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.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

AZUSA - All lanes of the eastbound 210 freeway at the Azusa Avenue overpass are temporarily closed after a fatal crash Tuesday evening.

Initial reports indicate a motorcycle collided with a black Tesla Cyber Truck around 6:09 p.m. July 15. The collision is taking up the No. 1 and HOV lanes, according to the California Highway Patrol.

It is unclear if there were any other injuries.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

AZUSA - Homicide detectives announced the arrest of a man accused of murdering his parents inside their Azusa home.

Gabriel Contreras, a 29-year-old Azusa man, allegedly committed the March 15 murder of parents Linda Rodriguez and Arthur Contreras.

Gabriel Contreras was arrested March 19 and booked at the Azusa Police Department jail.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office officially filed two counts each of murder and assault with a firearm, according to the Sheriff’s Department, although the cause of death for both parents was the result of “multiple sharp force injuries,” according to the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner.

Contreras is being held in lieu of $2 million bail at the Twin Towers Correctional Facility in Los Angeles ahead of a scheduled appearance in Pomona Superior Court Friday, March 21.

A gofundme was established to help with funeral costs and living expenses for those left behind.

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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.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

UPDATE, 9:02 p.m.: One person remains hospitalized in critical condition suffering from apparent knife wounds after emerging from a home, the scene of a double homicide Saturday.

Police initially responded to the home in the 300 block of North Twintree Avenue around 2 p.m. Police dispatchers were told of a possible domestic fight and the sound of screaming.

“Officers made entry to the location and discovered a male adult and female adult suffering from numerous apparent knife wounds. Los Angeles County Fire Department personnel responded and pronounced the individuals in the home deceased,” according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department in a written statement.

A suspect was identified, investigators said, but haven’t clearly stated if the suspect was the man currently hospitalized.

Anyone with information on this incident is urged to call the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500. Remain anonymous by calling LA Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), through the P3Tips mobile app, or lacrimestoppers.org.


PREVIOUS - A man and woman were killed at a residence Saturday.

The deaths occurred in the 300 block of North Twintree Avenue March 15. First responders were sent to the scene around 2 p.m.

While the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s homicide detectives haven’t revealed much else, this was potentially also a barricade situation.

One person, potentially the suspect, may have been transported from the scene.

A dramatic photo sent to SGV CityWatch showing Azusa Police officers with weapons aimed at the home.