Written by AARON CASTREJON 
CityWatch Editor 

AZUSA - A man was killed after being hit by a vehicle on a long often troubled stretch of Arrow Highway October 8.

The collision occurred in the 400 block of East Arrow Highway, which is just west of Cerritos Avenue, around 9 p.m. Thursday. The victim, only described as an adult male pedestrian, sustained major injuries and was taken to a hospital where he later died, according to the Azusa Police Department.

“The driver remained at the scene and is cooperating with investigators,” according to the Azusa Police Department in a written statement. “The circumstances surrounding the collision remain under investigation.”

The long and sometimes dark stretch of Arrow Highway from Cerritos to Azusa Avenue has seen a fair share of auto versus pedestrian collisions, some ending in fatalities.
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Investigators are asking any witnesses to the crash, or anyone who may have dashcam, or security video to come forward and call the Azusa Police Department Traffic Bureau at 626-812-3200. 

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Copyright 2026. All stories and original images published here are the exclusive property of SGV CityWatch and may not be republished in any form without the permission of this organization.

Written by AARON CASTREJON 
CityWatch Editor 

UPDATE, 6:25 a.m.: All lanes have reopened at 6:21 a.m., according to the California Highway Patrol.

AZUSA - All lanes of the westbound 210 Freeway east of Azusa Avenue except the HOV lane are temporarily blocked after a pedestrian was killed Wednesday.

The pedestrian was partially blocking the slow lane and reported to the California Highway Patrol around 3:30 a.m. August 12. It is not immediately known if the vehicle and driver that struck the pedestrian remained on scene.

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Copyright 2026. All stories and original images published here are the exclusive property of SGV CityWatch and may not be republished in any form without the permission of this organization.

Written by AARON CASTREJON 
CityWatch Editor 

LOS ANGELES - A little more than two months after a man shockingly died after taking refuge inside an unlocked Azusa Police SUV, his cause of death has been revealed.

Eric Valencia, 37, died an accidental death due to hyperthermia, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner.

Hyperthermia causes the core body temperature to rise significantly above normal and the body’s mechanisms to shed excess heat fail.

Valencia was arrested March 20 at 10:09 p.m., accused of DUI and child endangerment. The father of two also allegedly had a blood alcohol level of double the legal limit, according to the Azusa Police Department.

His arrest was considered a detention only. It is not immediately clear what exactly Valencia was arrested for.

Valencia was released March 23 at 12:38 p.m. Video surveillance at the Azusa Police Station shows Valencia scoping out a parked and unoccupied Azusa Police SUV. Once he discovered it was left unlocked, Valencia entered.

All doors should have been locked and secured.

Three days later, an officer was about to prep the temporarily-out-of-commission police SUV for a wash when Valencia was discovered deceased, sitting up in a rear seat around 4:51 a.m.

It is unclear how long Valencia was dead before being discovered inside. He was declared dead at 4:59 a.m.

The rear doors of police vehicles automatically lock from the inside once closed. 

Azusa Police reported that Valencia had a working cell phone with him inside the SUV, but apparently made no outbound calls.

The city retained the private investigation firm JL Group to conduct an independent probe into why the vehicle was left unlocked.

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The death record in this article is being redistributed by SGV CityWatch and is protected by constitutional, publishing and other legal rights. Information about the decedent(s), including cause and manner of death, is public record and was distributed by government sources.

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Copyright 2026. All stories and original images published here are the exclusive property of SGV CityWatch and may not be republished in any form without the permission of this organization.

Written by AARON CASTREJON 
CityWatch Editor 

AZUSA - Investigators named the man who was found dead inside an out-of-service police vehicle parked outside the Azusa Police Department.

The man was identified Friday as Eric Valencia, 37. His cause of death has been deferred, pending additional investigation, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner.

Valencia was discovered around 4:51 a.m. March 26 in the back seat of the vehicle.

The patrol vehicle was left unlocked and parked outside the Azusa Police Station as it was scheduled for maintenance, according to the Azusa Police Department.

Valencia was arrested Friday, March 20 at 10:09 p.m. He was held until his release Monday, March 23 at 12:38 p.m., according to Los Angeles County booking records.

His arrest was considered a detention only. He was originally arrested and booked on suspicion of driving under the influence and child endangerment.

“Azusa Police personnel were not aware that the individual had entered the vehicle, and he was not in the custody of the Azusa Police Department at the time he gained access,” according to Azusa Police Chief Rocky Wenrick in a written statement.

Wenrick noted that the patrol vehicle was unlocked, but should have been secured.

Investigative firm JL Group has been hired for an independent review of the death, which would include why the vehicle was not secured, Wenrick said.

The Azusa Police Detective Bureau is conducting the initial criminal investigation, while the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, Justice System Integrity Division, has been notified and will receive full access to all evidence, security camera footage, and investigative reports, Wenrick said.

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The death record in this article is being redistributed by SGV CityWatch and is protected by constitutional, publishing and other legal rights. Information about the decedent(s), including cause and manner of death, is public record and was distributed by government sources.

Copyright 2025. All stories and original images published here are the exclusive property of SGV CityWatch and may not be republished in any form without the permission of this organization.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor 

AZUSA - A police vehicle parked outside the Azusa Police Department was the focus of an investigation after a man was found dead inside Thursday.

The dead man was discovered inside the vehicle around 4:51 a.m. March 26. Life-saving measures were implemented, but the man was declared dead, according to the Azusa Police Department.

“The vehicle was pending mandatory maintenance and was not in active use by department personnel at the time of discovery,” according to the Azusa Police Department in a written statement.

It is unclear how long the man was dead before being discovered inside. He was declared dead at 4:59 a.m.

The police station is located at 725 N. Alameda Ave.

The county medical examiner will determine cause and manner of death.

The Azusa Police Department Detective Bureau is also investigating. 

The investigation will be submitted to the Justice System Integrity Division of the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office for review, according to the Azusa Police Department.

Anyone with information on this incident is urged to call Azusa Police Detective Lieutenant Steve Sears at 626-812-3200.

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Copyright 2025. All stories and original images published here are the exclusive property of SGV CityWatch and may not be republished in any form without the permission of this organization.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

LOS ANGELES - A 63-year-old man is facing a murder charge in the violent 30-year-old killing of a woman whose nude body was found in the Azusa foothills.

Brian Walton was arrested February 5 by detectives with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau. He was officially charged in court with one charge of murder with the special circumstances allegations of murder during the commission of a rape and murder during the commission of sodomy, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.

Claudia Guevara, 23, went missing February 20, 1996 after her brother, who she was living with in Temple City, said she did not come home. She had been dropped off at a bus stop in El Monte by two co-workers and was never seen again, according to the DA’s office.

Guevara’s naked body was found the next day, tossed in a drainage ditch along Encanto Parkway. She was stabbed in the neck. Forensics investigators determined she was sexually assaulted, according to the DA’s office.

Guevara and Walton apparently did not know each other. DNA evidence links Walton to the assault and murder, according to the DA’s office.

“The victim’s family has waited for an agonizing 30 years to get that call to let them know their loved one’s killer had been found and charged,” Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said.

If convicted as charged, Walton faces life in prison without the possibility of parole or death. A decision on whether to seek the death penalty will be made at a later date, according to the DA’s office.

Walton was arraigned February 9 in the Foltz Criminal Justice Center. He is scheduled to appear in court again March 18.

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The arrest record in this article is being redistributed by SGV CityWatch and is protected by constitutional, publishing and other legal rights. Arrest information is public record and was distributed by government sources. The person named in this article has only been arrested on suspicion of the crime(s) listed and is presumed innocent.


The death record in this article is being redistributed by SGV CityWatch and is protected by constitutional, publishing and other legal rights. Information about the decedent(s), including cause and manner of death, is public record and was distributed by government sources.


Copyright 2025. All stories and original images published here are the exclusive property of SGV CityWatch and may not be republished in any form without the permission of this organization.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

AZUSA - A man was found dead inside a motel room Sunday afternoon.

The cause has not been determined yet, but investigators believe nothing suspicious led to the man’s death, according to the Azusa Police Department.

First responders were sent to the Super 8 by Wyndham, 117 N. Azusa Ave., around 2 p.m. November 2.

It is not immediately clear how long the man, identified by the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner as 48-year-old Walnut Creek resident Pavle Males, was in the room before being discovered.

The cause of death has been deferred, pending additional investigation.

The Los Angeles County Fire Department called in their Health Hazmat unit to the scene and spent several hours on site while police and medical examiner investigators worked as well.

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The death record in this article is being redistributed by SGV CityWatch and is protected by constitutional, publishing and other legal rights. Information about the decedent(s), including cause and manner of death, is public record and was distributed by government sources.


Copyright 2025. All stories and original images published here are the exclusive property of SGV CityWatch and may not be republished in any form without the permission of this organization.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

AZUSA - The driver of a gray Honda Civic possibly passed out behind the wheel before crashing head-on into a tree on the shoulder of the west 210 freeway Saturday.

The crash happened near the Vernon Avenue on ramp just before 3:30 p.m. August 23. Witnesses reported the driver may have passed out, causing the vehicle to swerve across all lanes before slamming into the tree, according to California Highway Patrol traffic logs.

As of 5:29 p.m., the county medical examiner had to estimated time of arrival to the scene.

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Copyright 2025. All stories and original images published here are the exclusive property of SGV CityWatch and may not be republished in any form without the permission of this organization.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

LOS ANGELES - A fire fighter paramedic last stationed in the city of Azusa died Friday, August 15, the Los Angeles County Fire Department announced.

Jerry W. Guzman was last assigned to Fire Station 32 and served the community for 23 years, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

“To ensure the proper care and support of the Guzman family and our LACoFD personnel, Fire Chief Anthony C. Marrone has activated the Department’s chaplains, Peer Support team, behavioral health clinicians, and Memorial Management team,” according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department in a written statement.

The department did not provide details on where or how Guzman died.

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Copyright 2025. All stories and original images published here are the exclusive property of SGV CityWatch and may not be republished in any form without the permission of this organization.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

LOS ANGELES - A jury convicted a man July 1 in the fentanyl death of a victim who died minutes after being sold the drug on a Metro train.

Shane Christopher Brown, 37, a Los Angeles County man, was found guilty after a five-day of one count of distribution of fentanyl, resulting in death, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Security cameras caught the entire incident on the evening of January 16, 2023. Brown distributed the highly potent synthetic opioid while riding the Metro A Line train in Azusa. The victim died within 10 minutes of ingesting the drug. He collapsed at the Azusa downtown station.

Brown was tracked down and arrested in the city of Glendora in March 2023.

“Toxicology results revealed that fentanyl was the only illicit substance in the victim’s blood and his death was subsequently attributed to the effects of fentanyl, according to court documents,” according to the DEA in a written statement.

A sentencing hearing date has yet to be announced. Brown faces 20 years to life in federal prison.