Category Archives: Temple City

School placed on lockdown after auto theft suspect flees from deputies in Temple City

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TEMPLE CITY — Officials cordoned off a neighborhood and placed a school on lockdown Thursday morning as they hunted for an auto theft suspect.
The incident began about 8 a.m. when deputies spotted a stolen truck near an apartment complex in the 5300 block of Rosemead Boulevard, near Broadway, Los Angeles County sheriff’s Lt. Ignacio Somoano said. The driver exited the truck and ran.
Deputies set up a search perimeter of about two blocks in the area southwest of Rosemead Boulevard and Broadway, the lieutenant said.
Nearby San Gabriel Academy, just across the city border in an unincorporated county area near San Gabriel, was placed on lockdown as a precaution, he added.
The suspects was described as a Latino man in his 20s, about 5 feet 8 inches tall, wearing a blue sweater, black short and a blue bandana on his head.

Man jailed, another sought in connection with failed carjacking near Temple City

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Deputies arrested one man and sought another in connection with a bungled carjacking along Rosemead Boulevard late Wednesday in an unincorporated county area just north of Temple City , authorities said.
Angel Zuniga, a 25-year-old known San Gabriel Valley gang member and Hesperia resident, was booked on suspicion of attempted carjacking following the failed crime, reported shortly before 11 p.m. in the 6400 block of Rosemead Boulevard, Los Angeles County sheriff’s Lt. Ignacio Samoano said.
A second would-be carjacker, described as a white man in his early-20s, wearing a blue and white jersey and blue jeans, remained at large early Thursday, the lieutenant said.
The victim, a man in his early 20s, was sitting in his Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck when he was approached by two men, Samoano said.
They demanded the victim’s car keys while one of them — later identified as Zuniga — displayed a handgun that was tucked into his waistband, he said.
Samoano said the startled victim got out of his truck and walked away, leaving his keys behind inside the car and telling the men to take what they wanted.
The would-be carjackers got into the truck, but were unable to find the keys, which were inside the passenger compartment but not in the ignition, according to the lieutenant. The frustrated suspects then fled empty-handed.
Deputies responding to a report of a suspicious person about two hours later and three blocks away detained Zuniga and recognized his description from the attempted carjacking, Samoano said. He was subsequently identified by the victim as the gunman in the failed crime.
The second suspect, as well as the handgun involved in the alleged crime, had not been found Thursday.
According to county booking records, Zuniga was being held in lieu of $100,000 bail pending a scheduled arraignment Monday in Alhambra Superior Court.

Failed robbery reported at Temple City In-N-Out Burger

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TEMPLE CITY — A gunman fled empty-handed early Sunday after trying to rob an In-N-Out Burger and its employees, authorities said.
The crime took place just after 2 a.m. at the restaurant at 10601 Lower Azusa Road, Los Angeles County sheriff’s Lt. Greg Thompson said.
A man walked up to the order window after the business was closed and demanded cash from an employee, the lieutenant said.
The employee thought the man was joking until he raised his sweat shirt to expose a black handgun, officials said. The employee then told the would-be robber that there was no money at the business.
The gunman took the employee to the back of the business, where three other employees were cleaning, and ordered all four to the ground, Thompson said.
He demanded the employees open a safe, the lieutenant said, but the employees responded that they had no access to it. The robber then ordered the employees to empty their pockets, but they were already empty.
At that point, the robber ran from the scene empty-handed, Thompson said.
The failed robber was described as a Latino man in his 30s, about 5 feet 10 inches tall, 180 pounds, wearing a blue hooded sweat shirt and black pants.
Anyone with information was asked to call the sheriff’s Temple Station.

Man shot by El Monte police in Temple City dies

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A man shot and wounded by El Monte police in Temple City earlier this week has died, authorities said Thursday.
The 27-year-old El Monte man’s name was not released pending confirmation that his next of kin had been notified, Los Angeles County Department of Coroner Chief of Operations Craig Harvey said.
Family members identified him as Kenny Gomez.
He was pronounced dead at 3 p.m. Wednesday at Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center, where he was being treated for gunshot wounds to his upper body, officials said.
The shooting took place just after 11 p.m. at Freer Street and Arden Drive in Temple City, after El Monte police officers pursued the dead suspect and a second man — later identified as 20-year-old Dennis Day — from the 11300 block of Frankmont Street in El Monte, according to Lt. Eddie Hernandez of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau. The men had allegedly been stripping parts from a U-Haul truck.
When the chase reached a cul-de-sac on Freer Street, Day exited the fleeing truck and was arrested without further incident, Hernandez said.
The driver, however, gunned the engine of the truck and charged toward a police officer, Hernandez said. The police officers then opened fire.
The wounded man was hospitalized until he succumbed to his injuries Wednesday, officials said.
Hernandez said that each of the three officers involved in the shooting fired multiple rounds, and the suspect was struck multiple times in his upper torso, however further details were unavailable.
An autopsy had yet to be performed on the body Thursday, Harvey said, and a security hold requested by homicide investigators bars coroner’s officials from discussing the details of the case.
According to Los Angeles County District Attorney’s officials, Day pleaded not guilty Wednesday in El Monte Superior Court and was due back for a preliminary hearing setting March 14.

Man shot by El Monte police in Temple City remains in critical condition

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A man shot by El Monte police following a chase that ended in Temple City earlier this week remained hospitalized in critical condition Wednesday, authorities said.
The wounded suspect’s name was not released while he remained hospitalized, Lt. Eddie Hernandez of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau said. He was initially described as a 27-year-old man.
His prognosis remained unclear Wednesday, the lieutenant said.
“We’re still waiting for an update from the medical staff,” he said.
A family member said he was on life-support.
The wounded man was suspected of assault with a deadly weapon on a police officer after charging at an officer with a truck, Hernandez said, as well as burglary, tampering with a vehicle and receiving stolen property.
A second man, identified as 20-year-old Dennis Day, was also arrested in connection with the chase, Hernandez said. He was booked on suspicion of burglary, tampering with a vehicle and receiving stolen property, though he was not accused of attacking police.
The incident began about 9 p.m. Monday in the 11300 block of Frankmont Street in El Monte, where a police helicopter spotted the two suspect removing parts from a U-Haul truck that had been reported stolen in Arizona, officials said.
The men led police on a car chase that ended on Freer Street, when the vehicles reached a cul-de-sac, authorities said.
Day got out of the car and was arrested without further incident, Hernandez said.
The driver, however, turned the vehicle toward one of the officers and charged him at high speed, officials said.
“Three El Monte police officers fired,” Hernandez said, striking the driver several times in the “upper torso.” The truck then crashed into a nearby house and came to a stop.
According to county booking records, Day was being held in lieu of $20,000 bail pending his initial court appearance.

Donut shop robbed in Temple City

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TEMPLE CITY — A masked gunman robbed a donut shop along Rosemead Boulevard early Wednesday, authorities said.
The robber wore a ski mask as he entered Rose Donut, at Rosemead Boulevard and Longden Avenue, about 8 a.m., Los Angeles County sheriff’s Lt. Edward Godfrey said.
Using a handgun, he robbed the business and was last seen fleeing the area on foot, the lieutenant said.
Officials described the robber as a Latino or white man, about 5 feet 8 inches tall and 180 pounds, wearing a black ski mask, a black hooded sweat shirt and dark-colored jeans.
Anyone with information is asked to call the sheriff’s Temple Station at 626-448-9861.

Deputy-involved shooting reported in Temple City

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TEMPLE CITY — A deputy fired his gun at a suspect Monday as they fought during an attempted arrest, officials said.
It was unclear if the suspect, who remained at large, was wounded, Los Angeles County sheriff’s officials said in a written statement. The deputy was treated for minor injuries suffered in the confrontation.
The incident began when a patrol deputy stopped a bicyclist about 4:30 p.m. in the 10600 block of Lower Azusa Road, in a mixed commercial and residential neighborhood near the El Monte border.
“The deputy began to affect an arrest of the bicyclist (suspect) for a narcotics charge,” according to the sheriff’s statement. “The deputy and the suspect became involved in a physical struggle, during which a deputy-involved shooting occurred.”
The suspect ran off and the search for him continued Tuesday, officials said. It was not known if he had been shot.
Officials described the suspect as a Latino man of about 35 years old, about 5 feet 8 inches tall and 135 pounds.
As is common practice when a sheriff’s deputy is involved in an on-duty shooting, the incident is being investigated by the sheriff’s homicide and internal affairs bureaus, as well as the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office and the County of Los Angeles Office of Independent Review.
Anyone with information is asked to call the sheriff’s Temple Station at 626-285-7171. Tips can also be left anonymously by calling Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477.

Temple City woman charged with fake terrorist threat at LAX

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In an effort to get back at her French
boyfriend, a Temple City woman is suspected of calling authorities at
LAX and suggesting the man and his companions – all of whom bear Arabic
surnames – posed a threat to passengers aboard a flight leaving LAX.

The woman, identified as Lizet Sariol, 45, was charged in a
criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles. She is
suspected with “providing false and misleading information;
specifically, fabricating a terrorist threat to United Airlines,”
according to a press release issued Wednesday.

…more

Sentencing postponed in fatal Baldwin Park police pursuit case

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POMONA — Sentencing for a Temple City man convicted of killing a Baldwin Park youth counselor while fleeing from police last year has been postponed, authorities said.
A Pomona Superior Court jury convicted Luis Noriega, 29, in June of second degree murder for the death of Walter Williams, 37, of Carson.
He was scheduled to be sentenced Thursday, however the sentencing was postponed until Aug. 23, Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney T.D. Pham said.
He faces from 23 years in prison to life behind bars when he’s sentenced by Pomona Superior Court Tia Fisher.
Noriega was fleeing from police in a stolen SUV on June 18, 2010, when he slammed into Williams’ car at Ramona Boulevard and Francisquito Avenue in Baldwin Park, officials said.
Williams’ was thrown from his car, which then burst into flames.
He had just picked up his paycheck from Eggleston Youth Homes and Foster Care in Baldwin Park, where he worked as a counselor.

Boyfriend, girlfriend arrested in connection with Pasadena laptop theft

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TEMPLE CITY — Pasadena police arrested a boyfriend and girlfriend Friday at a home in Temple City after finding them with a laptop computer stolen from a Pasadena seminary three months ago, authorities said.
Edward Ramirez, 19, of Pasadena and Elaine Lee, 19, of Temple City were arrested in connection with the theft of a laptop in April from the library at Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena police Lt. Chris Russ said.
Investigators received information that the computer was at Lee’s home in the 600 block of Temple City Boulevard in Temple City, the lieutenant said.
Police served a search warrant at the home about 4 p.m. Friday, recovering the laptop and arresting Ramirez and Lee, Russ said.
According to sheriff’s booking records, Ramirez was being held in lieu of $20,000 bail at the Pasadena Police Department’s jail, while Lee was released from jail Friday after posting $1,000 bail. Information on their initial court appearances was not available.
Russ advised laptop users to secure their machines with anti-theft devices such as alarms and software to prevent unauthorized access to important information.