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UPDATED: Bloomington man fatally struck by car while helping stranded motorist on 60 Freeway in Diamond Bar
DIAMOND BAR >> A Bloomington man who stopped on the 60 Freeway in Diamond Bar to help a disabled motorist died after being struck by another car early Sunday, authorities and his brother said.
Timothy Joseph Rios, 23, died in the crash, which took place about 2:40 a.m. in the westbound lanes of the freeway at Diamond Bar Boulevard, Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner Coroner Assistant Chief of Operation Ed Winter said. He was described by California Highway Patrol officials as a Bloomington resident.
CHP logs indicated one or two vehicles were first reported disabled in the carpool and fast lanes at 2:38 a.m. A secondary collision was reported four minutes later.
A 2006 Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck was stalled in the fast lane following a minor collision just prior to the fatal crash, CHP Officer J. Chumacero said in a written statement.
Rios was standing in the fast lane, officials said. It was not clear whether he had been a passenger in the pickup truck or another vehicle.
A 2007 Honda Civic being driven by a 49-year-old Covina man then approached the crash scene, according to Chumacero.
“Due to (the Honda Driver) driving his Honda Civic at an unsafe speed for changing traffic conditions, the front of the Honda Civic collided into the rear of the Chevrolet Silverado,” Chumacero said.
“The Honda Civic continued traveling out-of-control in a westerly direction, causing the front of the Honda Civic to collide into Rios,” he said.
Paramedics pronounce Rios dead at the scene.
Rios worked as a security guard and was working toward becoming a corrections officer, his younger brother, Michael Estrada, said. Rios had just gotten married earlier this year.
Estrada said his brother had spotted the Chevy Silverado pickup truck while driving in his patrol car, and stopped to help the woman at the wheel of the disabled truck when he was struck.
The driver of the Honda Civic was not arrested, according to the CHP.
Officers arrested the driver of the Silverado, described as a 28-year-old Anaheim woman, who Rios initially stopped to help, according to officials and Estrada. But it was not clear Saturday exactly what crime the driver was suspected of.
But county booking records indicated the arrested driver was booked on suspicion of a misdemeanor offense and released on $5,000 bail late Saturday morning.
Estrada said helping a stranded motorist was consistent with Rios’ charitable personality.
“That’s him. He just wanted to help,” the brother said. “He was really selfless, easy to get along with, adventurous.”
Rios is survived by his wife, his brother, three sisters and his mother, Estrada said.
The crash is being investigated by officers from the CHP’s Baldwin Park-area office. No further information was available Saturday afternoon.
Fund to help Rios’ family are being collected online at www.paypal.me/melissavrios.
PHOTOS: Timothy Joseph Rios (Courtesy)
Three Riverside men charged with Diamond Bar smoke shop break-in
DIAMOND BAR >> Three Riverside men are awaiting trial on charges that they burglarized a Diamond Bar smoke shop two weeks ago, making off with two trash bags full of stolen cigarettes and other tobacco products, authorities said.
A report of a “burglary in progress” about 6:40 a.m. on May 24 first drew deputies to the D Bar Smoke Shop, 1127 Grand Ave., Los Angeles County sheriff’s officials said in a written statement.
“The suspects had fled prior to the deputies arriving,” according to the statement. But a witness was able to provide deputies with a description of the burglars and their getaway car.
Deputies soon found the suspects’ vehicle entering the eastbound 60 Freeway and pulled it over on the 71 Freeway at the Chino Avenue exit in Chino, officials said.
“The deputies searched the vehicle and found two trash bags filled with tobacco products that had been stolen,” according to the statement.
“Station detectives followed up on the case and served a search warrant at a residence in Riverside where more stolen property was recovered,” according to the statement. The merchandise recovered from the home included, “thousands of dollars of items stolen from Home Depot.”
Details of the alleged theft from Home Depot were not available Wednesday.
Eugene Little, 51, Louie Gutierrez, 28, and Jon Eric Gallarde, 47, all of Riverside, have each been charged with two counts of burglary, according to Los Angeles County booking and Superior Court records. All three men are scheduled to appear for arraignment hearings July 24 in the Pomona branch of Pomona Superior Court.
Little is free on bond pending the trial process after posting $20,000 bail, records show. Gallarde is being held in lieu of $130,000 bail, and Gutierrez, who has an outstanding warrant in Riverside County, was being held without bail.
PHOTOS courtesy of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department
Reward renewed in ‘savage’ slaying of Diamond Bar couple during home-invasion
DIAMOND BAR >> County officials renewed a $20,000 reward this week for information leading to the capture and conviction of the person or people who “savagely” stabbed a Diamond Bar couple to death during an apparent home-invasion robbery last year.
A family friend who went to check on Chen “David” Long Wang, 60, and Mei “Marian” Chu Chung, 57, found them stabbed to death on Oct. 20, 2016, at their house in the 3300 block of Bent Twig Lane, according to Los Angeles County sheriff’s and coroner’s officials.
Between $10,000 and $15,000 in cash was believed to have been stolen from the couple’s home during the crime, Lt. Steve Katz of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Homicide Bureau said. He described the double-slaying as “savage” and “brutal.”
The case remains unsolved.
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors offered a $20,000 reward for information on the slaying in March. The reward west set to expire this week, prompting Supervisor Janice Hahn and the Board of Supervisors to renew the reward on Tuesday for another 90 days.
The $20,000 in reward money offered by the county is complimented by another $10,000 in reward money offered in the case by the City of Diamond Bar, for a total available reward of $30,000.
Wang was described by family and investigators as a retired computer programmer, and Chung was a retired teacher and art instructor. They are survived by two children, who are both medical doctors, and several grandchildren.
“If you have any information pertaining to the murder of Marian and David, I urge you to come forward. They deserve justice. Their children and grandchildren deserve answers,” Hahn said.
Anyone with information is urged to contact the sheriff’s Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500. Tips may also be submitted
Anyone with information related to the murder should call sheriff’s homicide Detectives Margarita Barron or Dameron Peyton at (323) 890-5500. Tips may also be submitted anonymously to L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477.
UPDATED: Mother pinned by car while teaching teen to drive in Diamond Bar
DIAMOND BAR >> A woman was hospitalized after she ended up pinned between a car and a garage door while teaching her teenage son to drive in residential neighborhood in Diamond Bar late Thursday, officials said.
The accident took place about 8:50 p.m. in the 1100 block of Cleghorn Drive, Los Angeles County sheriff’s Lt. David Buckner said.
The woman was giving her teenage child driving lessons when the car lurched forward inside their garage, pinning the woman between the vehicle and the wall, the lieutenant said.
“She as pinned for a while between the car and the garage structure,” he said.
Paramedics treated the woman at the scene and took her to a hospital.
She suffered injuries that possibly included broken ribs, but were not believed to be life-threatening, according to Buckner.
The young student driver was extremely distraught, but unhurt, Buckner said.
Man dies after jumping from moving minivan on 60 Freeway in Diamond Bar
DIAMOND BAR >> A Diamond Bar man died after jumping out of the passenger side of a moving minivan on the 60 Freeway in Diamond Bar late Saturday, authorities said.
The identity of the man was not released Sunday pending notification of family, Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner Investigator Rudy Molano said. California Highway Patrol officials described him as 40 years old.
The incident took place just after 11 p.m. as the man was riding as a passenger in a 2016 Honda Odyssey on the 60 Freeway, just east of Brea Canyon Road, Officer C. Banuelos of the CHP’s Baldwin Park office said in a written statement.
As the Odyssey was traveling eastbound, for an unknown reason, (the man) opened the right front passenger door and jumped out of the vehicle into traffic lanes,” Banuelos said.
He suffered major blunt force trauma when struck the roadway, officials said. Paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene.
Investigators were looking into the possibility the man had been drinking.
“Alcohol is suspected to be a factor in this incident,” according to Banuelos.
No information was available regarding the driver of the minivan.
The CHP issued a Sig Alert on the eastbound 60 Freeway for about two-and-a-half hours following the incident.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the CHP’s Baldwin Park office at 626-338-1164.
$30K reward offered in ‘brutal’ slaying of retired Diamond Bar couple
DIAMOND BAR >> Authorities offered $30,000 in reward money Wednesday for information in the mysterious and brutal stabbing deaths of a retired couple last October during an apparent robbery at their Diamond Bar home.
Chen “David” Long Wang, 60, and Mei “Marian” Chu Chung, 57, were discovered stabbed to death on the morning of Oct. 20 at their house in the 3300 block of Bent Twig Lane.
The slaying was believed to have taken place the previous night, investigators said. The bodies were discovered when a family friend went to check on the couple after they had not been heard from for a while.
“They were savagely attacked. It as a very brutal, violent altercation,” Capt. Steve Katz of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Homicide Bureau said.
And while the motive in the attack was unknown in the initial stages of the investigation, detectives now believe the killings took place during the course of a robbery, the captain said.
Between $10,000 and $15,000 in cash that was hidden inside the victims’ home was believed to have been stolen, according to Katz. The money was hidden in such a way that it appeared the killer or killers may have known where to look for it, and detectives were looking into the possibility the attacker or attackers may have had prior knowledge that the cash was there.
Authorities and the victims’ family reached out to the public on Wednesday to call on anyone with information to come forward and offer a $30,000 incentive to do so.
Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn announced that the Board of Supervisors approved a $20,000 reward she had requested for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the case.
Diamond Bar city officials increased the reward, adding another $10,000, officials said.
In addition to imploring any potential witnesses to come forward, Hahn offered a warning to the perpetrator or perpetrators: “We will ultimately find you. We will bring you to justice.”
Wang and Chung were well-known and well-liked in the community and their senseless slaying shocked the community, according to Hahn and Sheriff Jim McDonnell said.
McDonnell described them as “A classic example of an American success story.”
They’d lived in Diamond Bar for 16 years after immigrating to the U.S. from Taiwan in 2000, the sheriff said. They had since endeared themselves to their neighbors through their passions for art and community service.
Wang was a retired computer programmer and Chung was a retired teacher and art instructor.
The couple ran an art studio out of their home, teaching painting and other arts to local children.
They are survived by a son and a daughter, who are both doctors, as well as grandchildren.
Their son, Dr. Gary Wang, shared memories of his parents and encouraged anyone with information to do the right thing.
“My parents were educators. They touched the lives of many children and their parents by creating something beautiful,” he said. “They were taken away from my life so suddenly and so brutally by burglars. They don’t deserve a death like this. “
“I’m, imploring you, please, if you hear something or know something, please come to the police station,” Gary Wang said. “I’m not asking much. I’m just asking for some justice for my parents.”+
Anyone with information is urged to contact the sheriff’s Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500. Tips may also be submitted anonymously to L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477.
PHOTOS: [ABOVE] Right to left: LASD Homicide Bureau Capt. Steve Katz, L.A. County Supervisor Janice Hahn, Dr. Gary Wang, L.A. County Sheriff Jim McDonnell and LASD Walnut Station Capt. Alfred Reyes gather to announce a $30,000 reward for information in connection with the Oct. 19, 2016, stabbing deaths of a retired couple in their Diamond Bar home. (staff) [BELOW] Chen “David” Long Wang, 60, and Mei “Marian” Chu Chung, 57. (courtesy)
Diamond Bar man killed in violent solo-car crash
DIAMOND BAR >> A 21-year-old Diamond Bar man died late Friday in a violent solo-vehicle crash that ripped his car into several pieces, authorities said.
Jonathan Peter Strudwick was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash, which took place about 10:40 p.m. on Grand Avenue near Longview Drive, Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner Lt. David Smith said.
He was driving west at a high rate of speed when his car left the roadway, Los Angeles County sheriff’s Sgt. Bruce Yuell said.
The 2004 Honda struck a light pole and broke into at least three pieces. The front end of the car separated from the rear, and the vehicle’s engine ended up lying in the street.
The cause of the crash remained under investigation, though speed was clearly a factor, Yuell said. “It was a high speed crash.”
Strudwick was alone in the car.
Strudwick’s Facebook page indicated he attended Diamond Bar High School and Mt. San Antonio College. The page is largely dominated by photos of downhill skateboarding.
Anyone with information on the crash can reach the sheriff’s Walnut-Diamond Bar Station at 626-913-1715.
Services planned for Baldwin Park man killed in Diamond Bar crash
DIAMOND BAR >> Services have been scheduled for a 33-year-old Baldwin Park man who died last week when the car he was riding in with his wife was rear-ended by a pickup truck on the transition road between the 60 and 57 freeways.
Rodolfo “Rudy” Enrique Fuentes III died at the scene of the collision, which took place just before 5:50 a.m. on the westbound lanes of the 60 Freeway, where it merges with the 57 Freeway near Grand Avenue in Diamond Bar, according to California Highway Patrol and Los Angeles County coroner’s officials.
Visitation will be held from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Jan. 13 at the Queen of Heaven Cemetery and Mortuary, 2161 S. Fullerton Road.
A funeral will be held from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. on Jan. 14 at the same location, followed immediately by a graveside service.
Fuentes’ mother, Annamarie Fuentes, thanked the community for its compassion over the past difficult week.
“The love and support has been tremendous,” she said. “We as a family appreciate all the kindness and love we have received by all.”
Fuentes’ wife was riding as a passenger in the 2007 Honda Civic when it was struck from behind by a Ford F-150 pickup truck, CHP officials and family members said. She was treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
The driver and passenger of the pickup truck declined medical treatment, CHP Officer Rodrigo Jimenez said.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation by the CHP’s Baldwin Park-area office.
PHOTO: Rodolfo “Rudy” Enrique Fuentes III. (Courtesy)
UPDATED: Baldwin Park man killed in crash on 60 Freeway in Diamond Bar
DIAMOND BAR >> A man died early Friday in a crash between a pickup truck and a car on the 60 Freeway in Diamond Bar, authorities said.
The fatal crash was first reported at 5:48 in the carpool lane of the westbound 60 Freeway, just west of Grand Avenue, California Highway Patrol Officer Rodrigo Jimenez said.
Paramedics pronounced the driver of the car, 33-year-old Rodolfo Enrique Fuentes III, dead at the scene, Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner Assistant Chief of Operations Ed Winter said.
Fuentes’ wife, a woman also in her 30s, was taken to a hospital with apparently minor injuries, authorities said.
The driver of the truck, described by the CHP as a 57-year-old Hesperia man, as well as a 32-year-old man riding as a passenger, suffered minor injuries but declined to be taken to hospitals, officials said.
Coroner’s records indicated the car was rear-ended by the pickup truck at high speed, Winter said.
The 1997 Ford F-150 pickup truck was traveling at about 65 mph when it crashed into the rear of Fuentes’ 2007 Honda Civic, which was traveling ahead at a slower speed, CHP officials said in a written statement.
“The cause of the collision is not yet determined, however, the front of the F-150 collided with the right rear of the Honda,” according to the statement. “The force of the impact caused serious injuries to Mr. (Fuentes).”
The carpool lanes along the westbound 60 Freeway were shut down for about three hours as authorities investigated the scene and cleared the wreckage.
The deadly crash is being investigated by the CHP’s Baldwin Park-area office. Anyone with information can reach the office at 626-338-1164.