Bear, cubs return to Altadena neighborhood

Posted on July 7, 2012 by Brian Day

ALTADENA — A bear and her two cubs who made headlines in May as they napped on an Altadena tree returned to the foothill city Saturday, this time taking a dip in a hot tub before scampering out of sight, authorities said.

The mother bear and cubs were spotted about 3:30 p.m. on a 4-acre property in the 1400 block of Edgecliff Lane — the same neighborhood in which they attracted a cadre of media cameras during their previous visit May 3, according to Los Angeles County sheriff’s officials.

By the time deputies arrived, the bears had wandered off and could not be found, officials said.

Bear visits to foothill cities becoming more common during summer and fall, when there is little rainfall, officials said.

“It is always wise to give a bear as much room as you possibly can,” sheriff’s officials said in a written statement.

If the bear populations continue increasing, officials added, incidents of bears coming into neighborhoods to eat from fruit trees and drink from swimming pools and spas will likely become more frequent.

Black bears were first introduced into the San Gabriel Mountains in 1933.

“They are all descendants of 11 bears deported from Yosemite National Park for being troublemakers,” according to the statement.

PHOTOS courtesy of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department

UPDATED: Hiker badly hurt in fall in Eaton Canyon

Posted on June 9, 2012 by Brian Day

ALTADENA — Rescuers rushed a hiker to the hospital with major injuries Saturday after he fell from a ridge in Eaton Canyon, authorities said.

Pasadena firefighters and Altadena Search and Rescue Team members received word of the injured hiker about 10:20 a.m. near Coyote Canyon, Pasadena Fire Department spokeswoman Lisa Derderian said.

The hiker, a man in his 50s who suffers from diabetes, fell about 150 feet into a remote ravine, but had a cell phone and was able to call 9-1-1, Derderian said.

The man kept the phone line open as rescuers searched for him, helping to speed along the process, she said.

He was found after about 40 minutes, Derderian said. He appeared to have suffered major injuries including punctures to his lungs.

The man required “extensive medical intervention” at the scene before officials loaded him into a helicopter rushed him to a trauma center, she said.

PHOTOS courtesy of the Pasadena Fire Department

Hiker collapses, dies in Eaton Canyon

Posted on May 13, 2012 by Brian Day

ALTADENA — A man collapsed and died while hiking in Eaton Canyon, apparently due to a medical problem, authorities said.

Foul play was not initially suspected in the death of the 57-year-old hiker, who was believed to a be a Texas resident, Los Angeles County sheriff’s Lt. Angela Shepherd said.

The death was reported just after 9:40 a.m. in the Henninger Flats area of Eaton Canyon, officials said.

Fellow hikers called 9-1-1 after the man collapsed for unknown reasons, Shepherd said.

Rescuers pronounced the man dead at the scene, she said.

It was not clear what killed the man, but there were no signs of trauma on his body and it appeared to be due to natural causes, Shepherd said.

Officials from the Los Angeles County Department of Coroner are investigating how the man died.

Updated: Burning body found on sidewalk in Altadena

Posted on April 15, 2012 by Brian Day

ALTADENA — The body of a man, set on fire, was discovered early Sunday on Windsor Avenue in Altadena.

The death was first reported about 6 a.m. in the 2600 block of North Windsor Avenue, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department officials said in a written statement.

“Detectives have learned that a passerby saw a burning object on the sidewalk. Upon closer investigation, they realized the object was a human body and called 9-1-1,” said Deputy Lillian Peck of the Sheriff’s Headquarter’s Bureau.

“Altadena Sheriff’s Station deputies and Los Angeles County Fire Department personnel responded to the location and confirmed the burned victim was a male adult,” Peck said. “The victim was pronounced dead at the scene.”

The body was initially identified only as that of a black man, Lt. Matt Burson of the Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau said. The charred condition of the remains prevented officials from initially being able to determine the age of the man.

Los Angeles County Department of Coroner’s investigators will perform an autopsy to determine how the man died, Burson said. There were no bullet casings or other signs that a shooting had taken place at the spot where the body was found.

The body lied in a fetal position on the sidewalk lining the east side of Windsor Avenue.

Investigators also focused attention on a red Mazda sedan that was found parked in the street next to the body.

“We’re trying to determine if this car was, in fact, involved,” Burson said.

Neighbors didn’t report seeing or hearing anything unusual before the body was discovered, and said they were shocked to see their normally tranquil foothill neighborhood transformed into a crime scene.

Anyone with information was asked to contact the Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500. Tips can also be left anonymously by calling L.A. Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477.

Jury deliberating in case of woman accused of killing Altadena man during kidnapping

Posted on March 21, 2012 by Brian Day

LOS ANGELES — A jury was deliberating Wednesday in the case of a a woman accused of fatally shooting a man in Altadena while kidnapping his young nephew four years ago.

Mesha Arshaz Dean, 27, is charged with with murder with special circumstances, kidnapping and child abuse in connection with the March 18, 2007 death of 32-year-old Monroe Miles at his home in the 4000 block of Canyon Dell Drive in Altadena, Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office spokeswoman Jane Robison said.

The special allegation of murder during the commission of a kidnapping could have made Dean eligible for the death penalty.

“This is a special circumstances case, however (prosecutors) are not seeking the death penalty,” Robison said. If convicted as charged, “she faces life without the possibility of parole.”

The jury began deliberating on Dean’s fate Tuesday following her trial in Los Angeles Superior Court, officials said.

Dean is accused of shooting Miles while she and friend Vanessa Ochoa, 27, kidnapped Ochoa’s then-4-year-old son, who was staying with Miles and other relatives at his grandparents at and his grandparents that day. The boy’s father had left Miles, the child’s uncle, in charge of his son.

Both women arrived at the home, and Ochoa went inside and retrieved the boy, officials said.

The shooting took place outside the home when Miles tried to stop the women from taking the boy, officials said. Dean allegedly pulled a gun during the confrontation and fatally shot Miles in the chest before she and Ochoa fled to Las Vegas with the child.

Dean has reportedly maintained that the shooting was done in self-defense.

Authorities found the women and boy in Las Vegas after issuing an Amber Alert.

Ochoa pleaded guilty last year to charges of voluntary manslaughter, kidnapping and child abuse, Robison said. She was expected to be sentenced to 14 years and 4 months in prison when sentenced April 9.

PHOTOS of Mesha Dean, above, and Vanessa Ochoa, below, courtesy of America’s Most Wanted.

Man re-captured after escaping from CHP in Altadena and carjacking family

Posted on March 4, 2012 by Brian Day

ALTADENA — A suspect being detained at a California Highway Patrol Station escaped from officers, smashed through a glass door and carjacked a woman and child inside before officer re-captured him, authorities said.

Luis Octavio Cortes, 28, of North Hollywood was reportedly brought to the CHP’s Altadena Station, 2130 Windsor Ave., on suspicion of driving under the influence prior to the incident, which began about 8:30 p.m., according to officials.

“(Cortes) broke free from custody and attacked officers, CHP officials said in a written statement. “(He) broke a glass door and fled the office.”

Cortes then forced a woman from her vehicle and carjacked it with two passenger still inside, according to the CHP.

Officials were not available Sunday to comment on reports that the carjacked passengers were a pregnant woman and a young boy, or that officers tried unsuccessfully to subdue the man with a Taser as he fled.

Cortes drove the stolen vehicle to Clybourn Avenue and Longford Street in Lake View Terrace, about 10 miles away, where he exited the car and broke into a house, the CHP statement said. He was re-arrested a short time later.

According to county booking records, Cortes was being held in lieu of $175,000 bail and due for arraignment Tuesday in San Fernando Superior Court.

Whittier woman rescued after taking fall in Eaton Canyon

Posted on February 5, 2012 by Brian Day

ALTADENA — Rescuers hoisted a Whittier woman from Eaton Canyon by helicopter after she took a fall while hiking and broke her ankle, authorities said.

The 38-year-old woman was hiking with her husband 100 yards below the first waterfall of Eaton Canyon about 11:30 a.m. when she lost her footing and fell, Los Angeles County sheriff’s officials said.

Altadena Search and Rescue Team members, along with a sheriff’s helicopter, reached the couple and hoisted the injured woman into a helicopter via a rescue basket about 1:30 p.m., Lt. Marjory Jacobs of the sheriff’s Crescenta Valley Station said.

Her husband was not injured, she added.

A search and rescue team members also took a spill during the incident and was taken to a hospital for treatment of a minor injury to his knee, Jacobs said.

The algae-lined trails near the Eaton Canyon Falls are well-known to rescuers, who help pull dozens of injured hikers to safety every year.

Woman fights off would-be rapist in Altadena

Posted on October 12, 2011 by Brian Day

ALTADENA — Deputies are seeking a man who exposed himself and tried to rape a woman late Sunday, officials said Wednesday.
A Pasadena woman in her early 20s was walking in the 1900 block of Lake Avenue about 10 p.m. when she was approached by a black man in his 20s, about 5 feet 9 inches tall, 140 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes, Los Angeles County sheriff’s Lt. Joseph Dempsey said.
“He exposed himself to her, and then grabbed her from behind and tried to pull her into some bushes,” he said.
The woman punched her assailant and he ran away, the lieutenant said. The woman was not hurt.
Detectives continued their investigation Wednesday and were working with the victim to see if a composite sketch of the attacker could be created, Dempsey said.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the sheriff’s Altadena Station at 626-798-1131.

Late night hikers rescued from forest above Altadena

Posted on September 3, 2011 by Brian Day

ALTADENA — Rescuers escorted six late night hikers from the Angeles National Forest north of Altadena after they became lost overnight, officials said.

Four young men and two young women called for help about 2:30 a.m. Saturday to report they had become lost while hiking on Sunset Ridge Trail, Los Angeles County sheriff’s Sgt. Debra Herman said.

Los Angeles County Firefighters and the Altadena Search and Rescue Team responded and found the group within two hours, Herman said.

They were escorted from the forest unharmed.

Fatal crash reported on Angeles Crest Highway

Posted on August 13, 2011 by Brian Day

ANGELES NATIONAL FOREST — A person died Saturday in a solo-car crash on Angeles Crest Highway, north of Altadena, authorities said.

The fatal crash was reported just after 2 p.m. on Angeles Crest Highway, about two miles north of Mt. Wilson Red Box Road, according to California Highway Patrol logs.

It was initially reported that the vehicle had overturned, however no further details were immediately available.

Coroner’s officials were summoned to the scene to take charge of a body.

Crime Scene

Breaking crime and public safety news

Category Archives: Altadena