Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

AZUSA - Two hours of negotiations led to the surrender of a man accused of domestic violence Thursday.

Isaiah Castro, 22, held officers at bay in an apartment complex in the 800 block of South Cerritos Avenue October 3. Officers originally responded to the domestic violence call at 7:51 a.m., according to the Azusa Police Department.

Azusa officers activated the East San Gabriel Valley SWAT Team, comprised of Azusa, Irwindale and Baldwin Park police officers.

Castro was booked on suspicion of resisting or delaying an officer with force, battery, false imprisonment, assault with a deadly weapon and attempting to damage a communication device to prevent help, according to the Azusa Police Department.

Castro is being held without bail at the Inmate Reception Center in Los Angeles ahead of a scheduled appearance in West Covina Superior Court October 7.

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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

AZUSA - A parolee accused of attacking his father and keeping police at bay for roughly five hours is facing additional charges stemming from the standoff inside his parents home April 4.

Oscar Galaviz, 32, was finally taken into custody after being smoked out by SWAT team members and was booked on suspicion of elder abuse, residential burglary, violating his court order and resisting arrest.

Galaviz is accused of attacking his father with a walking cane, causing the father some minor injuries. His parents have an active restraining order against him and he should not have been at the house, according to the Azusa Police Department.

First responders were called to the house in the 800 block of West Sixth Street at 11:23 a.m. Tuesday. Galaviz barricaded himself inside a bedroom and armed himself with a baseball bat, according to the Azusa Police Department.

“Officers attempted contact with Galaviz, however he refused to comply and armed himself with a baseball bat asking Officers to shoot him. Galaviz also attempted to burrow through the drywall of the adjoining neighbors residence as he remained hold up,” according to the Azusa Police Department in a written statement.

The Azusa Police Department employed the assistance of the Irwindale Police SWAT team, a West Covina Police Department K9 and a mental health evaluation team in an effort to get Galaviz to surrender.

Telephone calls and announcements over loud speakers were made to try and get Galaviz to surrender.

Azusa police detectives eventually wrote a search warrant to enter the home and take Galaviz into custody.

Current booking information from Los Angeles County was not readily available.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

AZUSA - The cavalry was called in Friday as officers from nearby agencies assisted the Azusa Police Department in serving a multi-location search warrant.

The operation netted 13 arrests and the seizure of illegal handguns and other evidence related to various gang crimes. Those arrested face charges ranging from probation violations to conspiracy to commit murder, according to the Azusa Police Department.

“Names, locations, and evidence found are withheld due to an ongoing investigation by this department,” according to the Azusa Police Department in a written statement.

The Azusa Police Department’s Detective Bureau and Crime Suppression Team served the search warrant.

Assisting were police departments from El Monte, West Covina, Glendora, Pomona, La Verne, Covina, Glendale, Irwindale, Beverly Hills, Foothills Special Enforcement Team and County of Los Angeles Probation Department.

Anyone with information regarding illegal gang activity is urged to call the Azusa Police Department’s Detective Bureau or Crime Suppression Team at 626-812-3200.

AZUSA – Four police departments worked to put a dent into a persistent problem with speeding drivers and motorcyclists in the Azusa canyons Saturday.
 
An enforcement detail netted 67 citations from 76 traffic stops July 16. Citations were written for speeding and other vehicle code violations. One person was arrested for a DUI warrant, according to the Azusa Police Department.
 
Three vehicles were impounded during the Primary Collision Factor enforcement detail.
 
The enforcement detail was conducted by the Azusa, Baldwin Park, Irwindale and Pasadena police departments with funding provided by the California Office of Traffic Safety. 

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 - A joint operation between the Azusa Police Department, Irwindale Police Department and California Highway Patrol yielded nearly 100 citations all in an effort to curb dangerous speeding in the canyon area.

The enforcement operation, organized by the Azusa Police Department traffic division, ended the day March 7 with 107 traffic stops for various vehicle code violations, Including speeding and equipment violations. 97 citations were issued and two vehicles were impounded, according to the Azusa Police Department.

The unfortunate operation came as a result from numerous community complaints of speeding vehicles and motorcycles within the city racing to and from the canyon area, Azusa police said.

“The Azusa Police Department Traffic Division continues to work diligently in addressing traffic violations within the city of Azusa. More traffic operations to come with funding from a grant by the Office of Traffic Safety & NHTSA,” according to the Azusa Police Department.

AZUSA - Friday brought the arrests of an undisclosed number of suspects at nine different locations; suspects tied to recent gang violence in Azusa over a two-year period, police announced Friday.

Azusa detectives and Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies investigated crimes of murder, suspicion of murder, conspiracy to commit murder, attempted murder, drug sales, shootings, illegal gun possession and vandalism. Multiple illegal firearms were recovered from Sentinel Boys 13 gang members, the Azusa Police Department said.

Suspects were arrested on suspicion of murder, conspiracy to commit murder and other gang-related crimes in Azusa and the greater Los Angeles County area, Azusa Police said in a written statement.

A call to Azusa Police Lt. Robert Chivas seeking more information was not returned Friday. What is not clear are the names of the suspects arrested and locations police targeted.

Suspects were possibly targeted in Glendora Friday.