Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor LOS ANGELES - Authorities announced Friday the arrest of two suspects in a highly-publicized and violent robbery in Hacienda Heights.
Russell Hardy Jr. and Cameron DeShawne Perry, both 19 years old, were located through a multi-jurisdictional investigation. Russell was arrested August 16 and is being held without bail. Perry is being held in lieu of $400,000 bail, according to Los Angeles County booking records. Both men were officially charged each with two counts of second-degree robbery, two counts of first-degree automated teller machine robbery and one count of attempted second-degree robbery. Perry also is charged with two counts of elder or dependent adult abuse, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. Hardy was named as the getaway driver of a blue vehicle, Perry as the suspect who violently took the woman’s purse during the August 14 robbery in Hacienda Heights, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. Both suspects are believed to have operated as a criminal crew the last several months and targeted Asian victims in Hacienda Heights, Rowland Heights and City of Industry, committing similar robberies. A meeting between the Sheriff’s Major Crimes Bureau-Burglary Robbery Task Force and the Orange County Violent Crimes ATF Task Force was held to investigate the robberies when they were notified of the highly-publicized robbery. Both suspects are believed to be involved in a robbery May 30 near 1457 Nogales St. in Rowland Heights where a purse containing $150,000 in jewelry was taken. June 9, a woman who withdrew money from a bank at 17801 Colima Rd. in Industry had her wallet stolen. June 14, a woman was in a parking lot at 1611 N. Azusa Ave. when someone approached from behind, stolen the purse and fled. July 2, a man exiting a bank at 18958 Daisetta St. in Rowland Heights fought back after being pistol-whipped, leaving the robber empty-handed, according to the DA’s office. in all but one of the robberies a blue vehicle was seen fleeing. Both suspects are scheduled for an appearance in the Pomona Courthouse Monday, August 21. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor LOS ANGELES - The man accused of gunning down an auxiliary bishop for the LA Archdiocese over alleged money issues awaits his day in court.
Carlos Medina, 61, is being held in lieu of $2 million bail. A court date has yet to be set. LA Archdiocese Auxiliary Bishop at David O’Connell was discovered dead from at least one gunshot wound in his bedroom after deputies were called at 1 p.m. to a report of a person not breathing in the 1500 block of Janlu Avenue in Hacienda Heights Saturday, February 18, according to Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna. The Sheriff’s Department was notified Sunday, February 19 at 7 p.m. of a person of interest tied to the murder. Deputies traveled to the city of Torrance where the person of interest lives and after the special enforcement operation, Medina was apprehended. Two firearms and items possibly tying Medina to the murder were confiscated. The firearms will have to be examined to determine if they were used in the Hacienda Heights murder, Luna said at the Monday press conference. A tipster told the Sheriff’s Department that Medina was acting strange, irrational and expressed that O’Connell owed Medina money. Medina is married to O’Connell’s housekeeper, Luna said at the Monday press conference. Investigators did not find any apparent forced entry into the home. Surveillance footage showed a dark-colored compact SUV pull into the bishops driveway and was driven away after a short time. That SUV is driven by Medina’s wife. Before Medina’s arrest, investigators were told that he was possibly in the Central California area. A tipster notified investigators that Medina had returned to his home in Torrance in the 20400 block of Kenwood Avenue. At 2 a.m. on Monday, February 20, deputies arrived to arrest Medina, but he refused to exit. At 8:15 a.m., Medina finally surrendered. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor LOS ANGELES – More than $1.3 million was bilked from Amazon by a third-party seller who will plead guilty to wire fraud charges.
During a filing Monday in U.S. District Court, Ting Hong Yeung, a 41-year-old Hacienda Heights man, was charged with wire fraud, accused of defrauding Amazon of $1.3 million. A plea agreement was also filed Monday in which Yeung will pay restitution, some of which will be paid in gold and silver bars seized from a search of his home, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Operating under the Amazon third-party names of “Speedy Checkout,” Special SaleS” and “California Red Trading Inc.,” Yeung advertised expensive merchandise, such as furniture and home décor at rock bottom prices to drive up sales. He then provided bogus tracking numbers to customers, continually delaying refunds to complaining customers long enough for Amazon to disburse funds into his business bank accounts, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. “Yeung collected payment for items that were never shipped and relied on Amazon to issue refunds to his disgruntled customers under its “A-to-Z guarantee”,” according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in a written statement. Occasionally, Yeung would ship customers cheap crystal ornaments to generate tracking numbers for customers while stalling customer complaints and demands for refunds. He also used Amazon’s messaging service to lie to customers that their products were being shipped, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. Amazon disburses funds from purchases into a seller’s bank account every two weeks after the seller has provided proof of shipment, which is why Yeung continually delayed refunds. Occasionally, Yeung would also defraud Amazon by purchasing items on credit cards in the name of other people and false identities. Yeung would initiate returns after the goods were delivered to his customers, falsely claiming the items were “different from what was ordered.” He would then return lower-value items than what was ordered so he collected both the refund and proceeds of the original sale, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. Yeung is expected to make an initial court appearance April 12. This case was investigated by the FBI. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor LOS ANGELES – Detectives and the family members are pleading with the community to help find the gunman who shot and killed a man in Hacienda Heights. Alfonso Guzman Jr., a 26-year-old Duarte man and father of two, was shot dead in his vehicle as he sat parked with his girlfriend on a scenic overlook in the 3300 block of Turnbull Canyon Road around 1 a.m. May 20. His girlfriend suffered injuries not life-threatening, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s homicide detectives announced a $10,000 reward at a November 18 news conference for any information leading to the arrest and conviction of the suspect.
Through translation, Guzman’s mother, Maria Ayala pleaded with the community to help catch her son’s killer. “My son was a good son, a good father. He leaves behind two boys, two boys that are suffering and constantly ask about him. They go to school and tell me: ‘mama, daddy is watching over me, he is hugging me. When is he coming?’ When it rains they say: ‘daddy is getting wet. When is he getting down from up there?’ My son was a hardworking person, he was attending school and had many projects planned ahead. As a mother who is dead inside, I beg that if anybody knows something please call. Thank you,” Ayala said. Anyone with information that can help this investigation is urged to call Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Homicide detectives J. Levenson or T. Baljet at 323-890-5500. Information can be provided anonymously by calling LA Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-22-TIPS (8477), through the P3Tips mobile app, or lacrimestoppers.org. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor LOS ANGELES – Four men are slated to appear in court this month on a one-count indictment in which they are accused of conspiring to launder proceeds of wire fraud that were stored on Target gift cards.
Chinese nationals Bowen Hu, a 26-year-old Hacienda Heights man, and Tairan Shi, a 27-year-old Diamond Bar man, were arrested September 28, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. U.S. citizen and 33-year-old El Monte man Blade Bai and Chinese national Yan Fu, a 58-year-old Chino Hills man, were previously issued a summons to appear in federal court after having been arrested November 17, 2020. Bai pleaded not guilty to a charge of conspiracy to commit money laundering having been named in a criminal information filing. All four men are charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering. “The indictment alleges that Bai, Hu and Shi obtained more than 5,000 gift cards from a group that called itself the “Magic Lamp” and sold gift card information via an online messenger application,” according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in a written statement. Investigators estimate the four men laundered more than $2.5 million in gift cards from June 2019 to November 2020. The four men often targeted, no pun intended, older adults across the U.S. and induced them to purchase the gift cards based on various fraud schemes, including posing as government officials demanding the purchase of gift cards to resolve an issue; and tech support scams, in which victims pay a substantial amount through gift cards to fix a computer issue, or be granted account access, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. Bai, Hu and Shi oversaw the distribution of the gift cards to “runners,” whom included Fu. The cards were used primarily on Los Angeles and Orange counties to buy electronics, more gift cards and other items, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. Bai, Hu and Shi obtained gift card numbers from the Magic Lamp, often the same day the victims purchased the cards, and Fu travelled to up to 17 Target stores in a single day to buy the merchandise. Bai resold the merchandise and used some of the cash to pay the Magic Lamp, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. “This case offers an important reminder to consumers that gift cards are for presents to friends and loved ones – they should never be used for payments to any government or corporate entity,” said Acting United States Attorney Tracy L. Wilkison in a written statement. “Don’t be fooled by callers claiming to be with a government agency, a bank or any other institution demanding that you purchase gift cards. There is no reason to purchase a gift card to resolve a problem with an account, your Social Security number or a supposed criminal case,” Wilkison added. All four men face a statutory maximum of 20 years in federal prison if convicted as charged. This case was investigated by the FBI and Homeland Security Investigations. Countless other local agencies across the U.S. assisted with the investigation, including the Brea Police Department, Fontana Police Department and Gardena Police Department. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor REGION - Two 500 kilovolt transmission lines in the Walnut area malfunctioned, causing 159,239 customers to lose power in the San Gabriel Valley early Sunday, a Southern California Edison spokesman said.
Some customers in Walnut, Covina, West Covina, La Puente, Hacienda Heights, Rowland Heights, El Monte, the Whittier Narows area, Irwindale and Baldwin Park were affected by the outage that began at 6:47 a.m., according to Reggie Kumar, Southern California Edison spokesman. Customers in Carson were affected as well. Power was fully restored with the help of generators at 7:36 a.m., Kumar told SGV CityWatch. “Those transmission lines actually feed all the way to Bakersfield, so it was a very large loss,” Kumar told SGV CityWatch. The transmission lines are located in the City of Walnut. The cause is under investigation and repair work continues, Kumar told SGV CityWatch. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor LA HABRA HEIGHTS - A 100-foot by 100-foot spot fire is burning along a hillside, Los Angeles County firefighters said Monday.
The fire is creeping uphill near Hacienda Road and East Skyline Drive. The fire has a potential to char two acres. The threat to structures is minimal, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor REGION - Public help is sought for information on the killing of a 22-year-old man found dead on a Hacienda Heights Street June 28. Javier Rodriguez, a Hacienda Heights resident, was found wounded on Turnbull Canyon Road south of Northview Terrace around 12:35 a.m. Rodriguez died at the scene from an apparent gunshot wound to the upper torso, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Information Bureau.
Anyone with information on this shooting is urged to contact Los Angeles County Sheriff's Homicide Bureau Detective R. Tomlin or Detective K. Acebedo at 323-890-5500. Information can be provided anonymously by calling L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), through the P3 Tips mobile app, or at lacrimestoppers.org. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor REGION – Both suspects accused of murdering a 9-year-old girl whose body was dumped in Hacienda Heights pleaded not guilty Tuesday. Taquesta Graham, 29, and Emiel Lamar Hunt, 39, pleaded not guilty to one count of murder each in the death of Trinity Jones. The girl’s body was partially exposed in a large duffle bag and found near an equestrian trail along Colima Road and Hacienda Boulevard in Hacienda Heights March 5, 2019, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. Graham and Hunt are accused of killing Jones on or about March 1, 2019. The duo has a criminal history. Hunt was convicted of child abuse with great bodily injury in San Diego County in 2005. In 2016, Graham was convicted of enticing a minor for prostitution in San Bernardino County, according to the criminal complaint. Investigators searched for Graham and Hunt after family identified them as suspects.
Hunt and Graham were stopped attempting to cross a border patrol checkpoint in Hudspeth County, Texas days after Jones was discovered, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau. Graham was extradited from Texas March 14 after being held by Texas authorities on an outstanding warrant until Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Homicide detectives brought her to the Sheriff’s Norwalk Station to be booked on the warrant. After being detained in Texas, Hunt drove back to California. He was eventually found sleeping in his black Nissan Armada in a parking lot near San Diego International Airport and arrested, homicide detectives said. If convicted as charged, Graham faces a possible maximum sentence of 26 years to life in state prison. Hunt faces up to 55 years to life in prison, the DA’s office said. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor LOS ANGELES - An official cause of death has not been determined yet for a boy who was found at the bottom of a pool and later died at a hospital. Neal Gutierrez, 9, was identified by Lt. Larry Dietz of the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner. The drowning was reported at a residence in the 3200 block Leticia Drive around 7:47 p.m. July 27. Gutierrez was swimming with family when he possibly went under the water after using a water slide. Family then noticed his body at the bottom of the pool, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
Family members were performing CPR on Gutierrez by the time deputies and firefighters arrived. Gutierrez was transported by ground to a hospital where he was pronounced dead, according to Lt. James Long of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Industry Station. |
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