Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

AZUSA - A suspect was arrested June 15 and is facing hate crime and assault with a deadly weapon charges stemming from a seemingly-unprovoked beating during a league basketball game.

Sebastian Espinosa, 27, is accused of assaulting an Asian male playing in a league game at Memorial Park, 340 N. Orange Ave, on December 23, 2022. After being knocked to the ground, the Asian male was continually punched in the head and face and put up no self defense, according to the Azusa Police Department.

“As the suspect was being pulled away from the victim he delivered on final attack by kicking the victim’s head and face before yelling a racially derogatory slur at the victim,” according to the Azusa Police Department in a written statement.

The beating was captured on the park’s court side video system.

Despite being given false identifying information by witnesses, detectives identified Espinosa as a suspect.

Espinosa is being held in lieu of $30,000 bail in the Azusa jail ahead of a scheduled appearance in the West Covina Courthouse Tuesday, June 20.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

AZUSA - Two females were reportedly attacked in Azusa resulting in the arrest of an 18-year-old and four juveniles, one armed with a gun, police said.

One or more of the five occupants in the suspect vehicle are accused of yelling racial slurs at two females near the 300 block of East Foothill Boulevard early Friday morning before 1:18 a.m. One of the suspects also threw objects at the two females, hitting one of them, according to the Azusa Police Department in a written statement.

Prior to the reported assault, police stopped the vehicle and its occupants in the area of North Alameda Avenue and East Fifth Street after the driver was moving at high speed. It was during the traffic stop that police found a handgun on one of the juveniles, Azusa police said.

Soon after the traffic stop, the females flagged down another officer to report the assault. Police soon realized that the speeding suspects and the suspects in the assault were one in the same, Azusa police said.

Neither of the females were injured in the assault.

Arrested was 18-year-old Gabriel Ornelas from Ontario. He was booked on suspicion of child endangerment, hate crime, and battery.

One juvenile was arrested for possessing a handgun, one juvenile was arrested on suspicion of hate crime and battery and two others were arrested for violating curfew.