Police: Man subdued with Taser in Azusa after threatening roommates with knives


AZUSA >> Police used a Taser to subdue and arrest a man who had been threatening his roommates with knives in Azusa early Saturday, officials said.
Vincent Pauley, 25, was ultimately booked on suspicion of brandishing a knife, as well as an outstanding burglary warrant, Azusa police Sgt. Andy Sutcliffe said in a written statement.
Officers first received a report about 3:45 a.m. that Pauley was standing in their living room in the 500 block of North Dalton Avenue, brandishing a knife in each hand, the sergeant said.
“He refused the residents requests to put the knives down, and according to them, had not slept for four days and was behaving irrationally,” Sutcliffe said. “Officers also discovered he had an outstanding no-bail arrest warrant for burglary.”
Two residents of the home exited when officers arrived, he said. But one man remained inside, and was last seen inside the living room with Pauley.
“It was unclear to the officers if this man was at risk of being stabbed,” Sutcliffe said.
After Pauley refused commands to surrender, officers made their way into the home.
“Officers found Pauley standing in the middle of the living room, motionless and staring intently at them. He carried a fixed blade knife in his hand with the blade pointing at the officers,” Sutcliffe said.
“Although he dropped that knife after being told to do so, the location of the second knife was unknown, and he refused officers’ directions to raise his hands and walk outside,” according to the sergeant. ”One officer deployed the Taser, which immediately incapacitated Pauley and allowed officers to safely take him into custody without injury to anyone. The other male in the living room was found uninjured.”
According to Los Angeles County booking records, Pauley was being held without bail pending his initial court appearance, scheduled Monday in the West Covina branch of Los Angeles County Superior Court.

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Creepy clown aficionado jailed for online threats against Glendora school

pennywise
GLENDORA >> Police arrested a 19-year-old apparent creepy clown enthusiast and former student of Sierra High School in Glendora on Wednesday on suspicion of making threats against his alma mater, as well as toward the city of El Monte, authorities said.
William Salazar is accused of making criminal threats via killer clown-dedicated Instagram and Facebook accounts, Glendora Police Chief Tim Staab said.
Students at Sierra High School began receiving posts from the account Tuesday night which threatened violence, Staab said. Students notified parents and school administrators, who contacted police Wednesday morning.
“Sierra skool gonna get hit (tomorrow) say your blessing #(expletive)skooliwasaclassclown,” read on of the posts.
“Bout to kill (expletive) in el monte whoever outside better know how to throw dem hands or shoot #ittimetoshowweanitclowingaround,” read another grammar- and spelling-shirking post.
The Instagram account had been taken down Wednesday afternoon, however the Facebook page remained online. The Facebook page, which was started on Monday, features pictures and videos of menacing-looking, sometimes ax-wielding clowns.
Investigators soon determined the identity of the alleged poster.
“We tracked him to a relative’s house in Kern County,’ Staab said.
Salazar was expected to be booked on suspicion of making criminal threats and held in lieu of $50,000 bail pending his initial court appearance.
The suspect indicated to detectives that he authored the posts as a joke, but Staab said he found no humor in it.
“These types of threats are taken seriously by law enforcement, and if you make a threat against somebody, there’s a good chance you’re going to get arrested,” the chief said.
The online threats came as a low-grade form of creepy clown-inspired hysteria has washed across the nation in recent weeks, with sightings of sinister-looking clown who are sometimes reported to try to lure children.
California had remained largely untouched by the clown-related shenanigans until Wednesday, when social media posts announced the jarring jesters could be expected to pay visits to Los Angeles County, including Pasadena, Whittier, and other Southern California communities.

PHOTO – Pennywise the clown, from Stephen King’s movie, “It,” has been haunting your dreams, and mine, since 1990.

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2 men jailed, 4 sought after couple terrorized in suspected ‘Youtube hoax’ in forest north of Glendora

ANGELES NATIONAL FOREST >> Deputies jailed two men and sought four others after they allegedly donned Halloween masks and used fake guns to terrorized a couple parked along Glendora Mountain Road north of Glendora late Friday in what was believed to a video-recorded hoax, officials said.
The bizarre incident was first reported about 11:20 p.m., Los Angeles County sheriff’s Lt. Elisabeth Sachs said.
A man and women in their 20s, were parked in their car on turnout when they were startled by people banging on their car windows, the lieutenant said.
The driver got out of his car to see what was going on, she said. He was confronted by six men, all wearing various Halloween masks.
The men brandished what appeared to be handguns, as well as brass knuckled, Sachs said. They made intimidating statement to the couple, such as, “There are six of us and two of you.” But they made no demands for property.
The male victim got back into his car and drove south into the city, with the suspects following behind in a truck. The man called 911 and reported suspects descriptions to police, along with the last place he’d seen them, which was in La Verne.
Deputies found the suspect’s parked car in La Verne, as well as two suspects who had walked away from it, Sachs said.
Inside the truck, deputies found at least two masks, brass knuckles and two realistic-looking airsoft pistols, which fire plastic BBs.
A GoPro camera was also found inside the truck.
Deputies suspected the men set out to scare people and film it in order to upload to the internet.
“We think it’s some kind of Youtube hoax,” she said.
The men, ages 19 and 20, were booked on suspicion of making criminal threats, a felony. The older suspect was also accused of possession of brass knuckles.
Officials withheld the suspects’ identities Saturday as they continued seeking their alleged accomplices.

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Police: Pasadena senior with rifle arrested following standoff


PASADENA >> A 73-year-old Pasadena man engaged police in a standoff for more than an hour Saturday after pointing a rifle at his female roommate during an argument, authorities said.
John Fletcher was expected to be booked on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and making criminal threats following the incident, which unfolded about 11 a.m. at a house in the 1000 block of Sunset Avenue, Pasadena police Lt. John Mercado said. He was taken to a hospital prior to booking for medical examination.
The incident began when Fletcher became involved in an argument with his roommate, a woman in her early 40s, Mercado said.
“Fletcher became angry, went and retrieved a rifle from somewhere in the house, pointed it at his roommate and threatened to kill her,” Mercado said. The woman fled from the home uninjured and called police.
Officers made contact with Fletcher by telephone, but he refused to exit the home and surrender, the lieutenant said.
After more than an hour, he said, officers spotted Fletcher exit the home, unarmed, and arrested him without a struggle.
Police recovered two .22-caliber rifles from the house, Mercado said.

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Man accused of shooting gun inside Altadena bar

ALTADENA >> A man is accused making threats and firing a gun into the ceiling of an Altadena bar Saturday night, officials said.
Deputies arrested Freddy Flores, 51, on suspicion of making criminal threats, negligent discharge of a firearm and drunken driving following the shooting, which took place just before midnight at the Altadena Ale & Wine House, 2329 Fair Oaks Avenue, according to Los Angeles County sheriff’s officials and booking records.
Flores hometown was not available, however he was believed to be something of a regular at the bar, Los Angeles County sheriff’s Lt. Randy Tuinstra said.
Flores made threats and pulled a revolver, firing three shots into the ceiling, the lieutenant said. He then left the bar and drove off.
It was unclear what precipitated the shooting.
Deputies responding to reports of the shooting found Flores driving nearby and pulled him over, Tuinstra said. “He appeared to be under the influence of alcohol.”
Deputies recovered a revolver from Flores with three fired shell casings still in the cylinder, he said.
According to county booking records, Flores was being held in lieu of $50,000 bail pending a scheduled arraignment Tuesday in Pasadena Superior Court.

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