Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

AZUSA - The 81-year-old suspect accused of causing felony vandalism in an Azusa neighborhood for roughly a decade has died, authorities said.

Prince Raymond King died Wednesday, May 29. The Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner has yet to either defer, or list a cause of death.

Officers were sent to a home in the 500 block of North Soldano Avenue around 7:30 a.m. for a death investigation. First responders found King unresponsive, according to Sgt. Johnson of the Azusa Police Department.

“There were no signs of any trauma or foul play,” Johnson told SGV CityWatch.

King made a May 28 appearance in court where he was charged with five felony counts of vandalism and two misdemeanor counts of vandalism. He pleaded not guilty, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.

Investigators with the Azusa Police Department Directed Enforcement Unit conducted a lengthy investigation and learned that for nearly 10 years dozens of citizens were being victimized by a serial slingshotter who broke windows, windshields and almost struck people with ball bearings, according to the Azusa Police Department.

During a search warrant served May 23 in the 900 block of North Enid Avenue, detectives located and arrested Prince Raymond King. Ball bearings and a slingshot were seized from his home.

King was held without bail at the Twin Towers Correctional Facility in Los Angeles ahead of a scheduled appearance in West Covina Superior Court May 28. He was released on his own recognizance. He was scheduled for an early disposition hearing June 17.

King was charged with crimes committed October 10, 2021, according to Los Angeles Superior Court records.

If convicted as charged, King faced a possible sentence of nearly eight years in prison.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

AZUSA - An 81-year-old man is accused of causing felony vandalism in a neighborhood during the course of roughly 10 years, the Azusa Police Department said.

Investigators with the Azusa Police Department Directed Enforcement Unit conducted a lengthy investigation and learned that during that decade, dozens of citizens were being victimized by a serial slingshotter who broke windows, broke windshields and almost struck people with ball bearings, according to the Azusa Police Department.

During a search warrant in the 900 block of North Enid Avenue, detectives located and arrested Prince Raymond King. Ball bearings and a slingshot were seized from his home.

King is being held without bail at the Twin Towers Correctional Facility in Los Angeles ahead of a scheduled appearance in West Covina Superior Court May 28.

********** 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 man and woman are being sought after vandalizing machines at a laundromat recently, taking coins and causing roughly $1,000 in damage.

The crimes occurred May 12 and May 16 and were caught on camera. In one video, a woman is seen opening two coin boxes and quickly taking money. In all, $200 was stolen. The locked coin boxes on six machines were damaged, according to one of the owners.

The laundromat sits in the Edgewood Shopping Center, 251 E. Gladstone St.

“We had to replace the locks because they had broken them. It was costly and unfortunate,” according to one of the owners. “They actually only got into two of the boxes but damaged many while trying to get into the locked boxes. Six machines were damaged.”

The husband and wife team who have run the laundromat for 27 years have not had too many problems, except for some graffiti and homeless issues.

The Azusa Police Department is investigating.

Anyone who can recognize the man and woman are urged to call the Azusa Police Department at 626-812-3200.

AZUSA – Detectives are still looking for the suspect or suspects who opened fire in an Azusa neighborhood late Saturday night.

Police responded to Third Street and Vernon Avenue October 2 to investigate a report of gunfire heard in the area. Officers found 23 spent shell casings in the 800 block of West Third Street, according to Sgt. Bailey of the Azusa Police Department.

The shooting occurred before 11 p.m.

A caller was leaving a family party in the 200 block of North Barbara Avenue and witnessed a slow-moving vehicle believed to be tied to the shooting. It rolled through the neighborhood and gunfire was heard, Bailey told SGV CityWatch.

“Three vehicles were hit with multiple rounds. No people were hit,” Bailey told SGV CityWatch.

As of Sunday evening, Bailey does not believe that anyone has come forward to law enforcement claiming to be a victim of the shooting, which is why as of now officers are investigating the shooting as a negligent discharge and vandalism call.

Anyone with information on this shooting is urged to call Azusa Police Detective Jon Rush at 626-812-3200.

UPDATE, 8:30 p.m.: Gold Line trains resumed normal service after the earlier signal issue in Azusa, Metro announced at 5:14 p.m.

AZUSA - Deputies are investigating who may have damaged the railroad signal system in Azusa Saturday after attempting to steal valuable copper wire.

Around 7:37 a.m. July 13, a Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit employee witnessed a suspicious man tampering with copper wire nearby the Irwindale Gold Line Station, according to Ramon Montenegro, public information officer with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Transit Services Bureau.

Deputies could not yet confirm if the suspicious man was the individual who vandalized the signals. Deputies took his contact information before releasing him, Montenegro said.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

AZUSA – An unknown number of suspects cut their way through a chain link fence into the Azusa Unified School District maintenance yard New Year’s Day.
 
The incident was reported to Azusa Police around 10 p.m. Tuesday, January 1. Unknown suspects also cut the lock to a container at the maintenance yard, 546 S. Citrus Ave. It was not immediately known what was taken, according to Lt. Robert Chivas of the Azusa Police Department Detective Bureau.
 
Photos of the crime scene shared with SGV CityWatch painted a broader picture.

Written by AARON CASTREJON | CityWatch Editor

AZUSA - An unknown number of vandals destroyed a score board and stole inventory from the snack bar at the Azusa National Little League field over the weekend.
 
More than $2,500 in damage was done to equipment, while all the inventory to the snack bar was taken, according to a statement released by the Azusa National Little League.
 
Police were called to investigate the vandalism at the field, 551 N. Rockvale Ave., just before 10:30 a.m.

“We are overwhelmed and appreciate the outpour of support that we have received from everyone and we hope that we can continue to make Azusa National Little League a fun and safe place for the community,” The ANLL said in a written statement issued on the organization’s Facebook page.
 
It was unclear exactly when the vandalism and burglary occurred.

A gofundme account has been established to help pay for the damage.