Recently in 245 Category

AZUSA -- An assailant opened fire with a shotgun at a house party late Saturday, wounding two young men and two young women, police said.
The shooting was reported at 11:37 p.m. in a back yard in the 200 block of South Vernon Avenue, Azusa police said in a written statement.
The wounded ranged in age from 19 to 21, police said. Their identities were not released Sunday pending further investigation.
All were hospitalized with serious injuries Saturday, and all underwent surgery, according to the police statement. An update on their conditions was not available Sunday.
A motive or suspect description in the attack was unknown, Azusa police Sgt. Sam Fleming said. Police continued interviewing many witnesses Sunday.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Azusa Police Department.

PICO RIVERA -- A man was shot and wounded Thursday in what initially appeared to be a liquor store robbery gone bad, authorities said.
Deputies responded to a report of a robbery about 8:20 p.m. at J&M Liquor, 8940 E. Beverly Boulevard, and found a man who had been wounded in a shooting, Los Angeles County sheriff's Sgt. Jacqueline Sanchez said.
The wounded man,  who appeared to be in his 30s, was taken to a trauma center with a gunshot wound, Los Angeles County Fire Department Capt. Sal Chavez said.
His condition was unknown, however he was conscious and alert when hospitalized, the captain said.
It was not clear if he was an employee of the liquor store, Sanchez said.
Deputies set up a search perimeter and continued hunting for the shooter late Thursday, Sanchez said. A description of the attacker or a motive in the shooting was not available.

LA MIRADA -- A man was wounded Sunday in an apparently gang-related shooting in La Mirada, authorities said.
The shooting took place just after 6 p.m. at in the 13800 block of Ratliffe Street, Los Angeles County Fire Department Dispatch Supervisor Art Marrujo said.
The victim, a Latino man in his 40s, suffered several gunshot wounds and was taken to a hospital where he was expected to survive, sheriff's officials said.
No description of the shooter was available and the details of the shooting remained unclear late Sunday, Sgt. Robert Renteria said, however the shooting initially appeared to be gang-related.

POMONA -- Authorities say a 17-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of killing two teenagers and wounding a third in a Pomona park.
Pomona police say witnesses called to report the shooting Friday afternoon at Ted Greene Park.
Responding officers found the two most seriously injured boys still at the park. Both died after they were transported to a hospital.
The third teen was treated for gunshot injuries and is expected to survive.
The suspect was found hiding behind a house near the park.
His name has not been released.

A man was shot and wounded Friday in an apparently gang-related shooting in an unincorporated county area between Monrovia and Duarte, authorities said.
The shooting was reported about 7:45 p.m. in the 2000 block of Broderick Avenue, Los Angeles County sheriff's Lt. Mark Glatt said.
The victim was initially described only as a black man, Sgt. Lynette O'Brien said. He was shot in the torso and expected to survive.
The attackers were two Latino men and a Latino woman in a gray compact car, she added.
A motive in the shooting remained under investigation, officials said, however sheriff's gang detectives were handling the investigation.
The incident was the third shooting reported in the area in two days.
A black man was shot and wounded shortly after 9 p.m. Thursday at Magnolia Avenue and Genoa Street in Monrovia, Monrovia police officials said.
The shooter in the apparently gang-related attack was only described as a Latino man, who fired at the victim from inside a passing dark-colored, 4-door sedan, police said.
Around the same time, someone fired shots at two houses in the 700 block of East Pamela Street, in an unincorporated county area between Monrovia and Duarte, sheriff's officials said.
Three people were inside the homes, but no one was injured, officials added. The shooter fled in a tan compact car.
In recent years, the Monrovia-Duarte area has been the battlefield in a war between a black and Latino gangs that call the area home.
Violence between the feuding Du Roc Crips street gang and the Monrovia Nuevo Varrio street gang is blamed four four deaths in late 2007 and early 2008.

MONROVIA -- A man was shot and wounded Thursday in a possibly gang-related attack in Monrovia, police said.
The shooting occurred about 9:15 p.m. at Magnolia Avenue and Genoa Street, Monrovia police Lt. Nels Ortlund said.
The victim, who was initially described only as a black man, was expected to survive, the lieutenant said.
The initial investigation indicated the shooter, described only as a Latino man, fired at the victim from inside a passing dark-colored, 4-door sedan, Ortlund.
The windows were heavily tinted and only partially rolled down, he added, so it was unclear if there was more than one person in the car.
"What appeared to be some gang-related threats" were shouted prior to the shooting, Ortlund said, though the specific gang-affiliation of the attacker was not available late Thursday.
The shooting occurred in the portion of Monrovia where a judge enacted a gang injunction last month against two feuding gangs, Monrovia Nuevo Varrio and the Du Roc Crips.

EL MONTE -- Two men were shot and wounded Sunday in El Monte, authorities said.
The shooting took place about 6:45 p.m. at Cogswell Road and Elliot Avenue, El Monte police Lt. Ken Alva said.
One of the victims, a known gang member, was shot in the upper back and was believed to be the intended target of the attack, Alva said. The other man appeared to be a bystander with no gang ties and was struck in the leg by a stray bullet.
Both wounded men appeared to be in their 30s and were hospitalized in stable condition, he added.
The victims said no words were spoken prior to the unprovoked attack.
The men told police they did not see their attacker, but witnesses said a white Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck fled the area after the shots were fired.
The investigation is being turned over to gang detectives, Alva said, though a motive in the shooting was not known Sunday.

Two Latino gang members accused of shooting a black man and trying to run him over with a car in an alleged hate crime in Duarte last month appeared in court Friday, authorities said.

Ali Vasquez, 22, Mario Luevano, 18, and a 17-year-old boy whose name was not released due to his age are suspected of shouting racial slurs as they carried out the crime, Los Angeles County sheriff's Sgt. Carlos Lopez said in a written statement. All three are members of the Duarte Eastside street gang.

The adult suspects appeared in Los Angeles County Superior Court Friday to be arraigned on three counts of attempted murder Friday, court officials said, however the hearing was delayed until Feb. 19 and the suspects did not enter pleas.

The alleged attack took place about 6:30 a.m. on Dec. 31 at Highland and Central avenues, officials said.

"Suspects Vasquez, Luevano and a male juvenile shot a male black adult twice in the upper torso with a shotgun and handgun," according to the sheriff's statement. "The suspects then attempted to run the victim over with their vehicle, which was was later determined the suspects had stolen."

The wounded man is an Altadena resident in his late 40s who was visiting a friend in Duarte when he was shot, officials said. The suspects passed by him in an allegedly stolen car before getting out to confront him.

Deputies arrested Luevano Jan. 5 on an unrelated charge of possession of a controlled substance while armed with a loaded firearm, officials said.

The alleged victim cooperated with authorities duing the lenghty investigation, officials said.

Vasquez and the juvenile were arrested on Jan. 8 and 20, respectively, while deputies carried out search warrants at their homes.

Vasquez and the juvenile are Duarte residents, Los Angeles County sheriff's Lt. Mark Glatt said. Luevano's city of residency was not available Friday.

According to sheriff's booking records, Vasquez was being held without bail, while Luevano was being held in lieu of $2.18 million bail.

The shooting took place only weeks after a judge enacted a gang injunction in Monrovia against two waring gangs, the Du Roc Crips and Monrovia Nuevo Varrio.

Monrovia officials complained that Duarte did not join in the injunction, which may have allowed it to include Duarte Eastside.

Duarte officials have said they fear Monrovia's injunction against the Du Roc Crips and MNV could strengthen Duarte Eastside.

MONTEBELLO - A young man was shot and dropped off at a local hospital Wednesday, police said.
The man was shot at about 7:38 p.m. in the 100 block of W. Madison Avenue and then dropped off at Beverly Hospital by an unknown person, Montebello police Sgt. Ismael Navarro said.
The man, who was in his late teens, was expected to survive, the sergeant said.
Further details of the shooting were not immediately available, and detectives continued interviewing witnesses Thursday, Ismael said.
A motive in the attack remained under investigation, he said, though it initially appeared related to gangs or tagging.

Deputies arrested a woman on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon after she attacked her husband with a knife, causing minor injuries, in an unincorporated county area near Whittier, authorities said.
Debra Von Trapp, 58, was being held in lieu of $50,000 bail, Los Angeles County sheriff's Sgt. Robert Renteria said.
The incident occurred about 1 p.m. at a home in the 12200 block of Tanfield Drive, the sergeant said.
The woman and her husband became involved in an argument before the woman pulled a knife and cut his arm, Renteria said. The injury appeared minor.
Friday's incident was not the first time deputies have responded to the home for domestic violence-related calls, he added.
According to sheriff's booking records, Von Trapp is due for arraignment in Whittier Superior Court on Thursday.

ROSEMEAD -- A sophomore at a private high school allegedly stabbed the school principal in his office Friday, authorities said.
Principal Gary Catalano of the Don Bosco Technical School was hospitalized in stable condition following the 12:15 p.m. incident at the all-male Catholic campus at 1151 San Gabriel Blvd., officials said.
The student went into the school's administration building and asked to see Principal Catalano, Los Angeles County sheriff's Deputy Johnie Jones said.
Once in Catalano's office, Jones said, the student showed Catalano some documents prior to the "seemingly unprovoked" attack.
"With one hand, (the student) showed him the paperwork and with the other hand, the student stabbed the principal twice in the back," Jones said.
In a written statement, Don Bosco Technical School President Sharon Morano briefly recapped the event and said Catalano was in good condition.
"Our concern is for the Principal's well-being and our students' safety," she said.
The student, 16, fled the school after the stabbing but was arrested in the surrounding neighborhood, Jones said. He had with him a small pocket knife believed to have been used in the stabbing.
School Human Resources Manager Teresa Herrera said the incident posed no threat to other students, and the campus was not locked down. Students were released from school at the usual time.
She added that Catalano had been working at the school for two years.
The teenage suspect, whose name was not released due to his age, was booked on suspicion of attempted murder, officials said.
Sheriff's spokeswoman Nicole Nishida said there was no history of problems between the student and principal.
"At this point, we don't know any reason why he did it," she said.
Nishida added that the incident was highly uncharacteristic of the "very prestigious school."
Don Bosco Technical School is an all male campus of about 700 students, Herrera said.
It teaches specialized subjects such as computer science, electronics and construction.
Luis Briseno, 19, of Hacienda Heights said he graduated in 2008 and was surprised to see the campus surrounded by deputies when he arrived to pick up some paperwork.
Briseno said in his experience, the school was always safe and peaceful.
"Nothing like this has ever happened," he said.

LA MIRADA -- A man was shot and wounded Sunday, but refused to give investigators any details of the attack, officials said.
The shooting was reported about 6:15 p.m. in the 14000 block of San Ardo Drive, Los Angeles County sheriff's Lt. Mark Wilkins said.
The "absolutely uncooperative" victim, a man in his 20s, was found shot in the lower torso, the lieutenant said.
He refused to give deputies a description of the attacker, Wilkins said, or even say where the shooting took place.
The wounded man was expected to survive, he said.

WEST COVINA -- Police continued their search Saturday for three self-identified gang members who shot and wounded two teenage boys, officials said.
The shooting was reported shortly after 9 p.m. Friday in the area of Puente Avenue and Orange Street, West Covina police Lt. Tommy Garcia said.
A 16-year-old boy and a 17-year-old boy, both from West Covina, were walking when a silver Nissan Altima drove by with three Latino young men inside, the lieutenant said. They were not believed to have gang ties.
The young victims did not know why they were targeted, he added.
"All they know is suddenly these guys came by, yelled out a gang name and then fired," Garcia said.
Police declined to release the gang name that was yelled Saturday, citing an ongoing investigation.
The 16-year-old boy was shot in the head, and the older boy was shot in the shoulder, stomach and groin, police said. Both were hospitalized in stable condition Friday.

WEST COVINA -- Two teenage boys were wounded in a drive-by shooting Friday, police said.
The attack occurred about 9:10 p.m. in the area of Puente Avenue and Orange Street, West Covina police Lt. Tommy Garcia said.
A 16-year-old boy was shot in the head, and a 17-year-old boy was shot in the shoulder, stomach and groin, the lieutenant said.
Both teens were expected to survive, he added.
The shooter was inside a passing silver Nissan sedan, Garcia said. No description of the occupants of the car was available.
A motive in the shooting remained unclear late Friday.