Man accused of intentionally striking woman with SUV in Pico Rivera


A man intentionally struck his girlfriend with an SUV in Pico Rivera late Saturday, shattering her leg, before being arrested at his South Gate home, according to officials and witnesses.
Daniel Lopez, 25, was ultimately found and arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon following the alleged 11:50 p.m. alleged automotive attack in the 9700 block of Woodford Street, near San Gabriel River Parkway, Los Angeles County sheriff’s Lt. Ann Devane said.
The couple became involved in an argument when Lopez accelerated his SUV forward, briefly pinning the woman between his SUV and a parked van before speeding away, the lieutenant said.
Paul Michael Flores, 18, of Whittier said he was passing by the area with his mother when they noticed a man and woman arguing. The man was seated in the driver seat of a Ford Explorer SUV, and the woman was standing outside the vehicle.
As the dispute continued, the SUV began inching toward the woman, who began shouting, “No, no! Stop!,” Flores said.
“That’s when he hit the gas and ran into her,” the witness said. The woman was briefly pinned between the SUV and parked van before the driver fled, and the woman fell to the ground.
“I called 911, made a U-turn, came back,” Flores said. The young man and his mother did their best to comfort and call the injured woman while relaying the information she told them to sheriff’s dispatchers via cell phone.
“She was conscious,” Flores said of the victim. “She was very shaken up, hysterical, crying.”
Deputies and paramedics soon arrived, he said. The woman was taken to Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center in Los Angeles for treatment as deputies investigated the incident, according to Devane.
Upon learning the suspect’s identity, deputies asked South Gate police to check Lopez’s home, Devane said. Officers found him sitting in his parked SUV in front of his home and took him into custody without a struggle.
According to county booking records, Lopez was being held in lieu of $80,000 bail pending his initial court appearance.

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UPDATED: Raiders cornerback charged with Pasadena beating

PASADENA >> Prosecutors have filed an assault charge against Oakland Raiders cornerback Sean Lee Smith for an alleged attack that left his sister’s boyfriend severely injured in Old Pasadena on July 4, officials said Thursday.
Smith, 30, of Oakland, faces felony charges of assault by means likely to produce great bodily injury and battery with serious bodily injury, Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office spokesman Ricardo Santiago said in a written statement issued late Thursday.
Smith is also accused of the special allegation that he inflicted “great bodily injury” upon the victim, Santiago added.
The alleged attack took place n July 4 in the area of Arroyo Parkway and Colorado Boulevard.
“Smith allegedly beat and then stomped on the victim’s head near the corner of Arroyo Parkway and Colorado Boulevard early in the morning on July 4,” according to the district attorney’s office statement.
Pasadena police first responded to the area about 1:10 on July 4 after a man was found unconscious on the ground, suffering from injuries to his face and head, Pasadena police officials said in a written statement.
The man was hospitalized in critical condition with fractures to both sides of his face, police said. As the investigation continued, police learned the man has been assaulted.
“Investigative efforts resulted in detectives locating independent witnesses who provided details of the assault and information leading to the identity of the suspect,” according to the police statement. No information regarding a motive was released.
Police said detectives presented their case to the district attorney’s office on Aug. 4.
Prosecutors filed the charges and issued an arrest warrant for Smith on Wednesday, officials said.
According Pasadena police and Los Angeles County booking records, Smith turned himself in, accompanied by his attorney, at the Pasadena Police Department about 2 p.m. Thursday.
He was released from custody after posting $80,000 bail, officials said.
Smith is scheduled to appear for an arraignment hearing Sept. 29.
Smith pleaded guilty to a DUI in Kansas City, Missouri in 2015 and received a sentence of two years’ probation. A player for the Kansas City Chiefs at the time, he was suspended for three games following the plea.
Anyone with information is urged to contact 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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74-year-old Pasadena man accused of road rage attack


PASADENA >> Police arrested a 74-year-old Pasadena man on Wednesday after he struck another man with a stick in a fit of road range following a minor traffic accident, officials said.
The suspect and the alleged victim, a 37-year-old Pasadena man, were involved in a minor, non-injury fender bender shortly before 12:30 p.m. in the 1600 block of East Washington Boulevard, Pasadena police Lt. Jesse Aguilar said.
“Both subjects began arguing about the accident,” Aguilar said. “The suspect pushed the victim several times.”
The senior citizen then retrieved a wooden stick from his business nearby, the lieutenant said. He struck the other man on the side of his body and one of his legs.
Police arrived and took Isaac Mereshian into custody on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, Aguilar said.
The victim suffered minor injuries and declined to be taken to a hospital, he added.
According to Los Angeles County booking records, Mereshian was being held in lieu of $30,000 bail at the Pasadena City Jail pending his initial court appearance.

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Man struck in face with beer bottle during quinceanera party in Pasadena


PASADENA >> Police are seeking a man who struck another man in the face with a beer bottle during a quinceanera celebration in Pasadena on Saturday night, authorities said.
The alleged attack was reported just after 11:30 p.m. during a 15-year-old girl’s birthday party at a banquet hall in the 700 block of East Washington Boulevard, Pasadena police Lt. William Grisafe said.
Officers responded to a report of an assault and encountered a man in his 30s who had been bashed in the face with a beer bottle, according to the lieutenant. He was treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
The alleged attacker had fled before officers arrived, he said.
The suspect had been a guest at the party and was acquainted with others in attendance, however, police were still working to determine his identity on Sunday, Grisafe said.
He was described as a Latino man in his 30s, about 5 feet 5 inches tall and 180 pounds.
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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UDPATED: Teen charged with robbery, assault in connection with off-duty CBP officer-involved shooting in Arcadia

ARCADIA >> Prosecutors have filed charges against a teenagers accused of attacking and trying to rob an off-duty U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer in Arcadia before the agent shot two of the suspects, killing one, authorities said Thursday.
The encounter took place about 8:15 p.m. on Friday in the area of First Street and Colorado Avenue, just after the off-duty officer and the three suspects all exited a Metro Gold Line train, according to Lt. John Corina of the Los Angeles County sheriff’s Homicide Bureau.
Darrius Smith, 15, of Pasadena died at a hospital following the shooting, according to sheriff’s and coroner’s officials.
He allegedly pointed what was later determined to be a “realistic-looking” replica handgun at the agent during the incident, Deputy Juanita Navarro-Suarez of the sheriff’s Information Bureau said in a written statement. A 14-year-old suspect was wounded by the gunfire and taken into custody, and a second 15-year-old suspect was arrested in the area uninjured.
Prosecutors filed criminal charges of attempted robbery and assault with a deadly weapon against the 15-year-old suspect on Wednesday, Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office spokesman Greg Risling said. Charges had not been filed against the wounded 14-year-old suspect, who remained hospitalized on Thursday, despite a statement from the sheriff’s department reporting that he, too, had been charged.
Their identities have not been released due to their ages.
“Although charges have been filed, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Homicide Detectives are continuing their investigation into the circumstances surrounding the officer-involved shooting,” Navarro-Suarez said.
The 15-year-old suspect appeared at an arraignment hearing Thursday and denied the charges, Risling said. He was scheduled to return to court for another hearing on June 15.
Sheriff’s officials announced that both surviving suspects had been charged, but Risling said that only the elder of the two teens had been charged.
As the investigation, spearheaded by the sheriff’s Homicide Bureau, continued in the days that followed, investigators spoke with witnesses, the suspects and the alleged victim, as well as reviewed evidence collected at the scene and autopsy results, Navarro-Suarez said.
Sheriff’s investigators allege the three suspects came up from behind the agent before one of them began punching him in the head, Corina said.
The three teens surrounded the agent, the lieutenant said. Darrius Smith, 15, of Pasadena, allegedly pointed what was later determined to be a “realistic-looking” replica handgun at the agent and demanded his property, the lieutenant said.
Portions of the incident were recorded by area surveillance cameras, officials said. Sheriff’s officials declined to release any of the footage, but said on Thursday that it supported the account of an attempted robbery gone awry.
Surveillance video obtained from the Metro Gold Line shows the off-duty CBP officer and the three teens riding on a train.
“The victim exited the train at the Arcadia Station and walked north on First Avenue from the train station, followed by the subjects. Video shows the subjects running up on the victim where the robbery and shooting occurred,” Navarro-Suarez said.
“After the shooting, 15-year-old subject Smith is seen running away with another 15-year-old subject, north on First Avenue and then east on Colorado Boulevard,” according to the deputy. “Subject Smith is found a half a block away from the scene of the shooting by officers from the Arcadia Police Department. Subject Smith was suffering from two gunshot wounds to his upper body and two gunshot wounds to his buttocks.”
Smith was taken to an area hospital, where he succumbed to his wounds.
An autopsy carried out Wedbesday by the Los Angeles County Department of Coroner “documented and confirmed” Smith’s injuries, Navarro-Suarez said. But sheriff’s investigators placed a “security hold” on the case, preventing coroner’s officials from releasing information or documents related to the death.
The wounded 14-year-old suspect remained at the scene, Navarro-Suarez said. The off-duty CBP officer held him at gunpoint until local police arrived, took him into custody and took him to a hospital for treatment.
The off-duty officer was treated for “soft tissue damage” to the side of his head, Navarro-Suarez said. His identity has not been released.
An attorney representing Smith’s family and civil rights activists disputed the official account, alleging that Smith was first shot in the legs before standing over him and shooting him in the chest. It was also alleged that the officer chased after Smith at some point.
Sheriff’s officials said the video showed the off-duty officer did not chase after Smith.
“Surveillance footage shows that the officer never left the scene of the shooting, nor did he run after subject Smith onto Colorado Boulevard following the initial encounter and shooting,” Navarro-Suarez said.
And while the handgun allegedly brandished by Smith turned out not to be real, the deputy described it as, “a replica semi-automatic handgun which looks exactly like a real handgun.”
“The manufacturer of the gun boasts on its website that they are the masters of look-alike air guns and that their replica guns are realistic looking,” she added.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the sheriff’s Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500. Tips may also be submitted anonymously online to L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477.

PHOTO of replica handgun courtesy of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department

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12-year-old boy shocks another child with stun gun in San Marino; police investigating Arcadia store that sold the device

SAN MARINO >> Police are investigating after a 12-year-old boy bought a stun gun at an Arcadia store, then used it to shock another child at a San Marino school campus last weekend, officials said.
Police learned of the situation Saturday evening, when a parent reported that a 12-year-old boy had shocked another child with a stun gun about 2:30 p.m. Saturday near the lunch tables near the basketball courts at Henry E. Huntington Middle School in San Marino, San Marino police Sgt. Tim Tebbetts said in a written statement.
“Officers contacted the parents of all the involved juveniles,” Tebbetts said. “Officers learned the juvenile who possessed the stun gun used it on another juvenile in a joking manner with no threatening intent.”
Meanwhile, the father of the boy who had the stun gun called police in Arcadia the following day to report his son had been sold the self-defense device, which are illegal for juveniles to possess, at a business in Arcadia.
The stun gun was purchased at As Seen On TV Products in the Westfield Santa Anita shopping mall, authorities said.
Police met with the store owner, who admitted selling stun gun, which was disguised as a cell phone, to the child,” according to Tebbetts. “However, she stated she stated she did not realize it was illegal to sell the stun gun to a minor.”
The investigation was ongoing, the sergeant said. “Appropriate charges, if any, against the juvenile and store owner will be determined after the case is reviewed by the District Attorney’s Office.”
Stun guns are generally legal for adults to possess in California, but prohibited for juveniles.

PHOTOS courtesy of the San Marino Police Department

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Altadena man accused of attacking police in Pasadena


PASADENA >> An Altadena man is accused of assaulting police after allegedly punching one officer in the chest and kicking another in the groin early Sunday.
Aubrey Franklin Sullivan, 27, was booked on suspicion of felony assault on the officers following the incident, which unfolded about 1:35 a.m. in the 100 block of North Mar Vista Avenue , Pasadena police Lt. John Mercado said.
Officers headed to the residential neighborhood after receiving a report of a man assaulting a woman inside a parked car, Mercado said.
Officers found a parked car containing a man and woman and approached it.
As they did, Franklin emerged from the car, ran up to one of the officers and punched him in the chest, Mercado said.
The officers then struggled with Franklin to get him into handcuffs, during which time he kicked the other officer in the groin before being subdued, he said.
Neither officers suffered significant injury.
According to county booking records, Franklin was being held in lieu of $25,000 bail pending his initial court appearance.

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Woman struck in head with bottle in Monterey Park


MONTEREY PARK >> A woman was struck in the head with a beer bottle during an attack as she and a man walked down a street in Monterey Park, police said.
The assault with a deadly weapon took place just after 3 p.m. as a man and woman in their 20s were walking in the 2000 block of Bleakwood Avenue, near East Los Angeles College, Monterey Park police Lt. Eric Kim said.
They were approached by four suspects, and became involved in an argument over an unknown subject, the lieutenant said.
“The female was struck with a beer bottle,” according to Kim. She suffered a small cut to her head but declined to be taken to a hospital. The man who accompanied the woman was not injured.
A detailed description of the suspects was not available, and the motive in the attack was unclear.
Anyone with information can reach Monterey Park police at 626-573-1313. Tips may also be submitted anonymously to L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477.

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Police: Man grabs sword and attacks employees at Arcadia karate studio, subdued by the martial artists


ARCADIA >> Police jailed an Altadena man who punched one person, then grabbed a sword from a karate studio and attacked three employees before being subdued by the martial artists and some good Samaritans, authorities said.
There was no apparent motive for the bizarre and unprovoked rampage, which unfolded just before 8 p.m. in the area of Huntington Drive and 1st Avenue, Arcadia police Lt. Vaughn Whalen said.
“The suspect entered a business in the 100 block of East Huntington Drive and punched an employee,” according to the lieutenant. “The suspect then entered a karate dojo in the same block and armed himself with a sheathed samurai sword from a display.”
He struck three employees of the karate studio with the sword while it was still sheathed, Whalen said said.
“He removed the sheath and swung the sword at the employees,” Whalen said. “The suspect then fled into a rear alley where the three employees and a couple of citizens held him down until officers arrived and took custody of him.”
Richard Sanchez, 24, of Altadena was booked on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon.
No significant injuries were reported in the incident.

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Man stabbed in Pasadena


PASADENA >> A stabbing victim showed up at a Pasadena emergency room Thursday night, but refused to provide details about what happened to him, police said.
A 20-year-old Pasadena man arrived at Huntington Hospital about 9:25 p.m. with stab wounds to his rib cage and back, Pasadena police Lt. Mark Goodman said.
“The victim told officers he was walking in the area of Oakland Avenue and Villa Street when he was stabbed by an unknown suspect with an unknown object,” according to Goodman. “The victim refused to provide further information and was not cooperative with investigative efforts.”
Anyone with information is urged to contact Pasadena police at 626-74474241. Tips may also be submitted anonymously to L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477.

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