UPDATED: San Gabriel woman dragged by truck during robbery; police, firefighters and witnesses team up to help victim


SAN GABRIEL >> Police, firefighters, emergency medical technicians and witnesses took up a collection to help a single mother who was dragged 20 feet by a pickup truck while being robbed of her purse in San Gabriel Saturday, officials said.
The crime took place about 10:45 a.m. outside a dry cleaning business in the 400 block of West Las Tunas Drive, San Gabriel police Lt. Riki Nakamura said.
A 36-year-old woman stopped into the dry cleaning shop as her 7-year-old son waited in the back seat of her car. The boy was dressed in a costume, as the mother and son were planning a trip to the movies to see The Jungle Book before heading to lunch.
The woman saw a man approach her car and open a door, the lieutenant said. Fearing her son was in danger, the woman ran out to confront the man, he said.
The robber grabbed the woman’s purse from the front passenger seat of her car and fled to his own vehicle, a pickup truck.
Nakamura said the victim clung to the truck as the robber accelerated.
“He heads north on Ardmore (Drive), while she’s clinging on the driver-side door,” he said. “She’s asking for help and pleading with him to stop.”
The woman fell from the vehicle, tumbling in the roadway, before the suspect sped away, Nakamura said.
“I don’t know what possessed me. I guess it was just adrenaline,” said the mother, who asked her name be withheld due to safety concerns.”
She suffered injuries to her arms and legs, but declined to be taken to a hospital.
Despite her injuries, and the loss of her money and other personal belongings, including their movie tickets and Souplantation gift card, “She was more worried about breaking a promise to take her son to the movies,” the lieutenant said.
Touched by the scene, police officers, firefighters, EMTs and passers-by who witnessed the incident took up a collection to present to the woman, Nakamura said. They presented the mother and son with tickets to the same theater they were planning to attend, as well as extra money for popcorn or lunch.
Though sore and healing from deep abrasions and an injured knee, the mother said she was recuperating well Sunday.
Her son was also doing well, though she said the incident left him a bit nervous.
“He’s a little afraid now where he’ll stay with me. He doesn’t want to leave me,” she said. She planned to seek counseling for him.
The youngster also told his mother he was worried because he feared the “bad guy” now knows their home address from the items stolen from his mother’s purse.
But despite Saturday’s ordeal, the mother and son made it to the movies as planned, the grateful mother said.
With her family in Northern California, and while dealing with financial challenges, the woman said the kindness of strangers made her not feel alone following the frightening incident.
“I couldn’t believe it. What started off as a really dark, horrible situation ended up being jut an uplifting situation,” she said. “Complete strangers filled us with love and comfort and made us feel so secure.”
Police and the victim described the robber as a Latino man in his 40s, about 5 feet 6 inches tall, 130 pounds, with a dark complexion. He drove a lowered, orange or copper pickup truck, possibly a Chevrolet Silverado, with dark tint on the windows. The truck’s paint was very shiny and clean.
Anyone with information is asked to contact San Gabriel police at 626-308-2828.

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San Gabriel man accused in fatal shooting of man whose body was found in car trunk in Monterey Park

MONTEREY PARK >> Sheriff’s officials Friday announced the arrest of a suspect in connection with the fatal shooting of a man whose body was discovered inside a parked car in Monterey Park last week.
Andy Chen, 37, of San Gabriel is accused of the murder of Min Gu, 30, whose body was discovered about 6 p.m. March 21 in the trunk of a Lexus left parked in the 200 block of South Lincoln Avenue, according to Deputy Ryan Rouzan of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Information Bureau said.
Investigators took Chen into custody about 4 p.m. Thursday, according to county booking records.
Sheriff’s officials announced the arrest in a written statement issued late Friday afternoon.
“Detectives believe the motive for the murder was a financial dispute,” Rouzan said.
No further details were released Friday.
The investigation began after witnesses reported a foul odor emitting from a a Lexus sedan, officials said.
Deputies soon discovered Gu’s body, which appeared to have been dead for at least a day or two when discovered.
An autopsy determined Gu was shot multiple times, and died from a gunshot wound to the head, according to sheriff’s and coroner’s officials. Gu’s city of residence was unclear.
Chen was being held in lieu of $1 million bail pending a scheduled arraignment Monday in the Los Angeles Superior Court’s Alhambra branch.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau is assisting Monterey Park police in the investigation.
Anyone with information can reach the sheriff’s homicide detectives at 323-890-5500. Tips may also be submitted anonymously to L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477.

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Nearly 700 marijuana plants found growing inside San Gabriel tailor business

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SAN GABRIEL >> Police arrested a man and woman and seized nearly 700 marijuana plants Wednesday when they dismantled an illicit indoor marijuana farm operating out of the back of a San Gabriel tailor business, officials said.
Reports of suspicious activity at New Craft Design Inc., 864 Commercial Ave., first attracted the attention of police, who paid a visit to the longtime business about 2 p.m., San Gabriel police Detective Lt. Brian Kott said.
Officers entered the open business and immediately smelled a strong odor of marijuana, he said.
PSN-L-MARIJUANA2Officers detained a man and woman who were inside the building and detectives obtained a search warrant for the business, Kott said.
The front portion of the business was operating as a tailor business, and had been doing so for several years, Kott said. But the building had been subdivided.
“The other part of the facility was an elaborate marijuana-growing operation,” the lieutenant said.
Police uprooted between nearly marijuana plants, in various levels of maturity, from two subdivided rooms within the building, he said. The business had also been outfitted with a hydroponic gardening system.
Peggy Mui Do, 62, and Phuong Day Ung, 36, were booked on suspicion of cultivation of marijuana, Kott said.
Do was in the front portion of the business when officers arrived, Kott said. Ung was detained after emerging from the subdivided pot farm.
Another woman not believed tied directly to the marijuana-growing operation was arrested after she showed up at the businesses during the investigation and was found in possession of a methamphetamine pipe, Kott added.

PHOTOS courtesy of the San Gabriel Police Department

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Teens shot by off-duty LAPD lieutenant during alleged San Gabriel burglary in stable condition

8SAN GABRIEL >> Two teenage burglary suspects shot by an off-duty Los Angeles police lieutenant during a break-in at his home had been upgraded to stable condition at a hospital Friday as the investigation continued, authorities said.
The two wounded suspects, both 17, were ultimately arrested along with two other 17-year-old boys following the shooting, which took place about 10 a.m. at the off-duty officer’s home in the 600 block of Los Olivos Drive, Los Angeles County sheriff’s Lt. Eddie Hernandez said.
Both wounded suspects were hospitalized in stable condition Wednesday, the lieutenant said. “They are expected to survive their injuries.”
All four suspects were expected to face charges of burglary.
The off-duty officer was awakened by noises inside his home when he encountered two of the teenage burglars, sheriff’s officials said.
He armed himself with a non-department-issued 9mm pistol and encountered the two intruders, Hernandez said. They fled from the home through the kitchen window, which is also believed to be how they broke in.
The homeowner yelled through the window at the fleeing suspects to stop, Hernandez said.
“He saw one of the suspects reach for his waistband and turn towards him,” sheriff’s officials said in a written statement.
The off-duty officer fired at the suspect reaching for his waistband, striking both of the teens, Hernandez said. One was struck in the abdomen and leg, while the other was struck in the abdomen. Both continued fleeing.
One of the wounded teens was soon found and arrested nearby, officials said.
The second wounded suspect was brought to a hospital, along with another teen, shortly after the shooting, Hernandez said.
Another teen, who dropped the wounded teen and the other suspect off at the hospital, was found and taken into custody later in the day, Hernandez said.
No weapon linked to the suspects had been recovered Wednesday, he said.
It was not clear Wednesday whether the two suspects arrested after taking the wounded suspects to the hospital were present at the time of the burglary, Hernandez said.
Los Angeles police officials and sheriff’s investigators declined to release the name of the involved officer Wednesday.
Detective Meghan Aguilar described the off-duty officer as a lieutenant assigned to the LAPD’s Pacific division with 29 years of experience.
The lieutenant has been placed on administrative leave pending investigations by the Los Angeles County sheriff’s Homicide Bureau, the LAPD and the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, officials said.
Anyone with information is asked 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.

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Man wounded in San Gabriel stabbing


SAN GABRIEL — A man showed up at the San Gabriel Police Department for help after being stabbed in the chest at a nearby liquor store Saturday morning, authorities said.
The wounded victim drove to the police station, 625 S. Del Mar Ave., just after 9 a.m., San Gabriel police Sgt. Brian Sagocio said.
By chance, San Gabriel firefighters happened to be at the station to use it’s gasoline pumps and were able to immediately begin treating the man, he said.
The man had suffered a stab wound that punctured one of his lungs, officials said.
After undergoing surgery at Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center, “It looks like he’s going to make it,” Sagocio said.
The victim told investigators he was inside of his car near a liquor store just north of the police station, at Del Mar and Angeleno avenues, when he was stabbed by to male attackers, the sergeant said.
He managed to drive to the police station, just over 400 feet away, to seek aid.
The victim, who was believed to have gang ties, did not appear to be cooperating with investigators, Sagocio said.
The motive and circumstances of the attack remained under investigation Saturday night, he said. No further details were available.

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UPDATED: Suspect re-captured after escaping from deputies at San Gabriel hospital


SAN GABRIEL >> Deputies chased down and re-captured an El Monte man who escaped from a San Gabriel hospital Thursday, where he was being examined following an arrest earlier in the afternoon, officials said.
The incident began about 12:40 p.m. after deputies in South El Monte spotted Sergio Galiano, 20, of El Monte, who had an outstanding warrant for resisting arrest, Los Angeles County sheriff’s Lt. Ismael Chavez said.
He was arrested following a brief struggle, and deputies also found him in possession of methamphetamine, the lieutenant said.
Deputies took the suspect to the San Gabriel Valley Medical Center, 438 W. Las Tunas Drive in San Gabriel, for examination prior to booking him into jail, Lt. Ronald Daily said.
While handcuffed and awaiting treatment about 2:20 p.m., Galiano managed to break free from the facility and run, Daily said.
Deputies set up a search perimeter, ultimately finding the man hiding, still handcuffed, in a residential neighborhood about an hour later, officials said.
He was again examined at a hospital before being booked into jail for the existing warrant, as well as on suspicion of drug possession, being under the influence of drugs, possession of drug paraphernalia, resisting arrest and felony escape, Chavez said.
According to county booking records, Galiano was being held in lieu of $50,000 bail pending a scheduled arraignment Wednesday in El Monte Superior Court.

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UDPATED: Diamond Bar burglary suspects lead deputies on chase to South San Gabriel


SOUTH SAN GABRIEL >> Deputies arrested two alleged burglars and sought a third after they led deputies on a chase from Diamond Bar to South San Gabriel, then continued to run after crashing their car, authorities said.
The incident began about 12:45 p.m. with a report of a burglary in Diamond Bar, Los Angeles County sheriff’s Sgt. James Long said.
Deputies spotted the suspects fleeing the area in a gold Jeep Cherokee, the sergeant said. The driver led deputies on a pursuit west along the 60 Freeway until it exited northbound San Gabriel Boulevard and crashed at Delta Avenue.
The Jeep struck a curb and a fence, Long said.
Three men got out of the crashed car and continued fleeing on foot, Long said.
Two of them were soon apprehended in the area, while a third remained at-large shortly before 3 p.m, he said.
Officers from other area agencies joined sheriff’s officials, as well as law enforcement dogs and helicopters, in the search for the third suspect.
Officials focused their efforts on a neighborhood just northeast of San Gabriel Boulevard and Delta Avenue, in the unincorporated county area of South San Gabriel, before calling of the search about four hours later.
Deputies searched the area near the offramp, where the suspects were believed to have tossed an item during the chase, but found nothing, Long said.
The arrested suspects names and booking charges were not available Wednesday afternoon, nor were details regarding the original burglary, Lt. John Saleeby said.

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Man escapes police-impersonating kidnappers in Temple City


TEMPLE CITY >> A man escaped kidnappers posing as police officers after they broke into an apartment, pistol-whipped him and placed him in handcuffs Thursday afternoon, officials said.
Two kidnappers showed up shortly after 3 p.m. at the home where the 32-year-old victim had been staying in the 9000 block of Emperor Avenue, near Rosemead Boulevard along the border between Temple City and the unincorporated county area of East San Gabriel, Los Angeles County sheriff’s Lt. Ismael Chavez said.
The men forced their way into the apartment, he said. One of them brandished a black handgun and flashed some type of badge.
Chavez said the intruders told the victim they were police officers and had warrants for his arrest.
When the phony cops tried to handcuff the man, he resisted and one of them struck him in the head with the gun, the lieutenant said.
The attackers then managed to get the man into the handcuffs and lead him outside, Chavez said. As they led him toward a car, he managed to break free from their grasp, slip one of his hands from the handcuffs and run.
Witnesses called 9-1-1 to report seeing a man with handcuffs hanging from his wrist running down the street and yelling for help, Chavez said. The kidnappers fled.
The man was taken to a hospital with minor injuries and released within hours, officials said.
Deputies described the two police impersonators as white men. One stood about 6 feet tall and weighed about 300 pounds. He wore a dark hat. No further description of the second kidnapper was available.
Chavez said the kidnappers used a white, newer-model, BMW 7 Series sedan. A driver was believed to be waiting at the wheel, but no description was available.
The motive in the foiled kidnapping remained under investigation late Thursday, Chavez said. Nothing was stolen during the incident.
Anyone with information can reach the sheriff’s Temple Station at 626-285-7171. Tips may also be submitted anonymously to L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477.

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Charges filed against man accused of beating nephews to death in Arcadia

Arcadia High students and parents attend a vigil for slain students Anthony Lin, 15, and William Lin, 16, at the Arcadia, Calif. campus January 25, 2016. The brothers were allegedly beaten to death in their home by their uncle. (Photo by Leo Jarzomb/Pasadena Star-News)

Arcadia High students and parents attend a vigil for slain students Anthony Lin, 15, and William Lin, 16, at the Arcadia, Calif. campus January 25, 2016. The brothers were allegedly beaten to death in their home by their uncle. (Photo by Leo Jarzomb/Pasadena Star-News)

ARCADIA >> Prosecutors have filed murder charges against a San Gabriel Valley man accused of beating his two teenage nephews to death with a bolt cutter at their home in Arcadia last weekend, officials said Thursday.
Deyun Shi, also known as Jeff Shi, 44, was charged with two counts of murder, along with a count of domestic violence causing great bodily injury, as he awaits extradition proceedings in Hong Kong, where he was captured the day after the double-slaying, Los Angeles County District Attorney’s officials said.
Deyun_ShiThe murder charges listed in an extradition arrest warrant obtained Wednesday are accompanied by “an allegation that the defendant used a deadly and dangerous weapon, a bolt cutter, in the commission of the crimes,” district attorney’s office spokesman Ricardo Santiago said in a written statement.
The domestic assault charge stems from an alleged attack on Shi’s estranged wife at her La Cañada home on Jan. 21, the day before the bodies of his nephews Anthony Lin, 15, and his brother William Lin, 16, were found by their mother at the family’s home in the 400 block of Fairview Avenue in Arcadia.
In the domestic attack, Shi is accused of striking his estranged wife with a maul, or wood-splitting hammer, according to Los Angeles County sheriff’s and district attorney’s officials.
Arraignment was to be scheduled later pending extradition proceedings, officials said.
“If convicted as charged, Shi faces a maximum sentence of life in state prison,” Santiago said.
Deputies began seeking Shi late Jan 21, after he allegedly attacked his wife with a wood-splitting tool, Lt. Eddie Hernandez of the sheriff’s Homicide Bureau said. The woman suffered serious but non-life-threatening injuries.
The parents of the Lin brothers had gone to check on the injured victim late on Jan. 21, Hernandez said. They returned home in the early morning hours Jan. 22 and did not notice anything wrong before they went to bed.
About 12:40 p.m., Anthony and William’s mother awoke and discovered her sons dead, officials said. One of the boys was found on the first floor of the two-story apartment situated on top of a parking garage. The other brother’s body was found upstairs.
Shi is married to the sister of the slain brothers’ father, Hernandez said.
The manhunt for Shi intensified following the discovery of his nephews’ body.
His alleged violent crime spree began after he learned his wife had filed for divorce and obtained a restraining order against him, investigators said.
He was detained when his airplane landed in Hong Kong, officials said. Detectives initially said his ultimate destination may have been Beijing.
Officials said Shi had been staying with a friend in Alhambra and conducted business in San Gabriel at the time of the crimes.
Community members honored the Lin brothers Monday during a vigil at their school, Arcadia High School, where Anthony was a freshman and William was a junior, according to Arcadia Unified School District officials.

DONATIONS: https://www.gofundme.com/neverforgetlin

 

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Man and woman injured in San Gabriel home invasion


SAN GABRIEL >> Police are seeking two men who attacked a man and woman during a home invasion in San Gabriel late Monday.
Police first received a 911 call about 9 p.m. from a man reporting he had been shot by intruders at his home in the 100 block of West Chestnut Avenue, San Gabriel Police officials said.
Officers arrived to find a 43-year-old man and a 39-year-old woman suffering from “serious head injuries,” Lt. Antonio Hernandez said in a written statement.
“Neither victim sustained life threatening injuries, nor do their injuries appear to be gunshot wounds,” Hernandez said. Both were taken to a hospital for treatment.
Investigators determined that two men had knocked at the front door, then forced their way in when the woman answered, “in an apparent home-invasion robbery,” the lieutenant said.
“While in the home, the suspects forced the female victim who opened the door to the floor at gun point and then struck her on the head with the gun,” he said.
The woman screamed, and the man confronted the intruders.
“A struggle ensued and during the struggle, the male victim heard what he believed to be three gunshots,” Hernandez said.
The two attackers fled from the home. It was not initially clear whether anything had been stolen.
Two additional roommates who were home during the home-invasion — A 36-year-old woman and a 31-year-old woman — were unhurt, Sgt. Rene Lopez said.
Exactly how the male victim was injured had not been determined early Tuesday, he added.
Police described the attackers as two Asian men, one heavy-set and the other of thin build. One of them was armed with a small-caliber handgun. It was unclear whether a getaway car was involved.
Anyone with information is asked to contact San Gabriel police at 626 308-2828. Tips may also be submitted anonymously via L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477.

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