Recently in Montebello Category

MONTEBELLO - Police are looking for whoever broke into a Best Buy store early Friday and helped themselves to about $50,000 worth of Sony PlayStation 3 video game systems and other electronics.
The burglary occurred in the early morning hours at Best Buy, 2415 Via Campo, Montebello police said in a written statement.
Police believe at least two suspects entered the store by making a hole in the wall of an empty business next door.
They stole PlayStation 3 video game systems, as well as other video game equipment, police said.
No description of the burglars was available.
Police ask that anyone who sees someone selling large quantities of PlayStation 3 consoles, other than a reputable business, is asked to call the Montebello Police Department.

MONTEBELLO -- A Montebello Transit bus collided with a car Wednesday, officials said, injuring five people on the bus and the driver of the other car.
The crash occurred about 4 p.m. at Whittier Boulevard and Bluff Road, Montebello police Lt. Greg Sells said.
Five people on the bus apparently suffered minor injuries, while the driver of the car suffered minor-to-moderate injuries, the lieutenant said.
Officials said the circumstances and cause of the crash were being investigated late Wednesday by traffic investigators from the Montebello Police Department.

From a Montebello Police Department press release -- notice how the police omit the name Norma Lambo from their press release...Ms. Lambo, has been called by some Motebello's matriarch...

  The Montebello Police Department is pleased to announce that an arrest has been made in the fatal hit and run that occurred on October 5, 2009 - on Jefferson Blvd. and Alfred Place, in the City of Montebello. 

      The investigation included the Montebello Police Department's Investigations Bureau, Special Investigations Unit, Crime Suppression Unit and the Traffic Bureau.  As a result of the a tireless investigation that included numerous follow ups, interviews, canvassing, research and information received from the public, the vehicle and alleged driver in this case was identified, located and subsequently arrested.  The vehicle was located in a local auto body shop and was in the process of being repaired.  An additional suspect was arrested in connection with this case as an accessory in this crime.  The vehicle and additional evidence was processed by the Los Angles County Sheriffs - Scientific Services Bureau. 

      The driver David Louis Lorea, 36 a resident of Montebello was charged with 20001 (b) (2) CVC and McArthur Gutierrez Mutuz 39 of San Gabriel was charged with 32 P.C.  Both are housed in the Montebello City Jail pending a court appearance.   

   This case was solved by utilizing sound investigation techniques and by the information that was received from the community.  This is a classic example of how by partnering together, the Community and Police Department can make the community safer.   

Any additional information can be obtained by contacting Sgt. Luis Lopez at (323) 887-1297

From KCBS/KCAL

MONTEBELLO, Calif. (CBS) ― Police were searching for the driver of a pickup truck who struck and killed an 84-year-old woman as she walked her dog in the Los Angeles suburb of Montebello.

Police Lt. Brian Bart said 84-year-old Norma Lambo was struck at 6:12 p.m. Monday and pronounced dead at the scene. The driver kept going after the crash.

Friends and loved ones said Lambo was well-loved and respected for her generosity in the Montebello community. The victim was the widow of former Montebello City Clerk Andrew T. Lambo.

The pickup was described as a white Chevrolet Silverado extended cab with two doors, a tinted back window, chrome rims and a chrome front bumper that was apparently damaged in the crash and was last seen dragging on the street.

MONTEBELLO -- Police jailed two men Friday on suspicion of stealing a car, authorities said.
Christopher De La Rosa, 19, of Montebello and Kenny Guadamuz, 21, of Victorville, were booked on suspicion of auto theft, Montebello police Lt. Brad Keller said.
Officers followed a signal from a LoJack anti-theft device and discovered the car, which had been stolen earlier in the day in Montebello, shortly after 1 p.m. at Greenwood Avenue and Date Street, the lieutenant said.
Police watched the car and arrested De La Rosa and Guadamuz when they approached, Keller said.
According to sheriff's booking records, De La Rosa was being held in lieu of $330,000 bail, and Guadamuz was being held in lieu of $25,000 bail. Both men are due in East Los Angeles Superior Court Tuesday for arraignment.

MONTEBELLO -- Two teenagers robbed a delivery man of cash and a pizza Friday, police said.
The robbery was reported shortly before 1 p.m. in the 1200 block of South Greenwood Avenue, Montebello police Lt. Brad Keller said.
About $80 in cash and a pizza was taken in the crime, he said.
The robbers appeared to be in their late teens, the lieutenant added. No weapon was seen during the robbery.
The pizza delivery man returned to work and reported the incident about an hour later, he said.
No further details were available.

UPDATE: MISSING WOMAN FOUND:

MONTEBELLO - A missing 75-year-old woman with a history of dementia was found, apparently unharmed, Thursday morning wandering on the side of a local freeway.

The California Highway Patrol discovered Delfina Bonino walking westbound on the shoulder of the Pomona (60) Freeway, according to Montebello Lt. Mike Bergman.

 

MONTEBELLO -- Police asked for the public's help Wednesday to find a elderly woman who wandered away from her home.
Delfina Bonino, 75, who suffers from dementia, walked away from her home about 4 p.m. Wednesday and has not been seen since, Montebello police said in a written statement.
She has wandered off in the past, but was always found within several blocks of her home, police said.
Bonino is described as a white woman, 5 feet, 2 inches tall and 112 pounds. She has green eyes and white hair.
She was last seen wearing a creme-colored blouse with a rose design on the front, blue pants with a peacock design on the side, blue slip-on shoes and white socks.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Montebello Police Department.

PHOTO of Delfina Bonino courtesy of the Montebello Police Department

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:

Two unrelated housefired in Montebello and West Covina were reported Thursday evening. The Montebello fire gutted a home and sent a firefighter and a resident to the hospital, while the West Covina blaze caused much less damage and resulted in no injuries. Despite the fact that these fires occurred on July 2, officials did not believe fireworks were to blame in either blaze. Here's the stories:

MONTBELLO -- A fire gutted a home and sent two people, including a firefighter, to the hospital Thursday, authorities said.
The blaze was reported about 6 p.m. at a house in the 1700 block of Colegrove Avenue, Montebello Fire Department Battalion Chief Kevin Collinge said.
A firefighter was hospitalized with minor burns, and an elderly resident of the home was hospitalized for smoke inhalation, he said. Another resident of the home was treated at the scene for an unknown medical condition.
Four adults and two children who lived at the home were displaced, he said. They were home when the fire ignited.
Firefighters found the home "well-involved" with fire when they arrived and extinguished the flames in about 30 minutes, Collinge said.
A dollar-value estimate of the damage was not available late Thursday, however the battalion chief said the 1,800-square-foot home appeared "thoroughly gutted."
A cause of the blaze remained under investigation, he added, however it did not initially appear that fireworks were involved.

WEST COVINA -- A fire caused about $20,000 in damage to a house Thursday, officials said.
The blaze was reported about 6:20 p.m. in the 300 block of North Orange Avenue, West Covina Fire Department Capt. Esteban Rodriguez said.
About 18 firefighters doused the fire in about 15 minutes, he added.
The cause of the fire remained under investigation, he said, but it preliminarily appeared the fire was electrical in nature, the captain said.
The fire was largely confined to the living room portion of the home, he added.
No one was injured in the fire, Rodriguez said, though seven residents, including children, were displaced.
They residents went to stay with family members, he said.

*UPDATED

MONTBELLO -- Three people were wounded early Saturday when gunfire erupted at a birthday party, authorities said.
The possibly gang-related shooting occurred just before 3 a.m. in a residential neighborhood in the 900 block of Los Angeles Avenue, Montebello police Lt. Richard Meadows said.
Two men and a woman, all estimated to be in their 20s, suffered gunshot wounds, he said. None of the injuries appeared to be life-threatening.
The victims were standing in front of a home when the shooting began, Montebello police Lt. Brad Keller said.
"The shooter or shooters approached from a breezeway and started firing rounds," he said.
A man was shot in the stomach, another man was shot in the leg and foot and a woman was shot in the foot, he said.
The attack appeared to be unprovoked, police said.
No description of the shooter or shooters was available, Keller said, however the incident may have been gang-related. One of the victims is a known gang member.

MONTEBELLO -- Two additional suspects believed to be part of a nationwide burglary crew that was busted Tuesday at the Montebello Town Center are in custody, authorities said Thursday.
Los Angeles police did not release the names of the suspects citing the ongoing investigation.
The first three suspects were arrested while trying to break into a jewelry store at the shopping center, at 2134 Montebello Town Center, shortly after 5 a.m. Tuesday, Montebello police Lt. Brian Bart said.
LAPD officials had tipped off local authorities that the burglary crew may have been planning to strike at the mall that morning, he said.
"It was a good effort by multiple agencies," Bart said.
After the three suspects were arrested at the mall, Montebello and Monterey Park police searched the area seeking additional suspects, LAPD officials said, but none were found.
LAPD detectives then worked with the Orange County Sheriff's Department and the Glendale and Santa Ana Police Police Departments to serve search warrants at six Southland locations, according to an LAPD statement.
The two additional suspects were arrested during the search, and evidence connecting them to the crimes was recovered, police added.
Los Angeles police described all five suspects as black men in their mid-20s to mid-40s. They have been booked on suspicion of burglary and conspiracy to commit burglary.
"The crew's method of operation was to hit shopping malls during off-hours and burglarize predetermined jewelry businesses," the LAPD statement said.
Police added the alleged crew is believed to be connected to a commercial burglary ring "that has been active in at least five states, spanning from coast to coast."
Detectives from the LAPD's Southeast Area Property Crimes Unit had been looking into the suspected burglary crew for four months prior to the arrest, officials said.

MONTEBELLO -- A robber stole a person's iPod at knifepoint Thursday in a residential neighborhood, police said.
The incident occurred about 3 p.m. at Hay Street and Plaza Libre, Montebello police Lt. Brad Keller said.
The victim was approached by a robber described only as male and Latino who brandished a knife and demanded the music player, Keller said.
The robber was last seen running west on Plaza Libre, he added.
No further details were available.

 

MONTEBELLO -- Authorities have released a composite sketch of a man who tried to kidnap an 11-year-old girl Monday before her teenage brother and a friend fought off the attacker.
The incident occurred about 3 p.m. on Marconi Avenue at 16th Street, Montebello police Sgt. Javier Ornelas said.
The suspect was described as a Latino man between 35 and 40 years old, with brown hair and brown eyes. He stood about 5 feet, 10 inches tall, weighed about 250 pounds, was unshaven, and wore a baseball cap and a blue, short-sleeve shirt.
He placed a zip tie around the girl's neck and forced her into the truck of his car, which was described as 2000-2003, silver, 4-door small car with grey interior, officials said.
Anyone with information is asked to call Montebello police detectives at (323) 887-1262, or after hours at (323) 887-1313.

*Drawing courtesy of the Montebello Police Department.

MONTBELLO -- The FBI is hunting a serial bandit they've given the title, "The Will Shoot Bandit."  Not surpirisingly, the robber threatens to open fire in the banks if his demands for cash are not met promptly.

So far, officials believed he's responsible for a failed robbery attempt at a Montebello Bank of American branch on Tuesday, as well as a successful hesit at the same bank in December of last year.

In between, FBI officicials believe he robbed an Irvine Bank of America branch in January.

For the full story, click here.