Transient sentenced for torching Whittier garage

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NORWALK — A homeless woman received a two-year prison sentence Wednesday for lighting a fire that scorched a residential garage in Whittier, authorities said.
Sarah Hope Kleiner, 45, received her sentence from Norwalk Superior Court Judge Peter Espinoza after pleading “no contest” to a count of recklessly causing a structure fire in connection with the fire, which broke out about 4:30 a.m. Jan. 8 at a home in the 7600 block of Washington Avenue, according to Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office and Whittier police officials.
In addition to the prison term, Espinoza also ordered Kleiner to pay $20,000 in restitution, district attorney’s officials said in a written statement.
Kleiner set fire to a discarded Christmas tree, which then spread to the garage, investigators said. Inside the garage was a treadmill and other personal items belonging to the victim.
Several hours after the garage fire, another Whittier resident reported Kleiner had set fire to a Christmas tree discarded in a trash can, but had fled once confronted by the homeowner, Whittier police official said at the time.
No charges were filed in connection with the second fire, which resulted in no damage.

PHOTO courtesy of the Whittier Police Department

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Officials to stage fatal car crash to caution Pasadena teens of the dangers of DUI

PASADENA >> Officials plan to stage an elaborate and realistic-looking car crash scene in front of La Salle High School Thursday to educate teens on the dangers of drinking and driving ahead of next week’s prom, authorities said.
The “Every 15 Minutes” program will take place beginning at 8 a.m. Thursday, and will require the closure of eastbound SIerra Madre Boulevard from Hastings Ranch Road to Michillinda Avenue through 10:30 a.m., Pasadena police Lt. Pete Hettema said in a written statement.
“A realistic mock fatal collision will be staged in front of the school on Sierra Madre Boulevard, just west of Michillinda Avenue,” Hettema said. “Students will be directed to the collision scene and view participating fellow students involved in the ‘tragedy,’”
Members of the public are invited to observe the mock crash scene, as well.
“Over the course of two days, students will experience the ‘grim reaper’ of death, staged loss of fellow classmates and family grief as student participants and their families share their obituaries and deepest thoughts on the subject of drinking and driving,” Hettema said.
In addition to Pasadena police, the Pasadena Fire Department, the Los Angeles County Department of Coroner and Huntington Hospital will take part in the demonstration. A similar demonstration is held at a Pasadena High School annually.
The program began in 1995, when officials noted there was a DUI-related fatality every 15 minutes.
Since then, organizers said, that statistic has been reduced to one death every 51 minutes.
Funding is bring provided by State Farm Insurance.

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Investigation continues in fatal shooting of Whittier man in El Monte

EL MONTE >> Detectives continue seeking clues in the mysterious slaying of a Whittier man who was shot to death while sitting in a car with his girlfriend over the weekend.
Simon Mendoza, 40, died at the scene of Saturday’s 12:32 a.m. shooting in a residential neighborhood in the 1300 block of Medina Court in El Monte, according to Los Angeles County sheriff’s and coroner’s officials said.
The Whittier resident, who held three jobs, was sitting in the driver seat of his car and talking with his girlfriend just prior to the fatal shooting, Lt. Eddie Hernandez of the Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau said. The car was parked near the girlfriend’s home.
“She hears a tapping on the driver-side side window,” Hernandez said. “Shortly after the tapping, she hears several gunshots.”
Bullets struck Mendoza several times in the “upper torso,” the lieutenant said. The woman was not struck by gunfire, but was injured by shattered glass.
No words were exchanged before the shots were fired, he said.
“It happened quickly,” Hernandez said. “He didn’t have any time to react, and definitely didn’t have any time to defend himself.”
The shooter, described only as male, then fled the scene, Hernandez said.
A compact car was seen speeding away, though it was not clear Wednesday whether that car was involved in the shooting, he added.
No further details regarding the circumstances was known Wednesday.
A motive in the slaying was yet to be established.
“We’re still working the leads we have,” Hernandez said. “The detectives have been working diligently on it since it occurred.”
Neither Mendoza nor his girlfriend were believed to have gang ties, Hernandez said. But the area where the shooting occurred is known to be frequented by local gang members.
Friends and family members could not be reached for comment. A manager at an IHOP restaurant in Rosemead said Mendoza had worked there for two years and he was saddened by the shooting. He added that coworkers were rallying to help Mendoza’s family.
Mendoza’s Facebook profiles indicates he was a father.
Photos posted on the profiles show him smiling with neat, short-cropped hair, a mustache and wearing silver-colored cross necklace.
Sheriff’s homicide detectives are assisting El Monte police with the investigation, and anyone with information was asked to contact the Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500. Tips may also be submitted anonymously to L.A. Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477.

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Downey couple seriously hurt, Long Beach man accused of drugged driving following 605 Freeway crash

NORWALK — A senior citizen couple from Downey suffered major injuries Sunday when their car flipped multiple times on the 605 Freeway in Norwalk after being struck by another car driven by a drugged driver, authorities said.
Victor Manuel Martinez, 22, of Long Beach was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of drugs in connection with the 10:43 a.m. crash on the northbound 605 Freeway at Imperial Highway, California Highway Patrol Officer Monica Posada said.
He was exiting the freeway at Imperial Highway when his vehicle struck the curb, sending it over a dirt shoulder and back onto the freeway, where is collided with another car occupied by the man and wife.
The couple’s car flipped several times, according to CHP and Los Angeles County Fire Department officials.
The man and woman, who were estimated to be in their 60s, were taken to St. Francis Medical Center in Lynwood, fire Capt. Richard Weise said. Updates on their conditions were not available, however both were conscious and breathing when hospitalized.
Martinez was examined by paramedics at the scene and taken into custody, officials said.
It was not immediately clear what drug or drugs Martinez is accused of being under the influence of at the time of the crash.
The crash forced the closure of the right three lanes of the northbound 605 Freeway and resulted in a Sig Alert that remained in effect for more than an hour.

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Pasadena police to crack down on pedestrian-related violations

PASADENA >> Police are planning to crack down on pedestrian-related traffic violations this week.
Beginning Monday, officers will launch a week-long education and enforcement campaign targeting violations by both pedestrians and motorists that contribute to the likelihood of pedestrian-involved collisions, Pasadena police Lt. Pete Hettema said in a written statement.
About 600 pedestrians are killed each year on California roadways, officials said.
“Even one fatality is too many, but Pasadena suffered four pedestrian fatalities in the last 12 months, and each of them could have been prevented if all parties obeyed traffic laws designed to keep pedestrians safe,” Pasadena Police Chief Phillip Sanchez said.
Police reminded motorists and pedestrians alike of several important California laws regarding pedestrians safety:
• Every corner is considered a crosswalk, whether marked or not.
• Drivers may not pass another vehicle stopped at a crosswalk
• Drivers may not pass a school bus that is stopped with red lights flashing on either side of the roadway
• Pedestrians must obey pedestrian signals where provided
• Pedestrians may not begin to cross after a pedestrian signal begins to flash or count down
• When crossing between signalled, controlled intersections, pedestrians must use crosswalks

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Nightly lane closures to continue on 60 Freeway through the San Gabriel Valley

SAN GABRIEL VALLEY >> Overnight lane closures are scheduled to continue this week on the 60 Freeway through the San Gabriel Valley as crews make progress on an ongoing $121.5 million repaving project, officials said.
Tuesday night through Friday morning, up to three lanes of the eastbound 60 Freeway between the 605 Freeway and Azusa Avenue will be shut down from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m., along with the carpool lane in the same area from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m., Caltrans officials said in a written statement.
Also Tuesday night through Friday morning, up to three lanes of the westbound 60 Freeway will be shut down between the 57 Freeway and Azusa Avenue from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m., as well as the carpool lane in the same area from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m.
Crews will continue working, but on a different schedule, Friday night through Sunday morning, Caltrans officials said.
Up to three eastbound lanes of the 60 Freeway between the 605 Freeway and Azusa Avenue will be closed nightly from 10 p.m. to 8 a.m., along with the carpool lane between Seventh Avenue and Hacienda Boulevard from midnight to 8 a.m.
Also closed will be the Seventh Avenue onramp from 7 p.m. to 9 a.m. and the connector roads from the 605 Freeway to the eastbound 60 Freeway from 11 p.m. to 11 a.m.
On the westbound side of the 60 Freeway Friday night through Sunday morning, up to three lanes between the 57 Freeway and Azusa Avenue will be shut down between midnight and 4 a.m., along with the carpool lane in the same area from midnight to 4 a.m., officials said. The Fairway and Old Brea Canyon Road onramps will be closed from 10 p.m. to 11 a.m., along with the connector roads from the 57 Freeway to the westbound 60 Freeway from 11 p.m. to 10 a.m.
A full closure of the westbound 60 Freeway between the 57 Freeway and Azusa Avenue is scheduled to take place from 11:59 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Saturday, according to Caltrans.
Detours will be posted.

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Two teens accused of Pasadena daytime burglary

PASADENA — Police arrested two teenage boys Saturday afternoon after finding them in the midst of a home burglary, authorities said.
The suspects — a 15-year-old Pasadena boy and a 16-year-old Rancho Cucamonga boy — were taken to juvenile hall following the 2:15 p.m. break-in at a house in the 100 block of South Craig Avenue, Pasadena police Lt. Jason Clawson said.
A witness called police to report seeing two intruders breaking into the home, Clawson said. Officers arrived to find “what appeared to be a kicked-in front door” and immediately surrounded the home.
Officers ordered anyone inside the home to surrender, and one of the teens complied, the lieutenant said. But the second teen ran from the home.
Police caught up with the fleeing teen and arrested him in a nearby yard, Clawson said.
The home had been ransacked, but it did not appear anything had yet been stolen, he added.

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Walnut man pulls woman from bottom of hotel swimming pool in Whittier

WHITTIER >> A Walnut man said a series of coincidences led to him being in the right place at the right time to pull an unconscious woman from the bottom of a hotel swimming pool in Whittier late Thursday.
Mike Vargas, 33, sprung into action to help a young woman who found lifeless just before 9:40 p.m. at the bottom of the pool at the Radisson Hotel Whittier, 7320 Greenleaf Ave., according to officials and a witness.
The woman was “conscious and breathing” when paramedics arrived on scene, Los Angeles County Fire Department Dispatch Supervisor Cheryl Sims said. She was taken to a hospital for treatment.
Vargas said a series of unexpected events led him to briefly stop by the Radisson late Thursday.
“I completely believe that it was divine intervention,” he said.
Vargas, a musician who raps under the stage name “Mikue,” had just left a Pico Rivera music studio and was heading to Uptown Whittier to meet a friend when the friend cancelled the meeting.
Vargas said he was thinking about stopping to see a movie when he pulled into the Radisson to use the restroom and get something to drink.
As Vargas was about to leave the hotel, he said he suddenly felt an urge to sit down on a bench and call his brother. “It was like a hit a brick wall,” he said. He had been sitting for about a minute when two women entered the lobby.
The women did not speak English, but frantically motioned for the clerk to follow them to the pool area, Vargas said. “I figured maybe there was a child who slipped and fell.”
But when Vargas and a hotel manager reached the pool, they saw the woman who appeared to be in her late-teens or early-20s lying curled up and motionless at the bottom of the deep end.
“It looked like she was just resting there,” he said. “There were no bubbles. No struggle. She was just lifeless down there.”
“I came back to my senses and realized what was going on, and I just jumped in,” Vargas said.
Vargas said the woman showed no signs of life once Vargas pulled her back onto the ground. After another bystander tried unsuccessfully to perform CPR, Vargas said he began administering chest compressions.
After four or five pumps, he said, the woman began to cough up water. “Within a minute, the police and fire departments showed up.”
An update on the woman’s condition was not available, nor were any officials details regarding how she ended up at the bottom of the pool.
But Vargas said he believed he knew how it was that he came to cross paths with the woman.
“I believe God intervened. That’s what my belief is.”

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Big rig hauling cement blocks overturns on 210 Freeway in Irwindale

IRWINDALE >> A big rig hauling cement blocks overturned on the 210 Freeway in Irwindale Friday, sending the driver to a trauma center and bringing area traffic to a screeching halt, authorities said.
The truck was hauling about 25,000 pounds of bricks on the westbound freeway about 11:40 a.m. when it struck the center divider and overturned just west of Irwindale Avenue, California Highway Patrol officials said.
“Bystanders on both sides of the freeway stopped to help,” Los Angeles County Fire Department Capt. Mark Delgado said. An off-duty firefighter helped get the injured truck driver, estimated to be in his late-40s or early-50s, out of vehicle.
Paramedics took the truck driver to Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center for treatment, Delgado said. The man was conscious and breathing when hospitalized. An update on his condition was not available.
Two other cars became involved in the crash, Delgado said. The drivers of both appeared to have suffered only minor injuries and declined to be taken to a hospital.
None of the concrete blocks spilled from the big rig, CHP Officer Tony Polizzi said. But about 20 gallons of diesel fuel leaked from the wreckage, complicating the clean-up effort.
“It was just a massive traffic jam,” Delgado said.
Caltrans officials also had to make repairs to the center divider before a Sig Alert for the carpool and two left lanes of the westbound freeway was lifted five hours later, officials said.
The crash could have been worse, Delgado said. “Fortunately, it did not go over the divider into opposing traffic.”
Officers from the Baldwin Park office of the CHP were investigating the cause of the crash.

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Police: Whittier man accused of DUI following 3 hit-and-runs in Irwindale

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IRWINDALE — Police, aided by a good Samaritan, arrested an intoxicated driver after he fled the scenes of several crashes, including one that sheared a fire hydrant, sending a geyser of water erupting into the air, officials said.
Daniel Lopez, 39, was booked on suspicion of intoxicated driving and hit-and-run following the series of crashes, which took place shortly after 4 p.m., Irwindale police Sgt. George Zendejas said.
“Irwindale police dispatch received a call from a citizen advising they were following a drunk driver who had just hit a fire hydrant,” the sergeant said.
The sheared off hydrant sent water spewing high into the air at the northwest corner of Arrow Highway and 4th Street, Zendejas said.
But the white cargo van continued driving as the caller reported its position to police, he said.
The van made a U-turn on Irwindale Avenue at Ornelas Street and struck a light pole, Zendejas said. But the driver continued on.
The van struck a fixed object at a gas station at Irwindale Avenue and Arrow Highway just before police caught up with it, Zendejas said. Police stopped the driver as he drove back toward the sheared hydrant and became caught in the traffic it created.
Officers determined Lopez was under the influence of alcohol, drugs or both, and placed him under arrest.
Zendejas commended the witness for calling police and helping direct them to the driver.
According to county booking records, Lopez was released from jail on $5,000 bail pending his initial court appearance.

PHOTO courtesy of the Irwindale Police Department

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