving convictions when he crashed his car in the early morning hours of March 18, 2010, after a night of partying on St. Patrick’s Day, officials said. The crash in the 2800 block of Cortez Street claimed the life of his acquaintance and passenger, 19-year-old Niamarie Lopez of West Covina.
“He killed his passenger after being warned and warned (about drunken driving),” said Deputy District Attorney Stacy Okun-Wiese, who prosecuted the case.
After four days of trial and a week of deliberation, the Pomona Superior Court jury found Garzon guilty of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, driving under the influence, driving with a blood-alcohol level above .08 and driving with a suspended license, Okun-Wiese said.
The jury hung, however, on a fifth charge of murder. Judge Steven Blades declared a mistrial after the jurors revealed they were deadlocked on the murder charge.
Garzon faces up to 15 years to life in prison for the other charges when he returns to court for sentencing April 18, Okun-Wiese said. At that time, officials will also hold a pre-trial hearing to discuss whether prosecutors will re-try Garzon on the charge of murder.
Lopez’s sister, Shae Yamaguchi, said, though the trial process is a difficult one, she wants to see Garzon tried again on the murder charge.
“This kid who killed my sister is absolutely guilty of murder,” she said. “I was really upset that (the jury) could not find him guilty of second-degree murder.”
The murder charge stemmed from the fact that Garzon had two previous convictions for DUI in 2008 and 2010, Okun-Wiese explained.
When defendants are convicted of drunken driving, they are warned, either in writing or by a judge, that further drunken driving could cause a death, the prosecutor said.
In the case of Garzon, Okun-Wiese said, he received such a warning twice after his previous DUI convictions. 
“He was read one in court, and he signed the other one,” she said. 
Prosecutors have argued successfully in the past that the reckless disregard for human life displayed by drivers in some fatal crashes — such as repeated drunken drivers or street racers — amounts to “implied malice” and makes them guilty of murder.
Yamaguchi recalled her sister as “the life of the party,” the “center of attention,” and “absolutely gorgeous.”
“There were 1,200 people at her funeral, and she was 19 years old,” she said.
Lopez was raised in West Covina and graduated South Hills High School, Yamaguchi said. She was studying to become a nurse and worked for the Southern California Gas Company at the time of her death.
“She was extremely charismatic and talkative. She was a friend to the friendless,” her sister said. “She loved people in general.”
PHOTO of Niamarie Lopez courtesy of family members.
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Azusa man suspected of graffiti vandalism

AZUSA — Police arrested a 22-year-old Azusa man early Friday on suspicion of graffiti vandalism after he was spotted writing with a marker on a utility box, police said.
Juan Arrona was released with a citation following his arrest shortly after midnight Friday in the 400 block of West First Street, Azusa police Sgt. John Madaloni said in a written statement.
A resident called police to report seeing the vandalism taking place, and officers spotted Arrona walking away from the area, the sergeant said.
“Arrona was also in possession of a black marker which matched the fresh graffiti located on the utility box,” Madaloni said. “Arrona later admitted to his crime, but identified it as ‘wall art’ rather than graffiti.”
The damage to the utility box was estimated at $200, police added.
Azusa police encourage anyone who sees graffiti vandalism in the city to report it, officials said, and the department launched a program in January that rewards tipsters with cash rewards.
The program, started Jan. 22, offers $100 instant rewards for those who report graffiti incidents that lead to an arrest, Madaloni explained.
For the safety of the tipsters, he added, police will not discuss whether rewards were paid in any specific cases.
Even before the award, Azusa residents have proven themselves willing to cooperate with police to stop graffiti vandalism, Madaloni said.
“We’ve seen time and time again evidence of community pride, and that people see their role in combatting crime,” he said.
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