 Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor AZUSA - Police are investigating a reported child annoying by a man in a grey sedan September 19. In a letter to parents of Azusa Unified, Superintendent Linda Kaminski said a man in his 3os tried to wave the girl over to his vehicle while she walked to school Thursday morning. The incident occurred in the 800 block of East Alosta Avenue near Taco Bell around 7:42 a.m. The girl ran from the scene and called 9-1-1, Kaminski said.  Google Maps. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor AZUSA - Firefighters are unable to access the scene of a garbage fire sparked under the Arrow Highway overpass at the Big Dalton Wash. All transients have evacuated from the encampment. Its location is making it difficult for firefighters to extinguish the trash fire. There are no reports of injuries or structural damage to any buildings. The fire was reported around around 5:49 p.m. Firefighters have requested police to redirect traffic.  PHOTO/Courtesy of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor AZUSA - Investigators are still working to identify the white powder hand delivered to the Azusa Police Station lobby, forcing a response from two hazmat teams, an Azusa Police sergeant said. The initial fear was that the substance was possibly Fentanyl according to Nick Covarrubias, sergeant with the Azusa Police Department, in a Thursday interview. The five ounces of white powder ultimately posed no immediate threat to the public. No arrests have been made. Hazmat teams from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and Los Angeles County Fire Department responded to the Azusa Police Station, 725 N. Alameda Ave., around 2:30 p.m. September 11 after a man arrived to report a suspicious package.
The man was tasked to deliver the package and at some point, the package was opened to reveal the white powder, according to Lt. Jorge Sandoval of the Azusa Police Department. The man believed the powder was suspicious, which is why he delivered it to the station, Sandoval said.  PHOTO/From ARIS Helicopters. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor AZUSA - The pilot of a Sikorsky S-58 helicopter was uninjured after making an emergency landing on a field at Azusa High School September 11. The helicopter landed on a field on the south side of Azusa High School, 240 N. Cerritos Ave., around 12:40 p.m. The pilot, the lone occupant of the helicopter, made the landing for unknown reasons, according to Ian Gregor, public affairs manager with the Federal Aviation Administration. Azusa Police officers arrived to the scene and reported the helicopter experienced a mid-air mechanical issue.
Regular school day activities carried on as scheduled, according to a message from the Azusa Unified School District. According to FAA records, the Sikorsky is registered to Heli-Flite, Inc., doing business as ARIS Helicopters. The Riverside-based company provides helicopters for motion pictures, executive transport, heavy lift operations and fire suppression. Heli-Flite has served the helicopter industry for more than 40 years.  PHOTO/Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor LOS ANGELES - Homicide detectives seek information on the trigger man who killed an Azusa resident July 14. The suspect is believed to be a Sentinel Boys gang member and is only described as a Hispanic male. The trigger man fled in a black four-door compact car, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Information Bureau. The shooting unfolded at 7:44 p.m. in the 400 block of South Azusa Avenue July 14. John Medrano, 24, was struck by gunfire while walking with a teen boy. Medrano was hospitalized, but later died. The boy was uninjured.
The black compact was driven away eastbound on Gladstone Street. Anyone with information on the suspect is urged to call the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500. Information can be provided anonymously by calling L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).  PHOTO/City of Azusa. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor AZUSA - Captain Mike Bertelsen will be sworn in as Azusa’s next police chief in a ceremony September 16, the City of Azusa announced recently. Beretelsen will begin his tenure as police chief September 13. Bertelsen began his tenure at Azusa Police as a jailer in 1994. He held a number of titles, such as patrol officer, training officer, property crimes detective, gang detective, held the titles of sergeant and lieutenant in the patrol division, detective lieutenant and captain. Steve Hunt, current Azusa Police chief, will retire from the role after 30 years of service with the Azusa Police Department.
Bertelsen’s swearing-in ceremony will take place at 7:30 p.m. at the City of Azusa Auditorium. A reception will begin at 6 p.m. in the City Hall courtyard, 213 E. Foothill Blvd.  IMAGE/NBC4 news. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor AZUSA - A traffic stop for expired registration led to a pursuit across Los Angeles County Saturday. The three unidentified suspects were arrested after a pursuing Azusa officer disabled the white Volvo with the Pursuit Intervention Technique in the area of Grand Avenue and Hillside Drive in West Covina just after 6 p.m. An officer initiated a traffic stop on the driver of the white sedan near Mauna Loa Avenue and Barranca Avenue just before 4:30 p.m. August 31. The driver refused to stop, according to Azusa Police Lt. Nick Covarrubias. The pursuit went as far west as East Los Angeles onto surface streets through Commerce and Montebello before heading west on the 60 freeway.
The driver fled onto surface streets again through Industry, Hacienda Heights, La Puente, Pomona and onto the 10 freeway before the Volvo was disabled in West Covina. Covarrubias did not yet know why the driver fled, but the driver will likely face felony evading charges.  Google Maps. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor AZUSA - A woman sustained serious injuries after being found in a flood control channel Saturday morning. Someone heard the woman’s cries for help in the flood control channel near Arrow Highway east of Azusa Avenue August 24, according to Sgt. Fernando Vasconcelos of the Azusa Police Department. Firefighters responded around 10:16 a.m.
It is unclear how the woman fell in the wash, or how long she was there before help was called. The woman is being treated still and officers have been unable to speak with her, Vasconcelos said.  Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor AZUSA - A small brush fire is burning in a reportedly inaccessible area of the Azusa foothills.
The fire, dispatched to firefighters at 7:10 p.m., is burning near East Sierra Madre Avenue and Yucca Ridge Road. The fire is burning in steep terrain, is moving slowly and has the potential for 500 acres, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department. One helicopter is on scene and at least one additional helicopter is being requested. A full first-alarm brush response has been dispatched.  PHOTO/By Aaron Castrejon. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor LOS ANGELES - The driver killed after his silver truck overturned in Azusa Sunday afternoon was identified. 21-year-old Eduardo Perez from Glendora was identified by Sarah Ardalani of the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner. Perez died from blunt force traumatic injuries. His death was ruled accidental. The crash occurred at 819 N. Citrus Ave. near Citrus College just after 3:36 p.m. August 4. The victim was declared dead at the scene at 3:42 p.m., according to Dispatch Supervisor Melanie Flores of the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
A large memorial was set up for Perez at the crash scene, which was still marked with orange spray paint Wednesday. Candles still flickered in the morning sun. The silver truck appeared to be headed west on Foothill Boulevard and took the curve in the road towards southbound Citrus Avenue when it struck the metal guard rail and overturned. |
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