Two charged with attempted murder following Norwalk standoff, shooting

BELLFLOWER — Prosecutor filed attempted murder charges Thursday against two men accused of shooting at sheriff’s deputies during a six-hour standoff in Norwalk, authorities said.
Mason Edwin Devore, 37, of La Habra, and George Contreras, 19, of Los Angeles, appeared in Bellflower Superior Court to be charged in connection with Tuesday’s standoff, which unfolded from about 4:15 p.m. to 10 p.m. at a mobile home in the 12000 block of Rosecrans Avenue, according to Los Angeles County sheriff’s and district attorney’s officials.
In addition to attempted murder, prosecutors also accuse Devore of the special allegation of personally firing a rifle during the crime.
Devore, who is already on federal parole following a previous bank robbery conviction, was being sought in connection with six robberies in Los Angeles, Orange and San Bernardino counties, Pomona Police Sgt. Patrick O’Malley said. The investigation into those robberies, which took place in Chino, Fullerton. Diamond Bar, Rialto and Pomona, was ongoing.
Police, along with members of the U.S. Marshals Service Pacific Southwest Regional Fugitive Task Force, showed up at the Rosecrans Avenue mobile home searching for Devore.
“As authorities attempted to arrest Devore at a Norwalk mobile home park, he barricaded himself in a trailer,” district attorney’s officials said in a written statement. “Contreras was with him.”
“During the standoff with sheriff deputies, a series of shots were fired at law enforcement,” according to the district attorney’s office statement. “After several hours, Contreras surrendered to officials. Deputies then fired tear gas
into the trailer, which made Devore leave the home and he was immediately taken into custody.”
Devore was expected to appear in court for an arraignment June 26 in Norwalk Superior Court, while Contreras was scheduled to be arraigned Friday in Bellflower Superior Court.
According to county booking records, the suspects were being held in lieu of $500,000 bail each.
District attorney’s officials said prosecutors will request that Devore’s bail amount be increased to $3.2 million, and Contreras’ bail raised to $2 million.

Facebook Twitter Reddit Tumblr Linkedin Email

UPDATED: One killed, three wounded in Bellflower shooting

BELLFLOWER >> A man died and three other people were wounded in a shooting along Flower Street in Bellflower late Friday, authorities said.
The shooting took place about 7:50 p.m. in the 9500 block of Flower Street, between Bellflower Boulevard and Clark Avenue, Los Angeles County sheriff’s Deputy Robert Spracher said.\
A total of four people were wounded in the shooting, sheriff’s officials said. One man succumbed to his injuries at a hospital. Three other victims, initially described only as male, were hospitalized unknown condition.
Deputies encountered victims wounded at the scene, and were looking into reports that a possible fourth victim may have also shown up at a hospital, Spracher said.
Further details were not immediately available.
Deputies received numerous 9-1-1 calls reporting the shooting on the busy street, Spracher said.
“We’re still trying to gather information on suspects,” he said. No suspects were in custody.

Facebook Twitter Reddit Tumblr Linkedin Email

Man accused in child molestation, child pornography case pleads not guilty

NORWALK — A Norwalk man who’s recently being staying in Bassett has pleaded not guilty to charges of sexually abusing two young girls and trading in child pornography online, officials said Wednesday.
Manuel C. Montes, 43, was arrested Feb. 13 at a friend’s home in Norwalk following a month of investigation by detectives from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Special Victims Bureau. In addition to trading in images of child pornography on the Internet, Montes is also charged with sexually abusing two girls under the ages of 14 in Whittier between 2006 and 2013.
He pleaded not guilty Tuesday in Norwalk Superior Court to four counts of committing a lewd act upon a child, one count of possession of child pornography, one count of distributing child pornography and one count of using a minor for sex acts, Los Angeles County District Attorney’s official said in a written statement.
And detectives believed at least one additional girl had been victimized by Montes based on recovered images, though she was yet to be identified, Sgt. Peter Hahn of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Special Victims Bureau said.
He was being held in lieu of $460,000 bail pending his next court appearance, scheduled for March 17 in Norwalk Superior Court.
His brother, 46-year-old Lorenzo Montes of Claremont, as well as Manuel Montes’ ex-girlfriend Stacey Marie Oropeza of Bellflower were also arrested Feb. 13 and have been charged with acting as accessories after the fact, officials said.
Lorenzo Montes has entered a not guilty plea and was being held without bail pending his next scheduled appearance, according to officials and Los Angeles County booking records. Oropeza, who was released from jail Friday after posting $20,000 bail, was yet to appear in court.
Sheriff’s detectives began looking into Manuel Montes in January after receiving a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that he had uploaded images of child pornography to the Internet, Hahn said.
Detectives seeking Manuel Montes encountered Lorenzo Montes near his brother’s Bassett residence Feb. 12, Hahn said.
“Lorenzo Montes claimed he did not know Manuel,” according to the D.A.’s office statement.
The investigation began with a visit to Oropeza’s home in Bellflower, where Manuel Montes had allegedly uploaded child pornography prior to moving out a month or two before investigators showed up, Hahn said.
“Oropeza is also purported to have tipped off Manuel Montes that authorities were looking for him,” according to the statement.
When detectives searched a building where Manuel Montes was believed to have been staying on the lot of a commercial property in the 1800 block of Workman Mill Road in Bassett, they discovered a rear room which they referred to as a “trophy room,” Hahn said.
It was full of child-related paraphernalia, as well as a collage featuring photos of children in various stages of undress, the sergeant said. Investigators also recovered hundreds of images of child pornography stored on hard drives and compact discs from the home.
If convicted as charged, Manuel Montes faces up to 16 years in state prison.

Facebook Twitter Reddit Tumblr Linkedin Email