Thursday, August 25, 2011

Highlighted Activity - August 18 through 24, 2011

During the last seven-day period, the Police Department handled 579 service events, resulting in 99 investigations. Following are the last week's highlighted issues and events:

Family Disturbance / Mental Evaluation

On August 20 at 7:04 p.m., police responded to a family disturbance in the 900 block of West Olive Avenue. A mother and her 17-year-old son became involved in an argument. During the argument, the son expressed a desire to hurt himself. The son had been drinking alcohol and the mother reported that he has recently been depressed. The son was taken to a hospital and held for mental evaluation.

Driving Under the Influence / Hit and Run Traffic Collision With Injury - Two Suspects Arrested

On August 21 at 1:56 a.m., a male and two female subjects were riding in a Toyota truck in the 700 block of Ridgeside Drive, returning home from a party. The male driver and female front passenger began to argue, and the female grabbed the steering wheel from the driver, causing him to crash into a parked car. The driver fled the area, but was located by an officer. The driver and female passenger were intoxicated. The driver was arrested for driving under the influence and felony hit and run with injury. The front female passenger was arrested for public intoxication and for interfering with the driver of the vehicle. The second female passenger was taken to a hospital for back pain.

Driving Under the Influence - Suspect Arrested

On August 21 at 12:06 a.m., an officer on patrol came across a vehicle parked partially in the street at Walker and El Norte with its engine running and the driver sleeping behind the wheel. The driver was determined to be driving under the influence and was arrested.

Commercial Burglary

On August 22 at 4:11 a.m., officers responded to a business in the 900 block of West Huntington on an alarm activation. Upon arrival, they discovered a smashed window. A responsible party arrived and reported that several cell phones and one computer monitor was taken. Investigation continuing.

Commercial Burglary

On August 22 at 11:39 a.m., an officer responded to a business in the 1500 block of South California regarding a burglary. Unknown suspect(s) cut the chain link fence around an outside yard and made entry into a secured area where merchandise is kept. Investigation continuing.

72-Hour Hold / Mental Evaluation

On August 23 at 8:44 a.m., a resident in the 1600 block of Pilgrim Way reported that her grandson was threatening suicide. When officers arrived, the subject became uncooperative and was combative. He struggled with officers as they attempted to take him into custody for his own safety. One officer sustained a minor injury during the incident. The subject was taken to a hospital, where he was held for 72-hour mental evaluation.

Grand Theft Auto

On August 23 at 2:49 p.m., a resident in the 900 block of South Ivy reported his vehicle had been stolen. He reported he had brought a male subject to his house to put some music together. The suspect told the victim he had left his wallet in the victim's vehicle. The victim handed the subject the keys to his vehicle. The suspect entered the vehicle and drove away, heading west on Huntington toward the freeway. The victim's vehicle is a silver, 2000 BMW 740i. Investigation continuing.

Brandishing a Weapon

On August 23 at 4:40 p.m., a subject/victim was sitting in his vehicle in a business parking lot in the 500 block of West Huntington. Another subject in a vehicle parked next to his displayed an offensive hand gesture after the victim asked him what was wrong. A female passenger in the vehicle brandished a gun and the suspects drove off. The victim followed the suspect vehicle and last saw it heading eastbound on Duarte at Myrtle. The suspect vehicle is described as an older model Izusu Rodeo. The investigation is continuing.

Residential Burglary

On August 24 at 4:52 a.m., an officer on patrol noticed a large hole in a fumigation tent on a residence in the 100 block of Stedman Place. The hole was directly outside a window; the window was wide open and a light was on. An officer watched the location for some time, but no one was located in or around the house. The location was checked for loss after it was safe to enter and it was discovered that a 42-inch television had been stolen from the residence. Investigation continuing.

Friday, August 19, 2011

Highlighted Activity - August 11 through 17, 2011


During the last seven-day period, the Police Department handled 659 service events, resulting in 103 investigations. Following are the last week's highlighted issues and events:

Driving Under the Influence Traffic Collision - Suspect Arrested

On August 13 at 12:46 a.m., a female driver in an SUV was traveling south on Mayflower when another female driver in a sedan pulled out in front of her in the 1300 block of South Mayflower. The driver of the SUV was unable to stop and struck the sedan. Her SUV drove over the front end of the sedan, she overcorrected, and then struck a wall under the freeway overpass. The SUV was occupied by a 12-year-old female and her mother. The child sustained a broken femur and the mother sustained a broken left foot, both were taken to a hospital for treatment. The driver of the sedan was determined to be under the influence and was arrested. She was also taken to a hospital for evaluation.

Residential Trespassing

On August 14 at 12:15 p.m., the owner of an apartment complex located in the 100 block of Montana discovered that one of the empty units at the complex is being used by what appears to be transients. The transients left evidence of possible identity and the investigation is continuing.

Grand Theft Auto Recovery

August 14 at 7:45 p.m., a stolen 1993 Nissan Altima was located at a hotel in the 700 block of West Huntington. The vehicle had been stolen out of Azusa on July 28. No suspect information is known. The owner responded and recovered the vehicle. Investigation continuing.

Grand Theft Auto

August 14 at 8:25 p.m., a green, 1997 Honda was stolen from a carport area in the 400 block of West Duarte Road. The victim last saw the vehicle at 9:30 p.m. the previous night. Investigation continuing.

Grand Theft Auto Recovery

August 15 at 8:20 a.m., an officer was dispatched to the 1600 block of Radford Place regarding a suspicious vehicle. The officer located the vehicle parked on the street. It was a reported stolen vehicle and it was unlocked and intact. The victim was notified and responded to recover the vehicle. The victim did not find anything missing from the vehicle. A witness reported seeing a male Hispanic subject, 25-30 years old, 5'10", 200 pounds, with short hair and clean shaven. The subject drove the vehicle to the location and parked it. He then left the location in a Chevy Tahoe that had followed the stolen vehicle and was being driven by a female Hispanic, approximately 25-30 years old. The vehicle was returned to the victim and the investigation is continuing.

Vehicle Burglary

October 15 at 1:54 p.m., an officer responded to the 200 block of South California on the report of a vehicle burglary. The victim reported that her locked vehicle was broken into and her property was stolen.

Vehicle Versus Pedestrian Traffic Accident

On August 15 at 4:07 p.m., officers responded to the 100 block of North Mayflower Avenue regarding a traffic accident. The incident involved a vehicle that struck a 77-year-old female pedestrian. The Monrovia Fire Department paramedics were on scene and readying the victim to be taken to a hospital. The driver of the vehicle was apparently backing up his van, using only his mirrors, and did not see the female victim and struck her. The female subject fell backward onto the roadway and hit her head on the street. The victim was taken to the hospital and was in critical care overnight. She passed away the next day.

Criminal Threats - Suspect Arrested

On August 15 at 8:09 p.m., police received a call reporting a disturbing subject at the skate park in the 800 block of East Olive. The caller reported that a male subject was threatening people and said he had a gun, which was not seen, but he repeatedly reached into his waistband. The subject left the area prior to the arrival of officers. The suspect was claiming that the subjects at the skate park had taken his wallet, which he believed he had lost there. A short time after the officers left the area, the subject returned and confronted three people at the skate park. He pointed at them and threatened to shoot them. Officers responded and the suspect was positively identified by the victims, arrested, and charged for criminal threats. The suspect did not have a gun.

Attempt Burglary

On August 17 at 10:00 p.m., a resident in the 400 block of South Mayflower reported an attempt burglary. Sometime between August 16 and 17 an unknown suspect attempted to pry open the front door of the residence. There was no loss and the investigation is continuing.

No-Bail Warrant - Suspect Arrested

On August 17 at 1:04 p.m., an officer on patrol observed two suspicious subjects standing next to a vehicle in a parking lot in the 800 block of West Huntington and a third subject was crouching next to the vehicle. One of the standing subjects nudged the subject who was crouching down as if to alert him of police presence. The officer continued driving, but then went back to watch the three subjects. The officer believed the subjects were tampering with parked vehicles and detained them. Warrant checks revealed one of the subjects had two no-bail warrants for grand theft auto. He was arrested for the warrants. The other two subjects were identified and released.

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Detective Bureau Case Follow-up

Identity Theft

On Tuesday, August 16, 2011, Monrovia detectives served a search warrant in the 200 block of West Palm on an identity theft suspect's apartment. Detectives found evidence linking the suspect to the crime. Monrovia detectives also found evidence of three additional identity theft victims. The suspect was arrested and the handling detective is continuing his investigation by contacting the three additional victims. This case will be presented to the District Attorney's office for filing considerations. The suspect will be facing a minimum of 10 identity theft allegations/charges. The investigation into the additional victims may produce even more allegations/charges of identity theft.

Residential Burglaries Committed While the Residences Were Tented and Being Treated for Termites

On Thursday, August 18, 2011, Monrovia detectives served a search warrant at a public storage facility in Arcadia in connection with two burglaries. The investigation led the handling detective to believe that one of the suspected burglars had a storage space at this storage facility. The search warrant allows the detectives to enter the storage space and to obtain information and records from the office regarding this space. This investigation is still ongoing.

Child Molestation / Suspect Convicted on August 16, 2011

The suspect was arrested on December 15, 2009, for child molestation. The suspect, a registered sex offender, allegedly, had repeatedly molested his live-in stepdaughter over an 8-year period, beginning when she was only 4 years of age.

The case was assigned to a detective for further investigation and the District Attorney's review. During the course of the detective's investigation, he was able to locate a previous victim of the suspect, an ex-girlfriend's daughter. She, too, was the victim of repeated sexual molestation by the suspect, which began when she was 6 years old. This case occurred in West Covina in 1995, while the suspect lived with the victim's mother.

Three felony charges were filed against the suspect for the Monrovia case by the Pasadena Superior Court and a jury trial began on August 10, 2011. On August 16, 2011, the case went to the jury, and in a short 60 minutes, they returned with a verdict: GUILTY on all counts. Each of the three counts holds a 25-year-to-life sentence, due to his prior felony sexual assault conviction

Friday, August 12, 2011

Highlighted Activity - August 4, through August 10, 2011

During the last seven-day period, the Police Department handled 534 service events, resulting in 79 investigations. Following are the last week's highlighted issues and events:

Robbery

On August 4 at 0:22 a.m., officers responded to the 800 block of West Huntington regarding a male transient reporting, three male suspects took him inside the restroom in the 700 block of East Lemon and beat him up. The suspects then took his shoes and wallet and fled in an unknown direction. The victim walked to the 800 block of West Huntington and called police to report the incident. There were no suspects found. Investigation continuing.

Mail Tampering

On August 5 at 4:02 a.m., an officer responded to a call in the 500 block of Valmont, regarding two male subjects seen tampering with two mailboxes in the area. An area check was conducted but the suspects were not located. Investigation continuing.

Robbery

On August 6 at 9:03 p.m., officers responded to the 200 block of West Huntington regarding a robbery that had just occurred. Officers were advised that a male suspect wearing dark clothing entered the business through the front door and proceeded to the "take out" counter. The suspect pointed a silver revolver at the female employee and demanded the money. The victim handed money to the suspect who fled out the front door and out of sight. Investigation continuing.

Burglary

On August 7 at 3:52 p.m., officers responded to a business in the 1600 block of South Mountain regarding a burglary. On August 5, a male suspect committed an unreported theft, where he stuffed a backpack full of merchandise, then fled prior to being caught. On August 7, the same suspect re-entered the store and immediately began cutting off security sensors from tools using a cutting tool. The property was valued at over $2,000. The suspect began stuffing his backpack and was detained to prevent him from fleeing the store again. The suspect was arrested and taken into custody.

Domestic Violence

On August 8 at 11:52 an officer responded to the 800 Block of West Olive regarding a domestic disturbance. A male suspect became intoxicated and began to argue with his live in girlfriend. The argument escalated and he assaulted her several times causing visible injury. He was arrested for domestic violence and placed in the sobering cell until he could be booked. An emergency protective order was obtained on behalf of the victim.

Vehicle Burglaries

On August 8, dispatch received reports of two window smash auto burglaries. The first occurred in the 400 block of South Alta Vista between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 2:00 a.m., the loss was an empty purse. The second occurred in the 100 block of North Mayflower between the hours of 4:00 p.m. and 5:30 a.m., the loss was a black briefcase with cash, a telescope and a camera. There is no suspect information at this time. Investigation continuing.

Grand Theft Auto

On August 9 at 6:55 a.m., an officer responded to the 500 block of Fano regarding a stolen vehicle report. The victim told the officer he parked his vehicle on the street in front of the location and left the keys on the seat. He did not lock the vehicle and did not have an alarm. The victim went inside the residence and returned an hour later to discover the vehicle missing. The vehicle is a white, 1991 Honda Accord. Investigation continuing.

Stolen Vehicle

On August 9 at 11:45 a.m., an officer responded to the 400 block of West Walnut regarding a stolen vehicle. The victim told him she parked and locked her vehicle on the street in front of the location at 1:00 a.m. She returned to her vehicle at 4:00 a.m., and it was missing. All keys were accounted for and there was no glass on the ground where it was parked. The vehicle is a green, 1991 Honda Accord. Investigation continuing.

Burglary

On August 10 at 7:45 a.m. an officer responded to a business in the 700 block of West Huntington. The reporting party was a contracted electrician who is working at the location. The suspect(s) apparently forced open (by pushing in) a sheet of plywood covering a dock door on the north side of the building. Once inside, the suspect(s) removed approximately 100 feet of 1 inch copper wire and pushed a metal tool box out of the dock door opening. It appears, due to scrapes on the concrete floor, that the suspect(s) backed up a truck and loaded the metal tool box into it, and left undetected. Investigation continuing.

Attempt Vehicle Burglary

On August 10 at 11:40 a.m., an officer responded to 100 block of West Pomona regarding an attempt vehicle burglary. The reporting party reported that someone tried breaking into one of their vehicles, a Ford F-350 Van. The suspect(s) damaged the rear door lock of the van; however, no entry was made. Investigation continuing.

Thursday, August 4, 2011

Highlighted Activity - July 28 through August 3, 2011

During the last seven-day period, the Police Department handled 552 service events, resulting in 80 investigations. Following are the last week's highlighted issues and events:
Battery Thefts

On July 29, two curbside box battery thefts were reported in the early morning hours. The boxes were pried open and the batteries stolen. The thefts occurred on Duarte at Magnolia and the 400 block of East Cherry. The investigation is continuing.

Battery

On July 29 at 9:29 p.m., officers were flagged down by a male subject who was bleeding from the mouth. He told officers he was jumped by two to three male juveniles. No suspects were located. Investigation continuing.

Wanted Robbery Suspect Arrested

On July 30 at 11:09 a.m., officers located a named robbery suspect they had been searching for extensively. The suspect was wanted for the robbery of a business in the 300 block of West Huntington that occurred on July 12. The suspect had approached a cashier with his hand in his jacket pocket and threatened to shoot her if she didn't give him the money from the register. After obtaining the cash, he fled the location. Officers had identified the suspect and had been watching several locations he was known to frequent. He was located working on a vehicle in the city of Duarte and was arrested without incident.

Domestic Violence / Child Abuse - Suspect Arrested

On August 1 at 3:49 p.m., officers responded to the 400 block of East Los Angeles Avenue regarding a male subject hitting another subject with a bat. When officers arrived, they located a male subject that was bleeding from a head injury. The two suspects with the bat had left the location. The investigation revealed that the subject with the head injury had physically abused his girlfriend, with whom he has two children. He had also physically abused one of the children. This subject was taken to a hospital for treatment. The identity of the two suspects that assaulted the domestic violence suspect is unknown at this time. The injured suspect was arrested after he was treated and released from the hospital. Investigation continuing.

Hit and Run Traffic Collision

On August 2 at 12:06 a.m., police received the report of a vehicle striking the Acapulco Restaurant building. The occupants of the vehicle fled the scene. Officers arrived and determined there were no injured patrons in the restaurant and no occupants of the car remained at the scene. A driver's license and an employee badge belonging to a female subject were found at the scene, along with an identification card for another female subject. Further investigation revealed that the driver at the time of the accident was probably the female with the identification card. A location check of her residence was made, but she was not located. The investigation is ongoing and charges for driving without a license and hit and run will be pursued. Investigation continuing.

Felony Vandalism

On August 3 at 7:25 a.m., a resident in the 400 block of East Olive reported her vehicle had been vandalized. The vehicle was parked on the street and had been keyed during the night. At about 12:01 p.m., officers returned to the location, as two other vehicles belonging to the same victim had also been keyed. All of the vehicles had been vandalized sometime between 12:00 p.m. and 7:25 a.m.