Marijuana delivery man robbed in Altadena


ALTADENA >> A man claiming to be delivering medical marijuana for a dispensary was robbed of both cannabis and cash early Thursday in a residential Altadena neighborhood, authorities said.
The crime was reported just before 2 a.m. at Beverly Way and Maiden Lane, Los Angeles County sheriff’s Lt. Cruz Solis said.
Deputies first responded to the neighborhood after residents reported a man knocking on doors, apparently in some sort of distress, the lieutenant said.
The victim, a 26-year-old Pasadena man, told police he was delivering for a legal medical marijuana dispensary when a man grabbed him, threatened him and robbed him of marijuana, cash and his car keys, Solis said.
They keys turned up in some nearby bushes the following day, he said.
The amount of money and marijuana stolen was not available. A detailed suspect description was not available.

Facebook Twitter Reddit Tumblr Linkedin Email

Missing autistic man from Altadena found safe in Utah

ALTADENA >> A 19-year-old autistic man who went missing over the weekend was found safe in Utah Friday morning, officials said.
Jonathan Taylor Clarke took his identification and some money from his mother’s purse during the early-morning hours July 18 and left on foot, Los Angeles County sheriff’s officials said in a written statement.
He requires medication, and without it, officials said his mental capacity is that of a 7-year-old child.
Clarke’s mother received an e-mail from him stating that he loved her and was sorry, sheriff’s officials said.
“Jonathan was located by North Park Police Department in North Park, Utah. He was found this morning and was reported to be hungry, but not injured at all,” according to the sheriff’s department statement. “Jonathan’s mother will be driving out to pick Jonathan. Thank you all who took the time to post flyers.”

Facebook Twitter Reddit Tumblr Linkedin Email

UPDATED: Young autistic man goes missing in Altadena

0719_NWS_PSN-L-ALTADENA-MISSING1ALTADENA >> Deputies are seeking a 19-year-old autistic man from Altadena who vanished early Saturday morning.
Jonathan Taylor Clark left his home in the 100 block of West Alta Loma Drive about 3 a.m., Los Angeles County sheriff’s officials said in a written statement.
“Jonathan has autism and (needs) prescribed medication,” the statement said. “If Jonathan is without his medication, his mental capacity would be (that of a) 7-year-old.”
Clark took some money and his identification from his mothers purse and left home on foot,” according to Deputy Jeffrey Gordon of the Sheriff’s Information Bureau.
“He has run away from facilities and his home before and is known to make poor decisions,” Gordon said.
Deputies notified their law enforcement counterparts in the area to be on the lookout for Clark, including the Sheriff’s Transit Services Bureau, which patrols train and bus lines, and the the Montrose and Altadena search and rescue teams, which searched the nearby forest.
Clark is described as white, 5 feet 11 inches tall and was last seen wearing blue jeans, along with white and yellow shoes.
Anyone with information was asked to contact the sheriff’s Altadena station at 626-798-1131.

PHOTO courtesy of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

Facebook Twitter Reddit Tumblr Linkedin Email

Man escapes injury in Altadena when would-be shooter’s gun malfunctions, twice


ALTADENA >> A man escaped injury Friday afternoon after a group of attackers twice pointed a gun at him and pulled the trigger, but the gun malfunctioned both times, authorities said.
The incident, which was believed to be gang-related, took place about 5:30 p.m. in the 600 block of West Altadena Drive, just west of Lincoln Avenue, Los Angeles County sheriff’s Sgt. Booker Hollis said.
A man was standing along the side of the road when a blue, older-model Lincoln sedan with three attackers inside pulled up, the sergeant said.
One of the three male suspects inside the car pointed a handgun at the victim, he said.
“They attempted to fire a round, but the gun malfunctioned,” Hollis said.
“They drove around again and did the same thing again, and the gun malfunctioned again,” he said. The car then sped away. The victim was not injured.
Pasadena police stopped a car matching the description of the suspects’ vehicle about 9:08 p.m. at Claremont Street and Sunset Avenue, Pasadena police Lt. John Mercado said. Two men, one a parolee and one a probationer, were arrested after police found a single .45-caliber round of ammunition in the car. Neither is allowed to possession ammunition due to their respective parole and probation statuses. Both were being held without bail pending their initial court appearances, records show.
The victim said he was unable to identify the two arrested man as being involved in the attack, Hollis said. The investigation was ongoing.

Facebook Twitter Reddit Tumblr Linkedin Email

Altadena man arrested following Pasadena robbery

PASADENA >> Police jailed an Altadena man early Saturday on suspicion of robbing another man of a cell phone in Old Pasadena, authorities said.
Daniel Lionel Nelson, 21, was booked on suspicion of robbery in connection with the alleged crime, which took place about 1:55 a.m. in an alley connecting Union Street and Colorado Boulevard, along the 100 block of Union Street, according to Pasadena police officials and Los Angeles County booking records.
A man in his 20s was sitting on a bench when the suspect approached and demanded his cell phone and money, Pasadena police Lt. John Mercado said. The victim handed over his cell phone.
Mercado said the robber fled, but the victim “almost immediately” found to police officers walking a foot beat in the area. As the officers were speaking with the victim, they spotted the suspect nearby and took him into custody without struggle.
The suspect, later identified as Nelson, was arrested after officers found him in possession of the victim’s cell phone, the lieutenant said.
According to county booking records, Nelson was being held in lieu of $50,000 bail pending his initial court appearance.

Facebook Twitter Reddit Tumblr Linkedin Email

Altadena man sentenced for Pasadena DUI crash that killed Riverside teen

EP-141229854

PASADENA >> A 19-year-old Altadena man has begun serving a sentence of more than four years in prison after pleading “no contest” last week to charges stemming from a Pasadena car crash blamed on drunken driving that killed one of his passengers and injured three others, authorities said.
Gerardo Garcia was immediately sentenced to four years and four months in state prison after pleading “no contest” Friday in Pasadena Superior Court to charges of gross vehicular manslaughter, drunken driving and driving with a blood-alcohol level greater than .08 percent, Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office spokesman Greg Risling said.
The 12:15 a.m. crash at Washington Boulevard and Lincoln Avenue claimed the life of 17-year-old Gabriel Cabral of Riverside, and injured two teenage girls also riding as passengers, according to Pasadena police and district attorney’s officials.
In addition to being drunk, police received reports from witnesses that Garcia was involved in a street race when his 2004 Nissan sedan went out of control and struck a freeway overpass, officials said. But criminal charges related to street racing were not filed.

PHOTO of fatal crash victim Gabriel Cabral, 17, of Riverside. (Courtesy)

Facebook Twitter Reddit Tumblr Linkedin Email

Man wounded in Altadena shooting


ALTADENA >> Two attackers shot and wounded a man late Friday in a residential neighborhood in Altadena, officials said.
The victim was hospitalized in stable condition following the shooting, which took place shortly after 11:30 p.m. in the 100 block of West Las Flores Drive, Los Angeles County sheriff’s Sgt. Alan Chu said.
The two suspects, described only as male, fled on foot and were not found, Chu said.
Further details regarding the circumstances of the shooting were not available.

Facebook Twitter Reddit Tumblr Linkedin Email

Altadena man jailed in connection with two Pasadena wireless store robberies

PASADENA >> An Altadena man arrested following a police chase Wednesday is suspect of two robberies at Pasadena wireless stores this week, authorities said.
Police arrested Prince Bridges, 29, following a chase from Pasadena to Sherman Oaks following his latest alleged robbery, reported about 10:15 a.m. Wednesday at Go Wireless in the 3800 block of East Foothill Boulevard, Pasadena police Sgt. Mike Bugh said. More than 70 iPhones and Samsung Galaxy phones stolen from the store were recovered, along with the suspect’s handgun, Bugh said.
Bridges is also suspected of a similar heist Friday afternoon at a T-Mobile store in the 100 block of South Lake Avenue, Bugh said.
In Wednesday’s robbery, the suspect first inquired about a job before pulling a gun on the lone employee.
“He displayed a handgun and directed salesperson to the rear of the store, where he ordered the salesperson to open the safe,” Lt. John Luna said. The robber stuffed more than 70 cell phones into a trash bag and fled.
Police spotted a car matching the description just after the robber and tried to pull it over, but the driver led officers on a chase along the 134 and 405 freeways, Luna said. The car exited the freeway in Sherman Oaks and crashed into another car, resulting in no injuries, before the suspect continued fleeing on foot.
Los Angeles police and California Highway Patrol officers helped Pasadena police capture the suspect nearby, Bugh said. Police found a the stolen cell phones and a loaded handgun in the suspect’s car.
In Friday’s robbery along Lake Avenue, Bugh said Bridges ordered four employees and a customer of the store into a rear room before fleeing with more than a dozen cell phones. No injuries were reported in either robbery.
Bridges was being held in lieu of $2 million bail pending his initial court appearance, scheduled Friday in Pasadena Superior Court, records show.

Facebook Twitter Reddit Tumblr Linkedin Email

Father of two fatally shot at Altadena hamburger stand remembered at vigil

"Community members walked from Fountain of Life Church, to the Fair Oaks Burger, where Christopher Walker was killed on April 30, 2015. This marks the six-month anniversary of the murder of Christopher Walker. Christopher spent much of his short life affiliated with a gang, but he had put that behind him. At the time of his death, Walker turned his back on gang life and he had a family and a full-time job.This event is a call to action for the community of Altadena. Community leaders and members will come together to learn ways to curb gang affiliation and violence in the community and offer options to Altadena and Pasadena’s at-risk youth. (Photo by Walt Mancini/Pasadena Star-News)"

“Community members walked from Fountain of Life Church, to the Fair Oaks Burger, where Christopher Walker was killed on April 30, 2015. This marks the six-month anniversary of the murder of Christopher Walker. Christopher spent much of his short life affiliated with a gang, but he had put that behind him. At the time of his death, Walker turned his back on gang life and he had a family and a full-time job.This event is a call to action for the community of Altadena. Community leaders and members will come together to learn ways to curb gang affiliation and violence in the community and offer options to Altadena and Pasadena’s at-risk youth. (Photo by Walt Mancini/Pasadena Star-News)”

ALTADENA >> Loved ones and community members marched through Altadena Thursday to memorialize the life of a 26-year-old father of two who was gunned down in an unprovoked attack at a hamburger stand last year, as well as call on the community to work toward solutions to gang violence.
More than 100 people met at the Fountain of Life Church before heading to Fair Oaks Burger, where Christopher Walker was killed in an ambush on Oct. 30, 2014 as he sat on the outdoor patio of the restaurant.
“We want people to know who Christopher was, but we also want people to know it’s time to do something about the violence in out community,” Walker’s mother Ursula Walker said.
“All life matters. That is my main point today,” she said.

…FULL STORY

PHOTOS by Walt Mancini

Facebook Twitter Reddit Tumblr Linkedin Email

Drive-by shooting reported in Altadena

ALTADENA >> Deputies are seeking an attacker or attackers who shot at two teenagers from a passing car late Thursday, officials said.
No injuries were reported in connection with the shooting, which took place shortly after 7 p.m. near Lincoln Avenue and Mendocino Street, Los Angeles County sheriff’s Lt. Cruz Solis said.
The victims, a girl of about 16 and a boy of about 18, were walking when someone opened fire from a passing vehicle, described only as a dark-colored car resembling a Dodge Charger, the lieutenant said.
Neither victim was believed to have gang ties, he said.

Facebook Twitter Reddit Tumblr Linkedin Email