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TEMPLE CITY -- A masked gunman robbed a donut shop along Rosemead Boulevard early Wednesday, authorities said.
The robber wore a ski mask as he entered Rose Donut, at Rosemead Boulevard and Longden Avenue, about 8 a.m., Los Angeles County sheriff's Lt. Edward Godfrey said.
Using a handgun, he robbed the business and was last seen fleeing the area on foot, the lieutenant said.
Officials described the robber as a Latino or white man, about 5 feet 8 inches tall and 180 pounds, wearing a black ski mask, a black hooded sweat shirt and dark-colored jeans.
Anyone with information is asked to call the sheriff's Temple Station at 626-448-9861.
TEMPLE CITY -- A deputy fired his gun at a suspect Monday as they fought during an attempted arrest, officials said.
It was unclear if the suspect, who remained at large, was wounded, Los Angeles County sheriff's officials said in a written statement. The deputy was treated for minor injuries suffered in the confrontation.
The incident began when a patrol deputy stopped a bicyclist about 4:30 p.m. in the 10600 block of Lower Azusa Road, in a mixed commercial and residential neighborhood near the El Monte border.
"The deputy began to affect an arrest of the bicyclist (suspect) for a narcotics charge," according to the sheriff's statement. "The deputy and the suspect became involved in a physical struggle, during which a deputy-involved shooting occurred."
The suspect ran off and the search for him continued Tuesday, officials said. It was not known if he had been shot.
Officials described the suspect as a Latino man of about 35 years old, about 5 feet 8 inches tall and 135 pounds.
As is common practice when a sheriff's deputy is involved in an on-duty shooting, the incident is being investigated by the sheriff's homicide and internal affairs bureaus, as well as the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office and the County of Los Angeles Office of Independent Review.
Anyone with information is asked to call the sheriff's Temple Station at 626-285-7171. Tips can also be left anonymously by calling Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477.
In an effort to get back at her French boyfriend, a Temple City woman is suspected of calling authorities at LAX and suggesting the man and his companions - all of whom bear Arabic surnames - posed a threat to passengers aboard a flight leaving LAX.
The woman, identified as Lizet Sariol, 45, was charged in a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles. She is suspected with "providing false and misleading information; specifically, fabricating a terrorist threat to United Airlines," according to a press release issued Wednesday.
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POMONA -- Sentencing for a Temple City man convicted of killing a Baldwin Park youth counselor while fleeing from police last year has been postponed, authorities said.
A Pomona Superior Court jury convicted Luis Noriega, 29, in June of second degree murder for the death of Walter Williams, 37, of Carson.
He was scheduled to be sentenced Thursday, however the sentencing was postponed until Aug. 23, Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney T.D. Pham said.
He faces from 23 years in prison to life behind bars when he's sentenced by Pomona Superior Court Tia Fisher.
Noriega was fleeing from police in a stolen SUV on June 18, 2010, when he slammed into Williams' car at Ramona Boulevard and Francisquito Avenue in Baldwin Park, officials said.
Williams' was thrown from his car, which then burst into flames.
He had just picked up his paycheck from Eggleston Youth Homes and Foster Care in Baldwin Park, where he worked as a counselor.
A Pomona Superior Court jury convicted Luis Noriega, 29, in June of second degree murder for the death of Walter Williams, 37, of Carson.
He was scheduled to be sentenced Thursday, however the sentencing was postponed until Aug. 23, Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney T.D. Pham said.
He faces from 23 years in prison to life behind bars when he's sentenced by Pomona Superior Court Tia Fisher.
Noriega was fleeing from police in a stolen SUV on June 18, 2010, when he slammed into Williams' car at Ramona Boulevard and Francisquito Avenue in Baldwin Park, officials said.
Williams' was thrown from his car, which then burst into flames.
He had just picked up his paycheck from Eggleston Youth Homes and Foster Care in Baldwin Park, where he worked as a counselor.
TEMPLE CITY -- Pasadena police arrested a boyfriend and girlfriend Friday at a home in Temple City after finding them with a laptop computer stolen from a Pasadena seminary three months ago, authorities said.
Edward Ramirez, 19, of Pasadena and Elaine Lee, 19, of Temple City were arrested in connection with the theft of a laptop in April from the library at Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena police Lt. Chris Russ said.
Investigators received information that the computer was at Lee's home in the 600 block of Temple City Boulevard in Temple City, the lieutenant said.
Police served a search warrant at the home about 4 p.m. Friday, recovering the laptop and arresting Ramirez and Lee, Russ said.
According to sheriff's booking records, Ramirez was being held in lieu of $20,000 bail at the Pasadena Police Department's jail, while Lee was released from jail Friday after posting $1,000 bail. Information on their initial court appearances was not available.
Russ advised laptop users to secure their machines with anti-theft devices such as alarms and software to prevent unauthorized access to important information.
Taken from courtroom by paramedics:
Excerpt from San Gabriel Valley Tribune story -
Wilson Wilson, 78, wailed and moaned repeatedly and then appeared to gag and convulse in her chair as Judge Alex Ricciardulli read the sentence out loud.
"No," Wilson groaned.
Sheriff's deputies immediately cleared the courtroom to attend to Wilson, who called paramedics after she reported difficulty breathing. Wilson was taken by ambulance to a local hospital to be treated, according to the deputies.
LOS ANGELES
- Former Temple City Mayor Cathe Wilson was sentenced today to four years in state prison following her conviction last month of bribery and perjury charges involving a development in the San Gabriel Valley city.Deputy District Attorney Sean Hassett of the Public Integrity Division said the Los Angeles Superior Court Superior Court Judge Alex Ricciardulli sentenced the 78-year-old mayor and ordered her to pay $10,000 in restitution.
Wilson was convicted May 2 of three counts of asking for or receiving a bribe and three counts of perjury. The perjury charges involved one count of lying to the Los Angeles County Grand Jury in 2008 and two counts of submitting false material in Fair Political Practices reports.
Wilson, her campaign manager and another former Temple Mayor, Judy Wong, were indicted in June 2009 on charges that cash bribes were demanded and received in 2007 from developer Randy Wang for his Temple City Piazza project. Another council member, David Capra, was charged separately.
Wong, 54, pleaded no contest and was sentenced last year to 16 months in state prison. Scott Carwile, 52, Wilson's campaign manager, pleaded guilty to a perjury count and was sentenced May 24 to three years probation and one day in county jail. Capra pleaded no contest in 2009 to a misdemeanor charge of failure to report a campaign contribution and agreed to resign from the council.
Prosecutors said earlier that officials from Temple City cooperated with the Public Integrity Division in its investigation.
Authorities arrested a former Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy Thursday on suspicion of breaking into his ex-fiance's house, threatening her boyfriend with a gun and punching him while off-duty last year.
Reymundo Lainez, 42, of Los Angeles, was booked on suspicion of felony counts of burglary, assault with a firearm and making criminal threats, as well as a misdemeanor count of battery, Los Angeles County District Attorney's officials said in a written statement.
He also goes by the alias Reynaldo Edmundo Lainez, which is the name he was listed under in sheriff's booking records.
"While off-duty on April 17, 2010, Lainez allegedly broke into his former fiance's Pasadena residence and pointed a gun at her boyfriend. He allegedly threatened the man then punched him," the statement said.
Pasadena police officers took him into custody without incident early Thursday at his Los Angeles home, Pasadena police Lt. Tracey Ibarra said.
In the 2010 incident, officers responded to a 9-1-1 call at a home in the 1700 block of Casitas Avenue, where a woman reported her ex-fiance had forced his way into her home through a door, Ibarra said.
"They made contact with a female, who made allegations that (Lainez) had pointed his handgun at a male visitor she had at the location, and subsequent to that, punched the victim," the lieutenant said.
Lainez was initially arrested but quickly posted bail, Ibarra said. In recent weeks, prosecutors notified police of their intention to file a criminal case, and an arrest warrant was obtained.
Lainez was last assigned to the sheriff's Temple City Station, sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore said. He was first hired as a deputy in February of 2000.
An internal investigation into Lainez was concluded in January, before the district attorney's office had made a decision on whether to pursue criminal charges, Whitmore said.
"On Jan. 26, he was notified as to the results of our internal investigation," he said. "He's no longer a part of our sheriff's department."
Whitmore said sheriff's personnel policies prohibited him from saying whether the deputy had been terminated or resigned.
The internal investigation into Lainez was carried out alongside of the criminal probe, Whitmore said. Traditionally, sheriff's officials have waited for criminal investigations into alleged deputy misconduct to be finished before launching an internal investigation.
"This is one of the first times, not the first, where this occurred, because the evidence was overwhelming," Whitmore said. "She Sheriff said 'I don't want to wait.'"
A recent investigation into a brawl at a Montebello Christmas party among sheriff's deputies was handled in a similar fashion.
An internal investigation into the fight at the Quiet Cannon banquet hall was concluded in mid-March and the department began termination proceedings against six deputies.
The investigations are indicative of a changing philosophy toward deputy discipline in the sheriff's department, Whitmore said.
"The Sheriff is not going to wait (for the criminal investigation) anymore," he said. "When there are indications that the department should move forward in an appropriate fashion, Sheriff Baca will do so."
Three months prior to the alleged domestic violence incident, Lainez made headlines for his role in rescuing a badly-burned elderly man from a burning Temple City home.
Lainez, the first official to arrive at the scene of the Jan. 29 fire at 10165 Bogue Street, and good Samaritans entered the burning home to pull out an 87-year-old man who had suffered burns to more than 80 percent of his body, sheriff's and fire officials said at the time.
According to sheriff's booking records, Lainez was being held in lieu of $50,000 bail. No information was available regarding his initial court appearance.
If convicted as charged, Lainez could face more than 16 years in state prison.
SOUTH PASADENA -- Two South Pasadena men are behind bars on suspicion of robbing a man in Temple City who was trying to buy an iPhone through Craigslist.com earlier this month, authorities said Sunday.
Daniel So, 19, and Garret Helstrom, 20, were booked on suspicion of armed robbery Friday after being arrested near So's home, Los Angeles County sheriff's officials said in a written statement.
The robbery was reported about 3 p.m. on Feb. 19 in a parking lot behind a fast-food restaurant in the 9400 block of Las Tunas Drive in Temple City, sheriff's Sgt. Jeff Walker said.
The man had arranged to meet someone via the website Craigslist.com to buy an iPhone for $500 and met So in the parking lot to do the transaction, Walker said.
Instead of an iPhone, the So pulled a gun and demanded the man's money, officials said. The man fled after turning over his cash and was unhurt.
Sheriff's investigators identified So as a suspect in the robbery, went to his South Pasadena home Friday and watched as So got into a car with another man, later identified as Helstrom.
Deputies pulled over the car and arrested So, according to the sheriff's statement.
When deputies found a handgun replica and what appeared to be stolen property in the car, officials said, Helstrom was also arrested for assisting in the robbery.
According to sheriff's booking records, So and Helstrom were being held in lieu of $100,000 bail each at the sheriff's Temple Station.
Detectives are looking into the possibility the men may be responsible for other similar crimes, and anyone who's been a victim of a similar robbery is asked to call their local police or sheriff's station.
TEMPLE CITY -- A man expecting to buy an iPhone through the popular Craigslist.com classified ads website Saturday was instead robbed at gunpoint, authorities said.
The crime took place about 3:30 p.m. behind a Carl's Jr. restaurant at Las Tunas Drive and Golden West Avenue, Los Angeles County sheriff's Lt. Jeff Walker said.
The victim and suspect met via Craigslist, and the victim arranged to purchase an iPhone from the robber for $500, the sergeant said.
When the men met to do the transaction behind the restaurant, the robber pulled a semi-automatic handgun on him and stole his money, Walker said.
The gunman was described as an Asian man of about 5 feet 9 inches tall and 160 pounds. He had black hair, brown eyes and wore a red jacket.
He was last seen fleeing through Civic Center Park, toward City Hall, Walker added.
When doing business via websites such as Craigslist, Walker said, the public is advised to learn as much information about the identity of the person they plan to meet as possible, and ensure the meeting takes place in a public area.
COVINA -- An El Monte woman is behind bars on suspicion of kidnapping another woman and holding her at gunpoint for more than five hours while trying to make her sign over her car, authorities said Friday.
Lori Madrid, a 36-year-old gang member, was being held in lieu of $100,000 bail, according to sheriff's officials and booking records.
A man called 9-1-1 about 3 a.m. Tuesday and reported his girlfriend, a 22-year-old Temple City woman, was being held hostage at gunpoint by Madrid at a home in the 16600 block of Tudor Street in an unincorporated county area near Covina, Los Angeles County sheriff's officials said in a written statement.
Deputies from the sheriff's San Dimas Station responded to the home where they freed the kidnapping victim, arrested Madrid and found a handgun, sheriff's officials said.
The victim told deputies she went to the home to see a resident and was confronted by Madrid, her former neighbor, who was armed with a handgun, according to the sheriff's statement.
While holding her for more than five hours, authorities said, Madrid threatened the victim in an attempt to get her to sign over the pink slip to her car.
Madrid was booked on suspicion of kidnapping, attempted robbery, possession of a loaded firearm, being a gang member in possession of a firearm, possession of an unregistered handgun and a gang enhancement charge.
TEMPLE CITY - Three people suspected of robbing a Bank of the West branch in Temple City Wednesday were arrested during rush hour on the 10 Freeway at the interchange with the 5 Freeway in Boyle Heights, authorities said.
Levell Martin, 38, of Los Angeles, Calvin Sims, 33, of Los Angeles, and Daneyelle Jackson, 22, of Inglewood were arrested on suspicion of robbery and kidnapping, Lt. Thomas McNeal of the sheriff's Temple Station said
The robbery was reported in the 9900 block of Las Tunas Drive at about 4:50 p.m., McNeal said.
When deputies arrived at the bank, they were told two males and a female had just committed the robbery, got into a black van and fled. Witnesses gave deputies a partial license plate number from the van, McNeal said.
A short time later, a Temple Station deputy was searching for the suspects and saw the van on the westbound 10 Freeway, near Walnut Grove Avenue in Rosemead.
The deputy requested backup and was assisted on the freeway by a sheriff's helicopter crew, deputies with trained dogs, more deputies from Temple City and East Los Angeles, and California Highway Patrol officers, McNeal said.
The van and its occupants stopped on the westbound 10 at the interchange with the 5. The suspects surrendered without the need for the use of force, McNeal said.
They were arrested on suspicion of bank robbery and taken to the Temple Station for booking.
Money allegedly stolen from the bank, a weapon, and other evidence connecting the suspects to the alleged bank robbery were found inside the van, McNeal said.
Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department detectives were working with agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation on the robbery, McNeal said.
"Thanks to the help of good witnesses, deputies had a description of the suspects and their van," McNeal said. "With that information, a very alert deputy spotted the suspects and their vehicle, leading to their arrest."
Levell Martin, 38, of Los Angeles, Calvin Sims, 33, of Los Angeles, and Daneyelle Jackson, 22, of Inglewood were arrested on suspicion of robbery and kidnapping, Lt. Thomas McNeal of the sheriff's Temple Station said
The robbery was reported in the 9900 block of Las Tunas Drive at about 4:50 p.m., McNeal said.
When deputies arrived at the bank, they were told two males and a female had just committed the robbery, got into a black van and fled. Witnesses gave deputies a partial license plate number from the van, McNeal said.
A short time later, a Temple Station deputy was searching for the suspects and saw the van on the westbound 10 Freeway, near Walnut Grove Avenue in Rosemead.
The deputy requested backup and was assisted on the freeway by a sheriff's helicopter crew, deputies with trained dogs, more deputies from Temple City and East Los Angeles, and California Highway Patrol officers, McNeal said.
The van and its occupants stopped on the westbound 10 at the interchange with the 5. The suspects surrendered without the need for the use of force, McNeal said.
They were arrested on suspicion of bank robbery and taken to the Temple Station for booking.
Money allegedly stolen from the bank, a weapon, and other evidence connecting the suspects to the alleged bank robbery were found inside the van, McNeal said.
Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department detectives were working with agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation on the robbery, McNeal said.
"Thanks to the help of good witnesses, deputies had a description of the suspects and their van," McNeal said. "With that information, a very alert deputy spotted the suspects and their vehicle, leading to their arrest."
TEMPLE CITY -- BB guns, bullets and inert grenades left in a Temple City church Friday prompted officials to call in the bomb squad, authorities said.
Officials received a call about 3:30 p.m. reporting a possible explosive device left inside the Victory in Christ Church, 5221 El Monte Ave., Los Angeles County sheriff's Sgt. Richard Conti said.
Deputies evacuated the area around the church and called for the sheriff's bomb squad to investigate a box found inside the church filled with suspicious contents.
The bomb squad determined that the box contained BB guns, bullets and grenades that had had the explosives removed, Conti said, and sounded the all-clear shortly after 6 p.m.
Deputies were investigating who left the items at the church and why.
Officials received a call about 3:30 p.m. reporting a possible explosive device left inside the Victory in Christ Church, 5221 El Monte Ave., Los Angeles County sheriff's Sgt. Richard Conti said.
Deputies evacuated the area around the church and called for the sheriff's bomb squad to investigate a box found inside the church filled with suspicious contents.
The bomb squad determined that the box contained BB guns, bullets and grenades that had had the explosives removed, Conti said, and sounded the all-clear shortly after 6 p.m.
Deputies were investigating who left the items at the church and why.
TEMPLE CITY -- Officials briefly evacuated a building at Temple City High School Wednesday after an instructor dropped a beaker containing a dangerous acid.
The incident was first reported about 9 a.m. at a science classroom in a two story building on the campus, 9501 Lemon Ave., Los Angeles County sheriff's and fire officials said.
A custodian at the school was taken to a hospital to be examined as a precaution after inhaling fumes from the spill, fire Capt. Tim Bushrow said.
The chemical spilled was hydrochloric acid, he said. "The estimated quantity was probably a cup to two cups."
The acid is capable of burning the skin and causing respiratory problems if inhaled, the captain added.
The acid was spilled near the door to the classroom and outside walkway, Bushrow said.
Adding to the drama, he said, "In this case, it was misty or raining outside. Once (hydrochloric acid) mixes with water it produces visible vapor."
Hazardous materials experts responded to the scene, neutralized the acid with baking soda and cleaned up the mess, Bushrow said.
About 150 students who were evacuated from the building were allowed back in about an hour later, officials said.
From staff and wire reports
A woman kidnapped for ransom, raped and nearly beaten to death was expected to survive Friday as sheriff's officials continued their investigation, authorities said.
Deqiang Song, 24, of Chicago was arrested just after 1 a.m. Thursday in San Gabriel on suspicion of kidnapping, attempted murder, rape and extortion, Los Angeles County sheriff's officials said.
The alleged victim, a woman in her 20s, was found in the Apple Valley area Wednesday with major injuries and taken to an Antelope Valley hospital for treatment, Los Angeles County sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore said.
"The good news is, it looks like she's going to live," he said. "It was touch and go for a while."
Due to an ongoing investigation, few details were released Friday about the alleged crime and arrest.
"We're still playing a little bit close to the vest," he said.
The abduction is believed to have occurred in a rural area not far from the Los Angeles County-San Bernardino County border.
A person in Cerritos received a phone call Wednesday afternoon demanding money for the return of the victim, officials said.
Between about 11 p.m. Wednesday and 1 a.m. Thursday -- after the woman had been found -- a man working with undercover detectives left ransom money for the kidnapper under a truck in a parking lot outside the Hawaii Supermarket on East Valley Boulevard in San Gabriel, according to news reports.
According to sheriff's booking records, Song was being held without bail at the sheriff's Temple Station and was due for arraignment Monday in Alhambra Superior Court.
This incident is being investigated by the sheriff's Major Crimes Bureau.
CONTRIBUTORS
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| Frank Girardot, Metro Editor for the San Gabriel Valley Newspapers, brings you behind the yellow tape with takes on true crime, cold cases and more. This is also your forum to discuss crime, its impact on your neighborhood and how we cover it. Have any questions or tips? You can leave a comment here or e-mail Frank. |
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Brian Day is the crime reporter for the San Gabriel Valley Newspaper group. E-mail Brian. |
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