Recently in West Covina Category

WEST COVINA -- A 12-year-old boy was hospitalized but expected to survive after he was struck by a pickup truck while riding his skateboard Thursday, authorities said.
The crash occurred just before 7:50 p.m. at Sunset and Merced avenues, West Covina police Lt. Marty Sevilla said.
The initial investigation indicated the boy was riding his skateboard with another boy and texting on his cell phone just prior to the collision, Sevilla said.
He skated out into traffic, where he was struck by a southbound pickup truck being driven by a woman estimated to be 40 years old, he said.
He suffered injuries to one of his legs and his head, Sevilla said, however the injuries did not appear life-threatening.
The boy was in a crosswalk, the lieutenant said, but he apparently crossed against a red light.
The driver of the pickup truck was not cited or arrested, he added.

WEST COVINA -- A man brandished a handgun Thursday while robbing a Denny's restaurant, police said.
The crime occurred about 7:30 p.m. at the restaurant at 132 N. Grand Avenue, West Covina police Lt. Marty Sevilla said.
The robber entered the store, pulled up his shirt to show the handle of a handgun tucked into his waistband and demanded money from the manager, the lieutenant said.
The gunman fled after getting the cash, Sevilla added. Witnesses saw a black, newer-model SUV leaving the area, he said, however it was unclear if that vehicle was involved in the robbery.
Police described the robber as a white man in his 30s, about 6 feet 1 inch tall, about 210 pounds, unshaven, with tattoos on his hands and neck. He wore a black hat, a black T-shirt and blue jeans.

From the Associated Press:

LOS ANGELES -- A San Gabriel Valley man has pleaded guilty to running a Ponzi scheme that stole nearly $700,000 from victims who thought they were investing in latex gloves following the 2001 terrorist attacks and anthrax scare.
Federal prosecutors say 36-year-old Miguel Salazar pleaded guilty Tuesday to a mail fraud
charge in Los Angeles.
Prosecutors say Salazar, who ran SF Capital with his former partner, Carlos Flores, promised
investors quarterly returns of 5 percent.
He told investors that the attacks of 9/11 and concerns about infectious disease would mean
growing demand for SF Capital's product, latex gloves.
Prosecutors say Salazar used investors' money for his personal benefit, including luxury seats at Dodger Stadium worth $140,000.
He faces 20 years in federal prison when he is sentenced on May 3.

ONTARIO -- A West Covina man was found shot to death in the parking lot of an Ontario apartment complex Friday morning.
Police officers responded to the 2500 block of East Riverside Drive about 8:10 a.m. after reports of shots fired in the area, said Ontario police Sgt. David McBride.
Vincent Mejia II, 33, of West Covina had several gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police did not release any suspect information for the killing.
Family members in West Covina declined to comment Sunday.

West Covina police kept busy overnight with these two unrelated incidents:

WEST COVINA -- Police arrested a man Saturday who allegedly fled the scene of an injury car crash while drunk.
Miguel Alcaraz, 40, of La Puente was booked on suspicion of drunken driving and felony hit-and-run in connection with the crash, which was witnessed by a police officer, West Covina police said in a written statement.
Alcaraz allegedly ran a red light on Lark Ellen Avenue at Puente Avenue before crashing into a Honda minivan that was westbound on Puente Avenue, police said. He then drove away without stopping.
A West Covina police officer who saw the crash stopped Alcaraz several blocks away and arrested him, officials said.
The driver of the minivan, a man in his 40s, suffered minor injuries in the crash, police said, possibly including a broken hand.
Alcaraz was was being held at the West Covina Police Department jail in lieu of $100,000 bail, according to sheriff's booking records. He was due for arraingment in West Covina Superior Court Tuesday.

 

WEST COVINA -- Three men and a woman robbed a woman of her cell phone early Sunday, police said.
The crime occurred about 1 a.m. at Ranchero Street and La Sena Avenue, West Covina police Lt. Marty Sevilla said in a written statement.
The 23-year-old woman was dropped off in the area by her friends and had just finished calling her father when she was approached by a 2-door compact car, the lieutenant said.
A woman with a knife got out of the passenger side of the car and demanded the woman's cell phone, which she handed over, Sevilla said.
The robber was a Latino woman, estimated to be 18 or 19, about 5 feet 1 inch tall and 140 to 160 pounds, police said. She had thin eyebrows.
The victim also saw three men with the appearance of gang members inside the car, police added.
Anyone with information is asked to call the West Covina Police Department.

 

 

WEST COVINA -- A gunman escaped with an unknown amount of cash Saturday after holding up a cell phone store, police said.
The robbery occurred about 6:20 p.m. at a cell phone store in the 1300 block of South Azusa Avenue, West Covina police Lt. Marty Sevilla said.
Police described the robber as a Latino man in his mid-20s, 5 feet 9 inches to 6 feet tall, of medium build, wearing a gray sweater, baggy blue jeans and a beanie covering his face. He carried a handgun in his pocket.
The robber was last seen running west from the area with an undisclosed amount of stolen cash, Sevilla said.

WEST COVINA -- Police arrested three teenagers Friday who allegedly tried to rob another teen, police said.
A 15-year-old boy was walked up to a group of three other teenagers just after 10 p.m. in the 200 block of South Glendora Avenue, West Covina police said in a written statement.
The alleged victim asked the three other boys for a cigarette and walked away, police said.
"The three male juveniles caught up with the victim and demanded his money and property," the statement said. One of the boys had what the apparent victim believed to be a knife.
The alleged victim ran off without giving the other boys anything, officials said.
Police found the three suspected robbers in the area, and a set of brass knuckles near them, police said. They were 15, 16 and 17 years old, and all from West Covina.
The young suspects were booked at Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall in Downey on suspicion of attempted robbery.

West Covina police officers joined a multi-agency task force Friday to seize $1.75 million worth of marijuana and arrest two men, police said.
Enrique Lopez, 28, of Paramount and Paulino Rivera, 18, of Lynwood were arrested on suspicion of possession of marijuana for sales and transporting marijuana, West Covina police said in a written statement. Rivera was also suspected of possessing a concealed handgun.
West Covina police joined the effort, which took place in Lynwood and Paramount, to provide extra manpower at the request of a multi-agency task force, West Covina police Lt. Dave Rozeboom said.
Six West Covina officers, working with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and other agencies that make up the L.A. IMPACT task force, found 3,700 pounds of pot in a car in Lynwood and a Paramount home, West Covina police Lt. David Rozeboom said.
"It is one of the larger amounts that we've seized," he said.
The incident began about 8 p.m. as officials were watching a house at 10845 McNerney Avenue in Lynwood where drug activity was suspected, West Covina police said in a written statement.
Sheriff's deputies spotted Lopez leaving the home and pulled him over for a traffic violation, police said, when they discovered he did not have a valid driver's license and impounded the car.
"During an inventory search," the statement said, "600 pounds of marijuana was located."
"They gained information that led them to the (house)," Rozeboom added.
Police served a search warrant on a house at 6843 San Miguel Ave. in Paramount, police said, where another 3,100 pounds of marijuana was found.
Officials arrested Rivera near the home, who was allegedly was carrying a concealed handgun, Rozeboom said. Two vehicles were seized from the home.
According to sheriff's booking records, Lopez and Rivera were each being held in lieu of $100,000 bail at the West Covina Police Department's jail. They were due for arraignment Tuesday in West Covina Superior Court.
Friday was not the first time West Covina police have partnered with other agencies to seize large amounts of marijuana.
In June, West Covina police officers were asked to work with U.S. Immigration and Customs officials to seize 3,500 pounds of marijuana that was concealed in a truck in Montebello.
The shipment, which originated in Mexico, was placed into makeshift boxes that were designed to look like stacks of lumber.

*PHOTO couresy of the West Covina Police Department

WEST COVINA -- Two men robbed and beat another man outside a West Covina apartment complex Thursday, authorities said.
The crime was reported about 8 p.m. in the 700 block of North Azusa Avenue, West Covina police Lt. Marty Sevilla said.
The victim was walking to his girlfriend's house when he was beaten up by two men who then stole his money, the lieutenant said. The victim declined to be hospitalized.
Both robbers were Latino men with the appearance of gang members, Sevilla said.
One was about 5 feet 10 inches tall, 180 pounds, with a shaved head and unknown tattoos on the side of his face, police said. He wore a white shirt and black and white checkered shorts, and was armed with a screwdriver.
The other robber was described only as about 6 feet tall and 200 pounds.
Anyone with information is asked to call the West Covina Police Department.

WEST COVINA -- A gunman robbed a West Covina beauty shop Wednesday, police said.
The crime occurred just before 1:10 p.m. at Sally's Beauty Supply in the 2500 block of East Workman Avenue, West Covina police officials said.
The robber was described as a black man, about 6 feet 2 inches tall and about 180 pounds, West Covina police Lt. Tommy Garcia said in a written statement.
He entered the store and asked an employee for a specific product, Garcia said.
Once the register was opened, "he brandished a small-caliber, semi-automatic pistol and demanded the money in the cash register," the lieutenant said.
The robber was last seen fleeing the area in a white SUV, police added.
Garcia said investigators were looking into the possibility the same robber may be responsible for other recent crimes in the area.

This from reporter Thomas Himes. 

From Thomas Himes:

WEST COVINA -- Police continued their search Saturday for three self-identified gang members who shot and wounded two teenage boys, officials said.
The shooting was reported shortly after 9 p.m. Friday in the area of Puente Avenue and Orange Street, West Covina police Lt. Tommy Garcia said.
A 16-year-old boy and a 17-year-old boy, both from West Covina, were walking when a silver Nissan Altima drove by with three Latino young men inside, the lieutenant said. They were not believed to have gang ties.
The young victims did not know why they were targeted, he added.
"All they know is suddenly these guys came by, yelled out a gang name and then fired," Garcia said.
Police declined to release the gang name that was yelled Saturday, citing an ongoing investigation.
The 16-year-old boy was shot in the head, and the older boy was shot in the shoulder, stomach and groin, police said. Both were hospitalized in stable condition Friday.

WEST COVINA -- Two teenage boys were wounded in a drive-by shooting Friday, police said.
The attack occurred about 9:10 p.m. in the area of Puente Avenue and Orange Street, West Covina police Lt. Tommy Garcia said.
A 16-year-old boy was shot in the head, and a 17-year-old boy was shot in the shoulder, stomach and groin, the lieutenant said.
Both teens were expected to survive, he added.
The shooter was inside a passing silver Nissan sedan, Garcia said. No description of the occupants of the car was available.
A motive in the shooting remained unclear late Friday.