Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

AZUSA - A stolen vehicle was recovered Friday and its driver was arrested after a destructive pursuit, police said.

Driver Jose Antonio Hernandez Fitoria sideswiped a semi while fleeing officers along the southbound 605 Freeway at Lower Azusa Road in the early morning hours of April 25. The driver crashed while exiting the freeway and try to run down the on-ramp, according to the Azusa Police Department.

Officers received a report of a stolen vehicle and attempted to stop Hernandez while he was driving in the area of Foothill Boulevard and Virginia Avenue just before 2:30 a.m.

The vehicle was reported stolen out of Anaheim, according to the Azusa Police Department.

It is not immediately clear if Hernandez, or anyone else, suffered injuries in the crash.

Hernandez was booked on suspicion of multiple charges, including vehicle theft, felony evading, and driving under the influence, according to the Azusa Police Department.

Hernandez is being held in lieu of $100,000 bail at the Inmate Reception Center in Los Angeles ahead of a scheduled appearance in West Covina Superior Court April 29.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

AZUSA - A man in a gold pickup truck shot and wounded another driver on the 210 freeway March 9.

The shooting occurred in westbound lanes of the 210 east of Citrus Avenue just after 5 a.m. The victim was driving his 1998 Ford F-150 in the No. 2 lane and saw behind him a gold pickup, possibly a Chevrolet Colorado, in the No. 4 lane with the headlights off.

As the suspect came alongside the victim, the latter rolled down his front passenger window to inform the suspect his headlights were off, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Both vehicles approached Citrus Avenue. The suspect exited and slowed down on the on ramp.

While on the on-ramp, the suspect slowed down. The victim heard a loud noise. When the victim arrived home, he saw damage from two paintball rounds on his vehicle. When he noticed paint on his right forearm, he removed his jacket and saw a large bleeding welt, according to the CHP.

The victim had no details about the suspect driver.

Anyone with information on this shooting is urged to contact CHP Officer L. Del Rosario at 626-517-8500.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

AZUSA - A Perris man is facing an attempted murder charge, accused of shooting at a fellow driver on the 210 freeway October 11.

The shooting occurred on the eastbound 210 freeway west of Citrus Avenue. The suspect, Josue Saul Mejia, 41, shot at a woman’s car multiple times. One bullet penetrated a side window, causing it to shatter, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The 30-year-old female driver was treated at the scene for minor lacerations.

The California Highway Patrol Baldwin Park Special Enforcement Team identified Mejia as a suspect. He was arrested in Perris October 14 with assistance from the CHP Inland Division Investigative Services Unit and Major Crimes Unit.

Mejia was booked on suspicion of attempted murder. He is being held in lieu of $1 million bail.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

AZUSA - Investigators are trying to determine the cause of death of a man found near a footbridge and the 210 freeway Tuesday.

First responders were sent to the footbridge in the 5900 block of Rockvale Avenue around 4:22 p.m. Tuesday, August 27. The body appears to be away from the actual footbridge walkway and amongst the trees and bushes.

A Los Angeles County fire department paramedic declared the man dead at 4:34 p.m. The man is only described as being white, and between 50 to 60 years old, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The man was found laying on what was described as a makeshift mattress. Preliminarily, there does not appear to be any foul play, according to the CHP.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

AZUSA - A man in his 20s was hospitalized with injuries considered not life-threatening after being shot in a homeless encampment Monday night.

The shooting occurred along the 210 freeway on ramp from northbound Azusa Avenue to the east 210 freeway May 30. The California Highway Patrol was called by the victim who escaped after being shot. CHP officers were dispatched around 11:35 p.m., according to the CHP.

“The victim was approached by two Hispanic adults wearing face masks and a verbal confrontation ensued. The confrontation escalated and one of the two Hispanic male adults wearing the face masks produced a handgun and fired several rounds at the victim,” according to the California Highway Patrol in a written statement.

Both suspects remain at-large. Anyone with information on this shooting is urged to call California Highway Patrol Investigator A. Campos of the CHP Baldwin Park Office at 626-338-1164.

MOUNTAINS – A motorcyclist died Tuesday after a crash in the mountains far above Azusa, the CHP said.
 
The rider crashed on Highway 39 March 8 and was airlifted to a hospital where he was pronounced dead, according to Officer Kendricks of the California Highway Patrol.

The crash occurred around 4:30 p.m. The rider was southbound on Highway 39 at mile marker 25.16 when the 2014 Yamaha WR250 left the roadway at a curve at an unknown speed. The rider was ejected when the motorcycle overturned, according to the CHP in a written statement.
 
The U.S. Forest Service, Los Angeles County firefighters and a helicopter responded to Highway 39 near Morris Dam March 8 around 4:52 p.m.
 
The rider has yet to be identified.

BALDWIN PARK – The California Highway Patrol has scheduled a DUI/Driver License checkpoint for the unincorporated area near Azusa to begin at 8 p.m. Friday, August 27.

The checkpoint, staffed by CHP officers trained in the detection of impaired driving, will take place at an undisclosed location.

“The sobriety checkpoint is part of the CHP’s effort to curb drinking and driving. Traffic volume permitting, all vehicles will be checked. If volume becomes too heavy, vehicles to be checked will be selected by a pre-set standard (such as every 3rd or 5th vehicle) to assure objectivity,” according to CHP Baldwin Park Captain Susan Estrem.

Funding for this checkpoint was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

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.

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 - Charges are pending for two suspects who decided to flee Azusa officers during a pursuit that ended in a chain-reaction crash Monday afternoon.

Azusa police begin pursuing the driver of an Acura Integra after discovering the vehicle had been stolen. The pursuit began in the area of foothill Boulevard and San Gabriel Ave., according to Sgt. Jason Poulos of the Azusa Police Department.

Police pursued the driver to the Covina/Glendora border where the crash occurred in the intersection of Barranca Avenue and Arrow Highway around 5:45 p.m. March 8.

The Acura Integra collided with a Toyota Camry. The Integra then struck three other vehicles.

Both suspects in the stolen Integra suffered major injuries, compounded by the fact that they were not wearing their seatbelts, according to the California Highway Patrol, which is investigating the collision aspect of the chase.

The driver of the Camry suffered only minor injuries. Other people involved in the crash were able to walk away.

Alcohol and or drugs may have played a factor, the California Highway Patrol said.

Azusa Police is considering grand theft auto and felony evading charges.