Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor POMONA - The man investigators accuse of fatally beating a victim to death with a baseball bat outside an Azusa Target shopping center is scheduled for a pretrial conference and trial setting Tuesday.
Manuel Banuelos, 24, is scheduled for arraignment at Pomona Superior Court, June 29. He previously pleaded not guilty to one count of murder, according to Los Angeles County Superior Court records. The attack occurred June 10, 2020, outside Target, 809 N. Azusa Ave. Police responded to the scene around 2:15 p.m. and found a victim bleeding from head injuries and unresponsive. After being treated at the scene, the victim was taken to a hospital where he later died, according to the Azusa Police Department. A suspect, who prosecutors allege is Banuelos, was found nearby, chased briefly by police and taken into custody after bystanders helped officers locate him. The victim was identified as Richard Jaimez, Jr., a 37-year-old Azusa man. A motive for the murder remains unclear. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor AZUSA - A suspect accused of seriously injuring a relative and holding him against his will surrendered after keeping police at bay for hours on end Tuesday.
Police arrived to the Westgate Villa apartment complex, 563 E. Arrow Hwy., around 3:30 p.m. to a disturbance call and learned an injured man was potentially being held against his will, said Cpt. Robert Landeros of the Azusa Police Department. The suspect was holed up in one of the second-story units. Los Angeles County mental health evaluators assisted crisis negotiators in attempting to speak with anyone inside the unit. Covina Police and Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies also assisted. “As the incident progressed, the suspect inside was able to let the victim go. He was transported to Pomona Valley Hospital for some serious injuries,” Landeros told SGV CityWatch. At the time of interview Tuesday night, a motive for the incident was not known. Azusa Police used less lethal rounds, including flash bang grenades and pepper balls to get the suspect to surrender peacefully. Residents of the apartment complex and neighbors bore witness to the attempts to capture the suspect. The loud booms of the flash bang grenades echoed throughout surrounding neighborhoods. Smoke occasionally wafted out of the apartment unit targeted by police after they used an armored truck to shatter several windows to gain access to the unit. No officers or other residents were injured, Landeros said. Herman Hormel Murphy, 57, was booked on felony-level charges. He is being held in lieu of $135,000 bail ahead of a scheduled appearance in the West Covina courthouse June 24, according to Los Angeles County booking records. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor AZUSA - Police used a stun gun to subdue a man Tuesday afternoon when he allegedly advanced towards officers after assaulting a woman at the Edgewood Center.
Police responded to a report of a domestic argument. The unidentified suspect allegedly refused to allow the woman to move, according to Sgt. Brandon Bailey of the Azusa Police Department. The incident unfolded around 3:30 p.m. June 15 outside a store at the shopping center in the 400 block of East Gladstone Street. Police arrived and separated the suspect and woman, but the suspect remained agitated and resistive to the officers’ commands, Bailey told SGV CityWatch. “There was info that he was armed with a knife,” Bailey said. “Ultimately, he reached into his waistband area and officers could see a sheath.” The suspect allegedly clenched a fist and advanced towards officers who used a stun gun to stop him, Bailey told SGV CityWatch. The suspect was transported to an area hospital. The woman did not need hospitalization. The suspect faced domestic violence, false imprisonment and obstructing an officer charges, Bailey told SGV CityWatch. The suspect also had an arrest warrant from another police agency. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor AZUSA - A woman is recovering from her wounds after a knife-wielding suspect attacked her in front of the woman’s children outside of a park May 11, police said.
The attack occurred before 8 p.m. after a woman and her two children left Edwards Park, 600 N. Azusa Ave. They left after a suspicious looking person, later identified as Phoenix resident Brianna Hallquist, began staring at her children uncomfortably, according to the Azusa Police Department. “A female adult approached the children and began looking at them as they played. The victim became nervous and immediately left the park with her children and began to walk southbound on Azusa Ave.,” according to the Azusa Police Department in a written statement. The suspect then followed the woman and her two minor children as they left the park and walked south to the 500 block of North Azusa Avenue. The suspect then began demanding that the woman give her her daughter back. The suspect then threatened to harm the woman if she did not surrender her daughter. The suspect then stabbed the woman in the upper torso, according to the Azusa Police Department. Bystanders rushed to the woman’s aid. The suspect fled on foot but police quickly apprehended her. The woman suffered injuries considered not life-threatening. The children were on the injured and were released to the custody of their father at the scene, Azusa Police said. Hallquist, 23, was booked on suspicion of attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon and making criminal threats, the Azusa Police Department said. Hallquist is being held in lieu of $1 million bail ahead of appearance in the West Covina courthouse May 13. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor AZUSA - An Azusa man who allegedly beat several family members and held them against their will was finally taken into custody after mental health professionals were able to convince the suspect to exit his home, police said.
Tyler Bachert, 25, allegedly barricaded himself in a home in the 500 block of East 10th Street, April 5. He did so after allegedly beating several family members and refusing to let them leave. Some family members were able to escape and call authorities, according to the Azusa Police Department. Police responded to the scene around 12:34 p.m. “Azusa Police officers along with mental health professionals from the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health were able to de-escalate the situation and successfully convince Bachert to exit the residence. Bachert attempted to flee but was ultimately taken into custody a short distance away,” according to the Azusa Police Department in a written statement. Bachert was booked on suspicion of battery and false imprisonment. He is being held in the Twin Towers Correctional Facility ahead of a scheduled appearance in the West Covina Courthouse Wednesday, April 7, According to Los Angeles County booking records. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor AZUSA - No one was injured after an attempted kidnapping suspect fired a handgun during an altercation at an Azusa apartment complex.
Kidnapping suspect Ignacio Christopher Inda, 25, approached a lone mother and her child at her apartment unit at 222 S. Azusa Ave. January 6. Inda, armed with a semi-automatic handgun loaded with an extended clip tucked into his sweatshirt pocket, picked up the child, Azusa Police said. A second man, 26-year-old Brandon Kirk, confronted and fought Inda, who fired one shot from his gun during the altercation. No one was injured, Azusa Police said. Both men, who live in the same complex, fled to their apartment units and barricades themselves. “Upon attempting to negotiate with Inda, he attempted to flee out the rear second story apartment window. Inda leapt from the window with an unregistered “ghost” semi-automatic handgun in his hand,” according to the Azusa Police Department in a written statement. Officers were able to take Inda into custody. The handgun taken from his person was loaded, Azusa Police said. Kirk was taken into custody after briefly stepping outside his apartment. Officers located an AR-15 short barrel rifle and a semi-automatic handgun; both weapons are considered as “ghost guns,” Azusa Police said. Inda was booked on suspicion of a weapons violation, kidnapping and assault with a deadly weapon. The child was not injured and was released to the mother once the suspect was confronted, Azusa Police said. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor AZUSA - Police tracked down an irate ex-boyfriend after he allegedly brandished a handgun at his former beau, pistol whipped her new man and allegedly took off with his ex’s 3-year-old son, police said.
25-year-old Robert Brown was sought by officers after he allegedly committed the assault around 6:40 p.m. January 1 in the 500 block of East Third Street, according to the Azusa Police Department. Azusa Police detectives immediately began searching for Brown, a Carson resident. Detectives learned Brown was in Muscoy and he was detained during a traffic stop at 12:45 a.m. January 2. The child was recovered unharmed, Azusa Police said. Brown was arrested and booked on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, domestic battery and burglary. Anyone with information regarding this case is urged the call the Azusa Police Department at 626-812-3200. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor AZUSA - A clerk was reportedly punch several times by a liquor store robber Thursday morning, Azusa Police said.
The robbery occurred at Diana’s Liquor, 200 W. Foothill Blvd., around 8:52 a.m. November 19. The suspect stole merchandise and attempted to flee. The clerk attempted to get payment from the suspect, according to the Azusa Police Department. “The victim stated he attempted to receive payment from the suspect at which point the suspect punched him several times on the face,” according to the Azusa Police Department in a written statement. Arriving officers located 18-year-old Covina man Roger Sapien in the west alley in the 500 block of North San Gabriel Avenue. The clerk identified Sapien as the suspect, Azusa Police said. The clerk said he was uninjured and refused medical help. Sapien was booked on suspicion of robbery and was held in lieu of $50,000 bail. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor AZUSA - Police announced the October 30 arrest of a sex offender for allegedly failing to register.
West Covina man Santiago Acuna, 43, was taken into custody with the assistance of West Covina police officers. He was booked on suspicion of failing to register as a sex offender, according to the Azusa Police Department. Acuna was arrested just before 9:30 a.m., but was issued a citation and released just before Noon the same day, according to Los Angeles County booking records. “He was subsequently cited and released from custody due to the State’s “zero-bail” requirement,” according to the Azusa Police Department. There is no court date information available publicly. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor AZUSA - Two suspects were found at the scene of an assault that left a 47-year-old man with life-threatening injuries Oct. 21. Azusa residents Albert Chavez, 19, and Robert Bucher, 39, were arrested in the 900 block of North Sunset Avenue Wednesday around 8:19 p.m. The suspects are accused of being involved in a fight where a man was attacked with a baseball bat, according to the Azusa Police Department. Chavez and Bucher were arrested at the scene without incident. They were both booked on suspicion of attempted murder and are being held in lieu of $2 million bail. A motive for the attack is either unknown, or has not been publicly disclosed. |
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