Monthly Archives: December 2012

Vigil planned in Pasadena to honor slain sheriff’s employee and community volunteer

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PASADENA — A vigil is planned late Thursday to honor the life of a 49-year-old Pasadena man, sheriff’s employee and community volunteer believed to have been killed by a stray bullet on Christmas Day.
The candlelight vigil for Victor McClinton will take place at 6 p.m. on the steps of Pasadena City Hall, 100 N. Garfield Avenue, said Head Coach Jymm Adams of the Pasadena-based nonprofit Brotherhood Community Youth Sports League, which McClinton founded.
“Victor was an outstanding person,” Adams said.
McClinton was fatally shot shortly after 11 a.m. Tuesday in the 1900 block of Newport Avenue, according to Pasadena police.
He was believed to be an innocent bystander killed by a bullet intended for another man, who police described as a gang associate, who was driving a vehicle along the sidewalk where McClinton was walking, investigators said.
The 24-year-old man was also struck by the gunfire but expected to survive his injuries, officials said.
In addition to founding the Brotherhood Community Youth Sports League, McClinton worked for the past 18 years as a law enforcement technician for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
No suspect description was available.

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74-year-old woman struck by car while crossing street in Glendora

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GLENDORA — Rescuers flew an elderly Glendora woman to trauma center in unknown condition Thursday after she was struck by a car while crossing the street, officials said.
The 74-year-old woman was crossing west across Amelia Avenue in a crosswalk when she was struck by a southbound vehicle, Glendora police Lt. Rob Lamborghini said.
The driver remained at the scene and cooperated with investigators, he said, and no crime was initially suspected.
Officials said the woman suffered a head injury. Her condition was unavailable, however she was conscious and able to speak with rescuers at the scene.
It initially appeared a fogged up windshield and sun glare may have played a role in the collision, Lamborghini said.

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Pasadena Food 4 Less employees detain alleged attempted rapist

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PASADENA — Supermarket employees came to the aid of a woman who was being attacked in a restroom Wednesday and held the culprit until officers arrived, police said.
The woman was using a restroom at the Food 4 Less in the 1300 block of North Lake Avenue just after 8 a.m. when a man entered.
Pasadena Police Lt. Pete Hettema said the man knocked the woman to the ground and tried to assault her. She fought him off.
The store employees heard the woman’s screams and held the man for police, according to Hettema.
He said Villaporo Cruz-Molina, 20, was arrested on suspicion of attempted rape. The suspect’s city of residence wasn’t known.
The victim, a 24-year-old woman from Walnut Park, complained of neck pain and was taken to a hospital to be checked out, Hettema said.

– Ruby Gonzales

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Transient stabbed in leg in West Covina

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WEST COVINA — A transient who suffered a stab wound to the leg told police two men attacked him Wednesday night.
Hospital staff notified West Covina police about the injured man who ended up at their facility.
West Covina police Lt. Ken Plunkett said the incident happened at 9:29 p.m. outside a bar in the 300 block of South Glendora Avenue.
The victim told officers he was approached by two men. One punched him in the face, he fell to the ground and was punched again, according to Plunkett.
The victim felt his leg hurting and saw it bleeding. Plunkett said the man realized he’d been stabbed.
Someone took the wounded man to the hospital.
The victim didn’t know why he was attacked. He described the suspects only as two men, possibly Latinos.

– Ruby Gonzales

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Officials: Gang member accused of shooting at deputies in Pico Rivera

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PICO RIVERA — A Pico Rivera man was arrested Tuesday night for allegedly shooting at deputies.
A police dog sniffed out the suspect and bit him. Deputies also recovered a gun.
Lt. Andrew Meyer of the sheriff’s Pico Rivera station said deputies patrolling the area saw a man with a handgun about 10:45 p.m. Tuesday in the 4600 block of Pine Street.
When they tried to detain the gunman, Meyer said the man ran and fired three rounds at the deputies.
Deputies closed off the area, called for a K-9 unit and searched for the suspect.
Meyer said a police dog located the suspect and deputies also found a .38-caliber revolver.
Cesar Romero, 20, of Pico Rivera was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, shooting a firearm in a negligent manner and for three gun possession charges, according to Meyer. He said Romero is a known gang member.
Sheriff’s booking records show Romero is being held without bail at the Pico Rivera station. He has a Friday arraignment at Whittier Superior Court.

– Ruby Gonzales

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Man robbed while jogging near Rose Bowl

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PASADENA — A man jogging near the Rose Bowl lost an MP3 player and $20 to two robbers on Wednesday.
Pasadena Police Lt. Pete Hettema said a 32-year-old Altadena man was jogging on a trail near Rosemont Avenue and Washington Boulevard around 1 p.m. when he was accosted by two men.
One of the robbers was armed with a handgun, Hettema said.
They took the victim’s MP3 player and cash then left.
One of the suspects was described as a black man in his early 20s, 5 feet 10 inches tall, 180 pounds and wore a red hooded sweatshirt.
The second suspect was described as a black man in his early 20s, 5 feet 6 inches tall, 180 pounds and garbed in a black hooded sweatshirt.

– Ruby Gonzales

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Man wounded in Norwalk shooting

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NORWALK — Deputies responding to a call of shots fired in a neighborhood found a wounded man Wednesday night.
Sheriff’s Lt. Frank Rivera said the shooting was reported around 11:20 p.m. in the 14300 block of Falco Avenue.
Deputies responding to a report of a gunshot victim found the man, 30, suffering from a gunshot wound to his upper torso, Lt. Bill Evans said.
He was taken to a hospital where he was listed in stable condition after undergoing surgery, he added.
The circumstances of the shooting were not immediately clear.
The suspect or suspects fled in a white vehicle, officials said, however no further description was available.

– Staff report

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Santa Fe Springs shooting suspects arrested after chase, crash

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SANTA FE SPRINGS — Two men shot up an occupied car Wednesday before leading police on a high-speed chase that ended with a crash, authorities said.
An office was on patrol just before 9:45 a.m. when he heard shots around Santa Fe Springs Road and Ann Street and spotted a four-door sedan leaving the area, Whittier police Lt. Randy Inman said.
The officer followed the vehicle, and initiated a pursuit when it failed to pull over, the lieutenant said.
It was soon determined that the men inside the car had just shot at a Scion containing three men, striking the car four times but not injuring the occupants, Inman said.
The car sped down Los Nietos Road at about 80 mph before colliding with a northbound vehicle at the intersection with Norwalk Boulevard, police said. The suspects’ car overturned.
The two men inside the flipped sedan were arrested, Inman said. One of them was taken to a hospital for treatment of injuries suffered in the crash.
A woman who was driving the vehicle the suspects’ crashed into was also hospitalized with apparently non-life-threatening injuries, he said.
The names of the suspects’ were not immediately available.
Just before crashing, the suspects sped past the scene of another crash Friday which left two young boys dead and their father seriously injured on Los Nietos Road, just east of Norwalk Boulevard, officials said.
Authorities called for a search dog from a surrounding agency as they hunted for the gun involved in the shooting Wednesday morning.

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UPDATED: Elderly West Covina woman killed by alleged drunken, racing driver

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WEST COVINA — An elderly West Covina woman died and two young Rialto men were suspected of murder after a Christmas Day crash police suspect involved street racing and drunken driving.
Celia La Torre, 90, died at the scene of Tuesday’s 9 p.m. crash at Lark Ellen and Merced Avenues, according to West Covina police Cpl. Rudy Lopez.
Vincent Lopez, 30, of Rialto was arrested on suspicion of murder and drunken driving in connection with the crash, while Victor Hugo Sanchez, 34, of Rialto was arrested on suspicion of murder, the corporal said.
A Mitsubishi Eclipse and a Ford Escort were southbound on Lark Ellen Avenue from Cameron Avenue about 9 p.m. when the Mitsubishi broadsided a Dodge Caravan being driven east on Merced Avenue by Torre’s 72-year-old son, West Covina police Lt. Jerry Pearman said.
“Witnesses reported seeing the Eclipse racing with a red Ford Escort,” Cpl. Lopez said.
“Based on witness statements, we suspect that they did run a red light,” Pearman added.
It appeared the speeding cars ran a red light when the Eclipse slammed into the minivan, Pearman added.
The elderly passenger, who used a wheelchair and had just been released from a West Covina hospital where she was undergoing treatment, was thrown from the minivan and pronounced dead at the scene, police said.
The minivan driver’s elderly mother was thrown from the vehicle in the crash, officials said. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
The driver of the minivan was taken to a hospital in stable condition, Pearman said.
The driver of the Mitsubishi — later identified as Vincent Lopez — suffered a broken leg and was arrested at the scene, while his passenger fled the car on foot and was detained and questioned by police nearby, Pearman said.
The Ford Escort believed to have been racing the Mitsubishi fled the scene, Cpl. Lopez said, however follow-up investigation led detectives to arrest the alleged driver, Sanchez, early Wednesday in Pomona, Lopez said.
Both were booked on suspicion of murder, while suspect Lopez was also booked on suspicion of drunken driving, officials said.
The Ford was believed to have had passengers inside when the crash occurred, and police continued seeking them for questioning Wednesday.
The occupants of both the Mitsubishi and Ford were believed to have just left a bar in the 200 block of South Glendora Avenue prior to the crash, officials said.
Any witnesses, or anyone with information, is asked to contact West Covina police at 626-939-8500.

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UPDATE: Pasadena Christmas Day shooting victim identified as sheriff’s employee, community volunteer

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PASADENA — A man shot to death in a Christmas Day shooting in Pasadena has been identified as a 49-year-old longtime Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department employee, authorities said Wednesday.
Victor J. McClinton, who worked as a sheriff’s law enforcement technician since 1994, died at a hospital shortly after the shooting, according to Los Angeles County sheriff’s and Pasadena police officials.
He was wounded along with another man, who was hospitalized in critical condition following the the 11 a.m. shooting in the 1900 block of Newport Avenue, near Wyoming Street, Pasadena police officials said.
Police responded to a reports of gunshots heard in the area when they found two men suffering from gunshot wounds, Pasadena police said in a written statement.
Both victims were taken to a hospital, where one died and the other was listed in critical condition, officials said. The identity of the surviving shooting victim was not released.
Details including a suspect description and motive were not available.
Sheriff’s spokesman Steve Whitmore said McClinton is survived by a wife and two grown sons.
He worked as a law enforcement technician assigned to court services.
“He really was considered an extraordinary employee and this is a tragic situation,” Whitmore said.
“He was a member of our family,” Whitmore added. “He will be missed.”
Law enfrocement techinicians carry out a variety of taks in support of their sworn counterparts in the sheriff’s department, serving as it’s “backbone,” Whitmore explained.
In addition, McClinton was also the Youth Sports Director at the Pasadena-based nonprofit Brotherhood Community Youth Sports League.
“Please know that your prayers are both needed and appreciated as the McClinton family and our community mourn this loss,” according to a statement posted on the organization’s website. “(His wife) Shelly has specifically asked that we remember Victor for the life he lived as a community leader, youth advocate, devoted father to Kristian and Kameron, brother, friend and as a loving husband to Shelly.”
Represenatives of the organization could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
McClinton graduated Verbum Dei High School in Los Angeles and Pasadena City College, where he studied recreation and administration of justice, according to his biography on Brotherhood Community Youth Sports League’s website.
Anyone with information can reach the Pasadena Police Department at (626) 744-4501.

PHOTO of Vincent McClinton courtesy of the Pasadena Police Department

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