Monthly Archives: August 2015

South Pasadena residents help capture burglary suspect

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SOUTH PASADENA >> Three South Pasadena residents helped police capture a man police said stole a bicycle and tried to steal a delivery van early Saturday, police said.
Edwin Lopez, 32, of Los Angeles was arrested on suspicion of residential burglary, attempted auto theft, possession of burglary tools and possession of drug paraphernalia, South Pasadena police Cpl. Craig Phillips said. It was Lopez’s fourth arrest over the past month, according to county booking records.
The incident began about 8 a.m. when a resident of the 1000 block of Magnolia Street spotted a burglar leaving an underground parking structure of a condominium complex with a neighbor’s bicycle, the corporal said.
The witness told the bike owner of the theft and ran after the thief, Phillips said. The owner and the witnesses’ wife jumped into a car and followed.
Phillips said the three caught up with the fleeing bike burglar in the 100 block of Pasadena Avenue. After grappling with the suspect and briefly holding him for police, Lopez ultimately broke free of his captors and ran, leaving behind the bicycle and his backpack.
Lopez then jumped into an Amazon delivery van, which had the keys in the ignition, and started the car before realizing he was not alone, Phillips said. The 17-year-old daughter of the delivery driver, who was sitting in the passenger seat, screamed, and Lopez jumped out of the van and continued fleeing on foot.
Police arrived within a minute and captured Lopez without a struggle, Philliips said.
The backpack Lopez dropped contained burglary tools and a methamphetamine pipe, Phillips added.
No injuries were reported to either the suspect, victim or the good Samaritans.
Lopez has already been arrested twice this month by South Pasadena police on suspicion of theft- and drug-related crimes, Phillips said.
He was also arrested by Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Transit Services Bureau deputies Aug. 16, records show.
Lopez was being held in lieu of $50,00 bail at the Pasadena Police Department jail pending his initial court appearance, records show.

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UPDATE: Azusa man dies after being struck by pickup truck along Arrow Highway

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AZUSA >> A 50-year-old Azusa man died after he was struck by a pickup truck while pushing a shopping cart across Arrow Highway late Friday, authorities said.
Ricardo Arteaga died shortly after being struck about 8:45 p.m. at Arrow Highway and Homerest Avenue, in an unincorporated area on the border between Azusa and Covina, California Highway Patrol Officer C. Banuelos said in a written statement.
Arteaga was struck by an westbound 2005 Dodge Ram pickup truck being driven by a 21-year-old Covina man while crossing the street on a residential stretch of Arrow Highway running parallel to the main road, officials said.
“Due to Arteaga failing to yield the right of way to the vehicle in the roadway,” the front of (the) Dodge collided into (him),” Banuelos said.
Arteaga was taken to Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center, where he succumbed to his injuries, CHP Officer Tony Polizzi said.
Following the initial impact, the shopping cart Arteaga was pushing was propelled into a 1995 Ford F-150 pickup truck stopped in eastbound traffic lanes, Banuelos said. But it did not appear the second vehicle struck Arteaga, as was initially indicated in CHP logs.
Anyone with information was asked to contact Officer Banuelos at the CHP’s Baldwin Park office at 626-338-1164.

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UPDATED: Man fatally shot in Pasadena

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PASADENA >> A man died in a broad-daylight shooting along Washington Boulevard on Friday afternoon, police said.
The shooting took place just before 5:30 p.m. in a parking lot behind a series of business in the 1700 block of East Washington Boulevard, Pasadena police Lt. Jesse Carrillo said.
Officers responding to several calls reporting shots fire found the victim, “lifeless,” suffering from gunshot wounds, the lieutenant said.
No further information regarding the circumstances of the shooting were released, and no suspect description was available as police continued their investigation late Friday.
Devastated family members of the victim gathered at the shooting scene identified the victim as 38-year-old Monte Russell of Los Angeles.
They said he was getting a haircut at a barbershop when the shooting occurred.
Russell’s mother, Yvonne Trice, said she was outraged but what she saw at the scene.
Trice said she believed police knew who Russell was when they encountered him and didn’t do everything they could to save his life or catch his killer.
Russell had a troubled past and was formerly involved with gangs, but had turned his life around and had become a hard-working father to three daughters, Trice said.
“They’ve been trying to kill my son for years,” Trice said. “Where’s the paramedics?”.
“I’m 3 to 4 miles away, and I got here before the paramedics,” said brother Rodney Trice.
Another brother said police at the scene asked him wither he owned a car which needed to be moved out of the crime scene, but did not ask him whether he heard or saw anything related to the shooting.
Yvonne Trice and other family members said they were also furious because the they didn’t think the shooting scene had been properly secured. People continued walking near, as well as in and out of the barbershop, as police investigated the scene, Yvonne Trice said.
“He wasn’t a gang banger,” the mother said. “He worked every day.”
Russell worked laying tile for a company in Altadena, family members said.
Anyone with information can reach Pasadena police at 626-744-4501. Tips may also be submitted anonymously to L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477.

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UPDATED: El Monte rape suspect arrested after neighborhood search; also sought for Fresno County murder

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EL MONTE >> Police arrested an alleged rapist also sought in connection with the murder of a Fresno County woman Friday after a neighborhood search that lasted about four hours, officials said.
Kaleo Kealoha Schreiner, 21, of Tracy, was ultimately arrested for rape, possession of a loaded gun in public and resisting police, El Monte police Sgt. Richard Luna said in a written statement.
Police first received a report a woman had been raped about 5:10 a.m. in a residential neighborhood in the 4100 block of Tyler Avenue, the sergeant said. The attacker was reported to still be at the scene of the crime and armed with a handgun.
Police spotted a man matching the suspect description running in the 3800 block of Tyler Avenue and set up a search perimeter, Luna said. West Covina and Arcadia police joined in the search, along with a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department helicopter.
A police K-9 found Schreiner hiding behind a garage in the 3800 block of Esmeralda Ave., officials said.
“The canine bit Schreiner, who resisted the canine and ignored officer’s commands to comply with the arrest,” Luna said. “A bean bag was deployed on Schreiner, who then complied, and was taken into custody.”
Police found a loaded handgun in the area where Schreiner had been hiding, Luna added.
Schreiner has been sought by the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office for more than two weeks as a suspect in the slaying of Megan Troen, 20, of Tracy, whose body was discovered July 30 in the California Aqueduct, near W. Nees Avenue and the 5 Freeway in the Firebaugh area, Fresno County sheriff’s officials said in a written statement.
Troen had left her home with Schreiner, an acquaintance of several years, July 20 and was never seen again. Investigators said Troen had a diminished mental capacity.
In the days and weeks that followed, Fresno sheriff’s homicide detectives identified Schreiner as a suspect in the slaying and issued a warrant for his arrent.
Officials took Schreiner suspect to a hospital for treatment prior to booking him into jail, he said.

PHOTO of Kaleo Schreiner courtesy of the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office

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Police recover stolen statue at Whittier home; suspect arrested

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WHITTIER >> A probation compliance search Friday led Whittier police to recover a $50,000 bronze statue taken from a Santa Fe Springs, authorities said.
Steven Mercado, 34, was booked on suspicion of possession of stolen property and drug violations following his 8:30 a.m. arrest at a home in the 13800 block of Danbrook Drive, Whittier police officials said in a written statement.
As officers visited Mercado’s home to conduct a probation compliance check, “They contacted Steven Mercado, who was in possession of a stolen bronze statue,” according to the statement.
The statue, which depicts a construction workers, was stolen on July 2, 2015 from the Kiewit construction company., 10704 Shoemaker Ave. in Santa Fe Springs, police said.
“Unfortunately, at the time of the recovery, the statue was in several pieces,” the statement said.
According to county booking records, Mercado was being held in lieu of $20,000 bail pending his initial court appearance.

PHOTO courtesy of the Whittier Police Department

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Man denies murder charge in fatal stabbing of father in West Covina

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WEST COVINA >> A 20-year-old West Covina man accused of stabbing his father to death during an argument at their West Covina home over the weekend denied a murder charge Friday, authorities said.
Maverick Jacob Jimenez pleaded not guilty to a count of murder, along with the special allegation that he personally used a knife in the slaying of his father, 49-year-old Joey Jimenez, Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office spokeswoman Sarah Ardalani said.
The fatal stabbing took place about 3:30 a.m. Sunday at the home of the father and son in the 900 block of Las Rosas Drive.
“Prosecutors said on Aug. 16, defendant Maverick Jimenez reportedly got into an argument with his father before he stabbed him,” district attorney’s officials said in a written statement. Further information regarding the motive in the slaying were not available.
Police arrested Maverick Jimenez at the home, without a struggle, West Covina police spokesman Rudy Lopez said. His father died at the scene.
Maverick Jimenez is due back in court for a hearing Sept. 14, Ardalani said.
If convicted as charged, the defendant faces up to 26 years to life in state prison.

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Irwindale police chief challengers other area top cops to drag race Saturday

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IRWINDALE >> Irwindale Police Chief Anthony Miranda has thrown down the gauntlet, challenging other area police chiefs to a drag race Saturday night at the Irwindale Speedway to raise awareness of the dangers of illegal street racing and encourage legal competition.
The TOP COP race will take place at 8 p.m. at the drag strip at 500 Speedway Drive, Irwindale police Sgt. Rudy Gatto said.
TOPCOPThe event will follow an afternoon of NHRA Street Legal racing beginning at 5 p.m.
An admission price of $10 for adults and $5 for kids includes all of the day’s racing events, Gatto said.
The cost to race is 20, according to Speedway officials. Gates open at 4 p.m.
“We’ve invited the chiefs to bring their own police cars or one of their department’s police cars,” Miranda said in a written statement. “We’ll get them some practice runs on our eighth-mile drag strip and then, at 8 o’clock, we’ll see who the ‘TOP COP’ will be! We’ll determine the night’s winner based on each driver’s reaction times on the starting line.”
Chiefs from the Bell, Beverly Hills, San Gabriel, San Marino, Santa Monica and Vernon police departments had accepted the challenge, among others, Gatto said.
“The purpose of the “TOP COP” challenge is to raise public awareness about the dangers of illegal street racing and to raise support for street legal NHRA drag racing as a safe alternative,” Gatto said.
“Illegal street racing affects everyone, not just the participants,” Miranda added. “We need to have safe, controlled places like Irwindale for this activity and to put an end to the senseless loss of young lives.”

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Pasadena Fire Department to announce ‘Disaster Information Sites’ program at open house Saturday

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PASADENA >> The public is invited to an open house at the Pasadena Fire Department’s Station 33 Saturday, where officials will discuss disaster preparedness the department’s new disaster information program, officials said.
Fire apparatus will be on display, station tours and live demonstrations will be held and the public will have an opportunity to meet with the men and women of the PFD during the open house, to be held from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at Station 33, 515 N. Lake Ave., city officials said in a written statement.
The event will kick of a season of open houses at all eight Pasadena Fire Department stations, authorities said. Upcoming open houses at other stations are yet to be announced.
Each open house will feature a different theme, with “disaster preparedness being the topic of Saturday’s event.
Additionally, fire officials will announce details of its new “Disaster Information Sites” program.
“The City is designating Disaster Information Sites to be located outside each Pasadena Fire Station to distribute emergency public information when other traditional means of communication become unreliable after a major disaster or emergency,” according to the PFD statement.
Station 33, 34 and 28 are currently equipped to fulfill the role, with other stations to join the program later in the year.
“The sites will also help provide a way for neighborhoods to relay local information to the City’s Emergency Operations Center when it is activated,” the statement said.
Free parking for the open house will be available nearby at the Lake Avenue Church, off Villa Street, officials said.

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Police seek San Bernardino County man who wandered away from Arcadia hospital

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ARCADIA >> Police asked the public to keep an eye out for a 66-year-old San Bernardino County man who went missing from the Methodist Hospital in Arcadia Wednesday, officials said.
John Ben Disney was last seen about 6:15 p.m. at the hospital, 300 W. Huntington Drive, Arcadia police officials said in a written statement.
“Mr. Disney apparently walked away from the hospital,” according to the police statement. “He suffers from high blood pressure and has been known to abuse alcohol. It is believed he does have access to cash and a debit card.”
Though believed to be a San Bernardino County resident, Disney was last contacted within the past month while driving a vehicle in Pasadena.
“He does not have access to the vehicle at this time and was last known to be on foot,” the statement said.
The missing man is described as white, 6 feet 1 inch tall, 225 pounds, with brown hair and blue eyes. He was last seen wearing a plaid shirt, shorts and a baseball cap with the word “Army” printed on the front.
Anyone with information is asked to call Arcadia police at 626-574-5151.

PHOTO of John Ben Disney courtesy of the Arcadia Police Department.

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Man arrested following fatal fistfight in Pasadena released without charges

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PASADENA >> Prosecutors have declined to file charges against a man who was arrested after another man he was involved in a fight with over the weekend died, officials said.
Police arrested Manuel Mejia Castillo, a 38-year-old transient, the morning after Sunday’s 9:30 p.m. fight with another transient in the 500 block of South Fair Oaks Avenue, Pasadena police officials said.
Police responding to a report of a man lying on the ground discovered an unconscious 64-year-old man, police said. The injured man was taken to a hospital where he died a short time later.
The name of the 64-year-old man has not been released pending notification of his family, Los Angeles County Department of Coroner Medical Examiner-Coroner Assistant Chief of Operations Ed Winter said. An autopsy had been completed, but the man’s cause of death had not been determined pending the results of additional testing.
Police found Castillo nearby and arrested him on suspicion of murder, police said.
But prosecutors who reviewed the case determined Wednesday there was insufficient evidence to support charges.
“At some point during the day, the 2 men began an argument,” Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney wrote on a charge evaluation worksheet.
“The only witness saw the 2 men struggling but did not see the suspect do anything that would cause the victim’s death. Nor did the witness see the beginning of the altercation. There is no video,” Dver wrote.
Both men had been drinking prior to the incident, and Castillo claimed the fight amounted to mutual combat and self defense, officials noted, adding that an officials cause of death was yet to be determined.
According to county booking records, Castillo was released from jail shortly after noon Thursday.

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