Monthly Archives: August 2013

Transient accused of sparking Glendora brush fire

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Edward Zavala, 35, transient

A homeless man was arrested late Wednesday in connection with a brush fire on Glendora Mountain Road north of Big Dalton Canyon, Glendora police said Thursday.
The fire was spotted climbing 100 feet up the hillside by a Glendora Police officer at 9:23 p.m. Wednesday, Lt. Brian Summers said in a statement.
Capt. Tim Staab said the on-duty police officer was able to get responders to the scene while the fire was still small.
“It could have been just horrible,” Staab said, referring to the fire’s proximity to the Angeles National Forest.
The initial officer spotted Edward Zavala, 35, walking away from the fire scene and he was arrested on suspicion of arson after making inconsistent statements, Summers wrote.
“Zavala later told officers that he accidentally started the fire with his lighter while attempting to use it as a light source and panicked, fleeing the area,” Summers wrote. “The lighter was recovered.”
Responders from the Los Angeles County Fire Department were able to contain the fire to a quarter acre and county arson investigators assisted the police department, Summers said.
Zavala was being held at the Glendora City Jail on a felony charge of recklessly starting a fire. Bail was set at $20,000.

– Melissa Masatani

PHOTO of Edward Zavala courtesy of the Glendora Police Department.

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Man convicted of killing estranged wife, attacking sister near San Gabriel

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ALHAMBRA – A jury found a Los Angeles man guilty Thursday of the fatal stabbing of his estranged wife and the wounding of her sister two years ago at the women’s home in an unincorporated county area near San Gabriel, officials said.
The Alhambra Superior Court jury convicted Sherman Dion Dorsey, 42, of the second-degree murder of Gina Reano, 45 with the special allegation that Dorsey personally used a knife in the killing, Los Angeles County District Attorney’s officials said in a written statement.
He was also convicted of attempted voluntary manslaughter for the attack on Reano’s younger sister, who survived the ordeal, officials said. The jury found true the special allegation of great bodily injury inflicted and a dangerous weapon used.
Dorsey faces up to 24 years to life in state prison when he returns to court for sentencing Oct. 1, authorities said.
Dorsey and Reano were separated, but had been working to patch up their relationship, when the killing took place on Aug. 3. 2011, at a home in the 5500 block of Walnut Grove Avenue, according to sheriff’s officials.
While Reano was staying with her sister and her family at the Walnut Grove home, “Dorsey went to the home with the pretext of delivering mail to his estranged wife,” according to the D.A.’s statement.
Several hours later, Reano’s sister heard arguing fro upstairs and found her sister bloodied and crying, officials said.
Dorsey attacked the sister, “first attempting to strangle her and then slashing her with a broken wine glass,” the D.A.’s statement said. “Gina tried to help, but the defendant managed to injure the sister.”
Reano herself suffered 13 stab wounds to her chest, neck and upper back, officials said. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
When deputies arrived at the stabbing scene, they encountered Dorsey, who was suffering from apparently self-inflicted stab wounds.

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More than 50 people hurt in Irwindale 210 Freeway tour bus crash

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BUSCRASH

MONROVIA >> A freeway crash involving an overturned casino-bound tour bus sent more than 50 people to the hospital Thursday.
Los Angeles County Fire Department Deputy Chief John Tripp said he was amazed there weren’t more serious injuries in the 10 a.m. crash on the eastbound 210 Freeway just west of Irwindale Avenue.
A total of 52 people were taken to eight area hospitals with injuries ranging from bumps and bruises to broken bones, fire officials said.
“We did not have any severe injuries,” Tripp said.

Officials described 36 of the injuries as minor, 11 as moderate and 5 as more serious, requiring immediate medical attention, fire Capt. Brian Jordan said.
Seven patients were rushed to hospital by helicopter, Jordan added.
Fifty-one of them were believed to be on-board the bus, including the driver, while the Scion XB involved the crash contained only a driver, according to fire and California Highway Patrol officials.
The tour bus and the Scion were both eastbound on the freeway when, “Somehow, they collided in the number two lane,” CHP Officer Rodrigo Jimenez said. The cause of the initial collision remained under investigation.
“The bus veered all the way to the right, off the roadway, and overturned,” Jimenez said.
The bus came to rest on its side beside traffic lanes, with several passengers trapped inside, CHP Officer Francisco Villalobos said.
Once the injured people had been cared for, the focus shifted to sifting through the wreckage to figure out what happened. CHP Officer Rick Quintero said.
“Initially the primary focus is on the injured parties,” Quintero said. “Now it is just a matter of gathering the evidence on the scene as well as turning over that charter bus and opening up those lanes.”
All lanes in both directions of the 210 Freeway were briefly shut down as helicopters were landed to pick up patients. The eastbound lanes remained closed hours after the collision. Officials worked to reopen traffic lanes as quickly as possible as cars backed up behind the closure.
Early reports from the CHP indicated a semi-truck was involved, though ultimately that was determined not to be the case.
Stopped drivers exited their cars and crossed barriers to see what happened, but were ordered back in their cars by officials
A total of nine agencies took part in the rescue effort and investigation, Tripp said.
“We were crossing the concrete line (on the freeway) and walking to see what was going on, so they cop came by and told everyone to get back in their cars,” said Adrian Canto, who was stuck on the 210 Freeway just west of the Irwindale exit. The Pasadena resident had been on the freeway for more than an hour by 11 a.m.
“There was like a total of 5 helicopters that showed up, now literally a police motorcycle just went by us,” he said. “A couple of those have been going by but they haven’t told us anything.”
The overturned charter bus operated by Da Zhen Travel Agency was en route to San Manuel Indian Bingo & Casino, according to Da Da Zhen travel consultant Anna Zhang.
The accident reportedly happen after a car cut in front of the bus, causing it to swerve into the embankment in an attempt to avoid a collision, Zhang said.
The company has only had minor fender-benders in the past, Zhang said.
“We’ve never had such a large accident before, the manager and owner are taking it very seriously, they’ve both gone to the scene of the accident to handle the situation,” Zhang said in Mandarin.
Roughly 40 people registered for the bus trip at $15 each, but the company does accept walk-ons at its stops, so the total number of passengers could be higher. The passengers are mostly local, but some came from out of the country, Zhang said.
The company’s bus department went to the scene to find out more information and so details are limited, she said. Multiple families have called in trying to find out what happened.
Da Zhen Travel Agency, based out of Monterey Park, operates charter buses for tours, said Zhang when reached by phone Thursday. A bus schedule from the casino shows 14 Da Zhen Travel buses traveling daily from Hacienda Heights, Monterey Park, Rosemead and San Gabriel to the casino.
The company had a “Satisfactory” safety rating from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration in September of 2010, but exceeded the FMCSA intervention threshold based on roadside data, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation website. A safety report from the Department of Transportation shows that the company is authorized to carry passengers, traveling 598,399 miles in 2011. Da Zhen was the subject of 30 vehicle inspections and 36 driver inspections over the past 24 months and had not been in any reported crashes, the report shows. The company has a current $5,000,000 insurance policy through New York Marine and General Insurance Co. in New York.
– Reporters Zen Vuong, Jason Henry and Melissa Masatani contributed to this story.

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Ontario man charged with fatal stabbing of Rowland Heights man

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Prosecutors filed murder and other charges this week against an Ontario man accused of stabbing his girlfriend’s brother to death with a foot-long Asian ornamental knife over the weekend in Rowland Heights.
Albert Camacho appeared in Pomona Superior Court Tuesday, where he was charged with the murder of 32-year-old Benjamin Cervantes, who died shortly after Saturday’s 1:30 a.m. stabbing at his home in the 1300 block of Gloriosa Avenue in Rowland Heights, according to Los Angeles County sheriff’s and superior court officials.
Camacho was also charged with four counts of dissuading a witness for threatening witnesses to the stabbing in an attempt to prevent them from calling authorities, Lt. Mike Rosson of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau said.
He entered no plea, and his arraignment was continued to Sept. 12, Los Angeles County district attorney’s officials said.
Rosson said Camacho and Cervantes had argued in the past prior to the fatal stabbing.
“They didn’t get along,” the lieutenant said.
He did not know the specific issue the men were disputing early Saturday when the argument escalated into a fight, and Camacho grabbed a 12-inch-long ornamental Asian knife that was already at the home. Cervantes was stabbed several times in the upper body.
Camacho fled the scene following the stabbing, but only after threatening to harm neighbors who witnessed the stabbing if they called authorities, Rosson said.
He remained at-large for more than 10 hours before ultimately turning himself in at the sheriff’s Walnut-Diamond Bar Station shortly after noon, according to officials and county booking records. He had received word from family members that he was being sought by homicide detectives.
Detectives recovered the knife believed to have been used in the stabbing, though Rosson declined to say exactly when and where it was found.
Camacho was being held without bail pending his next court appearance, records show.

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Investigation continues after body dumped, set on fire along Covina Hills Road

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A sheriff’s deputy and an off-duty Los Angeles police officer who discovered a body set on fire along a secluded section of Covina Hills Road Tuesday likely “just missed” whoever dumped and ignited the body, according to a homicide investigator.
Officials have determined a body discovered ablaze about 3:45 a.m. Tuesday on Covina Hills Road, just west of Via Verde Street, was that of male, however his identity, age and the circumstances of his death remained a mystery, Los Angeles County Department of Coroner Assistant Chief of Operations Ed Winter said. The body was listed a the coroner’s office as a John Doe.
The body was still in flames when a sheriff’s deputy came upon it in the unincorporated county area between Covina and Walnut, about the same time as a off-duty LAPD officer, Lt. John Corina of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau said.
“They just missed whoever dumped that body,” the lieutenant said. “Probably by a minute or two.”
The body was lying face-down on a dirt area beside the road.
The deputy used a fire extinguisher to put out the flames and checked for signs of life, sheriff’s officials said in a written statement.
“Once it was determined that the person was deceased, investigators from the Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau responded and assumed control of the investigation,” according to the statement.
Though the “badly burned” condition of the body made it impossible to estimate an age Wednesday, the size of the body was consistent with that of an adult, Corina said.
Though it was unclear exactly how the person died, Corina said, “It doesn’t look like the fire’s what killed him.”
An autopsy was planned to determine the cause of death, officials said. It remained to be seen Wednesday whether fingerprints could be used to identify the person, or whether other methods such as X-ray comparison would need to be used.
After canvassing the area and speaking with local residents, detectives had not been able to piece together the circumstances leading up to the discovery of the body, Corina said. No information regarding any possible suspect was available.
No violent incidents or missing persons’ cases had been identified as possibly connected to the body discovery, Corina added.
Anyone with information was asked to contact the Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500.

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La Mirada man dies in South Whittier motorcycle crash

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SOUTH WHITTIER — Authorities Wednesday identified a 37-year-old La Mirada man who died in a motorcycle crash on Telegraph Road early Tuesday.
Camron Gasser died at the scene of Tuesday’s 7 a.m. crash at Telegraph Road and Gunn Avenue, Los Angeles County Department of Coroner Assistant Chief of Operations Ed Winter said.
He was westbound on Telegraph Road when his Harley-Davidson collided with a sedan making a left turn from eastbound Telegraph Road onto Gunn Avenue, California Highway Patrol Officer Al Perez said.
The driver of the sedan, a 27-year-old La Habra man, was not hurt, he said.
The cause of the crash remained under investigation and witnesses were being sought, however no arrests or citations were initially made in connection with the fatal collision.
Anyone with information was asked to contact the Santa Fe Springs office of the CHP at 562-858-0503.

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CHP plans checkpoint near Covina

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The Baldwin Park CHP will hold a sobriety checkpoint in the unincorporated county area near Covina this Friday.
The checkpoint will start about 7 p.m.
Officers will be equipped with hand-held breath testing devices.
“Traffic volume permitting, all vehicles will be checked. If volume becomes too heavy, vehicles to be checked will be selected by a pre-set standard (such as every third or fifth vehicle) to assure objectivity.” Captain Steve Urrea said in a statement.

– Ruby Gonzales

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One of two men killed in Glendora double-homicide identified

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GLENDORA — Coroner’s officials Sunday released the name of one of two homeless men found stabbed to death at a Glendora carwash last week.
Warren Blagrave, 52, was pronounced dead after he was found stabbed about 2 a.m. on the property of a carwash in the 200 block of West Route 66, Los Angeles County Department of Coroner Investigator Jim Blacklock said. Also found fatally stabbed was a second local homeless man in his 50s whose name was not released pending notification of his family.
Drew Alan Friis, 28, of Glendora and a second suspect whose name was withheld by Los Angeles County sheriff’s officials were booked on suspicion of murder later in the day, sheriff’s and Glendora police officials said.
Police said he knew the victims prior to the attack, however a motive was not clear.
According to county booking records, Friis was being held in lieu of $1 million bail pending his scheduled arraignment Monday in Pomona Superior Court.

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Man killed in Norwalk shooting identified

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NORWALK – Coroner’s officials Sunday released the name of a 44-year-old man shot to death last week.
Michael Rios died at a hospital following Thursday’s 1 a.m. shooting in a residential neighborhood in the 11500 block of Angell Street, Los Angeles County Department of Coroner Investigator Jim Blacklock said. His city of residence was not listed.
Los Angeles County sheriff’s officials have released little information about the shooting.
Deputies responded to reports of gunshots heard in the area when they found Rios wounded several times in the “upper torso,” Deputy Irys Alvarez of the Sheriff’s Headquarter’s Bureau said in a written statement.
No further details were available, and no description of the killer or killers was released.
Anyone with information was asked to contact the Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500.

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Employees foil robbery at Covina KFC

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COVINA — A gunman fled empty handed after two employees locked him out of the store mid-crime early Saturday, officials said.
Two employees were taking out the trash just before 3 a.m. at KFC on Grand Avenue at Covina Boulevard when they were approached by the would-be robber, Covina police Sgt. Rob Bobkiewicz said.
“He pulled a gun on one of them. He told them to get inside the store,” the sergeant said.
But when the gunman paused to look around, apparently to see if anyone was watching, the employees ran back into the restaurant and locked the doors, Bobkiewicz said.
The armed man knocked on the door and demanded the employees open it, but they refused and called police, he said. The gunman fled.
Police described the would-be robber as a black man between 25 and 30 years old, about 6 feet tall, of thin build, with a beard. He wore a black hooded sweatshirt and blue jeans, and carried a semi-automatic handgun.

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