Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor LA VERNE - The Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner named the man killed in a collision that wound up in a resident’s rear yard May 31.
William Elftman Jr., 48, was behind the wheel of a 2011 Hyundai Sonata eastbound on Baseline Road west of Saint Mark Avenue at high speed. As Baseline curved to the right, Elftman continued straight, eventually striking a curb, according to the California Highway Patrol. The Sonata further struck a retaining wall and rolled over, coming to a rest in the rear yard of a home. The Sonata caught on fire. Residents used a garden hose to stop the fire’s spread, according to the California Highway Patrol. “Prior to this crash, La Verne Police Department received at least two 9-1-1 phone calls of witnesses reporting the Hyundai's driver as driving erratically and at a high rate of speed within the city of La Verne. In addition, a witness even flagged down a La Verne Police Department officer to report the reckless driver,” according to the California Highway Patrol in a written statement. Alcohol and drugs are not considered to be factors at this time, according to the California Highway Patrol. Any witnesses or anyone with information on this crash is encouraged to call California Highway Patrol Officer Kyle Croxford from the Baldwin Park Area Office at 626-338-1164. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor LA VERNE - Two people are dead after a vehicle crashed in the rear yard of a home in unincorporated La Verne Tuesday morning.
Firefighters were dispatched to the 4300 block of Saint Mark Avenue around 9:19 a.m. May 31. The vehicle burst into flames after the crash. The two dead inside the vehicle will require extrication from the twisted wreck. Initially, it appears that the vehicle was eastbound on Baseline Road, hopped the curb, tore a path across a residential front yard, crashed through a cinderblock wall and wrought iron fence until it finally smashed into the rear yard on Saint Mark. Eastbound baseline Road is closed from Fruit Avenue by La Verne Police. The California Highway patrol is investigating. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor LA VERNE - A man wanted on suspicion of child sex abuse died in City of Industry after crashing at the end of a pursuit with the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department and California Highway Patrol Thursday.
Raul Munoz Jr., 62, was identified by the abuse victim who claimed that he sexually assaulted her over a period of six years beginning when she was 8, according to the La Verne Police Department. Munoz, a La Verne resident, was known to the victim. The investigation began June 10, 2020 in the 1000 block of Baseline Road. After investigating, the case was presented to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, which filed charges, including continual sexual abuse of a child and lewd acts upon a child, La Verne Police said. A felony warrant was issued for Munoz’s arrest. During the pursuit, CHP officers received information that Munoz was potentially armed and possibly suicidal, according to Rodrigo Jimenez, public information officer for the California Highway Patrol Baldwin Park Office. “The vehicle entered a private parking lot (southeast corner of Grand Avenue and Baker Parkway) and, for unknown reason, the vehicle traveled directly into a steel shipping container at a high rate of speed,” Jimenez said in a written statement. Officers gave verbal commands for Munoz to surrender, but they did not receive an answer. When they approached the vehicle, they discovered Munoz was dead. Munoz’s suicide was the result of blunt force injuries, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner. It is not immediately clear if the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s pursuit was related to the sex abuse case. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor *This story has been updated to include details from a CHP incident report. The previous story follows this new update.
LA VERNE - CHP officers arrested a suspect early Tuesday morning after allegedly threatening a tow truck driver attempting to take the suspect's car after a collision. La Verne man Eduardo Daniel Calderon was located during a search and arrested. He was booked on suspicion of making criminal threats and possession of a controlled substance, according to Public Information Officer Rodrigo Jimenez of the California Highway Patrol Baldwin Park Office. Calderon, 29, somehow overturned his Nissan Altima on Damien Avenue north of Juanita Avenue around 10:55 p.m. October 19. The Altima also hit a parked Toyota Corolla. CHP officers found Calderon was not impaired, Jimenez told SGV CityWatch. Officers left the scene while the Altima was loaded onto a flatbed tow truck, leaving the transport of the car to the owner's responsibility. The suspect then allegedly argued with the driver about towing fees. Calderon allegedly jumped onto the flatbed tow truck from Pomona Valley Towing and jumped back into the white Nissan, refusing to let the driver go, according to California Highway Patrol traffic logs. "There was some type of altercation -- not physical and the tow truck driver believed the man had a handgun and the driver took off in fear of his life," Jimenez told SGV CityWatch. During the argument, Calderon allegedly put his hand into a backpack and pulled an unknown object, making the tow truck driver believe he was armed with a handgun, Jimenez told SGV CityWatch Calderon was found during a search and taken into custody. Officers searched the surrounding area for a weapon, but no weapon was found. Unspecified drugs were located in one of Calderon's pockets, Jimenez told SGV CityWatch. ------------------------------------------------------ LA VERNE - CHP officers arrested a suspect early Tuesday morning after allegedly threatening a tow truck driver attempting to take the suspect's car after a collision. The as-of-yet unidentified suspect first allegedly jumped onto the flatbed tow truck from Pomona Valley Towing and jumped back into the white Nissan, refusing to let the driver go, according to California Highway Patrol traffic logs. The CHP and firefighters responded to the 400 block of Damien Avenue just after 11 p.m. October 19. It is unclear if a second vehicle was involved in the collision that forced the suspect’s white Nissan to overturn. The suspect was able to self-extricate from the car. The tow truck driver ran from the scene at Juanita Avenue and Damien Avenue in unincorporated La Verne after the suspect brandished a handgun at him, according to the California Highway Patrol. After a search, the suspect was arrested sometime around 12:53 a.m., according to Officer Peter Nicholson of the California Highway Patrol Traffic Management Center. No other information is available. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor LA VERNE - One person was killed after a vehicle collided with a pedestrian and a van on the right shoulder of the east 210 freeway east of Fruit Street, the California Highway Patrol said.
Only the HOV lane remains open. The No. 1, 2 and 3 lanes are closed for traffic. A good Samaritan follower of the driver of a white BMW as the vehicle swerved all over freeway lanes at fluctuating speeds. The driver of the BMW struck the pedestrian near a white work van on the right shoulder just before 9 p.m., according to the CHP. The white BMW was found stopped along the freeway east of the collision. It is unclear if a suspect is detained or was found at the scene. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor LA VERNE - Police were pursuing the driver of a red Acura Integra who failed to yield and eventually crashed into a second car Thursday night, Police said. The crash killed the driver of the Integra and the driver of a black Toyota Corolla at the intersection of White Avenue and College Lane. Two passengers in the Integra and one in the Corolla are still hospitalized in critical condition, the La Verne Police Department said. La Verne Police attempted a traffic stop on the Integra’s driver who ran a stop sign at White Avenue and Arrow Highway around 8:50 p.m. August 29.
The Corolla’s driver has been identified by La Verne Police as 68-year-old Marlet Reyes of La Verne. The suspect driver has not yet been identified. The California Highway Patrol Major Accident Investigation Team is investigating the crash. Written by AARON CASTREJON | CityWatch Editor LA VERNE - A two-vehicle collision caused a Chevrolet Silverado to turn over on the westbound 210 freeway east of Foothill Boulevard.
The HOV, No. 1 and 2 lanes of the westbound 210 at Foothill are blocked until about 6:40 p.m. A maroon Chevy Silverado overturned after colliding with a Toyota Camry around 5:49 p.m., according to California Highway Patrol traffic logs. There may be up to eight patients needing aid, according to Los Angeles County Fire Department radio traffic. Written by AARON CASTREJON | CityWatch Editor LA VERNE - A woman was beaten by a man who gave her a ride from Union Station and she jumped out of his vehicle to save herself, police said.
The woman wound up in the 4500 block of Dawn Avenue around 2:20 a.m. where she requested police assistance. Police discovered visible injuries to her face and body. The woman, while being hit by the driver, suffered additional injuries when she jumped out of the moving vehicle, La Verne Police said. The woman said she was picked up at Los Angeles’ Union Station by an unknown man. The woman could not provide a description of the suspect or his vehicle, La Verne Police said. The woman was taken to Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center for treatment, said Officer Peter Nicholson of the California Highway Patrol. The CHP and Los Angeles Police Department are both investigating the incident. |
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