Recently in Hacienda Heights Category

INDUSTRY -- Deputies responded to a report that a woman was briefly kidnapped, driven just over a mile away and released.
The incident was reported about 4 p.m., Los Angeles County sheriff's Lt. Pete Cacheiro said.
A white woman in her 30s called police to report she was forcefully abducted from the parking lot of the City Lights Cocktail Lounge, 1257 S. Hacienda Blvd., the lieutenant said.
The woman said two Latino men in a full-size Chevrolet pickup truck beckoned her to their vehicle and asked her for directions, Cacheiro said.
As she spoke to the men, they seized her by the hair and forced her into the car, he said.
The woman reported that she was driven to a nearby Chevron gas station on 7th Avenue near the 60 Freeway and released, Cacheiro said. The men apparently made no demands for money or property, and the woman was not injured.
No further details were available.

HACIENDA HEIGHTS -- Coroner's officials identified a 79-year-old Hacienda Heights woman Sunday who was struck and killed by a car.
Dorothy Knapp died at the scene of the crash, which occurred about 3:20 p.m. Friday on Hacienda Boulevard at Los Altos Drive, Los Angeles County Department of Coroner Lt. Cheryl MacWillie said.
The preliminary California Highway Patrol investigation indicated the woman was crossing Hacienda Boulevard against a red light in a crosswalk when she was struck by Lexus sedan, authorities said.
The 70-year-old driver, a La Habra Heights woman, was not injured, officials added.
The Lexus was northbound on Hacienda Boulevard, apparently with a green light, when the collision occurred.

HACIENDA HEIGHTS -- An unidentified elderly woman was struck and killed by a car Friday while crossing the street at a busy Hacienda Heights intersection, authorities said.
The incident was reported about 3:20 p.m. at Hacienda Boulevard and Los Altos Drive, Los Angeles County Fire Department Capt. Todd Woods said.
The dead woman had no identification with her, Minor said, and officials were working Friday afternoon to determine her identity.
The pedestrian, who appeared to be a white woman of about 70 years old, was crossing eastbound across Hacienda Boulevard in a crosswalk when she was struck by a Lexus sedan headed north on Hacienda Boulevard, CHP Capt. Daniel Minor said.
The investigation remained it it's preliminary stages Friday, however, "It looks right now that traffic northbound had a green light," he said.
No citations or arrests were made Friday afternoon.
The driver of the Lexus, a woman estimated to be in her 50s, was not injured, Minor added.
The pedestrian was pronounced dead at the scene, Woods said.
The force of the impact cracked the windshield of the car and threw the elderly pedestrian nearly all the way across the intersection.
Traffic in both directions of Hacienda Road was blocked near the scene of the collision during the investigation.

POMONA - Three men will likely spend the rest of their lives behind bars for the 2002 slaying of a Baldwin Park teenager whose body was dragged behind a car for miles through Turnbull Canyon.
Pomona Superior Court Judge Michael Camacho on Wednesday sentenced Victor Monge, 33, to 85 years to life in prison, Matthew Garcia, 27, to 80 years to life in prison and Abraham Acuna, 34, to 55 years to life in prison, court officials said.
All men were living in El Monte at the time of the murder.
They were each convicted of first-degree murder June 4 at Pomona Superior Court for the October 2002 murder of 17-year-old Gloria Gaxiola of Baldwin Park.
Prosecutor Stephen Dones called the killing "particularly vicious" and said the men killed Gaxiola to silence her.
"They were afraid of her testifying about a robbery they had committed," Dones said.
Gaxiola, whose was a member of Agape Christian Center in Pico Rivera where her brother was a pastor, had befriended the three men.
Monge and Garcia were sentenced as third-strike offenders, while Acuna was sentenced as a second-striker, Dones said.
Authorities believe Gaxiola was shot on Turnbull Canyon Road in Hacienda Heights before being dragged several miles by the killers' car.
The body was found at Hacienda Boulevard and Colima Road.
"We believe her foot was caught in the seat belt," Dones said.
Dones said coroner's officials were unable to determine exactly what injury killed Gaxiola.
At least one witness called police to report the body being dragged behind the car, he added, however the car was not found.
No arrests were made in the case for five years until 2008, Dones said, when a witness came forward with new information.
The prosecution alleged during the trial that Garcia was the gunman in the attack, he said, however the jury did not find that allegation to be true.
A jury convicted Monge, Garcia and Acuna after deliberating for less than a day.
The men were believed to live in the El Monte area at the time of the killing, officials said. It was not clear where they had been living since 2002.
Steve Burrola, 44, of Whittier said he was relieved to see the case come to and end at last.
Family members of Gaxiola could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
A truck driver, Burrola was driving down Colima Road when he saw Gaxiola's body alongside the road.
He said the image has remained fresh in his mind ever since.
Burrola said he initially thought the young woman had been struck by a car.
"I was deeply saddened when I learned more of the story about her," he said. "It really hit me, knowing she was dragged."
The sentencing of the killers Wednesday brought Burrola a sense of closure, he said.
"I would never forget and wanted the people responsible to be brought back to justice," Burrola said. "I will never forget Gloria Gaxiola."

POMONA -- A jury convicted three men Thursday in the shooting death of a 17-year-old Baldwin Park girl whose body was dragged behind a car, officials said.
Abraham Ruben Acuna, 34, Matthew Andrew Garcia, 27 and Victor Monge, 32, were each convicted of first-degree murder in the death of Gloria Gaxiola, court officials said.
Her body was found after being dragged several miles by a car on Oct. 12 of 2002, at Hacienda Boulevard and Colima Road in Hacienda Heights, authorities said.
The slaying is believed to have occurred on Turnbull Canyon Road in Hacienda Heights.
All three men are due back at Pomona Superior Court for sentencing on June 29, Los Angeles County District Attorney's officials said.
Acuna and Monge may face sentencing under "third strike" guidelines, as they both have prior convictions.
Garcia was tried as a "second strike" case.
All three men face the possibility of life in prison when sentenced.
The jury returned with the guilty verdicts after less than a day of deliberations.
After five years without an arrest, Acuna, Monge and Garcia were arrested in early 2008 after a witness came forward with new information.
District Attorney's officials said Gaxiola was a runaway at the time of her death and may have been staying with one of the killers or one of their friends.

Thought you may want to know that the cold case you were
following involving Gloria Gaxiola, who was murdered and dragged
four miles from Turnball Canyon,  is on trial at pomona courthouse. I
t started last tues....your support would be greatly appreciated. It
has been 7 years and people forget.  Can you please inform the
public, being that the courtroom is almost empty.

Police attempting to stop a robbery get involved in a shootout that left one man dead. The suspected robbers have San Gabriel Valley ties according to this story, which ran in Tuesday's Daily Bulletin:

CHINO - An innocent bystander on Sunday was killed during a shootout involving police and two men who had attempted to rob a restaurant.

A Chino police officer and two suspects in the robbery were also hospitalized following the incident.

Police said Daniel Baledran, 21, of Rubidoux was shot to death by a police officer during the shootout near the Papa John's restaurant on 12615 Central Avenue.

Baledran was in the immediate area of the restaurant when the shots were fired and was considered an "innocent victim," said Michelle Van Der Linden, Chino public information officer.

Police officers initially thought Baledran was part of the robbery, but investigators later determined he was not.

<snip>

On Monday evening, the suspects - Edward Cisneros of La Mirada and Joel Anthony Jaquez of Hacienda Heights, both about 28 years old - were in critical condition and awaiting surgery, Van Der Linden said.  

Cops said this isn't related to an incident that occurred in West Covina in early January, but the circumstances sure seem similar. Here's the story:

HACIENDA HEIGHTS - A man jumped out of a car Wednesday and tried to grab an 8-year-old walking to school, but the attacker released the boy when he realized the child's mother was following a mere 15 feet behind, officials said. "The mother saw it and yelled at the guy to let go of the boy," said Industry Sheriff's Sgt. Tom Wilson. "He jumped back in the car and fled."

The boy and his mother were on their way to Palm Elementary School in Hacienda Heights at about 8 a.m. when a gray car pulled up along side him. A man got out of the car and grabbed the boy, authorities said.

Wilson said the man was driving a gray two-door Honda Civic with a missing front bumper and tinted rear windows.

The man is described as a 49-to-50 year old Hispanic, standing about 5 feet 4 inches and weighing about 200 pounds, Wilson said. He has dark, short hair shaved on the sides, a thin mustache and a scar in the shape of a "V" under his left eye.

This from a United States Department of Justice press release:

The vice president of a Hacienda Heights company made his initial appearance in federal court this afternoon after being arrested over the weekend on charges of exporting high-tech integrated circuits to China in violation of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). 

William Chai-Wai Tsu, 61, a resident of Beijing, was taken into custody by federal agents Saturday afternoon at the Commerce Casino. According to court documents, Tsu illegally shipped at least 200 of the sophisticated integrated circuits to China. At this afternoon's hearing, a United States Magistrate Judge scheduled Tsu's formal arraignment for February 2. Tsu will remain in federal custody pending a bond hearing Thursday. If convicted of the export violation alleged in a criminal complaint filed in United States District Court in Los Angeles, the naturalized U.S. citizen faces a maximum sentence of up to 20 years in prison.

Federal investigators executed a search warrant Saturday morning at a Hacienda Heights home Tsu allegedly used to receive business-related shipments and correspondence for a company called Cheerway, Inc. During the search, agents seized computer equipment, financial documents and other suspected controlled items believed to be linked to the case. 

Here's some items we've been following Monday that haven't already been mentioned on this blog:

* DIAMOND BAR -- A man was flown to a trauma center in critical condition Monday after a rollover crash on the 57 Freeway.
* PICO RIVERA -- Two robbers used a handgun Monday to hold up a local bank branch.
* HACIENDA HEIGHTS -- A woman escaped with more than $3,000 Monday after robbing a Bank of America branch.
* COVINA - A woman was pushed to the ground and robbed of her purse in the parking lot of a supermarket Monday, authorities said.
* WEST COVINA -- Two robbers escaped with an unknown amount of cash after robbing a restaurant Monday, police said.
* POMONA -- A 46-year-old man who was killed in a Pomona apartment was identified Monday, and police asked for the public's help to find the man who shot him.

Apparently the state has suspended payments to a home for registered sex offenders in Hacienda Heights. As a result several Megan's Law registrants will be transient for at least tonight, officials said.

The home in the 14300 block of Ansford Street in Hacienda Heights is near a group home at 14523 Ansford Street officials said. Several of the registrants were recently placed in the home.

All are fitted with GPS tracking devices, officials said.

Here's our story so far:

HACIENDA HEIGHTS - A half-dozen convicted sex offenders may be sleeping on the streets as they are faced with the threat of eviction due to a bounced government check, an attorney said.

Attorney Mike Balmer, who represents one of the registrants living in the home, said a government-issued check bounced, causing the sex registrants living in the home in the 14000 block of Ansford Street to be evicted.

"There's nothing we can do about it," said Los Angeles County Sheriff's Sgt. Paul Puchalski, of the Industry station. "As long as they don't commit a crime, we can't much help it if they are getting evicted."

California State Department of Corrections spokesman Gordon Hinkle said he could not immediately provide details of the situation, but said in general, "The state and corrections does not have a responsibility to provide housing for any parolee."

"It's something we do an a case by case basis," Hinkle said, "in the best interest of rehabilitation and public safety."

Balmer said the residents of the home were told to vacate by Friday evening.

 

Students at Kwis Elementary School, Newton Middle School, Los Altos High School and Shadybend Elementary School were kept in classrooms from the start of school until noon while authorities searched for two of the four suspects.
School officials were not fazed.
"This is a very normal situation. They always notify our school district," said Norman Hsu, school board member for the Hacienda-La Puente District. "These happen very often. This is not the first time. This is like the fourth time this month."

LA media outlets are all over this one.

Basically, police were serving search and arrest warrants this morning when their targets slipped through the radar. As a result, four schools in Hacienda Heights are on lockdown, while cops from several agencies search for the pair -- identified as a man and a woman.

Sounds like the cops are getting ready to go door to door in a neighborhood near Three Palms and Hacienda Blvd.

I'll have a map later. Here's the top of our updated news story:

HACIENDA HEIGHTS - Four schools in Hacienda Heights are on lockdown Thursday morning to aid in the search for two robbery-and-assault suspects, according to authorities.

Kwis Elementary School, Newton Middle School, Los Altos High School and Shadybend Elementary school have all been shut down while authorities search for a man and woman suspected of robbery and assault near the 15500 block of Garo Street just south of Pomona (60) Freeway, according to Sgt. James Beamon with the Industry sheriff's station.

Search dogs were going through a shed in a yard at Galemont Avenue and Three Palms Street and police had cordoned off at least four blocks in a neighborhood north of the 60 Freeway.

Helicopters and search teams were combing the neighborhood, according to Sgt. Stewart Sandecki.

Authorities were looking for a 25-year-old bald, male Hispanic with blue jeans and an LA Dodger's jacket and a 22-year-old female Hispanic with dark hair, Sandecki said.

The two were suspected of armed robbery earlier this week, he said. When deputies served a search warrant on a house Thursday morning, the suspects were gone. But deputies received information that the suspects were still in the neighborhood, Sandecki said.

Deputies at the scene said the suspects are likely armed and dangerous.

The search for the suspects began around 6 a.m. Thursday morning, and the search was still going on 8:30 a.m., Beamon said.

GLENDORA -- A Glendora man turned himself in Tuesday morning in connection with a stabbing that occurred Monday night on the patio of a Starbucks, authorities said.

Jacob Westin, 18, was arrested on suspicion of stabbing a man on the patio of a Starbucks on the 1800 block of East Route 66 last night around 10 p.m., Glendora police Lt. Ernie Didier said.

WHITTIER - Sheriff's deputies are searching for an attempted burglary suspect in Whittier, authorities said.

The deputies responded at 8:45 a.m. Tuesday morning to a "burglary in process" at the 11500 block of Havenwood Drive, said Sgt. Della Walls of the Pico Rivera sheriff's station.

HACIENDA HEIGHTS - Officials have released the name of a 20-year-old La Puente man found dead at the scene of a shooting Sunday.

Paulo Orozco Campos was pronounced dead at 9:30 a.m. in the driveway of a house in the 15400 block Los Robles Avenue, Los Angeles County Department of Coroner Chief of Operations Craig Harvey said.

MONROVIA - Hazmat* 720 E Huntington, Monrovia; Battalion 10 Incident Commander, large
amount of toxic cloud from closed up metal commerical structure. Req Hazmat
units. Mutual Aid: Burbank and Glendale. Red 2@10:03PM CABN01 ###