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tko commented on Murder during moratorium
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homey commented on The importance of pants
Reporter Brian Day shot some dramatic photos while covering a homicide in La Puente Sunday. He shared the photos with me and I'm posting one here. I've altered it slightly to conceal the body of the victim.
The victim, Gabriel Martinez, 19, was left uncovered at the scene for much of the investigation.
Brian's story from Tuesday's paper is here.
Brian Day reports on another shooting in the Valinda-La Puente corridor. Killed Monday morning was a 43-year-old man standing in a driveway in the 700 block of Foxworth Avenue.
From Brian's story:
LA PUENTE - Authorities had few leads Monday in the shooting death of a man in a residential neighborhood, authorities said.
Alex Trejo, 43, of Valinda was pronounced dead at the hospital after being shot numerous times, sheriff's and coroner's officials said.
Deputies responded to 9-1-1 calls reporting a gunshot victim just after 5 a.m. and found a 43-year-old man with multiple gunshot wounds in front of a house in the 700 block of Foxworth Avenue in an unincorporated county area near La Puente, said Los Angeles County sheriff's Sgt. Gerard Velona.
While several witnesses reported hearing gunshots shortly before the body was found, no witnesses reported seeing the shooting, said Detective Steven Blagg of the sheriff's Homicide Bureau.
The man was found lying in the driveway of a single-story home with numerous gunshot wounds from a handgun, Blagg said.
THe Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted to extend the amount of time a reward would be offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the killer or killers of Robert Whitehead, a good samaritan who was shot to death outside his parents home when he confronted a group of taggers.
Arrests have been made in the case and at least one man suspected of involvement, Paul "Malo" Salazar, a onetime Bishop Amat student who was an alleged member of Puente 13, is dead.
Salazar was killed outside his home last summer.
Official counts indicate three murders county-wide during the 40-hour "Murder Moratorium."
The moratorium was planned as a way of honoring the death 40 years ago of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King. THe LA City Council rejected the idea initally, but did issue a proclamation against violence. No one's checked weekend violence stats yet, but undoubtedly they are typical for an average weekend in Los Angeles County.
One of those killed over the weekend was a 23-year-old La Puente man, shot to death in the 400 block of Edgley Drive in Monterey Park.
Alfred Richard Chavez, 23, was shot about 1:20 a.m. Sunday, according to a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County Department of Coroner. Sheriff's Homicide is investigating the case.
The feds are rounding up Puente 13 members in connection with a methamphetamine distribution ring, according to the FBI.
Already arrested are:
John Antonio Dacosta, 28, Steven Mark Mancha, 34, Ernest George Mancha, 34, and Lenny Robert Casas, 18, all of Whittier; Lorraine Christina Lopez, 34, Josue Deloen, 26, Rene Valdez, 39, Rafael Munoz Gonzalez, 38,
Steven Burgan, 25, Noel Gonzalez, 56, Noel Gonzalez III, 35, Michael Anthony Ortega, 35, Henry Collao, 20, and Joventino Garcia III, 18, all of La Puente; Andy Villa, 27, of Glendora; Hoia Thanh Nguyen, 32, of El Monte; Wayne Arthur Goik, 59, of West Covina; and Antonio Torres, 20, of Phoenix, who was arrested
in Arizona.
From the wire services and an FBI Press Release:
Last December, the Sheriff’s Department created a task force along with the U.S. Attorney’s
Office, DEA and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and Explosives, to
investigate the drug and firearms trafficking operations of Puente 13, prosecutors
said.
Puente 13 distributed large quantities of methamphetamine, a portion of which was produced
locally in clandestine laboratories, prosecutors said.Puente 13 members also allegedly sold cocaine, marijuana and oxycodine in Los Angeles,
Seattle, Arizona, Alaska and North Carolina.Authorities executed 35 federal search warrants, which yielded one pound of suspected
methamphetamine, 20 pounds of marijuana and 16 firearms, prosecutors said.“Today’s arrests will severely disrupt firearms and methamphetamine trafficking operations
in the San Gabriel Valley,” said DEA Special Agent Timothy Landrum in a
statement.
It was a prank that brought deputies to Nogales High School this afternoon. Apparently unsupervised students in a classroom there called 9-1-1 to report someone with a gun.
At least two students are in custody. No gun was recovered.
This from reporter Brian Day:
LA PUENTE — A burglary suspect lost his pants while fleeing deputies Tuesday, officials said.
Javier Navarro, 20, and Fernando Pulido, 23, both of Duarte, were booked on suspicion of burglary, said Los Angeles County sheriff’s Lt. Mark Relyea. Navarro was also booked on suspicion of possession of methamphetamine.
The incident occurred about 11:40 p.m. at the Man to Man clothing store, 13863 Amar Road, Relyea said.
Deputies on patrol noticed a suspicious Chevy vehicle parked in the store’s parking lot with Pulido at the wheel, he said.
While officers were speaking to Pulido, Navarro allegedly emerged from the store carrying stolen clothing, Relyea said.
Navarro allegedly spotted the deputies, dropped the clothes, and fled.
The fleeing suspect jumped over the north wall surrounding the business and became stuck, said Relyea. “In the process, he lost his pants.” Deputies later found methamphetamine inside the pants.
The suspect ran through an apartment complex before hiding in a warehouse of a nearby food store.
Deputies searched the building and, “spotted him easily, because he was the only one not wearing pants, Relyea said.
Sheriff's deputies and state parole agents waited outside a La Puente home for eight hours Thursday before busting in with tear gas and discovering their wanted man had escaped.
When officers on scene were asked who they were looking for, none knew exactly .... hmmmm
That said, today we have a name and a picture. You are looking at La Puente resident Jesus Ramiro Talamantes, DOB 2/15/72.
He's on the lam.
From the Sheriff's Homicide Bureau:
On November 3, 2007, Victim Bernardo Mendoza was shot and killed at “My Place Bar” in the Los Angeles County unincorporated area of Bassett.
Julio “Rocky” Duenas was identified as being in the area on the night of the shooting. Detectives are seeking to question Julio Duenas regarding the incident.
Julio Duenas is believed to live in the southeast Los Angeles area and is known to have an interest in horses. He was last seen driving a grey or silver Toyota Camry.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau.
Attention: SERGEANT E. GODFREY at (323) 890-5632 or
DETECTIVE P. MARTINEZ at (323) 890-5629
File Number 007-19353-1462-011
Phone (323) 890-5500 Fax (323) 887-1160L.A.S.D. Homicide Bureau, 5747 Rickenbacker Road, Commerce 90040
(dr)
Homicide detectives said Wednesday the composite image they released earlier this year in connection with the March 2006 murder of Robert Whitehead, 44, of West Valinda, is a pretty good match for 18-year-old Robert Lopez, of La Puente.
Lopez, aka "Pee Wee" is apparently "the third man" involved in the case. On Tuesday the Sheriff's Department announced the capture of Anthony Castillo. He was taken into custody after an early morning raid at a home in Azusa. Castillo is being held without bail and is expected to be arraigned Thursday morning in West Covina.
Jennifer McLain is reporting that one of the wounded in the La Puente shooting has died. We'll keep updating this through the afternoon.
Not many details available yet, but we are following a shooting this a.m. in La Puente. As many as three were reported wounded. This apparently happened very close to the Industry Hills resort. Near 309 S. Winton Avenue
Got a tip from a caller who said that he knows of a La Puente man who reported graffiti vandals on his street, hoping to cash in on a reward program offered by the City Council.
Sheriff's apparently made an arrest in the case and quite possibly earned a conviction, according to the tipster.
But when the good citizen went to claim his reward the City said, "Sorry that happened in Industry."
Apparently the border runs right down the middle of the street.
After a while this gets a little frustrating.... City officials in La Puente are a little ticked that we indicated the shooting of a woman somewhere near the 605 and Valley Boulevard occurred in La Puente.
Sheriff's officials have corrected our geography once again. They say this happened in Bassett, an unincorporated portion of Eastern Los Angeles County.
Just last week we received this email on the very same topic.
So a guy who owns a Chinese takeout has a slot machine. One less place for Tim Donaghy to play I guess.
The funniest thing about this story is that the slot machine was positioned right next to one of those grabber things kids play to get stuffed animals.
Too bad the sheriff didn't remove the grabber machine too. I'd consider taking my boys there if he had. I really hate dishing out quarters for that game.
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