Rosemead man killed in hit-and-run while riding bike in South El Monte

Posted on June 6, 2015 by Brian Day

SOUTH EL MONTE >> A Rosemead man died after he was struck by two vehicles, both of which fled the scene, while riding his bicycle along Rosemead Boulevard early Saturday, authorities said.
Los Angeles County coroner’s officials identified the victim as 47-year-old Heriberto Ruiz.
He died at the scene of the series of collisions that unfolded about 2:50 a.m. in the southbound lanes of Rosemead Boulevard, just north of the 60 Freeway, Officer T. Olson of the California Highway Patrol’s East Los Angeles Station said in a written statement.
The two vehicles that struck him and their drivers remained at large.
Ruiz was riding a bike in the right-hand lane when he was struck by an unknown vehicle, Olson said.
The initial impact was believed to be fatal, the officer said. No description of the vehicle that struck Ruiz was available.
Another driver stopped alongside Ruiz after spotting him lying in the roadway, Olson said. A white, late-2000s-model minivan then struck Ruiz and the stopped car before speeding away.
The driver of the stopped car was unhurt, CHP Officer Monica Posada said.
Anyone with information was asked to contact the CHP’s East Los Angeles office at 323-980-4600.

$1 million Rosemead Powerball winner has until Thursday afternoon to claim prize

Posted on March 12, 2015 by Brian Day

ROSEMEAD >> The winner of a Powerball drawing who purchased the winning ticket in Septmeber at the Rosemead Supermarket has until 5 p.m. Thursday to claim a $1 million prize, California Lottery officials said.
Lottery officials have released store surveillance camera footage of the winner in hopes of tracking him down before the 180-day deadline to collect the prize.
The ticket, purchased at the market, 8815 E. Valley Blvd., matched five numbers on the Sept. 13, 2014, Powerball drawing, officials said. The ticket bore the numbers 37, 6, 1, 53, and 16, missing only the Powerball number of 27. It won $1,098,624.
If the winner does not claim the prize by the deadline, “every penny of the unclaimed prize money is transferred to California public schools,” Lottery officials said in a written statement.
The Rosemead Supermarket received a bonus of $5,493, which amounts to one-half of one-percent of the prize, for selling the winning ticket, Lottery officials said.
The winner is advised to sign the back of the ticket in ink and keep it in a safe place and visit a local Lottery District Office as quickly as possible.

Sheriff’s patrol car crashes in Rosemead

Posted on February 14, 2015 by Brian Day

ROSEMEAD >> A sheriff’s patrol car responding to an emergency call collided with two other cars in Rosemead Friday, severely damaging the patrol car but resulting in no significant injuries, authorities said.
The crash took place about 11:30 a.m. on southbound San Gabriel Boulevard, just south of Garvey Avenue, Los Angeles County sheriff’s Lt. Loy McBride said.
A deputy had his patrol car’s emergency lights and sirens activated as he rushed to a report of a person not breathing, McBride said.
The patrol car collided with a Nissan Altima being driven by a 36-year-old women, then struck a parked car, the lieutenant said.
McBride said the deputy was examined at a hospital and released within hours. The woman at the wheel of the Nissan was unhurt.
The circumstances of the crash remained under investigation, however nothing criminal was initially suspected.
The Nissan involved in the crash was still driveable, however the patrol car sustained major damage and likely wouldn’t return to service, McBride said.

Fire scorches two Rosemead homes

Posted on December 14, 2014 by Brian Day

ROSEMEAD — A fire damaged two Rosemead homes early Sunday, displacing two families, authorities said.
Officials first received reports of the fire in the 2600 block of Gladys Avenue at 9:57 a.m., Los Angeles County Fire Department Dispatch Supervisor Melanie Flores said.
Firefighters encountered heavy smoke on arrival and found the fire was burning its way through two homes sitting next door to each other.
Officials declared the fire extinguished at 10:33 a.m., Flores said.
No injuries were reported, however both families occupying the scorched homes were displaces, she said.
The cause of the fire remained under investigation. The extent of the damage was not immediately clear.

Used car dealing brothers convicted of tax evasion

Posted on December 11, 2014 by Brian Day

LOS ANGELES >> Two used car dealing brothers from Rosemead and Los Angeles have begun serving three-year jail sentences after pleading “no contest” last week to evaded more than $1.5 million in sales tax, authorities announced Wednesday.
Dagoberto Duenas, 59, of Rosemead and Mario Ernesto Gonzalez, 53, of Los Angeles entered their pleas Dec. 2 in Los Angeles Superior Court, California Board of Equalization officials said in a written statement.
Each brother was sentenced to three years in prison, to be served in county jail, for failing to report income from auto sales between 2007 and 2009 at Los Angeles Used Car dealerships they owned, officials said.
“Duenas and Gonzalez owned and operated Space Auto Sales and Spin Auto Sales, respectively,” according to the BOE statement.
BOE officials began investigating the brothers in 2008, “…when it was discovered that they had failed to report a large amount of sales,” the statement said.
“Tax evasion is a serious crime and it is gratifying that these men will be held to account for depriving our state’s honest taxpayers of more than $1.5 million in services,” BOE Chairman Jerome E. Horton said.
Investigators determined Duenas had failed to report at least $12.3 million in taxable sales, resulting in more than $1 million in unreported sales tax, BOE officials said. Gonzalez failed to report almost $500,000 of sales tax.

Man pleads not guilty in fatal Monterey Park stabbing

Posted on November 21, 2014 by Brian Day

ALHAMBRA >> A Rosemead man pleaded not guilty to murder Thursday following the fatal stabbing of a Monterey Park man last month, officials said.
Angel Octavion Garcia, 18, is accused of fatally stabbing Alhambra Parks and Recreation Department employee Edward Mendoza, 35, Oct. 14 in a parking lot in the 1700 block of Potrero Grande, near Arroyo Drive, Los Angeles County sheriff’s officials said.
He entered his plea in Alhambra Superior Court, where he was ordered to return Jan. 9 for a preliminary hearing setting, Los Angeles County district attorney’s officials said in a written statement.
“There are no indications the two men knew each other,” according to the statement. A motive for the slaying has not been released.
Mendoza called 9-1-1 to report he had been stabbed, Lt. John Corina of the Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau said. Investigators have declined to release further details of the 9-1-1.
Paramedics rushed Mendoza to Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center, where he died from his injuries.
“Soon after the incident, a person came forward to police and identified Garcia as the assailant,” according to the district attorney’s office statement.
Mendoza had worked a part-time recreation leader for the Alhambra Parks and Recreation Department since 2001, city officials said. Most recently, he served as a children’s football referee at Almansor Park in Alhambra.
Recently, Ray said Mendoza was refereeing football for the children at Almansor Park, 800 S. Almansor St. in Alhambra.
Sheriff’s investigators arrested Garcia Oct. 18, according to Los Angeles County booking records. He was being held in lieu of $1.025 million bail.
Loved ones have created a memorial video in tribute to Menoza at www.eddiemendoza.org.

UPDATED: One killed, one arrested in Rosemead crash

Posted on November 8, 2014 by Brian Day

ROSEMEAD >> One person died, another suffered major injuries and a man is accused of drunken driving and hit-and-run following a two-vehicle crash on a 10 Freeway offramp in Rosemead late Friday, officials said.
The crash took place about 11:15 p.m. on the Rosemead Boulevard offramp of the eastbound 10 Freeway, according to California Highway Patrol logs.
Two vehicle ended up down an embankment in the crash, CHP logs show.
The driver and passenger of one of the involved vehicles were seriously injured in the crash, CHP Officer Jennifer Cassidy said. The passenger died at a hospital, while the driver was hospitalized with serious injuries.
The driver of the second vehicle abandoned it at the scene and fled on foot, Cassidy said. He was arrested a short time later at his home on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter, drunken driving and hit-and-run, Cassidy said.
The suspect’s identity was not available Saturday, and no further details were released.
The Rosemead Boulevard offramp from the eastbound 10 Freeway remained shut down for nearly three hours following the crash, which is under investigation by officers from the CHP’s East Los Angeles office.

Three jailed in connection with Rosemead shooting

Posted on November 3, 2014 by Brian Day

ROSEMEAD >> Three men were behind bars Sunday in connection with a weekend shooting in Rosemead, authorities said.
Oscar Recinos, 24, of Rosemead, Lance Spiteri, 25, of Diamond Bar and Edward Ascencio, 34, of Fontana, were ultimately jailed on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, Los Angeles County sheriff’s Sgt. Michael Martinez said.
They’re accused of shooting at passing car driven by a 32-year-old Rosemead man about 2:40 p.m. Saturday at Graves and Eckhart avenues, Sgt. Julie Geary said. Bullets struck the car, however the driver was not injured.
Deputies searched the neighborhood following the gunfire, ultimately finding and arresting Recinos, Spiteri and Ascencio in connection with the shooting, officials said.
Sheriff’s gang detectives were handling the investigation, Martinez said.
The shooting was the second report of gun violence in Rosemead in less than a day.
Eighteen-year-old Jesse Garcia of Rosemead died early Saturday after he was shot at a Halloween party in the 7900 block of Virginia Street, sheriff’s officials said.
Garcia, who posted on social media that he would be working “security” at the party, asked two young men to leave just prior to the shooting, investigators said.
The two men returned with a gun and fatally shot Garcia, authorities said. The killers remained at-large Sunday.

UPDATED: Car struck by gunfire in Rosemead, driver unhurt

Posted on November 2, 2014 by Brian Day

ROSEMEAD >> Bullets pierced a car as it traveled down a Rosemead street Saturday afternoon, however the driver escaped injury, officials said.
The shooting took place about 2:40 p.m. on Graves Avenue at Eckhart Avenue, Los Angeles County sheriff’s Sgt. Julie Geary said.
Several bullets struck the car, but not the man driving it, she said.
Deputies searched the area and ultimately arrested three suspects in connection with the shooting, Lt. Loy McBride said.
Further details were not available early Sunday.

UPDATED: Young man fatally shot at Rosemead Halloween party

Posted on November 1, 2014 by Brian Day

ROSEMEAD >> An 18-year-old Rosemead man died early Saturday after two men he asked to leave a Halloween party returned with a gun and shot him, authorities said.
Jesse Garcia died at a hospital following the 1 a.m. shooting at a party held in a small residential cul-de-sac in the 7900 block of Virginia Street, Los Angeles County sheriff’s and coroner’s officials said.
Both Garcia and the two suspects were at the party prior to the shooting, sheriff’s officials said in a written statement.
“The victim asked the suspects to leave the party. A short time later, the suspects returned to the party with a firearm and shot at the victim, striking him in the torso,” Sgt. Carmen Arballo of the Sheriff’s Headquarters Bureau said.
Garcia was rushed to a hospital where he died from his injuries.
Although he was a Rosemead resident, the victim did not live at the home where the Halloween party was hosted, sheriff’s officials said.
No getaway car was seen.
“The suspects fled the location on foot in an unknown direction and out of view,” Arballo said.
Detectives initially described the killers as two young men between 17 and 21 years old. Detailed descriptions were not available.
By Saturday afternoon, only a small piece of yellow crime scene tape in the street was the only sign of the fatal shooting. Several neighborhood residents said they did not know what took place early Saturday morning.
Officials asked anyone with information to contact the Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500. Tips may also be submitted anonymously to L.A. Regional Crime Stopper at 800-222-8477.

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