Recently in Monterey Park Category

Two men were robbed at gunpoint early Friday in Monterey Park and Alhambra, and officials suspect the same robber is responsible.
The first robbery was reported about 5:45 a.m. in the 2300 block of Hathaway Avenue in Alhambra, Alhambra police Lt. Dan Rodriguez said.
A man was walking on the sidewalk when a white pickup truck, possibly a Toyota or Nissan approached, the lieutenant said.
A passenger got out of the truck, pointed a rifle at the victim and demanded money, he said.
The victim complied, and the robber got back into the truck with the driver and drove off, Rodriguez said. No description of the driver was available.
The gunman was described as a Latino man in his 20s with a small mustache, wearing a beanie, a black jacket and dark-colored jeans, police said.
Less than 30 minutes later, a man was parking his car in the 1400 block of Ridgecrest Street in Monterey Park when he was also robbed, Monterey Park police Lt. Carrie Mazelin said.
A robber described as a Latino man in his 20s, wearing a gray and black shirt and blue jeans approached him with what was described as a black, Uzi-type handgun and demanded property, Mazelin said.
He stole cash, a purse that was inside the car, jewelry and other items before fleeing in a white pickup truck with a waiting driver, she said.
Because of similar suspect descriptions, as well as the close proximity and time frame in which the robberies occurred, investigators believe the robberies are connected, Rodriguez and Mazelin said.

MONTEREY PARK -- A man shot and killed another man late Friday during an argument inside an employment agency, authorities said.
The dead man's name was not released Saturday afternoon pending notification of his family, Los Angeles County Department of Coroner Lt. Brian Elias said. Sheriff's officials said he was an Asian man in his 30s and believed to be a Monterey Park-area resident.
Monterey Park police officers responded to a report of a shooting in the 200 block of East Garvey Avenue just after 9 p.m., where they found a man suffering from a gunshot wound to the "upper torso" Los Angeles County sheriff's Deputy Byron Ward said in a written statement.
"It appeared it was some kind of argument between a couple of individuals who frequented the business," Lt. Dan Rosenberg of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Homicide Bureau said. Neither the suspect nor the victim worked at the employment agency.
The apparent victim was pronounced dead at the scene at 9:31 p.m., Elias said.
The shooter was described only as an Asian man, Rosenberg said, and it was unclear Saturday what the men may have been arguing about.
The lieutenant declined to discuss whether a getaway car was believed to be involved and said detectives were following leads late Saturday.
No further details were available.

MONTEREY PARK -- The body of a man was found on a freeway offramp Friday, apparently due to a medical problem, authorities said.
The incident was initially reported as a traffic crash on the Atlantic Avenue offramp from the eastbound 60 Freeway, according to California Highway Patrol logs.
Investigating officials determined there was no crash, but rather a man in his 60s had apparently collapsed and died from medical issues, Los Angeles County Fire Department Capt. Rich Tullius said.
There were no apparent signs of trauma on the body, he added.
All but one lane of the eastbound freeway was closed down as the officials investigated the scene, according to the CHP.

MONTEREY PARK -- Three men robbed another man at gunpoint Sunday as he walked through a shopping center parking lot, authorities said.
The crime occurred about 1:45 p.m. in a parking lot near Lincoln and Garvey avenues, Monterey Park police Lt. Carrie Mazelin said.
The victim was walking to his car when a late-model, white, 2-door Acura Integra with three robbers described only as Asian men inside approached, the lieutenant said.
One of the three men got out of the Acura and demanded the victims wallet at gunpoint, Mazelin said. All three men then fled north on Lincoln Avenue in the car.

MONTEREY PARK -- Police nabbed a robbery suspect Saturday after he allegedly snatched a necklace from a woman, officials said.
The incident occurred about 7 p.m. at Garvey and Nicholson avenues, Monterey Park police Lt. Carrie Mazelin said.
The suspect was initially described only as a Latino man in his 20s who was believed to be transient, she said. His name was not available late Saturday as he had not yet completed the booking process.
Police said he grabbed a necklace from a woman before officers spotted him in the area and found him with the woman's necklace in his pocket, Mazelin said.
The woman was not hurt, she added.

MONTEREY PARK - A driver apparently dozed off behind the wheel Wednesday as he drove his mother to work, crashing the car and injuring the mother, authorities said.
The crash occurred shortly before 7 a.m. on Ramona Boulevard at Corporate Center Drive, Monterey Park police Lt. Jess Alvarado said.
The driver, a 21-year-old local man, was headed west on Ramona Boulevard in a Subaru sedan when the car struck a traffic signal pole, the lieutenant said.
"It appears he might have fallen asleep at the wheel," he said.
The driver was not hurt, but his 46-year-old mother, also a local resident, appeared to have suffered a broken wrist and other injuries in the crash, Alvarado said. She was hospitalized with injuries that were not believed to be life-threatening.

This comes from reporter Tania Chatila:

MONTEREY PARK -- A man was arrested early Saturday after he rammed a sheriff's deputy's car, prompting the deputy to shoot, officials said.
No one was injured in the deputy-involved shooting, which occurred about 12:40 a.m. near Findlay Avenue and Riggin Street, Los Angeles County sheriff's Deputy Byron Ward said in a written statement.
The unnamed deputy and his K-9 dog happened to be patrolling in that area when the deputy heard a loud crash, and saw a black Cadillac speeding away after hitting a parked car, said Lt. Mike Grimaldi, of the sheriff's Internal Affairs Bureau, which is investigating the incident.
The deputy initially tried to follow the car, Grimaldi said, but the suspect raced out of sight.
A few moments later, the suspect drove back to the area, and the deputy was able to stop him by using his lights and siren.
As the deputy was trying to get out of his car, Grimaldi said the suspect rammed the sheriff's vehicle, causing damage to the front bumper.
"After, the (suspect) didn't go anywhere, so the deputy started to get out of the car again when he saw the (back tail) lights go on," Grimaldi said. "The car started to back up again, so the (deputy) fired at the driver in the car."
Grimaldi said the deputy fired six rounds before the suspect sped off a second time, at which point the deputy began calling for help.
Minutes later, the suspect came back again, and was westbound on Riggin Street when he crashed into a fire hydrant near Findlay Avenue, Grimaldi said.
"The airbags deployed and the car was hung up on the fire hydrant," Grimaldi said, adding that the suspect was arrested without further incident.
Grimaldi said the entire incident lasted less than 10 minutes, with the suspect driving back and forth in the area at speeds of about 80 miles per hour.
It was unknown if drugs or alcohol may have been a factor.
"I don't know at this point," Grimaldi said. "I was told he appeared to be drinking, but I can't verify that."

Police have arrested an booked a 52-year-old woman on suspicion of commiting lewd acts with a 14-year-old student at Monterey Highlands Elementary School in Monterey Park.

Apparently the woman wasn't a teacher, but a staff member at the school. The act apparently occurred off campus.

Mildred Luna is a staff member at the school, police said. The allegations, stemming from an incident that reportedly occurred after school Feb. 6 at a location away from the school, was not reported until mid-April, police said.
Luna was arrested April 14, officials said.

I'll try to post more details later in the day if they come in.

This comes from the San Jose Mercury News:

MONTEREY PARK -- Police released the names Friday of three men suspected of robbing a man at gunpoint in his own home and firing on police.
Carlos Claros, 19, of Los Angeles, Johnathan Rodriguez, 19, of Los Angeles, and Abel Sanchez, 23, a transient, were booked on suspicion of attempted murder of a police officer, robbery, burglary, conspiracy and false imprisonment, Monterey Park police Detective Gabriel Escarsega said.
The suspects allegedly thought no one was home and pulled guns on the homeowner when he surprised them, the detective said.
"It was a burglary that turned into a home-invasion," he said.
The incident occurred shortly after 4 p.m. at a home in the 1100 block of South Lincoln Avenue, Monterey Park police Sgt. Paul Yniguez said.
Claros, Rodriguez and Sanchez allegedly held the man, estimated to be in his 30s, at gunpoint before police arrived, officials said.
A neighbor called police to report suspicious men walking into a neighboring backyard, Escarsega said, and police showed up just as the suspects were fleeing.
One of the men reportedly fired a single gunshot at a pursuing officer, Yniguez said. The officer was not injured and did not return fire.
Police then chased down and captured the three fleeing men, he said.
Though officials initially reported three handguns were recovered in the area, Escarsega said Friday that two guns were found.
According to court records, Claros, Rodriguez and Sanchez are being held in lieu of $1 million bail each and are due in Alhambra Superior Court Monday for arraignment.

Looks like the feds plan to dole out about $252 million in stimulus money to California cop shops. I haven't done the math but in most cases it looks like the package will return about $1 to cities per resident. Here's a round up of what some San Gabriel Valley cities can expect

PASADENA $342,008

EL MONTE $320,930

WEST COVINA $184,000

WHITTIER $152,145

BALDWIN PARK $151,669

PICO RIVERA $148,182

ALHAMBRA $143,111

MONTEBELLO $127,104

ROSEMEAD $113,633

SAN GABRIEL $98,260

COVINA $95,090

AZUSA $93,347

MONTEREY PARK $80,668

ARCADIA $71,159

SANTA FE SPRINGS $68,782

MONROVIA $64,503

SOUTH EL MONTE $64,344

INDUSTRY $59,590

DIAMOND BAR $55,152

LA MIRADA $55,152

DUARTE $45,009

SAN DIMAS $39,621

TEMPLE CITY $36,610

GLENDORA $33,599

LA VERNE $33,123

WALNUT $23,297

SOUTH PASADENA $19,018

LA CANADA FLINTRIDGE $11,411

IRWINDALE $10,618

A report in USA Today notes that the FBI claims criminal gangs are responsible for 80 percent of our nation's crime. Here's the story.

No Chargers in Industry this year, at least that's a what a report in the San Diego Business Journal claims.

Local soldier Sgt. Hy Thai, of Monterey Park is profiled on News Blaze, for his work in Iraq.

Detroit cops slow to respond to reports of frozen body in abandoned warehouse, according to the Detroit News and the Associated Press, which cites the indifference of cops there as part of the city's overall problem.

LASO unveils new technology in the pursuit of criminals.

Firefighters from several local agencies left for Mariposa County Sunday to help officials there battle the "Telegraph Fire," officials said.
A strike team led by Pasadena Fire Department Battalion Chief Scott Dandridge was called to the fire Sunday afternoon, Pasadena Fire Department spokeswoman Lisa Derderian said.
The strike team includes one engine from the Pasadena Fire Department, two engines from the Glendale Fire Department, one engine from the Monrovia Fire Department and one engine from the Monterey Park Fire Department, Derderian said.
The fast-spreading blaze has charred more than 18,000 acres since Friday as wooded slopes ignited amid hot, dry conditions that have plagued California for months. The fire was completely uncontained Sunday morning.
The wildfire led officials to order the evacuations of 170 homes under immediate threat. About 2,000 homes faced at least some danger from the fast-spreading flames.
Most of the evacuated homes are in the town of Midpines, located along Highway 140, about 12 miles from the park.
Cal Fire spokesman Daniel Berlant said the southern edge of the blaze was as little as two miles from Mariposa, a town of about 1,800 residents.