Category Archives: Monterey Park

Two people struck in head with hammer in Monterey Park; suspect in custody

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MONTEREY PARK — A man struck two people in the head with a hammer Sunday at an Arcadia home, officials said.
The incident occurred about 4 p.m. in the 400 block of Elizabeth Avenue, Monterey Park police Sgt. Gus Jimenez said.
Two patients, one male and one female, were taken to Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center for treatment, according to Monterey Park Fire Department officials.
A suspect was in custody, officials said, however his name was not available late Sunday.
No further details were released.

Two men struck by car, badly hurt while crossing Garvey Avenue in Monterey Park

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MONTEREY PARK — Two men who were initially believed to be Chinese tourists were seriously injured, one of them critically, after they were struck by a vehicle along Garvey Avenue early Saturday, officials said.
The men were struck just after 10 a.m. in the intersection of Garvey and Baltimore avenues, Monterey Park police Lt. Tina Montoya said.
One of the injured men was described as being in his 40s or 50s, while the other appeared to be in his 50s or 60s, police said.
The men were walking north across Garvey Avenue, at an unmarked crosswalk, when they were struck by a westbound Honda civic being driven by a 19-year-old man, Sgt. Brent Archibald said.
One of the men suffered head injuries and was taken to Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center in critical condition, officials said. The other man appeared to have suffered a broken leg and possible internal injuries and was taken to the same hospital.
“They appear to be tourists,” Sgt. Brent Archibald said. Both men were carrying passports, but no identification linking them to the local area.
The cause of the crash remained under investigation, however drugs or alcohol were not believed to be a factor, Archibald said. The driver remained at the scene and cooperated with investigators.

PHOTO courtesy of the Monterey Park Fire Department

Montebello store clerk stabbed in attempted robbery

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MONTEBELLO — A 40-year-old clerk was in critical condition after he was stabbed several times during an an attempted robbery at a liquor store Tuesday night.
Montebello police said the suspect or suspect got nothing in the attempted heist at Garfield Liquor, 2433 W. Whittier Blvd.
At 9:46 p.m., Lt. Michael Bergman said officers were on the way to a robbery alarm at the store when someone called police to report the clerk was bleeding profusely.
A customer came into the store after the attempted robbery and found the wounded clerk.
Bergman said the victim’s injuries included a stab wound to the back of the head. The man was in critical condition at Los Angeles County USC Medical Center.
The clerk was able to tell police that the robber came into the store and demanded money.
He was described only as a man in his 40s and may have left in a tan SUV-type vehicle.
Police say there may be more than one suspect.

- Ruby Gonzales

One arrested, one sought in Monterey Park ginseng theft

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MONTEREY PARK — Police jailed one man and sought another Wednesday on suspicion of stealing and trying to steal large amounts of the herb ginseng from Garvey Avenue shops, police said.
Man Van Troung, 56, of Van Nuys was arrested on suspicion of being the geaway driver in the two crimes, reported Oct. 21 and Oct. 23, Monterey Park police officials said in a written statement. A second suspect remained at-large.
The first of the crimes took place at the FuKien Healthy Food Store in the 100 block of East Garvey Avenue, polioce said. Toung’s alleged partner entered the store and left without about $1,000 worth of stolen ginseng.
Two days later, the same man entered 101 Ve Inc., also in the 100 block of East Garvey Avenue, officials said. A witness chased him away as he tried to again steal ginseng.
“Troung is believed to be the driver of the alleged vehicle in both crimes,” according to the police statement. The Honda Accord used in the thefts was impounded from Troung at the time of his arrest.
The outstanding suspect is described as an Asian man between 35 and 40 years old, with dark hair in a crew cut style.
Detectives were reaching out to see if any other area businesses had experienced similar thefts lately. Anyone with information was asked to contact Monterey Mark Detective Gil Alvarez at 626-307-1226.

Man charged with murder in Monterey Park pizza parlor killing

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Officials charged a man with murder Wednesday in connection with the fatal stabbing of another man during a fight at a Monterey Park pizza parlor following a Pop Warner football game, authorities said.
Jose De Jesus Ruiz, also identified by officials as Jose De Jesus Salas, 22, of Bakersfield, entered no plea to the murder charge in Alhambra Superior Court, court officials said. He was ordered to return to court Oct. 25 for an arraignment.
In addition to murder, he’s accused of the special, sentence-enhancing allegation that he personally used a knife in the killing, Los Angeles County District Attorney’s officials said in a written statement.
Killed in the alleged attack was 25-year-old Patrick Ortega of Monterey park, coroner’s officials said. He was pronounced dead at the scene of the stabbing, which took place just after 7 p.m. Saturday at Shakey’s, 1955 S. Atlantic Blvd.
Ruiz was not believed to be a parent or coach of a youth football player, but was a friend of team parents who attended the game and accompanied the group to the pizza parlor, district attorney’s and Los Angeles County sheriff’s officials said.
“A group of fans with a rival team were also at the restaurant,” according to the district attorney’s office statement. “A verbal argument escalated into a physical fight. During the fight, Ruiz allegedly fatally stabbed (Ortega).”
County booking records indicated Ortega was being held without bail pending trial.
If convicted as charged, Ruiz could face 26 years to life in prison, officials said.

Fire guts Monterey Park tailor shop, burns owner

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MONTEREY PARK — A two-alarm fire gutted a tailor shop and injured the owner early Wednesday, authorities.
The fire ignited about 7 a.m. inside a two-story commercial building housing about 10 businesses in the 200 block of South Atlantic Boulevard, Monterey Park Fire Department Battalion Chief Randy Harper said.
“It gutted the (tailor shop) and it also caused smoke damage to a majority of the rest of the building,” Harper said.
The owner of a first-floor tailor shop, where the fire began, suffered second-degree burns to her face and head while trying to fight the flames herself with a fire extinguisher, Harper said. She was treated at a hospital and released later Wednesday morning.
The injured business owner was the only person inside the building when the fire broke out, according to the battalion chief.
The first firefighters on-scene found the tailor sop “fully involved” with fire, Harper said. “It was lapping up to the second floor.”
Firefighters called for backup and managed to keep the fire from spreading to neighboring businesses, he said. The fire was declared extinguished after about 30 minutes.
The cause of the fire remained under investigation.
Officials red-tagged the destroyed business and yellow-tagged the rest of the building, Harper said, meaning business owners will only have limited access until the building can be inspected for structural stability.
Traffic on Atlantic Boulevard was affected for about an hour due to the fire, Monterey Park police Lt. Scott Wiese said.
Officials initially blocked off both directions of Atlantic Boulevard at the outset of the fire, but quickly re-opened one northbound lane, he said.
A dollar-amount estimate of the damage caused by the fire was not available, however Harper said it would likely be hundreds of thousands of dollars.
PHOTO by staff photographer Watchara Phomicinda.

Monterey Park police seek cop impersonator

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MONTEREY PARK — Police Tuesday warned residents of a police impersonator who stopped a woman last month in a bizarre encounter.
A young woman of about 18 years old was driving in the area of Graves and Alhambra avenues about 3 a.m. Aug. 9 when she was pulled over by a vehicle with red and blue lights on the upper windshield and grill, which she believed to be a police car, Monterey Park police Detective Gil Alvarez said. The vehicle was possibly an SUV, however no further description was available.
The driver was a Latino man in his 30s of thin to medium build with dark curly hair, police said. He was clean-shaven, had a dark complexion, wore a brown T-shirt and spoke with a thick Spanish accent.
The woman quickly became suspicious of the fake officer as he began questioning her in an unusual way, Alvarez.
“What caused her to be suspicious about this whole traffic stop (was that) his demeanor wasn’t professional or appropriate,” the detective said.
The man asked the woman if she was drunk, but the way he spoke simply did not seem consistent with the way a real police officer would behave, Alvarez said.
Police said the woman became even more suspicious when the pseudo officer gave a strange order: to move over to the passenger seat of the car.
She did not comply, according to investigators. It was not clear if the impersonator’s request was part of a plan to assault or kidnap the young woman.
The victim then asked to see the man’s police identification, but he refused and told her to go home, Alvarez said. She immediately reported the incident to authorities.
Having exhausted some other leads, investigators sought to seek help from the public and alert the community about the incident, Lt. Carrie Mazelin said.
Detectives have been unable to develop a composite drawing of the impersonator.
“The victim was not able to identify facial features because he was shining a flashlight in her face,” Mazelin said.
All police officers, especially those not wearing uniforms, carry police ID and will show it upon being asked, the statement said. “When in doubt, call the police and request verification that the individual is a police officer. “During late-night hours, residents may drive to a well-lit populated area if stopped by a police officer, as long as they do not attempt to evade or flee.”
Monterey Park police officials said the Aug. 9th encounter was the only similar incident reported to their agency recently, though anyone who believed they may have come across the bogus lawman is asked to call Monterey Park police Detective Alvarez at 626-307-1226. Anyone who spots the man is asked to call 9-1-1.

Monterey Park police join in warning residents of ‘distraction burglaries’

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MONTEREY PARK — Monterey Park police Wednesday joined other area law enforcement agencies in cautioning residents to watch out for burglars posing as city workers, tree trimmer or utility workers.
Two homes were burglarized this month by crooks posing as city employees, Monterey park police Lt. Carrie Mazelin said in a written statement.
Arcadia and West Covina have issued similar warnings in recent weeks, as an ongoing trend of “distraction burglaries” continues in the San Gabriel Valley.
The most recent Monterey Park burglary took place about 3:30 p.m. Tuesday in the 1800 block of Cielito Avenue, police said.
A woman was doing work in her front yard when she was approached by a Latino man in his late-20s to early-30s, about 5 feet 8 inches tall and wearing a green work jumpsuit with a City of Monterey Park seal stitched onto the front, according to Mazelin.
The man told the woman he represented the city and asked her to join him in the backyard so he could point out trees that needed to be trimmed, the lieutenant said.
Meanwhile, a second burglar apparently ransacked her home and stole items, police said.
Another similar crime took place June 6 in the 200 block of East Riggin Street, Mazelin said.
A woman was sitting on her front porch when a Latino man in his 40s approached her while wearing a gray uniform-style shirt with a logo resembling the city’s seal on it. He was further described by police as about 5 feet 5 inches tall, 135 pounds, clean-shaven and of dark complexion.
Again, the man told the woman he needed to inspect her trees and lured her to the backyard while a second suspect stole items from her home, Mazelin said.
The burglars primarily targeted jewelry and money, police added.
Mazelin reminded residents that “the only reason a city worker will go into a rear yard is if service has been requested by the homeowner.”
All city workers carry photo identification and wear blue or green uniforms, she added.
If someone claiming to be a city employee refuses to show ID or appears suspicious, residents are advised to call 9-1-1 immediately.

Fire leads to discovery of 300 marijuana plants at Monterey Park home

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MOTNEREY PARK — A small fire on Friday led to the discovery of 300 marijuana plants with an estimated street value of $350,000 growing in a townhouse.

No arrests have been made.
Monterey Park firefighters responded to a fire alarm at 7:05 a.m. in the 600 block of East Newmark Avenue.
“They discovered marijuana growing inside the home,” Monterey Park police Lt. Eric Kim said.
No one was in the 2-story townhouse when firefighters arrived.
Police seized the plants and will be following up on the owner of the house, Kim said.
He said the small fire was contained in an electrical panel in the garage.
The marijuana growers had illegally tapped into the electrical system which caused a short in the electrical panel, according to Kim. The fire activated the sprinkler system.
- Ruby Gonzales

Police warn of series of lawn ornament thefts in Monterey Park

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MONTEREY PARK — Police Friday warned the public of a rash of lawn ornament thefts in the city over the past month.
“Due to a crime trend involving the theft of potted plants, statues and other garden ornaments, residents are encouraged to be on the alert for individuals who are taking such items,” Monterey Park police Lt. Carrie Mazelin said in a written statement.
Eight such incidents have been reported to police since May, she added.
“Generally, these thefts are committed during the late-night or early-morning hours,” Mazelin said.
According to police, locations where the thefts have been reported include: the 400 block of South Chandler Avenue; the 300 block of South Chandler Avenue; the 100 block of South Moore Avenue; the 1000 block of East Hellman Avenue; the 2300 block of Westcott Avenue; the 1100 block of Crest Haven Way; the 600 block of West Newmark Avenue; and the 1800 block of Kempton Avenue. 
Anyone who sees suspicious activity is asked to call Monterey Park police immediately at (626) 573-1311.