Recently in Whittier Category
WHITTIER -- A pregnant woman and her husband ended up in the hospital after a two-car crash Thursday.
Whittier police Sgt. Terry McAllister said the man sustained minor injuries and the woman was taken to a hospital as a precaution.
The collision on Colima Road and Cullen Street was reported to police at 6:08 p.m.
McAllister said the couple's car was traveling on Colima Road when another car made a left turn from Cullen Street to Colima Road and hit their vehicle.
No one was injured in the second car, according to McAllister.
- Ruby Gonzales
SANTA FE SPRINGS -- Three parolees arrested on suspicion of carrying out a car-to-car shooting that left one man dead and another seriously wounded last week have not been charged in connection with the slaying, officials said Thursday.
Jason Uzel, 37, of Whittier, Brian Recinos, 22, of Whittier and Frank Ramos, 45, of Eureka were arrested on suspicion of murder in the hours following the Jan. 2 shooting on Sorensen Avenue, just south of Washington Boulevard, Whittier police officials said.
While all three men remained behind bars on suspicion of violating their parole, police had not yet presented the murder case to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office, Whittier police Officer Bradley White said.
"There's no criminal filing at this time," he said. The investigation is still ongoing."
The shooting claimed the life of 18-year-old Mark Joseph Rodriguez of Whittier, and left a second man who was riding in a car with Rodriguez seriously wounded, according to police and coroner's officials.
The shooting is being investigated by the Whittier Police Department, which provides police services to Santa Fe Springs.
WHITTIER -- A South Whittier man has begun serving a 12-year prison sentence for stabbing wife to death at their home in an unincorporated county area near Whittier.
Andres Zazueta, 47, was sentenced to prison Feb. 3 after pleading no contest to voluntary manslaughter in the death of 45-year-old Maria Guzman on March 13, Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office spokeswoman Jane Robison said.
Originally charged with murder, Zazueta attacked his wife with a kitchen knife at their home in the 10700 block of Carmenita Road, then wounded himself as well before deputies arrived at the scene, officials said.
Guzman died at the scene, while Zazueta was hospitalized for his injuries before being arrested.
Other than domestic violence, a motive in the killing has not been released.
NORWALK -- Sentencing was delayed Wednesday for a La Habra man facing the death penalty for two gang-related murders in Whittier, including one in which he fatally stabbed the wrong man, authorities said.
A jury recommended the death sentence in January for Gabriel Alexander Ronquillo, 39, for the 2004 mistaken-identity murder of 47-year-old Gary Frausto, as well as the 1999 slaying of rival gang member David Borunda, 23. He was convicted of the killings in December in Norwalk Superior Court.
His sentencing was initially scheduled for Wednesday, but was postponed to March 15, court officials said.
Ronquillo was arrested following the most recent killing, after his would-be getaway car failed to start, investigators said.
In Frausto's killing, authorities said, Ronquillo was following an order from the Mexican Mafia to kill another man, Frausto's brother, but stabbed Frausto to death by mistake when he answered a midnight knock at the door.
In addition to the two murders, a jury also found true special allegation of multiple murder, murder for the benefit of a street gang, murder by an active gang member, use of a deadly and dangerous weapon and principal discharge of a firearm causing death, officials said.
WHITTIER - Deputies are looking for a gunman who shot another man several times Tuesday night.
Sheriff's Sgt. Mike Mendoza said the injured man was in stable condition at a hospital.
The station received calls about multiple shots being heard about 8:50 p.m. at Laurel and Virginia avenues in an unincorporated county area near Whittier, he said. Deputies checking out the calls found the wounded man.
The gunman said nothing before opening fire, striking the victim, a 30-year-old man, several time in the stomach area, Sgt. James Franks said.
The shooting happened in an unincorporated county area near Whittier.
A relative was driving the man to the hospital but decided to let paramedics transport him, according to Mendoza. He said the relative pulled over in nearby Santa Fe Springs.
Witnesses saw a man fleeing from the scene after the shooting. Mendoza said the suspect was last seen running west through Amelia Mayberry County Park.
The suspect was described a Latino, 25, 5 feet 6 inches tall, between 150 to 160 pounds and wearing a black shirt and black pants.
- staff report
ALTADENA -- Rescuers hoisted a Whittier woman from Eaton Canyon by helicopter after she took a fall while hiking and broke her ankle, authorities said.
The 38-year-old woman was hiking with her husband 100 yards below the first waterfall of Eaton Canyon about 11:30 a.m. when she lost her footing and fell, Los Angeles County sheriff's officials said.
Altadena Search and Rescue Team members, along with a sheriff's helicopter, reached the couple and hoisted the injured woman into a helicopter via a rescue basket about 1:30 p.m., Lt. Marjory Jacobs of the sheriff's Crescenta Valley Station said.
Her husband was not injured, she added.
A search and rescue team members also took a spill during the incident and was taken to a hospital for treatment of a minor injury to his knee, Jacobs said.
The algae-lined trails near the Eaton Canyon Falls are well-known to rescuers, who help pull dozens of injured hikers to safety every year.
WEST WHITTIER -- Deputies arrested a parolee spotted with a gun Saturday following a stand-off of nearly two hours, authorities said.
William Lemus, 28, was ultimately taken into custody and was expected to be booked on charges including violating parole and weapons violations, Los Angeles County sheriff's Sgt. Dianna Woodward said.
The incident began just before 11 a.m. in the 7800 block of Morrill Avenue, just north of Washington Boulevard, the sergeant said.
A resident reported seeing a person with a gun walking in the area, and the man fled from responding deputies, she said.
Deputies recognized the man as a parolee, Woodward said.
Officials surrounded a house and yard where Lemus was believed to be hiding and summoned a SWAT team to assist, according to the sergeant.
As SWAT team members were en route, however, the suspect made a run for it and tried to escape the search perimeter, Woodward said. He was promptly met by two deputies and surrendered.
WHITTIER -- A fire damaged a home, along with a 75-year-old pickup truck, but caused no injuries Friday, authorities said.
The blaze was first reported just after 11:30 a.m. at a house in the 14300 block of Chestnut Street, Los Angeles County Fire Department Inspector Quvondo Johnson said.
"On arrival, we did see smoke and fire coming from a single-story, single-family dwelling," he said.
A man who lives at the home returned from a trip to the store just before firefighters arrived, Capt. Matt Arledge said. He and a neighbor were trying to control the flames with water hoses.
Firefighters extinguished the flames by 11:50 a.m., Johnson said. No one was injured.
The fire mainly scorched only one room of the home, however the house sustained smoke damage throughout, Battalion Chief Ron Cabrera said. The blaze left the home uninhabitable pending repairs.
The blaze caused an estimated $200,000 worth of damage to the home and its contents, including a 1937 Chevrolet pickup truck parked at the property, the residents, Keith and Nancy Kowalsi, had been restoring, officials said.
The couple has invested about $20,000 in the project and had planned to continue the restoration, Nancy Kowalsi said.
Additionally, Nancy Kowalski said, a chest she inherited from her mother containing china and a doll collection was consumed by the blaze.
Nonetheless, she said she was just happy no one was hurt.
"It's all stuff," she said. "It can be replaced."
Nancy Kowalski said she normally would be home at the time the fire broke out, but she was delayed at work Friday due to a malfunctioning copy machine.
The couple has lived in the home for 15 years, she added.
The cause of the fire was initially believed to be accidental, possibly caused by discarded smoking materials, officials said.
WHITTIER -- Police are planning to hold a sobriety and driver's license checkpoint Friday.
The checkpoint will take place from 7 p.m. Friday to 3 a.m. Saturday in the area of Whittier Boulevard and Philadelphia Street, Whittier police officials said in a written statement.
"Research shows that crashes involving alcohol drop by an average of 20 percent when well-publicized checkpoints are conducted often enough," according to the police statement.
When possible, officers will, "strive to delay motorist only momentarily," the statement added.
Funding for the checkpoint is being provided by the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
SANTA FE SPRINGS -- Two men are in custody and a third was being sought Wednesday after a break-in at a medical marijuana dispensary, police said.
Germell Miles, 35, of Los Angeles and Bryan Adams, 25, of Hawthorne were booked on suspicion of burglary, Whittier police Lt. Randy Inman said.
Officers responded to a burglary call about 1:30 a.m. at the dispensary on Los Nietos Road, just west of Norwalk Boulevard, according to the lieutenant.
Three suspects ran when police arrived, he said.
Officers found two of the men during a search of the area, Inman said. One was arrested with the use of a police K-9 and was treated for dog bites before being taken to jail.
Police also impounded the suspects' car, which was left at the scene of the burglary when they fled, the lieutenant said.
It was not clear whether any marijuana had been stolen or recovered, police said.
According to county booking records, Miles was released from jail Wednesday after posting $20,000 bail, while Adams was being held without bail pending his initial court appearance.
WHITTIER -- A sheriff's SWAT team, with the help of a K-9, found and arrested a West Covina parolee Friday who barricaded himself in a Whittier garage for more than 10 hours after shooting at police, authorities said Saturday.
Matthew Cloutman, 36, was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder of a peace officer and a parole warrant, Whittier police officials said in a written statement.
He was found hiding in a crawl space and bitten by a sheriff's K-9 shortly before 11 p.m. in the garage in the 6200 block of Washington Avenue where he had remained barricaded since about 12:30 p.m., according to Los Angeles County sheriff's Capt. Mike Parker.
A gun was found during Cloutman's arrest, Parker added.
He was being treated at a hospital for dog bite wounds before being booked into jail, Whittier police Lt. Carlos Solorza said.
U.S. Marshals Service, California Department of Corrections, West Covina police and Whittier police officials joined in an operation to apprehend Cloutman, a parolee who is suspected in a West Covina carjacking, Whittier police spokesman Officer Bradley White said.
The carjacking was believed to have taken place in December, however further details were not available.
As the team of lawmen moved in on the home, Cloutman ran from the main house to a garage in the rear while firing six to seven shots at the marshals. None were hit, and authorities did not return fire.
Other people emerged from the home on the orders of police, officials said, however Cloutman refused, prompting a tense stand-off ensued for the next 10 and a half hours.
WHITTIER -- A wanted parolee led police on a chase through Whittier Wednesday before she ultimately pulled over and surrendered, authorities said.
Monique Ramos, 30, was booked on suspicion of evading police and violating parole, Whittier police Sgt. Gregg Hamilton said.
An officer tried to stop her car for running a red light about 9:35 a.m. at Whittier Boulevard and Mar Vista Street, police said.
Ramos refused to pull over and led police on a chase through Uptown Whittier before making her way back to Whittier Boulevard and heading west, the lieutenant said.
The car finally pulled over on Whittier Boulevard at Esperanza Avenue, just west of the 605 Freeway, Hamilton said. She surrendered without further incident.
WHITTIER -- A would-be bandit left empty-handed Monday after trying unsuccessfully to rob both a bank and a sandwich shop in Uptown Whittier, police said.
The crook entered the Chase bank branch, 13103 E. Philadelphia Ave., about 12:10 p.m. and handed a teller a note demanding money and stating he had a bomb, Whittier police Lt. Randy Inman said.
The teller turned over no cash, and the failed robber left the bank, he said.
About 10 minutes later, a man police believe to be the same attempted robber showed up at a Subway restaurant around the corner at 7201 Greenleaf Ave., the lieutenant said.
He presented an employee a note demanding cash and stating he had a gun, police said. The employee retreated to the rear of the business, and the suspect again fled empty-handed.
Authorities described the robber as a white man, about 5 feet 5 inches to 5 feet 6 inches tall and about 180 pounds, Inman said. He wore a black baseball cap with a letter "A" on it, a dark-green jacket and blue jeans during the crimes.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Whittier Police Department at 562-567-9200.
- PHOTO courtesy of the FBI
WHITTIER -- Homicide detectives are seeking a gunman who shot and killed a 17-year-old boy late Thursday in an unincorporated county area west of Whittier.
Authorities withheld the name of the victim Friday pending confirmation that his family had been notified, Los Angeles County Department of Coroner Chief of Operations Craig Harvey said.
The shooting was first reported about 10:15 p.m. in an alley behind the 8300 block Norwalk Boulevard, Los Angeles County sheriff's officials said in a written statement.
"Upon their arrival, (deputies) discovered the 17-year-old male Hispanic juvenile lying in the alley," Deputy Benjamin Grubb said. "The victim sustained a single gunshot wound to the upper torso and was pronounced dead at the scene."
The victim was believed to be in an alley behind a friend's home when shot, investigators said.
The initial investigation indicated the shooter was male, Latino and wearing gang attire, officials said. He fled the area in a dark gray compact car, possibly a Nissan.
No further information was released Friday.
Anyone with information was asked to call the Sheriff's Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500.
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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