Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

AZUSA – Police are searching for the shooter who fired at a driver who escaped uninjured to San Dimas Tuesday.

The driver was shot at in the area of Vernon Avenue and the 210 freeway at 11:15 p.m. The driver fled onto the freeway, according to Sgt. Seth Chapman of the Azusa Police Department.

The shooting is believed to be random. The driver doesn’t know who fired upon his vehicle, which suffered minimal damage, Chapman told SGV CityWatch.

The victim stopped on San Dimas Avenue north of the 210 freeway April 20. The California Highway Patrol responded to take a report, summoned a supervisor and a camera for documentation. The Azusa Police Department was notified after the CHP learned the shooting occurred in Azusa, according to CHP radio traffic.

The driver provided details of the possible shooter, but Chapman declined to provide details to protect the ongoing investigation.

Anyone with information on this shooting is urged to call Azusa Police Detective Jon Rush at 626-812-3200.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

AZUSA - A domestic violence suspect accused of shooting a woman found severely injured in an Azusa hotel parking lot was captured and was reportedly preparing to evade capture, police said.

David Ray Mesa, 45, was caught in Colton April 16 with the help of the US Marshal Service. He was arrested without incident, according to the Azusa Police Department.

A woman was found critically wounded in the parking lot of Home2 Suites, 229 S. Azusa Ave., April 13 by officers responding to a shooting call around 6:45 p.m. The woman suffered a gunshot wound to her neck, according to the Azusa Police Department.

“Azusa officers and detectives began investigating the shooting and determined it to be an incident of domestic violence,” according to the Azusa Police Department in a written statement.

In the hours after the shooting, investigators learned that Mesa was attempting to evade capture.

With the help of the US Marshal Service, Mesa was tracked to Colton.

Mesa is being held without bail ahead of a scheduled appearance in the Pomona courthouse April 20.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

AZUSA - Nine law enforcement organizations, led by the Azusa Police Department, targeted eight homes in an ongoing investigation into a shooting that left a teen injured March 17.

Several people ended up arrested after the 5 a.m. raid April 16 and multiple firearms were seized. The eight homes targeted in the search warrant reportedly housed a number of Sentinel Boys gang members and their associates, according to the Azusa Police Department.

The shooting occurred St. Patrick’s Day in the 500 block of North Dalton Avenue just before 10 p.m. A juvenile was injured and required extensive medical treatment, according to the Azusa Police Department.

A resident was nearby and heard the gun fire erupt on Dalton Avenue. The suspect or suspects fled west in a vehicle towards Alameda Avenue from the 500 block of North Dalton, then additional gun fire was heard.

The huge multi-agency response included the Glendale Police Department, Arcadia Police, Pomona Police, El Monte Police, West Covina Police, Irwindale Police, Covina Police, Glendora Police and the Foothills Special Enforcement Team.

A 17-year-old Azusa resident was arrested. He was booked on suspicion of unlawful possession of a firearm, resisting or deterring police, possession of a high-capacity magazine, possession of an undetectable firearm, resisting, delaying, or obstructing an officer and vandalism. A weapon seized at the juvenile’s location was an unregistered ghost gun, Azusa Police said.

21-year-old Abraham Garcia, from Riverside, was arrested and booked on suspicion of being a felon in possession of a firearm and a probation violation. Officers seized a Smith and Wesson model 34 22-caliber revolver, Azusa Police said.

Another ghost gun was also seized, located at a third home known to house Sentinel Boys gang members, Azusa police said.

“This investigation reemphasizes the Azusa Police Department’s commitment to curbing violent crime and reducing gang crime in the City of Azusa,” Azusa Police said in a written statement.

Anyone with information on these crimes is urged to call the Azusa Police Department at 626-812-3200.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

AZUSA - Detectives are investigating a shooting that left one victim hospitalized with life-threatening injuries, an Azusa police corporal said Wednesday.

Officers and firefighters responded to the parking lot of the Home2 Suites, 229 S. Azusa Ave., At 6:45 p.m. April 13. The victim was transported to Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center, according to Cpl. Trevor Benson of the Azusa Police Department.

An updated condition for the victim has not been revealed.

A suspect remains outstanding, Benson told SGV CityWatch.

Benson declined to provide further details, stating that detectives are working strong leads and he did not want to compromise the investigation.

The motive for the shooting and the description of a suspect or suspects are not publicly known.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

AZUSA - A high-speed crash ended the life of a man in a Camaro Tuesday morning after police said he ran a red light and slammed into another vehicle.

The crash occurred at North Azusa Avenue and East Gladstone Street just before 1:30 a.m. April 13. The Camaro’s driver allegedly ran a red light, struck a Cadillac Escalade and overturned the SUV, according to the Azusa Police Department.

A man and woman in the Escalade fled the overturned vehicle on foot, Azusa Police told local news stations.

The intersection is closed until further notice.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

AZUSA - For an hour and 10 minutes, a driver led police on a pursuit all over and outside of the city of Azusa until the suspect could drive no more.

35-year-old David Rico was arrested and booked on suspicion of reckless driving and felony evading. He refused to stop for an officer who tried to pull him over for alleged reckless driving in the area of Virginia Avenue and Sixth Street around 12:30 a.m. April 11, according to the Azusa Police Department.

Police successfully deployed a spike strip, which disabled Rico’s vehicle. He then stopped in the 900 block of North Enid Avenue. Rico, the only person in the vehicle, was arrested without further incident, according to the Azusa Police Department.

Rico was arrested at 1:50 a.m. He was booked at 5:25 a.m. and is being held in lieu of a $75,000 bail, according to Los Angeles County booking records.

Rico is scheduled for an appearance in the West Covina courthouse Tuesday, April 13.

AZUSA - The California Highway Patrol will be hosting a DUI checkpoint in the unincorporated portion of Azusa Friday, April 9, the CHP said.

The checkpoint is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. Friday.

“The officers will be equipped with state of the art hand-held breath testing devices, which provide an accurate measure of blood alcohol concentrations of suspected drunk drivers.  Motorists approaching the sobriety checkpoint will see informational signs advising them that a checkpoint is ahead,” according to Public Information Officer Rodrigo Jimenez of the California Highway Patrol Baldwin Park Office. 

“Once diverted into the lane, motorists will be detained for a few moments while an officer explains the purpose of the checkpoint,” Jimenez said.

The CHP intends to check the driver of every vehicle, but if traffic volume becomes too great then every third or fifth vehicle will be checked to maintain objectivity.

According to CHP Baldwin Park Office Captain Susan Estrem, checkpoints “reduce the number of drinking drivers on the road, even though arrest totals do not rise dramatically.” 

A major value of checkpoints is their psychological influence. “We advise the news media well in advance whenever a checkpoint is planned, since extensive publicity also is viewed as a legal safeguard,” Estrem said.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

AZUSA - An Azusa man who allegedly beat several family members and held them against their will was finally taken into custody after mental health professionals were able to convince the suspect to exit his home, police said.

Tyler Bachert, 25, allegedly barricaded himself in a home in the 500 block of East 10th Street, April 5. He did so after allegedly beating several family members and refusing to let them leave. Some family members were able to escape and call authorities, according to the Azusa Police Department.

Police responded to the scene around 12:34 p.m.

“Azusa Police officers along with mental health professionals from the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health were able to de-escalate the situation and successfully convince Bachert to exit the residence. Bachert attempted to flee but was ultimately taken into custody a short distance away,” according to the Azusa Police Department in a written statement.

Bachert was booked on suspicion of battery and false imprisonment. He is being held in the Twin Towers Correctional Facility ahead of a scheduled appearance in the West Covina Courthouse Wednesday, April 7, According to Los Angeles County booking records.