UPDATED: Two arrested following Alhambra robbery, attempted carjacking


ALHAMBRA >> Two Pico Rivera men robbed and tried to carjack a man and woman at gunpoint when they caught them burglarizing her car in Alhambra before police found and arrested them nearby early Saturday, authorities said.
The crime took place about 12:30 a.m. in the 500 block of South Almansor Street, Alhambra police Sgt. Ruben Soriano said.
A woman and man saw two men rifling through the woman’s car, the sergeant said.
“Then the victims confronted the suspects, one suspect brandished a handgun and the other suspect brandished a knife,” police said in a written statement.
“They stole one victim’s purse and tried to take the victims’ car keys,” according to the statement.
The suspects then fled the scene on foot.
Police found the two suspects about 45 minutes later, two blocks away, after a resident called police to report two suspicious men in a backyard in the 400 block of South Cordova Avenue, police said.
Steven Perez, 21, and Anthony Bruno, 19, both of Pico Rivera, were booked on suspicion of robbery and attempted carjacking.
A search of the area during daylight hours turned up a replica handgun with its orange tip removed, which police said they believed was the gun seen by the victims.
According to county booking records, Perez and Bruno were being held in lieu of $100,000 bail each pending their initial court appearances, scheduled Wednesday in the Alhambra branch of Los Angeles County Superior Court.

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Man accused of burglary, attempted murder in attack on elderly man, son inside Pasadena home


PASADENA >> Police jailed a man late Tuesday after he attacked an 87-year-old man and his son inside their home, before the victims overpowered the suspect and held him until officers arrived, officials said.
Gregory Neal Park, 37, of Los Angeles was booked on suspicion of attempted murder and burglary following the 9 p.m. incident in the 100 block of Arlington Drive, Pasadena police Lt. John Luna said.
The elderly man and his son, 63, were first alerted that something was wrong by the smell of smoke in the home, the lieutenant said.
The source of the odor was never determined, he said, but while investigating, the two men encountered Park in the kitchen of their home.
“A violent struggle ensued between the victims and the suspect,” Luna said “The suspect threatened to kill (the father) and struck him in the head with an unknown object.”
The elderly victim’s wife, 84, called 911.
Some type of glass object also became involved in the fight before the men managed to subdue the suspect and hold him down until police arrived and took him into custody without a struggle, Luna said.
The elderly man suffered an avulsion fracture to his head, while his son was treated for cuts to his forehead and bruising and abrasions to his face. The woman in the home was not hurt.
Both men’s injuries were not believed to be life-threatening, Luna said.
According to county booking records, Park was being held in lieu of $1 million bail pending his initial court appearance.

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Four arrested following West Covina burglary

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WEST COVINA >> Police arrested three men and a teenage boy on Thursday night after a break-in at an occupied home in Covina, officials said.
Arrested were Shawn Keith Castilow, 26, of Compton; Michael Ormahn Davis, 19, of Riverside; Semaj Amantae James, 19, of Los Angeles; and a 16-year-old Los Angeles boy, whose name was not released due to his age, West Covina police spokesman Rudy Lopez said in a written statement.
A man called 911 about 8:55 p.m. to report he found four people trying to break into his home in the 400 block of North Ellen Drive, Lopez said.
“The victim, who was inside his residence at the time, was able to provide the license plate of the fleeing vehicle containing the four suspects,” according to Lopez. “West Covina Officers responding to the scene located the suspect vehicle on the 10 Freeway as it traveled westbound. The vehicle was stopped and the four suspects were then taken into custody without incident.”
Police recovered items from the suspect’s car, “that may possibly link the suspects to additional burglaries,” Lopez added.
All four suspects were booked on suspicion of burglary, police said. Castilow was additionally accused of violating his parole, stemming from a prior conviction.

PHOTOS: [Left to right] Shawn Keith Castilow, 26, of Compton; Micharl Ormahn Davis, 19, of Riverside; Semag Amantae James, 19, of Los Angeles; and a 16-year-old Los Angeles boy 9not pictured) were arrested on suspicion of burglarizing a home in West Covina on Friday, Jan. 6, 2016. (Courtesy, West Covina Police Department)

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Pasadena couple awakened by intruder in their home


PASADENA >> A senior citizen couple awoke Thursday night to find an intruder in their bedroom, authorities said.
The burglar fled once the victims, a man and woman in their 60s, woke up in the middle of the break-in at about 11:25 p.m. in the 1400 block of Loma Vista Street, Pasadena police Lt. John Mercado said.
Police said the man made his way into the home by forcing open a rear kitchen door, then made his way upstairs to the master bedroom, where the homeowners slept.
They awakened to see the man rifling through their bedroom with a flashlight, according to the lieutenant.
Once detected, the burglar fled from the home with a shoulder bag belonging to the female resident, Mercado said. It contained a wallet and other miscellaneous personal items.
The burglar was described only as male.
Anyone with information can reach Pasadena police at 626-744-4241. Tips may also be submitted anonymously to L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477.

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Burglary suspects arrested after Alhambra woman chases them from home with baseball bat

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ALHAMBRA >> A woman armed herself with a baseball bat and chased away three intruders as they tried to force their way through the window of her Alhambra home before police apprehended three suspects following a brief pursuit, officials said.
The incident began about 1:25 p.m. when the woman heard the sound of burglars inside a detached laundry room of her home on Front Street, near Fremont Avenue, Alhambra police Sgt. Jerry Johnson said.
The three intruders then began trying to force their way through a window into the main house, he said.
The frightened resident, a woman in her 20s, grabbed a baseball bat to defend herself, Johnson said. She pounded it and managed to scare the burglars away. They got into a an SUV and drove off.
An Alhambra police motorcycle officer soon spotted an SUV matching the description driving along Fremont Avenue, near the 10 Freeway, according to the sergeant.
Officers followed as the SUV got onto the eastbound 10 Freeway, Johnson said. The driver at first drove calmly as officers amassed behind them, but then suddenly got into the carpool lane and accelerated.
The driver led officers on a chase before exiting the freeway at Peck Road and pulling over in a parking lot, police said. Officers then took the three suspects into custody without a struggle.
Davone Claude Garrett, 18, of Los Angeles; Agoin Malik Boyd, 19, of Los Angeles; and Ramire Blue, Male, 20, of Compton, were booked on suspicion of burglary, Johnson said. Boyd allegedly drove the getaway car.
According to Los Angeles County booking records, all three were being held in lieu of $50,000 bail pending their initial court appearances.

BOOKING PHOTOS: [Left to right] Davone Claude Garrett, 18, of Los Angeles; Agoin Malik Boyd, 19, of Los Angeles; and Ramire Blue, Male, 20, of Compton. (Courtesy, Alhambra Police Department)

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Brothers arrested in connection with Arcadia burglary


ARCADIA >> Police jailed two brothers on Thursday as they fled from an alleged home burglary in Arcadia, officials said.
Jayshawn McKnight, 27, of Los Angeles and parolee Javon McKnight, a 30-year-old transient, were booked on suspicion of residential burglary, Arcadia police Sgt. Kirk Pedersen said in a written statement.
Officers responded to a burglary alarm about 10:30 a.m. in the area of Santa Anita and Grandview avenues, at the northern end of town, officials said.
As police were investigating the break-in, several witnesses reported seeing two men running through nearby yards.
Arcadia police, aided by their counterparts in the Sierra Madre police department, set up a search perimeter and soon arrested the McKnight brothers in connection with the burglary, Pedersen said.
Javon McKnight, who is already on parole following 2015 convictions for burglary and being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm, was being held without bail pending his initial court appearance, according to officials and Los Angeles County Superior Court and booking records.
Jayshawn McKnight was being held in lieu of $50,000 bail pending his initial court appearance, records show.

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$300K in computer equipment stolen in La Habra break-in


LA HABRA >> A thief or thieves used a vehicle to smash through the front of a La Habra computer business before making off with an estimated $300,000 worth of computer equipment early Sunday, authorities said.
The break-in took place just before 6:30 a.m. at HIDevolution, 511 S. Harbor Blvd., La Habra police Sgt. Jeff Baylos said. The business sells high-end, customized computers
Officers responding to an alarm activation discovered someone had smashed a car through the roll-up door to gain entry, he said.
A full inventory of missing property was pending, but it initially appeared the burglar or burglars escaped with about $300,000 worth of computer equipment, Baylos said.
No suspect description was available. Detectives were in process of collecting footage from area surveillance cameras in hopes of generating leads.
Anyone with information can reach La Habra police at 562-383-4300. Tips may also be submitted anonymously to Orange County Crime Stoppers at 855-847-6227.

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Duo sought after three Whittier businesses burglarized overnight

WHITTIER >> A pair of masked burglars broke into a Marie Callender’s restaurant, a BevMo! liquor store and MoneyGram branch during an early-morning burglary spree over the course of an hour in Whittier on Thursday, police said.
“The (modus operandi) is the same in all of them,’ Whittier police Lt. Jim Uhl said.
In all three cases, two men wearing masks, gloves and hooded sweatshirts pried open the doors of the business to gain entry, he said. They drove a full-size pickup truck.
The first break-in occurred just after 2 a.m. at Marie Callender’s, 12402 Washington Blvd., Uhl said. The burglars forced their way into the restaurant, but fled without taking anything.
About 30 minutes later, another break-in was reported at BevMo!, 15525 Whittier Blvd., the sergeant said.
The two burglars targeted high-end liquor, making off with about $6,000 worth of booze, he said.
About 20 minutes after the BevMo! break-in, the pair forced their way into a MoneyGram branch at 14030 Lambert Road, Uhl said. Again, the burglars forced their way in, but fled empty-handed.
Detectives were working to obtain video surveillance footage from the burglaries, Uhl said.
Anyone with information can reach Whittier police at 562-567-9200. Tips may also be submitted anonymously to L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477.

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VIDEO: Burglars steal 2 bottles of Cognac, valued at $53,000, from Monterey Park business


MONTEREY PARK >> A pair of burglars stole two rare bottles of cognac — together valued at $53,000 — from a Monterey Park liquor store earlier this week, police said.
The crime took place about 3:50 a.m. on Monday at Wing Hop Fung, a liquor and grocery store at 725 W. Garvey Ave., according to Monterey Park police Lt. Bill Cuevas.
The two unidentified intruders first broke into a neighboring business, then climbed into a shared attic to access the liquor store through the ceiling, the lieutenant said.
“Once inside, the suspects stole two high-priced bottles of alcohol,” Cuevas said in a written statement.
They were a bottle of Louis XIII Rare Cask 426 Cognac Second Edition, worth $28,0000, and a bottle of Louis XIII Black Pearl Cognac Anniversary Edition, worth $25,000, he said.
Once inside, the burglars immediately made their way to a display case containing the two high-priced Cognacs, police said. No other items were believed to have been stolen.
Police released surveillance video footage of the burglary in hopes of generating leads from the public.
The video depicts the two men rushing through the store before using a ladder already stored in the business to make their escape back through the ceiling.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Monterey Park police detectives at 626-307-1236. Tips may also be submitted anonymously to L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477.

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Photo.video courtesy of the Monterey Park Police Department

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San Dimas cell phone store, paint store burglarized overnight

SAN DIMAS >> Burglars escaped with thousands of dollars worth of merchandise during overnight break-ins at a cell phone store and a paint shop in San Dimas, authorities said Friday.
The first burglary was believed to have taken place about 11:40 p.m. on Thursday, when an alarm went off at the Sprint Store, 875 W. Arrow Highway, Los Angeles County sheriff’s Lt. Thomas Reid said.
Deputies responded to the store but saw no signs of a break-in, the he said. But when employees arrived in the morning to open the store for business, they discovered that someone had made their way into the store by cutting a hole in the wall.
About $11,000 worth of cell phones were discovered to be missing, Reid said.
Another burglary alarm about 1:35 a.m. on Friday drew deputies to a Sherwin-Williams store at 762 W. Arrow Highway, according to Reid.
Deputies found a window had been shattered, he said. Employees determined about $2,000 worth of painting equipment had been stolen.
No suspect descriptions were available in either case, he said.
Anyone with information can reach the sheriff’s San Dimas Station at 909-450-2700. Tips may also be submitted anonymously to L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477.

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