Category Archives: 207

Pasadena man accused of kidnapping ex-girlfriend

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PASADENA >> A Pasadena man kidnapped his ex-girlfriend and drove her around the city before police arrested him early Saturday morning, officials said.
Javier Vasquez, 21, was booked on suspicion of kidnapping and false imprisonment, Pasadena police Lt. John Mercado said.
Police received a report about 2 a.m. of a distraught woman sitting on a curb in the 200 block of South Oak Knoll Avenue, he said.
“(She) tells us that her boyfriend forced her into his car against her will,” Mercado said. “He drove her around the city of Pasadena and wouldn’t let her get out.”
The woman tried to escape several times as the car slowed or stopped for traffic, the lieutenant said. “He would grab her by her wrist or hair.”
Vasquez ultimately released the woman on Oak Knoll Avenue and drove off, Mercado said. Police arrested him as a returned home later in the morning.
The victim, an Altadena resident, suffered no serious injuries.
According to county booking records, Vasquez was being held in lieu of $100,000 bail pending his initial court appearance.

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Man kidnapped, carjacked outside Hacienda Heights 7-Eleven store

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HACIENDA HEIGHTS >> A gunman carjacked and kidnapped another man at gunpoint in the parking lot of a Hacienda Heights convenience store Thursday afternoon, authorities said.
The crime occurred about 3:40 p.m. outside a 7-Eleven store at Gale and Stimson avenues, Los Angeles County sheriff’s Lt. David Infante said.
A 25-year-old man was sitting in his brown, 2005 Chevy Silverado, Infante said. “The suspect produced a handgun and demanded a ride.”
The suspect entered the pickup truck and ordered the victim to drive, the lieutenant said. The gunman directed the victim to drive to the 800 block of North Hacienda Boulevard in La Puente, where he ordered the victim to get out. The carjacker then fled northbound in the victim’s truck.
A detailed suspect description was not available. Officials withheld the truck’s license plate number as they continued their investigation late Thursday.

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Young woman kidnapped, beaten, robbed in Pasadena

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PASADENA >> Three attackers kidnapped a woman in Pasadena, beat her unconscious and robbed her before dropping her off in Glendale Wednesday night, police said.
The victim, a 19-year-old Los Angeles woman, suffered “serious facial contusions” in the attack but was hospitalized in stable condition, Pasadena police Lt. John Luna said.
She told investigators she had taken a Metro Gold Line train to Pasadena to sell the suspects a small amount of marijuana prior to the incident, which was reported to police about 11 p.m., police officials said.
The suspects, who she did not know by name, told her to meet them in the area of Fair Oaks Avenue and Orange Grove Boulevard.
She got into the suspects’ newer-model, silver Honda Pilot, Luna said, Inside were two men and a woman. Detailed descriptions of the three suspects were not available.
“The victim heard what sounded like a gunshot and saw one of the windows shatter,” Luna said. The two men then began punching the woman in the face until she lost consciousness.
“She came to when the suspects dropped her off in the city of Glendale,” Luna said. The woman flagged down a passer-by, who drove her to a hospital.
The woman’s cell phone had been stolen, along with the marijuana, Lt. Vasken Gourdkian said.

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Whittier man accused of kidnapping, carjacking woman in Pasadena

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PASADENA >> Police jailed a Whittier man on suspicion of kidnapping and carjacking a woman in Pasadena late Friday.
The strange crime took place shortly before 8 p.m. in the 400 block of South Lake Avenue as a 25-year-old Los Angeles woman was returning to her car after shopping in the area, Pasadena police Lt. Jesse Carrillo said.
A suspect ultimately identified as Andrew Sevillano, 27, of Whittier jumped into the passenger seat of the woman’s car and ordered her to drive, Carrillo said. He gave no destination where he wanted to go, but simply told the frightened woman to continue keep driving.
The car had reached Alhambra when the woman decided to jump out of the car and run, Carrillo said. Sevillano drove off in her car.
The woman sought help from a nearby resident, who called police on her behalf, the lieutenant said.
Officers found the car parked outside Pasadena High School about four hours later, Carrillo said. They found and arrested Sevillano at neighboring victory park.
Sevillano displayed no weapon during the crime, and his motives were unclear, he said.
Police were looking into the possibility that mental illness or intoxication may have played a role in the strange incident.

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UPDATED: Transient accused of carjacking and kidnapping woman in Montebello

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MONTEBELLO >> Police arrested a transient Wednesday they believe kidnapped and carjacked a 19-year-old Azusa woman at knifepoint the day before.
Police, aided by a K-9, found and arrested Omar Alfaro Juarez, 23, about 7:40 a.m. in the 1300 block of South Montebello Boulevard, according to Montebello police officials and Los Angeles County booking records.
He’s accused of kidnapping, carjacking and assault with a deadly weapon in connection with a series of crimes, unfolding about 2 a.m. Tuesday at Bluff Road and Whittier Boulevard, Montebello police officials said in a written statement.
The woman had stopped her car in the area to rest and wait for a friend while driving home and fell asleep with car unlocked, police said.
“She was later awakened when she felt something on her neck and realized that a male was in her passenger seat holding a knife to her neck,” according to the statement.
Juarez allegedly forced the woman over to the passenger seat and drove her around for several hours, forcing her to remove $20 from an ATM at Beach Street and Greenwood Avenue, Montebello police Detective Alfred Martinez said, officials said.
The woman reported seeing a possible second suspect at the convenience store, though police were still seeking that man and trying to determine whether he was involved in the crime, Martinez said.
The woman was freed about six hours later when a parking enforcement officer called police to report what they thought to be domestic violence in the 1700 block of Bluff Road, Martinez said. Juarez fled when officers arrived and was not found.
Detectives later identified Juarez as the suspect and began surveillance in the area of Montebello Boulevard and Elm Street, where he was known to frequent. They spotted Juarez Wednesday afternoon.
“Juarez refused to surrender and was apprehended by K-9 Cody,” the police statement says. Vernon and Monterey Park police assisted in the arrest, along with a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department helicopter.
The woman suffered a superficial cut to her neck, but no serious injuries, Martinez said.
Juarez was being held in lieu of $100,000 bail pending his arraignment hearing, scheduled Friday in Los Angeles Superior Court.

PHOTO of suspect Omar Juarez courtesy of the Montebello Police Department.

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UPDATED – IN CUSTODY: Woman accused of abducting 3-year-old son from Arcadia shopping mall

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ARCADIA >> Police arrested the mother of a 3-year-old boy Sunday after the woman, who does not have custody of her son, allegedly abducted him from an Arcadia shopping mall.
Levi Barrios and his mother Melissa Barrios, 25, disappeared about 8:35 p.m. Saturday from the Westfield Santa Anita shopping mall, 400 S. Baldwin Ave., Arcadia police Lt. Vaughn Whalen said in a written statement.
The boy’s great-aunt called police and reported Melissa Barrios, who is only authorized for visitation with her son, had absconded with him, Whalen said. The two were last seen at a bus stop at the mall.
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies found the mother and child at union station in Los Angeles about 2:20 a.m., police said.
The boy was unharmed and Melissa Barrios was jailed on suspicion of kidnapping.
She was being held in lieu of $150,000 bail pending her initial court appearance.
PHOTO of Melissa Barrios courtesy of the Arcadia Police Department

 

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Man accused of kidnapping 4-year-old son during supervised visit in Santa Fe Springs

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SANTA FE SPRINGS >> A man abducted his 4-year-old son during a supervised visit at a Santa Fe Springs social services office Thursday before police arrested him and recovered the boy about two hours later, officials said.
Francisco Rosas Espinoza, 42, is a Mexican national in the U.S. on a two-week visa to visit his son, Whittier police Officer John Scoggins.
He was visiting his son about 2 p.m. at the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services office in the 10300 block of Slusher Street when he left with his son, the officer said.
“We had officers and detectives scouring the area,” Scoggins said. A California Highway Patrol helicopter also joined in the search.
Officials spotted Espinoza and his son about 4:30 p.m. in the area of Pioneer Boulevard and Hamden Place, police said. He was trying to hide.
“There was a short standoff. He was holding on to the victim, refusing to let him go,” Scoggins said. “There was a brief struggle.”
Officers managed to wrestle the boy away from Espinoza and take the father into custody, he said. An officer was treated for a minor injury suffered in the confrontation, but neither the boy nor his father were hurt.
Espinoza was booked on suspicion of child abduction, child endangerment and resisting arrest, Scoggins said.
The boy was returned to the custody of DCFS.

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El Monte woman, brother accused of kidnapping woman’s son from father in Baldwin Park

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BALDWIN PARK >> Police arrested a woman and her brother on suspicion of kidnapping and other crimes after the siblings snatched the woman’s toddler son from the home of the boy’s father in Baldwin Park Friday, officials said.
Elizabeth Arias, 25, and Anthony Arias, 22, both of Baldwin Park, were ultimately jailed on suspicion of kidnapping, burglary and domestic violence, Baldwin Park police Lt. Chris Kuberry said.
The incident began about 8:30 a.m. when the brother and sister went to the father’s home in the 14800 block of Central Avenue and forced their way inside, the lieutenant said.
“The suspects became involved in a physical altercation with the father,” Kuberry said. “(Elizabeth Arias) kicked open a bedroom door and took the baby.” The woman and her brother then left in a black SUV.
Detectives found and arrested Anthony Arias in El Monte about 12:20 p.m., Kuberry said. When asked where the toddler was, “He was not cooperative.”
Investigators spotted Elizabeth Arias driving in El Monte about 4:30 p.m. and pulled her over, he said. Police found the boy, unharmed, inside the vehicle and arrested his mother.
There was no legal custody arrangement between the boy’s parents, Kuberry said.

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Suspect sketch released following attempted kidnapping in Santa Fe Springs

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0730_NWS_NWS-L-WHITSKETCH1SANTA FE SPRINGS >> Police have released a composite sketch of a man who exposed himself to a woman and tried to kidnap her as she walked along Pioneer Boulevard earlier this month.
The victim, a 57-year-old Downey woman, escaped with only minor abrasions following the failed abduction, which took place about 7:45 a.m. July 5 in an alley along Pioneer Boulevard, just north of Houghton Avenue, according to Whittier police Lt. Kent Miller.
The woman was walking when the suspect called out to the woman from a black SUV, Miller said.
“He asked her to come over to his truck, when he suddenly grabbed her by the wrist and tried pulling her toward his driver’s side door,” police said in a written statement. “The male suspect made several lewd comments and exposed himself.”
The woman managed to pull free and run away. The attacker was last seen driving north on Pioneer Boulevard.
Police described the man as Latino, 30 to 35 years old,of medium build, clean-shaven, with short black hair combed backward.
ANyone with information is asked to contact Whittier police Detective Kremling at 562-409-1850.

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Three additional suspects charged with 2002 kidnapping, slaying of Montebello teen

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MONTEBELLO >> Prosecutors have charged three additional suspects in connection with the alleged rape and murder of a 15-year-old Montebello girl on her way to school more than 12 years ago.
The three men join a woman who is already awaiting trial on charges related to the Oct., 2002, slaying of Brenda Sierra, Los Angeles County District Attorney’s officials said in a written statement.
Eddie Chavira, 20, Daniel Cervantes, 35 and George Barraza, 35, were added to a felony complaint alleging murder and other charges already filed against Rosemary Chavira, 28, district attorney’s office spokeswoman Jane Robison said.
Rosemary Chavira, Cervantes and Barraza are each charged with murder, conspiracy to dissuade a witness and forcible rape, along with the special circumstance of murder during the commission of a kidnapping to benefit a street gang, court documents show.
Eddie Chavira faces charges of murder and conspiracy to intimidate a witness.
Sierra was on her way to Schurr High School in Montbello when she was kidnapped on Oct. 18, 2002.
“She was raped and killed,” according to the district attorney’s office statement. “Her body was found the following day in the Crestline area of the San Bernardino Mountains. The cause of death was determined to be blunt force trauma to the head.
Sierra had no gang ties, investigators said. But she may have been killed so send a message to the community to keep quiet about gang violence.
In the days before Sierra’s kidnapping and slaying, “Eddie Chavira was in custody for a shooting witnessed by victim Brenda Sierra’s relative,” the district attorney’s office statement said. “Chavira told a fellow Lott gang member that he was going to have other Lott gang members take care of a witness. About the same time, he contacted his (then-)15-year-old sister, Rosemary Chavira, to assist in getting other gang members to take care of witnesses.”
Eddie Chavira and Daniel Cervantes are each serving prison time for previous convictions, authorities said. Investigators arrested Rosemary Chavira in February. Barraza remains a fugitive.
Rosemary Chavira has pleaded not guilty to her charges and is due back in Los Angeles Superior Court Tuesday for a preliminary hearing.
Arraignment dates were yet to be scheduled for Eddie Chavira and Cervantes.
Because Rosemary Chavira was herself a teen at the time of the killing, she faces a maximum penally of life in prison without the possibility of parole if convicted as charges, prosecutors said. Eddie Chavira faces up to 25 years to life in prison if convicted.
Cervantes and Barraza’s alleged crimes make them eligible for the death penalty under California law, however authorities have not yet determined whether to seek capital punishment in the case.

PHOTO of Brenda Sierra – courtesy

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