TEMPLE CITY — The second bomb threat in two days at a Temple City school prompted a campus evacuation and search, though nothing suspicious was ultimately found, authorities said.
A caller phoned in a bomb threat to Longden Elementary School just before the school day began Wednesday, Los Angeles County sheriff’s Sgt. Michael Martinez said.
The threatening phone came less than 10 hours after another call Tuesday night claiming bombs had been placed at Temple City High School, the sergeant said. Deputies searched the empty high school campus after receiving the threatening phone call and found nothing out of the ordinary.
It was too early to say whether the incidents were related, however investigators were looking into the possibility, Martinez said.
“We couldn’t really tell by the voices,” he said.
In Wednesdays incident at Longden Elementary School, a caller with a male voice called both the school and 9-1-1, which was answered by the California Highway Patrol, Martinez said. The caller claimed there were two bombs on the campus.
It was not clear where the call had been placed from.
In very brief statement, Martinez said, the caller stated that there were two bombs on the campus of the elementary school, 9501 E. Wendon Street.
“The students were evacuated to a safe area,” Temple City Unified School District spokeswoman Lynn Burkhardt said.
Deputies, with help from explosives-sniffing dogs, searched the campus.
Deputies completed their campus search but found nothing of concern and sounded the all-clear shortly before 10:45 a.m.
The threatening phone calls were made just before the start of the school day, Burkhardt said. Classes were cancelled.
Students who had not yet arrived when the incident began were turned around when they showed up, she said.
Between 300 and 400 of Longden’s 1,000 or so students were already on-campus, however, TCUSD Chief Business Officials David Jaynes said. They were walked to nearby Oak Avenue Intermediate School to be picked up by their guardians.
Longden Elementary parents were notified parents via an automated phone message, Jaynes added.
Wednesday was a scheduled shortened school day at Longden, and students were due to be released at 1 p.m.
All but a handful had been picked up from Oak Avenue Intermediate School by noon.
The Longden Elementary School bomb threat came on the heels of another bomb threat phoned in to Temple City High School late Tuesday.
In that case, a caller — also described as male — claimed about 10:30 p.m. that bombs had been placed on the high school campus, Martinez said. The school was unoccupied and locked up.
“The school was opened for us, and we did go in and check the interior,” Martinez said. Nothing unusual was found, however teachers were advised to look over their classrooms at the beginning of the day Wednesday and check for anything out of the ordinary.
And the region has had more than its share telephone threats in recent weeks.
A multi-agency task force arrested a 26-year-old Monrovia man with a prior history of making threatening phone calls in connection with a series of six calls threatening shootings at schools, hospitals and a mall throughout the San Gabriel Valley Sept. 9 through Sept. 12.
Gerardo Cortez has since been charged with six felony counts of making criminal threats and one count of falsely reporting an emergency, according to Los Angeles County District Attorney’s officials. He’s scheduled to appear for arraignment Oct. 4 in West Covina Superior Court.
In April, Cortez pleaded “no contest” to a single count of making a false bomb report in connection with another series of threats. He had originally been charged with three additional counts, which were dismissed under the plea agreement, officials said.
Cortez was initially arrested in October on suspicion of making bomb threats against a post office, a health department building and a school in Pasadena.
He was sentenced under AB 109 guidelines and served eight months of 16-month jail sentence before being released in late June, according to district attorney’s officials and county booking records.

STAFF photo by Leo Jarzomb

TEMPLE CITY — A woman jumped into the moving vehicle of a man who was having a medical emergency and brought the car to a stop Friday, authorities said.
Despite the valiant efforts of the woman who stopped the man’s out-of-control Honda CRV, as well as a passing bus driver who performed CPR on the unconscious driver, the 53-year-old man ultimately died at a nearby hospital, Los Angeles County sheriff’s and coroner’s officials said.
Officials withheld the name of the dead man pending positive identification and confirmation that his family had been notified, coroner Lt. Larry Dietz said.
The incident unfolded about 5:40 p.m. at Rosemead Boulevard and Lower Azusa Road, Capt. Christopher Nee of the sheriff’s Temple Station said.
The CRV driver was stopped at a red light on northbound Rosemead at Lower Azusa, the captain said.
“He had some kind of medical incident and passed out at the wheel,” he said, adding that it was not immediately clear exactly what type of medical problem the man experienced.
A woman who was also stopped at the intersection noticed the man was in distress and saw his car begin moving forward on its own as the driver lost consciousness, Nee said.
“She jumped out of her car. She jumped into his car and kept control,” the captain said. “She got it off to the side of the road.”
Once the car was stopped, a man who was driving a passing privately chartered tour bus noticed the commotion and came over to help, Nee said. He performed CPR on the unconscious driver until paramedics arrived.
Rescuers rushed the man to San Gabriel Valley Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead about 6:30 p.m., Dietz said.
Nee commended the good Samaritans on their “true, unselfish acts.” Their names were not available Saturday.
Though the man they were trying to save did not make it, the woman who took control of the runaway SUV undoubtedly prevented further danger, Nee said. The roadway ahead of where the car was stopped inclines downward, and the car could have picked up speed before potentially causing a dangerous crash.
“Had she not intervened, the car definitely would have moved a quarter mile more,” Nee said.
The captain said he was looking into having the good Samaritans formally recognized by the city for their actions.

TEMPLE CITY — A two-car crash Saturday sent one of the involved vehicles crashing into a house along Live Oak Avenue, but resulted in no significant injuries, authorities said.
The crash took place shortly before 1:30 p.m. at Live Oak and Alessandro Avenue.
Prior to the collision, a Toyota Camry was westbound on Live Oak, and a blue 4-door sedan was heading north on Alessandro, Los Angeles County sheriff’s Lt. Loy McBride said.
The blue sedan, “failed to yield at the stop sign,” the lieutenant said.
It collided with the Toyota, sending it careening into a corner house, according to McBride.
A woman driving the Toyota was treated for apparently minor injuries, he said. The other driver and two people who were inside the house were unhurt.
The crash remained under investigation, however driving under the influence was not initially suspected, McBride said.
It was the second time this week a car slammed into a Temple City home.
A two-vehicle crash late Tuesday sent a Honda Civic into the side of a home in the 9400 block of Olive Street, sheriff’s and fire officials said.
Driving under the influence was believed to have played a role in Tuesday’s crash, officials added. No significant injuries were reported.

Staff photo by Steve Scauzillo