Monthly Archives: June 2013

Police seek public’s help tracking down Covina hit-and-run driver

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COVINA — Police sought the public’s help Friday in tracking down the driver of a BMW who fled the scene after a crash that seriously injured a motorcyclist earlier this month.
The crash took place at 10:17 p.m. June 18 at Workman and Eastbury avenues, Covina police Sgt. Ray Marquez said in a written statement.
The motorcyclist involved in the collision suffered “severe injuries,” the sergeant said.
“The suspect vehicle continued northbound on Eastbury Avenue at a high rate of speed, leaving the motorcyclist down in the street,” Marquez said.
Police described the car as a gray, 2005 to 2008 BMW 745 or 750 series. The car had four doors and sustained damage to the front left bumper and headlight.
Further details regarding the circumstances of the collision were not available Friday.
Any witnesses, or anyone with information was asked to contact Covina police Officer Rick Ramirez at 626-384-5673.

PHOTO:

Covina police are seeking a BMW sedan similar to the one pictures here in connection with a hit-and-run crash that left a motorcyclist badly injured at Workman and Eastbury avenues in Covina on Tuesday, June 18, 2013. (Courtesy of the Covina Police Department)

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Glendora home ransacked in burglary

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GLENDORA — Police surrounded a home where a burglar was believed to have been holed-up Friday, but ultimately found the intruder had escaped, police said.
The incident began when a neighbor called police about 1:45 p.m. to report seeing something she found suspicious: a man sprinting through the 100 block of Whispering Oaks Drive in long-sleeves and pants in the middle of the afternoon on a day with temperatures above 100 degrees, Glendora police Capt. Tim Staab said.
Officers arrived at the scene within two minutes and discovered that a front window of a nearby home had been broken and forced open, the captain said.
Believing the burglary may still be inside, officers surrounded the home and called in a police helicopter and K-9 to help, Staab said.
They ultimately entered the home, finding it ransacked, he said. But the burglar was gone.
It was unclear what, if anything, had been stolen from the house.

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Man robbed after meeting couple online for sexual encounter at motel near Covina

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COVINA — A man who rendezvoused with a couple for sex at a San Dimas motel after meeting them on Craigslist ended up robbed at knifepoint early Thursday, officials said.
The crime was reported about 3 a.m. at the Evergreen Inn, 20022 E. Arrow Highway in an unincorporated county area near Covina, Los Angeles County sheriff’s Lt. David Vega said.
After contacting the couple through Craigslist, the 39-year-old Monterey Park man met with them at a park before they agreed to go to the motel so the victim and female suspect could have sex while the male suspect watched, officials said. There was no initial mention of money changing hands.
“When the victim disrobed, the suspects took the victim’s clothes, money and vehicle,” Vega said.
The male robber put a knife to the victim’s throat, while the woman collected his belongings and car keys, he added. The robbers were also believed to have a gun with them.
Vega said the robbers fled in the victim’s older-model SUV, which was found abandoned in Covina early Thursday.
The male robber was described as Latino, about 29 years old, 5 feet 6 inches tall, and 230 pounds, Vega said. The female robber was also Latina and about 29 years old. She was 5 feet 4 inches tall and about 140 pounds.
The investigation was ongoing.

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UPDATED: Boy flown to hospital after being struck by car driven by off-duty police sergeant in Irwindale

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IRWINDALE — Rescuers rushed a young boy to a trauma center Thursday after he was struck by a car driven by an off-duty Irwindale police sergeant while riding his scooter across the street, officials said.
The incident took place about 7 p.m. on Calle Del Norte, just east of Irwindale Avenue, according to Los Angeles County Fire Department and California Highway Patrol officials.
The boy, who appeared to be about 7 years old, was flown by helicopter to a hospital in unknown condition, though he was conscious and breathing, CHP Officer Joshua Duran said. The injuries were not believed to be life-threatening.
The boy, who lives across the street from Irwindale Park, was riding his electric Razor scooter southbound across Calle Del Norte to meet his family, which was already at the park for an evening concert, the officer said.
After leaving the driveway, he was struck by a westbound Lexus GS 300, Duran said. It was being driven by an off-duty Irwindale police sergeant who was on his way to work at the police station about half a block away from the scene of the crash.
The impact threw the boy about 20 feet, officials said.
His injuries could have been worse, Duran added. “From what I understand, he was wearing a helmet.”
The investigation remained in it’s early stages, however it initially appeared the Lexus was traveling within the speed limit of 25 mph when it struck the boy, Duran added. The name of the police sergeant at the wheel was not released.
The cause of the crash was being investigated by officers from the Baldwin Park office of the CHP.

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Bomb threat phoned in to West Covina FBI building

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WEST COVINA — A telephoned bomb threat caused a stir at the FBI’s office in West Covina, but was ultimately determined to be unfounded, authorities said.
A call was placed to the Whittier Police Department shortly before 4:20 p.m. threatening to detonate a bomb at the FBI building, 1050 Lakes Drive, Suite 350, West Covina police Sgt. Ken Plunkett said.
West Covina police joined FBI agents at the scene, and determined within half an hour that the threat was not credible, the sergeant said.
The FBI would be handling the investigation into the identity of the caller, he said.

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Fire tears through carport in Pasadena

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PASADENA — A fire scorched a Summit Avenue carport and a vehicle parked inside late Wednesday, officials said.
The fire broke out about 10:30 p.m. in the 1000 block of North Summit Avenue in a carport behind a two-story apartment building, Pasadena Fire Department officials said.
It caused an estimated $100,000 to the carport and its contents before firefighters doused the flames, Pasadena fire spokeswoman Lisa Derderian said. A laundry room attached to the carport was also damaged.
No injuries were reported, she said, and the cause had not been determined.

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Woman fatally shot in Pico Rivera

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PICO RIVERA — A 28-year-old Pico Rivera woman died late Wednesday after being shot in a residential neighborhood, authorities said.
The woman’s name was not released early Thursday pending positive identification and confirmation that her family had been notified, Los Angeles County Department of Coroner Assistant Chief of Operations Ed Winter said.
The fatal shooting took place just before 9:45 p.m. in a residential driveway along Church Street, just south of Underwood Street, according to officials and neighbors.
Though early reports from Los Angeles County sheriff’s officials said the woman had just exited a vehicle when shot, the investigation Thursday afternoon indicated she was walking down the street, Sgt. Scott Hoglund of the Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau said.
Several neighbors said they initially mistook what sounded like five or more gunshots for especially loud fireworks, which have been common in the neighborhood as Independence Day approaches.
“The giveaway was the car that sped away,” said one nearby resident, who asked that her name be withheld for fear of retaliation.
After hearing the sounds of gunshots and an accelerating vehicle, the resident said she looked out the window to see a white Dodge Magnum with tinted windows speeding east on Underwood Street.
“I heard a lady screaming for help,” the woman said. Upon looking, she said she saw the wounded woman lying on the ground, and a panicked woman nearby yelling, “Help, help, help.”
“No one saw anything. It happened so quick,” she said.
She added that she and other neighbors did not know the woman.
“The suspect is described as a male Hispanic and is still outstanding,” sheriff’s officials said in a written statement. “The incident appears to be gang-related.”
No further description of the killer was available, Hoglund said. Detectives were still looking into whether the shooting victim herself had gang ties.
She was taken to Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center, where she died from her wounds at 10:33 p.m., Winter said.
Sheriff’s officials released no further details.
Jessica Villalobos, who lives in the home connected to the driveway where the shooting took place, said her family had no idea who the woman was, or how she ended up fatally wounded in their driveway.
Anyone with information was asked to contact the Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500.

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Suicide suspected after body found beneath Colorado Street Bridge in Pasadena

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PASADENA — Suicide is suspected after the body of a 57-year-old Los Angeles man was found beneath the Colorado Street Bridge late Tuesday, officials said.
Officials responded to a report of a possible jumper at the bridge just after 8 p.m. to discover the body of a man lying in the wash below, Pasadena Fire Department officials said.
Paramedics pronounced the man dead at the scene, she added.
Though initially investigated as a suicide, Los Angeles County Department of Coroner investigators planned an autopsy do determine the man’s officials cause of death.

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Woman killed in Glendora house fire identified

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GLENDORA — Coroner’s officials Wednesday officially identified a woman found dead in her Glendora home after firefighters extinguished a house fire.
Joan Abrahamson, 79, died at the scene of the fire, which was first reported shortly after 11 p.m. June 13 at a house in the 900 block of East Cypres Street, Los Angeles County Department of Coroner Assistant Chief of Operations Ed Winter said.
An autopsy determined she died from thermal burns and ruled the death an accident, Winter said.
Investigators believed they knew Abrahamson’s identity since the fire, as she and her husband were believed to be the only two people inside. But the officials identification was delayed due to the condition of the body, which police and fire officials said was discovered in a living room toward the rear of the home.
The cause was initially believed to have been sparked by a cigarette, however an official cause was not available Wednesday evening.

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Jury deadlocks in West Covina fatal stabbing trial

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POMONA — A Pomona Superior Court Judge declared a mistrial Wednesday in the case of a Whittier man accused of fatally stabbing a West Covina man outside a 2011 Halloween party after the jury deadlocked, authorities said.
Andrew Edward Meza, 37, was charged with murder and assault likely to produce great bodily injury in connection with the fatal stabbing of Nicholas Bernard Botiller, 26, outside a party in the 1000 block of South Meeker Avenue in West Covina in the early-morning hours of Nov. 1, 2011, according to West Covina police and Los Angeles County District Attorney’s officials.
The jury began deliberating Tuesday morning before announcing they could not reach a unanimous decision Wednesday afternoon, D.A.’s spokeswoman Shiara Davila-Morales said.
“Judge Robert Martinez declared a mistrial,” she said. ”
It was not clear Wednesday if Meza would face a second trial.
“The D.A.’s office will be back in court July 1, at which time we will announce how we intend to proceed,”
The exact number of jurors in favor of guilt and acquittal was not available, however court officials said the deadlocked favored acquittal.
Botiller had just left the party and was congregated with a group outside when witnesses reported a commotion, then seeing Botiller stabbed, West Covina police Cpl. Rudy Lopez said at the time. He died a short time later at a hospital.
Meza was arrested in connection with the fatal stabbing in May of 2012, and has been held in lieu of $1 million bail ever since.

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