Category Archives: Rosemead

Monterey Park man accused of drugging and raping woman

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ROSEMEAD — Detectives arrested a Monterey Park man Thursday on suspicion of raping and drugging a woman at a Rosemead motel, authorities said.
Ming He, 27, was booked on suspicion of rape by use of drugs and possession of ketamine, Los Angeles County sheriff’s Sgt. Steve Kim said in a written statement.
The woman called authorities Thursday after waking up undressed in a motel room in Rosemead, Kim said.
“She told deputies that she remembered going to a night club in Los Angeles the night before with a co-worker, but she did not recall anything after that. She felt that she had been raped,” The sergeant said.
Kim declined to say where exactly the alleged assault took place, “due to the sensitive nature of this investigation.”
Surveillance video at the motel showed He, “carrying the nearly unconscious victim into a room.” Kim said. “Suspect He later left the room by himself. Several hours later, the victim left the room at which time she called the Sheriff’s Department for help.
“During the investigation, Suspect He called the victim and admitted that he had drugged her with ketamine, known as a “date rape drug,” and had sexual intercourse with her. He also offered to pay her money if she agreed to go away alone for several weeks until things settled down.”
Investigators arrested He Thursday night when he arrived at a parking lot near Garfield and Garvey avenues in Monterey Park, where he thought he was going to “discuss the matter” with the woman, Kim said.
According to sheriff’s officials and booking records, He was released from jail early Saturday after posting $100,000 bail.

Arraignment continued for teen girl, boyfriend, accused of killing girl’s grandparents

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LOS ANGELES — A hearing in the case of a teenage girl and her 22-year-old boyfriend charged with stabbing the girl’s grandparents to death in their Rosemead home was continued Wednesday, authorities said.
Sophia Janalisa Cristo and Rodolfo Lopez are accused of murdering Jack Bezner, 71, and his wife, Susan, 64, on Aug. 9, 2010.
They were scheduled for their second arraignment Wednesday in Los Angeles Superior Court, however the hearing was postponed until Sept. 7, court officials said.
At an arraignment, the charges are read and the defendants asked to enter a plea. Defendants generally get two arraignments — one shortly after arrest and another as the case moves toward trial.
The Bezners were found stabbed to death in their bed in the 4200 block of Arica Avenue.
A motive in the crime has not been released.
Cristo, then-14, and Lopez, then-21, were found and arrested in Texas, where the Bezners SUV was recovered.
In addition to the killings, they’ve both been accused of the special allegations of multiple murder and personally using a knife in the crime.
Cristo is not eligible for the death penalty because of her age. Prosecutors have not yet decided whether to seek the death penalty for Lopez.

South San Gabriel homicide victim identified

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SOUTH SAN GABRIEL — Officials Friday released the name of a 24-year-old Rosemead man who was shot to death near his home.
Stephan Michael Connlee died at a hospital shortly after he was shot about 1:15 a.m. June 4 near Orange Street and Grand View Avenue in the unincorporated county area of South San Gabriel, Los Angeles County Department of Coroner Assistant Chief of Operations Ed Winter said.
Connlee had just walked away from his home and rounded the corner when neighbors heard gunshots and found him lying in the street, Sgt. Bill Marsh of the Los Angeles County sheriff’s Homicide Bureau said. He has been shot several times in the upper torso.
A man driving a car was stopped in the area and questioned shortly after the shooting, but he was released after detectives determined he was not a suspect in the killing, Marsh said. 
A motive in the killing was not released, and no arrested were announced.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500.

Teenage girl, boyfriend, to stand trial in slaying of girl’s grandparents

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From City News Service:

ROSEMEAD — A 15-year-old girl and her 21-year-old boyfriend were ordered Wednesday to stand trial for the stabbing deaths of her grandparents at the couple’s Rosemead home last summer.
Sophia Janalisa Cristo and Rodolfo Lopez are charged with murdering Jack Bezner, 71, and his 64-year-old wife, Susan, who were found dead in their bed last Aug. 9 at their home in the 4200 block of Arica Avenue.
The murder charge includes the special circumstance allegation of multiple murders, along with the allegations that the two each used a knife and inflicted great bodily injury on the victims.
Prosecutors will decide later in the case whether to seek the death penalty against Lopez.
Cristo, who was 14 at the time but was charged as an adult, is not eligible for the death penalty because of her age.
The two were arrested last Aug. 11 in Horizon City, Texas, after detectives learned they might be on their way there in the Bezners’ missing Nissan sport utility vehicle.
Cristo and Lopez are due back at the downtown Los Angeles courthouse on June 8 for arraignment.

Men convicted of shooting man who stopped them from robbing elderly woman, other charges

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POMONA — A jury convicted two men Thursday of robbing an El Monte business, then shooting a good Samaritan who intervened when they tried to rob an elderly woman of her dog in Arcadia.
Kekai Larsen, 27, and Joseph Duran, 24, both  of Los Angeles, were convicted of robbery, attempted robbery, burglary and assault with a deadly weapon, court and police officials said, along with the special allegations of using and firing a gun and causing great bodily injury to a victim.
Larsen and Duran tried to steal an air compressor April 6 of last year from a business in the 9900 block of Gidley Street in El Monte, El Monte police Detective Ralph Batres said.
The business owner heard the commotion and came out to confront the thieves when they brandished a handgun and demanded his wallet, the detective said. Duran then ransacked the business for valuables.
From there, Batres said, Larsen and Duran headed to Arcadia, where they tried to rob an elderly woman of her small dog.
An Arcadia man of about 40 years old tried to help the woman when Larsen leaned out of the getaway car and shot him in the leg, police said. Both attackers then fled.
Based on license plate information garnered during the El Monte robbery, police were waiting at an Alhambra home when the car that was involved in the crimes arrived, Batres said. Larsen and Duran were not inside.
Police pulled over the car and soon learned that Larsen and Duran were at a motel in Rosemead, Batres said. They were arrested without incident, though the handgun was not recovered.
Larsen face the possibility of life in prison, and Duran faces up to 12 years behind bars when they return to Pomona Superior Court April 7 for sentencing, officials said.

Skate shop employee fights off young robbers; police nab suspects

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ARCADIA — Police arrested two teenage robbery suspects Tuesday after a clerk at a skateboard shop they were trying to rob fought back, authorities.
The 15- and 16-year-old teens, both Pasadena residents, were booked on suspicion of attempted robbery, assault with a deadly weapon and false imprisonment, Arcadia police Sgt. Tom Le Veque said in a written statement.
The “brazen” robbery attempt occurred about 11 a.m. at Advantis Ride Inc., 1041 S. Baldwin Ave., the sergeant said.
The boys entered the store with what appeared to be handguns and ordered the employee, a 34-year-old man, to the floor, police said.
“They had him down to kneeling,” Sgt. Dean Caputo said, but the employee stopped complying with the would-be robbers when they made it clear they planned to tie him up.
“They were gonna zip tie him,” Caputo said. “He was in fear, so he took his chances and grabbed for the gun.”
The employee managed to pull a gun away from one of the young crooks and strike him with it, knocking him to the floor, police said.
The second gunman then struck the employee with the butt of a handgun, Le Veque said.
“The suspects abandoned their robbery and fled with the employee giving chase,” he added.
A witness flagged down an Arcadia police officer who happened to be nearby, Le Veque said. After a brief search of the area, both teen suspects were captured.
Police said the young suspects were sent to the Eastlake Juvenile Detention Facility in Los Angeles after booking.
The employee suffered a moderate head injury in the incident, police said.

Minivan sought in fatal Rosemead hit-and-run

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ROSEMEAD — Sheriff’s investigators continued seeking a van Wednesday that fled the scene of crash that killed a 19-year-old woman.
Yahing Ma, of Rosemead, died in Monday’s 10:37 p.m. crash in the 3800 block of Walnut Grove Avenue, sheriff’s and coroner’s officials said.
A small, light-colored, imported minivan, such as a Toyota Sienna or a Nissan Quest, was headed northbound on Walnut Grove Avenue when it collided with Ma, who was walking in the roadway mid-block, Los Angeles County sheriff’s Dep. Marvin Payne said.
The driver of the van did not stop to help Ma, who was pronounced dead at the scene, he said.
Witnesses described the van as possible white, silver or gray, Payne said. No description of the driver was available.
Anyone with information is asked to call the sheriff’s Temple Station Traffic Bureau at 626 292-3389.

Robbery reported at Rosemead cell phone store

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ROSEMEAD — Two men used a handgun Thursday to rob a cell phone store employee of her ring and valuable purse, authorities said.
The woman, who was in her 30s, was working at a cell phone store at Valley and Rosemead Boulevard about 1:30 p.m. when the robbers arrived, Los Angeles County sheriff’s Lt. Tom McNeal said.
“One came in and distracted her, then the other came in with a gun,” the lieutenant said.
The robbers stole the woman’s diamond ring and searched through drawers in the store in search of valuables, McNeal said. After finding nothing, they led the woman to the back of the store and stole her purse.
The purse contained only about $10, officials said, but the purse itself was valued at about $2,000. Two wallets inside the purse were valued at $200-$300 each.
The robbers were described as two black men in their mid- to late-20s, about 5 feet 10 inches to 6 feet tall and 150 to 180 pounds. They both wore jackets and hoods.
Deputies received conflicting information as to whether a getaway car was involved.
Anyone with information is asked to call the sheriff’s Temple Station.

Man robs shoe store in Rosemead

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ROSEMEAD — An armed robber escaped with an undisclosed amount of cash Friday after a shoe store hold-up, authorities said.
The crime took place about 7:15 p.m. when a man brandishing a handgun entered a Payless shoe store on San Gabriel Boulevard, just north of Garvey Avenue, Los Angeles County sheriff’s Lt. Kerry Carter said.
The robber was described as a white or Latino man, about 6 feet tall, 230 pounds, with a shaved head.

Rosemead house fire leads deputies to discover pot-growing operation

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ROSEMEAD — For the second time in less than two months, a house fire believed to have been sparked by a marijuana-growing operation led authorities to discover more than 1,000 pot plants.
The blaze was reported about 8:30 p.m. Wednesday in the 2600 block of Kelburn Avenue, Los Angeles County Fire Department Capt. Pat Dolan said.
It resulted in the seizure of “hundreds and hundreds” of marijuana plants from the home, preliminarily valued at about $200,000, Capt. Joe Fennell of the sheriff’s Temple Station said.
More than 1,200 plants were uprooted altogether, officials said.
“What we found out was this location was used solely for marijuana growing,” Fennell said.
The irrigation, lighting and electrical work done to create the pot farm, “:definitely took some level of expertise,” he added.
Neighbors reported the fire at the two-story house, and firefighters found smoke coming from the home on arrival, Dolan said.
After cutting their way through a security door, firefighters were greeted by hundreds of marijuana plants in various stages of maturity in a sophisticated grow operation complete with irrigation and lighting, officials said.
“The house really wasn’t set up to live in,” Dolan said. “It had one couch, but everything else was for (growing marijuana.)”
Marijuana plants were growing throughout the home, which had had its electrical system re-wired to bypass Southern California Edison’s electric meters, officials said.
The homemade electrical modifications are believed to be the cause of the fire, Dolan said.
“They had set up their own power system. One of the outlets was overloaded,” he said.
The spark from the electrical outlet ignited some window blinds, he added.
The fire was largely contained to a single room on the home’s second floor and caused about $1,000 worth of damage, officials said. The first floor was not damaged.
No one was in the home when authorities arrived, and no arrests were made Thursday, Fennell said.
Narcotics investigators will continue investigating in the coming days, he added, and will be seeking the residents of the home.
Wednesday’s pot house fire was the second such incident in the area in less than two months, according to fire and sheriff’s officials.
An Aug. 31 house fire less than a mile to the south in the 1900 block of Portrero Grande in the unincorporated county area of South San Gabriel led deputies to discover more than 1,000 marijuana plants, investigators said.
The operation was believed to have been tied to Asian gangs, officials said.
Fennell said it it was not yet clear is Thursday’s pot house in Rosemead was connected to the South San Gabriel grow house or Asian gangs.
It’s too early in the preliminary investigation to make that determination,” he said.
As firefighters increasingly encounter marijuana-growing operations when they respond to fires, firefighters have become “painfully aware” of dangerous possibilities such as booby traps, explosives, chemicals or other hazardous contents, Dolan said.
“I just think we’re a little bit more cognizant now when we go on these fires,” he said. “It’s something to look out for.”
“Once we realize these are grow houses, we proceed very cautiously,” Dolan said.
The smoke from burning marijuana is not a significant problem for firefighters, as they generally bring their own air supply and breathing equipment when fighting fires.