Man wounded, suspect sought in Pico Rivera stabbing

Posted on November 19, 2016 by Brian Day

PICO RIVERA >> A man suffered stab wounds after a fight between acquaintances escalated into a stabbing in Pico Rivera late Friday, officials said.
The stabbing unfolded about 9:20 p.m. at Durfee Avenue and Tilmont Street, Los Angeles County sheriff’s Lt. Noe Garcia said.
Deputies first learned of the incident when the victim, a 37-year-old man, was driven to Beverly Hospital in Montebello by his girlfriend, the lieutenant said.
Investigators determined the man had been hanging out near Durfee Avenue and Tilmont Street when he became involved in an argument with another man, whom he knew, according to Garcia. Both men were described as gang members.
The argument turned into a fight, he said. “The suspect produced a knife and stabbed the victim twice in the back.”
The attacker fled the scene on foot and remained at large Saturday, Garcia said. A detailed suspect description was not available.
Garcia said the wounded man was hospitalized in stable condition.
Anyone with information can reach the sheriff’s Pico Rivera Station at 562-949-2421. Tips may also be submitted anonymously to L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers.

UPDATED: Man with rifle believed holed-up inside Pico Rivera home

Posted on November 13, 2016 by Brian Day

PICO RIVERA >> Deputies engaged in standoff with a man who allegedly brandished a rifle at his neighbors in a Pico Rivera neighborhood on Sunday afternoon.
The incident began about noon when deputies received a report of a man chasing his neighbors with a rifle in the 8800 block of Dalewood Avenue, Los Angeles County sheriff’s Sgt. B. Creta of the sheriff’s Pico Rivera Station said. No injuries were reported.
The suspect was believed to have gone inside his home, but refused deputies orders to come out and surrender, Creta said.
According to sheriff’s radio traffic, the suspect’s mother was inside the home with him.
Officials were initially concerned the mother may have been a hostage, however Deputy Juanita Navarro-Suarez of the sheriff’s Information Bureau later said that the suspect’s mother remained in the home voluntarily and refused to come out.
The suspect has previously been placed on an involuntary psychiatric hold.
A family member told deputies the rifle the man had was actually a pellet gun and not a real firearm, officials said in radio broadcasts. Officials also cautioned deputies about two pit bulls believed to be inside the house.
Deputies evacuated nearby homes and summoned a SWAT team and crisis negotiators to the scene as the standoff continued Sunday afternoon, officials said.

PHOTO: Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Special Enforcement Bureau members rushed to Pico Rivera by helicopter to respond to report of an armed, barricaded suspect inside a home int he 8800 block of Dalewood Avenue on Sunday, Nov. 13, 2016. (Courtesy, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department)

Gunman holds up Pico Rivera wireless store

Posted on October 29, 2016 by Brian Day

PICO RIVERA >> A gunman fled with money and two cellphones after robbing a Pico Rivera wireless store on Friday, authorities said.
The heist unfolded just before noon at Sela Wireless, 8535 Washington Blvd., Los Angeles County sheriff’s Lt. Noe Garcia said.
A robber entered the store, brandished a handgun and demanded all the money from the store’s cash register, the lieutenant said.
After obtaining about $350, as well as two cell phones, the robber fled and was last seen running south along Phaeton Avenue, he said.
He was described as a Latino man in his 30s, about 5 feet 6 inches tall and of medium build.
Anyone with information can reach the sheriff’s Pico Rivera Station at 562-949-2421. Tips may also be submitted anonymously to L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477.

Former Pico Rivera nightclub owner sentenced for laundering drug money

Posted on October 15, 2016 by Brian Day

"The Pico Rivera nightclub owner Edgar Fragoso, right, 38, leaving Edward Roybal Federal Building after his arraignment where he pleaded not guilty to eight counts federal indictments in downtown Los Angeles Friday, March 13, 2015. The Pico Rivera nightclub owner is accused of laundering hundreds of thousands of dollars as part of a drug trafficking ring operating in the U.S. and Mexico (Photo by Walt Mancini/Pasadena Star-News)"

“Pico Rivera nightclub owner Edgar Fragoso, right, 38, leaving Edward Roybal Federal Building after his arraignment in downtown Los Angeles Friday, March 13, 2015. (Photo by Walt Mancini/Pasadena Star-News)”

LOS ANGELES >> The owner of nightclubs in Pico Rivera and Moreno Valley who admitted laundering drug money for foreign drug traffickers through his businesses received a two-year prison sentence on Thursday, officials said.
Edgar Fragoso, 39, of Hacienda Heights was sentenced to 24 months in custody, with one year to be served behind bars, and another year of home detention, U.S. DOJ spokesman Thom Mrozek said. U.S. District Judge George Wu also ordered Fragoso to pay a $14,000 fine and agreed to give up his liquor license.
Fragoso owned the El Rodeo nightclubs, formerly at 8825 Washington Blvd., as well as another location in Moreno Valley.
Fragoso agreed to plead guilty in August of 2015 to a single count of money laundering.
Prosecutors allege Fragoso laundered more than $35,000 from methamphetamine sales for a drug dealer operating out of Mexico, and also collected $200,000 in payments from undercover federal agents posing as members of a drug-trafficking organization, according to the indictment.
Prior to reaching a plea deal, Fragoso was initially indicted on one count of conspiracy to launder money and seven counts of money laundering. He pleaded “not guilty” to the charges at his arraignment in March of 2015.
All but the single count of money laundering was dismissed under the plea arrangement.
If convicted as charged, Fragoso could have faced up to 20 years in federal prison for each of the eight counts on which he was indicted.
The two-year sentence handed down Thursday was only a fraction of the 25 years in prison Fragoso could have faced as a maximum penalty.
The reasoning behind the sentence was unclear Friday, as the sentencing memorandum in the case had been filed under seal, Mrozek said.

Deputies investigate gunfire in Pico Rivera; no ‘active shooter,’ as initially feared

Posted on October 8, 2016 by Brian Day

PICO RIVERA >> Deputies swarmed to a Pico Rivera neighborhood following reports of a possible active shooter on Friday afternoon, but no victims or suspects were found in what was ultimately determined not to be an active shooter situation, authorities said.
Multiple 911 callers reported hearing gunshots shortly after 4 p.m. in the 4900 block of Passons Boulevard, just north of Whittier Boulevard, Los Angeles County sheriff’s officials said.
Sheriff’s dispatchers heard gunfire in the background of some of the calls, causing authorities to initially treat the incident as a potential active shooter, Sgt. Irys Alvarez said.
Deputies, including a sheriff’s SWAT team, cordoned off the area as they went through the neighborhood looking for any possible victims or suspects, but found none, she said. And the gunfire ceased following the initial 911 calls, she said.
Deputies ultimately treated the incident as a simple case of “shots fired,” she said.
Officials called of their search a little more than an hour after it began.

Man wounded, woman sought in Pico Rivera riverbed stabbing

Posted on October 6, 2016 by Brian Day

PICO RIVERA >> Deputies are seeking a woman who stabbed a 20-year-old man in a Pico Rivera riverbed on Wednesday afternoon.
A passer-by called 911 about 3 p.m. after noticing a man lying bleeding in the San Gabriel riverbed near Beverly Boulevard, Los Angeles County sheriff’s Lt. Noe Garcia said.
Deputies found the victim suffering from a stab wound to his abdomen, the lieutenant said. Paramedics took the man to a hospital with injuries not believed to be life-threatening.
The victim, a homeless man, told deputies he was stabbed by a white woman in her mid-30s who also appeared to be homeless, Garcia said.
The man declined to provide investigators with further details. The motive in the stabbing was unclear.
Anyone with information can reach the sheriff’s Pico Rivera Station at 562-949-2421. Tips may also be submitted anonymously to L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477.

Death of man along Rosemead Boulevard in Pico Rivera ruled a suicide

Posted on October 5, 2016 by Brian Day

PICO RIVERA >> The death of a 26-year-old Pico Rivera man found fatally shot along Rosemead Boulevard and Pico Rivera has been formally ruled a suicide, coroner’s officials said.
The body of the man was discovered about 7:15 a.m. Saturday along an access trail along Rosemead Boulevard, just north of Gallatin Road, Los Angeles County sheriff’s and coroner’s officials said.
Detectives from the sheriff’s Homicide Bureau responded and investigated the scene, which initially appeared to be a suicide, sheriff’s Lt. Noe Garcia said at the time.
An autopsy determined that the man died from a gunshot wound to the head, and the death was ruled a suicide, according to coroner’s records.

Man found fatally shot in Pico Rivera, suicide suspected

Posted on October 1, 2016 by Brian Day

PICO RIVERA >> Detectives are investigating the shooting death of a man whose body was discovered along Rosemead Boulevard on Saturday morning.
The unidentified man’s body was discovered about 7:15 a.m. on a pathway alongside Rosemead Boulevard, just north of Gallatin Road near Streamland Park, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s officials said.
The death was initially being investigated as a suicide, however sheriff’s homicide detectives were summoned to investigate had yet to rule out any possibilities, Lt. Noe Garcia said.
No further details were available.
Anyone with information can reach the sheriff’s Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500. Tips ma also be submitted anonymously to L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477.

Man wounded in Pico Rivera shooting

Posted on October 1, 2016 by Brian Day

PICO RIVERA >> A man clung to life after being shot multiple times in a residential neighborhood in Pico Rivera late Friday, authorities said.
The shooting was reported about 9 p.m. in the 9400 block of Bert Street, just east of Passons Boulevard, Los Angeles County sheriff’s officials said.
Deputies received multiple calls reporting gunshots heard in the area before they found the victim, initially described only as a man, suffering from several gunshot wounds, sheriff’s Sgt. Andrew Serrano said.
The man was taken to a trauma center in critical-but-stable condition, he said.
No suspect description or further details were available.
“It’s still very early in the investigation,” Serrano said.
A car was seen driving out of the area at the time of the shooting, but investigators had yet to determine whether it was involved.
Anyone with information can reach the sheriff’s Pico Rivera Station at 562-949-2421. Tips may also be submitted anonymously to L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477.

Pico Rivera woman killed in West Whittier head-on crash

Posted on September 17, 2016 by Brian Day

WEST WHITTIER >> A 22-year-old Pico Rivera woman died after the car she was riding in as a passenger collided head-on with another car on Mines Boulevard in West Whittier early Saturday, authorities said.
Cassandra Marie Arango died in the 4:40 a.m. crash at Mines Boulevard and Duchess Drive in the unincorporated county area, Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner Lt. David Smith said.
The driver of the 1995 Honda Civic in which Arango was riding suffered “major” injuries in the crash, CHP Officer Tim Zaspal said in a written statement. He was described as a 24-year-old Whittier man.
A young man and woman riding in the other involved vehicle, a 2015 Dodge Charger, were treated for minor injuries, Zaspal said.
The Honda was westbound on Mines Boulevard and the Dodge was eastbound just prior to the crash.
“The Honda and the Dodge were involved in a head-on collision and came to rest blocking lanes at the intersection of Mines Boulevard and Duchess Drive,” Zaspal said.
It was not yet clear which vehicle crossed over into opposing traffic lanes.
Paramedics pronounced Arango Honda dead at the scene, Zaspal said.
Neither she nor the driver of the Honda were wearing seat belts, he said.
No arrests were made as the investigation continued.
Anyone with information is urged to contact Officer Renteria of the CHP’s Santa Fe Springs-area office at 562-868-0503.

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