Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

ARCADIA - The driver of a vehicle that found itself embedded inside a 7-Eleven store Thanksgiving Day is accused of attempted murder after police said the driver intentionally crashed through the store.

The driver, who has not been identified publicly, allegedly caused a disturbance inside the 7-Eleven, 1003 S. Baldwin Ave., just before 7 a.m. November 24. The driver allegedly tossed merchandise at employees before leaving the business and entering his vehicle.

“Witnesses reported the subject accelerated towards the front doors where employees and customers were standing. The vehicle struck the front doors of the business and continued inside, where it came to rest. The driver attempted to flee but was detained by store employees and customers until officers arrived,” according to the Arcadia Police Department.

The driver, a Monrovia man, was booked on suspicion of murder and is being held in lieu of $2 million bail.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

ARCADIA - No one was injured after a vehicle stopped well into a 7-Eleven early Thanksgiving Day.

The crash occurred at the 7-Eleven, 1003 S. Baldwin Ave., just after 7 a.m. The car went straight through the front doors and destroyed several shelves of items, going completely inside the convenience store.

City inspectors were called to survey the structure and determine the safety of the food within, according to the Arcadia Fire Department.

ARCADIA – Two suspect accused of a possible rash of robberies and thefts at The Shops at Santa Anita were arrested November 1.

One of the suspects reportedly assaulted a female as she sat in her vehicle at the mall. The suspect entered her vehicle, struck her in the face and took her purse just before 12:30 p.m., according to Sgt. Ernest Lopez of the Arcadia Police Department.

The suspect fled in a black BMW sedan. Both the suspect and vehicle match the descriptions given in similar crimes at the mall, Lopez said in a written statement.

Around 2:38 p.m., police learned of a possible suspect vehicle seen parked at the mall. After conducting surveillance on the BMW sedan, a traffic stop was conducted, two occupants detained and stolen property from the crime just hours before was found, Lopez said.

The two unidentified suspects were taken into custody and booked on suspicion of robbery.

ARCADIA – A man is facing a commercial burglary charge after allegedly breaking into a Chase Bank late Saturday night.

Officers were called to Chase Bank, 60 E. Huntington Dr., October 29, around 10:29 p.m. after being alerted to glass being broken at the business. The suspect escaped through the front doors and to a nearby commercial building, according to the Arcadia Police Department.

The suspect, 34-year-old Abel Lopez, was found in a nearby parking lot and arrested and booked on suspicion of commercial burglary.

ARCADIA - Investigators are determining the cause of a building fire that gutted a vacant structure Saturday night.

A vacant apartment building went up in flames October 8 just before 10 p.m. at 128 Wheeler St.

The fire was eventually designated as a third alarm, requiring many additional resources from surrounding fire departments, including Monrovia, Pasadena, Sierra Madre, San Marino, San Gabriel, Montebello, Glendale and the Arcadia Police Department.

One firefighter received a minor injury and was treated at the scene, according to the Arcadia Fire Department.

Firefighters shifted their focus to a defensive strategy, and worked to protect nearby structures from the fire, according to the Arcadia Fire Department.

61 firefighters stuffing 21 units and all responded to the scene, according to the Acadia Fire Department.

The cause is still under investigation.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

ARCADIA - A patient suffered moderate injuries Thursday and was pulled from a confined space nearly 70 minutes after possibly falling 22 feet off of a ladder and into a vault at Santa Anita Park, authorities said.

First responders were called to Santa Anita race track, 285 W. Huntington Dr., September 15. The patient was alert and conscious during the rescue, according to the Arcadia Fire Department.

An extensive rescue operation was enacted that included venting the vault space with clean air, monitoring the condition of the surrounding air for contaminants and hazardous conditions And rigging advanced rope systems to extricate the patient, according to the Arcadia Fire Department.

The patient was treated immediately after being rescued and was given a pain management, intravenous therapy, Cardiac monitoring and splinting of injuries, according to the Arcadia Fire Department.

The rescue operation was conducted by urban search and rescue teams from Arcadia, Monrovia and Pasadena Fire Departments, Glendale Fire Department hazmat team and an air and light team from the South Pasadena Fire Department.

ARCADIA – Residents were allowed back into their homes after more than five hours after a man shot a wounded an officer and wounded two others.

Just before 11 p.m., authorities reportedly used a “flash bang” grenade, firing it into the home. The still-unidentified suspect then emerged and surrendered. Aerial video showed the suspect was hobbling as he left the home to a waiting pair of handcuffs.

Police were called to a home in the 2500 block of Greenfield Avenue August 10 by a caller who said his brother was in the house and had a gun. Just after officers arrived, the suspect reportedly fired upon them. One officer was struck in the face, according to police radio traffic.

The suspect continued to fire out of the home towards officers who began calling for shields and for mutual aid assistance from surrounding agencies.

One officer suffered an ankle injury and was hospitalized. One woman, a family member of the suspect, was also shot. Her condition was not immediately available. A child was in the house as gunfire started. That child fled to safety.

The suspect spoke with Arcadia Police dispatchers and with crisis negotiators to get him to surrender. He threatened that he was mixing two chemicals to cause an explosion and he wanted officers to enter the home to take out as many officers a possible, according to Arcadia Police radio traffic.

The Arcadia Police Department posted a statement on Twitter Thursday morning: “A quick msg to say thank you to our community for your support and the agencies who responded to assist.”

​Agencies that responded include the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and police departments from Azusa, Glendora, La Verne, Baldwin Park, Monrovia and more.

The wounded Arcadia officer was with the department for six months. He has three years of experience with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

ARCADIA - Multiple news stations are reporting that the Arcadia officer shot while responding to a domestic disturbance is in stable condition.

A suspect remains barricaded in a home in the 2500 block of Greenfield Avenue, north of Live Oak Avenue. Authorities have been communicating with him to get him to peacefully surrender.

According to police radio traffic, the suspect is threatening to cause an explosion by mixing chemicals together and is encouraging officers to enter to take out as many officers as possible.

Arcadia Police originally responded to a home in the 2500 block of Greenfield Avenue around 5 p.m.

Initially, a caller reported a family member entered the home with a weapon. As Arcadia officers arrived, someone inside the home opened fire, according to police radio traffic.

An officer was struck in the face. Two other people were wounded: a female relative was shot and another person was hit by shrapnel, authorities said in a nighttime press conference.

Officers were continually taking gunfire within the first minutes of arrival and requested shields and help from surrounding cities.

Mutual aid from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and police departments from Azusa, West Covina, Baldwin Park, Glendora, the Foothills Special Enforcement Team and more.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

ARCADIA - A shooting victim was dropped off at Arcadia Methodist Hospital Sunday morning.

Arcadia officers were called to the hospital, 300 W. Huntington Dr., just before 9 a.m. April 24. The victim had apparently been shot in the back. The victim was listed in stable condition Sunday evening at Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena, according to Sgt. Ryan Mulhall of the Arcadia Police Department.

It was not known where the shooting actually occurred. Officers were apparently given a vague description of the vehicle that dropped off the victim who is apparently not cooperating with the investigation.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

ARCADIA - A 36-year-old man is facing an assault with a deadly weapon charge and possibly other charges after a feud with a neighbor ended in gunfire that sent a teen to the hospital.

Lian Hui Yang was found standing in a driveway in the 900 block of Sunset Boulevard after police responded to a gunfire call around 10:06 p.m. February 17. A 17-year-old male was found wounded in one of his feet, according to the Arcadia Police Department.

Yang and his 19-year-old neighbor allegedly began feuding earlier Thursday, but the fight was no reported to police. The feud continued that night.

During the nighttime fight, the neighbor was helped by two friends: a 17-year-old and 19-year-old; the latter was not injured. The neighbor was allegedly punched in the head and complained of pain, according to the Arcadia Police Department.

After being booked, Yang was transferred to the Inmate Reception Center in Los Angeles ahead of a scheduled appearance in Pasadena Superior Court February 22.