SWAT team arrests South Gate carjacking suspect following chase from West Whittier to South El Monte

Posted on June 25, 2017 by Brian Day

A man led deputies on a chase from West Whittier to South El Monte in a carjacked car before being captured by a sheriff’s SWAT team on Sunday morning, officials said.
Robert Larry Gutierrez, 34, was jailed following the pursuit, which began about 7:30 a.m., Los Angeles County sheriff’s Lt. Alex Villanueva said. His hometown was not available.
Deputies patrolling over the unincorporated county area of West Whittier in a helicopter detected a signal from a LoJack vehicle tracker in the area of Washington and Norwalk boulevards, the lieutenant said. The vehicle had been reported carjacked in South Gate earlier in the morning.
“It looked like he was going to pull over initially, but then he took off,” Villanueva said.
Gutierrez led deputies on a 6-mile chase that ended when he abandoned his car along Peck Road at the 60 Freeway in South El Monte and fled into a nearby brush area, according to Villanueva.
Deputies summoned a sheriff’s Special Enforcement Bureau SWAT Team to track down the suspect in the dense vegetation. A sheriff’s helicopter landed on the freeway in order to rush deputies to the scene.
The SWAT deputies, aided by a K-9, soon found Gutierrez hiding in the brush and took him into custody.
He was being booked on suspicion of driving a car without the owner’s consent, felony evading and possession of cocaine, Villanueva said. The earlier carjacking was being investigated by the South Gate Police Department.
The westbound lanes of the 60 Freeway were closed down for nearly half-an-hour as deputies searched for and apprehended the suspect.

PHOTOS courtesy of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department

Man wounded in Uptown Whittier stabbing

Posted on June 23, 2017 by Brian Day

WHITTIER >> A group of teens stabbed and seriously injured a man following an argument in Uptown Whittier on Thursday afternoon, police said.
The attack took place about 6:50 p.m. in the 6700 block of Comstock Avenue, according to Whittier police Lt. Steve Dean.
A 25-year-old man was walking down the street when he exchanged words with a group of young men in their late-teens who appeared to be gang members, Dean said.
The teens followed the man as he walked down a breezeway, he said. “A fight ensues. The victim gets stabbed in the thigh.”
The knife severed the victim’s femoral artery, the lieutenant said. The man was taken to a hospital in where he was in stable condition.
A description of the attackers was not available.
Anyone with information can reach Whittier police at 562-567-9200. Tips may also be submitted anonymously to L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477.

Whittier serial robbery suspect arrested in Santa Fe Springs

Posted on June 23, 2017 by Brian Day

SANTA FE SPRINGS >> A tipster helped police capture a man in Santa Fe Springs on Thursday who they have been seeking in connection with two robberies at the same Whittier convenience store, as well as a failed robbery at a Whittier jewelry store last month, officials said.
Officers found and arrested Esteban Manuel Garcia, 23, about 4:45 p.m. at a Starbucks coffee shop, 13248 Imperial Highway, Whittier police Lt. Steve Dean said.
Police were tipped off by a witness who recognized the suspect from surveillance camera images from the crimes released by police and circulate in the media, according to the lieutenant.
Though they didn’t know his name until Thursday, deputies had been seeking Garcia for a month.
He is suspected of holding up employees of a Whittier ampm store at Lambert Road and Greeneleaf Avenue on May 24.
The robber pulled a gun on the clerk and fled with about $200, Dean said.
The same tattoo-faced robber then reappeared exactly one week later on May 31, Dean said. He displayed a handgun and demanded money from a worker at a jewelry store in the 13500 block of Whittier Blvd.
But the worker refused, and the robber fled empty-handed.
The same armed man then returned to the ampm store robbed a week before about two hours after the failed jewelry store heist and held it up once more, Dean said. He escaped with about $250.
Garcia was taken into custody without a struggle, Dean said.
According to Los Angeles County booking records, Garcia was being held in lieu of $105,000 bail pending his initial court appearance.

SURVEILLANCE PHOTO: Courtesy, Whittier Police Department.

Whittier checkpoint nets 1 arrest, 16 citations

Posted on June 17, 2017 by Brian Day

WHITTIER >> Police arrested one suspected drunken driver and issued 16 citations during a checkpoint in Whittier late Friday and early Saturday, police said.
The checkpoint was held along Mulberry Drive, just east of Santa Fe Springs Road, at the southwest edge of the city, Whittier police officials said in a written statement.
Officers arrested on driver on suspicion of DUI, police said. Sixteen more were “arrested and released on citations” for driving without licenses, or with suspended or revoked licenses.

Masked gunman sought in West Whittier motel robbery

Posted on May 27, 2017 by Brian Day

WEST WHITTIER >> A masked man made off with several hundred dollars after holding up a West Whittier motel clerk at gunpoint, officials said.
The crime unfolded about 9:45 a.m. at Motel 6, 8211 Pioneer Blvd., in the unincorporated county area, Los Angeles County sheriff’s Sgt. William Morris said.
The robber entered the office of the motel, brandished a handgun and demanded money from a man working behind the counter, the sergeant said.
After obtaining several hundred dollars, the robber ran from the business and was last seen heading north along Pioneer Boulevard.
He was described as a man of unknown race, about 5 feet 9 inches tall, 190 pounds, wearing a ski mask, sunglasses and gloves, Morris said.
Anyone with information can reach the sheriff’s Pico Rivera Station at 562-949-2421. Tips may also be submitted anonymously to L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477.

Man fatally shot outside family gathering in West Whittier identified

Posted on May 21, 2017 by Brian Day

WEST WHITTIER >> Coroner’s officials have released the identity of a 30-year-old Whittier man who was shot to death outside a family gathering just over a week ago.
Adrian Phillip Casas died shortly after the attack, which took place just before 8 p.m. on May 13 in the 10300 block of Lock Avon Drive in the unincorporated county area of West Whittier, according to Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner Investigator Rudy Molano.
Few details are known about deadly shooting, which unfolded as Casas was standing in the driveway of a home where a family gathering was taking place, Los Angeles County sheriff’s officials said.
Witnesses reported hearing two gunshots, but no description of the shooter was available, according to Deputy Juanita Navarro-Suarez of the sheriff’s Information Bureau.
Casas succumbed to his injuries at a hospital hours later, officials said. An autopsy determined Casas died from a gunshot wound to the chest.
A fund to help Casas’ family has been set up online at www.gofundme.com/in-loving-memory-of-adrian-p-casas.
His Facebook profile describes him as a forklift driver who went to Pioneer High School and was engaged to be married.
Anyone with information is urged to call 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.

Police plan Friday night checkpoint in Whittier

Posted on May 19, 2017 by Brian Day

WHITTIER >> Police are planning to hold a sobriety and driver license checkpoint in Whittier Friday night.
The checkpoint is ton be held from 7 p.m. Friday to 2:30 a.m. Saturday at an undisclosed location within the city, Whittier police officials said in a written statement.
“Over the course of the past three years, the Whittier PD officers have investigated 344 DUI collisions which have claimed four lives and resulted in another 66 injuries,” according to the statement.
“The Whittier Police Department supports the new effort from the Office of Traffic Safety that aims to educate all drivers that ‘DUI Doesn’t Just Mean Booze.’ If you take prescription drugs, particularly those with a driving or operating machinery warning on the label, you might be impaired enough to get a DUI. Marijuana can also be impairing, especially in combination with alcohol or other drugs, and can result in a DUI.”
Funding for the checkpoint is being provided by a grant from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, through the California Office of Traffic Safety.

Failed robbers shoot at victims in Uptown Whittier

Posted on May 15, 2017 by Brian Day

WHITTIER >> A man and woman fought off two would-be robbers and briefly chased after them before one of the fleeing bandits fired gunshots at them, but missed, in Uptown Whittier late Saturday, police said.
The crime unfolded shortly after 8:15 p.m. in the parking lot of the DoubleTree by Hilton, 7320 Greenleaf Ave., Whittier police Lt. Bryan Ellis said.
A man and women in their 20s were in the parking lot when two men approached them and demanded property from the woman, he said.
The intended victims were able to fight off the men and chased after the fleeing crooks as they ran through a nearby parking structure, according to the lieutenant.
“One of the suspects turned around and fired two shot,” Ellis said. The bullets did not strike the victims.
The attackers were last seen exiting the parking structure and fleeing down Bright Avenue, he said. A detailed suspect description was not available.
Anyone with information can reach Whittier police at 562-567-9200. Tips may also be submitted anonymously to L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477.

UDPATE: Man fatally shot outside family gathering in West Whittier

Posted on May 14, 2017 by Brian Day

WEST WHITTIER >> A man died after he was shot outside a family gathering in West Whittier on Saturday night, authorities said.
The deadly shooting was reported about 7:55 p.m. in the 10300 block of Lock Avon Drive in the unincorporated county area, according to Deputy Kimberly Alexander of the Los Angeles County sheriff’s Information Bureau.
The victim, described as a 30-year-old man, was attending a family gathering when the shooting took place, Deputy Juanita Navarro-Suarez said in a written statement.
“The victim was standing in the front driveway of the residence when he was shot in the upper torso by an unknown assailant,” she said.
He succumbed to his injuries several hours later at a hospital, officials said.
“Although witnesses reported hearing two gunshots, there is no suspect description at this time,” Navarro-Suarez said.
No further details were available.
The victim’s identity was not released Sunday pending positive identification and notification of family by the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner.
Anyone with information is urged to call 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.

Gunman robs Whittier Big Lots store

Posted on May 13, 2017 by Brian Day

WHITTIER >> A masked gunman fled with cash after holding up a Big Lots store in Whittier on Friday night, police said.
The crime took place just before 8:30 p.m. at the store, 13241 Whittier Blvd., Whittier police Lt. Bryan Ellis said.
A man wearing a mask and brandishing a handgun entered the store and demanded cash from an employee, the lieutenant said.
The robber fled with a bag full of cash taken from a cash register, he said.
A detailed suspect description was not available as detectives continued investigating the incident, Ellis said.
No injuries were reported.
Anyone with information can reach Whittier police at 562-567-9200. Tips may also be submitted anonymously to L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477.

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