Recently in South El Monte Category

SOUTH EL MONTE -- A fire damaged a South El Monte upholstery manufacturing business Thursday, authorities said.
The blaze was reported about 6:20 p.m. at the business at 9904 Hayward Way, Los Angeles County Fire Department Inspector Fred Stowers said.
About 60 firefighters extinguished the fire in just under an hour, he said.
The fire in the 200-foot by 150-foot commercial building mainly centered in the warehouse portion of the structure, Stowers said.
No injuries were reported, he added. The business was closed for the day when the fire broke out.
The cause remained under investigation, Stowers said.
A dollar-value estimate of the damage to the building and its contents was not available late Thursday, he said, though it did not appear to be a total loss.

SOUTH EL MONTE -- An experimental airplane pilot walked away unharmed Sunday after making an emergency landing in a wash area in an unincorporated county area near South El Monte, authorities said.
The incident occurred about 10:40 a.m. in the wash near Rush Street and Loma Avenue, Los Angeles County sheriff's Sgt. Jeff Walker said.
It was not immediately clear what caused the small, single-person aircraft to fall from the sky, he said.
The plane sustained minor damage in the emergency landing, but the pilot, a man in his early 50s, was unharmed, the sergeant said.
The pilot managed to avoid obstacles in the wash, such as a large boulder and high tension wires, Walker said.
"He's lucky he put it down where he did."

EL MONTE -- Officials arrested a South El Monte woman with a history of child abuse Wednesday after she went missing for 12 days with her two young daughters.
Alma Beatriz Frias, 29, was booked on suspicion of child abuse and was being held in lieu of $100,000 bail at the sheriff's Temple Station, Sgt. Dan Scott of the sheriff's Special Victims Unit said.
During interviews after her arrest Wednesday, "(Frias) admitted kicking the 2-year-old and tossing the 2-month old in her crib," Scott said.
"I think it would shock anybody," he added.
The children were taken into protective custody and turned over to the County Department of Children and Family Services, Scott said.
"The children appeared to be in good health," he added.
DCFS officials will determine where to place the children, whether it be with other family members or in the foster system, the sergeant said.
"It's a relief that the children were found and they were unharmed," Scott said.
Frias, a mother of at least seven children, had not been seen since May 15 when she ran from her home during a visit from social workers, Los Angeles County sheriff's Deputy Byron Ward said in a written statement. At the time, she was being investigated for an abuse allegation, authorities said.
When workers went inside the home, they couldn't find the children, so they presumed to be with their mother, officials said.
The sheriff's Special Victims Unit was asked to join the investigation Friday, according to a Sheriff's Department statement.
The investigation led to a house in El Monte. Deputies didn't find Frias, however information gleaned from that visit led officials to a second El Monte home where Frias and the 2-month-old girl were found, Scott said.
Frias then told detectives her older daughter was at her grandmother's home in Baldwin Park, Scott said, and officials picked her up.
Investigators likely will not pursue any charges against the grandmother, he added.
Frias' had five other children taken away and served two years in state prison following a 2003 conviction of child abuse causing great bodily injury, according to Scott and court records. Further details of the 2003 incident were not available Wednesday.
According to court records, Frias is due Friday for arraignment in El Monte Superior Court on Friday.

PHOTO of Alma Frias courtesy of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

*Updated:

SOUTH EL MONTE -- Authorities sought the public's help Saturday in finding a woman with a history of child abuse who disappeared along with her young daughters as officials investigated new allegations against her.
Alma Beatriz Frias of South El Monte and her 2-month-old and 2-year-old daughters went missing on May 15 after Frias fled her home, sheriff's officials said. Two possible birthdates were provided by sheriff's officials that indicate Frias is either 29 or 31.
Officials from the Department of Children and Family Services went to Frias' house in the 1600 block of Bunker Avenue to look into new allegations of child abuse and take her 2-year-old and 2-month-old daughters into protective custody, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Deputy Byron Ward said in a written statement.
"Upon their arrival, Frias ran from the residence without her daughters and has not been seen since," the statement said.
The daughters were not found inside the home, authorities said, and since they also have not been seen since May 15, they are presumed to be with Frias.
According to court records, a woman of the same name born on one of the birthdates provided by officials was convicted in late 2003 of child abuse causing great bodily injury or death.
Further details of the 2003 incident were not available Saturday.
The missing mother is now suspected of new acts of child abuse, Ward said.
The Sheriff's Department was asked to step into the investigation by DCFS officials in recent days, officials said.
Calls to the DCFS Saturday went unanswered.
The sheriff's detective handling the investigation also could not be reached for comment Saturday.
Frias is described as a Latina woman standing about 5 feet, 3 inches tall and weighing about 150 pounds. She has black hair and brown eyes.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Sheriff's Special Victims Bureau 24-hour tip line at (866) 247-5877.

EL MONTE -- A man arrested on suspicion of three armed robberies in South El Monte and El Monte admitted involvement in four additional robberies in El Monte, Baldwin Park and Azusa, authorities said Thursday.
Fernando Uranga Sanchez, a 40-year-old transient from the South El Monte area, was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of robbing two markets in South El Monte and one market in El Monte last month, El Monte police Lt. Detective Ralph Batres said.
Following his arrest, Uranga admitted robbing two additional El Monte businesses as well as businesses in Baldwin Park and Azusa in crimes that date back to February, Batres said.
He is expected to be charged Friday with five counts of robbery stemming from the El Monte and South El Monte incidents, Batres said.
The Azusa and Baldwin Park incidents remain under investigation, he added.
Sanchez was being held in lieu of $300,000 bail Thursday, Batres said, however his bail will likely be increased to $500,000 after Friday's court appearance.
Police are still seeking a possible accomplice in some of the robberies, who is described as a Latino man in his 20s, about 5 feet 8 inches tall, weighing about 175 pounds and wearing a blue and white sweat shirt, Batres said.
Anyone with information is asked to call the El Monte Police Department.

SOUTH EL MONTE -- The body of an unidentified man was discovered Sunday in the San Gabriel riverbed Sunday, officials said.
The discovery was made about 12:30 p.m. in the riverbed near the 60 Freeway, Los Angeles County sheriff's Deputy Jeff Gordon said.
An approximate age or race of the body was not available, officials said,
The dead man appeared to be transient, Los Angeles County Department of Coroner Lt. Larry Dietz said.
The body showed signs of "blunt force trauma to the upper torso," Gordon said.
No further details were available Sunday.
Detectives ask that anyone with information call the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Homicide Bureau at (323) 890-5500.

SOUTH EL MONTE -- A series of three small fires -- possibly started by big rig's brakes -- scorched brush along the 60 Freeway near the Whittier Narrows Recreation area at about 1:30 p.m. Friday.
The largest of the three blazes, which burned as much as half an acre, ignited on north side of the freeway near Rosemead Avenue, Los Angeles County Fire Department Inspector Frederic Stowers said.
Two smaller fires were reported just to the west near Peck Road, he added. One burned about 400 square feet just north of the freeway, while another scorched a very small area nearby.
"What we think happened is an 18-wheeler might have been throwing off heat sparks from its brakes," Los Angeles County Fire Department Captain Robert Rodriguez said.
No structures were threatened, the inspector said, and a quick reaction by fire Los Angeles County Fire Station 90 stopped the blaze before is spread to heavier brush.
An inmate fire crew based in Azusa assisted firefighters from several area fire stations in the effort. About 30 fire people handled the blazes.
The right lane of the westbound 60 Freeway was shut down during the firefight to make room for equipment.
Firefighters drove up and down the freeway looking for additional fires, Stowers said, but none were found.

This from the City News Service:

LOS ANGELES -- The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department announced
today the recovery of a stolen 850-pound emerald -- reportedly worth $370 million --
but released few details about the case.
The so-called "Bahia Emerald" was recovered last Friday in Las Vegas, according to a
sheriff's department news release.
The gem was stolen from a secured vault in South El Monte in September
and later warehoused in the Nevada gambling town, said Lt. Thomas Grubb of the
sheriff's Major Crimes Bureau.
The unidentified individuals who were in possession of the emerald in Las Vegas
initially agreed to release it once the lawful owner was identified, but deputies
returned to the prearranged location armed with a court order, according to
Grubb.
Grubb said he was precluded from releasing information regarding the owner of the
stone because of pending litigation. He added it was difficult to determine details
about the rightful owner because so many people were involved with the stone.
"A judge is going to have to rule on who the rightful owner is," Grubb said. "There
is some civil litigation involved, but there will also be criminal proceedings."
No arrests were made, but the investigation continues, he said.
The stone, which reportedly contains the largest spires of emeralds in the world, is
being stored by the sheriff's department pending release to the lawful owner. The
emerald is believed to be the second largest stone of its kind in the world,
according to the sheriff's department.

 

Here's some stories we've been following Saturday:

* SOUTH EL MONTE -- A 26-year-old woman was killed in a two-car crash on Halloween officials believe may have been alcohol-related.
* BALDWIN PARK -- A young man was pronounced dead at the scene of a shooting early Saturday.
* POMONA - A local man was shot and killed early Saturday when he confronted two two carjackers who had just stolen his girlfriend's car at gunpoint.
* ALHAMBRA -- A man was arrested Saturday morning after allegedly firing a gun indoors and barricading himself in a house for more than four hours.
* COVINA -- Thirty to 40 residents of an assisted living home were evacuated and three were hospitalized Saturday after a gas pipe broke.

SOUTH EL MONTE -- While officials at many law enforcement agencies throughout the region reported a surprisingly slow day on Halloween, one woman lost her life in the San Gabriel Valley on Halloween.

A 26-year-old Los Angeles woman was killed in a two-car crash on Halloween officials believe may have been alcohol-related.

The crash occurred about 11:30 p.m. at the intersection of Santa Anita and Elliot avenues, officials said.

The woman, identified as Nellyda Beltran-Cruz, was pronounced dead at the scene.

The driver of the other vehicle, a 25-year-old El Monte man, remained hospitalized in critical condition Saturday, officials said.

Officials believe alcohol may have been a factor on the part of the man, but the investigation is ongoing.

 

A pedestrian struck and killed late Friday in South El Monte was struck by more than one vehicle, officials said Saturday.

The man, estimated to be 35 years old and listed with the coroner's office as a John Doe, was crossing Rosemead Boulevard just south of Rush Street when he was struck by a Honda being driven by a Sierra Madre man, officials said.

The Honda driver was not cited or arrested, and CHP officials said peliminary investigations indicates the pedestrian was likely at fault.

Following the initial crash, the driver of the Honda remained at the scene, however at least one additional vehicle is believed to have also struck the pedestrian and continued.

Initial reports indicated as many as three or four hit-and-run drivers may have struck the man, however officials could not confirm if that was the case Saturday.

It was not clear if the man died in the initial crash or a subsequent one.

A summary of some items we've been covering over the weekend:

1. EL MONTE -- Homicide detectives are investigating the mysterious death of a man whose body was found on the property of an office building Sunday.
2. ROSEMEAD -- The man who died in a fiery crash at the end of a police chase Saturday was driving an SUV that belonged to a woman found shot to death at her Gardena business.
3. LA PUENTE -- A man allegedly shot and wounded two of his roommates during an argument at their house Saturday.
4. SOUTH EL MONTE -- Officials have released the name of a man found who was fatally shot in his car last week.
5. NORWALK -- A man was shot and wounded in the parking lot of a convenience store Sunday.
6. SONORA -- The Montrose Search and Rescue Team rescued a 34-year-old man Sunday after he spent two nights at the bottom of an abandoned mine shaft.

HACIENDA HEIGHTS -- Two 17-year-old boys were arrested Friday on suspicion of auto theft and hit-and-run after they allegedly crashed into a car full of Army soldiers, sheriff's officials said.

The teens were cruising in the car, which was reported stolen out of Fontana, in South El Monte when they struck the car with four soldiers in it and fled the scene.

The soldiers followed the car, phoning the location and license plate number of the suspects' car to sheriff's officials.

Deputies quickly realized the car was stolen, and a helicopter began following the car as well before it crashed into a tree in Hacienda Heights.

The teens ran but were quickly caught.

This from the Associated Press:

Nearly 30 firefighters have extinguished a restaurant fire in South El Monte.

A spokesman for the Los Angeles County Fire Department told KTLA-TV that the fire at Cafe Azteca on Rush Street was reported shortly before 5 a.m. Wednesday

Early commuters on the Pomona (60) Freeway to the south and the San Bernardino (10) Freeway to the north could see smoke and flames from the blaze.

Firefighters appeared to have the fire extinguished by 5:30 a.m.