Monthly Archives: June 2016

Pomona man killed in Diamond Bar motorcycle crash

Posted on by


DIAMOND BAR >> Authorities have identified a 24-year-old Pomona man who died in a motorcycle crash on the 60 Freeway in Diamond Bar Thursday afternoon.
Ivan Galindo died shortly after the 3:50 p.m. three-vehicle collision in the eastbound lanes of the 60 Freeway, east of Grand Avenue at the 57 Freeway juncture, California Highway Patrol Officer J. Bach said in a written statement.
Galindo was riding a 2015 Kawasaki Ninja in the No. 5 lane at an unknown speed in “moderate traffic conditions” prior to the crash, Bach said. A 2005 Saturn Ion was traveling directly in front of him at 45 to 50 mph.
The motorcycle struck the rear of the Saturn, then ricocheted toward the right side of the road.
Back said the motorcycle then struck the left rear fender of a 1999 Westar cement mixer traveling 25 to 30 mph in the No. 7 lane.
“(Galindo) was subsequently ejected from (his motorcycle) and collided onto the concrete roadway,” Back said. “As a result of this collision, Mr. Galindo sustained major injuries. Mr. Galindo was transported to Pomona Valley Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries sustained from this traffic collision.”
The 19-year-old Texas man at the wheel of the Saturn and the 35-year-old Ontario man driving the cement mixer suffered no injuries, Back said.
The investigation remained in its early stages, and any witnesses are asked to contact Officer Back at the CHP’s Baldwin Park area office at 626-338-1164.

Facebook Twitter Reddit Tumblr Linkedin Email

Motorcyclist dies in Diamond Bar crash

Posted on by


DIAMOND BAR >> A motorcyclist died following a crash on the eastbound 60 Freeway at the 57 Freeway interchange Thursday afternoon, authorities said.
The fatal crash took place about 4 p.m. in the right-hand lane of the 60 Freeway, where it expands to seven lanes as it merges with the 57 Freeway, California Highway Patrol Officer Jennifer Bond said.
The motorcyclist succumbed to injuries suffered in the crash at a hospital, she said. No further details were available.
The circumstances of the crash were being investigated by the CHP’s Baldwin Park area office, Bond said.
Anyone with information can reach the CHP’s Baldwin Park office at 626-338-1164.
Officials issues a Sig Alert for the No. 7 lane of the eastbound 60 Freeway for just under an hour.

Facebook Twitter Reddit Tumblr Linkedin Email

Homeless man arrested in Pasadena cafe break-in

Posted on by


PASADENA >> Police jailed a homeless man early Thursday on suspicion of breaking to a Pasadena cafe, officials said.
Kenneth Eugene Johnson, 62, was booked on suspicion of commercial burglary following the break-in, reported just before 1 a.m. in the 200 block of East Colorado Boulevard, according to Pasadena police officials and Los Angeles County booking records.
“A witnesses saw Mr. Johnson attempting to break into the closed cafe by smashing out the front window with a trash can,” police Lt. Mark Goodman said.
Officers arrived to find Johnson still at the scene, next to the smashed cafe window, the lieutenant said. The witness identified Johnson as the man who smashed the window, and he was arrested.
Johnson was being held in lieu of $20,000 bail pending his initial court appearance, scheduled Monday in the Pasadena branch of Los Angeles County Superior court.

Facebook Twitter Reddit Tumblr Linkedin Email

Taxi driver robbed, slashed with knife in Pasadena

Posted on by


PASADENA >> A taxi passenger turned into an armed robber late Wednesday when he slashed the cabbie with a knife while trying to skip out on the fare in Pasadena, police said.
The crime took place about 11:50 p.m. in the 300 block of Cordova Street, Pasadena police Lt. Mark Goodman said.
The victim, a 57-year-old Glendale man, dropped a passenger off after an $88 cab ride, the lieutenant said.
“The suspect fled the can and tried to run away without paying,” he said. The taxi driver chased after him.
“After he confronted the suspect, a fight ensued, during which the suspect produced a small knife and swung it toward the victim,” Goodman said.
The cab driver suffered a minor cut but declined medical treatment.
Police searched the area but did not find the robber, Goodman said. A details suspect description was not available.

Facebook Twitter Reddit Tumblr Linkedin Email

UPDATE: Deputies arrest attempted murder suspect after neighborhood search in El Monte

Posted on by


EL MONTE >> Authorities cordoned off an El Monte neighborhood as they searched for a suspect in a prior attempted murder case who ran from deputies Thursday, sheriff’s officials said.
The incident began shorty after 2 p.m., Los Angeles County sheriff’s Sgt. Jose Carbajal said.
A deputy spotted an SUV being driven by the wanted suspect in the area of Valley Boulevard and Rowland Avenue and tried to pull it over, the sergeant said. A female passenger was riding in the SUV.
The driver stopped the vehicle and ran into the surrounding neighborhood, Carbajal said. Deputies immediately detained the passenger.
Deputies called for gang deputies and sheriff’s K-9s to assist in the neighborhood search.
Valley Boulevard was shut down between Baldwin Avenue and Temple City Boulevard as the search continued Thursday afternoon, according to El Monte police.
The male suspect was found and arrested within the search perimeter about 6:30 p.m., Carbajal said. His identity was no available pending booking.
Further details regarding the original crime for which the suspect was being sought were not available.

Facebook Twitter Reddit Tumblr Linkedin Email

Three hurt after car plows into laundromat in El Monte

Posted on by


EL MONTE >> A car crashed through the front of an El monte laundromat Thursday afternoon, sending the driver and two other people to the hospital, authorities said.
The crash took place about 1:30 p.m. at a laundromat near Valley Boulevard and Garvey Avenue, according to El Monte police and Los Angeles County fire officials. The car smashed through the business’ plate glass windows and front doors.
A total of three patients were taken to area hospitals, fire Inspector Joey Marron said.
The driver of the car, who was unconscious when police and paramedics arrived, was hospitalized in critical condition, officials said.
A woman who was inside the laundromat complained of pain and was also taken to a hospital for examination, police Lt. Pete Rasic said.
Firefighters also treated a third patients for non-life-threatening injuries, officials said, however further details were not immediately available on how that person was injured.
Police were looking into the possibility that the driver, a man estimated to be in his 30s, may have lost consciousness due to an unknown issue prior to the impact, triggering the crash, Rasic said.
The investigation was ongoing.

Facebook Twitter Reddit Tumblr Linkedin Email

La Puente named on of state’s 50 safest cities for third year in a row

Posted on by

LA PUENTE >> For the third year running, La Puente has been named one of the 50 safest cities in California by security organization Safe Wise.
The city earned the 48th spot on the SafeWise Report’s 50 Safest Cities in California list for 2016.
“Besides its enviably low crime rate, what caught our attention about La Puente is the way it cares for its children,” SafeWise said in a written statement.
“ La Puente’s Self-Esteem Through Activities Recreation and Sports program provides elementary school children with a diverse assortment of after-school activities. La Puente’s Teen V.O.I.C.E. program is a volunteer-based program for teens ages 13 to 18, and its Tiny Tot program helps build the self-esteem of children ages three to five.”
City Manager David Carmany said the designation “validated we are on the right track,” but said the majority of credit belongs to the city’s partners at the Los Angels County Sheriff’s Department, as well as city staff.
Six other San Gabriel Valley cities made the list of California’s top 50 safest cities.
Sierra Madre ranked 9th safest city in California, Walnut ranked 20th, Temple City ranked 38th, Diamond Bar ranked 42nd, Chino Hills ranked 47th and La Mirada ranked 49th.

Facebook Twitter Reddit Tumblr Linkedin Email

Riverside County woman accused of abducting sons in El Monte arrested in Temecula, children recovered

Posted on by

0616_NWS_SGT-L-MOONFOLO

EL MONTE >> Police Wednesday found and arrested a Riverside County woman accused of abducting her two sons during a monitored visitation in El Monte last month and recovered the children unharmed in Temecula, police said.
Emily Lynn Moon, 32, of Lake Elsinore, is accused of abducting her sons, ages 6 and 10, on May 21 during a supervised visit with the children at a McDonald’s restaurant at 11612 Valley Blvd. in El Monte, El Monte police officials said.
The boys’s father had just dropped them off at the restaurant, Sgt. Richard Luna said at the time. The court-ordered monitor left the mother and children alone for a short time and returned to find them gone and reported the abduction to police.
After more than three weeks missing, a tip helped police tracked down the missing mother and sons Wednesday, according to El Monte police officials and Los Angeles County booking records.
“Detectives developed the lead and worked with community members to subsequently locate the children,” Lt. Christopher Cano said in a written statement.
“The Children were located in Temecula with their mother, suspect Emily Moon,” Cano said. “Both children appeared to be unharmed but very hungry.”
Police arrested moon and took the children into protective custody before placing them with other family members later in the evening, Cano said.
According to booking records, Moon was being held in lieu of $380,000 bail pending her initial court appearance.
Anyone with information regarding the wherabouts of Emily Moon between May 21 and June 13 is asked to contact El Monte police at 626-580-2114. Tips may also be submitted via email to tips@empd.org.

PHOTO of Emily Moon courtesy of the El Monte Police Department.

Facebook Twitter Reddit Tumblr Linkedin Email

UPDATED: Bomb squad destroys ‘suspicious package’ at La Mirada synagogue; found to be inert

Posted on by

TEMPLE
LA MIRADA >> A bomb squad responded to a Jewish temple in La Mirada Wednesday after the synagogue received a “suspicious package” in the mail, ultimately finding it contained nothing dangerous, authorities said.
The incident began shortly before 2 p.m. at Temple Beth Ohr, 15721 Rosecrans Ave., at Santa Gertrudes Avenue, Los Angeles County sheriff’s officials said.
The package, received via Priority Mail, was deemed suspicious due to its return address, Sgt. George Suarez said. Further details were not available.
The large box was addressed to the temple in handwriting, Rabbi Mark Goldfarb said.
“But the return address did not have a return address. Instead, in that area, there was a message: ‘Jason, the male child, to rule the world with an iron rod,” Goldfarb said. The statement appeared to be a reference to New Testament end times prophecies in the Book of Revelations.
Other “indecipherable things” were also scrawled on the box, the rabbi said. “That made the package suspicious in our minds.”
The package remained on an exterior porch at the south side of the building as deputies summoned a bomb squad team from the sheriff’s Arson-Explosives Detail to examine the package further, Suarez said.
Bomb squad members shredded the package with a powerful water cannon, sheriff’s and temple officials said.
Inside were found Bibles, coins and a music box, Goldfarb said.
“In the end, it turned out to be someone who tried to send us a gift,” he said. “But again, because of the strange and cryptic messages in the return address, it popped us as a suspicious package in our eyes.”
Deputies evacuated the temple, along with 50 to 60 children at the next-door United Methodist Church school and three to four nearby houses before officials sounded the all-clear, Suarez said. The evacuated students were taken to nearby Eastwood Elementary School, 15730 Pescados Drive.
Both Rosecrans and Santa Gertrudes avenues at their intersection for about two hours.

PHOTO via Keith Durflinger

Facebook Twitter Reddit Tumblr Linkedin Email

UPDATED — Hazmat: Spilled chemicals prompt closure of Foothill Blvd. in Pasadena

Posted on by

0612_NWS_PSN-L-HAZMATcrop - Copy
PASADENA >> Firefighters and hazardous materials crews shut down a portion of Foothill Boulevard in Pasadena Saturday after three containers filled with potent acid fell from a passing truck, authorities said.
The incident was first reported about 11:40 a.m. along Foothill Boulevard, between Rosemead Boulevard and Halstead Street, Pasadena Fire Department spokeswoman Lisa Derderian said.
Three unlabeled, orange-colored, one-gallon plastic containers slipped off a truck and fell into the roadway, prompting safety concerns, Derderian said.
“They’re still trying to neutralize it,” she said shortly after 1 p.m. “Preliminary reports are it’s some kind of hydrochloric acid.”
The powerful and highly corrosive acid is used for many industrial purposes, such as controlling the acidity levels in swimming pools.
It was later confirmed the substance was, in fact, pool-cleaning acid, officials said.
Nearby businesses remained open, however workers and customers were being asked to “shelter in place,” Derderian said.
Firefighters cleared the jugs from the roadway shortly after 1:30 p.m., officials said. Both directions of Foothill Boulevard, as well as the Rosemead Boulevard offramp of the westbound 210 Freeway, were shut down as a result of the spill, officials said. Affected streets were expected to be reopened shortly after 2 p.m.

PHOTO courtesy of Landon Jensen/Pasadena Fire Department

Facebook Twitter Reddit Tumblr Linkedin Email