Recently in La Puente Category

LA PUENTE -- Sheriff's deputies are looking for two teenagers who opened fire in a residential neighborhood before fleeing on a bicycle, authorities said.
The shooting was reported about 3:35 p.m. in the 500 block of Meeker Avenue, Los Angeles County sheriff's Lt. Hiroshi Yokoyama said.
No one was hit by the gunfire, he said, and deputies could not find any shattered glass or bullet holes in the area.
The two shooters were described as Latino and about 15 or 16 years old, both armed with handguns, the lieutenant said. They were last seen fleeing the area on a bicycle.

LA PUENTE -- Officials jailed a man Wednesday on suspicion of taking part in an armed robbery, authorities said.
Allen Parra, 24, of La Puente was being held in lieu of $100,000 bail, Los Angeles County sheriff's Lt. Hiroshi Yokoyama said.
Three other men believed to be involved in the robbery remained at large, he said.
A deputy was flagged down about 10:15 p.m. near Nelson and Orange avenues by a 26-year-old La Puente man who told them that four young men had just used a knife to rob him of his cell phone and wallet, the lieutenant said.
The deputy spotted several men running in the area and was able to capture one of them, Yokoyama said, who was later identified as Parra.
The suspects who were not caught were described as Latino men in their early- to mid-20s, Yokoyama said. They were between 5 feet 10 inches and 6 feet 2 inches tall and between 110 and 180 pound, and all wore black clothes.
According to sheriff's booking records, Parra is due in El Monte Superior Court for arraignment Friday.

LA PUENTE -- Sheriff's officials jailed the former president of a local high school booster club Friday on suspicion of embezzling about $14,000 from the charity organization, authorities said.
Melinda Rivas, 47, was arrested about 11:30 a.m. at her La Puente home by officials from the Los Angeles County Commercial Crimes Bureau, sheriff's officials said in a written statement.
She was the president of the Basset Olympians Booster Club for the past six or eight years, Los Angeles County sheriff's Detective Jorge Valdez said, however the theft allegedly occurred between 2005 and 2008.
"(Rivas) was entrusted with the funds for the booster club in order to pay for things for the booster club," Valdez said.
"She was making payments from a booster club checking account to pay her mortgage, car insurance, and property taxes," the detective said.
He added that she admitted making the payments, and officials are looking into whether more money may have been stolen.
"There's a plethora of financial documents that we're still analyzing," Valdez said.
Bassett High School officials and Board Members of the Bassett Olympians Booster Club could not be reached for comment Friday afternoon.
The Bassett Unified School District Superintendent's Office declined to comment on the arrest Friday.
The Bassett Olympian Booster Club is a non-profit group that supports athletic and charitable activities at Bassett High School, the Sheriff's Department statement said.
According to the organizations Web site, "The Boosters provide uniforms, trophies, equipment, and administrative management to our youth programs."
The mission of the group is, "To enrich the community by supporting its youth; primarily through financial and administrative management of youth sports programs," the Web site states.
According to sheriff's booking records, Rivas is being held in lieu of $50,000 bail and is due in El Monte Superior Court for arraignment Tuesday.

Lately, there's been a hefty dose of folks taking filet knives to local government and exposing some of the dirty inner workings. Here's a sampling of some of the bad and the ugly:

Here's the story as we know it. 

Ontiveros, a mechanic, was visiting his grandmother's home in West Valinda to do a brake job on his aunt's car, according to his wife, Monique Ontiveros .

His 9-year-old son was with him while his other four children, aged 4 to 11, were at home with their mother in Baldwin Park.

"He was a loving father, and would do anything for them. His daily routine was go to work, come home, be with kids, and on the weekend we would do the car club," Monique Ontiveros said.

Two men, described as Hispanic, drove by in a dark colored pick-up truck and fired multiple rounds at Ontiveros.

They yelled a gang insult and drove away, Wilson said.

The shooters are believed to be members of the Puente Trece gang, Wilson said.

LA PUENTE -- A man used a note demanding cash to rob a bank Saturday, authorities said.
The crime was reported shortly after 11 a.m. at a Chase bank branch at 925 N. Hacienda Blvd., just south of Amar Road, Los Angeles County sheriff's Lt. Steven Katz.
The robber was described as an Asian man in his late 20s or early 30s who wore black clothing, the lieutenant said.
He used a note to demand money from a single teller and was last seen fleeing on foot, he said. No vehicle was seen in connection with the robbery, and no weapon was seen.
The FBI, which investigates bank robberies, was notified of the crime, Katz said.
Officials were going through area surveillance cameras Saturday in hopes they would provide more information about the robber.

UPDATE: Sheriff's officials confirmed Sunday that this shooting is apparently an extension of the ongoing violence between the Bassett Grande and Puente 13 street gangs. The suspect in the shooting, a juvenile, is believed to be a member of Puente 13, authorities said, while the wounded man, estimated to be in his 20s, is believed to be a member of Bassett Grande.

LA PUENTE -- A teenage girl who allegedly drove a car with her young daughter in the back as a teenage boy passenger carried out a drive-by shooting was in jail Saturday, authorities said.
The mother was initially detained as officials examined her involvement in the shooting and was ultimately booked on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon along with the male suspect, sheriff's officials said.
The girl was taken into protective custody, Los Angeles County sheriff's Lt. Steven Katz said. She appeared to be a toddler.
The shooting occurred about 7 p.m. Friday in the 13800 block of Amar Road.
A Latino man estimated to be in his 20s was airlifted to the hospital in critical condition, sheriff's and fire officials said.
Though officials initially reported the shooting was not a drive-by, Katz said Saturday that "Shots were fired from a (passing) vehicle at pedestrians."
Several other people who may have been with the wounded man when he was shot had not been located Saturday, he added.
Due to their age, the suspects' names were not released, Katz said, and a their ages and cities of residency were unavailable Saturday. The relationship between the male and female suspects was also unclear.
The incident was believed to be gang-related, Katz said, and may have been related to ongoing violence between the Bassett Grande and Puente 13 street gangs. The gang affiliations of those involved in the shooting were not available Saturday.
The female suspect crashed the car into a curb and pole just after the shooting, but no one was seriously injured in the crash, Los Angeles County sheriff's Sgt. Gerard Velona said.
The alleged shooter fled on foot but was quickly captured, he addded. A gun was located in a nearby yard.
The attack was the 26th La Puente-area shooting reported this year, and the 6th reported this month.
About a dozen of this year's shootings are believed to be connected to the Bassett Grande street gang, which officials said is trying to exploit perceived weakening of the Puente 13 street gang and expand its territory.

See original posting for more information.

PHOTO: Los Angeles County sheriff's officials investigate the scene of Friday's shooting in the 13800 block of Amar Road.

LA PUENTE - A man was flown to the hospital in critical condition and a suspect was behind bars Friday after an apparent gang-related shooting, authorities said. 
  The incident occurred about 7 p.m. in front of Sylvia's Beauty Salon in the 13800 block of Amar Road, just east of Puente Avenue, sheriff's officials said. 
  The alleged attacker fled the scene in a car driven by a woman and with a small child in the back seat, Los Angeles County sheriff's Sgt. Gerard Velona said. The car crashed only blocks away. 
  Officials declined to release the name of the suspect pending further investigation by sheriff's gang investigators, Velona said. He was described only as a Latino man. 
  "He appears to have gang ties," the sergeant said, though it was not clear what gang he was associated with. 
  It was not known if the wounded man had gang ties, he added. Sheriff's and fire officials initially described the wounded man only as Latino and estimated to be in his 20s. 
  Velona declined to release the circumstances of the shooting, but said it was not a drive-by. 
  Frank Galtman, 20, of Montebello said he was driving on Ardilla Avenue, just south of the shooting scene, when he saw a car make an abrupt right turn onto Homeward Street and crash into a curb. 
 A man with a gun got out of the car and ran, Galtman said. 
 "He was tucking (the gun) away in his waist," he said. 
  The woman driver got out of the car and immediately began saying, "My baby, my baby," he said. 
  A woman and toddler girl were seated in the back of a patrol car near the crashed car late Friday. 
  Velona said the woman had not been arrested, and officials were investigating her connection to the shooting. 
 The male suspect was captured in the area by deputies, Velona said, and a gun was found in a backyard near where the car crashed. 
  Friday's shooting came on the heels of a spate of violence in the La Puente area this month. 
  The shooting was the 26th handled by the sheriff's Industry Station - which patrols Industry, La Puente, and surrounding unincorporated areas such as Bassett and Valinda - this year. 
  On June 5, an 18-year-old man was shot and wounded on Amar Road and Ardilla Avenue, just yards from the scene of Friday's shooting, officials said. 
  On Tuesday, four men were arrested in connection with a drive-by shooting in the 800 block of Meeker Street in La Puente. 
  On Sunday, 24-year-old Michael Gudiel was killed in an alleged gang-related shooting in the 13900 block of Proctor Avenue in Bassett. 
  On June 18, an unidentified man was critically wounded and another slightly in a drive-by shooting near the intersection of Puente Avenue and Amar Road in West Valinda. The gunman shouted out the name of a Baldwin Park street gang, "East Side Bolen," before opening fire. 
  About four hours later, Carlos Yanez, 18, of Valinda was killed and his teenage friend was wounded in a drive-by shooting on Griffiths Avenue near Fellowship Street in Valinda. Stray bullets from the incident struck a home and nearly hit toddlers playing inside, witnesses said. 
  On June 6, 15-year-old Ivan Sanchez of La Puente was fatally shot in a shooting authorities believe was gang-related drive-by shooting on Maplegrove Street, just west of Hacienda Boulevard. 
 
 

LA PUENTE -- Investigators from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Arson/Explosives Detail are investigating a "suspicious fire" reported in a motel room Sunday, authorities said.
The blaze was first reported about 8:40 a.m. at the Prince Inn, 830 Puente Avenue, Los Angeles County sheriff's Lt. Hiroshi Yokoyama said.
The fire was mainly centered on the bed in the motel room, which was not being occupied by a guest, Detective G. Everett of the Sheriff's Arson/Explosive Detail said.
It caused about $5,000 in damage to the room, mostly in smoke damage, Yokoyama said. Special investigators were called in because the fire appeared "suspicious."
The cause of the fire remained under investigation, Everett said, and it was too early to tell if arson was involved.

LA PUENTE -- A teenage boy died at the hospital Saturday after being wounded in a drive-by shooting on Hacienda Boulevard, authorities said.
Ivan Sanchez, 15, of La Puente died at an area hospital shortly after the shooting, Los Angeles County Department of Coroner Lt. Larry Dietz said..
The possibly gang-related shooting occurred about 9:30 p.m. on Maplegrove Street, just west of Hacienda Boulevard, Detective Philip Guzman of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Homicide Bureau said.
An employee at a nearby business, who asked that her name not be published for fear of retaliation, said she was working when she heard what sounded like two to three gunshots and went outside to look.
"He was walking, and then he fell," she said of the wounded teenager.
The woman added she saw a black car speed away from the area.
While a motive in the shooting was not definitively known Sunday, Guzman said it was likely gang-related.
"It sure looks that way," he said.
Sanchez was walking when he was approached by a dark-colored vehicle, Los Angeles County sheriff's Deputy Derrick Thompson said in a written statement.
"An unknown suspect in the vehicle fired several rounds at the victim, striking him in the upper torso," the statement said.
The teen was shot while walking on Maplegrove Street before ultimately collapsing a short distance away behind a nearby Autozone store, Guzman said.
No further details about the circumstances of the shooting were released.
Employees at the Autozone as well as a nearby restaurant Sunday who were working during the shooting said they did not see or hear anything until authorities arrived.
The only evidence of the shooting that remained at the scene Sunday were several discarded wrappers from alcohol-soaked cleaning pads behind the Autozone, presumably left behind by paramedics.

LA PUENTE -- A teenage boy died at the hospital Saturday after being wounded in a drive-by shooting on Hacienda Boulevard authorities believe may have been gang-related.
His name was not available Sunday pending notification of his family members, coroner's officials said.
The shooting occurred about 9:30 p.m. in the 1400 block of N. Hacienda Boulevard.
The victim was walking when he was approached by a dark-colored vehicle, Los Angeles County sheriff's Deputy Derrick Thompson said in a written statement.
"An unknown suspect in the vehicle fired several rounds at the victim, striking him in the upper torso," the statement said.
The wounded boy was taken to an area hospital where he died from his injuries, Thompson said.
No further details were released.

LA PUENTE -- An incident initially reported as an attempted kidnapping of a young girl from outside an elementary school Friday was ultimately investigated as an incident of "child annoyance," authorities said.
Sheriff's deputies raced to Yorbita Elementary School, 520 Vidalia Avenue, about 1:20 p.m. after the girl ran to the school office to report a frightening encounter with a man in a can parked in front of the school.
"A 12-year-old girl was walking to the elementary school to pick up her brother," Los Angeles County sheriff's Lt. John McBride said.
She spotted a Latino man sitting in a white Ford Windstar minivan with some sort of cage on the interior who called out to her in Spanish to, "come here,'" he said.
The girl became frightened and ran to the school office, McBride said.
When officials went to find the man in the white van, he was gone, the lieutenant added. The van was last seen headed west on Jeannie Drive. A further description of the man was not available.
Though deputies initially responded to the call as a possible abduction attempt, McBride said, that did not appear to be the case after investigation.
"We're going to write a child annoyance (report) to document it," he said.
He added that the man in the van never got out of his van or made any physical attempt to abduct the girl.
"It doesn't look like an attempted kidnapping," he said.
As with any incident involving a threat to a child, however, the incident is being taken seriously, McBride said.
"I don't want to minimize this at all," he said.
Deputies saturated the neighborhood following the incident.
Yorbita Elementary School Principal Erika Krohn said she was pleased with the speedy police response and the actions of the girl.
"She ran to the school, which is just what we want our kids to do," she said. "She was upset, but she handled it very well."
The principal added, "We are just glad everyone's safe."

LA PUENTE - Deputies responding to a minor car crash Sunday found a woman dead inside her SUV, authorities said.

The body of Angie Ruiz, 33 of Norwalk was discovered just after 8 a.m. in the 16000 block of East Workman Street, in front of Workman Elementary School, officials said.

It was not immediately clear Sunday what killed her, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Deputy Lillian Peck said in a written statement.

According to coroners officials, there were no apparent signs of trauma to the body.

Officials pronounced Ruiz dead after finding her slumped over inside a black Chevy Tahoe that was stopped against a support wire for a nearby power pole, Los Angeles County Fire Department Capt. Richard Baligad said.

It was unclear Sunday if she was in the drivers seat.

A nearby resident, who declined to give his name for fear of retaliation, said he called police early Sunday after noticing the SUV and someone inside.

Prior to seeing the SUV, he said he did not see or hear anything unusual in the area.

Detectives from the Sheriff's Homicide Bureau are investigating the case.