Recently in Whittier Category

Deputies arrested a woman on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon after she attacked her husband with a knife, causing minor injuries, in an unincorporated county area near Whittier, authorities said.
Debra Von Trapp, 58, was being held in lieu of $50,000 bail, Los Angeles County sheriff's Sgt. Robert Renteria said.
The incident occurred about 1 p.m. at a home in the 12200 block of Tanfield Drive, the sergeant said.
The woman and her husband became involved in an argument before the woman pulled a knife and cut his arm, Renteria said. The injury appeared minor.
Friday's incident was not the first time deputies have responded to the home for domestic violence-related calls, he added.
According to sheriff's booking records, Von Trapp is due for arraignment in Whittier Superior Court on Thursday.

Emigdio Preciado,  whose picture has been on billboards, the FBI's 10 Most Wanted List and the television program America's Most Wanted, returned to the US Tuesday, according the the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. 

WHITTIER -- Two men tried to rob a credit union vault Thursday, but fled with only an employees keys after the crime was interrupted, police said.
The robbery was reported about 7:20 a.m. at the Whittier Municipal Employees Federal Credit Union, Whittier police Lt. Wyatt Powell said.
A lone employee was arriving for work when two robbers confronted him, pointed a handgun at him and demanded his keys, Powell said.
The robbers used the keys to get into the credit union, then ordered the employee to lead them to the vault, the lieutenant said.
Due to a mechanical problem, the vault door could not be opened, Powell said.
A technician arrived at the credit union to work on the broken vault door and interrupted the crime, he added.
The robbers fled in a GMC Jimmy SUV with only the employee's keys.
Police found the SUV abandoned in a nearby neighborhood, Powell said. It had been reported stolen.
One of the robbers was described as a Latino man in his late 20s, officials said, and the other was described only as a man in his mid-20s.
The credit union employee was not hurt in the incident.

From the Whittier Police Department's News and Information Blog:

This press release comes from Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe's office:

LOS ANGELES, December 10, 2009 - A Medical Marijuana dispensary operating illegally in unincorporated South Whittier will be forced to close immediately after Los Angeles County successfully won a preliminary injunction against the dispensary's operators today.

 The Starlight 420 Center had been operating at 15640 Leffingwell Road for more than six months. The County sought to close the dispensary because of multiple code violations, including proximity to children's play areas. The dispensary opened without obtaining or applying for a legally required business license or a conditional use permit. Additionally, the dispensary was operating 285 feet from a McDonald's playground and 595 feet from a child care center. The County's zoning ordinance for marijuana dispensaries was adopted in 2006 and prevents dispensaries from operating within 1000 feet of facilities for children.

 The County began legal action against the dispensaries operators after receiving complaints from neighbors in July 2009. Complaints included comments about noxious odors because of poor ventilation and children having to pass by the dispensary in order to reach the playground next-door. Additionally, neighbors said they witnessed adults handing marijuana purchases to children waiting outside the dispensary.

 Judge Ralph Dau of the Los Angeles Superior Court granted the County's request this morning for a preliminary injunction against the dispensaries operators. This injunction prohibits the owners and their employees from operating a marijuana dispensary or possessing, giving away, or selling marijuana at their location on Leffingwell. 

 Judge Dau also granted an extension on the prohibition in all of the County's unincorporated areas, meaning the owners of the Starlight Center won't be able to pick up and move into another unincorporated area without a proper license or permit. This injunction will remain in effect until a trial date. This ruling will shut the facility down once the plaintiffs are officially served.

 "This is a big victory for the County," said Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe.  "Today's ruling is not about whether medical marijuana is right or wrong - the voters have already answered that question.  What is most important is ensuring the safety of our children and our communities, and ensuring that properly-permitted dispensaries operate within the law.  Closing this dispensary was a high priority and ensures we are keeping our neighborhoods safe."

*Photo courtesy of the Associated Press

WHITTIER -- A woman died at the hospital Wednesday after a two-vehicle crash on Lambert Road in an unincorporated county area near Whittier, authorities said.
The crash occurred just after 4 p.m. at Lambert Road and First Avenue, California Highway Patrol Officer Jose Nunez said. The woman died at Whittier Hospital Medical Center just before 6 p.m.
She was a passenger in a small car that collided with a pickup truck, Los Angeles County Fire Department Capt. Victor Lomeli said. She initially appeared to be in her 40s or 50s.
The driver of that car, another woman, as well as a man driving the pickup truck were not injured in the crash, he said.
The cause of the collision was being investigated by the Santa Fe Springs office of the CHP.

WHITTIER - A man was fatally stabbed early Friday.
His name and city of residence were not immediately released.
Los Angeles County sheriff's officials released little information about the stabbing, which was reported about 3:50 a.m. in the 14300 block of Mulberry Drive in an unincorporated county area near Whittier.
Los Angeles County Fire officials said they were told by the sheriff's department about a stabbing and took one person to a hospital.
The man was pronounced dead at the hospital, according to Los Angeles County sheriff's Deputy Guillermina Saldana.
Sheriff's officials released no further information about the slaying Friday, and the handling homicide detectives could not be reached for comment.

Sheriff's homicide investigators are looking into the death of a man whose body was found early Friday.
The dead man's name was not released pending notification of his family members, Los Angeles County Department of Coroner Lt. David Smith said. He was 54 years old.
He was pronounced dead after being discovered about 9:09 a.m. in his home in the 7000 block of Norwalk Boulevard, in an unincorporated county area near Whittier, Los Angeles County sheriff's and coroner's officials said.
"There were no signs of foul play," sheriff's Lt. Margarito Robles said, and detectives were called in because the man's cause of death was not immediately clear.
Coroner's officials will perform an autopsy to determined the man's officials cause of death.

WHITTIER -- A fire destroyed a garage in an unincorporated county area near Whittier Wednesday, authorities said.
The blaze was reported shortly before 2 p.m. in a garage to the rear of a home in the 7100 block of Norwalk Boulevard, Los Angeles County Fire Department Inspector Steve Zermeno said.
Firefighters found the garage "well-involved" with fire, but doused the flames in a matter of minutes, the inspector said.
The fire remained contained to the garage, which appeared to be a total loss, Los Angeles County Fire Department Capt. Rob Cendejas said. No injuries were reported.
The residents were not displaced from their house, he added.
The cause of the fire was under investigation.

WHITTIER -- At least three people were stabbed Saturday during a fight outside a Halloween party, police said.
The stabbings were reported about 11:15 p.m. in a residential neighborhood in the 7700 block of Comstock Avenue, Whittier police Sgt. Kevin Ramos said.
Three men found their own way to the hospital following the incident, and police were seeking a possible fourth stabbing victim who was unaccounted for, the sergeant said.
The conditions of the wounded men were not available, he said, however none of the injuries were believed to be life-threatening.
The stabbings were discovered after officers responded to a report of about 20 people fighting in the street, Ramos said.
The knife-wielding man was described as Latino, about 20 years old, about 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighing about 150 pounds, officials said. He had black hair and wore a black hooded sweat shirt and checkered shorts.

*UPDATED:

WHITTIER -- A man was shot and wounded late Friday in an apparently gang-related attack, police said.
The shooting occurred about 8:30 p.m. at Pioneer and Beverly boulevards, Whittier police Sgt. Tom Reed said.
Fire officials said the wounded man appeared to be about 25 years old.
He was believed to be an Eastside Duarte gang member, Whittier police Sgt. Kevin Ramos said.
Initial investigation indicated the man was walking down the street when he was shot by someone in a passing car, the sergeant said.
He was hit in the hip and taken to a trauma center, where he was expected to survive, Ramos said.
At least three people were inside the car, he said, which was described as a blue, late-model Chevrolet Impala with tinted windows and possibly Texas license plates.
The driver was a Latino man, about 5 feet 8 inches tall with a shaved head, police said. He wore a flannel shirt with a dark-colored t-shirt underneath and a black baseball cap.
It was not clear if the driver was also the shooter, Ramos said.

WHITTIER -- A woman was struck by a car and badly injured Friday in an unincorporated county area near Whittier, authorities said.
The crash occurred about 6:35 p.m. on Imperial Highway at Burgess Avenue, California Highway Patrol officer Francisco Villalobos said.
The woman, who was estimated to be in her 20s, was not breathing and had only a faint pulse when rescuers arrived, Los Angeles County Fire Department Capt. Tom Ray said.
Firefighters rushed her to Whittier Hospital with injuries the captain described as "grave."
The car involved remained at the scene and the driver was unhurt, officials said.
The cause of the crash was being investigated by the Santa Fe Springs office of the CHP.

WHITTIER -- A man died Thursday after he fell from a patio roof and struck his head on on the cement below, police said.
The incident was reported shortly before 4 p.m. in the 13500 block of Via Del Palma Avenue, Whittier police Lt. Wyatt Powell said.
Coroner's officials did not release his name late Thursday pending notification of family members.
After responding to a call for help, "We found a 47-year-old resident of San Fernando on the ground, suffering from severe head wounds," Powell said.
He was apparently on top of a patio at the home doing work for some relatives when he slipped off, he said.
"Our investigation revealed no evidence of foul play," Powell added.

WHITTIER -- A 45-year-old man was shot to death in broad daylight Sunday in an unincorporated county area near Whittier, officials said.
Authorities responded to a report of "shots fired, person down," about 2:30 p.m. in the 11200 block of Rivera Road, Los Angeles County sheriff's Deputy Jeff Gordon said in a written statement.
"They arrived to find the male victim lying in a driveway apron suffering from an apparent gunshot wound," the statement said.
The man was pronounced dead at the scene, Gordon said. A motive in the attack was not known.
Sheriff's homicide detectives handling the case could not be reached for comment Sunday.
Coroner's officials did not release the dead man's name Sunday, however Eddie Cabrera, 50, of unincorporated Whittier said the victim was his brother, 45-year-old Kenny Cabrera, and lived in the neighborhood where he was killed.
"He had just come back from church with (our) mom," Eddie Cabrera said.
He was waiting for friends to pick him up and give him a ride to a Los Angeles homeless shelter where he volunteered when he was shot, Eddie Cabrera said.
People in the neighborhood heard about four gunshots, he said.
Eddie Cabrera said his brother was not involved in gangs, and he didn't know of any enemies his brother had.
"He had no problems with anybody," he said. "He had a good heart. If anybody needed help, he was there. He was always looking after my mom."
A crowd of friends and family members gathered at the scene of the shooting late Sunday to light candles and lay flowers in his honor.
Kenny Cabrera was a lifelong Whittier-area resident who attended Pioneer High school, his brother said. He was single and had no children.
Eddie Cabrera said his brother had always been "mechanically inclined," and could work on anything from cars to lawn mowers.
"He liked to work on the computer," he said, and was often fixing broken computers for friends.
"He was very loving of animals too," the brother said, and had a Chihuahua mix.
Eddie Cabrera said his brother is survived by his mother, a twin brother, three older brothers and an older sister.