13 arrested at Pico Rivera checkpoint

Deputies arrested one person on suspicion of intoxicated driving and a dozen others on suspicion of other crimes during a checkpoint late Friday and early Saturday, officials said.
The checkpoint was held from 7 p.m. Friday to 3 a.m. Saturday on westbound Whittier Boulevard, just east of Rosemead Boulevard, Los Angeles County sheriff’s officials said in a written statement.
One driver was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of marijuana, officials said.
One person was arrested for knowingly allowing an unlicensed person to drive, according to the sheriff’s department statement. Seven others were arrested and sent to court for driving without licenses, and four drivers were arrested and sent to court for driving on suspended or revoked licensed.
Deputies impounded one vehicle for a single day, and seven vehicles were impounded for 30 days, officials said. Four cars were released at the scene under checkpoint guidelines.
A total of 1,187 vehicles passed through the checkpoint.

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UPDATED: Suspect subdued with Taser during fight with police in West Covina

WEST COVINA — A man was believed to be high on methamphetamine Saturday when he fought with police, who ultimately subdued him with a Taser, officials said.
Two police officers suffered minor injuries in the incident, West Covina police Lt. David Lee said.
Johnny Rangel, 24, of Baldwin Park was arrested on suspicion of assault on a peace officer, resisting arrest and being under the influence of narcotics following the incident, which unfolded just before 2:30 a.m. in the 2000 block of East Garvey Avenue, Lee said.
A woman called police to report that Rangel, who she knew, was banging on her door and causing a disturbance while apparently under the influence of methamphetamine, the lieutenant said.
When officers arrived, Rangel became, “immediately combative,” Lee said.
They struggled with him before ultimately using a Taser to take him into custody, police said. He was taken to a hospital for examination prior to booking.
Two police officers suffered minor injuries during the fight and were also treated at a hospital before being released, Lee said.

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200 marijuana plants seized from commercial building in Pasadena

PASADENA — Pasadena police seized about 200 marijuana plants that were growing inside a commercial building earlier this week, officials said Sunday.
The bust on Altadena Drive, just north of Colorado Boulevard, resulted from an anonymous caller who reported a “strong odor of marijuana emitting from the building,” Wednesday, Pasadena Police Chief Phillip Sanchez said in his weekly letter to the community.
An officer identified the source of the odor in a commercial unit and turned the investigation over to detectives, the chief said.
After obtaining a search warrant, officers entered the building and found about 200 pot plants, Sanchez said.
“The farm was a very sophisticated hydroponic system,” he wrote.
NO arrested were made during the search, Lt. Vasken Gourdikian said. The investigation was ongoing.
Police in Monrovia uprooted 600 marijuana plants and seized and two pounds of dried pot the same day from a Monrovia house after a resident reported smelling marijuana emanating from the home.

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Man wounded in Hacienda Heights car-to-car shooting

HACIENDA HEIGHTS — A man was wounded but expected to survive following a car-to-car shooting in Hacienda Heights Sunday afternoon, officials said.
The victim, a 21-year-old man, was stopped at a red light on Lujon Street at Hacienda Boulevard in a 2004 Audi when the attacker pulled up in an older-model, white pickup truck, Los Angeles County sheriff’s Sgt. Rick Thurlo said.
“(The shooter) pulled up next to him on he right side and fired into the victim’s vehicle, striking him once in the upper right shoulder,” Thurlo said. A rifle was believed to have been used in the shooting.
Thurlo said the wounded man drove north a short distance to Hacienda Boulevard and Gale Avenue, where deputies encountered him.
Officials initially described the shooter only as male. He was last seen driving south on Hacienda Boulevard from the shooting scene. The motive in the shooting was not clear.

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UPDATED: Montebello man killed, two others hurt in solo-vehicle crash

MONTEBELLO — A Montebello man died and two other were hurt when a pickup truck slammed into a parked vehicle along Garfield Avenue in Montebello early Sunday, authorities said.
David Geovanni Ibarra, 20, died at the scene of the crash, Los Angeles County Department of Coroner Lt. Fred Corral said.
The solo-vehicle crash involving a Chevy Silverado occurred about 1:25 a.m. on southbound Garfield Avenue at Madison Avenue, Montebello police Lt. Rick Rojas said.
The truck veered to the side of the road and struck another pickup truck, which was parked and unoccupied, the lieutenant said. The impact pushed the parked vehicle into a light pole.
“The collision was substantial and an adult male driver succumbed to his injuries,” Rojas said.
Two other men in the truck were hospitalized with injuries described as moderate, he said. They were estimated to be in their 20s.
The cause of the crash was under investigation.

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UPDATED: Fatal boat incident reported at Pyramid Lake

CASTAIC — A man died and rescuers were searching for possible second victim after a boat capsized at Pyramid Lake near Castaic, officials said.
The incident was reported shortly before 11:30 a.m., Los Angeles County sheriff’s officials said in a written statement.
A man on a jet ski flagged down a deputy to report that, “he had seen something suspicious in the south part of Pyramid Lake, near Chumash Island,” according to the sheriff’s department statement.
Deputies went to investigate and found a boat with it’s bow sticking up out of the water, officials said.
“A short distance away, deputies found a male adult beneath the water. Deputies pulled him from the water and immediately administered CPR,” the statement said. “However, the deputies were unable to revive him and he was pronounced dead at the scene.”
Authorities suspected the man had drowned, however an officials cause of death was to be determined by the Los Angeles County Department of Coroner.
“Deputies also received information that the victim may have been accompanied by a second male,” according to the sheriff’s statement.
Sheriff’s and Los Angeles County Fire Department officials continued an underwater search late Sunday afternoon.
No damage was noted to the boat, and there were no obvious signs of trauma on the body recovered from the water, officials said.
“There is no preliminary sign of foul play, however the investigation continues,” according to the sheriff’s department statement.
The investigation was being spearheaded by detectives from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau.

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Police: Man stabs neighbor during argument in Azusa

AZUSA — An argument between neighbors drinking together at an Azusa apartment complex escalated to a stabbing late Saturday, authorities said.
Vicente Mariano Hernandez, 32, was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon in connection with the incident, which took place about 11:30 p.m. at an apartment complex in the 200 block of East Newburgh Street, just east of Azusa Avenue, according to Azusa police officials and Los Angeles County booking records.
Hernandez and the victim, a 35-year-old man, were drinking beer together at the victim’s apartment when they became involved in an argument and Hernandez pulled a knife, Azusa police Sgt. Rick Hayden said.
Police responding to reports of a stabbing found the victim on his second-floor balcony with a small stab wound to his abdomen, the sergeant said. He was treated at a hospital.
Witnesses identified Hernandez as the attacker and directed officers to his apartment, where he was arrested without a struggle, Hayden said.
According to county booking records, Hernandez was being held in lieu of $30,000 bail pending his arraignment hearing, which was scheduled Tuesday in West Covina Superior Court.

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UPDATED: Body found on Pasadena sidewalk; cause of death unclear

PASADENA — A man was found dead from an undetermined cause on a Pasadena sidewalk early Sunday, authorities said.
Passers-by reported finding the body just before 7 a.m. in the 2000 block of N. Los Robles Avenue, just south of Woodbury Road, Pasadena police Lt. Jason Clawson said.
The dead man was identified as Steven Daniel Hayes, 57, Los Angeles County Department of Coroner Lt. Fred Corral said
Hayes was listed at the coroner’s office as a Los Angeles resident, however police described him as an Altadena resident.
Public records indicate Hayes lived in Altadena about a mile to the north of where his body was discovered.
There were no initial obvious signs of trauma on the body, he said.
“The cause of death is unknown,” Clawson said. “It’s being deferred to the coroner for further investigation.”

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UPDATED: Police investigate suspicious circumstances at Whittier apartment

WHITTIER — Suspicious circumstances at an Uptown Whittier apartment drew a large police response Sunday, but investigators found no initial evidence of a crime, officials said.
Officers first responded to the apartment in the 6500 block of Pickering Avenue Saturday afternoon after neighbors reported they had not seen the resident in about a week, Whittier police Lt. Bryan Ellis said. The neighbors added that the woman had been involved in an argument with a man about a week ago.
Police found that the apartment had been somewhat “fortified,” with its windows boarded up. The resident’s car remained parked outside, and officers noted a strange smell.
A SWAT team and bomb squad responded as a precaution as the investigation continued Sunday morning. Ellis said. Officials searched the apartment and found no signs of foul play.
“It’s still something that’s very unusual,” Ellis said.
But the woman was not officially considered a missing person, as no one close to her, such as a friend or family member, had reported her missing.
“We’re following up and trying to locate the individuals who rent that location,” Ellis said.

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Hacienda Road reopened after water main break in La Habra Heights

LA HABRA HEIGHTS — A stretch of Hacienda Road that was shut down Friday due to a water main leak reopened Saturday afternoon, officials said.
The leak was first reported about 12:30 p.m. Friday at Hacienda and West Roads, prompting officials to shut down Hacienda Road between Colima Road and Whittier Boulevard, La Habra Heights Public Works Director Dave Nichols. The mishap opened up a hole 10 feet wide by 20 feet long, and 4 to 5 feet deep.
After repairing the water main and repaving the street, the section of road was reopened shortly after 7 p.m. Saturday, Nichols said. About 18,000 vehicles use the road daily.

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