Monthly Archives: July 2012

Glendora cell phone store robbed

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GLENDORA — An armed man stole cash and cell phones from a business during a robbery earlier this week, police said Wednesday.
The crime took place about 7:30 p.m. Monday at a cell phone store in the 600 block of South Grand Avenue, Glendora police Lt. Robert Lamborghini said.
“The suspect initially posed as a customer, but then pulled a gun,” the lieutenant said. He demanded cash, receiving several hundred dollars from the cash register.
“He also grabbed some cell phones that were in a nearby case,” Lamborghini said. Between five and eight phones were stolen, with an estimated value of about $1,500.
Police described the robber as a Latino man in his 30s, about 5 feet 9 inches tall, of medium build, with a mustache. He wore a blue shirt and blue pants.
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UPDATED: Man critically wounded in San Dimas shooting

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SAN DIMAS — A man was hospitalized in critical condition Sunday after he was found suffering from gunshot wounds along Via Verde, authorities said.
The shooting victim, described as a Latino man in his early 20s, was discovered lying wounded on the ground shortly before 7 p.m. along Via Verde, near the 10 Freeway, Los Angeles County sheriff’s Sgt. Rebecca Rodriquez said. He had been struck in the hip and back.
Rescuers flew the man to a trauma center in critical condition, and he was immediately rushed into surgery, she said.
The circumstances of the shooting remained a mystery late Sunday, and a suspect description was not available.
Anyone with information is asked to call the sheriff’s San Dimas Station at 909-450-2700.
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Young man accused of shooting friends’ homes in West Covina

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WEST COVINA — A drunken 18-year-old West Covina man shot the homes of two friends he had been in a dispute with before being arrested early Sunday, police said.
Gabriel Ray Sanchez was booked on suspicion of attempted murder, shooting at an inhabited dwelling and making criminal threats in connection with the incident, which began shortly after 2 a.m., according to West Covina police officials and county booking records.
He had been involved in a fight with two friends last week, and threatened to “get them back,” West Covina police Lt. Alan Henley said.
He followed through on his threat early Sunday, when he shot through the bedroom window of one of the friends in the 3000 block of East Pinefalls Drive, missing the young man inside, the lieutenant said.
While police spoke with the young man believed to have been targeted in the shooting, Henley said, the victim explained the situation and told officers they might want to check on the nearby home of his friend in the 3100 block of East Levelglen Drive, who had also been threatened by Sanchez.
When police arrived at the Levelglen Drive home, they spotted Sanchez’s car parked out front, he said. Sanchez was crouched down inside, hiding.
Officers took Sanchez, who appeared to be drunk, into custody and found a .22-caliber rifle in his car, the lieutenant said.
As officers investigated the scene, “They found out he had actually just shot at the house,” he said. No one inside was injured.
According to county booking records, Sanchez was being held in lieu of $1 million bail pending his initial court appearance.
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Bear, cubs return to Altadena neighborhood

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ALTADENA — A bear and her two cubs who made headlines in May as they napped on an Altadena tree returned to the foothill city Saturday, this time taking a dip in a hot tub before scampering out of sight, authorities said.
The mother bear and cubs were spotted about 3:30 p.m. on a 4-acre property in the 1400 block of Edgecliff Lane — the same neighborhood in which they attracted a cadre of media cameras during their previous visit May 3, according to Los Angeles County sheriff’s officials.
By the time deputies arrived, the bears had wandered off and could not be found, officials said.
Bear visits to foothill cities becoming more common during summer and fall, when there is little rainfall, officials said.
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“It is always wise to give a bear as much room as you possibly can,” sheriff’s officials said in a written statement.
If the bear populations continue increasing, officials added, incidents of bears coming into neighborhoods to eat from fruit trees and drink from swimming pools and spas will likely become more frequent.
Black bears were first introduced into the San Gabriel Mountains in 1933.
“They are all descendants of 11 bears deported from Yosemite National Park for being troublemakers,” according to the statement.
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PHOTOS courtesy of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department
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Missing El Monte man, son, found safe

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EL MONTE — A man who went missing along with his 2-year-old son earlier this week were found safe in El Monte Saturday, police said.
Benito Telan, 30, disappeared along with his son following an argument with the boy’s mother Wednesday, according to El Monte police Detective Jeff Girgle.
He was not believed to be a danger to the child or anyone else, police said, however the mother grew worried after he and the boy failed to return from a bicycle ride.
The worried mother spotted Telan and their son about 3 p.m. Saturday in the area of Valley Boulevard and Mountain View Road, Lt. David Vautrin said. Officers met him inside a nearby Walgreens store.
The man told officers he was on his way home after spending a few nights at a motel with his son, Vautrin said.
The mother and son were reunited, and no crime was suspected, police added.
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Arcadia man pleads not guilty to attempted murder charge in wife’s stabbing

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PASADENA — An Arcadia man accused of repeatedly stabbing his wife earlier this week pleaded not guilty Friday to an attempted murder charge.
Steve Oang, 48, was arrested Monday after the 5:30 p.m. stabbing at the couple’s home on Hempstead Avenue, just south of Live Oak Avenue, in an unincorporated county area near Arcadia.
He appeared in Pasadena Superior Court to enter his not guilty plea, court officials said. His next hearing was scheduled for July 27.
Deputies responded to a report of a family disturbance call when they found Steve Oang in the backyard, sheriff’s officials said. He was suffering from a stab wound to his abdomen that was believed to be self-inflicted.
Deputies also discovered the man’s 43-year-old wife in the master bedroom of the home, suffering from multiple stab wounds to her torso, authorities said.
Steve Oang was booked into jail after being treated and released from a hospital for his injury.
He was being held in lieu of $1.15 million bail, according to county booking records.
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Details continue to emerge in Baldwin Park homicide

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BALDWIN PARK — The fatal shooting of a 20-year-old Baldwin Park man last week is believed to have been the result of a car-to-car shootout between rival gang members, a detective said Friday.
Guillermo Reyes died at a hospital shortly after being shot in the head while driving a car just after 10 p.m. June 25 on Center Avenue, just south of Los Angeles Street, coroner’s officials said.
His passenger, 21-year-old Jamie Martinez of Baldwin Park, was arrested on suspicion of carrying a loaded handgun and auto theft, said Detective Ferguson of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau, who declined to give his first name.
Investigators suspect the gunfire traveled in both directions between the cars.
“It appeared to be a shootout,” he said.
The car the two men were riding in had been reported stolen recently in the San Gabriel Valley, he said, and investigators recovered a loaded and recently-fired handgun.
Following the shooting, Martinez <NO1>reached over from the passenger side of the car to take <NO>took control of the vehicle and drove his wounded companion to the hospital, Ferguson said.
The detective described both men as known, documented gang members.
The attacker or attackers, who pulled up alongside Reyes and Martinez before the gun battle, were believed to be members of a rival gang, Ferguson said.
“We gave some good leads we’re following up,” he added.
Martinez pleaded not guilty June 28 to felony charges of carrying a loaded and unregistered handgun, carrying a loaded firearm with intent to commit a felony and auto theft, Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office spokeswoman Sandi Gibbons said. Prosecutors also made the special allegation the auto theft was done for the benefit of a criminal street gang, and that the charges are felonies requiring prison time if convicted.
He was due back in West Covina Superior Court July 12 for a prelminary hearing, Gibbons said.
According to county booking records, he was being held in lieu of $145,000 at the North County Correctional Facility in Castaic.
Anyone with information regarding the shooting was asked to contact the Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500.
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CHP plans checkpoint in unincorporated Covina

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COVINA — California Highway Patrol officials are planning a checkpoint Saturday in an unincorporated county area near Covina.
The checkpoint will target intoxicated drivers and will begin at 6 p.m. at an undisclosed location, CHP officials said in a written statement.
Traffic permitting, officials said, officers will check all vehicles that pass through the checkpoint, according to the statement. If traffic becomes too heavy, officers will screen drivers based on a pre-determined formula, such as every third car or every fifth car.
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Ex-fugitive pleads not guilty to 2000 Norwalk armored car robbery

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NORWALK — A suspect in a 2000 armored car heist in Norwalk who spent 11 years as a fugitive before being captured in Canada two months ago pleaded not guilty in court Friday, officials said.
Vuthy Sok, 39, was an employee of Sectran Security Armored Car when he robbed the company of a bag full of cash on June 7, 2000, Capt. Patrick Maxwell of the sheriff’s Norwalk Station said in a written statement.
After being located in Quebec, Canada, in 2011 and jailed by Canadian authorities early this year, Sok was extradited back to Southern California to face charges in May, officials said.
After entering a not guilty plea Friday in Norwalk Superior Court, Sok was ordered to return July 24 for a pre-trial hearing, court officials said.
Sok and his partner picked up money from a business in the 14000 block of Pioneer Boulevard in Norwalk prior to the 2000 robbery, officials said.
“Suspect Vuthy Sok threatened his partner and stole a money bag containing a large amount of U.S. currency and fled the scene,” Maxwell said.
Though authorities knew his identity immediately, Sok remained at-large for years, officials said. He was featured several times on the television show, “America’s Most Wanted.”
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Two-car crash sends two to hospital in unincorporated Covina

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COVINA — A Covina man was flown to the hospital and another man suffered what appeared to be minor injuries following a two-car crash on Badillo Avenue Thursday in an unincorporated county area near Covina, officials said.
The crash took place about 6:12 p.m. in the intersection of Badillo Street and Sunflower Avenue, California Highway Patrol Officer Kerri Rivas said.
Officials continued investigating the cause of the crash Friday, Rivas said, however it initially appeared a Covina man in his early-60s was making a left turn from Badillo Street onto Sunflower Avenue when he collided with an Audi A5 heading west on Badillo Street. The Audi was being driven by a San Dimas man in his early 20s.
“(The Toyota driver) made a left turn directly into the (the Audi’s) path of travel,” Rivas said.
Officials flew the Toyota driver to a hospital as a precaution, Rivas said. His injuries were believed to be minor-to-moderate.
The driver of the Audi was taken to a hospital for apparently minor injuries, she said.
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