Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor REGION - The suspect whom prosecutors allege stabbed and killed a rider on the Gold Line as it left the Azusa downtown station towards Irwindale pleaded guilty to the crime. 52-year-old Peter Muñoz of Commerce pleaded guilty January 8 to one felony count of first-degree murder in the death of Xuezhong Bao, 62. Muñoz was immediately sentenced to 26 years to life in state prison, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. Muñoz also admitted to using a knife during the commission of the crime, prosecutors said. The stabbing occurred November 27, 2018 as the East Los Angeles-bound train left the Azusa Downtown Station towards Irwindale. Muñoz was arrested as he exited the train in Duarte, prosecutors said. Deputies with the Sheriff’s Transit Services Bureau, which patrols Los Angeles County Metro lines and Metrolink, received a 9-1-1 transfer call from Irwindale Police at 11:30 a.m. initially describing an attack on either the platform or westbound train in Irwindale, according to Deputy Ramon Montenegro. The train continued westbound and stopped at the Duarte/City of Hope Station, where the suspect and victim were met by deputies.
A passenger, who wished to not be identified, was at the Duarte Station awaiting an eastbound train and witnessed riders fleeing from the passenger car where the victim lay lifeless, deputies taking the suspect into custody, a crime scene in progress. “[I] Was waiting for the train to go to citrus, the E/B train arrived people ran off when deputies got there the ones on the train pointed out the suspect. They arrested him,” said the passenger in a Facebook message to SGV CityWatch. “When fire got there, they started CPR for 15 min. Then stopped. The deputies put up crime tape so I left,” The passenger said. Bao died at the scene from a wound to the upper torso. The knife was recovered, deputies said. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor REGION - The Foothill Gold Line Construction Authority will be performing signal testing along the freight line in Azusa, Glendora and San Dimas April 28, officials said. The construction authority plans to run either a Metrolink or Burlington Northern Santa Fe freight engine six times through the cities from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. at the following crossings:
The signal testing is being done as part of the Gold Line Foothill Extension work from Azusa to Montclair. The Construction Authority has moved overhead signal communication equipment for the freight line and has installed it underground.
The engine will run at 40 miles per hour through each crossing to test signal and gate activation. Railroad workers known as flaggers will be stationed at each crossing, the Construction Authority said. Six successful runs will complete the testing, the Construction Authority said. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor LOS ANGELES - A 51-year-old Commerce man was arrested Tuesday, hours after allegedly stabbing to death an Azusa man aboard a westbound Gold Line train.
Peter Munoz was booked on suspicion of murder and is being held without bail, according to Deputy Trina Schrader of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Information Bureau. Munoz was officially arrested at 11 p.m., according to Los Angeles County booking records, nearly 12 hours after the attack occurred. “The arrest comes after investigators conducted interviews of witnesses and viewed surveillance video in the area,” Schrader said. A motive for the killing is unknown. 62-year-old Xuezhong Bao was named as the victim by the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner. Bao was stabbed at least once in the upper torso at or near the Irwindale Station, 16017 Avenida Padilla, some time before 11:30 a.m. November 27. It was unclear if he was stabbed on the platform, or inside the train. Bao and the suspect made their was westbound in a train that arrived at the Duarte/City of Hope Station. The suspect was detained. Bao died after attempts at CPR failed. Munoz is being held in the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Temple Station jail and is awaiting a scheduled appearance in Alhambra Municipal Court Thursday, November 29. |
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